(T/N: Empress Dowager = the Emperor’s mother)
Chapter 7: I Support Prince Wei on This One!
“Why has Prince Wei returned so quickly?”
“Also, who was making all that noise outside just now?”
The Empress Dowager looked at Wei Ran as he entered the banquet hall, a puzzled expression on her face.
Wei Ran bowed gracefully and saluted.
“Reporting to the Empress Dowager, the State Uncle was concerned that he might delay my time at the banquet. He claimed he would go to the Imperial Medical Bureau for treatment and let me return first.”
“As for the commotion earlier… I do not know who caused it.”
The Empress Dowager turned to the Empress. “Empress, it sounded like your younger brother’s voice just now.”
“Mother, it wasn’t just similar—it was definitely his voice.”
Shi Lingwei had already figured everything out the moment she heard the scream. Obviously, Prince Wei had turned Shi Lingkuan’s fake makeup injuries into real wounds.
That fool was utterly brainless.
The Empress was both anxious and furious, and couldn’t help but glance at Wei Ran a few more times. A wave of irritation surged in her heart. If her useless brother had even half of Wei Ran’s intelligence, she wouldn’t have been forced into a royal marriage with a man in his fifties.
The marriage alliance between the Shi family and the royal family wasn’t only the Emperor’s way of using the Shi family to keep Wei Wuji in check. A part of it was because Shi Lingkuan was utterly incompetent, and the Shi family had no one capable to carry on its legacy.
That’s why Patriarch Shi Jian married off Shi Lingwei into the palace, hoping that as Empress, she could help secure the future of the Shi family’s descendants.
The more she thought about it, the more furious the Empress became.
Just then, Shi Lingkuan hobbled into the hall, wailing and crying bitterly.
“Empress Dowager, Sister, you must stand up for me!”
Shi Lingkuan sat in the middle of the hall, slapping his thighs as he cried in utter misery.
The Empress’s face darkened on the spot.
What kind of legitimate son from one of the Three Dukes acts like this?
Even if someone claimed he was a street thug, people might believe it.
The Empress Dowager sighed helplessly. “What now, State Uncle? Didn’t I already stand up for you just now? What more do you want?”
The Empress was even more helpless. She could tell the injury had been fake earlier, but to save face for the family, she hadn’t exposed it. Now the injury was real, and everyone would think it had been like that from the beginning. Even if she didn’t want to suffer this silent loss, she had no choice.
“This idiot.”
The Empress clenched her teeth and shot her foolish brother a glare.
Shi Lingkuan pointed at Wei Ran with a face full of hatred.
“Empress Dowager, this bastard promised to escort me to the Imperial Medical Bureau, but once we got to the washroom, he suddenly attacked me!”
“My eye and face were all beaten by him. You must give me justice!”
SLAM!
Wei Ran stood up abruptly and slammed the table in fury.
“Utter nonsense! Complete lies!” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
His voice was so loud it shook the hall. Even the Empress Dowager and Empress were startled.
Shi Lingkuan froze on the spot.
Wei Ran’s face was full of rage, his voice booming through the hall.
“Shi Lingkuan, you’ve gone too far!”
“Outside the palace gates, you deliberately made things difficult for me. I restrained myself and only took action when I couldn’t endure it anymore.”
“I wanted to avoid making things worse, especially since the Empress Dowager was mediating, so I held back and treated you with civility.”
“I offered you peace not out of fear, but to show respect for the Empress Dowager.”
“This matter was already settled. Why are you still clinging to it?”
“Do you think I’m someone you can trample over at will?”
“Or does your Shi family hold so much power that you think even a hereditary non-kin Prince isn’t worth respecting?”
The entire hall was shocked by those words.
Especially the Empress Dowager—her brow twitched violently.
What the royal family feared most now was damaging its relationship with the princes of the realm.
Shi Lingkuan’s face changed drastically, filled with fury.
“I didn’t—you’re lying! You clearly hit me in the washroom!”
“Look at my face! It’s torn up because of you!”
The nobles and officials’ daughters present all looked amused.
“State Uncle Shi, wasn’t your face already like that just now?”
“Yes, you already made a complaint once.”
“The Empress Dowager has already stood up for you. What more do you want?”
“Disgusting. All you do is tattle like a child.”
