I'm competing with the male lead for a woman (GL) - Chapter 6
Xiao Jin’s voice echoed outside the palace, lingering for a long time.
It carried a sense of majestic power, completely unlike the sound a dying person could produce.
Inside the Imperial Study, the eunuch’s smile instantly froze upon hearing the voice, and the hand holding the whisk trembled involuntarily.
Not just the eunuch, but due to the sudden change, the pipa girl’s final strum also went out of tune.
They were so frightened that their hands and feet trembled, hurriedly putting down their pipas and kneeling on the ground with the eunuch.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”
At this moment, the fourth prince, who was sitting on another chair, slowly stood up.
He had a very close relationship with Emperor Qi, so he knelt down calmly, saying with a smile, “Third brother has always been like this, straightforward and blunt. I hope Father Emperor will calm his anger.”
Anyway, he had already pleaded for Xiao Jin, and whether Emperor Qi was angry or not was none of his concern.
••••
A calligraphy scroll hung on the wall of the Imperial Study.
It looked vigorous and powerful, but below the scroll, the emperor sitting on the high seat had an extremely unpleasant expression.
Xiao Ye had been an emperor for so many years, and he had always felt very repressed.
Before ascending the throne, the late emperor favored the Grand Princess Zhaoyang. After becoming emperor, the people of Qi praised the crown prince, but were critical of his rule.
If it were just these things, it would be fine. But now, even Xiao Jin dared to openly challenge him in public.
It was outrageous.
Emperor Qi immediately darkened his face and ordered the eunuch, “Go and invite Lord Yan in!”
The eunuch responded obediently and ran out quickly.
The fourth prince, Xiao Yi, knelt on the carpet, thinking that Xiao Jin really knew how to pick her moment.
He was worrying about what to do to make Emperor Qi severely punish Xiao Jin, but she had walked right into it.
Two pipa girls knelt beside them, their foreheads pressed against the ground, not daring to breathe. After a while, they heard the sound of wheels rolling over the carpet.
After the wheels stopped rolling, someone seemed to cough twice.
The pipa girls knew that this person was probably the famous Lord Yan, so they cautiously glanced at him out of the corner of their eyes.
As soon as they saw his face, they didn’t dare to look again.
They thought in their hearts that Lord Yan was really good-looking. Just looking at his appearance, he didn’t quite look like a man, with fair skin and a pair of indifferent eyes.
But according to rumors, Lord Yan was violent and often did arrogant and presumptuous things. Even with his military achievements, he was unpopular in Qi.
However, at this moment, Xiao Jin, who was the focus of everyone’s attention, was not flustered at all.
She didn’t care whether the people present were happy or not. Anyway, after shouting that sentence just now, she felt extremely refreshed.
Xiao Jin sat calmly in the wheelchair and bowed to Emperor Qi with Chu Shao, “Your son Xiao Jin, with Princess Consort Chu Shao, greets Father Emperor.”
As soon as the words fell, the Imperial Study fell into dead silence again.
Whether it was the real Xiao Jin or the fake Xiao Jin, they seemed to have a talent for creating awkward silences. The range of influence was so wide that no one was spared, from the emperor to the common people.
Emperor Qi was actually a little angry.
He had five sons, some were useless, and some were too capable. Looking at Xiao Jin, Emperor Qi really didn’t know which category to put him in.
If he said Xiao Jin was capable, he was indeed quite capable.
At a young age, he was made Lord Yan and appointed as the General, making many contributions to the Qi Country.
If he said Xiao Jin was useless, he was indeed a bit useless.
After all, he often did shocking things, saying he would attack the Yao Country and then clamoring to go on an expedition, and really going to snatch a bride when he wanted to.
Just now, outside the Imperial Study, he deliberately shouted loudly to embarrass him, which really made it hard for him to suppress his anger.
Emperor Qi’s face was unpleasant, and he wanted to reprimand Xiao Jin.
But when he saw Xiao Jin sitting in the wheelchair, frowning and coughing, he suddenly felt a little unbearable.
Not to mention the black fur coat made her face look even paler.
Thinking that his son was about to die, Emperor Qi’s anger subsided a little, and he suppressed his anger, preparing to say “Rise.”
Who knew that the fourth prince, who was kneeling on the carpet, suddenly stood up and bowed to Xiao Jin with a smile, “Congratulations, Third brother.”
Xiao Jin didn’t respond, just took out a handkerchief and started coughing.
The white handkerchief couldn’t hide the dark color, and after coughing up bl00d, the jade thumb ring on her hand was stained with crimson.
After wiping the jade ring on her finger clean, Xiao Jin asked the fourth prince slowly, “Fourth brother, what is there to congratulate me for?”
Her voice was very soft, just enough to make Emperor Qi feel sorry for her.
The fourth prince cupped his hands and said with a smile, “There are two congratulations. First, I think Third brother just now had a voice as loud as a bell, so it seems your health is much better.”
“The second congratulations, of course, is to congratulate Third brother on your honeymoon and your spring breeze.”
Xiao Jin almost laughed.
Sour, very sour.
So she also cupped her hands like the fourth prince and said faintly, “Fourth brother, you’re too polite. We are brothers, so we share the joy.”
One with a pale face, and one with a green hat, it was indeed a great happy event.
The fourth prince’s smile immediately disappeared.
