"Father!! What do you mean?! Father!" Xiao Li sobbed while crying. The fourth prince was indifferent.
A week passed and the very next day everyone knew about the matter but no one dares to talk about it. It was a fact that right now the most powerful ministry is the right prime minister instead of the left prime minister. Xiao Feng gets to know that Xiao Yu is somehow pregnant. She knows it's not the Second prince's son because it was a fact known by only a few that the Second prince is not able to give birth. She was sitting in her seat going through memorials when Linlin came inside.
"Empress, the fourth prince has taken in a concubine"
"Oh? Who is that? And how about my sister?" Xiao Feng put down the brush and looked at Linlin.
"Fourth princess consort put a huge tantrum and now locking herself in her room without coming out and she hasn't eaten much in the past few days and the one he took was from Shu family"
"Shu family?"
"Yes. It was the Second Ms." Xiao Feng looks at her, for her to continue. "Late emperor's concubine" Xiao Feng chuckled.
"Let them take care of their matters. Oh, send that porcelain vase from West to my Second sister. Say her I will personally visit his son's 1st month birthday with the gift that your majesty previously decided to give after all he is the first legitimate grandson of my uncle"
"Empress?" She said questionably looking around. There were servants whose head was hung low.
"My sister is smart. She will understand what I said" Linlin nodded and went away.
"Ask what you want to ask?"
"Your highness did you want to highlight the legitimate part in the first place," Weining asked.
"Isn't it correct? The only and first legitimate grandson of the uncle is my sister's son" Weining looks down and the empress smile as she looks at the teacup on the table as a maid beside the empress poured the tea and the empress took the tea in her hand. Few maids were carefully listening to the empress.
"It's a fact" She signaled for other maids to leave and everyone went away. Empress blow to the cup and took a sip.
"Fourth prince take in Second Ms. of Shu now is because my father doesn't have power in the court but right Prime Minister is different. Though the emperor would dislike the idea Prime Minister Shu will be grateful to the fourth prince since a widowed woman will not stand a chance to marry a prince. A well-planned game. After what I said just now the message will be delivered to my sister and she will think I also don't want prince Sheng and that day I just put up an act in front of the emperor to get his favor. She will think through a plan to get rid of the new concubine since I am on her side to back her up and will destroy the fourth prince's well-planned game" Weining smiled knowing that her mistress always has a plan.
"Empress is wise"
Xiao Li was sitting in the bed and her maid beside her with a few more maids holding treys with gifts sent by the empress including the vase. Her maid-in-waiting signal them to go away.
"So, my little sister just wants the favor of the emperor"
"Your highness, could it be" Xiao Li shook her head.
"Of course, there must be something up to her sleeve but she does want to get rid of prince Sheng and right now she is pregnant and also there are 2 concubines. So, she is afraid her unborn baby will not have a good future. So, I will do what she wanted and put them all in her account. Since she wants my help, she will back me up. Before all, I had to get rid of that house wrecker" Then Xiao Li whispered something to her maid and she nodded and went away.
In Xiao manor, Xiao Qi was sitting in the bed while there was a man beside him. Only his back could be seen. Xiao Qi was caressing her tummy.
"We can play our part well and then we will surely get the throne soon. As promised you will be the empress" It was prince Jing.
In the past when prince Jing visit the palace Xiao Yu and prince Jing will pass a shy and comfy smile. One day a woman covering her head with a robe came outside towards the carriage and get on and took off the robe. It was Xiao Qi and the man beside him was prince Jing.
"Emperor wants to marry Xiao Feng after she comes back. He is going to send an edict to summon her back" Prince Jing clenched her fists.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I will help you for the throne and in the exchange, you will make me the empress" Prince Jing first hesitated and then agreed knowing it was the only way for him to the throne.
"And I want to be pregnant" Prince Jing furrowed his eyebrows.
"I think his majesty is unable to give birth. I want you to help me so I can protect my title till I get a chance to help you to the throne"
"Why should I believe?"
"You can decide not to help"
"Tell me, how you are going to help me?"
"I will slowly poison him. I already started to poison him"
In the present time, Xiao Qi just scoffed.
"There wasn't any use of poisoning that useless man" Prince Jing nodded. "How is with taking a concubine?" Prince Jing went towards her and sat down.
