Chapter 235: The Ultimate Fool
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“Step back.”
“Do not tend to Consort Hui’s wound for now,” the Emperor spoke coldly, his fists unknowingly clenched.
“Whatever you have seen today in Eternal Peace Palace, you must never speak of it.” His voice carried an unmistakable authority.
The imperial physician lowered his head in obedience.
Once everyone had left, the Emperor stood by the window, pressing his hands against the sill. With a simple motion, he vaulted over. He was of normal height for a man.
But the other person—was not tall.
The entirety of Eternal Peace Palace revealed no trace of them, as if they had never been there at all.
The Emperor shut his eyes and inhaled deeply.
Had they truly never been there? Or rather…
Had they always resided in the palace, under a perfectly legitimate identity?
His mind drifted back to the time when Noble Lady Qin and Jiang Pin competed for favor by offering ginseng soup.
“Wang Yuan Lu, was Consort Hui present when Noble Lady Qin and Jiang Pin fought?” His voice wavered, despair evident in his gaze as he turned to Eunuch Wang.
Cold sweat poured down Wang Yuan Lu’s forehead.
He dared not think about it. The implications were too blasphemous.
“Was Consort Hui present back then?” The Emperor’s voice grew harsh.
Eunuch Wang wiped his sweat. “Yes.”
“Consort Hui was indeed there.”
“But both Jiang Pin and Noble Lady Qin excluded her from the matter, claiming she had only arrived upon hearing the commotion to mediate.”
The Emperor’s heart pounded like a drum.
“Was Consort Hui’s main hall searched?”
Eunuch Wang shook his head. Consort Hui was the Emperor’s most cherished consort—who would dare search her quarters?
“Search it!” The Emperor collapsed onto his chair, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
Gulp, gulp, gulp…
Lu Chao Chao had eaten too many melon seeds and biscuits. Hugging her milk bottle, she drank greedily.
The Emperor cast a melancholic glance at her. Lu Chao Chao hesitated for a moment before reluctantly extending the bottle. “You wan’ dwink?”
The Emperor weakly waved his hand.
It felt as if she had come to the palace merely to mock him.
She had arrived with a downcast look, but now her eyes sparkled with mischief, and the corners of her mouth nearly stretched to her ears.
The Emperor dared not think about it.
He truly dared not.
It felt as if the sky was collapsing.
The world knew of his unwavering love for Consort Hui.
And yet…
Consort Hui liked… his concubines?????
When Consort Hui awakened, dusk had fallen. Palace lanterns illuminated the quiet Eternal Peace Palace.
She clutched her chest, feeling a stabbing pain. Raising her hand, her face paled.
The white silk that had covered her wound was gone!
She sat up abruptly and pushed open the door.
The Emperor sat in the courtyard, Eunuch Wang holding a lantern. It was already time for the evening meal.
Milk and melon seeds did little to satiate hunger. Lu Chao Chao sat on a stool, holding her stomach as it rumbled, yet she refused to leave.
Even as her stomach grumbled, she stayed put.
As soon as Consort Hui stepped out, she met the Emperor’s unwavering gaze.
“You…” The Emperor’s voice faltered. In his decades of rule, he had never experienced fear—never hesitated.
But now, he did not even have the courage to ask.
He dared not uncover the truth.
“Noble Lady Qin’s lover… is you?” His voice was numb, yet his eyes held a sliver of desperate hope.
Consort Hui let out a bitter laugh.
She extended her palm, revealing the wound. “Your Majesty, didn’t you already see for yourself?”
She glanced at the scattered letters on the ground. “Did you not read these letters littering the floor?”
The Emperor’s eyes turned bloodshot in an instant.
“You love women? You never loved me?” His entire body trembled. He couldn’t comprehend it.
“I was beaten by my father, my back flayed open, unable to leave my bed. I risked the ministers’ wrath just to take you as my consort. And you… You don’t even like men?” His voice was choked with fury.
“Like? When did I ever say I liked you?”
“You were the one who snatched me, dragged me into the palace!”
“The harem is full of women longing for your favor, waiting year after year. How much sincerity have you shown them? My heart ached for my sisters!”
“I only wanted to give them some warmth. Was I wrong?”
The Emperor erupted in fury. “Insolence! Insolence!”
“Wretched woman! You are beyond redemption!” He seized the discipline ruler and struck her.
The rage was unbearable.
His beloved consort, the one he had pampered beyond measure, loved women. And he had—time and again—offered his concubines to her.
The Emperor nearly lost his mind.
“Wang Yuan Lu, beat her! Beat her!” The Emperor’s eyes burned with madness.
Eunuch Wang lifted the staff and prepared to strike when hurried footsteps echoed.
Consort Shu rushed in, sobbing, and shielded Consort Hui.
“I will take the punishment for her. If you must beat someone, let it be me!” Consort Shu cried as she knelt before him.
Jiang Pin dropped to her knees. “I offer my life in exchange! Please spare Sister Hui!”
Lin Zhao Yi followed suit. “I, too, offer my life in exchange for Sister Hui!”
The Emperor staggered back, unable to believe the scene before him.
They all knew.
They all knew!!!
“Ah, so the entire harem belongs to Consort Hui…” Lu Chao Chao murmured.
Eunuch Wang nearly fainted.
Little ancestor! Must you add fuel to the fire?
“What have you done to my harem? What have you done to them?” The Emperor’s voice quivered.
No wonder. No wonder his concubines had ceased to fight for his favor.
They had fought for Consort Hui instead!
Consort Shu chuckled. “What could we possibly do? The harem is filled with women, and you, Your Majesty, are but one man. All we sought was a bit of solace.”
The Emperor wavered, nearly collapsing.
“Ridiculous! I brought you into the palace with my own hands! I pushed my own concubines towards you! You—scoundrel!” He nearly fainted.
Eunuch Wang kept his head lowered, screaming internally.
Why did he have to witness such a nightmare?
The Emperor had been cuckolded.
By the very person he loved—who had seduced his own concubines.
Just the thought made his chest tighten.
“They all deserve death! Every single one of them!” The Emperor roared.
“No wonder you never vied for favor. No wonder you seemed so detached from it all! Because what you truly sought—was my concubines!”
“Drag Consort Hui away! Cane her to death!”
“The rest—banish them! Exile them to the border! Never return!”
The Emperor’s veins bulged as his eyes burned red.
“If she dies, everyone will know you wore a green hat…” Lu Chao Chao spread her hands.
“Family shame should not be spread.”
“But this shame… is beyond concealment.”
Eunuch Wang whispered, “Your Majesty, whether exile or execution, you need a valid reason.”
Moreover, Consort Hui bore the Eldest Prince. Consort Shu, the Fifth Prince.
Would their children not seek the truth?
This scandal—was an eternal disgrace.
The Emperor remained silent.
He was the ultimate fool.
For the rest of his life, he would never hold another imperial selection.
Should another concubine enter his palace—he would chop off his own head and kick it like a ball!
Tears welled in the Emperor’s eyes.
Lu Chao Chao beamed.
[Didn’t I say there would be entertainment in the palace?]
No matter how I look at it it’s nothing fun or to laugh about, someone was hurt and the queen herself could have said something