Call Me The Mother of Quick Transmigration

Chapter 78 – My Son is The Nine Thousandth (part 18)

Prince Qi accompanied Emperor Liang to Princess Chang Shan’s mansion.

Because Prince Qi wanted to surprise Xiao Bao Ling, he didn’t let anyone pass on the message and just entered directly.

As a result, before they reached the main room, they heard Xiao Bao Ling cursing, with the occasional sounds of lashing and suppressed □□ from the palace ladies.

“Sluts! All of you are sluts! You sluts only know how to be partial! You all bully me! All of you bully me!” Xiao Bao Ling beat and scolded them.

The emperor’s son-in-law, Lu Wen Da, persuaded her. “Don’t beat them, princess. If you are angry, just come to me. Why do you beat them when they have done nothing wrong?”

“You’re begging for leniency for these sluts? All you men are the same. You feel distressed when you see them shed some tears, don’t you? You want to plead for leniency for them? I want to hit them! I am the master and they are the servants. If I hit them or scold them, then I can. They ran to emperor father, crying, and emperor father cut my title! It’s better that my title of princess was seized and I was demoted to a commoner? Those sluts have done what they wanted, isn’t that right?” Xiao Bao Ling hit them more fiercely. The sound of the whip cracking through the air continued, and the palace ladies cried more.

“Princess, His Majesty reduced your title for your own good since it blocked everyone’s mouths. The thirteenth prince was indeed, because of you… Ah!” Lu Wen Da tried persuading her again.

“Shut up!” Xiao Bao Ling was anxious and cracked her whip, which happened to hit Lu Wen Da in the face. Xiao Bao Ling regretted it when she saw that she had really hit Lu Wen Da. But, when she remembered what Lu Wen Da said, she became angry again. “Are you speaking up for those sluts too? Xiao Qi Rui’s life was fated to be short. What did it have to do with me?! You and emperor father are muddle-headed. Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Qian and Concubine Shu shed a few tears, and his heart softened. I am an imperial princess and I had to kowtow to a concubine and ask her to forgive me! Hah! Is she worthy?!”

When Emperor Liang heard this, his entire body trembled with anger. Fortunately, he had felt guilty over Chang Shan and wanted to see her to soothe her. As a result, she ended up making these complaints in the mansion, saying that he was muddle-headed and also called her aunt a slut! This was too much!

Prince Qi’s expression wasn’t good. Anyone who heard their mother being called a slut would not have a good expression, but he still held back his anger. “Emperor father, younger sister Bao Ling is just confused. Since that is the case, emperor father should not mind this.”

Emperor Liang snorted. “Qi Xing, you are kind. Thinking of her, seeing her, and giving her room to step down… Who knew… We are returning to the palace!”

After speaking, Emperor Liang turned around angrily and left.

Prince Qi turned his head and glanced over triumphantly, then chased after the emperor.

In the carriage on their way back to the palace, Prince Qi deliberated and tried to persuade the emperor. “Emperor father, younger sister Bao Ling is still young. She didn’t mean what she said, so you should not pay any mind to her words.”

Emperor Liang closed his eyes tightly. “She is still young? Hehe. Qing He is two years younger than her and is nothing like her. We see that it was the empress who spoiled her!” He then opened his eyes and looked at Prince Qi. “She was disrespectful to your mother. Are you not angry?”

Prince Qi smiled wryly. “Your son is how many years older than Bao Ling? Can I still fuss over such a thing? What would become of your son? Besides, younger sister Bao Ling is indeed a little unhappy these days. It is understandable she is sometimes unhappy.”

Emperor Liang sneered a little. “Not doing well? We think her life had been too smooth before.”

After returning to the palace, Emperor Liang suddenly decreed that Princess Chang Shan had disrespected her elders and cut her counties by a further 300!

Xiao Bao Ling almost went crazy when she received the decree. If she hadn’t been blocked by Lu Wen Da, then she would have likely ripped up the decree on the spot. Lu Wen Da tried to persuade her, but couldn’t hold Xiao Bao Ling back. She rushed into the palace, angry.

She was going to ask emperor father what she had done wrong. Emperor father wanted to cut her title again. Which villain had instigated this?

Fortunately, the empress had expected her to react like this and had sent someone to stop her at the gate of the palace to bring Xiao Bao Ling to Cang Wu Palace, lest she anger the emperor again.

“Empress mother! Emperor father reduced my estates again. Now, I only have two hundred counties. There is no princess who only has two hundred counties in all of Da Liang! What face do I have now?!” Xiao Bao Ling cried.

The empress was distressed and helpless. “Your emperor father has already sent out the decree. What can you do? Do you want to quarrel with your emperor father? Empress mother has already told you to bear with it for a while. As long as your older brother is well, you will be able to get everything back sooner or later.”

“Sooner or later? Sooner or later? How long will I have to wait? I can’t stand it anymore!” Xiao Bao Ling cried. “I have always been the most respected one amongst the sisters. The others only had six hundred counties. I was the only one with one thousand, comparable to a prince. How? You always want me to endure it. I can’t endure it!”

“Even if you can’t bear it, you must! All the things leading to this day were your own fault! If it wasn’t for you airing your grievances in your mansion which emperor father happened to hear, why else would emperor father cut your title again?! You are careless with your words and deeds, and yet you still have the face to complain here!” The crown prince strode in. “Do you know that, because of you, yesterday was the fifteenth. Emperor father should have been resting in Cang Wu Palace, but he went to Highest-Ranking Imperial Concubine’s place. Do you know that, because of you, emperor father is not giving me any face? How do you still have the face to cry?”

Xiao Bao Ling stopped crying. “Empress mother, is what older brother says true?”

