Rebirth of the Cannon Fodder in the Entertainment Circle
Chapter 518: Cannon Fodder Princess Consort (11)

Chapter 518: Cannon Fodder Princess Consort (11)

This made Lu Xiao very upset; he felt a suffocating pressure in his chest as if something was out of control.

Luo Ning wouldn’t let him enter the courtyard; he felt she did it on purpose to annoy him.

She wanted to deceive him, but he refused to comply with her wishes.

The so-called suggestion to sleep with other women must have been another way to provoke him.

Thus, he actually turned around and went to the concubine’s courtyard—although he did not sleep with the concubine, he stayed in the courtyard.

Luo Ning received the news immediately. Far from being angry, she happily went to bed.

The next day, she even had someone send a message to the Imperial Concubine in the palace, saying that the Prince had favored a concubine and might soon have offspring.

The Imperial Concubine in the palace was very pleased and soon sent gifts to Luo Ning and that concubine.

Knowing this, Lu Xiao was so furious he leaned back, deciding to give Luo Ning the cold shoulder for a while, to let her know she was nothing without his favor.

And to make her regret causing such a fuss.

As a result, he stayed away from the Princess Consort’s quarters for several days, and everyone in the Prince Mansion knew that the Prince and Princess Consort had had a falling out.

Luo Ning couldn’t care less; she was busy preparing to open a Charity Hall and actually selected five beautiful women of varying styles to bring into the Prince Mansion for Lu Xiao.

She did not want to harm the girls; these beauties were all eager to join the Prince Mansion and had even resorted to schemes.

Outwardly delicate and lovely, they were ruthless behind the scenes.

Luo Ning just went along and did a good deed by throwing these malicious women into Prince Rui’s mansion, letting them compete among themselves and spare other girls.

When Lu Xiao heard that the Princess Consort had really brought five beauties into the mansion for him, he was furious.

He wanted to confront Luo Ning and vent his anger, but he was again locked out of the courtyard.

Which only infuriated him more.

The Imperial Concubine, hearing of this, was not very pleased either, considering her niece was about to marry into the family; Luo Ning was being too much.

But since Luo Ning was rarely accommodating to other women and now she was showing some wisdom, the Imperial Concubine let it slide.

She just called Luo Ning over and told her to stop; that number of beauties was enough.

Luo Ning naturally smiled and agreed.

Half a month later, Luo Ning’s Charity Hall opened.

She led the initiative, and the Marchioness served as the main manager.

The main goal was to provide a home for the orphans and elderly in the Capital City and ensure they had food to eat.

Luo Ning also hired some craftsmen as teachers, specifically to teach orphans and beggars skills, as teaching a man to fish is better than giving him a fish.

Using the money of the men of the Prince Mansion for charity, Luo Ning spent it liberally.

The Emperor, hearing of this, was very pleased.

That day, Luo Ning went out to the Charity Hall.

The Marchioness did not return to the Marquis Mansion; Duke Dingguo came twice, but was met with a closed door each time. Seeing that the Emperor took no action, he let it be.

He wanted to teach the Marchioness a lesson to let her know that if she left and wanted to return, she would have to come to him herself.

After finishing her official duties, Luo Ning accompanied the Marchioness to a Daoist temple in the countryside to burn incense.

The Marchioness lit a few perpetual lamps; she went to the main hall with her maid and the Daoist.

Meanwhile, Luo Ning strolled around the back courtyard of the Daoist temple.

When she reached a courtyard that looked desolate and dilapidated, she suddenly smelled a faint scent of blood.

Thinking for a moment, Luo Ning took two guards whom her elder brother had specially found for her, pushed open the door, and walked in.

She then saw a person who was clearly injured, half-reclining under a pear tree in the courtyard.

Luo Ning walked over, and when she saw that the person under the tree was Prince Chen, she was momentarily startled.

At that moment, Prince Chen suddenly opened his eyes, looking up sharply.

But when he saw that the person was Luo Ning, he was surprised too.

His voice hoarse, he asked, "How come you are here?"

Luo Ning always felt there was something familiar about Prince Chen, and she didn’t dislike him; rather, she even felt a bit of fondness.

She replied, "I came with my mother to offer incense and was bored, so I wandered into the back courtyard."

Speaking truthfully, she said, "As I reached this door, I smelled blood, so I pushed the door open, not expecting to find you."

Lu Xun looked into her eyes, sensing that she was not lying, "Could you help me?"

Luo Ning countered, "What help? Treat your wounds?"

It was unexpected for the mighty Prince Chen, the Emperor’s own brother, to be injured in the suburban area. It was unclear who had done it.

Since Prince Chen asked for her help, it likely wasn’t Prince Rui’s doing.

After all, she and Prince Chen were not familiar; he wouldn’t trust her so easily.

Lu Xun had already treated his wound with medicine, and by now the bleeding had stopped.

His complexion was somewhat pale, "I’d like to return with you in your carriage."

Luo Ning didn’t ask why, simply nodding her head, "No problem."

It was clear that Prince Chen’s injuries were not very severe, at least not life-threatening.

This likely meant that he was worried about assassins ambushing him on the way back to the Capital City.

Prince Chen’s usually stern face softened slightly, "Thank you!"

"You’re welcome." Luo Ning directed a guard to help him into the carriage, and then asked another to clean up the area. The bloodstains soon dissipated under the soil.

As he walked out of the courtyard, Lu Xun certainly noticed Luo Ning taking care of the aftermath; his lips slightly curved upwards.

Soon after, Luo Ning returned to the front courtyard and continued to offer incense with the Marchioness.

When they left, Luo Ning saw several men, tall and dressed in plain clothes, passing by from the side.

She guessed these men were here for Prince Chen but pretended not to see or pay attention to them.

Because of this, those men did not bother Luo Ning and her companions.

After returning to the Capital City, when Luo Ning and the Marchioness alighted from the carriage, Prince Chen, who was in the carriage behind, had already left at some unknown point.

Half a month later, an Imperial Censor suddenly submitted a report against Duke Dingguo.

The report not only accused Duke Dingguo of disrespecting the Royal family but also of favoring his concubine over his wife.

As soon as the Imperial Censor came forward, many others followed suit in accusing Duke Dingguo.

Originally, having waited over a month without any response from the Emperor, Duke Dingguo thought that because of Princess Consort Chun in the palace and his control over the military, the Emperor was not planning to pursue the matter.

He had not expected this wait for him here.

Duke Dingguo immediately knelt to explain, firmly denying any disrespect towards the Imperial authority; as for favoring the concubine over the wife, he claimed it was concocted by the Marchioness’s jealousy.

Lu Xiao hadn’t expected that the Emperor would take so long to call Duke Dingguo to account, which was not a good sign.

A lot could be done in over a month, and many things could be uncovered. He squinted his eyes, thinking that the Emperor was probably about to make a move.

Indeed, Prince Chen stepped forward, presenting all the evidence of how Duke Dingguo favored his concubine over his wife.

Not only that, but he also accused Duke Dingguo of abusing his power by placing the concubine’s relatives in significant positions within the Ministry of War.

As the full brother most trusted by the Emperor, Prince Chen’s actions also represented the Emperor’s will.

With the walls falling, immediate calls rose from the assembly for the Emperor to severely punish Duke Dingguo.

Duke Dingguo was stunned on the spot, having never anticipated that the Emperor would investigate him further using a complaint from his wife and daughter.

This was clear intent to deal with him, and his back was suddenly soaked with sweat.