Li Hong Yuan neither quickly nor slowly stepped into Yucui Palace. Along the way, don’t know how many people’s eyes he’s attracted, and made don’t know how many little palace maids blush. Towards this living Enma, as long as didn’t approach, and only viewed from far away, then he really was quite pleasing to the eyes. “This son has come to greet consort mother.”

Seeing this unreasonably handsome son, even n.o.ble Consort Su couldn’t help but feel dazzled. Unfortunately, probably because he was too good-looking, his other aspects just seemed too tragic. If he were to just slightly improve a little in one of the other areas, or not be that ill-tempered, or not be that l.u.s.tful towards beauties, or perhaps do some proper work, and not just ignore his proper duties, this way, even if he cursed wives, it still wouldn’t be to the extent where even now, there still wasn’t a single intimate person looking after him. Regarding this, it was all heart-aching matters. “Quickly get up. How are Yuan’er’s injuries?”

“Have troubled consort mother to worry, this son is already fine.” n.o.ble Consort Su’s spirit was not bad, but a little wane. Probably because a few days ago, there weren’t any news on him, thus causing her to neither eat nor sleep well. After learning that he’d safely returned to the capital, she finally relaxed some and nurtured back some of her spirit. It had merely been ten some days, the injury naturally couldn’t have already recovered completely. But for someone who was able to move about freely in less than twenty hours, concern and worry were just excessive.

“How can you be fine, consort mother already heard from the imperial physician. Really this child, if your injuries haven’t recovered, just directly tell your imperial father and peacefully recuperate in your manor. You just had to not say anything, causing your imperial father to be irritable all day. The court officials all suffered, yet dares not to blame your imperial father, instead marking a stroke against you.”

“Are the number of grudges pinned on this son’s head from them any less? It won’t lack this one.” Li Hong Yuan unconcernedly said.

n.o.ble Consort Su was also very much helpless towards this apathetic mindset of his. “Just where exactly did I go wrong, how did I raise you into such?”

“It has nothing to do with consort mother. It’s this son’s own fault.” Li Hong Yuan, compared to going against Le Cheng Emperor from time to time and occasionally talk back, in front of n.o.ble Consort Su, he definitely can be considered obedient.

“Since you know it’s your own fault, can’t you change?”

“It has long become a habit and can’t be changed, or is it that consort mother also doesn’t love me anymore, starting to disdain me?” Li Hong Yuan looked to n.o.ble Consort Su with a faint expression.

n.o.ble Consort Su strangely saw the ‘grievance’ in his eyes, and her heart softened, instantly forgetting her temper. “Alright, don’t look at this consort like that. Just be however you please, even your imperial father can’t bother with you anymore. You’re already twenty some years old, this consort is also too lazy to bother with you.” Still have to blame this son of hers for being too good-looking. Just by softening his expression a little, he can make one unbearable. No wonder those women become desperate after getting pampered by him for a few days. She, as his consort mother, even fell for his tricks. “You came directly to this consort’s place again? Why didn’t you go visit your imperial father first? He’s going to be jealous again.” n.o.ble Consort Su said in displeasure.

Li Hong Yuan hooked a smile, “Would imperial father be jealous of this son, or jealous of consort mother?”

n.o.ble Consort Su was startled by his sudden smile again and instantly got angry. She grabbed the tea cup by her hand and threw it at him, “As expected, your imperial father was right, you really are a little demon, even daring to tease your consort mother? This consort hasn’t sorted you out in a long while, is your skin itching, huh? Want this consort to whip you again today?”

Li Hong Yuan pretended to dodge. He knew that tea cup was still far from him. How could n.o.ble Consort Su possibly want to harm him for real. “Consort mother don’t be angry, this son knows wrong.”

n.o.ble Consort Su coldly laughed, “Knows wrong, knows wrong, which time did you not know wrong, and which time did you change? All say if one knows wrong, and is able to change, then that would be the greatest good. But what about the ones that don’t change?”