"Are you interested in my future concubine or her family?"
"Both" Xiao Qi said with a smirk.
"She is good and her family will help us" Xiao Qi's smile deepened even more.
"It's not early anymore, I will go back now" Xiao Qi nodded and he went away and her maid came in. Xiao Yu smiled.
"Sooner I will become the empress and I will be written in the history to be empress twice and controlling the Sui kingdom"
Xiao Feng was standing in the middle of a room and she looked around seeing a different place than her peony palace she remember this place.
"Harem?"
"Lady Feng, empress ask you to her palace" Xiao Feng looks at the maid who came to her.
"Empress?"
"Please follow me" They went to a palace. It was the peony palace. She went inside and saw her 1st sister sitting on the empress's throne.
"Sister?"
"Mother!" Xiao Feng looks at a 6-year-old girl who was held by 2 maids and one maid shut her mouth.
"Oh, I thought that after killing your newborn children you will not talk to me as sister anymore"
"What do you mean?"
"Zhu Jiayi caused the crown prince to almost drown I have already taught her a lesson for you, you can now take her back" Xiao Feng was confused about why Zhu Jiayi is calling her mother but somehow, she was back in the courtyard she was.
"Lady Chou, I will bring 1st princess for treatments since it's already late," A maid said and Xiao Feng nodded.
"Emperor is here" Xiao Feng eagerly looks to see who is the emperor. Because she knows Zhu Zheng will never make her a lady not even make her oldest sister the empress. It was prince Jing. She was startled and confused at the same time to even utter a word. He dismissed the maids and came towards Xiao Feng.
"Prince Jing?" A hard slapped land on Xiao Feng's cheek. The burning sensation was too real for her to think that she is dreaming.
"For the past 5 years, you still haven't learned a lesson? Can't you still accept that you, former empress became the lowest rank in the harem? Can't you accept the fact that I am the emperor? Who does as I wish? Right, I have to make you remember well every day, I want you to cry, I want you to suffer so I can be happy. I want to see the face you had when I killed your brother Zheng. That was amazing" He pushed her to the bed and loosen his tie in the robe.
Xiao Feng was helpless like she doesn't have any control of her body as it has been a long get used to his brutishness and is already tamed. Somehow emperor fell on top of her and then he pushed away from her. Xiao Feng quickly sat and looks in front to see Shan Yuan with a blood-dripping sword.
"Shan Yuan?"
"I don't want to see you suffer anymore since you want to suffer" Shan Yuan put the sword in his neck.
"If I die, I will no longer see you suffer" Shan Yuan's sword smoothly went cutting his throat.
"No!!!!!" Xiao Feng wakes up from her dream panting. Sweat dripped from her.
"Your majesty! Empress!" Weining and Huo Hong talked from outside.
"It's nothing" Emperor hugged the empress. "I am here, I am here." Empress was sobbing and the emperor caress her back while hugging her. Xiao Feng finally calms down. "Did you see a bad dream?" She was scared so she hummed acknowledging the fact. "Do you want to share it with me?"
"Y-You was killed by prince Jing" He furrowed.
"It was already 6 years passed"
"So, you were living with prince Jing?" Emperor was a little serious this time.
"Hear me out. I was taken to see the empress"
"Aren't you the empress?" Xiao Feng glared.
"Oh okay. Continue"
"When I went to see it was 1st sister who was the empress. When I called her sister, she said that I haven't talked to her as a sister since she killed my newborn children. She said Zhu Jiayi almost drowned the crown prince and she had to teach a lesson on behalf of me and I was confused and then that girl talk to me as a mother. Then I get to know I was the lowest in the harem and I was awakened when prince Jing came to the courtyard and"
"And" Emperor was restless.
"Slapped me hard saying he want to see every day the look that I had 6 years ago "Emperor hugged her more after seeing her tear-filled eyes.
"What look?"
"W-when he… You… Kill" Xiao Feng shuttered and starts to cry again. He patted her back. "Brother Zheng, he is cruel. Will he harm you, will he arm my children" Emperor was at a loss. He has never seen her in this state for a long time. He supports her back to lie down on the bed.
"Don't think about it anymore. Sleep now it's not good for your health" Empress nodded and went back to sleep.
The next day empress indulged in writing as usual.