He wanted to stab Xiao Jin with a few words so that she would lose her temper in front of Emperor Qi. But Xiao Jin not only didn’t lose her temper, but also stabbed him back with his words.
How could there be such a shameless person in the world, who not only took his wife but also dared to claim “we are brothers”?
Xiao Jin’s heart was so big, and his face was so thick, that he was caught completely off guard.
Although it didn’t have the desired effect, it was precisely because of the fourth prince’s words that Emperor Qi realized that something seemed wrong.
After a moment, Emperor Qi’s face suddenly darkened.
The unfilial son wasn’t dying! How could a dying person shout so loudly just now?
So he was furious and scolded, “Xiao Jin, you unfilial son, you even snatched your brother’s princess consort, you—”
Before he could finish scolding, Emperor Qi couldn’t continue because he saw Chu Shao kneeling beside Xiao Jin.
It had to be said that when he saw Chu Shao’s face, he seemed to understand why Xiao Jin wanted to snatch the bride.
It was often said that the emperor of the Yao Country had a pearl that shone brightly at night, filling the room with light.
But now it seemed that she was even more dazzling.
Chu Shao knelt on the carpet, not noticing Emperor Qi’s burning gaze, because she was focused on thinking about something.
As soon as she pushed Xiao Jin into the Imperial Study, she noticed that there were two pipa girls inside.
At this moment, Chu Shao began to guess with interest: were these two women brought in by the Emperor Qi himself, or were they presented by the fourth prince?
In fact, Chu Shao’s guess was more inclined to the latter, but if it was true, it was a bit ridiculous.
She really didn’t understand why the fourth prince, the son of a concubine, was busy filling Emperor Qi’s harem.
On the other side, Xiao Jin had already thought about how to retort, but Emperor Qi suddenly stopped scolding.
She looked up and found that he was staring straight at Chu Shao.
Xiao Jin was immediately confused.
Emperor Qi was just an incompetent emperor in the dog-bl00d novel, did he really think he was Cao Cao? Staring at someone else’s wife, his eyes were straight, was this appropriate?
She immediately coughed violently twice, pulling Emperor Qi’s wandering mind back.
After coughing, Xiao Jin put down the bl00d-stained handkerchief covering her lips.
Looking directly into Emperor Qi’s eyes, her voice turned cold, “Your Majesty, it’s freezing cold. My princess consort has been kneeling on the ground for so long. I wonder if you can grant her permission to rise?”
At this time, Xiao Jin called Emperor Qi “Your Majesty,” and her self-address also changed to “I,” which showed that she really intended to be ruthless.
After hearing Xiao Jin’s words, the fourth prince and Emperor Qi, feeling the warmth in the Imperial Study, were silent.
Because craftsmen had built a tunnel under the Imperial Study, as long as charcoal was lit in the fire channel, warm air would flow everywhere.
Therefore, the pavilion was as warm as spring, with no sign of cold.
Even the pipa girls were sweating for Xiao Jin. How could a good prince like her like to lie so blatantly?
Xiao Jin was a ruthless person.
When everyone was silent, she could still be active alone, saying Xiao Jin was a ruthless person.
When everyone was silent, she could still be active alone, saying softly to Chu Shao, “Father Emperor has always been kind. His silence now is tacit approval. Princess Consort, please rise and thank him.”
Emperor Qi: “…”
In the Imperial Study, only Chu Shao had maintained a smile throughout.
Chu Shao felt that it was reasonable for Emperor Qi not to let her rise, after all, the Yao Country had fallen, and she was now just an insignificant prisoner.
However, it was also reasonable for Xiao Jin to let her rise.
Because she and Xiao Jin were accomplices, and prisoners shared life and death, so they naturally had to cover up each other’s crimes.
Chu Shao understood that Xiao Jin was doing this for her own good.
So she rose calmly and said to Emperor Qi with a smile, “This consort thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness.”
Xiao Jin was very satisfied. It seemed that Chu Shao also had some talent for annoying people.
Emperor Qi was so angry that his forehead veins were throbbing.
It was outrageous, truly outrageous.
His good son had only been made a lord and was already trying to ride on his head and act arrogantly.
If it weren’t for Xiao Jin’s serious illness and his own guilt towards Xiao Jin, he would have removed this son from the imperial family register long ago.
So-called forbearance has its limits.
Emperor Qi’s anger exceeded the limits of his patience. He picked up a memorial and made a gesture to throw it on the ground.
But before he could gather strength to throw it, a small eunuch ran into the Imperial Study, trembling.
The small eunuch’s face was ashen, and his legs were shaking.
Knowing that Emperor Qi was extremely angry, he couldn’t afford to offend the person outside the hall, so he knelt on the ground with a thud and said in a trembling voice, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”
Emperor Qi’s hand froze in mid-air, and the breath in his chest almost wouldn’t come out.
At this point, he couldn’t throw it, and he couldn’t not throw it.
So he threw the memorial at the eunuch and roared, “Without my order, what are you doing here? Guards, drag him out and beat him to death!”
The eunuch’s legs went weak from the impact of the memorial, and he saw stars, knowing that he was probably in big trouble.
To save his life, he shouted in a shrill voice, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince requests an audience—”
Hearing this, Xiao Jin narrowed her eyes.
Why was the male lead here?