“This time I’ll definitely change, there won’t be a next time. Consort mother don’t harm the body from anger.” Li Hong Yuan hurriedly spoke.

n.o.ble Consort Su blanked. Her first reaction was ‘why was he this obedient this time?’ Shortly after, she strangely began feeling sentimental again. No matter how insolent Yuan’er was, whenever he made a mistake, as long as it was related to her, he would always correct himself first thing. It was really as he said, won’t happen a second time. She knew he loved her, but as a mother, which one would really care that much about one’s own sons’s little mistakes? But this child was always dead serious every time. If one really were to point out, afraid he won’t know what to do again. “Remember, in the future, go pay your respects to your imperial father first.” She moved away from the previous topic.

“If I go to that side first, then today, I probably won’t be able to come here.” Li Hong Yuan also very considerately didn’t mention it anymore either. “And in the future? Wait until then and see.”

“What are you planning again?” n.o.ble Consort Su felt entirely deflated, very much powerless.

“Don’t worry consort mother, this son isn’t planning on doing anything.”

n.o.ble Consort Su had a ‘it’d be strange to actually believe you’ expression.

“This time, imperial father didn’t notify this son beforehand and just willfully bestowed a marriage. If it was a beauty, then whatever, but it just had to be a disfigured old woman, and don’t even allow this son to be discontent?” It was obvious that he was unsatisfied with this marriage and thus came to find Le Cheng Emperor to complain. However, whenever this mouth of spout poison, it also makes one wish they could have his mouth sealed up.

“What nonsense are you saying? Miss Sun is currently sixteen years of age, how come in your mouth, she just turned into an old woman?”

Li Hong Yuan sneered, “Sixteen, never mind that she hasn’t married before getting bestowed, she didn’t even have an engagement. If not an old woman that couldn’t be married off, then what?”

“If she’d been married, or had an engagement, before getting bestowed, would she still be bestowed to you?”

“If she’d settled her marriage earlier, then imperial father wouldn’t have needed to drag this son out to be the scapegoat.” Li Hong Yuan didn’t yield in the least on this issue.

“Your words are getting more and more disgraceful, what do you mean using you as a scapegoat? How can you say that about your imperial father?”

“Is it not? Don’t a.s.sume that this son doesn’t know anything, just because this son wasn’t in the capital these days. Ding Duke has never disliked making things big, wis.h.i.+ng he could have his daughter’s disfiguration be known throughout the entire Qi Yuan Empire. Imperial father found him bothersome, so he just used this son to stuff his mouth. What does he see this son as? If he really was that kind-hearted, that benevolent, why don’t he just directly have the person taken into the harem. Perfect for keeping the Empress company, aunt and niece serving one husband can also pa.s.s on a beautiful story.”

(T/N: Historically, there actually was one such pair. In the Qing dynasty, one of the Emperors, Hong Taiji, his Empress was the paternal aunt of his favorite consort. Think there’s a drama based on the love story between him and his consort.)

“Yuan’er……”

“b.a.s.t.a.r.d—”

Not waiting for n.o.ble Consort Su to reply, Le Cheng Emperor’s angry voice bellowed from outside. That voice was so loud that it could quake down the tiles from the roof.

Afterwards, something directly flew towards Li Hong Yuan. And as if he grew eyes on the back of his head, Li Hong Yuan moved out of the way. With a ‘pah’ sound, that object fell onto the ground, shattering. A half a palm sized piece of top quality antique jade was gone just like that, making n.o.ble Consort Su can’t help but heartache.

“b.a.s.t.a.r.d, what were you saying just now, dare to say it again?”

Li Hong Yuan just used his finger to scratch his sore ears, and then opened his mouth, wanting to repeat his words just now. As a result, he was immediately stopped by n.o.ble Consort Su, who’d quickly walked down from the main seat. She blocked in front of him, blocking in between Li Hong Yuan and Le Cheng Emperor. Li Hong Yuan raised an eyebrow and retracted his arm without leaving a trace, but at the same time, also chose to shut his mouth.