Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 380 The Imperial Monastery Catches Fire

Chapter 380: Chapter 380 The Imperial Monastery Catches Fire

Fifth Princess had nothing worthwhile to discuss with Murong Man.

After Lady Wang’s crimes were exposed, she despised Murong Man from the bottom of her heart, deeming her of lowly status, unworthy of being a concubine to her imperial brother.

If it weren’t for the Yun Family’s own troubles and Yun Weiwei’s uselessness, she would have incited her brother to divorce Murong Man long ago.

When it came to her sisters-in-law Yun Weiwei and Murong Man, she found herself unable to hold her head high in front of other noble girls.

So she ignored Murong Man and turned to leave.

Yet Murong Man said with a smile, "Your Highness looks so much better, even more charming than the finest rouge, it seems that you and your future prince consort harmonize like a perfectly played qin and se, which puts us at ease."

Fifth Princess stopped in her tracks, fumbling her cheeks somewhat joyfully, "Does my complexion really look good?"

"Of course, this is the first time I’ve seen Your Highness with such a radiant complexion, it looks truly different."

Fifth Princess thought to herself, no wonder so many men and women are keen on this sort of affair, as it brings about such a great change. Harmonizing Yin and Yang truly seems to be no false claim.

She thought about it, hadn’t Murong Jiu also become prettier after getting married?

This affair brings joy and beauty, why didn’t she realize it sooner?

Fifth Princess looked at Murong Man, thinking that her complexion wasn’t bad either.

Murong Man smiled and said, "Your Highness is still too young for this, there is much to be cautious about, you must not harm your health."

"Is it something that can harm your health?"

"Certainly, if Your Highness has the time, I can explain it to you."

Fifth Princess was originally in a hurry to leave, but now she had time.

The two women chatted at length.

Murong Man watched as Fifth Princess left, her lips curving into a mocking cold smile.

Who would have thought, the selfish Fifth Princess could be so easily manipulated by a man and be kept so blissfully unaware.

That Ruan Hongwen, at first glance, is a veteran of love; one doesn’t know if he carries any venereal diseases.

For now, Fifth Princess boasts that Ruan Hongwen is her devoted subject, so caring and gentle, truly eager to please her, but in reality, he is probably only after the prince consort position and its associated benefits.

Once this prince consort’s wings are fully spread, she doesn’t believe Fifth Princess can continue to receive his favor.

Remembering how Fifth Princess had mocked and struck her when she’d faced trouble at home, a wave of anger surged in Murong Man’s heart. What right did Fifth Princess have to happiness? She deserved a life of misery!

The Second Prince had told her to advise Fifth Princess to take a firm hold on Ruan Hongwen, and while she did offer advice, with Fifth Princess’s disposition, she would only behave more capriciously, causing Ruan Hongwen to despise her in his heart even more.

A smile lifted the corners of Murong Man’s mouth; she was already looking forward to the next time Fifth Princess came to seek her counsel.

The Second Prince, claiming to the Fifth Princess that he would seek the Emperor’s decree for her marriage, had actually not gone to see the Emperor, but instead had discreetly passed a message to Beauty Lin in the palace, suggesting she whisper into the Emperor’s ear.

Less than half a month later, the Emperor finally consented to the marriage of Fifth Princess and Ruan Hongwen, setting the date for a little over three months later, coincidentally the same day as Lou Zixi’s wedding.

Who knows whether anything untoward will happen on that day.

As time went by, Murong Jiu’s greatest joy was witnessing the change in her children.

Their features grew increasingly delicate, the resemblance to her and Jun Yuyan becoming more apparent. These dragon and phoenix twins were the joy of everyone in the Prince Mansion.

Fair and delicate, as if carved from jade, every word of beauty can describe them.

They cooed and giggled, smiling at anyone they saw. Nobody could dislike them when they looked on; even Consort Qi found excuses to visit twice, just to see the two little ones.

However, she always carried a lofty air, never willing to let go of her dignity. Not only did Murong Jiu feel indifferent towards her, but the children also didn’t like her much; they would only let her hold them for a moment before fussing to be back with familiar faces.

Consort Qi, perhaps as some form of compensation or another, always brought many little gifts for the children.

But given her attitude towards Murong Jiu, even as the children grew up, they wouldn’t come to like this grandmother.

The weather turned hotter, and the little ones hated the heat the most. They wore only tiny, tiger-patterned bellybands, with delicate hands and legs like lotus roots, plump and fun to hold.

It was at this time of the season that a sudden message in the middle of the night announced a fire at the Imperial Monastery. Murong Jiu and Jun Yuyan sat up in bed, hurrying to inquire about the Empress Dowager’s well-being.

Relievingly, because the fire was discovered in time and since the Empress Dowager had trouble sleeping and was not yet in deep slumber, she was evacuated in time and wasn’t harmed.

Jun Yuyan went to the palace in the middle of the night and then made a trip to the Imperial Monastery, personally escorting the Empress Dowager back to Capital City.

The guard at Prince Mansion remained strict, with Kai Xuan patrolling the surroundings at all times, leaving no opportunity for anyone to take advantage of.

In the outer court, a maid went home for a visit and hid poison in the sole of her shoe upon her return. She couldn’t escape the nose of Kai Xuan.

The poison, which even Murong Jiu thought was odorless, was immediately detected by Kai Xuan, truly putting the mind at ease.

It’s only that with the hotter weather, it liked to soak in the pond to cool off.

Jun Yuyan also encountered an ambush on the way, but fortunately, he had brought enough people. The Emperor cared deeply for the safety of the Empress Dowager and allocated dozens of royal guards for him.

The next day, the Empress Dowager was brought back to the palace without incident.

Upon hearing of Jun Yuyan’s ambush, and worried about the Empress Dowager, the Emperor immediately ordered a thorough investigation to see who had the audacity to carry out such an act.

Naturally, the investigation turned up nothing; the attackers were a group of dead soldiers.

But Jun Yuyan was clear that these men had ties to The Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince was becoming more and more unhinged, fighting almost to the death with the Second Prince to get his son back, paying a considerable price for it.

After the disappearance of the Western Region Prince Na Kesi, there had been no news of his being dead or alive. The King of the Western Regions, upon hearing that both his son and daughter had met with misfortune, suddenly suffered a stroke. It was a time of great chaos, and The Fourth Prince, who had once fully supported Na Kesi, now found his plans disrupted by Na Kesi’s mishaps, unable to find a better puppet to control.

When it rains, it pours; under the suppression from Prince Ling’s Mansion, many of The Fourth Prince’s hidden businesses also suffered massive damage, which Manager Chai swept up.

Wasn’t The Fourth Prince about to lose his mind?

So Murong Jiu rarely left the mansion to avoid getting bitten by a mad dog.

Only a few days after the Empress Dowager moved to the palace, she complained of discomfort and lack of appetite, expressing the desire to move out of the palace.

Jun Yuyan then offered to host the Empress Dowager at Prince Ling’s Mansion for a while.

Both he and Murong Jiu knew why the Empress Dowager disliked staying in the palace.

As soon as the Empress Dowager moved in, favorites like Beauty Lin and Talented Lady Xu fell out of favor. The Emperor, under the guise of filial piety, visited the Empress Dowager daily to pay his respects, leaving her no room for comfort.

"Empress Grandmother, your son has finally awaited your arrival."

Murong Jiu welcomed the Empress Dowager into the Prince Mansion with a smile.

Compared to the overindulgent Emperor, the Empress Dowager was indeed more than a decade younger than him.

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