Chapter 307

Chapter 307

"Given the current situation—His Majesty was ambushed first, Consort Ping is critically injured, and even the Eldest Prince is barely clinging to life—how can Noble Consort Rong still smile so casually? Isn't this highly inappropriate?! I dare not judge Noble Consort's usual conduct, but to remain so oblivious to the gravity of the moment is simply too much!"

After all, the Eldest Prince still addresses her as "Honored Mother Consort," a mother figure. How could she possibly smile at a time like this?

Consort Hui's tone was severe, her eyes reddened as she stared fixedly at Noble Consort Rong, her voice trembling with barely contained rage, her body shaking slightly as if overwhelmed by anger.

Without waiting for Noble Consort Rong to respond, Consort Hui turned tear-filled eyes toward the Emperor. "Your Majesty, with Bao Qing injured so severely, Noble Consort Rong still behaves this way. Even if she has never been a mother herself, Baocheng still calls her 'Honored Mother Consort'! Seeing Bao Qing in such a state... my heart breaks so terribly that I wish it were me who had suffered instead!"

Her words dissolved into sobs, tears streaming down her face. Consort Hui was typically dignified, refined, and reserved in demeanor, never one to flaunt her status as the mother of the Eldest Prince. She rarely played the fragile victim card—which made her current display of vulnerability all the more poignant.

Her swift accusation followed by an immediate appeal to Kangxi's sympathy presented herself as a mother so distraught by her son's suffering that her outburst was only natural.

Yet, beneath the surface, Consort Hui seethed inwardly: *Why couldn’t it have been the Crown Prince who was injured instead of the Eldest Prince?!* Still, she knew better than to direct such resentment toward the Crown Prince in front of the Emperor. Before Kangxi's return to camp, she might have dared to make veiled remarks about the Crown Prince, but now was not the time.

Seeing the Crown Prince and Noble Consort Rong still able to smile so lightly, Consort Hui seized the moment to vent her frustration!

This was a classic case of a communication gap—Consort Hui, completely unaware that Noble Consort Rong had already reined in her behavior compared to when they were trapped in the pit, launched her attack. The Eldest Prince was momentarily stunned, then gripped by a deepening sense of dread.

Though he had plenty of grievances against Noble Consort Rong, the Eldest Prince, blunt as he was, couldn't exactly voice them now. Even if he had something to say, he would have preferred to discuss it privately with his mother later.

As Consort Hui suddenly turned her ire on Noble Consort Rong, the Eldest Prince's expression grew complicated, caught between protest and silence. He very much wanted to say, *Noble Consort Rong was even worse earlier—this is mild by comparison!* At least now she wasn’t subjecting them to her constant 'scrutiny.'

After all, they had endured her relentless attention the entire way back, powerless to resist, forced to endure it. The Emperor's reaction to it all had only heightened the Eldest Prince's growing unease.

So when Consort Hui used Noble Consort Rong's current demeanor as grounds for accusation, the Eldest Prince sensed disaster looming.

But Consort Hui didn’t need her son’s cooperation—his injured condition alone was enough for her to exploit. Her words came in an unstoppable torrent, leaving the Eldest Prince no chance to intervene.

The Eldest Prince felt cold sweat break out. *Why does this foreboding feeling keep growing stronger?*

Kangxi’s eyelid twitched, the urge to rub his temples overwhelming.

Little milk dragon seemed oblivious to the situation—but his obliviousness was both normal and abnormal at once. His smile vanished at Consort Hui’s actions, displeased by her aggressive tone toward Honored Mother Consort. Just as he was about to reprimand Consort Hui for her impropriety, Honored Mother Consort gently stopped him with a reassuring glance.

The Eldest Prince feebly lifted a hand, trying to redirect his mother’s focus. "Mother…" But things were not about to go his way.

Consort Hui quickly pressed his hand down, her voice urgent with worry. "Bao Qing, you mustn’t move recklessly in your condition! If your injuries worsen, what will become of this mother?!"

Her voice broke with emotion. When palace women committed to their performances, even the false could be made real—and Consort Hui, genuinely shaken by her son’s injuries, had no trouble producing tears at will.

