"You want me to seduce the Crown Prince? Why are you crying now that I've entered the pala

Chapter 176 Empress Xiao's Summoning

Qin Su was sitting in the hall talking to the system when the hall door suddenly opened from the outside. An unfamiliar-looking eunuch stood at the door with an icy expression: "Her Majesty the Empress summons Qin Su, daughter of the Qin family, to an audience."

Qin Su was taken aback, a clear look of surprise flashing in her watery almond-shaped eyes: "Your Majesty the Empress?"

But in her mind, she was asking the system, "Didn't the tyrant say he was going to the palace to ask the emperor for a marriage decree? How did he become the empress?"

System: [Host, please wait a moment while I check.]

"Daughter of the Qin family, why haven't you received the imperial decree yet?"

Qin Su: "...Yes."

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Qin Su managed to stall for a while, but the old woman she had just met didn't appear. She sighed inwardly, realizing that she had been sent away.

The cold-faced eunuch stood there silently urging her to leave, and she had no choice but to follow him.

At the same time, the system's voice finally rang in my mind: [Host located! It was the Empress who learned that the Seventh Prince had entered the palace to request a marriage decree, so she specially sent someone to see you...]
-
"Are you really sure? Once you're betrothed to the Seventh Prince, there's no going back," Emperor Wen reminded him, suppressing the urge to sigh.

In his opinion, it would be best to bring the Qin family woman into the Eastern Palace.

Unfortunately, the stubborn man in front of her refused: "I only want her."

One sentence completely dissuaded Emperor Wen from having any further thoughts.

Oh well, children are just a burden; let them be.

I just hope you won't regret it in the future.

He then waved to Eunuch Fu beside him, saying, "Summon Lady Qin to an audience."

After speaking, he glanced at the young man in front of him out of the corner of his eye, and a hint of excitement appeared on his usually cold and aloof face, and even his hands quietly clenched into fists.

Emperor Wen saw this and felt both amused and heartbroken.

Thinking about it, what Grandpa Fu said makes sense. It's rare for this child to have someone he likes, so what's wrong with indulging him this once?

I believe the Crown Prince would understand if he knew.

Chu Jiang's gaze followed Eunuch Fu, and only he knew the excitement in his heart.

Wait a little longer, just a little longer. Once she steps through the palace gates, no one will be able to take him away from her.

But who would have thought that this wait would exceed the originally scheduled time?

The emperor frowned when he saw that Eunuch Fu had not returned for a long time, and he wanted to send someone to check on him.

Chu Jiang, who was below, also sensed something was wrong. The smile on his face disappeared, and his gaze became heavy as he stared at the direction of the palace entrance.

The aura was so overwhelming that even Eunuch Fu was startled when he came in from outside.

"Your Majesty, Miss Qin has been summoned away by the Empress," Eunuch Fu reported with his head bowed, thinking to himself, "What kind of mess is this?"

Meanwhile, Chu Jiang, who was already impatient because he didn't see Qin Su come in, suddenly raised his head upon hearing this, his eyes filled with anger, shock, and a hint of panic.

Upon hearing this, the emperor sensed something was wrong. Sure enough, the next moment he saw the rebellious son suddenly turn around and walk out. His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said, "Quick, stop him!"

Upon hearing this, the guards and eunuchs outside also changed their expressions...
-
There are few descriptions of Empress Xiao in the historical records of the Great Qi Dynasty, and those that are are vague.

Unofficial histories are more detailed, but they all agree that Empress Xiao and Emperor Qi Wu had a bad relationship and disliked each other.

In the original novel, Empress Xiao actually didn't have much of a role. After the tyrant ascended the throne, she went to Mount Tiantai to practice Buddhism and never returned to the palace.

As for whether it was voluntary, I don't know.

When Qin Su last entered the palace, she learned that during those eight years, His Highness the Crown Prince had requested an audience countless times, but Empress Xiao had refused to see him each time.

He won't even see his own son, but he wants to see her?
Surely it couldn't be that he suddenly had a change of heart and started caring about his son's marriage?

Qin Su realized that she was still in the mood to joke at this moment.

"Just wait here until Her Majesty the Empress summons you."

The cold-faced eunuch who led the way took Qin Su to a side hall and then left her there.

They said the Empress summoned her for an audience, but when she arrived, she was left waiting. What else could this be but deliberate?
You can't possibly take your anger out on her after having a fight with your son, can you?

Qin Su was thinking wildly, but she didn't say anything. The person had already come; could they possibly kill her?

She waited a while longer, until she was sure no one was outside, before opening the system: "Perfect, let's check what she wanted from me, and gather any useful information."

