Chapter 239: Why Choose Death Over Being a Good Prince?

Chapter 239: Why Choose Death Over Being a Good Prince?

Hearing Ruo Xi Baby’s thoughts, the Empress Dowager’s expression grew somber.

Someone was plotting to harm her; this was something she had known for a while.

Before entering the palace, she had understood that it was a place where people could be consumed by intrigue.

However, for the safety of her father and brothers, she had been unable to defy the imperial decree.

Before entering the palace, she had already started taking small doses of poison, and once inside, her daily task was to build up her resistance to various poisons so she could protect herself amidst the schemes.

During her pregnancies, she had been constantly on edge, never finding a moment of relaxation.

Because of this, the poison from earlier years, combined with her constant anxiety, had severely weakened her body over time.

In recent years, she had suffered from frequent headaches.

It was only half a year ago, after Xier was born, that her headaches slowly subsided.

Moreover, after several diagnoses by Imperial Doctor Wen, who always assured her she was fine, she had felt relieved.

However, with just a touch from Xier’s little hand, it was said that she had been poisoned again.

This made the Empress Dowager even more furious.

She had been vigilant every day, surrounded by trusted servants, yet someone still found an opportunity.

"Is Xier ready for supplementary food?" the Empress Dowager asked Xiao Yin.

"Yes, Xier has been eating some rice paste prepared by Nurse Jin, and now she can even drink chicken soup and eat some shredded chicken meat. Xier is quite a little foodie," the emperor said with a smile as he looked at the little girl.

Someone had poisoned the Empress Dowager again. Looking at her demeanor and expression, there seemed to be nothing unusual, which likely meant the poison was mild, or like Yue'er's poisoning before, it was slow-acting.

"Good, good. Aqin, go to the small kitchen and make some chicken soup. Make it rich and flavorful for our hardworking little Xier," the Empress Dowager immediately instructed the nearby nanny Qin.

"Yes, this old servant will go and instruct the kitchen, oh no, this old servant will go personally!" Seeing the Empress Dowager glance at her, nanny Qin immediately smiled and bowed, then ran off.

"Mother Empress really likes Xier a lot," the empress said with a smile.

"Of course, this is Yue'er's child. Naturally, I like her. Besides, I have never mistreated Ting'er and Heng'er, have I?" the Empress Dowager said, turning to look at the empress.

"Mother Empress has never mistreated Ting'er. As a daughter-in-law, I believe that Mother Empress is kind-hearted and benevolent," the empress immediately stood up and said.

"Yes, the Empress is right. Mother Empress is very kind," Xiao Yin nodded, noticing that his mother was not very happy, especially disliking conversation with the empress.

Thus, Xiao Yin turned and said, "The Empress is pregnant and should rest well. There's no need to stay here. I will entertain Mother Empress with Xier."

"Yes, then I will go back to rest," the empress had originally intended to stay a little longer, but seeing the unfriendly attitudes of both the Empress Dowager and the emperor, she stood up, curtsied, and slowly walked out.

After the empress had been gone for some time, the Empress Dowager turned to look at the emperor and said, "Pay more attention to the empress and have someone look into the Prime Minister."

"Mother Empress's intention..." Xiao Yin looked at the Empress Dowager, his eyes deep and thoughtful, his gaze instinctively shifting to little Xier.

Seeing Xier sucking on her finger, looking so innocent, he couldn’t help but smile slightly, only to drop it immediately.

For half a year, he had always looked forward to hearing Xier’s thoughts, hoping for her to provide an answer no matter what he did.

He wasn’t sure when he had started developing this habit.

Ever since he was old enough to understand, he had been warned by his mother: he must learn to be self-reliant, to handle everything on his own, and to evade all schemes and dangers. Yet, in the end, he had come to depend on Ruo Xi Baby.

"I understand," Empress Dowager said. "Before you left, you arranged a system of mutual checks and balances, which is a good thing. Those old officials in the court are in a standoff with the new faction, checking and balancing each other. Even if there is chaos, it won't get out of hand. However, there are still some people with sinister motives who are willing to take risks."

"Hmm, just like the Queen and the Prime Minister," she mused. "It's just a pity for my older cousin. He could have been a prince and eventually a king, and if he had both wisdom and courage, he might have been made Crown Prince. After my uncle passed away, he could have been a good emperor. But... why did he have to court death?"

Ruo Xi Baby chewed on her finger, lost in thought. She felt that being a dedicated cultivating female devil wasn't such a bad idea. This life in the imperial palace, with all its scheming and deadly struggles, was exhausting—certainly not a life fit for anyone.

The Empress Dowager's expression became grave as she slowly adjusted Xier's clothes. Inwardly, her heart was in turmoil.

Although she, as the Empress Dowager, shouldn't interfere with the affairs of the previous dynasty, she was still concerned about some matters, as Xiao Yin was her son.

When the Emperor left, he assigned his two sons to each lead a few subordinates. The elder focused on civil affairs, and the younger on military affairs, seemingly without conflict. However, the Empress Dowager knew that the Queen was secretly making moves.

"In times of chaos, civil officials are useless," the message passed from Xiaoxiazi of the Kunning Palace to the Empress Dowager. It was something the Queen had said to the eldest prince.

Thus, the Empress Dowager knew that the Queen still harbored ambitious thoughts.

The Emperor, on the other hand, appeared as usual.

As for Xiao Yuting, he wasn't particularly wary. He had experienced the killing between brothers to ascend to his position. How could he trust others so easily? Even his own sons had never earned his full trust.

Three years ago, the Queen and the Prime Minister had looked down on him, an unloved prince. Even Xu Ruzhen, who was then the Minister of Revenue, had thought Xiao Yin had no chance of competing for the throne. He had even sided with someone else during the prince's succession struggle.

Only after Xiao Yin returned from the frontier, leading his troops into the capital, did Xu Ruzhen realize his mistake and quickly change his stance.

In the past three years, the Prime Minister had been restless, often acting as if he were the father-in-law of the nation. If it weren't for Ci Xin, the Imperial Tutor, keeping him in check, that old man would probably think he was invincible.

"Mother!" A delicate voice called from outside.

Immediately after, a bright figure entered the Empress Dowager's view.

Seeing her daughter's vibrant complexion, the Empress Dowager's eyes lit up with joy.

"It's good to go out for a walk!" said the Empress Dowager.

"Xier!" Seeing her daughter, Xiao Yue immediately stepped forward and stretched out her hand. "Yeah, this outing really cheered me up!"

That morning, she had been continuously informed by people in the palace about their absence from the imperial city. Eventually, she had heard some things.

The entire Shangguan family had been wiped out. Initially, the titled lady, along with Xu Ruzhen and the Xu family, had been imprisoned. But news from Su County revealed that Shangguan Jinghong had tried to assassinate the Emperor and the princess. In a fit of rage, the Prime Minister ordered the entire Shangguan family to be beaten to death.