SBCEJM -Chapter 42 The Crown Prince Loses Control and Wraps His Arms Around Consort Shu’s Slender Waist!

Consort Shu had arrived.

Dressed in a rose-red palace gown, her figure was graceful and alluring.

The expressions of everyone who had heard Feng Zexuan’s inner thoughts changed drastically.

She really was planning to make her move at the banquet?

Consort Shu noticed the gazes directed at her but paid them no mind.

She was long accustomed to being the center of attention.

【Oh my god! So this is Third Princess’s mother, Consort Shu? She’s way too gorgeous! She’s basically a walking hormone! So the princess inherited her beauty from her!】

Feng Zexuan screamed internally like an excited marmot.

【System, system! Look at her! That face, that figure, that charm—she’s like a perfectly ripe peach! Pure and seductive at the same time! I can’t handle this!】

【Host, please control your drool. She’s the villain boss of today’s palace drama. She’s here to cause trouble!】 the system reminded calmly.

【A beautiful troublemaker is still beautiful! As long as she’s pleasing to the eye, it’s fine!】

Only then did everyone realize that Scholar Feng was a complete and utter face enthusiast.

The Emperor and Empress exchanged a glance, their expressions darkening.

As expected, she was targeting the Crown Prince!

“Men! Escort the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace immediately!” Xiao Juechen ordered at once.

But they were already one step too late.

The moment Consort Shu’s flirtatious fox-like eyes landed on him, Crown Prince Xiao Mingxuan froze in place.

It was as though some invisible force had nailed him to the spot, rendering him unable to move even an inch.

Veins bulged at his temples as his hands clenched into fists, his nails digging into his palms.

He was desperately resisting the fatal attraction clawing at his soul.

Consort Shu caught the Crown Prince’s reaction and curled her lips into a triumphant smile.

As long as the Crown Prince publicly committed an act of impropriety toward her, his stepmother, today, his reputation would be utterly ruined.

This stumbling block standing in the way of her son’s future—today she would personally kick him into the abyss!

“Your servant greets Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress.”

Consort Shu approached and gave a graceful bow, her voice sweet and enchanting.

Xiao Juechen caught the viciousness flashing through her eyes, and fury surged within him.

This woman, who had always seemed obedient before him, actually harbored such a venomous heart!

“Why is Sister Consort Shu not staying in her own palace? What are you doing here?”

Empress Liu Mengli narrowed her phoenix eyes and spoke bluntly.

“My Autumn Blossom Banquet did not invite the women of the harem.”

“Your Majesty the Empress jests.”

Consort Shu covered her lips with a smile.

“I heard Your Majesty was worrying over Yue’er’s marriage prospects. As her birth mother, naturally I had to come help inspect the candidates, lest my daughter be deceived by someone of unknown background.”

Her words dripped with sarcasm, the tension between the two women thick with hostility.

Knowing her mother’s true intentions, Xiao Mingyue panicked and quickly grabbed her sleeve.

“Mother! Why are you here? Let’s go back!”

“What’s the rush?”

Consort Shu brushed her daughter’s hand aside.

“Mother, I… I suddenly feel dizzy. I want to return to the palace and rest.”

Thinking quickly, Xiao Mingyue pretended to be ill.

She had to get her mother away, or her mother would lose her life!

While the mother and daughter argued, the Crown Prince had already reached his limit.

Consort Shu’s soft, seductive voice rang clearly in his ears, completely triggering the Love Gu hidden inside him!

“Grrr—!”

A low growl escaped his throat.

Xiao Mingxuan’s eyes turned bloodshot, all reason gone.

His strength became terrifying. With a violent shove, he sent two sturdy guards stumbling aside.

His target was unmistakable—he charged straight toward Consort Shu!

“Your Highness!”

“Protect Her Highness!”

Chaos instantly erupted.

Watching the man rushing toward her, Consort Shu could no longer suppress the smile curling at her lips.

But in the next second, she swiftly replaced it with a terrified expression, preparing to play the victim.

Amid the gasps of the crowd, no one had time to stop him.

Like a beast gone berserk, the Crown Prince lunged before Consort Shu and tightly wrapped his arms around her slender waist!

“Ah!”

Consort Shu cried out, her face full of panic.

“Your Highness! What are you doing?! Release this concubine at once!”

The uninformed guests all sucked in cold breaths.