The Eldest Prince’s eyes widened, his lips trembling, utterly unable to keep up with the act.

Under different circumstances, he might have played along, reacting exactly as Consort Hui expected. But now, he wanted to stop whatever disastrous turn this might take—yet he had no idea how. He had no experience in this sort of situation.

It was like a farcical scene where his acting partner was fully immersed in today’s script, while he was reading tomorrow’s—completely out of sync!

Once Consort Hui began her performance, she had no intention of stopping, nor did she need her son’s input. His injuries alone were enough for her to carry the scene.

As Consort Hui poured her heart out, Kangxi’s expression grew increasingly cold. Noticing Noble Consort Rong’s almost patient listening demeanor, he realized—*this is really happening.*

Kangxi attempted to steer things back from the brink. "Noble Consort, perhaps you should first—"

Su Yi gave him a look of mild disapproval, as if to say, *Why won’t you let her finish speaking?* Her patient, attentive expression was deceptively convincing.

Kangxi forced a strained smile: "…"

Kangxi couldn’t possibly not know that the Noble Consort’s patience was there—but just barely.

Consort Hui tightly gripped the Eldest Prince’s hand, her face etched with genuine distress and concern, while still casting glances toward Noble Consort Rong as she continued, “I spoke out of turn earlier, and I beg the Noble Consort’s pardon.”

She seemed to have calmed somewhat, attempting to smooth over her earlier outburst, but then swiftly added, “As a mother, I can't stay calm when my child is hurt. If the Noble Consort is displeased, once the imperial physicians stabilize Bao Qing’s injuries, this concubine is willing to accept punishment.”

On the surface, her words appeared conciliatory, but in truth, they were a strategic retreat designed to trap Noble Consort Rong—implying that the Noble Consort, having no children of her own, could never understand a mother's pain and had remained unmoved by the Eldest Prince’s suffering.

What seemed like a sincere apology and willingness to accept blame was, in reality, a maneuver to leave the Noble Consort with no graceful way out.

Consort Hui pretended to be too distraught to spare much attention, yet in just a few words, she made it seem like the Noble Consort would be seen as heartlessly insisting on punishing a grieving mother while her son lay gravely injured—preventing Consort Hui from even tending to him in peace.

And in turn, making the Eldest Prince too anxious over his mother to focus on his own treatment.

A quick succession of maneuvers, all timed to exploit the tense atmosphere where everyone was already on edge—directing the sparks of conflict straight toward Noble Consort Rong.

Under normal circumstances, Consort Hui would never act so overtly. The Emperor would see through any bias toward the Noble Consort, rendering it ineffective and even counterproductive.

But now, with everyone strained and cautious, trying not to provoke the Emperor’s displeasure during such a fraught moment, Noble Consort Rong’s ill-timed behavior became the perfect opening for Consort Hui to strike.

Had this been any other time, Consort Hui, ever patient and composed, would never have confronted the Noble Consort directly. Previously, she had always let lesser consorts act in her stead, ensuring any fallout never touched her.

This time, however, with the Eldest Prince injured, Consort Hui was not only frantic over his wounds but even more so over the drastic deviation from their original plans. Why was it her Bao Qing who had suffered so grievously in that trap, while Noble Consort Rong walked away unharmed?

Consort Hui hardened her heart—if her Bao Qing had come to harm, then Noble Consort Rong would know no peace either!

In the brief moment their eyes met, a glint of malice and challenge flickered in Consort Hui’s gaze before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared—almost as if it had been imagined. Yet she was certain Noble Consort Rong had seen it, for that had been her intent: to provoke.

But when Consort Hui truly took in Noble Consort Rong’s expression, she faltered slightly. Her gaze locked onto Hui with unsettling intensity, as though the Noble Consort were listening with rapt attention, oblivious to all else.

And then, as their gazes held, Noble Consort Rong’s eyes curved into crescents, her smile deepening as she slowly turned her gaze toward the Eldest Prince. This subtle reaction, so contrary to Consort Hui’s expectations, inexplicably sent a chill through her.