Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 953 - 951_1

Chapter 953: Chapter 951_1

Shangguan Wanru raised her lips slightly in a sarcastic smile; she did this deliberately. She wanted to make it known to everyone that she was not one to be bullied so easily!

She was Shangguan Wanru, the Princess of Minze Country, never one to be trampled on!

"The former Crown Prince sacrificed himself for the world. His helpless orphans and widow should not be bullied. Your Majesty, you must vindicate the former Crown Prince!" A high-ranking court official could not bear to watch any longer and vocally sided with her.

Once one person spoke up, a few more followed suit: "Indeed, the Crown Prince had only recently passed, and yet some dare to insult his grandson. This is not allowing the late Emperor or the Crown Prince a peaceful afterlife!"

"We cannot allow the offspring of the former Crown Prince to suffer such humiliation! The culprit must be punished! If ignored, we risk estranging the people. To make amends, the punishment must be severe; for the people, for the former Crown Prince, and for the grandson!"

Gong Qinghua looked at these officials, seething with anger!

He glanced at Zhang Ying. Why had he married such a foolish woman, she couldn’t even bear him a son, but was always stirring up trouble!

Zhang Ying, overcome by fear upon hearing the officials’ declarations, quickly fell to her knees, begging, "Your Majesty, I realize my mistake. Please, forgive me this once, I promise to watch my words in the future!"

Gong Qinghua looked down at the woman kneeling before him in disgust. If it weren’t for the daughter she bore him, he would have strangled her already! She couldn’t even handle a defenseless widow and orphan! They were leading him around by the nose, causing him humiliation in front of his subordinates’ eyes! How utterly incompetent!

He realized that keeping such an encumbrance around would only be a hindrance. A look of disgust flashed in his eyes and he kicked her away. "Take her away, cut off her tongue and send her to the Cold Palace! Don’t let her disturb the late Emperor’s peace!"

Zhang Ying shook her head, terrified by his orders. "Mercy, your Majesty, mercy!"

The palace maids hurriedly stepped forward to seize her.

"Your Majesty, mercy! I really realize my mistake! Mercy!..."

"Shut her mouth up!" Gong Qinghua ordered impatiently.

One of the eunuchs immediately stuffed his handkerchief into her mouth, and she was quickly dragged away.

Every maid in the palace had keen eyes and ears. From the tone and expression of Gong Qinghua, it was clear that this concubine had fallen out of favor. There was no chance for her to return to grace. So, they were not polite in handling Zhang Ying either. Once they seized her, they immediately dragged her away. Should she resist, they simply choked her. In the future, her status would be lower than that of a palace maid, so why should they bit their tongues for her!

Gong Qinghua now made his way to Shangguan Wanru, apologizing profusely. "My deepest apologies, Princess. I’m afraid I have failed my Imperial Brother. In the future, I shall not allow anyone to bully you or Zhuan’er!"

Gong Qinghua knew Shangguan Wanru was doing all this on purpose but the fact was, he had to approach her to apologize. The throne was still not firmly his, he had to bear it all for now!

But who else could he blame but his own foolish woman who kept creating problems? Why didn’t he have a wise and virtuous wife? If he had Rui’an, the princess of Rui’an County, by his side, he would have had no worries!

Shangguan Wanru held back her hatred and replied in a sobbing voice, "As long as your Majesty remembers how my husband met his death, it will be enough! I will remember your words. The world belongs to you now. If you say that no one is allowed to bully us, I believe no one would dare to do so! In the past, my personality was a bit aggressive, and I may have offended many. They may wish misfortune upon us or even our deaths. Still, with your words today, I can be at peace. Should anything happen in the future, we will reach out to you!"

Gong Qinghua’s lips twitched uncontrollably; he had walked right into her trap!

It seemed the women of Minze Country were smarter than those of Nangong Country, especially their sharp tongues.

Gong Zixuan remembered the beauty and unyielding spirit of a certain person. He could not resist a cold, charming laugh. Nangong Country was his now, and the day would come when he would conquer Minze and unify everything. At that point, they would have no choice but to submit to him!

After expressing her thoughts, Shangguan Wanru knelt back down. She knew this was only the beginning, she still had a long journey ahead of her!

Gong Qinghua sighed at the sight of Shangguan Wanru and the other court officials, a cold laugh escaping his lips before he too knelt back down. In just a few days, his coronation ceremony would be held. His time would soon come! If he had tolerated everything so far, could he not bear it a while longer!

Many civil and military officials were incensed by Zhang Ying’s remarks, but dared not say a word. The former Crown Prince had not been gone long, and yet his offspring were already being cursed. Unlike her, the new Emperor was cunning and vindictive. People walked cold tea paths; that’s just how life was.

Shangguan Wanru did not blame them. She knew that humans were inherently selfish. Her most important task now was to raise her son and secretly cultivate a network that could serve him in the future!

After this incident, the women in Gong Qinghua’s quarters no longer dared to provoke Shangguan Wanru. They admitted that they could not best her silver tongue and feared that if they were not careful, they might end up with their tongues cut off and banished to the Cold Palace. They were careful to avoid provoking Shangguan Wanru, who was no longer a threat. Their targets were now the women close to the Emperor. They competed for his affection in the hopes of birthing his heir and becoming the mother of the nation!

Shangguan Wanru spent the ninety-nine days in the palace in peace before returning to the Prince’s Residence.

She stood outside the door of the Prince’s Residence, staring at the plaque for a long while without looking away.

Both the palace maids and guards dared not interrupt her contemplation.

Soon, the plaque would be torn down. Instead of letting somebody else do it, she might as well do it herself, she thought.

It still took a long while before Shangguan Wanru spoke softly, "Take down this plaque and burn it."

"Princess Consort, this plaque was bestowed by the late Emperor. It may not be appropriate to burn it..."

The mocking smile that Shangguan Wanru flashed at the words was chilling. "What’s inappropriate about it? There is no Crown Prince in this world anymore! And the one who ascended to the throne was never a Crown Prince. To keep it would be an offense to the Emperor!"

The palace maid and bodyguards didn’t dare say another word for fear that the Princess Consort might say something offensive and beheaded. They hurriedly did as they were told.

Shangguan Wanru didn’t cast another glance at the plaque. As for the Prince and the Prince’s Residence, they would always hold a place in her heart!