Chapter 15

ps Zhao Hongrun: Adding an extra chapter for the first patron "Group of Cobalt Rainbow" of this book. Watch as I continue to court disaster.

Chen Shuyuan is one of the most favored concubines of Emperor Zhao Yuansi of the Great Wei Dynasty.

It is said that this woman was sent into the palace at the age of sixteen, and at eighteen, she received the favor of the Emperor of Great Wei. Since then, her status in the palace has gradually risen, and at the young age of twenty-two, she has been granted the title of Shuyuan, subtly becoming the foremost of the Nine Concubines.

Looking at the entire Great Wei Palace, the only imperial consorts with a higher status than her are the Empress, the Noble Consorts, the Noble Ladies, and the Noble Concubines, the last three of which are the Empress's attendants.

What is even more incredible is that Chen Shuyuan has yet to bear a child for the Emperor of Great Wei. A woman who has not given birth to any of Zhao Yuansi's offspring can still sit in the position of Shuyuan, which cannot be denied as a sign of Zhao Yuansi's great favor towards her.

In comparison, Shen Shufei, who has given birth to the Ninth Prince Zhao Hongxuan and is the adoptive mother of the Eighth Prince Zhao Hongrun, holds only the title of Shufei, which is two ranks lower than the childless Chen Shuyuan.

It is precisely because of this that Chen Shuyuan, relying on the Emperor's favor, acts without restraint in the palace, even disregarding the Empress and the three Noble Ladies. Perhaps in her view, since the Emperor of Great Wei favors her so much, once she bears a son for the Emperor, her status might even surpass that of the Empress.

With this mindset, Chen Shuyuan, in the palace, does not heed anyone except the Emperor of Great Wei. On several occasions, she has even openly defied the Empress, and the fact has proven that with Zhao Yuansi's protection, the Empress of Great Wei truly cannot do anything about her.

The Emperor's favor has made Chen Shuyuan increasingly arrogant. Despite being younger than most of the concubines in the palace, she always acts like a "big sister," intimidating and bribing other concubines to oppose the Empress.

As for Shen Shufei, although she is the mother of the Eighth Prince Zhao Hongrun and the Ninth Prince Zhao Hongxuan, because these two young princes were unremarkable and did not receive the Emperor's favor, and because Shen Shufei herself is not skilled in charming the Emperor and has poor health, she has often disappointed the Emperor. As a result, over time, the Emperor of Great Wei, Zhao Yuansi, rarely visits the Fragrant Condensation Palace.

In Chen Shuyuan's words, a half-old woman with no charm leading two unremarkable princes is not worth the effort to deal with.

It is precisely because of this arrogant prejudice that Chen Shuyuan never took Shen Shufei seriously. However, unexpectedly, her eldest son, Zhao Hongrun, recently gained the Emperor's favor, and even when he almost turned the entire imperial garden into chaos, the Emperor did not punish him but instead laughed and ordered the eunuchs not to stop the Eighth Prince Zhao Hongrun no matter what he did.

Oh, what is His Majesty thinking?

What made Chen Shuyuan even more furious was that she gradually felt that in the Emperor's heart, the status of Shen Shufei, the mother of the Eighth Prince Zhao Hongrun, was rising. According to the eunuchs, in the past half month, the Emperor spent six or seven nights at Shen Shufei's Fragrant Condensation Palace, even though Shen Shufei's poor health prevented her from serving him. The Emperor of Great Wei still found it enjoyable.

Hearing this unbelievable rumor, Chen Shuyuan found it hard to believe. After careful consideration, she concluded that Shen Shufei must have used some underhanded tricks to deceive the Emperor.

She did not believe that the Eighth Prince Zhao Hongrun, a prince known for his unruly behavior in the palace, could have anything worth the Emperor's favor, unlike the virtuous Prince Zhao Hongzhao.

Thus, Chen Shuyuan decided to teach Shen Shufei a lesson and suppress her arrogance.

It is no wonder Chen Shuyuan made this decision, as her exalted position in the palace was entirely due to the Emperor Zhao Yuansi's favor. If Zhao Yuansi no longer visited her Yuzhi Palace as frequently as before, her status in the palace would plummet.

At that time, not only would the other concubines no longer willingly obey her, but the Empress, whom she had offended, would likely be the first to deliberately make things difficult for her. After all, Chen Shufei still only held a high position due to the Emperor's favor and lacked the capital to rise through her son.

This is also the reason why, despite her efforts to compete for the Emperor's favor, she could never replace the Empress, who had given birth to the Crown Prince Zhao Hongli, while she had not borne any children for Zhao Yuansi.

Therefore, demonstrating the Emperor's favor to the other imperial consorts was the best way to maintain her current status. And Shen Shufei, being a soft target, was the perfect choice to knock down.

Chen Shuyuan never expected that after bullying Shen Shufei, her eldest son, Zhao Hongrun, whom she considered unremarkable and unruly, would bring a group of people to confront her that afternoon.

