Five Big Bosses are Too Clingy After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Antidote Arrives, And Three of Them At Once

Chu Xingchen looked at the ‘Red Plaques’ and was speechless. She never thought she would enjoy the treatment of an Emperor in this lifetime.

But an Emperor wouldn’t get pregnant, and she could. In the original novel, the original host got pregnant on the first try.

She absolutely could not get pregnant, and since she could still tolerate the heat, Chu Xingchen didn’t move and waved her hand, ordering the plaques to be removed.

The Imperial Physicians were about to speak when they heard a slight movement outside. “Your Highness, Lord Xiao has arrived.”

Shaoging (Lord/Minor Minister) is not an official government rank but a specific title for men in the Crown Princess’s Eastern Palace. Side Consort is equivalent to a Crown Prince’s Liangdi (primary concubine), Shaoging is equivalent to a Liangyuan (secondary concubine), and Gongzi (Young Master) is equivalent to a Chenghui (tertiary concubine).

The Imperial Physicians heard Lord Xiao had arrived and realized that Lord Xiao was indeed responsible for managing the affairs of the Eastern Palace and was the most well-informed. With his arrival, they could now retire.

The physicians moved to the side, waiting to be dismissed, their expressions relaxed. Chu Xingchen, however, felt her scalp prickle. She was about to stop them when several servants escorted a man into the room.

The man wore a cloak, was tall and lean, with sharply defined features. His eyes were charmingly upturned at the outer corners, naturally extending outward. When they opened and closed, they were filled with vitality and allure, with a color that was most captivating, yet his dark pupils were as deep as an icy pool.

He only glanced at Chu Xingchen once. After standing still, he bowed. “Your Highness the Crown Princess.” His voice was cool and distant.

Chu Xingchen quickly searched her mind for his information: Xiao Wang, the illegitimate son of the Minister of Personnel. The Xiao family was elevated by the previous Empress, and their prosperity was inseparable from the support of the Imperial family. Lord Xiao was currently in charge of managing the Eastern Palace.

Although the Eastern Palace wasn’t small, the commotion in the Golden Splendor Hall was too large for Xiao Wang to ignore. He hadn’t intended to interfere, but since the Imperial Physicians were summoned, he felt obligated to inquire.

Xiao Wang was merely fulfilling his duty, showing excessive respect to Chu Xingchen but refusing to spare her another glance. Seeing that Chu Xingchen did not speak, he assumed she was annoyed and directed his gaze towards the Imperial Physicians.

The physicians, meeting his eyes, hesitated, unsure how to inform him that the Crown Princess was under the influence of that particular drug. Their eyes involuntarily drifted back to Chu Xingchen.

Chu Xingchen awkwardly twitched her mouth. “I’m fine.”

This Xiao Wang had impeccable etiquette and demeanor, and an excellent temperament. With his looks and appearance, he would undoubtedly be a top celebrity in modern times, captivating countless women.

Chu Xingchen had been briefly mesmerized herself.

Hearing Chu Xingchen say she was fine, Xiao Wang, without a single wasted word, instructed her to rest early, and coolly prepared to take his leave.

The Imperial Physicians looked at Chu Xingchen’s flushed face, hesitating to speak, when a questioning voice sounded from outside the door, “What? Couldn’t wait a single night? Are you chasing us out of the palace tonight?”

The voice arrived before the person—it was clear, decisive, and carried a hint of sarcasm.

The next second, another young man in martial attire entered the door. He had a strong, tall physique, sharply defined features, eyebrows as sharp as swords, and a high nose bridge. He was full of youthful vitality and heroic spirit.

Unlike Xiao Wang’s cool, fair skin, the young man had an energetic, tanned complexion, perfectly embodying the unique spirit that lies between boy and man.

Looking at him, a few words flashed in Chu Xingchen’s mind: What a young general.

A hint of admiration crossed her eyes, but unfortunately, the young general’s gaze toward her contained nothing but disgust. “Chu Xingchen, just give me a straight answer tonight. I’ll leave the palace immediately, stop being a Shaoging, and go back to fighting my war.”

He spoke quickly and decisively, his whole being like a ball of fire. From his words, Chu Xingchen knew who this was: Lord Ling, Ling Zhou, the youngest son of the Marquis of Zhenbei, who guarded the frontier.

His emotions were the most obvious. Chu Xingchen disliked him, and he disliked Chu Xingchen.

