USWHC -Chapter 500 If You Love, Then Love Deeply (Part 10)

“Mother, what’s going on? Didn’t we say Pingning’s pregnancy was fake? How did it suddenly become real?” Princess Lanyi looked utterly baffled.

At this moment, Consort Duan’s face was dark and stormy. Through clenched teeth, she said, “I’m afraid we’ve been tricked! Hmph, that little vixen actually dared to play games with me!”

“What do we do now? Not only did we fail to make things difficult for the Empress and her people, we’ve made fools of ourselves instead! If Father Emperor finds out, he won’t let us off lightly!” Lanyi said nervously.

“What’s there to be afraid of? You weren’t the one who pushed Pingning. When the time comes, we’ll insist it was Jinghan who did it. What can the Emperor do to us? It’s just a pity we couldn’t expose a fake pregnancy—otherwise even that wretched Empress would have lost all her authority. What a shame!” Consort Duan said, even sounding regretful.

Then she sighed leisurely. “I’ve come to see that your father has grown more and more lenient over the years. He’ll probably not bother pursuing this matter.”

“But Liu Rong and the others are still being held there,” Lanyi said uneasily.

Consort Duan sneered. “I’ve already instructed them. They’ll naturally point the blame at Jinghan.”

“But will Wan Yue and the others just let Liu Rong accuse her like that?” Lanyi still felt uncertain.

“What are you worried about? The more chaotic it gets, the better!” Consort Duan replied irresponsibly with a cold laugh.

Just then, a voice rang out from outside, announcing, “His Majesty has arrived!”

Hearing this, Consort Duan immediately brightened. She quickly turned to the mirror to touch up her appearance, smoothing her hair as she said to Lanyi, “When you see your father later, act a little coquettish and then leave quickly!”

Lanyi couldn’t help rolling her eyes at the mirror. Truly, once there’s a man, the child doesn’t matter anymore! No wonder she wanted more chaos—the bigger the commotion, the more likely the Emperor would come. In this palace, one does not fear the Emperor’s arrival—one fears his absence.

As they spoke, the Emperor strode in with large steps. From his demeanor, there was a faint hint of anger. Seeing this, Lanyi felt a bit uneasy.

But Consort Duan had already gone forward with a charming smile. “Your Majesty, how is Jinghan? Has she woken up?” She even dared to bring up Zhu Jie herself.

The Emperor’s face was gloomy as he replied coldly, “She has.”

“That’s good!” Consort Duan said, placing a hand over her chest and letting out a long breath. “That really frightened me just now!”

However, the Emperor didn’t look at her. Instead, he turned his gaze to Lanyi. “Jingqi, what do you have to say?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Lanyi trembled slightly. Before she could answer, Consort Duan quickly interjected, “Jingqi was naturally frightened as well. Look—she’s still too scared to even speak!”

Hearing this, Lanyi hurriedly stepped forward with tears in her eyes. “Father Emperor, what just happened truly terrified your daughter!” As she spoke, she leaned into his embrace, rubbing against him while looking up at the old Emperor with tearful eyes.

Seeing her pitiful appearance, the Emperor couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s good that you know you were wrong.”

Know she was wrong? Lanyi froze for a moment. What was that supposed to mean? But she couldn’t possibly say, Father Emperor, you’re mistaken—I don’t even know what I did wrong!

Heh, if she really said that, she’d surely get a beating!

Seeing the Emperor sighing wearily, looking exhausted, Consort Duan quickly gestured to Lanyi—signaling that it was time for her to withdraw.

Lanyi immediately put on a tired expression and said, “Since I’ve heard they are all safe, I’m relieved. Your daughter will take her leave first.” With that, she prepared to step out.

But after taking just two steps, the Emperor suddenly said, “Jingqi, you’re not young anymore. Don’t behave so recklessly in the future.”

Hearing this, Lanyi’s heart tightened even more. Had the Emperor already concluded that she was responsible? Why? He hadn’t even questioned her at all!

Before she could respond, the Emperor waved his hand impatiently. “It’s late. Go and rest.”

Seeing that the Emperor seemed fatigued, Consort Duan immediately stepped forward attentively, gently holding his arm as she said softly, “Your Majesty, I’ve missed you so much…”