Chapter 311: Chapter 312: In Your Dreams
That very day, the Second Prince, Li Hao, was released without charges.
As for the Fifth Prince, Li Yan, he remained locked in a cell at the Ministry of Justice, with no telling when he would see the light of day again.
Upon returning to the palace, Li Hao immediately went to his father, the Emperor, to ask for forgiveness.
"It is all my fault for being careless and causing such a major blunder. If I had been more meticulous, perhaps this would never have happened."
The Emperor was in a foul mood, and his spirits were low as a result.
Still, he roused himself and gave Li Hao a stern lecture.
He only had so many sons in total.
The Eldest Imperial Son and the Crown Prince were already gone. The Fourth Prince’s birth mother was of low status and not presentable, so he was not worth mentioning. The Fifth Prince was a fool, and the Sixth Prince was still too young. Now, only the Second Prince was left to place any hope in.
Even with his many schemes, the Emperor knew that no man could live forever.
He had to cultivate a successor while his body was still strong.
He didn’t know if the Second Prince could bear this heavy responsibility. For now, he could only wait and see.
He hoped the Second Prince would not disappoint him again.
Li Hao noticed that his father, the Emperor, was showing him particular concern today, and a flicker of joy ignited in his heart.
After bidding farewell to the Emperor, Li Hao went to see Xianfei.
Xianfei was not particularly favored in the rear palaces, but she was a senior concubine who knew how to conduct herself. Coupled with the fact that she had given birth to the Second Prince, her status was quite high.
She had been worried sick about her son these past few days, unable to eat or sleep peacefully.
Now, seeing her son return safe and sound, Xianfei was both shocked and overjoyed, her eyes reddening uncontrollably.
"My son, you’re finally back!"
Meanwhile, in Lingxue Hall, when Consort Liu heard the news of the Second Prince’s exoneration, she immediately grabbed the messenger eunuch and demanded an answer.
"Why was the Second Prince released while my son must remain locked in a cell?"
The eunuch’s arm ached from her grip, but he dared not struggle. He could only force himself to say he didn’t know.
Consort Liu was filled with indignation.
She flung the eunuch aside, gathered her skirts, and stormed out.
She was going to find the Emperor and demand a clear explanation.
The Second Prince and the Fifth Prince had supervised the repairs of the Imperial Ancestral Temple together.
On what grounds could Xianfei’s son be released without charge? While her son had to remain in a cell?
It’s not fair!
When Consort Liu rushed to the entrance of Hanzhang Hall, she was stopped by the guards.
She dropped to her knees directly in the snow, wailing toward the main doors.
"Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince is innocent! I beg you, for the sake of your father-son bond, be merciful and spare him this once!"
There was no response.
The doors to Hanzhang Hall were open, but the hall within was silent.
No one ever came out to answer her.
Consort Liu was left to kneel in the snow, sobbing until she was breathless.
...
When Hua Manman was visiting the Prince Anshun Mansion, Princess Anshun told her about Consort Liu.
"I heard Consort Liu knelt before Hanzhang Hall all afternoon but couldn’t even get a glimpse of the Saint. They say the Heavenly Family is heartless, and it really must be true."
Hua Manman said, "You shouldn’t say such things carelessly. It would be bad if someone overheard you."
Princess Anshun casually picked up a piece of hawthorn cake and said as she ate it.
"It’s just the two of us in this room. If anyone else were here, I certainly wouldn’t say such things."
Seeing how much she was enjoying it, Hua Manman couldn’t resist taking a piece of hawthorn cake to try as well.
But the moment it entered her mouth, the sourness made her teeth ache.
She quickly took a sip of hot tea to wash away the sour taste in her mouth.
It wasn’t that she’d never had hawthorn cake before, but the ones she had in the past were always sweet and sour, not nearly as tart as the ones made in the Prince Anshun Mansion.
Seeing her reaction, Princess Anshun couldn’t help but laugh.
"My personal chef made this hawthorn cake especially for me. I don’t know why, but I’ve been craving sour things lately. The more sour, the better. This cake is just right for me."
Hua Manman glanced at her swollen belly and teased, "They say craving sour means it’s a boy, and spicy a girl. Since you love sour things so much, it’s probably a son."
Princess Anshun was quite happy to hear this.
"A son would be for the best."
Worried that her high hopes would lead to great disappointment, Hua Manman decided to temper her expectations beforehand.
"I was just saying. A daughter would be wonderful, too. Daughters are so thoughtful."
Princess Anshun gave a bitter smile. "I know what you mean. It’s not that I don’t like daughters. I’ll love any child I give birth to, boy or girl. But only a son is eligible to be named the Princely Heir."
If she couldn’t produce a son, only two paths remained for her—
Either she would have to let Prince Anshun take a concubine, or she would have to watch as the court reclaimed his title.
She was unwilling to choose either path.
Princess Anshun gently caressed her abdomen.
The best outcome would be for her to give birth to the legitimate eldest son, ensuring Prince Anshun’s title would have a successor.
Hua Manman sighed softly.
This was the sorrow of being born in this era.
Women had no inheritance rights and could only survive by depending on men.
After returning to the Prince Zhao Mansion, Hua Manman’s mood was still a little heavy.
Seeing her looking glum, Li Ji asked what was wrong.
Hua Manman shook her head, saying nothing was wrong.
Li Ji heard her thoughts—
’Why is it so necessary to have a son? What if I can’t have one in the future? Will Prince Zhao divorce me? If he does, can I take our daughter with me?’
Li Ji: ???
’This woman actually wants to take his daughter away?’
’In her dreams!’
Hua Manman was still lost in her worries about having a son or daughter and didn’t notice the change in Prince Zhao’s expression.
She only snapped out of it when she heard Prince Zhao let out a heavy snort.
Noticing Prince Zhao’s handsome face was set in a stern, unhappy expression, Hua Manman couldn’t help but ask.
"What’s wrong, Your Highness? Who angered you?"
Li Ji curled his lip into a cold sneer. "You should ask yourself that."
With that, he huffily flicked his sleeves and left.
Leaving Hua Manman standing there alone, completely bewildered.
’What did I do? How did I suddenly get on his bad side?’
However, Hua Manman remembered what Prince Zhao had said last night.
If he got angry, she just had to kiss him to placate him.
So, Hua Manman quickened her pace and chased after him.
"Your Highness, wait for me!"
Hearing her voice, Li Ji didn’t stop, but his pace slowed slightly.
When Hua Manman caught up to him, she reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
Li Ji was forced to stop, lowering his gaze to look at her.
"What is it?"
The next moment, he saw Hua Manman stand on her tiptoes, her pretty little face drawing closer and closer.
He felt a light kiss on his lips.
Hua Manman quickly pulled back, her gaze full of a desire to please.
"Don’t be angry anymore, Your Highness, okay?"
Li Ji didn’t speak.
Hua Manman thought he was still angry and felt her heart pound with anxiety.
Just as she was about to stand on her tiptoes to kiss him again, she heard the man give a stern warning.
"If you dare take our daughter and leave me, I’ll break your legs."
Hua Manman: ???
’Isn’t this change of topic a little too fast?!’
’Wait, how did Prince Zhao know she wanted to run away with their daughter?’
’She had only just thought about it in her head. She’d never mentioned the idea to anyone.’
