"You are a palace concubine, and you want to teach my legitimate princess? Where does your confidence come from? Don't you know what kind of person you have taught Jinxiu to be?" Su Jing spoke, his words full of sarcasm. When Concubine Zhu heard what he said, tears of grievance rose in her eyes, but she couldn't say a word to defend herself.
“I dare not, but the palace affairs are complicated and the princess is so young, I am afraid…” Seeing that the emperor was angry, Concubine Zhu was worried and mustered up the courage to explain. However, before she could finish, Su Jing threw the inkstone on the desk at her.
Concubine Zhu did not dare to move and could only let the inkstone hit her face. She covered her face, but the ink and blood slid down her face. The burning pain made her tears flow, and she felt extremely wronged.
“Your Majesty, I am doing this for the princess’s own good. You are…” Before she could finish her words, tears started to fall, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Su Jing looked at Concubine Zhu's behavior and couldn't help but sneer.
"You are doing this for the princess's sake. You are a concubine, but you are teaching my legitimate princess. What do you want outsiders to say about me? Or do you think you are already the queen?"
Su Jing's words were quite hurtful, especially since he had told her clearly not long ago that he would not have a queen in the future.
"I dare not." Concubine Zhu knelt on the ground with a thud. Now, holding the golden seal of the palace and teaching the princess were all matters in the future. She had to calm the emperor down first. The scary thing was that she didn't even know the reason why the emperor was angry.
The emperor is moody. He has been moody ever since the queen passed away.
"If you don't dare, get out." Su Jing shouted angrily. Concubine Zhu didn't dare to stay. After kowtowing, she stood up and left in embarrassment. Just as she reached the door of the imperial study, she heard Ah Man say again: "Concubine Zhu, please leave the golden seal behind." Ah Man kindly reminded her. Concubine Zhu turned around and looked at Ah Man with resentment. She timidly glanced at the emperor and said: "The golden seal is not with me. It is in my bedroom."
"Have someone take it and send it to Ah Man. Although there is no queen in the palace, it does not mean that you are the queen. If you think the title of imperial concubine is more prestigious, I can help you get rid of this title."
"I dare not. When I go back, I will have someone return the golden seal to the princess." Su Jing's words made Concubine Zhu kneel down again with weak legs.
"Go away." Su Jing didn't even bother to look at Concubine Zhu again. After Concubine Zhu left and the imperial study returned to peace, Su Jing looked up at Ah Man again, wanting to say something but stopping himself several times.
When Ah Man was about to leave, Su Jing finally spoke up and said, "The golden seal of the palace master will be in your hands from now on. You can give it to whoever you want. Just take care of the affairs of the palace."
Su Jing's words were polite and distant, yet carried a strange emotion. However, Ah Man didn't have the mind to think about Su Jing's mood at the moment. She had too many things to do when she returned to the palace this time.
"Then I'll go back first." Ah Man smiled faintly and turned around. She really didn't know how to get along with her father now, so leaving now was more like an escape.
Ah Man left. Su Jing looked at the door of the imperial study room, and it took him a long time to recover. The child he had once cherished and doted on had grown up, but he was so distant from him...
Su Jing smiled bitterly and ordered the eunuch behind him to pass on his imperial decree to various places in the harem, stating that all matters in the harem would from now on be handled by Princess Jiaoyang, and any disrespect would be strictly prohibited.
Su Jing's oral instructions soon fell into Ah Man's ears, and her eyes were full of confusion.
A long time ago, she thought she understood her father, but now, she doesn't understand her father's thoughts at all.
If he still loved me, why would he be so indifferent to me? If he was no longer the father who loved me, why did he still pave the way for me in the palace
How did the originally happy family of four become like this...
(End of this chapter)