HCB Chapter 162 Ambition
Chapter 162 Ambition
The emperor's eyes fell on Mu Chenye and Shen Tangan, full of admiration.
"Prince Chen, Princess Chen, you have made an invaluable contribution this time. Especially Princess Chen, who was pregnant but still cared about the people and eliminated the plague for them. It is really admirable."
The emperor nodded slightly, his tone full of respect.
Shen Tangan bowed slightly, looking humble and gentle.
"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. As a member of the royal family, I should do my part for the people. Although I am pregnant, I cannot rest easy when I see the people suffering. The plague is rampant and the people are in deep misery. How can I sit idly by? I only hope to do my best for the people and help them get rid of the pain of illness as soon as possible."
The emperor was filled with emotion. "I will always remember your kindness. I will reward you generously to show my gratitude."
Afterwards, the emperor ordered a large amount of gold, silver, treasures, silks and satins to be rewarded to Mu Chenye and Shen Tangan.
At the same time, they were given many honorary titles to highlight their achievements.
Mu Chenye stepped forward, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, what we have done is our duty. I don't deserve the reward. Your Majesty's trust in us is the greatest reward. We will continue to serve Your Majesty, the country, and the people, and will not slack off in the slightest."
The emperor waved his hand and said, "My reward is what you deserve. I hope you will continue to work hard for the country and the people in the future."
In the palace, everyone was amazed at the achievements of Mu Chenye and Shen Tangan.
Their stories spread in the palace and they became objects of admiration among the people.
And Shen Tangan, this brave and kind woman, has become a role model for the concubines in the harem.
This matter soon reached the ears of the queen, who was immediately furious when she heard it.
She sat in her own palace, her face so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it.
In those carefully painted eyes, flames of anger and jealousy were now burning.
She clutched the handkerchief tightly in her hand, and veins bulged on the back of her hand.
"Humph! This should have been the crown prince's supreme honor, but it was snatched away by the Prince and his wife. Shen Tangan is just a little princess, but she dared to be so prominent and become a role model for women? How can I tolerate this!"
The Queen's voice was sharp and full of anger, echoing in the palace.
The maids around the queen were all silent, not daring to make a sound, for fear of accidentally angering the queen who was already angry.
The queen paced back and forth in the palace anxiously, and every step seemed to be filled with endless anger.
"The Crown Prince is the future monarch. He put in so much effort and hard work in the disaster relief and bandit suppression in the south, but they took all the credit. The Prince and his wife are so despicable!"
The queen became angrier and angrier. She sat down suddenly, but stood up again in an instant, her gorgeous skirt swaying violently with her movements.
The Queen's eyes revealed deep jealousy and anger. She began to rack her brains to figure out how to suppress the Prince Chen and his wife and regain the glory that should have belonged to the Crown Prince.
"Go, call all my trusted followers to come here. I need to have a good discussion with you. We must not let the Prince and his wife continue to be so proud."
The queen ordered sternly, her voice full of authority and determination.
Soon, the queen's confidants hurried to the palace.
The queen looked at them, her eyes full of severity and anxiety.
"You all know, right? The Prince and his wife have now taken away the credit for the Crown Prince's work. We must do everything we can to reverse this situation. The Crown Prince is the future of the country, and we must not let them overshadow him."
The confidants looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.
One of them stepped forward cautiously and said softly, "Empress, this matter is indeed extremely difficult. The Prince and his wife are now highly praised by His Majesty, so we must not act rashly. But we can start from other aspects and slowly weaken their influence."
The queen narrowed her eyes slightly, and there was a hint of danger in her eyes.
"What specific ideas do you have? Tell me about them."
The man hurriedly approached the queen and said in a low voice: "We can quietly spread some rumors that are unfavorable to the Prince and his wife in the harem, so that other concubines will be dissatisfied and suspicious of them. At the same time, we can also speak in front of His Majesty and remind His Majesty of the crown prince's contributions in a timely manner, so that His Majesty will not attach too much importance to the Prince and his wife."
After hearing this, the queen fell into deep thought. After a moment, she nodded slightly.
"This plan is feasible. But you must be careful and never let anyone catch you. Otherwise, you know the consequences."
Therefore, the Queen and her cronies began to plot secretly, trying to suppress the limelight of Prince Chen and his wife, and regain the glory that should have belonged to the Crown Prince. An invisible battle quietly began in the harem.
Rumors spread the fastest, and the rumors spread by the queen quickly reached everyone's ears.
They fabricated all kinds of false rumors, saying that Prince Chen was arrogant because of his achievements and had rebellious intentions; that although Prince Chen's wife appeared kind on the surface, she was actually scheming and would do anything to gain glory.
These rumors surged in the harem like an undercurrent, and gradually, some concubines who were unaware of the truth began to doubt and feel dissatisfied with the Prince and his wife.
At the same time, the Queen also sought opportunities to speak in front of His Majesty.
One day, when the emperor took a break from handling government affairs, the empress appeared at the right time. After she bowed gently, she said softly: "Your Majesty, I have heard some rumors about disaster relief in the south recently. I am a little worried, so I came to report to your majesty."
The emperor raised his eyes slightly, motioning for her to continue.
The Queen continued, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince went south this time and went through many hardships and made many efforts. However, now everyone only praises the achievements of the Prince and his wife, but seems to ignore the Crown Prince's efforts. The Crown Prince is the future king, and if this continues, it may damage the Crown Prince's prestige."
After hearing this, the emperor frowned slightly and fell into deep thought.
After a moment, the emperor already had some guesses in his mind.
He knew very well that the Queen had extremely high expectations of the Crown Prince. This time, the Prince and his wife had performed brilliantly in the disaster relief work in the south, and the Queen must be dissatisfied.
The emperor decided to keep quiet and secretly sent people to investigate the source of these rumors.
After some investigation, the emperor quickly determined that these rumors were spread by the queen and her cronies.
A surge of anger surged in the emperor's heart, but he did not explode immediately.
The next day, the emperor summoned the queen alone.
The queen came before the emperor with great joy, thinking that the emperor wanted to discuss the matter of the crown prince with her.
However, the emperor's expression was very serious.
"Queen, I heard that there are some rumors about the Prince and his wife circulating in the palace recently. Do you know anything about this?"
The emperor's eyes were fixed on the queen, and there was a hint of majesty in his tone.
The queen's heart tightened, but she still pretended to be calm, lowered her head slightly and said: "Your Majesty, I have heard some of these rumors, but I don't know where these rumors come from."
The emperor snorted coldly, "Queen, do you think I don't know? These rumors were clearly spread by you and your cronies. I have always been tolerant of you because you are the mother of the crown prince, but your behavior this time really disappoints me."
The queen's face turned pale instantly. She knelt down hurriedly and said in panic: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I know I was wrong. I was just thinking about the prince and I made such a mistake in a moment of confusion."
The emperor stood up, walked in front of the queen, and looked down at her: "Queen, you must understand that if the prince wants to become a wise ruler, he must rely on his own efforts and talents, not on suppressing others to gain glory."