Chapter 4 — Buy A Majesty

“So why did Your Majesty make him Crown Prince?”

The Emperor smiled, gently patted my head, his tone was calm and gentle:

“Because he has a good pair of parents.”

Ky Chieu's previous caution, his obvious failure tonight, all seemed to have been solved.

15

I began to frequently encounter Ky Chieu in the palace. Lately, he seems to especially like wearing brightly colored clothes. The young man in the brocade robe, his figure was hidden among the flowers, for a moment I didn't notice his presence. It wasn't until he performed the ceremony that I was startled to realize. The palace man stood right next to me, but he didn't seem to care at all. Ky Chieu stepped forward, holding in his hand a freshly broken loquat flower. He raised the flower and gently brought it in front of me:

"Are you okay?"

I lowered my eyes and looked at the pure white camellia flower in his hand. Bullet: 【So exciting! The emperor is right next to the fake mountain!】 【I don't understand what the male lead is thinking, using his old love to kill the female side?】 【Don't! Ladies, don't be soft-hearted about this tonic!!】 My favorite is the camellia flower, especially the white camellia. The flower in his hand was truly beautiful. But the white camellia in this palace was planted by His Majesty himself for me. I nodded slightly in return, then turned and left. However, the person behind refused to give up.

“Are you really that heartless?”

Ky Chieu said in a deep voice:

"That year, in front of the Buddhist altar with three sticks of incense, Ky Chieu was not the only one who knelt down to pray."

My steps suddenly stopped and I tilted my head to look at him.

“The Crown Prince is afraid he forgot something.”

“In front of God and Buddha, if the incense is not completely burned, the oath will not be counted.”

That day, as soon as he heard the news from the capital, he quickly left. He doesn't care about the three incense sticks still burning in that deserted temple. Ky Chieu's face immediately stiffened. He moved his lips, his chest heaving as he suppressed something. Finally, he spoke hoarsely, carrying late regret:

"To To, I was wrong... The position of Crown Princess should have been yours."

16

In my eyes, it seems like the flower clusters on the fake mountain are gently shaking. I turned my head, looked straight at him arrogantly, with a cold tone:

"Crown Princess? Right now I am a Noble Princess, pregnant with a dragon, in the future I may not be able to become Queen."

“What makes you think that I still want the position of Crown Princess?”

Ky Chieu's face immediately turned black. I smiled faintly, my voice carrying a sense of mockery:

“I'm your stepmother now, save some dignity, Crown Prince.”

He was silent for a long time, unable to utter a word. I got a little impatient and turned around to leave. It wasn't until I took a few steps that Ky Chieu's angry, choked voice rang out from behind:

"Very good, stepmother. Giang To, you will regret it."

I snorted softly, not paying any attention. His eyes swept over the fake mountain, but accidentally encountered a pair of deep, familiar pupils. Emperor. He was smiling at me, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes. Returning to the palace, the Emperor followed closely behind.

“To To is so majestic, I have seen it all.” He said smiling.

I lowered my eyes, feeling a bit uneasy.

“The former Crown Prince and I…”

He gently tapped my forehead. When I raised my head, I saw his face with a faint smile. Him said:

“What was it like before, what is it like now, what will it be like in the future…”

“To To, the past is the most unimportant thing.”

My heart trembled slightly, I instinctively followed his movements and tilted my head to rest on his lap. The Emperor's chest is large and warm. But... it is unlikely that the Crown Prince can be tolerated.

17

The time of birth is approaching. The Emperor appointed me Empress, but not many courtiers objected. He still comes to visit me often, but his face is much worse than before. I started to have doubts. At that moment, the bright words in front of my eyes jumped again: 【It's over, the Crown Prince has poisoned the Emperor.】 【Is it because the Emperor has a biological child?】 My heart suddenly became chaotic, quickly grabbed the Emperor's wrist, and asked worriedly:

"Your Majesty, have you been feeling unwell lately? I see that Your Majesty's face is very poor."

The emperor heard that, just smiled slightly and replied:

“It's just an old illness, nothing to worry about.”

What about old diseases? Obviously the person was poisoned! I was in a hurry, but the Emperor was not in a hurry. At night, when there were only the two of us left in the room, he gently hugged my shoulders, his voice gently reassuring:

"Everything is in my hands. To To, don't be afraid."

“I will protect you and our child.”

Maybe because of pregnancy, our moods become more volatile than ever. Hearing what he said, my eyes suddenly turned red and my nose stung. The Emperor was startled when he saw that. He quickly reached out and gently rubbed my cheek, his voice was warm and gentle:

“I will not let anyone hurt you or the child.”

“Be good, To To, trust me.”

18

Lam Phu Nghi has also frequently attended the palace in recent days. One day, the palace servant next to me discovered something unusual about her. She carries many things on her body that are harmful to pregnant women. She looked at me in panic, her face pale. At first, Lam Phu Nghi kept shaking his head, urgently saying that he absolutely had no intention of harming me. But how can a Crown Princess be so easily influenced by others? Isn't it only the Crown Prince who can do this? Seemingly thinking clearly, she slowly knelt down on the ground, no longer struggling. Between me and Lam Phu Nghi, the relationship has never been good. But to this level of stupidity, it's absolutely impossible. The things you brought with me, I'm afraid, were not meant to harm me, but were something the Eastern Palace Master prepared to protect you. I sat high up, coldly watching Lam Phu Nghi's face gradually turn pale, as if the blood in her body was being drained little by little. Lam Phu Nghi collapsed to the ground, his whole body almost losing all strength. But I have no compassion.

