Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 236 - Princess Consort Ling Frames Her
Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Princess Consort Ling Frames Her Majesty
Chapter 236 -236: Princess Consort Ling Frames Her Majesty
The Third Prince returned to Prince Rui’s Mansion with a face so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water.
His actions had always been secretive; if the Second Prince hadn’t been watching every move in his residence, it would have been impossible to discover that he was seeking a court physician.
Recalling the Second Prince’s teasing, smiling expression at the time, the Third Prince ground his teeth in hatred.
“Your Highness, don’t be angry. Anger is not good for your health. A message has come from the south that they have found a very famous Divine Doctor who is on his way to the Capital City. He will surely be able to cure you!”
The speaker was a tall, and beautiful maidservant, but unlike other maidservants who were trembling and anxious, she spoke very clearly and confidently.
The Third Prince had smashed several pairs of vases, and the floor was littered with shards. This maidservant gestured to the other servants while pushing the Third Prince’s wheelchair towards the study; the servants hurriedly cleaned up the floor.
“Have they really found a Divine Doctor?”
The Third Prince was skeptical, his expression dark, “Yin Zhu, if you dare deceive me, I won’t be swayed by any past sentiments!”
Yin Zhu laughed and said, “Why would I deceive Your Highness? You must have heard of Northern Zhai and Southern Miao, the two Divine Doctors from the north and south. Divine Doctor Zhai is now old and nearly blind, spending his retirement at Prince Ling’s Mansion, but Divine Doctor Miao is in the prime of his life. If he comes, Your Highness’s illness will surely be cured.”
The Third Prince’s expression softened a little, and he raised an eyebrow, “It’s actually Divine Doctor Miao? Isn’t it said that he is eccentric and not easily persuaded? How did you manage to invite him?”
“I knew Divine Doctor Miao’s son from childhood and once saved his life. When I ask, naturally they are willing to come.”
Upon hearing this, the Third Prince smiled, “I did not expect that you were so capable. I have underestimated you.”
He grabbed Yin Zhu’s hand, “If my illness can be cured, and once the obstacle is removed and I become the Crown Prince, I will make you my Concubine and restore the glory of your Zhuo family.”
Read latest chapters at freёweɓnovel.com Only.
Her eyes reddening slightly, Yin Zhu said, “To be by Your Highness’s side is all I could wish for. Now that I have Your Highness’s promise, I am flattered beyond measure. I would not dare to even think about my family’s affairs.”
“What’s there not to dare think about? Your Zhuo family was punished simply because you offended Prince Ling; he found evidence against you, filled brothels with the women of your family, and sent the men exiled to toil thousands of miles away. It was merely a trivial matter, and yet Prince Ling caused such destruction to your family. When I become the Crown Prince, I will surely restore the Zhuo family and have all your fathers and brothers return to the Capital City!”
As the Third Prince finished speaking, Yin Zhu’s eyes grew even redder.
She knelt on the ground, leaning on the Third Prince’s legs and crying silently. When the Third Prince parted her hair, he saw the character “prostitute” branded onto her forehead using a round iron; this was the mark every woman of the Zhuo family bore.
This mark marred the beauty of Yin Zhu’s stunning face.
But as she looked up at the Third Prince, with tears veiling her eyes and her lips a tender red, the Third Prince could not help but recall the palpitations he felt when he first met Zhuo Yinzhu in his youth.
The Zhuo family was not a minor household. Zhuo Yinzhu’s father was once the Left Metropolitan Censor of the Inspectorate, a Third-Rank Official, on par with the current Minister of Dali Temple, Sikong Fu.
Also an agent of the Son of Heaven, he participated in the review of major cases by the tri-ministerial directorate, wielding real power.
Zhuo Yinzhu, as Lord Zhuo’s youngest daughter, was not as well-known as the elder daughter of the Zhuo family and was rarely seen in public. She was supposedly kidnapped as a child and only found after several years. With a capricious nature, and though she had not lost her purity, it was difficult to find her a marital match.
Since the prominent families in Capital City all cared about their reputation, by the time Zhuo Yinzhu was brought back at fourteen, who knew what she had experienced outside?
