The Ninth Princess Reigns Supreme [Transmigration] - Chapter 18
Regardless of Emperor Jiacheng’s provocations, Bao’an ignored him. After a while, he lost interest and seemed ready to leave.
Bao’an unconsciously bit her lip, hoping he would leave quickly.
She wondered what kind of mindset Emperor Jiacheng had. If he liked someone, shouldn’t he hope for her happiness?
But at this moment, the more uncomfortable and nervous Bao’an became, the more delighted Emperor Jiacheng was. He even raised the corners of his lips in amusement: “Rou’er, take good care of your health. I’ll go back to the banquet first. You come back in half an hour, understand?”
The last few words were emphasized, full of dangerous implications, sending shivers down one’s spine.
Bao’an remained silent.
“Understand?” Emperor Jiacheng asked again patiently.
Bao’an’s face was ashen, her voice so weak that it seemed she had used all her strength to squeeze out the two words from between her teeth: “Yes, Your Majesty.”
…Liu Li had already executed him a thousand times in her mind, and cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations with swear words that would definitely be censored by Jinjiang.
After he left, they waited for a while, making sure he wouldn’t return, before coming out.
A gust of cold wind blew in, causing the windows to sway for a moment. Liu Li’s gaze was drawn to it, and then she saw the round moon in the sky, feeling utterly ironic.
Tonight should have been a time for family reunion and celebration, but it had become heavy and infuriating because of some scumbags.
Sensing the wind, Bao’an wrapped the quilt tighter around herself, closed her eyes, and a tear suddenly rolled down her cheek. She said in a hoarse voice, “I’m ashamed. Bao’an’s disgraceful affair has made the Ninth Princess laugh.”
“Mother.” Liu Li couldn’t bear to see her like this. Not caring about the dirty floor, she half-knelt and held Bao’an’s hand, gently rubbing it. “Don’t be afraid of him. I’ll protect you.”
These childish words brought a trace of comfort to Bao’an’s heart: “…Silly child.”
Liu Li’s eyes were slightly red.
The always weak Princess Bao’an, Ning Rou, lived up to her name. She was afraid even of a mosquito flying by, but for her daughter, she dared to risk her life in front of Emperor Jiacheng.
A mother’s strength, that’s probably it.
“Mother.” Liu Li shook her hand, seriously saying, “Don’t be afraid. I will definitely protect you and not let that dog emperor…”
Bao’an quickly covered Liu Li’s mouth, nervously glancing at Ning Zisheng. The emperor’s own daughter, the current princess, was here. What if…
Ning Zisheng said, “Your Highness, please don’t blame yourself. It’s not you who has disregarded human ethics and morality.”
Her eyes were full of disgust for Emperor Jiacheng.
Bao’an was slightly startled, then remembered that Ning Zisheng’s mother was Concubine Chu. She had fallen out of favor with Emperor Jiacheng and suffered a lot over the years. She must also resent him in her heart.
“Mother,” Liu Li said, slightly unwilling, knowing that it was cruel to make Bao’an reveal her scars, but if she wanted to kill the dog emperor, she had to understand the source of the matter. “What exactly happened before? When did this dog emperor start…?”
Bao’an was silent for a moment, then told the story.
••••
Bao’an and Emperor Jiacheng grew up together and had a very deep relationship. Bao’an always adhered to etiquette, knowing how to advance and retreat, and treated Emperor Jiacheng only as a younger brother, never having other thoughts.
When Bao’an was sixteen, she was engaged to Liu Li’s father.
At that time, Emperor Jiacheng was still a teenager. Upon learning the news, he immediately found Bao’an, grabbed her sleeve, and confessed his feelings.
It turned out that he had been secretly in love with his sworn sister for several years.
Bao’an was frightened and quickly advised him to give up this idea. Although they were not related by bl00d, they had been siblings for more than ten years! Moreover, the imperial decree for the marriage had been issued, and Bao’an’s marriage was a foregone conclusion.
Seeing her so resolute, Emperor Jiacheng silently let go of her hand.
Ten years passed in a flash. Bao’an gave birth to Liu Li, and Emperor Jiacheng had also transformed from a prince to an emperor.
At first, Bao’an was still worried that her brother would be troubled by love, but later, seeing him with three palaces and six courtyards, widely accepting concubines and having many children, she gradually forgot about it, thinking that Emperor Jiacheng was just young and ignorant at the time.
The turning point happened a few months ago.
Hearing that Bao’an was seriously ill, Emperor Jiacheng issued an imperial decree summoning her to the palace, along with Liu Li.
On the first night in the palace, he secretly came to Bao’an’s residence, completely lacking the demeanor of a monarch. He used various excessive and despicable words in front of her bed, shattering Bao’an’s psychological defenses.
“Rou’er, I’ve missed you for a long time.”
“Divorce the Duke of Chu and become my concubine.”
Bao’an never imagined that the palace where she had grown up had become a hell dominated by Emperor Jiacheng.
Emperor Jiacheng directly placed Bao’an under house arrest. He even intercepted several letters from the Duke of Chu, taking advantage of their temporary separation, and impersonated Bao’an to write back, filled with disgust and rejection for the Duke of Chu!
He claimed to let Bao’an recuperate, but in reality, he only wanted to satisfy his own desires, not hesitating to hurt Bao’an deeply.
••••
Bao’an was overwhelmed with grief, losing her composure, and tears soaked her pillow. Liu Li quickly wiped her face: “Mother, don’t cry.”
Ning Zisheng softly said, “Your Highness, you’ve suffered.”
Forcibly taking a minister’s wife, bullying the weak, it was hard to imagine that this was something a monarch would do.
Liu Li had originally wanted to prevent the mastermind from harming Bao’an tonight, but she had accidentally uncovered this chain of inside stories. However, upon closer inspection, all the anomalies were connected.
First, no wonder Liu Li’s father didn’t mention Bao’an in his letter. Although she didn’t know what exactly the dog emperor wrote in his reply, he must have been heartbroken by those words, thinking that Bao’an had turned against him, so he didn’t mention her.
Second, the identity of the culprit could also be determined.
The dog emperor was so eager for Bao’an, it was definitely not him who tampered with the medicine to harm Bao’an; moreover, the palace was his territory, and if he wanted to kill someone, he wouldn’t have to be so secretive. Emperor Jiacheng’s suspicion could be ruled out.
But in this way, others had a motive to harm Bao’an.
There were many people in the harem competing for favor. If anyone noticed that the emperor had someone he loved, they would definitely want to get rid of Bao’an quickly.
“Mother, besides the dog emperor’s men, does anyone else know what he’s doing?”
Bao’an closed her eyes wearily: “…No, but the empress might have guessed a bit. She is a smart person and has come to see me with the emperor a few times. Whether she has noticed anything, only she knows, and I can’t see through her.”
Liu Li understood.
“Mother, go to sleep for a while.” She coaxed softly, “Don’t worry, I’ll be here with you. I’ll wake you up when the time comes.”
Bao’an nodded slightly, a warm current flowing through her heart. She turned over, letting the warm tears fall on the jade pillow.
She was threatened by Emperor Jiacheng and kept this matter to herself; to avoid implicating her precious daughter, she never thought of telling anyone, fearing that Liu Li would be hurt.
Now that her daughter had grown up and knew about this, her first reaction was to protect her, not feeling that her mother was incompetent.
For the first time, Bao’an vaguely had this thought—
As long as Liu Li was safe, there was still a chance for things to turn around.
If Emperor Jiacheng really pushed her family to a dead end, even if she did something rebellious, she would protect Liu Li!