"Madam Shufei, the Eighth Prince requests an audience."

When the attendant eunuch reported this to Chen Shuyuan, she was in the bedroom, getting dressed, as she guessed that the Emperor Zhao Yuansi would likely visit her Yuzhi Palace that day.

Chen Shuyuan was not foolish; she knew that after bullying Shen Shufei that morning, given the Emperor's current favor towards the Eighth Prince Zhao Hongrun, he would certainly ask her for an explanation.

At that time, she could just act coquettish and use a gentle approach, and the matter would be dropped.

At worst, she could compensate Shen Shufei with a cheap porcelain vase, which would be a face-saving gesture for both parties.

For a small price, she could both suppress Shen Shufei's arrogance and win back the Emperor's favor. Why not?

Chen Shuyuan's plan seemed sound, but she overlooked Zhao Hongrun's attitude. When she heard from her attendant that Zhao Hongrun had brought guards to visit her, she was genuinely taken aback.

"What is he doing at my palace?"

The attendant, kneeling on the ground, cautiously reminded her, "Madam, could he be here to cause trouble?... Think about it, you just went to the Fragrant Condensation Palace to teach Shen Shufei a lesson this morning, and now her eldest son is here with a group of people. Could this be a coincidence?"

Chen Shuyuan's eyebrows furrowed, and she muttered in surprise, "That unruly brat, he dares to come to my palace?"

Perhaps Chen Shuyuan had not considered Zhao Hongrun's attitude, underestimating his courage and audacity, not expecting him to actually have the nerve to come to her palace.

After all, in her view, she was a favored concubine of the Emperor, and as Zhao Hongrun's elder, a prince, no matter how angry he was about his mother being bullied, would not dare to intrude on an elder's palace. At most, he would complain to the Emperor.

"Where is he now?"

"He is sitting in the main hall and has ordered your attendants to serve him tea..."

"Is he so disrespectful?"

"Not only is he disrespectful, but Zhao Hongrun himself barged in, and his ten guards also entered the palace without permission..."

"..." Chen Shuyuan frowned.

In the Great Wei Palace, unless the owner of the palace gave permission, no one except the Emperor could enter without permission, which was a serious offense.

Should she see him?

Chen Shuyuan felt a bit guilty, as the matter was her fault, and now the son of the aggrieved party had come to confront her, making her somewhat nervous.

After a moment, Chen Shuyuan said firmly, "Tell Zhao Hongrun that I have no time to see him."

"No, you can't!" the eunuch said urgently, "Zhao Hongrun said that if you don't see him, he will destroy our Yuzhi Palace!"

"What? He has such audacity!" Chen Shuyuan was furious, gritting her teeth and saying, "Fine, I want to see what audacity he has to destroy my Yuzhi Palace!"

Hearing Chen Shuyuan's decision to meet Zhao Hongrun, the eunuch looked worried and whispered, "Madam, Zhao Hongrun's guards are all fierce and look like they mean business. You should send for the palace guards..."

"No need! There are guards outside the hall... I don't believe Zhao Hongrun would dare to commit violence in front of them!"

With that, Chen Shuyuan, without finishing her makeup, put on a cloak and led the eunuch to the front hall of the Yuzhi Palace.

In the front hall of the Yuzhi Palace, as the eunuch had said, the Eighth Prince Zhao Hongrun was sitting without any restraint, with ten guards standing behind him, arms crossed, and faces stern, clearly there to cause trouble.

Zhao Hongrun, meanwhile, was drinking tea and casually observing the trembling attendants, silently evaluating them.

Suddenly, he heard a rapid footsteps.

The main character has arrived!

He snorted.

Sure enough, with a rapid and light step, Chen Shuyuan, draped in a luxurious cloak, came out from the back of the hall, her face stern, and immediately rebuked Zhao Hongrun, "Who just boasted about destroying my Yuzhi Palace?!"

Ah... she really is a beauty, no wonder the Emperor favors her so much...

Zhao Hongrun glanced at Chen Shuyuan, noting her stunning beauty and captivating eyes, which explained her favor with the Emperor.

Unfortunately, her inner character does not match her outer beauty...

He snorted and put down his teacup, his sharp eyes coldly scanning Chen Shuyuan.

"It's me!"

Indeed, with ten guards supporting him, his words carried a powerful presence, immediately intimidating Chen Shuyuan.

"You..." Chen Shuyuan was taken aback.

This... can a fourteen-year-old unruly prince have such a commanding presence?

Chen Shuyuan's heart raced, as she felt Zhao Hongrun's cold eyes were eerily similar to the Emperor's, with a look of complete disregard for her.

Quickly send for the guards!

Chen Shuyuan subtly signaled her attendant.

Her woman's intuition told her that Zhao Hongrun was not just a simple unruly young prince.