The Third Prince first laid eyes on Zhuo Yinzhu three years ago during the Royal Family’s hunting day. He had wandered far off while hunting when he suddenly came across numerous colorful butterflies circling around. Without thinking, he walked over and saw Zhuo Yinzhu bathing in a natural hot spring.
He was only sixteen at the time and his mother Consort had forbidden him from engaging with women too early. Thus, he had never witnessed such a scene and was stunned by her heavenly beauty, which left a deep impression on him.
After returning, he secretly approached his father, requesting the Emperor to grant him a marriage, but the Emperor was unwilling. As the future Crown Prince, his Crown Princess Consort would certainly need to be outstanding in character, looks, and family background.
The Zhuo family didn’t have a deep foundation and provided little support. The Emperor wanted him to marry someone like Fu Baozhu, a general’s daughter, or a daughter from another great family. But he couldn’t arrange a marriage for him too early to avoid exposing him and his mother Consort.
Before the Emperor, he had always been obedient.
But after that, he often went to see Zhuo Yinzhu.
Unexpectedly, not long after this year’s Shangsi Festival, the Zhuo family was suddenly swept up in a massive corruption case.
The Left Metropolitan Censor had the power to impeach hundreds of officials, distinguish the wronged, oversee the regions, and serve as the eyes and ears of the Son of Heaven, maintaining discipline. However, Lord Zhuo abused his position, accepting bribes and bending the law for his benefit. The Emperor, enraged, turned the entire Zhuo family into criminals overnight.
The Third Prince happened not to be in the capital at that time and, over the years, his fascination with Zhuo Yinzhu had faded since he now had an array of enchanting women at his side. Thus, upon hearing the news, he only arranged for someone to fish Zhuo Yinzhu out, while the rest of the Zhuo family was sent where they deserved to go.
However, on the way back to the capital with Zhuo Yinzhu, they encountered a flash flood, and she was swept away by the torrent. The Third Prince thought she was unlucky enough to have died.
Unexpectedly, just over a month ago, Zhuo Yinzhu found him.
Regrettably, he had become inhumane and his personality had changed drastically, treating Zhuo Yinzhu with either beating or scolding. But Zhuo Yinzhu, bearing all hardships without a word of complaint, never despised him for his hidden illness and even actively arranged for the people in the mansion to go to the south to find a Divine Doctor.
And she indeed found one.
The Third Prince carefully wiped the tears from her face. Her cheeks were tender and delicate, fair as jade, but the mark on her forehead only seemed to mar her beauty.
In his heart, he couldn’t help but feel anger and hatred, “Eldest Imperial Brother has harmed you to this extent, I must make him pay the price in the future!”
Zhuo Yinzhu, deeply moved, buried her face in his lap and wept bitterly, yet the corners of her mouth curled into a cold smile.
It took her a while to lift her head, her eyes somewhat swollen,
“Your Highness, now that Prince Ling has won the battle, it seems it will be even more difficult to bring him down. Whether I take my revenge or not is not important, what matters is not letting him obstruct your path. Moreover, I suspect that previously in the palace, Princess Consort Ling deliberately pretended to be troubled by a pregnancy issue to avoid treating you. Do you think she has figured something out and told the Second Prince, and that’s why the Second Prince intentionally spoke those probing words to you in court?”
The Third Prince’s face was filled with anger, “Are you saying that woman faked her pregnancy issue?”
“Yes, the other day when I followed you to the palace to see Consort Jing, Consort Jing herself told me. She said Su Jin was innocent, that Su Jin had been with her for over a decade and wouldn’t do anything to harm her. Moreover, Consort Jing originally faked an illness to lure Princess Consort Ling there, not because she was poisoned but to have her treat you. How could it be such a coincidence that the powder capable of harming the stomach appeared in Her Majesty’s residence? It had to be Princess Consort Ling who intentionally created her pregnancy issue, resulting in Su Jin being beaten to death by the Emperor, for which Her Majesty has grieved for a long time.”
“That wretch!”
