Chapter 33: The Crippled Young Lady (Thirty-three)
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Chapter 33: The Disabled Young Lady (Thirty-Three)
Su Kui: “...”
It was proof, once again, of how unreliable a man’s words could be.
While dressing her, Jun Mo did not engage her in any further intimate conversation, but he certainly did not miss a single opportunity to take advantage of her.
By the end, Su Kui’s legs were so weak that she resembled a severely disabled patient, and Jun Mo had to hold her in his arms while feeding her.
After that, the same scene played out almost every day, until the maids attending them gradually became numb to it.
Eventually, a saying began circulating among the maids:
Wherever the Prince is, there is nothing left for them to do!
The Prince truly doted on his wife as though his life depended on it. Somehow, word of Jun Mo’s utter devotion to his wife spread beyond the palace, and even those eager to curry favor with him came to know of it.
If one wished to please the Prince, one had best please the Princess first!
As long as the lady of the household was happy, every difficulty could be easily resolved.
One day, some lady—no one knew who—learned through various channels that Su Kui had recently taken a liking to jade. She came eagerly bearing a piece of the finest imperial green jade and, after much pleading, was finally allowed into the residence.
Yet before even fifteen minutes had passed, the lady came hurrying out, her eyes red and swollen.
Who the hell had claimed that the Princess was easy to placate?
She was practically a Rakshasa reborn. No wonder she and the cold-faced Prince made such a perfect pair.
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After that, no one dared entertain the notion of currying favor with the Princess Consort of the Regent anymore, and Su Kui’s life became even more peaceful.
Time flew. In the blink of an eye, three years passed.
During that period, Feng Qingqing rose steadily through the ranks. She went from Beauty to Imperial Concubine Zhaoyi, and later, during an assassination attempt at a night banquet, she took a sword meant for the Emperor. In gratitude, the Emperor elevated her to one of the Four Imperial Consorts.
Grand Preceptor Feng, meanwhile, was made Right Chancellor in a single leap. Holding real power in his hands, he was no longer someone who could be compared to his former self.
He became even more hostile toward Su Kui, devoting himself entirely to assisting Feng Qingqing.
In recent years, Jun Mo’s position at court had grown increasingly difficult. Emperor Yuan Chen kept a close watch on him, and even the slightest mistake was enough to bring impeachment from the censors.
Yet Jun Mo continued to endure in silence. Whenever he returned to the residence, he remained just as indulgent toward Su Kui as ever, making him all the more impossible for her to understand.
With painstaking care, he had built Su Kui a cage of gold and jade, watering it with love and protecting her so completely that not even a drop of wind could reach her.
Many of Jun Mo’s enemies, unable to do anything to him directly, tried to strike at Su Kui instead. Yet they often discovered that before they could even approach her courtyard, their entire force had already been wiped out.
Jun Mo had also fulfilled the promise he once made in the imperial palace:
There would be only one mistress in the Prince’s residence.
Indeed, Su Kui had watched everything Jun Mo did over the years. She simply could not understand when he had begun to fall for her—or how he could love her with such absolute sincerity.
What Su Kui probably did not know was that there was a saying in this world:
No one knows where love begins, yet once it does, it runs deep.
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A love that can be explained is no love at all.
Su Kui lived a life of ease and freedom beyond anything words could describe. Her only regret, perhaps, was that she had never borne a child.
She knew perfectly well that she did not belong to this world. Though she had tried with all her heart to fit in, she was always rejected by the laws governing it.
She could never have a child.
This became a source of ridicule for many. She had been married into the Prince’s residence for three years without issue—what good was being favored above all others?
One after another, women with restless hearts tried to approach Jun Mo. Some were sent by others; some were maids from the residence who threw themselves at him; others contrived chance encounters at night. Every scheme imaginable was attempted.
Most of the time, before Su Kui even learned what had happened, Jun Mo had already dealt with it perfectly.
He carried out a thorough purge of the residence with ruthless efficiency. Any woman who was beautiful and harboring improper ambitions was sent away without exception.
Su Kui was left utterly speechless. At the same time, however, a sweet warmth spread through her heart.
End of Chapter
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