The Devious First Daughter

641 - 650

Once the Emperor made sure that his face was free from the powder, he became enraged that a mere woman had tossed powder on him in front of so many people. He opened his eyes the second that he could and screamed at Honored Consort Xia. “Servants! Servants! Take this wench away and turn her…”

Knowing that the Emperor wanted to turn her into mincemeat, Honored Consort Xia interrupted him with a slight sneer. “Your Majesty, if the powder is poisonous, you would have already swallowed some from all that talking. Are you sure you’re okay?”

Her words prompted the Emperor to shut his mouth. Even now, he felt the powder was poisonous. The sudden incident caught him off guard, and he was also aware that he had given Honored Consort Xia poison. That was why he lost his composure so badly.

“Your Majesty, please explain why the second lady of the Hua family, Prince Yi’s fiancee, is in your harem.” Several old ministers and their wives knelt together.

A few of the married women didn’t enter the palace. After all, not even a titled lady could meet the Emperor so easily. The ones that remained, however, were the first wives of the ministers and could follow their husbands to the palace. On the one hand, they were worried about their husbands. On the other hand, they could also stand witness.

“Your Majesty, Second Young Lady Hua was Prince Yi’s fiancee. How did she fake her death and enter the palace to become Honored Consort Xia?”

“Your Majesty, is Honored Consort Xia telling the truth? Did you force Hua Yueying to serve you around the time when the three princes of Annan sent their women to the capital?”

“Your Majesty, Honored Consort Xia said that she tried to meet Prince Yi because you stole her from him, forcing her to yearn for him for so many years without being able to meet him. She said that she had to make use of this rare opportunity to leave the palace and meet Prince Yi despite the risks. Is this true?”

The ministers spoke up one after another, their accusations sharp and direct. No matter which of their accusations that the Emperor admitted to, he would forever be remembered poorly in history.

Which Emperor would be willing to be remembered for infamy? And for such an immoral act, too.

The Emperor’s face, clean from powder, turned green and white.

“Is… this ordinary face powder?” Taking several moments to compose himself, he finally returned to his senses. He turned around and questioned Honored Consort Ya with some difficulty. He remembered hearing such an explanation from her.

“It’s… women’s face powder. The letters were ordinary letters written by Honored Consort Xia to express her longing.” A faint mocking smile appeared on Honored Consort Ya’s face, though no one knew it was contempt for herself or the Emperor.

Was there anything more ironic than this? The Emperor thought he had her under control and all his plan fully in line. Little did he know that he didn’t have full control over things, not even this palace. How could Honored Consort Xia’s powder become face powder otherwise? And those letters wouldn’t just be sad love letters full of longing.

Perhaps, the other imperial consorts would believe that a rendezvous with Prince Yi was a crime and a crime that could destroy both him and Honored Consort Xia. Nobody expected them to be an engaged pair, though one that was forcefully torn apart. Worst of all, the perpetrator was the Emperor before everyone.

Thus, the crime became the Emperor’s burden to bear, as was the scandal.

Hearing Honored Consort Ya’s reply, the Emperor felt as if something metallic was creeping up his throat. He tried his best to suppress the urge to cough up blood.