Consort Xiao sat beside the Emperor, her charming eyes slightly narrowed, and her gaze fell on Lin Qinghe. She smiled and said, "Is this the Rong Princess Consort? She is truly dignified and beautiful. This consort is meeting the Rong Princess Consort for the first time today and has specially prepared a见面礼 (jiànmiànlǐ - gift for a first meeting). I will have someone send it to you when you leave the palace later."
Lin Qinghe smiled, curtsied, and said, "This concubine thanks the Noble Consort."
After a few more pleasantries, a seemingly harmonious atmosphere filled the air. The Empress Dowager was very pleased. When the palace attendants finished preparing the meal, the Empress Dowager invited them to sit down and dine together.
At the table, Consort Xiao gently and virtuously served the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Lin Qinghe glanced at You Rong beside her. Seeing him lowering his head in silence, engrossed in his food, she frowned and nudged him with her foot under the table.
Could this fool have forgotten what she had instructed him?
You Rong turned his head and looked at Lin Qinghe with an innocent expression, blinking his eyes. Lin Qinghe gave him a look, subtly gesturing towards the food on the table. You Rong then seemed to realize.
You Rong picked up a chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth, eating ravenously like a refugee from a famine. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor were both startled by his demeanor.
After devouring the chicken leg in a few bites, You Rong threw down his chopsticks and began to grab food from the table with his hands, stuffing it into his mouth. He mumbled indistinctly, "Good... good to eat, so good to eat..."
The Emperor's expression darkened. He slammed his chopsticks down on the table and berated him angrily, "Absurd! A prince of the realm, eating... in such a manner! What kind of decorum is this!"
You Rong's shoulders flinched. He instinctively looked at Lin Qinghe in fear. Lin Qinghe gave him a reassuring glance, and You Rong proceeded to ignore the Emperor's anger and continued to eat with his hands, still ravenously.
"You Rong!"
Seeing that You Rong was not listening at all, the Emperor's face turned as black as ink. He was about to call for someone to drag You Rong away and beat him, but the Empress Dowager quickly intervened, "You Rong, what is wrong with you today? Eat slowly, no one will snatch it from you. You Rong..."
You Rong seemed unable to hear anyone else, continuing to stuff his mouth with food, which enraged the Emperor further. He shouted to the outside, "Li Quan, come in and drag this unfilial son, who has disgraced the royal family, out..."
Before the Emperor could finish speaking, Lin Qinghe timely fell to her knees with a thud, covering her face and sobbing, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, please forgive us. The Prince is, is... too hungry. The Prince's life in the manor has been truly bitter. He did not do it on purpose, woo woo..."
The Empress Dowager looked at the ravenous You Rong in bewilderment, then at Lin Qinghe, who was weeping bitterly. She asked, confused, "Princess Consort? What is wrong with You Rong? You said he was too hungry? What is going on?"
"Replying to the Empress Dowager, this granddaughter-in-law, this granddaughter-in-law..." Lin Qinghe cried even harder, opening her mouth several times but hesitating to speak.
Seeing that the Emperor could not stand it any longer, he coldly ordered, "Princess Rong, speak whatever you have to say directly! There is no need to hesitate. I am here today! Whatever it is, I will make decisions for you!"
The Empress Dowager saw that You Rong was choking from eating too quickly. In a hurry, she poured him water and patted his back, also saying urgently, "Yes! Princess Consort, say whatever you wish. I am here today, and I will surely make decisions for you!"
Consort Xiao had secretly looked down on You Rong's ravenous eating just moments ago, but when she saw Lin Qinghe fall to her knees, her heart skipped a beat.
Just as Consort Xiao suspected, Lin Qinghe wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve and cried, "Replying to Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, you do not know... The servants attending to the manor are all wicked slaves who never treated the Prince as their master. Not only do they withhold the Prince's meals daily, but the Prince is also bullied in the manor and is covered in injuries. Those scoundrel slaves, taking advantage of the Prince... even locked the Prince in the woodshed, threatening to unleash dogs on him and forbidding him from informing Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager..."
Consort Xiao's heart tightened, and she interrupted, "Princess Rong, do not speak nonsense. The servants taking care of the manor were all handpicked from the palace, each and every one loyal and efficient. How could there be such wicked slaves as you describe!"
Lin Qinghe's face turned pale, and her shoulders trembled with fear. After being reprimanded by Consort Xiao, she immediately kowtowed and admitted her mistake, "Yes... This concubine has just entered the manor and has not yet understood the situation within. This concubine knows she is wrong, she knows she is wrong..."
Having lived in the deep palace for most of her life, the Empress Dowager had seen all sorts of schemes. Seeing Lin Qinghe's fearful expression, she immediately changed her tone and guessed something.
Consort Xiao sneered inwardly and was about to speak to the Emperor, asking him to severely punish Lin Qinghe, when the Empress Dowager first pulled up You Rong's sleeve, revealing a large area of bruises on his arm.
You Rong, following Lin Qinghe's instructions, immediately pulled down his sleeve and clutched it tightly, saying fearfully, "Imperial Grandmother, you mustn't look! These... these are all from my own falls! It has nothing to do with anyone else!"
The Empress Dowager was not foolish. Her face immediately turned very grim, but she still coaxed him gently, "Alright, alright... You Rong fell by himself. Imperial Grandmother does not blame you. Let Imperial Grandmother see if you have injured yourself anywhere else. Imperial Grandmother will have someone apply medicine for you."
"No... no need, there is none... you can't look!"
After coaxing You Rong several times, the Empress Dowager managed to pull his clothes aside. You Rong's bare upper body was covered in various wounds, from whip lashes and cane blows, which made the Empress Dowager's heart ache.
The Emperor was also furious. His face was gloomy, and he slammed his hand heavily on the table, roaring, "Who did this?! Who dares to be so audacious? Which servant in the manor did this?! Investigate! Anyone found responsible will be executed by dismemberment immediately!"
Consort Xiao glared fiercely at Lin Qinghe, who was trembling on her knees, and said, "Your Majesty, could there be some misunderstanding? After all, before the Rong Prince was married, he was perfectly fine. Now that the Rong Princess Consort has just entered the manor, it is possible that..."
Hearing this, Lin Qinghe looked up and pretended to be trying to suppress her fear, saying, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, this concubine is wronged. These injuries on the Prince's body look like they have been there for several days. This concubine was still in the Prime Minister's manor several days ago and had not yet married into the Prince's manor. Moreover, the Prince dared to tell me... because the wicked slaves in the manor had not yet threatened him, forbidding him from telling me, otherwise..."
Lin Qinghe paused. "It doesn't matter what happens to this concubine, but the Prince, as a royal prince, a bloodline of the imperial family, has been bullied to this extent by these slaves... I implore Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager to deliver justice for the Prince!"
Consort Xiao was about to say more, but the Empress Dowager looked at her coldly and said, "Consort Xiao, if my memory serves me correctly, the palace maids sent to attend You Rong were all selected from your Huaqing Palace, were they not?"
Consort Xiao was not stupid. Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, she realized she was about to be blamed. Her eyes flickered, and she knelt before the Empress Dowager in feigned shock, crying, "Empress Dowager, Granny Li was indeed chosen from my palace, but I repeatedly cautioned her to take good care of the Rong Prince. Who would have thought she would commit such a heinous act, bullying her master! It is... my inadequate upbringing. I beg Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager to punish me..."