“Shameless. Prince Wei came to the capital alone, without any support or family, and you still bully him like this.”
One official’s daughter looked at Wei Ran’s handsome face, her expression full of sympathy.
“This is too much. It’s plain bullying. I support Prince Wei on this one.”
“Prince Wei, don’t be afraid. Justice lives in the hearts of the people.”
More official daughters spoke up for Wei Ran.
Shi Lingkuan grew angrier, his finger trembling as he pointed at everyone. “You… you’re all blind…”
“Shi Lingkuan, shut your mouth!”
The Empress snapped coldly, her beautiful face icy and her phoenix eyes glaring at him.
“Mother already gave you justice. What more do you want?”
“Guards, State Uncle is drunk and speaking nonsense, a disgrace to his status—escort him out!”
Shi Lingkuan wanted to argue, but the look in his sister’s eyes made him shrink back in fear.
He stood up slowly, cast a furious glare at Wei Ran, gave a cold snort, and stormed out angrily.
The Empress turned to Wei Ran and smiled. “Forgive the spectacle, Prince Wei. My younger brother was spoiled from a young age.”
“From now on, I will discipline him strictly. Today’s events will not be repeated.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Wei Ran nodded and returned to his seat.
With that, the incident was resolved.
The Empress Dowager leaned closer to the Empress and whispered, “I’m so angry I could explode.”
The Empress’s chest heaved with fury.
The Empress Dowager said softly, “Empress, don’t be upset. I know you care for your brother, but—”
“You misunderstand, Mother,” the Empress sighed. “What upsets me is not Prince Wei. I’m angry that my brother is such a useless fool. I have no intention of blaming Prince Wei.”
“Prince Wei came to the capital alone, thousands of miles away from his parents. It’s only natural that he would act impulsively and emotionally.”
“If word spreads to Liangzhou that Prince Min’s son has been humiliated in the capital, it could stir trouble.”
“As Empress, I must help His Majesty ease his burdens and prioritize the Empire’s stability.”
“We not only cannot punish Prince Wei for today’s events—we must console him.”
The Empress Dowager nodded in relief. “Empress, I’m comforted by your mindset. But our imperial son… sigh, you have suffered.”
A trace of sorrow flashed in the Empress’s eyes, but she quickly smiled and said, “Mother, you need not blame yourself. As the mother of the Empire, I mustn’t dwell on personal grievances. Everything must be for the greater good.”
The Empress Dowager smiled. “Let us not speak of this anymore. The auspicious hour has arrived. It’s time to begin the ceremony.”
What followed was a long and formal ritual.
The Third Princess entered the hall through the East Gate, bowed to the guests, and took her place. The one to perform the first hairpin ceremony was the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager placed a jade hairpin on the Third Princess’s head and spoke solemnly.
“On this auspicious day, you receive your adult hairpin. Abandon your childish ways, nurture your virtue, enjoy longevity and blessings, and welcome fortune and peace.”
After the Third Princess bowed, the Empress conducted the second hairpin ritual.
The Third Princess was only fifteen years old and only five years younger than the Empress, but she still had to call her “Mother.”
Wei Ran carefully examined the Third Princess.
The young girl wore a light yellow palace robe and a padded skirt. Her figure was slim and tall, with graceful eyebrows, bright almond eyes, fair skin, and rosy lips.
Though slightly thin, her proportions were astonishing. Wei Ran couldn’t help but think of a few words: upright, brilliant, and… large…
The Empress Dowager had been watching Wei Ran the entire time. When she saw his gaze fixed on the Third Princess, Chen Wen’er, her eyes flickered.
She glanced at Wei Ran, then at the Third Princess, and her expression grew brighter.
“Mother, what’s wrong? Wen’er is serving you tea.”
The Empress reminded her when she noticed the Empress Dowager lost in thought.
The Empress Dowager came back to her senses, smiled gently, took the cup, sipped, and softly said to Chen Wen’er:
“Wen’er, earlier your little uncle upset Prince Wei. In a while, go offer him a cup of tea.”
“And say a few kind words to comfort him. Don’t let him take it to heart.”
The Empress and Chen Wen’er both found this a little odd.
But Chen Wen’er didn’t overthink it. She nodded obediently and stepped back.