Chapter 31: The Fate of a Favored Concubine Used as a Shield in a Harem Intrigue Story……

Shen Yijing was startled by the sudden intrusion and instinctively stood up. The attendants by his side blocked the path of the head eunuch.

“Eunuch, if you’ve lost something, please tell us, and we servants will naturally help you find it. Don’t disturb the Eighth Prince.”

“Consort Du’s bell, bestowed by the Emperor, seems to have been stolen by some thoughtless person. Now, this humble servant is here to search. Do I still need to show you respect?”

A bell? This made Jiujiu instinctively look down at the one he wore on his chest. It was something his grandma had given him, a unique item that no other bird had, so he didn’t feel guilty. He was just angry along with his dad.

“Let this humble servant see. Isn’t this it? Eighth Prince, if you truly like this item, you only need to ask our Lady Consort for it. But taking something without asking is not a good habit.”

“Presumptuous!”

Shen Yijing reprimanded him. The guards quickly stepped in and pushed the eunuch aside. Jiujiu instinctively burrowed into his dad’s arms, his plump body surprisingly agile.

No one was going to pull him away. That eunuch looked fat-headed, big-eared, and dirty.

“Jiujiu, the bell was given by Imperial Consort mother. Someone, go and invite Imperial Consort Mother over.”

Jiujiu, nestled in his dad’s arms, only poked out his small head. This Consort Du was the Emperor’s true beloved concubine in this world.

Jiujiu hadn’t particularly liked this small bell before; at most, he just remembered it was from grandma and shouldn’t be lost. But now, after being treated this way by that person, he inexplicably started to feel rebellious.

“Why bother disturbing Her Imperial Consort for such a small matter? You only need to come with this humble servant to see the Emperor.”

“Daddy, let’s not go. This person clearly has ill intentions. Have someone beat him out! Beat them all out!”

Jiujiu flapped his small wings, directing the guards. Realizing they didn’t understand him, he lightly nudged his dad with his wing, hoping his dad would quickly order the guards to drive them all away, so they wouldn’t ruin the flowers in the garden outside, which he still wanted to peck at.

“Someone, drive them out. And invite Imperial Consort mother over.”

Shen Yijing held Jiujiu and sat on the soft couch. He opened the lid of a teacup and offered it to the angry Jiujiu, who had been chirping for a long time, to moisten his throat. He then lowered his eyes, beginning to ponder the whole situation.

If this were the old him, whose body couldn’t withstand any stimulation, he would surely have fainted from anger. He wouldn’t have directly argued, and no one could say what he would be like when he woke up.

Noble Consort Jing’s palace was some distance from where he lived. The people brought by the eunuch, seeing the conflict, all rushed in.

Fortunately, those currently by Shen Yijing’s side were all people his maternal grandfather had specially sent into the palace to protect him. They firmly shielded Shen Yijing behind them.

When Noble Consort Jing heard that something had happened with her son, she rushed over immediately, not even minding the doctor’s previous warnings.

“Oh, who do we have here? It’s just an ordinary eunuch, daring to be presumptuous in a prince’s residence.”

“Someone, drag him out and beat him to death.”

Noble Consort Jing was initially a young girl raised in the inner chambers, not even daring to step on an ant. In the deep palace, all the Emperor’s favor was false, and she was not alone.

She was forced to grow, not just for herself; she had to live beautifully, protect her son, and prevent her parents outside the palace from worrying.

“You, this servant is Consort Du’s person, Noble Consort, aren’t you afraid of His Majesty’s anger by being so overbearing?!”

The head eunuch was frightened by this and feigned calmness, trying to bring Consort Du into the matter. But Noble Consort Jing merely curled her lips in disdain.

“Who in the harem doesn’t know that the Emperor favors this consort the most? This consort merely killed a mere eunuch. How could the Emperor bother himself with such a trivial matter?”

Aside from the people who came with the head eunuch, everyone else in the courtyard was from Noble Consort Jing’s side. The eunuch was quickly dragged away.

Noble Consort Jing walked to Shen Yijing’s side, covered his ears with her hand, and gently patted his back. She felt some regret, thinking she shouldn’t have done such things in front of the child.

Yijing was still young and shouldn’t witness such bloody scenes.

After grandma arrived, Jiujiu crawled out again to continue cracking melon seeds. It seemed grandma hadn’t neglected his dad because of the new child. Jiujiu decided that when he had time in the future, he would go and rub against grandma’s belly every day.

He wanted to ensure that the child grandma was about to give birth to would be intelligent and clever after birth, and most importantly, well-behaved, not like him, who made his dad angry.

“This matter, for the most part, cannot be unrelated to your imperial father.”

“Yes, Imperial Consort mother, I miss my Grandfather a little.”

Shen Yijing already had many plans in his heart, but he still needed to see his Grandfather first. Some things, before they were confirmed, he dared not even mention to his Imperial Consort mother, fearing he might bring trouble upon her.

