Chapter 129

Chapter 129 In this world, the more bizarre the gossip, the more people love it, and the faster it spreads. Soon, the matter reached the ears of those in the palace. Noble Consort Rou hastily summoned her two sons to the palace for questioning. Seeing Prince Jing, she launched into a barrage of accusations without preamble: "What are you causing a stir about?!" "For the sake of some idle rumors, you've made such an ugly scene with your elder brother, letting all of the capital watch the three of us make fools of ourselves."" "You're no longer young—how can you still be so thoughtless?!" Prince Jing's gaze was icy as he looked at her. Noble Consort Rou noticed nothing amiss, her anger rising instead, as if she wanted to pour out years of dissatisfaction with Prince Jing in one go. "What status does Princess Consort Su hold? Why would she bother with a lowly Concubine Consort?" "You are a proper prince, yet you actually believed such absurd rumors!" "Hurry and apologize to your elder brother! Then go clarify these rumors, lest you damage the harmony between brothers!" Prince Su, with a resolute countenance, prided himself on being the eldest imperial son and always presented himself as fair and stern. Hearing Noble Consort Rou's indiscriminate rebuke, he immediately stepped forward. "Mother, this matter is not entirely Sixth Brother's fault." "It is because I failed to manage my household properly, nearly implicating Sixth Brother..." Before Prince Su could say more, Noble Consort Rou's tone softened instantly: "Don't speak up for him." "If it's not his fault, then surely it can't be yours... Stop right there, you unfilial son, where are you going?!" It turned out Prince Jing couldn't be bothered to watch the two of them play out their mother-son affection and had turned to leave Rouyi Palace. Prince Su called out: "Sixth Brother!" Prince Jing stopped, turned to face Prince Su, his gaze cold and furious! "Elder Brother, from the moment your Princess Consort reached her hand into my household, the bond of brotherhood between us ceased to exist!" "From this day forward, you and I go our separate ways—no more ties between us!" With that, Prince Jing didn't even glance at Noble Consort Rou, turning to leave Rouyi Hall. Noble Consort Rou stared blankly at the scene, only then realizing what had happened. She asked in a low voice: "Did Ruojun truly lay hands on Sixth's Concubine Consort?!" Prince Su's face darkened. "It is my failure to manage my household." Noble Consort Rou found it incomprehensible. "What was she thinking?!" Even if Noble Consort Rou favored Prince Su, she could not understand Princess Consort Su's actions. Her eldest daughter-in-law wanted to ensure her youngest son had no heirs?! This was simply absurd! She looked up at Prince Su and said through gritted teeth: "Even if your younger brother is unambitious, he hasn't stood in your way." "Others pray endlessly for a full brother and never get one—why are you like this?" Prince Su remained silent. He couldn't tell Noble Consort Rou that he hadn't known about this matter beforehand. But husband and wife were one—what the Princess Consort did was no different from what he himself had done. Last night, after Prince Jing's interrogation, he had gone back and asked his Princess Consort. She had laid out the pros and cons, calmly analyzing with him, and a single line—"Everything I did was for you"—had left Prince Su speechless. Those words, she could say to him. But he could not say them to Noble Consort Rou. Noble Consort Rou also looked somewhat embarrassed. "Enough!" "I misjudged Sixth today." "Since your Princess Consort did wrong, have her send some gifts to Prince Jing's manor as an apology." "Surely a mere Concubine Consort wouldn't dare presume upon favor." Prince Su bowed respectfully to Noble Consort Rou: "As for Sixth Brother, I also ask Mother to mediate." "Ruojun was at fault, and I have already disciplined her. I only hope Sixth Brother can forgive me." Noble Consort Rou nodded. "That goes without saying." "What grudge can brothers hold overnight? I'm sure Sixth won't stay angry for long." Noble Consort Rou comforted her eldest son thus. Prince Su listened but thought otherwise. Looking at his foolish, naive mother, he suddenly felt weary at heart. Prince Jing stormed out of Rouyi Hall, about to leave the palace. Suddenly, the Emperor summoned him to the imperial study for a game of chess. During the game, the Emperor's words circled around the brothers' conflict, urging them to maintain harmony, playing the role of a loving father. Prince Jing was no fool. The Emperor could find out that he and Prince Su were at odds, but in front of the Emperor, he had to appear as a dutiful younger brother. Seeing that he could extract nothing, the Emperor waved Prince Jing out of the palace. The moment Prince Jing left the palace, the entire court knew that Prince Su and Prince Jing, full brothers, had fallen out—likely harboring deep enmity now. Prince Jing returned to his manor with a black face. He happened to run into the apology gifts sent by Princess Consort Su. Prince Jing flew into a rage, kicking over the leader of the group. "Get out!" "From now on, if anyone from Prince Su's manor comes to the door, beat them out!" He also had Jing Wu 'escort' all of Prince Su's servants out. With all this back and forth, the common folk of the capital had entertainment for the whole month. The next day, rewards suddenly arrived at Prince Jing's manor from the palace. They were from Noble Consort Rou, specifically bestowed upon Xie Run and the newborn Fifth Young Master. This was a rare occurrence! Prince Jing's manor had never received rewards from Noble Consort Rou before. Even back when Consort Ning gave birth to Prince Jing's eldest son, Noble Consort Rou had dismissed it with a mere "just a concubine's son." Xie Run dared not accept them and hastily sent someone to ask Prince Jing. Prince Jing only had Shi'an relay a message: "The Prince says when an elder bestows, one must not refuse. He instructs Concubine Xie to accept them with peace of mind." Xie Run savored the words, catching their meaning. Prince Jing intended to break ties with Prince Su, yet didn't want to earn a reputation for being unfilial or unbrotherly. Naturally, this required him to show proper deference to Noble Consort Rou. She then had someone personally carry Taotao over to offer thanks with all due respect. When Noble Consort Rou saw that Xie Run had accepted the gift, she took it that the matter was settled. The next day, she even made a point of summoning the Princess Consorts of both Prince Jing and Prince Su to the palace, hoping the two women could talk things through and avoid damaging the fraternal bond between the brothers. Princess Consort Su was haughty and proud by nature; even her apology was delivered with affected airs. Princess Consort Jing, coming from no mean background herself, was not one to swallow insults. She declined with a reply that was neither harsh nor yielding. This left Noble Consort Rou thoroughly snubbed. After stirring up this whole affair, Prince Jing seized the opportunity to submit a memorial requesting sick leave, and spent his days lounging idly in his study. Taking advantage of a moment while delivering soup, Eunuch Shian mentioned, "Your Highness, Consort Yun just sent word that the Commandery Princess has been fussing these past few days, insisting she wants to see you." Prince Jing lifted his eyelids to look at Shian. "That's what she said?" Shian nodded, speaking cautiously, "Consort Yun rarely sends word about the Commandery Princess to our side, so this servant thought it worth mentioning." Prince Jing couldn't quite fathom the minds of his consorts and concubines, but he did place considerable importance on his children. When it came to matters concerning the young masters and mistresses of the household, Shian dared not withhold the message. Prince Jing leaned lazily back in his chair, and only after a long pause said, "Tell Consort Yun that I will dine with Ruyi at Autumn Osmanthus Court tonight." "Yes!" Shian acknowledged and immediately went to deliver the message.