Resting in the palace on the 15th day of the lunar new year was a custom left by the ancestors. For so many years, even if the emperor doted on Highest-Ranking Imperial Concubine Qian, he had never broken this rule. But now…

She calmed down suddenly.

Xiao Bao Ling was just a little domineering. She was not a fool. She knew that she relied on the empress and the crown prince. Now, emperor father was taking his anger out on empress mother.

“Who was it? Who is the one attacking me?” Xiao Bao Ling muttered to herself.

“Even now you don’t know who the enemy is?” the crown prince said sarcastically.

“That day, it was Prince Qi who suggested that your emperor father go and visit you. They happened to see you beating an innocent palace lady while uttering complaints. Now, not only is your emperor father angry, but your grandmother is also very dissatisfied with you,” the empress sighed and said. “Bao Ling, your empress mother still stands by those words. Empress mother and your older brother know your grievances. Everything you have lost will be returned to you by your empress mother, two-fold. You will be safer from now on. You and your husband have been married for some time. Previously, you had lost a child, but your body has been restored. You should also have a child. Perhaps your emperor father will forgive you for the sake of the child.”

Xiao Bao Ling felt so wronged that she couldn’t help but lie in the empress’ arms and cried.

Seeing her like this, the crown prince was angry and distressed. “Fine, stay in the princess’ mansion at peace. Empress mother and older brother will find a way for you, again and again and again for you, working until we die.”

The empress just hugged Xiao Bao Ling without speaking, but her expression was gloomy.

Soon, the empress and the crown prince began to counterattack. First, someone from the court took bribes and abused the law with Highest Ranking Concubine Gui’s respected brother, the governor of Shan Dong, Qian Zhi Liang. They acted with utter disregard for human life. Emperor Liang was furious. Qian Zhi Liang was to be removed from the office and all his crimes were to be investigated and he would be dealt with accordingly.

After the incident, empress dowager’s mother, who was 80 years old, went to the palace and cried to the empress dowager and the highest-ranking imperial concubine. She pleaded for her grandson.

The empress dowager had been in the palace for a long time so she still had political sense. Her face was pale. “He did such a huge thing and almost implicated Mother Ying and Qi Xing. Old madam, do you have the face to plead for him? When the decree comes out, how will you beg for leniency? I said it before that he must be cautious with his words and deeds and to not make mistakes. What are his results?”

Old Madam Shou An said, aggrieved, “Your nephew has been wronged. He really didn’t do those things.”

“The emperor will find out whether he had been wronged!” said the empress dowager, holding back her anger.

“Mother Shu, you can’t ignore Zhi Liang. He is your only nephew!” Old Madam Shou An cried. She then looked at Concubine Qian. “Mother Ying, Zhi Liang is your older brother. You can’t ignore him. Zhi Liang did this for Prince Qi.”

Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui’s eyes were red and she looked at the empress dowager. “Empress mother, aunt!”

The empress dowager glanced at her. “Okay, I know what to do. You and Qi Xing must not interfere in this matter, okay?”

Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui and Old Madam Shou An didn’t quite understand. The empress dowager shook her head angrily. “They are aiming for Zhi Liang, but they want to drag Qi Xing into the water. You and Qi Xing mustn’t interfere in this matter. If the emperor asks you about it, you should not plead for Zhi Liang, but instead take the initiative to blame Zhi Liang and express the hope that the emperor will punish him severely. The same goes for Qi Xing.”

“The more aggressive you behave, the more insightful and righteous you will appear. The emperor’s heart will move towards you!” The empress dowager explained this all when she saw that Old Madam Shou An and Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui did not understand.

Old Madam Shou An and Highest Ranking Imperial Concubine Gui understood. Old Madam Shou An said, “I know what to do. I will go back and ask your eldest brother to file a complaint.”

The empress dowager breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was not too stupid or outrageous.

Emperor Liang had a headache recently. He was not unaware of what was really going on. He knew that the crown prince and Prince Qi had always been at odds, but they were still able to get along on the surface. Now, he had no idea what happened. The two seemed to have completely removed that façade. If one did something on one day, then the other retaliated the following day. It didn’t matter if they involved their other brothers. It left the emperor utterly devastated.

“Your Majesty, take a sip of chrysanthemum tea to calm your anger!” Chen Jing Zhong brought a cup of chrysanthemum tea over.

“Why do you remember that We need to drink?” Emperor Liang took the cup and had a sip. It was sweet, and he felt a little better.

“It was the twelfth prince who reminded this servant. He said that Your Majesty has been a little angry recently and mentioned that this servant should make some chrysanthemum tea for Your Majesty,” said Chen Jing Zhong.

When Emperor Liang heard him talk about Qi Yu, he finally felt a little more comfortable. “That child is attentive.” These days, he had been busy with government affairs. He only saw Qi Yu once and never had the chance to speak to him. That child had seen that he was a bit angry.

Chen Jing Zhong laughed. “The twelfth prince has filial piety. This servant heard Xiao Shun Zi, who waits upon the twelfth prince, say that the twelfth prince has been silently copying Buddhist scriptures for you and the empress dowager. These were then sent to Huang Jue Temple for the master to enshrine them before dispersing them to the common people so they can pray for Your Majesty and the empress dowager.”

Emperor Liang was surprised. “Why didn’t anyone tell Us about this?”

Chen Jing Zhong smiled and said, “This is just how the twelfth prince is. He has always acted silently. These copied scriptures have always been secretly sent out.”

Emperor Liang smiled, comforted. He finally had one good son. “I haven’t seen Qi Yu for a few days. Ask him to come over and accompany Us for dinner!”

“Yes.”