“Oh heavens! What’s wrong with the Crown Prince?”

“T-That’s his stepmother!”

“Has the Crown Prince gone mad?”

Whispers erupted everywhere.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden scene unfolding before them.

Just as the Crown Prince lowered his face toward Consort Shu’s neck—

A streak of blue flashed past!

Smack!

A crisp sound rang out.

Feng Zexuan struck the back of Crown Prince Xiao Mingxuan’s neck with a precise chop.

The Crown Prince, who moments ago possessed monstrous strength, instantly went limp, rolled his eyes back, and collapsed stiffly to the ground.

The entire venue fell silent.

【Host, your reaction was a bit slow this time!】

The system sounded puzzled.

Feng Zexuan rolled her eyes internally.

【Sorry, I got too absorbed watching the drama~】

Everyone hearing her thoughts: “…”

So it wasn’t that you failed to save the situation in time—you were actually enjoying the show?!

Emperor Xiao Juechen’s temple twitched violently.

Consort Shu’s performance had barely begun before it was abruptly cut short.

She shot Feng Zexuan an irritated glare. This clueless brat actually dared ruin her plans!

But the act had to continue.

The Crown Prince publicly embracing her was already enough to destroy his reputation!

Quickly composing herself, she dropped to her knees before the Emperor, hair disheveled and tears streaming down her face.

“Your Majesty! You must seek justice for this concubine! The Crown Prince… he publicly molested this concubine! I have no face left to live!”

Looking at the tearful beauty kneeling on the ground, Xiao Juechen felt nothing but disgust.

Had he not heard “Feng Zekai’s” inner thoughts, even he might have been deceived by her brilliant acting!

He slapped her twice viciously before kicking her flying.

“Consort Shu, put away that disgusting act! Do you think I’m a fool?!”

Consort Shu landed sprawled on the ground, her exquisite face twisting in shock.

“Consort Shu of the Liu clan, your heart is vicious! You planted a Love Gu on the Crown Prince, framed the heir to the throne, and sought to shake the nation’s foundation! Your crimes are unforgivable!”

Consort Shu’s face turned deathly pale.

How was this possible?!

She had handled everything in secret—how did the Emperor know?!

Feng Zexuan had just handed the unconscious Crown Prince over to the guards when she heard the Emperor’s domineering declaration and was stunned.

【Holy crap! The Emperor knows too? How does he know? Does he also have a system?】

【Host, you’re overthinking it. The imperial palace is filled with spies. As the Son of Heaven, if the Emperor wants to know something, how could it be difficult? You underestimate the control ancient emperors held.】

Hearing this analysis, Xiao Juechen unconsciously straightened his back, a strange sense of pride swelling in his chest.

That’s right. I am all-knowing!

“Impossible! Your Majesty, you must have listened to slander! How could this concubine possibly do such a thing?!”

Consort Shu stubbornly denied everything, still trying to struggle.

“Harming the Crown Prince is a monstrous crime. Even exterminating your entire clan would not be excessive,” Xiao Juechen said coldly.

“Men! Drag her out and execute her!”

“Father, mercy!” Xiao Mingyue cried as she knelt down. “Mother only acted foolishly for a moment! Please spare her life!”

Looking at his most beloved daughter, the Emperor’s heart softened for an instant.

He let out a long sigh.

“For Yue’er’s sake, I shall spare your life. From this moment onward, Consort Shu is confined to the Cold Palace, stripped of her rank, and forbidden from stepping outside for the rest of her days!”

“Hold it!”

Empress Liu Mengli shot the Emperor a glare so icy that even this supreme ruler instinctively shrank back a little.

She strode forward and slapped Consort Shu several times before following up with a brutal beating. She kicked hard enough to break three of Consort Shu’s ribs, even knocking out one of her front teeth. The once glamorous beauty was left in a pitiful, miserable state.

Two elderly maids dragged the swollen, pig-faced Consort Shu away.

Thus ended the vicious conspiracy.

Yet just as the Emperor and Empress finally breathed a sigh of relief, Feng Zexuan’s mood-killing inner voice rang out once more.

【Wait, that’s it? The Emperor’s still too merciful. If Consort Shu doesn’t die, what about the Crown Prince’s Gu?】

【If the person who planted the Gu stays alive, the offspring Gu won’t disappear! Doesn’t that make this whole thing pointless?!】