The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 632 - 632 304 The Empress Dowagers Favoritism (First

Chapter 632: 304 The Empress Dowager’s Favoritism (First Update)_3 Chapter 632: 304 The Empress Dowager’s Favoritism (First Update)_3 The Fifth Prince was furious, stomping his foot: “You dare to attack someone in the Imperial Palace!” He reflexively reached out to grab Gu Jiao.

Such a nuisance!

Her fiery little temper!

Luckily, nearby was a water tank housing some lotus. Gu Jiao grabbed the Fifth Prince by the collar and flung him into it!

“Ah——”

The Fifth Prince shrieked.

He toppled into the tank, soaking wet and flailing desperately to climb out, a large lotus flower neatly perched on his head.

The commotion alarmed the passing Empress Xiao.

The day was beautiful and sunny, Empress Xiao originally had accompanied Qin Chuyu to play in the Imperial Garden, but he had run off out of sight after a while.

She was leisurely strolling about when she heard the commotion. Striding over, she discovered the comically soaked and floundering Fifth Prince in the water tank.

Though the Fifth Prince looked pretty disheveled, he was hilariously entertaining to watch.

Made even more amusing by the charming looks of the Fifth Prince, drenched and with a delicate lotus flower atop his head, it was truly a sight for holding back laughter.

“Ahem!” Empress Xiao cleared her throat, covering her mouth with her handkerchief and commanded the palace maids, “What are you standing around for? Quickly, help the Fifth Prince up!”

“Yes!” Eunuch Su personally led a few people over and fished the soggy Fifth Prince out of the tank.

Although it was summer and being soaked was not exactly cold, it sure was embarrassing.

The expression on the Fifth Prince’s face was even worse.

The palace maids didn’t dare to laugh at him and stifled their giggles.

Empress Xiao strolled over leisurely, scanned the surroundings, and asked, “What happened?”

The Fifth Prince choked back his humiliation and bowed, “Mother.”

Gu Jinyu also bowed: “Greetings, Empress. May you be in good health.”

Empress Xiao’s gaze fell upon Gu Jiao standing next to Gu Jinyu: “Which palace does she serve in?”

Gu Jinyu hurried to reply: “To answer Empress, this is my elder sister.”

“Your elder sister?” Although Empress Xiao had never met Gu Jiao, she had heard of her. But people’s memories can sometimes fail them, and she couldn’t remember right away which sister Gu Jinyu had.

Besides, Gu Jiao’s appearance was quite eye-catching, to put it mildly.

Empress Xiao furrowed her brows and withdrew her gaze from Gu Jiao.

“What happened?” Empress Xiao asked the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince reluctantly glanced at Gu Jiao. He did not intend to tattle, but the eunuchs under him were quite talkative.

One eunuch, picking himself up from the ground, kneeled before Empress Xiao, “Empress, this servant girl is out of line, daring to lay a hand on the Fifth Prince in the palace! If you hadn’t arrived, the Fifth prince would have been at her mercy!”

The expression on Empress Xiao’s face turned cold.

Attacking a prince in the Imperial Palace, this was outrageous!

“Empress!” Gu Jinyu kneeled down, pleading desperately, “It was just a misunderstanding between the Fifth Prince and my sister. She didn’t mean to kill the Fifth Prince! Please understand, Empress!”

“Oh, the Imperial Garden is quite lively today.”

The entrance echoed with the sniggering voice of Concubine Zhuang.

Consort Yu accompanied her.

Consort Yu was the birth mother of Prince Rui, and those two have always been close.

This was the first time Concubine Zhuang had ventured to the Garden after having a miscarriage from slipping, and she walked into such a spectacle.

Concubine Zhuang slightly bowed to the empress.

Consort Yu curtsied: “This concubine greets the Empress.”

The Fifth Prince awkwardly bowed, “Concubine Zhuang, Consort Yu.”

