Chapter 558: Consort Liang (1)
Once He Ying and her daughter left, Chu Lian turned to look at He Sanlang with a wide smile on her face. She blinked at him with her bright almond-shaped eyes, giving the icy-faced He Sanlang an itch in his heart.
A loud gulp sounded from his throat, before he set down his spoon and asked seriously, “What’s wrong?”
Chu Lian’s bell-like laughter rang out, “I didn’t expect that! You were really impressive.”
He Sanlang felt that his wife was talking nonsense; when had he ever been anything but impressive?
Despite such thoughts, he was still in high spirits from Chu Lian’s praise.
In his usual tsundere way, he snorted, “So you’ve finally realised how amazing your husband is?”
Chu Lian chuckled. She held back her retorts and made a rare show of agreement, “Yes, I’ve only just realised that. You’re sooo amazing, I’ll listen to everything you say from now on!”
It was at this moment that the beaming Senior Servant Zhong entered the room with a bowl of tonic in her hands, “Third Young Madam, it’s time to drink the soup.”
After drinking the same soup for so many days, Chu Lian had the urge to puke just from the smell alone. She stood up with the intention to leave, but He Sanlang grabbed hold of her petite wrist.
“Drink the tonic. Have you forgotten what you just said?”
Chu Lian wanted to knock herself out on a block of tofu. She had just shot herself in the foot! What kind of brain fart did she have just now? Why did she make such a promise to her lunatic husband!?
She had basically dug a hole and jumped straight into it!
There was no way around this. She didn’t have the moral high ground here, so she had no choice but to down the tonic in a single breath.
……
Darkness had fallen over the capital, but the imperial palace remained a resplendent sight under the pale light of the moon, dripping with riches and grandeur.
The tallest hall in the palace stood as proof of the highest authority.
The moment Prince Jin left Qinzheng Hall, a eunuch ran over with a smile.
Prince Jin’s azure eyes fell upon the eunuch, but it was hard to tell if there was any emotion in those depths.
The eunuch’s joy was unaffected by this though. When he ran up to Prince Jin, he first made a deep bow, before announcing warmly, “Fourth Prince, Consort Liang has invited you over for dinner!”
The eunuch in a dark-red robe was a trusted servant of Consort Liang. His name was Liu Buyong and he was nearly forty. Back when Prince Jin was being fostered in Chengxiang Hall, this eunuch was already working there, so one could say he had watched Prince Jin grow up.
Prince Jin didn’t answer immediately. He stood on the snow-white steps of Qinzheng Hall, looking down upon Liu Buyong, and the wrinkles that were starting to show on his face.
Liu Buyong suddenly felt a chill run down his back. There was a tinge of shock and confusion on his face. He didn’t understand why the gentle Fourth Prince had suddenly became hard to read.
Just as Liu Buyong was about to be overwhelmed by Prince Jin’s gaze, he heard the prince’s voice.
“Lead me there.”
As soon as those words were spoken, Liu Buyong felt the grip on his heart loosen and his anxiety washed away. He wanted to check Prince Jin’s mood, but he didn’t dare to look at Prince Jin due to the lingering fear from just a moment ago. Thus, he lowered his head, bent his back, and led Fourth Prince away.
When they arrived at the entrance of Chengxiang Hall, Prince Jin could see a tall and skinny figure standing in a corridor from far away.
The man had his back to the main entrance of Chengxiang Hall, and the dim light of dusk was fanning out from behind him, forming a warm halo of light. Unfortunately, it was too dark for Prince Jin to make out his expression.
This silhouette belonged to someone who was most familiar to Prince Jin. It was the second prince who had grown up alongside him— no, wait, he had already become heir apparent ever since the eldest prince had passed and was now the current Crown Prince.
In the past, he would have gone up immediately and called out affectionately to his Second Brother, but this time, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Who could have thought that Consort Liang, a woman he respected like his own mother, would turn out to be the culprit behind his mother’s death!
Consort Liang was even his mother’s cousin!