Fengyi Palace.
The emperor was sitting on the couch, holding the empress in his arms. The two were discussing what gifts to prepare for the fourth prince in order to regain the emperor's place in the fourth prince's heart.
The empress recalled the old days with the emperor. She didn't forget to warn the emperor, "I know you doted on the third prince in the past and still can't let go of him now. But you should know clearly that the fourth prince is our son and our daughter's younger brother. If you act foolishly again, don't ever step into Fengyi Palace!"
The emperor showed a good attitude of admitting his mistake. He even raised his hand and swore.
The palace was filled with warmth. Suddenly, Zhuyue rushed in. "Your Majesty, there's news from the Empress Dowager. It's said that something has happened to the third prince!"
The empress got up before the emperor. "What? What's going on? Your Majesty, let's go and have a look quickly."
Originally, the emperor was even more anxious than the empress. But seeing the empress's worried look, he suddenly calmed down. He also remembered what the empress had just said. The fourth prince was the son he should value most. "With the Empress Dowager watching over, nothing serious will happen. I'll go and check first."
After the emperor left, the worry on the empress's face disappeared. She slowly sat in front of the dressing table and let Zhuyue serve her.
While putting on makeup for her mistress, Zhuyue said indignantly, "The third prince is so heartless. Your Majesty, why do you need to be worried about him? If he hadn't joined hands with the Cui family to threaten Caixing, Caixing wouldn't have been sent out of the palace."
Caixing and Zhuyue had served the empress since childhood, and they had a deep bond. Back then, when the empress got angry and sent Caixing away, Zhuyue hadn't seen Caixing since.
The empress picked up a gold hairpin on the table and handed it to Zhuyue. "His Majesty is soft - hearted. After all, the third prince is his own son. If I'm cold to the third prince, he'll feel even more sorry for the third prince and show more tolerance for him."
"On the contrary, if I show concern for the third prince and show some tolerance for him, he'll persuade me to calm down."
After being married to the emperor for many years, the empress still knew him quite well. After today's quarrel, the empress seriously thought about the reason why the emperor was soft - hearted towards the third prince. It was simply because the third prince was in a weak position. His birth mother and maternal family were both gone, while the fourth prince was well - taken care of by everyone, which made the third prince seem pitiful.
Moreover, the emperor had doted on the third prince for seven years. Back then, in order to make the emperor and the third prince have a deep father - son relationship, the empress even coaxed the emperor to take care of the third prince personally for a while. This affection was the third prince's amulet, but now it made the empress feel annoyed.
The empress looked at herself in the mirror and showed an almost kind smile. "Since the Cui family instigated things, I've been stricter with the third prince. If I try to please the third prince now and send him treasures, what will the third prince do?"
"He should be very grateful and then ask to move back to Fengyi Palace. After all, he hasn't been doing well in Ci'an Palace," Zhuyue guessed.
The empress shook her head slightly. "The third prince before he met the Cui family is not the current one. Under the influence of the Cui family, the third prince has become more and more impetuous and short - sighted. This is the reason why His Majesty decided to give up on the third prince."
"After we and His Majesty constantly emphasized the importance of Baozhu, he still used his own judgment criteria to measure the value of Baozhu. Shen Yunfeng has no official position, and Lanyue is just a princess. So the third prince thought he could bully Baozhu."
"Similarly, now he has been spoiled by the Cui family and thinks that everyone should flatter him unconditionally."
"It's about time. We should go now."
...
Ci'an Palace.
Before the emperor stepped into Ci'an Palace, he heard the crying of the third prince. His heart tightened, and he felt a bit dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager. But this dissatisfaction turned into surprise after he entered the palace.
The main hall of Ci'an Palace was empty. Except for the kneeling palace servants, there was nothing else.
The emperor was about to ask, but the crying of the third prince was still in his ears. So he had to put aside his doubts and directly enter the inner chamber.
The inner chamber was also empty. The Empress Dowager was being supported by a maid, looking very worried. The third prince was lying on the ground, covering his stomach and wailing. The food was on the ground. It was in a complete mess.
Without waiting for the emperor's order, the chief eunuch stepped forward to help the third prince up. "Your Highness, what's wrong with your stomach? Were you beaten?"
The third prince covered his stomach and quickly complained to the emperor, "Father, the Empress Dowager won't let me eat. She's abusing me!"
The third prince, who was only focused on complaining, didn't notice that the emperor's face darkened as soon as he opened his mouth. As a grandson, the third prince was actually shouting at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager seized this opportunity and covered her chest, then went to rest, leaving Sulian to explain to the emperor.
Sulian's tone was not good. She even sounded angry. "Your Majesty, after the third prince came to Ci'an Palace, the Empress Dowager has taken good care of him. But the third prince said that the Empress Dowager was abusing him."
"Originally, there were many ornaments in the palace, but the third prince smashed them all. The Empress Dowager didn't dare to replace them for fear that the third prince would smash them again. Besides smashing things, the third prince cried all day long. No matter how the Empress Dowager coaxed him, he didn't listen. Today, he even threatened to go on a hunger strike!"
The emperor looked at the third prince with a sharp look in his eyes. "Xuyang, is this true?"
The third prince buried his face in the chief eunuch's arms and didn't say a word, which was a tacit admission of what Sulian had said.
After Sulian told the emperor about this, she left.
As soon as she left, the third prince became energetic. He covered his stomach and coquettishly said to the emperor, "Father, I'm so hungry. I don't want to eat the food in Ci'an Palace. Can Father ask the imperial kitchen to make some delicious dishes?"
The emperor was about to get angry, but seeing the third prince's pitiful look, he softened a bit. The Cui family was already dead. He could just teach the third prince well.
"Your Majesty, what happened to Xuyang?" The empress arrived in time. She also brought a jade ruyi for the third prince. The third prince had asked for it many times before, but she had never given it to him. But today, she gave it to him out of the blue.
When the third prince saw the empress, he wanted to go forward and act coquettishly. But when he saw the jade ruyi, he stopped in his tracks.
He wasn't interested in the jade ruyi at all. It was Concubine Li who liked it.
Thinking of the Cui family, the third prince suddenly gained confidence. He ordered the empress arrogantly, "You should quickly ask someone to move the tables and chairs here. Without them, how can I eat?"
The empress seemed to just notice that the room was empty. She immediately ordered, "Zhuyue, go to the inner treasury now and ask them to move the tables and chairs here."
"Don't go!" the emperor shouted sternly.
All his previous soft - heartedness vanished. He said disgustedly, "You have no manners and shout at your elders. Who taught you this? The empress is your step - mother. Why don't you kneel down and pay your respects?"
The third prince was young and didn't understand why the emperor had changed his attitude. He stubbornly stood there, waiting for the emperor and the empress to coax him.
The empress stepped forward and took the third prince's hand, persuading him gently, "How did I teach you before? You should be more patient when dealing with people..."
The third prince was bored with it. He impatiently shook off the empress's hand. "All you do is teach me this and that all day long. You're not as kind to me as Concubine Li. The Empress Dowager isn't my real grandmother. She's just an old hag."
"When I become the emperor, I'll make her apologize to Concubine Li!"