“This consort also misses your Grandfather a little. But with this status, it’s too difficult to leave the palace. How about you go see him on this consort’s behalf and then tell this consort when you return?”

“Okay.”

“This consort still remembers that your Grandfather loves to raise crabs. This is the season for eating crabs. Bring some back for this consort to taste, alright?”

Shen Yijing remembered everything. When Noble Consort Jing left, she left two of the guards her dad had assigned to her. Although Yijing’s health had improved significantly, she was still not entirely at ease.

It was hard-won health; if anything went wrong again, it would be even more painful than when he was unwell before.

On the way out of the palace, Jiujiu sat in his dad’s arms. He had originally thought that the Dog Emperor, upon learning that his most beloved concubine had been treated this way, would come to trouble his dad. But the entire harem was surprisingly quiet.

When the Dog Emperor came to check on his dad’s health, he even instructed his attendants to serve him carefully.

If Jiujiu hadn’t seen the original plot and known that Star Lord would never lie to him, he might have been fooled by the Emperor’s benevolent fatherly appearance.

“Daddy, does Prime Minister also raise crabs?”

“Yes.”

Jiujiu’s question made Shen Yijing’s mood suddenly turn silent. He gently stroked Jiujiu’s head and back. Jiujiu greatly enjoyed this closeness with his dad, so he relaxed completely and stretched out his little paws.

He had just asked casually; even if he didn’t get an answer, he wouldn’t dwell on it much.

Shen Yijing, however, thought a lot based on Jiujiu’s words. The matter of his grandfather, the Prime Minister, raising crabs, he had heard that his grandfather had been ridiculed by several people for it.

After all, what kind of Prime Minister would personally raise crabs all day? If he truly wanted to eat them, it would be much easier to simply instruct his servants to prepare them.

Later, Shen Yijing learned that the reason his grandfather loved raising crabs was entirely because his Imperial Consort mother loved to eat them.

When his Imperial Consort mother was young, she loved this food. At that time, they didn’t raise such things in the Capital City. But when his Imperial Consort mother and maternal grandmother returned to visit relatives, she tasted it once and couldn’t forget it.

Before his Imperial Consort mother married the imperial father, she was also a daughter cherished by her parents.

Shen Yijing didn’t visit the Prime Minister’s Estate often. The last time he went, he saw his Imperial Consort mother’s boudoir, which was exquisitely and beautifully decorated.

“Daddy, Jiujiu will tell you a secret: Jiujiu’s feathers can turn into gold!”

Jiujiu noticed that his dad was always reluctant to look at him, so he quickly chirped twice to attract his dad’s attention.

Shen Yijing stopped his thoughts, looked down at the proud little plump bird, and gently poked the part covered by his wing. The ticklish Jiujiu immediately started rolling around.

“Oh, haha, Daddy, don’t do that anymore, oh, Jiujiu’s tummy hurts from laughing.”

“If you want gold, just tell me directly.”

As a prince, and with his Imperial Consort mother always holding him in high regard, Shen Yijing possessed many things and had no regard for gold.

If Jiujiu liked it, just as his Imperial Consort mother said, he could sleep in a pile of gold.

Jiujiu could tell that his dad didn’t want to believe what he said, and even thought he was deliberately saying it to trick him into giving him gold. He snorted lightly and preened his feathers.

If his dad was willing to take back what he said about not liking bald chicks, he would be very happy to perform for him right now.

“We’re here. Don’t mess around at my grandfather’s house later.”

“Chirp~”

Jiujiu chirped in agreement, sitting in his dad’s arms, already prepared to act like a little dumb bird who knew nothing when they went to see his dad’s grandfather.

As soon as they got out of the carriage, Shen Yijing saw his grandfather waiting there to greet him. He walked over, bowed slightly, and called out, “Grandfather.”

“Good, good.”

Previously, the Prime Minister had only heard that the child’s health had improved significantly. The doctor they had sent to the palace last time also said that he was only slightly weak, unlike what previous doctors had said about him not living past eighteen.

Now, seeing with his own eyes that Shen Yijing even had the energy to leave the palace, he was finally relieved.

“grandfather, this time, I have something I wish to discuss with you.”

The Prime Minister saw Shen Yijing’s serious expression and could probably guess what he wanted to tell him. He stepped aside, gesturing for him to come inside to talk.

“Okay.”

When the late Emperor was choosing regents for the current Emperor, he never imagined that the three people who were most at odds back then actually had a relationship that was not as bad as it seemed on the surface.

Especially the other Prime Minister; he seemed to have an irreconcilable hatred for Shen Yijing’s grandfather’s sister.

Yet, when that girl planned to marry, he rode three horses to death, returning from a distant place, bringing all his possessions to propose marriage.

The three people who should have disliked each other and been at odds became harmonious due to many subsequent events.