Chapter 24: The Imperial Secretary, the Princess Says Your Sister Is a Curse

Chapter 24: The Imperial Secretary, the Princess Says Your Sister Is a Curse

Consort Shu stroked her belly, muttering to herself:

"I said it, both His Majesty and I are in good health, how could we conceive a frail child? It turns out there's a curse in our midst!"

"Mother, do you know? Because of that little girl, the palace maid who serves me was punished yesterday."

"If she continues to bring misfortune, will my child even have a chance to be born?"

"There are few opportunities for women in the harem to bear the emperor’s offspring. His Majesty has few heirs; this child must be born. What if it’s a prince?"

"What should we do, Mother?"

Lady Yang reached out and pinched a bud about to bloom, squeezing hard.

The petals were crushed in her palm, oozing fresh sap.

"Prosperity comes with risks. Since her existence is an obstacle to us, we must make her cease to exist."

At this moment, Bei Jing was studying the newly appeared "Intelligence" section in the system.

She clicked into the page and was stunned by the swirling gossip.

Things like [Abandoned Consort of the Prince, the Prince Kneels to Beg for Reconciliation]

Or [Auspicious Marriage, I Awakened the War God Duke]

And [Pregnant Beauty, the Tyrannical Duke’s Treasure]

[After Becoming the Top Scholar, My Ex-Fiancée Kneels to Beg for Reconciliation]

Bei Jing: ...

[System, what is all this?]

The system responded like a customer service representative:

[Dear, it’s intelligence. To develop the country well, one must understand the intelligence.]

[We are providing you with intelligence, dear. Isn’t it very considerate?]

Bei Jing expressed her confusion: [Is this intelligence? This is all novels, and quite explosive ones at that.]

[Art comes from life, dear. We are enhancing your reading desire! Please give us a good review~]

Bei Jing: [Alright.]

She wanted to click and read but found she couldn’t.

[Dear, unlocking intelligence requires points.]

Bei Jing looked at her zero balance, and a little person inside her cried tears as wide as noodles.

[But I’ve spent all my points~]

[Dear, to provide you with a better experience, the system randomly gifts you an intelligence item. Please check it.]

Bei Jing happily clicked to view it.

Life as an infant was too boring, so watching other people’s gossip—no, intelligence—was the most entertaining.

But after reading, she was furious.

"What nonsense!"

The emperor was startled by the little one’s angry shout.

This matter also involved Consort Xian.

Her brother had always been unlucky in his career.

Even with a first-rank consort sister, Consort Xian and the Kong family had poor relations and wouldn’t actively help them.

Then, Master Kong still had no son, so his mother, Lady Kong, was extremely anxious.

She never suspected her own son’s issues, only thinking their luck was bad.

She sought various deities and Buddhas, but to no avail.

Of course, it was useless. The Buddha doesn’t save fools.

Until Lady Kong visited a master at Tianyu Temple.

"That monk said her daughter-in-law had a curse that brings misfortune to her husband and children."

"The old woman actually believed the so-called master and forced her to drink all sorts of strange talisman water when she returned."

"Damn, that stuff isn’t fit for human consumption. Eating it would ruin one’s stomach, wouldn’t it?"

"The cinnabar used for drawing talismans is toxic. This is murder, isn’t it?"

"And Tianyu Temple! Who names a proper temple something so flashy?"

"Then they locked her up to perform rituals. She’s been locked up for over half a month now."

"Without seeing the light of day every day, she’s become deranged."

"Damn, if you dislike her, just divorce her. The customs of Dynasty Yue are good; divorce won’t affect remarriage."

"But this mother and son just won’t let her go, and they’re tormenting her."

"True, they wouldn’t bear to divorce her!"

"Miss Xu is a noblewoman from a high-ranking family, whom they married on the condition of never taking a concubine, and she’s the sister of the Chancellor."

"With a brother who can advance their careers in the bureaucracy, how could they bear to divorce her?"

"Hilarious! She’s about to be locked up to death, and they’re still thinking of marriage ties! This is more like making enemies!"

The emperor listened to the little one’s incessant thoughts, finding it merely entertaining.

Although this family was a bit inhumane, there were too many inhumane things in the world for him to handle each one.

But now, hearing that it was the Chancellor’s sister?

Perhaps he should give a reminder.

He ordered someone to summon the Chancellor.

After a while, the Chancellor arrived.

The emperor was busy, and he knew the Chancellor was busy too, so he got straight to the point.

"Does your Excellency have a sister who has been married?"

The Chancellor hesitated.

Why did His Majesty start with his sister? Could it be that he had taken a fancy to her?

That wouldn’t do; his sister was gentle and naive.

She would be devoured within two days if she entered the palace.

"There is indeed a sister, but due to her poor temperament, marrying into a noble family might cause trouble."

"So I arranged for her to marry into a less prominent family, where she could be better protected under my watch."

Bei Jing: "It’s not going well at all."

The emperor held back a laugh and repeated Bei Jing’s thoughts: "It’s not going well at all."

The Chancellor: "Ah?"

"Cough." The emperor reminded him, "Your Excellency should visit your sister as soon as possible; she’s not doing well."

To prevent the little one from getting suspicious, he added, "My people found out about it."

The Chancellor was startled. It was normal for the emperor to have spies monitoring the movements of officials, but usually only for those with real power. The Chancellor suspected that even his own household was being watched.

This was an unspoken truth, but he hadn’t expected the emperor’s eyes and ears to reach into his brother-in-law’s home, a minor official.

The level of vigilance and depth of scheming were impressive.

For over a decade, he thought he understood the emperor well, but now he realized he still couldn’t see through him.

Even more surprising was that the emperor was willing to point this out and remind him, which made him feel even more fortunate to have followed a wise ruler.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Wait, remember to bring some enforcers."

Hearing this, the Chancellor knew it must be serious.

He took leave from the emperor and didn’t return to the Secretariat that day.

If the emperor felt the need to remind him directly, it must be urgent. He just didn’t know what had happened to his sister.

He changed out of his official robes at home. Seeing him come back early, the Chancellor’s wife hurriedly helped him undress and asked what had happened.

While undoing his robe, the Chancellor replied, unable to reveal the emperor’s involvement, so he gave an excuse:

"I received a letter from my sister saying she’s in dire straits, though she didn’t specify what it was."

"By the way, why don’t you come with me? That way, it will look like we’re just visiting relatives. If I go alone, it might seem like I’m there to make trouble."

Lady Xu got into the carriage with him but couldn’t help complaining along the way, "What could possibly happen to my sister at home?"

"Her husband is a kind man who treats her well. If something happened, wouldn’t she turn to her own husband? Why come to her brother after she’s already married?"

"What kind of life-threatening emergency could it be? Even if she’s sick, there are doctors. Is it worth you taking leave to come back?"

"You didn’t take leave when our son had his birthday."

The Chancellor could only apologize to his wife and urge the coachman to hurry.

Lady Xu crossed her arms, looking furious.