Concubine Zhuang seemed in good spirits today, interspersing her speech with an uncharacteristic hint of mirth, “What’s the matter with Little Fifth? Feeling too hot and decided to cool off? But why is there even a flower on your head?”

Flower?!

The Fifth Prince turned pale and quickly plucked the lotus from his head.

Thinking about how he, a prince of a nation, ended up flower-headed in front of so many people, he was mortified and wished he could just disappear!

Empress Xiao glanced at Gu Jiao and sighed, “Little Fifth had a small dispute with this girl. I was just enquiring into the matter.”

Concubine Zhuang looked at Gu Jinyu and Gu Jiao beside her, smiling, “So, Little Fifth fell in the water because of her? Since it’s such a big deal, we should also call Consort Shu. After all, Little Fifth is her biological son.”

Empress Xiao nodded, “Summon Consort Shu.”

“Yes!” Eunuch Su went to Changchun Palace to inform Consort Shu.

On learning that her son had been pushed into the water, Consort Shu braved the scorching sun and ran to the Imperial garden, not caring about her own illness.

Empress Xiao couldn’t recall who Gu Jinyu’s sister was, but could Consort Shu fail to remember?

It was that niece of hers they keep hidden in the countryside with a birthmark on her face, horrendously ugly to behold. Who else could that be?!

She affectionately held the Fifth Prince’s hand, turning to glare at Gu Jiao, “Was it you who pushed Little Fifth into the water? You’ve truly lost all sense of propriety!”

Empress Xiao said, “Consort Shu, the story isn’t clear yet. This maid and that eunuch have different versions. Let’s listen to the accounts of Little Fifth and this girl.”

Biting her teeth, Consort Shu demanded, “I only ask the Empress, did she push Little Fifth into the water?”

The eunuch near the Fifth Prince wept, “Mother! It was her! She beat us, and she pushed the Fifth prince into the water!”

Consort Shu was trembling with anger, clenching her fists and, with her last scrap of rationality, beseeched Empress Xiao, “Empress, this girl is my niece from my maternal home, please hand her over to me.”

Empress Xiao asked, “What do you plan to do?”

Consort Shu glared coldly at Gu Jiao, “Born of a mother but raised parentless, I will naturally take the place of my brother and sister-in-law in disciplining her properly. Guards! Take her away!”

As soon as she finished, the far-off voice of Eunuch Qin rang out, “The Dowager Empress has arrived–––.”

Empress Xiao and all the concubines turned around and respectfully curtsied.

Dowager Empress Zhuang rode her phoenix palanquin into the Imperial Garden, commanding like a golden phoenix landing, and her presence instantly stunned the entire courtyard.

The Imperial Garden was so silent, the drop of a pin could have been heard.

As the leader of all the imperial concubines, it fell to Empress Xiao to ask, “Mother, what brought you here?”

“If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known how much trouble you all managed to stir up. I had summoned a doctor from outside the palace and halfway through, you all stopped him … there was a lot of shouting and threatening. What, do you all not wish me well now that I’ve returned to the palace?”

In other words, short of explicitly accusing them of obstructing the doctor and potentially endangering the Dowager Empress’s life, that is simply implied in their statement!

“Mother, please forgive us!”

Empress Xiao, aided by one of the palace maids, knelt down.

Seeing the Empress kneel, Concubine Zhuang and the others followed suit, all of them kneeling.

“Come here.” The Dowager Empress Zhuang said indifferently.

She was speaking to Gu Jiao.

Dowager Empress Zhuang was still interested in preserving her decorum in public.

She actually meant for Gu Jiao to stand beside her phoenix palanquin while she continued being her intimidating, empress dowager self!

However, Gu Jiao misunderstood and with one pull she climbed up onto the phoenix palanquin, obediently sitting next to her great-aunt.

Dowager Empress Zhuang: “…”

All present: “…”

Dowager Empress Zhuang: Oof, it’s my own fault, I spoiled her, I’ll continue indulging her even if it leads to my downfall!

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