kvmb Chapter 268 Seeking Help
Chapter 268 Seeking Help
Yongxian refused to leave, stubbornly tugging at Eunuch Li's sleeve.
"Father-in-law, please inform him that I have something extremely important to tell the Emperor."
Seeing Yongxian's extremely nervous expression, Eunuch Li sighed and went inside to report, only to be severely reprimanded and kicked out by the Emperor.
The eunuch Li also received a slap on the face and said dejectedly,
"Princess, please return. His Majesty does not wish to see you."
Since the Empress's death, the Emperor had developed a dislike for Yongxian. He felt that Yongxian was partly responsible for the deaths of the Empress and Consort Xiande.
Yongxian is a jinx who brings disaster, what's more, this arrogant jinx actually divorced the Xiao family without even saying hello, completely disregarding the dignity of the royal family.
Such a spoiled, willful, and domineering princess naturally no longer received any favor from the emperor.
Even though the emperor knew that Yongxian had been giving up on herself all this time, he pretended not to see it and let her continue to wallow in self-pity.
It was to be expected that Yongxian would not be seen at this moment.
But Yongxian was carrying such a shocking secret in her heart, and she was unwilling to leave. Ignoring Eunuch Li's obstruction, she rushed in without warning.
The guards immediately rushed forward to grab her, but Yongxian had already run into the hall and knelt down with a thud.
She looked up, about to speak, when she saw the old emperor sitting at the table reviewing memorials, while Consort Li stood to the side grinding ink; the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
The old emperor slammed the brush down, splashing ink onto Yongxian's face and leaving a large stain.
"You are utterly lawless! Didn't I say I wouldn't see you? How dare you trespass!"
"Guards! Drag him out and give him twenty lashes!"
The old emperor was so angry that his chest heaved, and he could hardly breathe. Consort Li quickly helped him catch his breath, speaking softly.
"Your Majesty, please do not be anxious or angry. The princess must have something important to say since she has trespassed. Please listen to her."
The old emperor slammed the memorials on the table to the ground and roared in anger.
"Speak up! Then get out and face your punishment!"
Yongxian suddenly choked up. She remembered her mother's death. It was because she had blurted out her words without thinking, without any regard for the consequences, that her mother lost control of her emotions, killed someone, and harmed herself.
Her eyes flashed as she glanced at Consort Li, and a new set of calculations immediately formed in her mind.
If I were to speak rashly now, I might alert the enemy. She is in the open, while Consort Li and Prince Yong are in the shadows.
Even if she spoke up, given her current standing in her father's eyes, he probably wouldn't take her words seriously.
To say it now would be extremely rash.
She swallowed the words that were about to come out and adopted a spoiled and willful attitude.
"I want a few more male concubines to serve me! I beg my father to grant my request!"
Upon hearing these words, the old emperor was so angry that he picked up his teacup and threw it at Yongxian, spilling tea all over her skirt and soaking it.
Consort Li, standing to the side, also looked at Princess Yongxian with a disdainful expression.
The old emperor angrily rebuked,
"How dare you say such a thing! Get out of here right now!"
Several guards immediately rushed up, grabbed Yongxian, and dragged her out. She was beaten with twenty strokes of the cane, causing her to scream in agony.
Inside the hall, Consort Li helped the old emperor catch his breath.
"Your Majesty, please don't get angry with her. It's not worth ruining your health. This daughter has been wasted. In the future, I will give you ten or eight more princes and princesses so that you can be filial to me."
Consort Li was beautiful, had a sweet tongue, and knew how to be subservient, so she naturally made the old emperor happy again.
Princess Yongxian was beaten until her lower body was covered in blood. She was helped back to the palace by eunuchs, but she refused to rest for even a moment.
He immediately hailed a carriage, wanting to leave the palace.
It was already midnight when Princess Yongxian's carriage stopped in front of the Xiao family's house.
When the servant in the front courtyard came to report, Qiao Qingshu and Xiao Zhijie were awakened from their sleep.
Upon learning that the princess was visiting late at night, the two were somewhat surprised and quickly got dressed and got out of bed to greet her.
When Qiao Qingshu saw Princess Yongxian covered in blood and pale-faced, she couldn't help but cry out.
"How could this be! What happened to the princess?"
Severely injured, Yongxian mustered her last bit of strength to leave the palace for help. The moment she saw Qiao Qingshu, all her strength seemed to be drained away, and she suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
When I woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
Yongxian woke up from a nightmare with a start, screaming in terror.
"No!"
When she opened her eyes, she saw Qiao Qingshu sitting by her bedside. Her blood-stained clothes had been changed, and even her wounds had been treated.
Qiao Qingshu quickly grasped her hand and said,
"Your wound has been treated; you need to rest well for the next couple of days..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yongxian grabbed her hand in alarm and hurriedly told Qiao Qingshu what she had overheard.
She was panicked and helpless, and couldn't think of any good way to deal with it. The only person who came to her mind at that time was Qiao Qingshu.
"You must help me, help my father. I have already lost my mother, I cannot lose my father as well."
Although Qiao Qingshu knew that Prince Yong was going to rebel, she did not know what methods he would use in this life.
After listening to Yongxian's words, she immediately became clear-headed and made up her mind.
She reassured Yongxian to rest well and that she would take care of everything else.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhijie also spoke with a serious expression.
"Otherwise, I will go to the palace and tell the Emperor to be more wary of Prince Yong."
Qiao Qingshu shook her head and said,
"The emperor is surrounded by spies these days. If you go and offer advice, Prince Yong will probably find out in less than an hour, which will alert the enemy."
After thinking for a moment, Qiao Qingshu said,
"The coronation ceremony is tomorrow. I already have a plan in mind, so you don't need to worry too much. Prince Yong will not succeed."
Qiao Qingshu sat in her study all day, planning for tomorrow's schedule. By the time she had everything arranged, it was already past midnight.
Xiao Zhijie came in and urged her to rest quickly. Qiao Qingshu smiled and took his hand, leading her back to the bedroom.
Xiao Zhijie hugged her, still somewhat worried, and said...
"Shu'er, I'm still worried about tomorrow's events. I hope nothing goes wrong."
Qiao Qingshu smiled.
"No, don't worry. I've already seen through Prince Yong's trump card. He won't succeed."
The next day, as soon as it was light, Qiao Qingshu and Xiao Zhijie got up to change their clothes.
The atmosphere between the two was very solemn. They didn't say much and quickly drove to the palace.
Today is the coronation ceremony, and everything in the palace has already been arranged.
It was still early, and the officials had not yet entered the palace.
Qiao Qingshu went straight to Consort Li's palace to pay her respects.
At this moment, Consort Li was sitting happily in front of the mirror, while palace maids and eunuchs were carefully helping her with her makeup.
A phoenix robe, worn by an empress, hung to the side, gleaming with dazzling light.
A palace maid came in to report that Qiao Qingshu was requesting an audience.