Seeing that the host remained so calm under these circumstances, the system only had one word: 【6!】
-
"Your Majesty, the person has been brought here."

Lin Mama stood behind Empress Xiao and gently reminded her.

The woman in front of him didn't respond. After a long while, she finally spoke: "Does he really like him that much?"

Lin Mama paused for a moment before realizing what the Empress was asking: "It should be true. It is said that when she was outside the palace, the Seventh Prince was almost inseparable from her, following her everywhere. He came to the palace today to ask for an imperial decree to grant her a marriage."

Whether it was her imagination or not, she heard a snort of laughter in her ear before she could finish speaking.

"Then go and have a look."

The woman sitting in front of the dressing mirror finally stood up, revealing her slender and graceful figure: "What kind of woman could catch the eye of that bastard?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mama's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively tried to stop the Empress from leaving: "Your Majesty, that is, after all, the young prince..."

"He is not."

Empress Xiao's sharp phoenix eyes swept over her, her tone carrying a hint of coldness: "Don't worry, I won't kill her." At least not until she figured out her importance in that bastard's heart.

Even though she said that, Lin Mama couldn't feel any relief.

The Empress Dowager dislikes the Seventh Prince and refuses to see the Crown Prince as well. For many years, the Crown Prince has come to pay his respects without fail, rain or shine, but she has never granted him a single request.

Even the servants who were serving them felt sorry for her...
-
[Host, the person has arrived.]

Qin Su looked up when she heard the sound, and then saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing in front of her.

Her breath hitched slightly, and suddenly she seemed to know who the tyrant's stunningly beautiful face belonged to.

Empress Xiao's complexion had become sickly pale from staying indoors for so long, but her impeccable beauty made people subconsciously overlook her age.

As I had imagined, Empress Xiao was a striking and beautiful woman, not the delicate and fragile kind... No wonder the Crown Prince didn't fancy her.

As her thoughts wandered, she suddenly became curious about what kind of emperor he was, and what kind of man could be worthy of such a beauty.

No, she should be curious about what exactly happened back then.

How could a woman with such ambitious eyes be content to stay out of the palace for so many years?

Qin Su paused, seemingly lost in thought.

Either she was heartbroken, or she had greater ambitions that made her willing to endure.

Her wild thoughts didn't stop her from using the etiquette she had learned before to greet the Empress: "This humble woman, Qin Su, greets Your Majesty the Empress."

Unsurprisingly, no word came from above for a long time that the Empress would not grant the courtesy.

Qin Su could only kneel on the cold ground in the same position, the icy chill seeping into her bones through her skin, making her back feel cold.

Even while kneeling, you can feel the scrutinizing gaze from above.

The mother and son are both equally tormenting.

After a while, Qin Su was considering whether to ask the system to help her with some kind of item to alleviate the pain of kneeling when she finally heard a woman's voice: "Raise your head."

Qin Su paused slightly, then obediently raised her head, revealing a delicate and beautiful face.

Empress Xiao glanced at him coldly, then offered a blunt comment: "I thought she'd be some kind of celestial being, but she's nothing special." It was clear that there was indeed discord between mother and son.

Qin Su remained silent. If the Empress scolds you, can you really scold her back?

Unfortunately for her, the other party didn't let her off the hook: "Is it really you who used such an ordinary face to make the Crown Prince so infatuated with you that he can't live without you?"

Lin, the old nanny standing nearby, felt a jolt in her heart and subconsciously looked towards Empress Xiao:
The Empress clearly knows that this Lady Qin is unaware of the relationship between the Seventh Prince and the Crown Prince; her statement is clearly intentional…

As expected, Qin Su looked bewildered and explained, "Your Highness may have misunderstood. I have no relation to His Highness the Crown Prince."

"No relation?"

The Empress gave an unsettling smile and took a few steps closer to Qin Su: "Don't you know that the person you're with every day is..."

"Your Highness, please wait. No one may enter without the Empress's permission!"

Empress Xiao was interrupted by a tense conversation outside before she could finish telling the "truth".

Everyone in the hall immediately changed their expressions, especially Empress Xiao, whose face was the most unsightly: "Go out and see what's going on!"

"Yes, this servant will..."

Before Granny Lin could finish speaking, the sounds of fighting rang out outside, and her face turned pale.
-
"Host, the tyrant has come to the rescue!" the system exclaimed excitedly.

Qin Su frowned but remained silent.

"He really cares about you."

He was standing behind her without her even realizing it. His beautiful face showed no joy at the prospect of seeing his son, only cold disgust.

