Luo Nanchen's star - like eyes seemed to be sprinkled with fine diamonds, bright and dazzling. After hearing Luo Siyuan's words, he even unconsciously widened his eyes, looking even more pitiful. "Father, that was the only thing... left by my mother..."
"What mother? You only have the Empress Dowager now! You're so childish," Luo Siyuan lost his patience and waved his hand at Luo Nanchen. "Alright, go out. Don't come in casually anymore. I have other things to attend to."
After his only relic of his mother was snatched away, he came to his father hoping for justice, but his father just impatiently told him to go out, called him childish, and even forbade him from coming to see him again.
Moreover, Luo Siyuan seemed quite used to this situation and didn't think there was anything wrong with it at all.
Luo Nanchen had always had a tough life.
Otherwise, as a prince, how could he always wear that tattered - looking clothes?
Lin Qiao found it a bit incredible. Since Luo Nanchen had such a miserable life, why did he turn dark only after he met the original host?
How cruel were the original host's means?
How miserable had Luo Nanchen's life been originally?
Lin Qiao stood up. "Your Majesty, this subject takes her leave."
Luo Siyuan was even more displeased. "Empress, you—"
But this time, Lin Qiao remembered not to be afraid of Luo Siyuan. She even walked out of the Zhaoyang Palace without looking back. At the palace gate, she grabbed Luo Nanchen's hand and took him out of the Zhaoyang Palace with her.
Although Luo Nanchen staggered a bit when being pulled, he immediately obediently followed Lin Qiao out of the Zhaoyang Palace.
Luo Siyuan was so angry that he almost had a heart attack.
After walking out of the Zhaoyang Palace, the chief eunuch, Father Liang, came over nervously. "Prince Six, are you alright?"
Lin Qiao narrowed her eyes and looked at Father Liang, the favorite around Luo Siyuan.
On his fleshy face, there was an open - hearted smile. Although he was hunched over, looking extremely apologetic and nervous, there was not the slightest bit of concern in his eyes.
Lin Qiao sneered. "Oh, Father Liang, you'd better go ask His Majesty if he's alright. There's no need for you to shed crocodile tears here."
Father Liang was stunned. "Your Highness, what do you mean?"
When Lin Qiao put on a straight face, she was actually quite intimidating. Her eyes were cold, and the ends of her eyes were raised. "Father Liang, you're a smart man. There's no need for me to say more. Which concubine's favor did you take to let Prince Six in?"
Hearing this, Father Liang quickly knelt down. "Your Highness, please investigate clearly. This servant wouldn't dare."
Lin Qiao was filled with pent - up anger, and her tone was full of authority. "Wouldn't dare? I think there's nothing you wouldn't dare to do."
Obviously, Luo Siyuan didn't really like his son, Luo Nanchen. But when Luo Nanchen went in just now to ask Luo Siyuan to stand up for him, there was no report from the chief eunuch.
The only ones who could see the emperor without a report were those who were extremely favored.
Father Liang had served in front of the emperor for many years and was a favorite around Luo Siyuan. How could he not know that Luo Siyuan didn't like Luo Nanchen? And how could he let Luo Nanchen in for no reason?
And Luo Nanchen rushing in like that would only make Luo Siyuan more annoyed.
Lin Qiao sneered, her autumn - like eyes filled with chill. "Listen up. I've adopted Luo Nanchen. He's now under my care. If anyone wants to bully him, it can only be me. You all better hide your tails well. Otherwise, don't blame me for fishing you out one by one and cutting you to pieces!"
[Congratulations to the host for completing the intermediate - stage task, False Pretenses]
[B - level has increased by 30. The current B - level is 90]
Lin Qiao: ???
What the hell!
Where did I show false pretenses?
...
The usual pattern of a cultivation - based cool - down novel is that the protagonist first suffers a lot and then has a very cool - down period. The more miserable the suffering, the cooler the following period. As the protagonist of the super - popular annual cool - down novel, Luo Nanchen suffered even more.
Lin Qiao only liked the part in novels where the protagonist slapped others in the face.
So she didn't really care about how miserable Luo Nanchen was. She only had a general idea.
It was only when the system reminded her of "false pretenses" that she remembered.
Actually, the original host had been nice to Luo Nanchen for a while.
Luo Nanchen's tragic childhood started with his biological mother, Nangong Rou. Nangong Rou was not originally one of Luo Siyuan's concubines. She was snatched by Luo Siyuan from someone else's wedding when he was traveling in northern Jin.
Nangong Rou and her fiancé had grown up together, were childhood sweethearts, and were deeply in love. But who dared to disobey the order of the emperor?
With an imperial edict, the soon - to - be bride, Nangong Rou, became the Noble Consort Rou in the palace. She was extremely favored, outshining all the other concubines. She had the best food, clothing, and daily necessities, but she was still depressed. Nicely put, she was as pure as a chrysanthemum; realistically speaking, she was world - weary.
Even after Luo Nanchen was born, the situation didn't improve much.
As for Luo Siyuan, he both loved and hated Luo Nanchen. He loved him because Luo Nanchen was the child of Noble Consort Rou, but he hated him because Luo Nanchen's existence always reminded him of how Noble Consort Rou came to be in the palace and the fiancé of Noble Consort Rou who had crashed his head against the city wall of the capital and died.
Thinking himself extremely smart, Luo Siyuan thought of a wonderful idea. Since seeing Luo Nanchen made him feel guilty, then he just wouldn't see him!
So he ordered Father Liang to find all sorts of reasons to prevent Luo Nanchen from seeing him.
Noble Consort Rou was the same.
Although she would occasionally hold Luo Nanchen and shed tears after being favored by Luo Siyuan, in fact, Noble Consort Rou spent most of her time chanting scriptures and praying to Buddha. She didn't care when Luo Nanchen's clothes were torn, when he was hungry, or even when he was bullied and injured by other princes and princesses.
She just casually perfunctorily dealt with it.
Even so, Luo Nanchen never complained once and still thought that his mother was the best mother in the world.
Later, as Noble Consort Rou became thinner, Luo Siyuan lost interest and gradually stopped going to the Yongshou Palace. The people in the harem were all shrewd. Seeing that Noble Consort Rou had fallen out of favor, they gradually reduced her salary, and the maids and eunuchs all found reasons to transfer to other palaces.
In summer, there was no ice for cooling; in winter, there was no quilt for keeping warm.
Even later, the food in the Yongshou Palace was what the servants from other palaces left over.
And later, there wasn't even that.
On the day Lin Qiao entered the palace, Luo Nanchen was hiding there, planning to catch a fish from the lake to eat.
It was so ridiculous that a prince had to rely on the fish in the imperial garden to survive.
But what was even more painful was being deceived, used by the person he trusted and liked the most.
The "false pretenses" mentioned by the system was the thing the original host did to Luo Nanchen that caused the greatest psychological shadow.
Lin Qiao whispered to herself: This might be the reason why the B - level suddenly increased by 30...
When the original host first adopted Luo Nanchen, she was actually very good to him. She escorted him to school, mended his clothes, and even贴心地 asked him what he liked to eat. In short, during that period, Luo Nanchen felt a mother's love he had never felt before.
Luo Nanchen really respected the original host as his mother.