“Lord Ling, stop your reckless talk.” Xiao Wang interjected.

“You should address Her Highness the Crown Princess,” someone smoothly picked up Xiao Wang’s words, his voice gentle, charming enough to make one feel like spring air was blowing across their face just by listening.

The newcomer was tall and graceful, handsome and refined, with a face like polished jade—elegant and distinguished, like pine and bamboo, with scattered snowflakes resting on his cloak.

The moment Chu Xingchen saw him, his name flashed across her mind: Shen Cangzhu, the ‘Consort Shen.’ True to his name, he was the grandson of Grand Secretary Shen, and the Shen family was a truly renowned aristocratic family.

Shen Cangzhu stood still and bowed. “Your Highness the Crown Princess.” His movements were fluid and beautiful, utterly elegant. Ling Zhou reluctantly followed suit with a bow beside him.

With just one man missing from the Crown Princess’s harem, they were nearly all assembled.

Looking at the three men, each with their distinct style, Chu Xingchen could only sigh that the original Crown Princess was truly blessed with incredible beauty luck.

The three of them standing together seemed to brighten the night for a moment.

“Now that we are all here, Your Highness the Crown Princess should speak plainly. Are you telling us to leave the palace directly?” Ling Zhou spoke up again, interrupting Chu Xingchen’s musings.

Ling Zhou’s words were prompted by the original Crown Princess’s previous uproar about ‘dissolving the harem.’ Although these three men were equal to or even better than Xie Ziqing in looks and talent, the Crown Princess was fixated on him alone.

Because of Xie Ziqing’s demand for ‘one husband for life,’ she had always wanted to dismiss them. And Xie Ziqing had made another demand when reconciling with her tonight: dissolve the men of the Eastern Palace.

This was no longer a secret. The news of Xie Ziqing and the Crown Princess consummating their marriage tonight was also public, and the Crown Princess was determined to fulfill his wish.

She didn’t know this was just the first step of Xie Ziqing’s revenge. These three men who entered the palace were not chosen randomly but were carefully selected by the Empress as representatives of three key power structures.

Although they were forbidden from participating in politics, the Eastern Palace encompassed the three main power factions of the State of Chu: Grand Secretary Shen (representing the aristocracy), Minister Xiao, and the Marquis of Zhenbei. There were civil and military powers, and the Shen family also represented the gentry. By securing these three powers, their families in the Imperial Court would diligently assist the Crown Princess in the future.

Even Xie Ziqing’s entrance was strategic, as he was a descendant of a Confucian scholar, and all the scholars and literati of the land were watching.

The Imperial harem was not just about love and affection; it was the Empress’s painstaking way of paving the road for the Crown Princess, using the involvement of three factions to achieve balance.

Unfortunately, the original Crown Princess did not understand the Empress’s good intentions. She didn’t know that Xie Ziqing’s goal in demanding she dissolve the harem was to dismantle her power base. In the novel, the Crown Princess viewed them as the culprits destroying her romantic happiness and had repeatedly caused trouble, though no one listened to her.

However, her antics naturally made the men feel humiliated, and they held no goodwill toward her.

The Empress punished her several times, which only made the Crown Princess more resentful. She originally only ignored them, but later she would speak nasty words and insult them when they met. Ling Zhou and she were already completely incompatible.

In the book, after the Crown Princess became pregnant, she finally succeeded in chasing them out of the palace. Relying on her pregnancy, and taking advantage of the Empress’s illness, she wrote letters of divorce, forcing them to leave the palace, and threatening that if anything happened to the child in her belly, they would be held accountable.

These three men had only entered the palace for their families’ sake and were already fed up. They immediately left the palace after receiving the letters of divorce.

When the Empress woke up, the damage was done and irreparable. She was so angry she vomited bl00d. The power base she had painstakingly built for the Crown Princess was completely destroyed. The miserable end the Crown Princess later met was entirely deserved.

Any one of these three men would have no trouble finding a wife. If not for the Crown Princess’s status, how could she have secured them simultaneously? Their families originally hoped that if they could have a child with the Crown Princess, the future heir would share their bloodline. Instead, the marriage had turned into a feud.

Chu Xingchen understood the entire situation and immediately denied it. “No, there is no talk of leaving the palace. Everything before was me being foolish.”

She endured the increasing heat in her body and stood up. “I acted carelessly before, and I apologize to you all.”

Just resolve this quickly and let them leave, lest I lose all rationality and pounce on them.