"This is the position of the Crown Princess that you spent so much time fighting for?"

“What now? Are you not satisfied again?”

I asked faintly, looking down at the woman kneeling on the ground. She slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with blood, her voice filled with resentment and sarcasm:

“How long do you think you can be satisfied?”

"Jiangsu, mud will always be mud, in this life you will not be able to become an aristocratic emperor!"

I slightly raised my eyebrows, lazily glanced at my carefully manicured nails, and casually waved my hand:

“Detention, waiting for Your Majesty to return then count…”

“No need.”

A calm voice rang out from the door. The Emperor slowly walked in from outside, not bothering to look at the person crawling on the ground, but walked straight to me. As he left, he spoke calmly:

“Be it alive or dead, it's all up to the Queen to decide.”

I nodded, gently waved my hand, and said coldly:

"Beat him dozens of times and then thrown into prison."

Afterwards, I issued an edict to Dong Cung and Lam Palace, listing Lam Phu Nghi's crimes. From then on, Lam Palace closed for many days, so humiliated that he did not dare to meet anyone. As for Dong Cung, it sank into a piece of silence. No one stood up to ask for love.

19

“Are you angry?”

The emperor raised my hand, not knowing what he was looking at, his voice was calm but contained a hint of pampering:

“I also have my ways.”

I glanced at him, but did not respond. He smiled slightly, his tone was gentle but firm:

“That's good. To To, you did very well.”

“She is the mother of the world, no one is allowed to harm her dignity.”

I leaned against him, raised my eyes and asked:

“What about Your Majesty?”

He seemed to have guessed that I would ask this question, gently rubbing my wrist, his voice gentle but firm:

“Me too.”

20

The day I gave birth, the Emperor was by my side and never left my side. Fortunately, everything went smoothly and the baby was born safely. Is a prince. Those in the delivery room who acted abnormally were immediately escorted down. Even while lying on the birthing bed, we can still hear the sound of horse hooves echoing from afar. But the Emperor is still here, embracing me, his voice firmly reassuring:

“Don't be afraid, To To, I have everything.”

Even if we don't step outside, we can still see the bright words flashing before our eyes: 【The Crown Prince is launching a mutiny... Even though this day will come sooner or later, it seems to have come earlier than expected.】 【After all, the Emperor didn't have any biological children before...】 【Why does the Emperor look so relaxed? I'm so impatient that I'm going to die!】 【My wife and children are next to me, the blanket is warm and the bed is soft, enjoy today, tomorrow may not be there!】 I frowned, looked at the still calm man in front of me, and said softly:

“I believe in you.”

He smiled softly, the nanny carried the child in front of me. The child was still red, his face was wrinkled, and he didn't look very cute. I don't like it a bit. The Emperor saw my expression and immediately waved his hand for someone to carry me a little further away. The child suddenly let out a loud cry, and the nanny quickly soothed him. In the distance, the noisy sound of horse hooves gradually quieted down. I was tired, my eyelids were heavy, and finally I fell asleep. The next morning when I woke up, the maid next to me leaned close to my ear and softly announced:

"Yesterday, the Crown Prince was deposed for treason, and now he has been beheaded."

21

The next time I met Ky Chieu, it was in prison. Lam Phu Nghi asked for an audience with me. The emperor locked them both in the same cell. Ky Chieu seemed to have been injured during the coup, so he was completely unable to resist Lam Phu Nghi. She cried and scolded him, resentful to the sky. Just taking a few steps inside, we heard many stories.

“You are useless, you coward! What qualifications do you have to dare to poison me!?”

“My Lam family, what have I done wrong to you? I, Lam Phu Nghi, have anything wrong with you!?”

Ky Chieu did not respond words, only painful moans compressed in the throat. I wear gorgeous clothes, between me and those in prison it seems like we belong to two completely different worlds. When I stood in front of the bars, Lam Phu Nghi's eyes suddenly lit up. She knelt down, her voice choked, begging me to spare her a way to live. She said, everything was ordered by Ky Chieu—from the time I fell into the water, to the humiliating incident in front of the Eastern Palace gate. I turned my head to look at Ky Chieu. He leaned against the damp wall of the prison, not saying a word.

“Ky Chieu, do you admit it?”

He moved slightly, but remained hidden in the darkness, refusing to come out. I couldn't clearly see his expression or any small movements. Lam Phu Nghi gritted his teeth, stepped forward and pulled him out of the dark corner, forcing him to stand in front of me. At that moment, I suddenly had the illusion of returning to the years in Thanh Son district. But at that time, Ky Chieu had not yet fallen so miserably. Now, he lowered his head, not daring to look directly at me. Next to him, Lam Phu Nghi was screaming and crying while punching him on the shoulder and arm, angrily shouting:

“You say it! You're useless!”

22

I ordered Lam Phu Nghi to leave and put him in another cell. The prison opened, someone set up a table full of wine, meat, and food. Ky Chieu slowly walked towards him, but even though he was a distance away, I could still clearly see him walking with great difficulty.