Chapter 105 - 104: The Wretched Mother and Son
In Evergreen Hall, Xia Wulei also heard the surrounding gossip.
"Who would have thought Lady De would have an affair? She always seemed so dignified, yet she was capable of such a thing."
"The poor Fourth Prince just suffered from Qigong Deviation, and he hasn’t even recovered yet. But Lady De couldn’t bear the loneliness and went and found him a new father."
"After this, I’m afraid things will be difficult for the Fourth Prince. Every time His Majesty sees him, he’ll be reminded of Lady De’s affair. How agonizing that will be."
"Isn’t that the truth. But you can’t really blame Lady De. I heard His Majesty hasn’t visited Dexin Palace in years. It’s understandable that she couldn’t bear the loneliness."
...
Hearing this gossip, the color drained from Xia Wulei’s face. He couldn’t help but roar, "Who dares slander my mother? Seize them and have them executed!"
No one paid him any mind. Instead, the surrounding Palace Attendants just gave him strange looks.
Sensing something was wrong, Xia Wulei immediately summoned a trusted eunuch. "Is what they’re saying true? Are they slandering my mother?"
"This... this..." The trusted eunuch didn’t know what to say. Finally, he managed to choke out, "Lady De... has been sent to the Cold Palace!"
He hadn’t said it outright, but the meaning was crystal clear: Lady De really had been unfaithful. Otherwise, she would never have been sent to the Cold Palace.
PFFT...
Xia Wulei sprayed a mouthful of blood. He knew the trusted eunuch wouldn’t lie to him about something this serious. The crime of slandering Emperor Xia and one of his concubines was more than enough to get a man beheaded.
"I have to see my mother! I have to see my Imperial Father! This can’t be true!"
Xia Wulei struggled to his feet, determined to see Consort De and demand an explanation, but he was quickly blocked by Guards sent from Qianqing Palace.
"His Majesty has issued a decree: you are to focus on your recovery and not cause trouble at the Cold Palace."
Xia Wulei collapsed to the floor, his face ashen. ’He won’t even let me see her.’ This showed just how much Emperor Xia must loathe his mother. She hadn’t been in favor for years, and now, after this, he feared she would never return to Dexin Palace.
’Why was Mother so foolish? It was only a few years since the Emperor last visited her. Couldn’t she have waited? Did she really have to have an affair with the Captain of the Guards and bring about this catastrophic disaster?’
’No monarch would forgive a concubine who was unfaithful to him, let alone Emperor Xia, who had already reached the Super Grade Celestial Human Realm.’
’Didn’t Mother think of me? Or was she just gambling on the hope that no one would find out?’
’Now that she was in the Cold Palace, his greatest supporter in the Harem was gone. Worse, this incident would cause his standing with Emperor Xia to plummet. He feared he would never again have a chance to contend for the title of Crown Prince.’
At this thought, Xia Wulei couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
In Wenhua Hall, Xia Wuyang had already learned of the miserable plight of Consort De and Xia Wulei through various channels.
’This is only the beginning. There is far worse to come for them!’
A cold glint flashed in Xia Wuyang’s eyes. ’How could this little bit of revenge possibly be enough? They harmed Pan Mo so terribly, and she still hasn’t recovered. This small amount of pain is nowhere near enough to repay them.’
To his satisfaction, no one suspected him. After all, everything seemed so "perfectly logical." The improved Soul Capturing Technique and Enchanting Heart Technique had worked their magic, while his Companion Talent, Mental Force Field, had erased all traces. The combination was flawless.
Consort De’s downfall also meant a reshuffling of power within the Harem, which was something he had been looking forward to.
’His mother, the Empress, was long gone. In this vast Imperial Palace, he had almost no one close to him. So, he might as well let them all create chaos.’
It would also mean fewer disturbances for him, giving him more time to focus on his cultivation, as well as his research into Alchemy and medicine.
Meanwhile, in the Cold Palace, Consort De stared at the dilapidated halls around her, her exquisitely beautiful face etched with remorse and anguish.
"How did it come to this... How could I have done such a thing..."
She replayed the events of last night in her mind again and again, but everything still seemed... normal. It all felt so clear, so straightforward. She had acted on a momentary impulse, and the Captain of the Guards had taken advantage of her vulnerability. That was how he had managed to bewitch her.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Gone was the arrogant, domineering woman who had stormed the Eastern Palace; in her place was only misery. Even now, she had no idea that Xia Wuyang was the architect of her ruin.
If she had known, her regret would have been even deeper. Why, oh why, had she provoked that elder Crown Prince for no reason, only to bring such a catastrophe upon herself?
"Could it be that I was lonely for too long? And with all the recent incidents, my Heart Spirit was in turmoil, which is why I did something so... unspeakable."
Consort De had finally found someone to blame. A savage expression twisted her features. "In the end, this is all because of that old fool Xia Wuyang and that slut Pan Mo! Everything that’s happened recently is because of those two animals!"
"If Xia Wuyang and Pan Mo hadn’t refused him, Wulei would never have suffered Qigong Deviation! If Wulei hadn’t suffered Qigong Deviation, I never would have sought revenge! If I hadn’t been in such a good mood after my revenge, and also so worried about Wulei, how could I possibly have ended up in bed with that low-life Guard? So, this is all Xia Wuyang and Pan Mo’s fault!"
Even now, Consort De failed to recognize her own mistakes, blaming Xia Wuyang and Pan Mo for everything.
She never stopped to think that if Xia Wulei hadn’t been so aggressive and tried to take Pan Mo by force, he never would have "suffered Qigong Deviation." The fault clearly lay with the mother and son, yet they insisted on blaming others.
Meanwhile, in Evergreen Hall, the sound of shattering porcelain echoed continuously. Xia Wulei was in a frenzy, smashing everything around him like a man possessed.
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
He tore viciously at his hair, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at the Imperial Physician. "Examine me again, carefully! How could anything be wrong with me? There can’t be anything wrong!"
The Imperial Physician knelt on the floor, trembling. "Fourth Prince, your... your Yang Meridian has been destroyed. It’s... it’s continuously atrophying. This old servant is powerless to help. Please, Fourth Prince, forgive my incompetence."
"You’re wrong! How could my Yang Meridian be destroyed? You must have misdiagnosed me!" Xia Wulei lunged forward and grabbed the Imperial Physician by the collar, his face a mask of insanity. "No! I will not become a eunuch! You must be wrong!"
He recalled his recent embarrassment when he had tried to summon a Palace Maid. No matter how the beautiful woman tried to arouse him, he had remained completely unresponsive.
At first, he thought it was because of the stress from his mother’s situation, but after a thorough check, he realized the problem was with him.
"Could it be...?" Xia Wulei suddenly thought of something, and his face turned deathly pale. ’Could it be from that night, when Mother’s incident happened? I forced myself to cultivate... did that cause this?’
He remembered that on the night of his mother’s scandal, he had been in high spirits and had decided to try cultivating. He hadn’t expected it to worsen his existing injuries, and he had fainted.
’Perhaps that was when it happened. The turmoil in my Qi Blood must have damaged my Yang Meridian.’