Lin Yueniang started her investigation. She was going to see which little wh*re in the East Palace had actually managed to seduce the crown prince that night.
It was fine if he had just slept with her. But if this woman became pregnant…
Lin Yueniang shuddered at the thought and didn't dare to think about it anymore.
Consort Chen had been in the palace for more than a year and had still been unsuccessful in getting pregnant.
After thinking about it for a while, Lin Yueniang straightened her hair and clothes and then went to Great Forest Court to visit Consort Chen.
Consort Chen's given name was Chen Xueyan. She was extremely beautiful and of noble birth.
It was unfortunate that she hadn't used a very glamorous method to enter the palace, and so she had been relegated to the position of consort. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a problem for someone of her status to become the crown princess.
When Lin Yueniang arrived, Consort Chen was lying on her couch. Her slim, fair fingers were stretched out before her as two maids knelt before her and helped to paint her nails.
Lin Yueniang was only a lady of Decorous Service, so her rank was way lower than a consort.
After entering the room, she didn't dare to sit and spoke while continuing to remain standing.
Consort Chen had already heard all about how the crown prince had punished her by forcing her to eat pig intestines all day, so her lips curled upward, and she smiled faintly. "Judging from your face, I suppose you've come here after having eaten your fill?"
Lin Yueniang instantly turned purple in the face.
All the ladies in the palace were very particular about what they smelled like, especially the young consorts of the royal princes. They would never want to eat anything that carried a strong and distinct smell of an animal.
But now, she had to eat this food all day, every day, at every meal.
She had already become the laughingstock of the entire East Palace.
How was she supposed to serve the crown prince smelling like that?
Lin Yueniang's hand was hidden in her sleeve as she gripped her handkerchief tightly. She forced a smile out. "That's just His Highness's way of showing his care and concern for me."
Consort Chen smiled a little. "Lady Lin of Decorous Service, why are you looking for me? It's such a hot day today."
Lin Yueniang came a little closer and dropped her voice to a whisper, "Has Sister Chen heard about those rumors from this morning?"
"Yes, I have." Consort Chen was also furious about this matter.
But she despised the idea of talking to someone as lowly as Lady Lin of Decorous Service about such a matter, so she purposely pretended that she wasn't bothered by it and just smiled.
"His Highness is the crown prince, and he will eventually become the emperor of the country. This means that there will be more and more women in this harem eventually. Why bother being so petty about it? The three of us have been in the palace for quite some time already, but the East Palace doesn't have a single descendant to speak of. Even though His Majesty and Her Majesty have never blamed us, we ought to help His Highness make this happen.
Lin Yueniang bit her lip. "Are you saying that we should let His Highness sleep with a maid?"
Consort Chen smiled more brightly. "And what's wrong with being a maid? Anyone else can comment on this matter like that, but not you."
Lin Yueniang herself had been a maid in the first place. It was the Empress who had given her to the crown prince.
Consort Chen was using this chance to mock her for being of lowly birth, and Lin Yueniang could tell. But she could only clench her teeth secretly and not display her anger.
After giving it some thought, she smiled brightly. "Sister Chen is right. I have been too petty. In that case, we ought to find this new younger of sister of ours. Since she's gained the favor of His Highness, we shouldn't let her suffer in silence. It is only proper to give her the status that is due her."
Consort Chen narrowed her eyes slightly, and she smiled as she said, "That's right. That is only the right thing to do."
"In that case, I shall take my leave." Lin Yueniang left the room.
Consort Chen slowly sat up, reached out for the teacup sitting on the table next to her, and flung it to the floor. She gritted her teeth and said, "Which little wh*re actually dared to get laid before me? Find her! I'm going to see what sort of bewitching features this maid has. How did she manage to seduce His Highness so that he actually didn't return to his palace for the entire night?"
The servants by her side immediately nodded and started to think of a way to investigate this matter.
After Lin Yueniang left, she heard that the Crown Prince had returned from the Hall of Literary Brilliance and was having lunch, so she made a detour and walked over to the Blessed Palace, where the crown prince resided.
The crown prince was indeed having lunch.
Ever since this new kitchen helper had arrived in the East Palace, the food she cooked had suited the crown prince's palate, so he seldom left much food behind. Liu Dequan was very pleased to see this improvement, so his attitude toward Yun Dai had become much better than it had been before.
Right now, the crown prince was holding up a bowl of cordyceps soup.
He looked up and saw Lin Yueniang looking so miserable as she walked in, and he immediately lost his appetite.