readytorunbook Chapter 184 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 39
Chapter 184 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 39
In the evening, Lin Shuwan brought back two white foxes.
The two little ones were frightened and huddled together pitifully, at a loss, occasionally letting out a few piercing screams.
Lin Shuwan was a little disgusted, so she simply packed them all up and gave them to Gu Yanli.
They claimed that the royal animal park was large enough for the animals to run around freely.
Gu Yanli took the cage, but repeatedly emphasized that once it was bigger and no longer afraid of people, she would have to take it away.
Lin Shuwan agreed indifferently, and Gu Yanli then left satisfied, carrying the two white foxes.
These are their "love token foxes," and each of them must have one.
*
At the bonfire feast, the emperor would bestow the year's prize upon the person who had hunted the most game.
Not to mention the preciousness and rarity of the imperial gifts, the mere fact that they could be shown before the emperor was enough to make everyone exert all their efforts to sneak into the forest.
I had thought that Miss Lin from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion had defeated the black bear last time, and that she would be a formidable opponent this year.
Seeing that she was not returning for a long time, those who had brought back a lot of prey were worried that they had returned too early and that she had caught a big one.
Unexpectedly, she only brought back two white foxes, which was a pleasant surprise.
But for those young masters who never intended to compete for the top spot, this matter brought both joy and sorrow.
The number of wild animals brought back this time far exceeded that of Lin Shuwan.
Because Lin Shuwan was focused on finding the fox, she didn't hunt any of the prey she encountered on the way.
These ambitious young men finally won.
But Lin Shuwan caught both of the white foxes that had been let in by herself!
The news that several white foxes had been released among the live animals during the autumn hunt had naturally been known to some beforehand.
There were originally three, but one of them was killed by other wild animals, leaving only two.
Things are rare.
If any noble lady were to receive a white fox hunted by her own brother or suitor today, it would be an extremely prestigious thing.
Therefore, this pressure fell on the young masters.
The forest is only so big, and many people enter it, so you're bound to run into someone eventually.
Those who wanted to win the prize thought the white fox was too small and looked down on it; those who wanted to catch it were worried about accidentally damaging its fur. In this hesitation, the fox disappeared without a trace.
That would have been fine, since everyone was equally skilled; if they couldn't catch it, then surely no one else could either.
But they forgot that Lin Shuwan, who doesn't play by the rules, captured both of them at once.
This caused them to lose face in front of the noble ladies once again.
Alas, who knows when these days will end?
*
After several rounds of drinks, the banquet was drawing to a close.
Just then, a man who was about to get up to offer a toast suddenly collapsed weakly into his chair.
Everyone thought he was drunk, but they found that they had also lost their strength.
"Protect the Emperor! Quickly, someone come to protect the Emperor!"
Ma Lugui stood trembling in front of Emperor Chengping.
"Stop calling. The guards are all my people. They won't come in no matter how much you call without my orders."
The former Imperial Concubine, now Consort Jiang, arrived gracefully in a magnificent gown.
"Mother?!" the eldest prince exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the newcomer. "Mother, what are you doing?"
Just as Consort Jiang was about to reply, Emperor Chengping said in a calm tone, "Consort Jiang, do you know what crime you should be punished for treason?"
"Consort Jiang, haha, Consort Jiang." The originally arrogant Consort Jiang, having been touched on a sore spot, suddenly became sharp in her tone.
She looked at Emperor Chengping, her love still lingering, but tinged with an indescribable desolation and endless sorrow.
"Cousin, we met when we were young, and ever since then I have always hoped to become your wife."
“I know you are the emperor, and there can’t be only me in the harem, so I forced myself to endure and accept it.”
At this point, Consort Jiang's eyes were filled with anger, "But who would have thought that Luo Yunxin would suddenly appear out of nowhere, not only stealing my position as Empress, but also taking you away from me."
She gave a slight sarcastic look: "It's her stupidity that she tried to fake her son's death to leave the palace. Now that I know about this, I'm naturally willing to help her and make this fake death real."
"Mother, you..." The eldest prince looked at his mother and felt that the person in front of him was extremely unfamiliar.
His mother had never shown such an expression in front of him before.
But Consort Jiang's attention was entirely focused on Emperor Chengping and Gu Yanli beside him, and she paid no attention to the eldest prince. She pointed at Gu Yanli and said viciously:
"My men came back saying he was dead, more than twenty years ago. How could he suddenly come back? He must be an imposter!"
“Even you, cousin, were blinded by this bastard of unknown identity, and even demoted me to the rank of concubine.”
The officials present wished they could gouge out their own ears; how could they possibly be allowed to hear such palace secrets!
Emperor Chengping listened to Consort Jiang's accusations without any change in his expression, only shouting "Insolence!" when she referred to Gu Yanli as a "bastard!"
Consort Jiang looked up and quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, reverting to her eternally noble demeanor: "Since I cannot be Empress, then I will be Empress Dowager!"
"Issue an edict to abdicate today, and let my son inherit the throne."
"Look, I've already drafted the imperial edict. All you need to do is affix the imperial seal."
"Don't worry, cousin, I wouldn't want to harm you. These drinks only contain some muscle relaxant, it's not poisonous, it just makes people weak."
"Once I become Empress Dowager, I will kill all the other concubines along with these bastards, and you will be mine alone."
"It just so happens that all the civil and military officials are here, so they can be my son's witnesses. What do you think?"
One or two officials couldn't help but loudly rebuke her, saying, "Witch, I will not admit it."
The eldest prince also looked sorrowful: "Mother, stop. How can I accept the throne obtained in this way?"
“My son, do not worry. Anyone who disobeys will be killed.”
Consort Jiang didn't care. Once the imperial edict was stamped, she would deal with those who disagreed.
Consort Jiang kicked Ma Lugui to the ground, took the imperial seal from Emperor Chengping's side, opened the edict, and was about to help Emperor Chengping affix his seal when she suddenly cried out in terror:
"No, wait, this is not the imperial edict I drafted."
"Oh? What a pity, you were so close to succeeding." A smiling voice rang out.
The Third Prince flicked his sleeves and rose from his seat.
"You, how come you're alright?" Consort Jiang looked at him in surprise.
"Oh? I didn't drink any, so naturally I'm fine."
The Third Prince casually picked up the wine jug, shook it in front of Consort Jiang, and then poured the wine on the ground, gesturing with his hand, "Look, it's all here."
After saying that, he approached Consort Jiang step by step in a seemingly leisurely manner.
Consort Jiang realized that her plan had been discovered in advance, and immediately ordered, "Guards, take him away from me."
The guards, who had been standing still, quickly approached the two and surrounded them.
Consort Jiang said, "If you kneel down and beg for mercy, I might spare your life."
"Oh? You'll spare me this time." The Third Prince glanced around lazily and said casually, "Why don't you guess whose people they are?"