Qin Su's heart skipped a beat, and a term related to the causes of DID flashed through her mind: attachment disorder.

According to Bowlby's attachment theory, the first step in the development of separation is "attachment disorder".

This refers to research on trauma, attachment (especially early attachment), and separation disorders, which impair or even break the consistency of a child's attachment system when parents become dangerous or threatening.

Qin Su looked up and saw the woman staring at the door with disgust. She lowered her eyes slightly.

So, is that the reason?

"evil creature!"

Another snort of disgust rang in her ears, and Qin Su subconsciously looked up, only to meet the woman's eyes.

"I almost forgot about you."

Empress Xiao withdrew her gaze: "Do you want to know what he's afraid of?"

Qin Su wanted to refuse.

However, he wasn't really asking for her opinion: "Because he's afraid you'll find out the truth. The kind of person he is..."

"Boom-"

With a loud bang, a tall and burly guard was thrown straight into the hall from outside, spitting out blood like rain.

Qin Su quietly shifted her body to avoid getting splashed.

The Empress, however, reacted more strongly: "Stop!"

Chu Jiang paused as he threw a punch, because he was not allowed to bring weapons into the palace, so he did not bring a knife.

With his skills, if he were to actually use a weapon, everyone here would die.

If the Empress knew what he was thinking, she would probably laugh in exasperation: Do you expect me to thank you?
-
"Everyone, stand back! Let's see if this wretched creature dares to kill me!"

Hearing the familiar yet unfamiliar sharp rebuke, Chu Jiang flicked the blood off his hand, slowly raised his head, revealing his handsome, jade-like face.

"It's been a long time, Mother."

The tyrant rarely smiled, but when he did, his wicked and cold demeanor made the surrounding palace servants jump, almost unable to bear watching.

Empress Xiao seemed to have been hit where it hurt: "Shut up! I am not your mother, I do not have a monster like you!"

Qin Su hurriedly looked at the screen behind the tyrant.

Surprisingly, what she expected—that he would be angry or emotional—did not happen. The numbers displayed on the screen were somewhat high, but not by much.

So... the current tyrant is actually in a normal state and hasn't developed any symptoms?
This thought calmed Qin Su down a little, but it also left her with a trace of regret, which meant...

The Empress was probably not the cause of his illness.

"What a coincidence, Mother doesn't want to see me, and I don't want to see you either."

Chu Jiang walked slowly toward them, mocking them as he did so. The guards beside him were on high alert, pointing their swords at him, though they dared not aim too accurately.

Who would dare lay a hand on a prince in the palace...?

"Stop, don't come over here!"

I initially thought it was Empress Xiao who was controlling the tyrant, but after reading it, it seems more like the tyrant unilaterally angered Empress Xiao to death.

With each step he took, the Empress's beautiful face grew more flustered.

Just as he was about to approach, she suddenly spoke: "If you take another step closer, I will kill her immediately!"

Before Qin Su could react, she was grabbed by the arm and dragged out.

she:?

The tyrant's face finally darkened: "Your Majesty, if you have any complaints, come at me. Release her."

He finally changed his tune, but Empress Xiao's expression did not improve. She still stared at him coldly, as if she were looking at something dirty.

"It seems you really care about her."

The Empress released Qin Su, a cold smile playing on her lips: "She cares more than I thought."

Qin Su looked at the tyrant, intending to act pitiful, but found that the man wasn't looking at her.

She had no choice but to quiet down.

"I don't want to lay a hand on Your Majesty. Please return her to me." Chu Jiang spoke calmly, and no one knew what he was thinking at that moment.

"I can give it back to you, but what are you going to offer in exchange?"

Upon hearing Empress Xiao's words, Qin Su frowned slightly.

She felt that the relationship between the two was somewhat different from what she had imagined.

But something's not right...

"What does Mother Empress want?" Chu Jiang still looked at Empress Xiao, his hand at his side clenching into a fist as if he was trying his best to suppress something.

Sure enough, the next moment, the woman uttered that familiar phrase:
"I haven't decided yet, you should kneel down first."

Qin Su: ? ? ?
Chu Jiang did not move.

Empress Xiao: "What, can't this woman make you kneel?"

She was clearly smiling, but Qin Su suddenly felt a chill.

She looked at the tyrant, wanting to see his reaction, and then saw that the values, which were relatively normal when he had just attacked people, suddenly began to fluctuate rapidly.

"Kneel down and beg for forgiveness, saying 'Mother, I know I was wrong,' and I will let her go. Will you kneel or not?"