NCCnovel Chapter 282 Disrupting the plan
Chapter 282 Disrupting the plan
However, beneath the bustling and prosperous surface, undercurrents surged and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it made people breathless.
The eldest prince Zhao Qi and the second prince Zhao Xuan were sitting at the banquet at this moment. Although they pretended to be calm on their faces, their clenched fists and slightly trembling shoulders revealed their inner anger and unwillingness.
Behind them, Concubine Rong's face was so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out. She had been making careful plans for a long time, and had wanted to use the marriage with Princess Fan Xueer of Min'an to gain greater support for her sons in the court. However, she did not expect that Emperor Zhao's move would directly disrupt all her plans.
All those carefully prepared words were now stuck in his throat, with nowhere to utter them. He could only suppress the anger in his heart, turning it into resentful glances that he occasionally cast at Emperor Zhao who was sitting high on the throne.
Fan Xueer, who was at the center of this storm, felt extremely unhappy.
As the most noble legitimate princess of Min'an State, she traveled thousands of miles to Zhao State to marry for the sake of peace and interests of the two countries.
But everything in front of her made her feel extremely humiliated. She suppressed the anger in her heart and dug her nails deep into her palms. She watched every performance absent-mindedly, just hoping that this farce would end quickly.
Finally, after watching all the performances in agony, she immediately winked at the accompanying envoys. The anger and unwillingness in her eyes made the envoys' hearts tremble.
"Princess, don't get angry now."
The envoy approached cautiously and lowered his voice, saying, "Consider the purpose of our marriage and be patient for now. As long as the princess doesn't agree, the Emperor of Zhao won't dare force you to marry."
The envoy's voice was calm and firm. He seemed to have expected the Emperor of Zhao to do this, so he did not show too much surprise.
After the banquet, the envoy still had a decent smile on his face and returned to the inn with Fan Xueer.
Along the way, he kept whispering in Fan Xueer's ear to soothe her emotions.
After returning to the room in the inn, Fan Xueer could no longer bear it and sat down on the chair with her brows tightly furrowed.
"General Yuan, the Crown Prince of Zhao was assassinated several months ago and remains in a coma. As things stand, I'm afraid there's no chance of him marrying into the Eastern Palace."
She looked at General Yuan Luzheng of the Min'an Kingdom, who also had a solemn expression on his face, and her tone was full of helplessness and loss.
Yuan Luzheng's expression was equally ugly.
All the assassins they had sent out before were killed by Crown Prince Zhao Hao. Not only did they fail to kill him, but they also put this marriage into such an embarrassing situation.
Originally, they thought that if the Crown Prince died, the eldest or second prince under Concubine Rong would most likely be made the Crown Prince. Their marriage was aimed at the honorable position of Crown Princess, but who could have imagined that plans could not keep up with changes.
"Princess, don't worry. This matter requires long-term consideration."
Yuan Luzheng took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "The Emperor of Zhao has arranged for several of the gentlemen at today's banquet to accompany the princess for the next few days. You might as well ask them about this prince's reputation."
Although he was upset, his years of experience in battles taught him that he must not act impulsively at this moment. Moreover, the mysterious accomplice in the palace must be planning something, so he should wait for news before making any plans.
Meanwhile, in Rongshen Palace, Concubine Rong was about to explode with rage.
After she returned to her bedroom, she clenched her hands into fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her flesh. But even so, she did not dare to make too much noise, because Emperor Zhao had just returned to the bedroom with her and was leaning lazily on the couch, waiting for her to serve him.
Concubine Rong suppressed the anger in her heart, took the sobering soup from her personal maid, and walked step by step to the side of Emperor Zhao. Her movements were gentle and slow, and every detail was done just right, as if the previous anger had never existed.
She carefully fed Emperor Zhao some sobering soup, and then waved everyone away.
Soon, the only people left in the room were Emperor Zhao and herself, who was leaning on the couch.
"What's wrong, my dear? Why do you look unhappy today?"
After Emperor Zhao finished drinking the sobering soup, he looked up at Concubine Rong, who was particularly docile today, with a barely perceptible smile flashing in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, today..." Concubine Rong was about to mention the marriage and wanted to question Emperor Zhao why he made such an arrangement, but she was interrupted by Emperor Zhao as soon as she opened her mouth.
"My dear, I am tired today. Let's talk about it tomorrow!" After saying this, Emperor Zhao closed his eyes and no longer paid attention to Concubine Rong.
Concubine Rong stood there, looking at the profile of Emperor Zhao, the resentment in her heart growing wildly like weeds.
She bit her lower lip tightly, with a glint of unwillingness in her eyes, but she was helpless and could only step aside silently, waiting for the next opportunity.
That night, Concubine Rong was lying on the large carved bed, with Emperor Zhao snoring beside her, one snore after another, making her feel upset.
She turned sideways with her back to Emperor Zhao, her eyes wide open, staring straight at the bed curtain, her heart full of frustration and unwillingness.
Her fingers subconsciously tugged at the brocade quilt, her nails digging into the soft cover. Her mind kept thinking about what happened at yesterday's banquet. Emperor Zhao's arrangement was like a heavy hammer, hitting her heart hard. The plan she had painstakingly cultivated in the palace for many years was easily disrupted.
She wanted to turn over to relieve her stiff back, but just as she moved, she heard Zhao Di's snoring stop for a moment. She was so scared that she immediately held her breath and did not move.
Just like that, she sat stiffly, suffering in the darkness, and every minute and every second seemed extremely long.
She didn't know how long it took before she fell asleep in extreme fatigue and trance.
Suddenly, a strong light pierced her eyes and Concubine Rong woke up suddenly. She rubbed her sore eyes and found that it was already bright outside.
"Your Majesty." The personal maid had been guarding the bedside. When she saw her wake up, she immediately stepped forward, holding a gorgeous palace dress in her hand, ready to dress her and serve her.
"Where is the emperor?" Concubine Rong rubbed her dizzy head, frowned, and asked in a hoarse voice.
"The emperor left before dawn, don't you remember, Your Majesty? The emperor still had to attend the morning court!" The palace maid answered with a smile while skillfully tidying up Concubine Rong's hair.
Concubine Rong only felt dizzy and groggy. She had a very restless sleep last night, as if she had been having nightmares. After waking up, her mind became much duller.
The palace maid muttered to herself that in the past, when the emperor attended the morning court, her queen would wake up early, carefully dress up, and then gently help the emperor get up.
But today, not only did she not get up, she also overslept. Fortunately, the emperor did not blame her and even specifically instructed them to serve the empress well.
Concubine Rong didn't care what the palace maid was thinking. What happened yesterday made her completely understand the position of her two princes in Emperor Zhao's heart. What she thought was the love between husband and wife for many years was nothing but her wishful thinking.
She was furious, but she couldn't vent her anger in front of Emperor Zhao, so she could only sulk in secret.
The following days were like a long torture for Concubine Rong.