CHAPTER 243: CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-TWO

"Your Highness, those are matters of the past, besides, Si Youying is already dead."

"Jin Mei, if Si Youying hadn’t died back then, she would have married the emperor before me. Perhaps she would now be the noble princess, and I a mere concubine."

"Impossible!" Jin Mei said, "Even if Si Youying hadn’t died, and the emperor let her into the palace, she would not surpass you. The emperor would never grant her the title of noble princess, she can never surpass you."

"Is that really so?" Noble Princess Consort Rong had always felt the emperor had a special feeling for Si Youying. She suddenly recalled something, "Back then, the emperor favored Liang Zhaoyi because her eyes resembled Si Youying’s."

"But Liang Zhaoyi quickly lost favor." Jin Mei added, "Besides, the emperor is not one to lust after beauty. Even if Qin Xiulian looks like Si Youying, the emperor wouldn’t lose his sense over it."

"I’m just afraid the emperor might compensate all his regrets and guilt from the past on this Qin Xiulian."

"Even so, the emperor won’t let this Qin Xiulian surpass you." Jin Mei held Noble Princess Consort Rong’s hand, comforting her, "You need not fear this Qin Xiulian."

Noble Princess Consort Rong felt much better after being comforted by Jin Mei.

"You’re right, I shouldn’t be afraid."

"Your Highness, you know very well that the emperor cares most about you, yet you always lack confidence in yourself." Jin Mei said, "Living in such uncertainty is not right."

Noble Princess Consort Rong curved her lips into a bitter smile, "I don’t even know what’s wrong with me."

"Your Highness, it’s because you love the emperor so much, but you’ve also forgotten that the emperor loves you." Jin Mei comforted in every possible way, "Since you were young, the emperor adored you. Besides, with decades of affection, who could surpass you."

Recalling her childhood, Noble Princess Consort Rong’s lips instinctively formed a sweet smile, and her anxiety instantly vanished.

"You’re right, I’ve been too worried."

"Your Highness, we should think about how to deal with that Qin Xiulian next, and not let her get too complacent?"

Noble Princess Consort Rong nodded and said, "Yes, we should think carefully."

Not only was Noble Princess Consort Rong flustered, but Empress Xie was also disturbed.

Back then, when the emperor brought Si Youying back to the palace, Empress Xie was present. Although she was young at the time, Si Youying left a deep impression on her.

After the late empress married the emperor, Empress Xie often went to the Zhao family and even stayed there frequently.

As a child, she did not feel jealous of the late empress; on the contrary, she liked this half-sister. The late empress was very loving and caring towards her young sister.

At that time, young Empress Xie hadn’t developed feelings for the emperor, viewing him merely as a brother-in-law. She hoped her sister and brother-in-law would be well. However, that was when the emperor brought back a woman, a very beautiful woman.

At that time, the emperor wanted to marry Si Youying into the palace. Not only did the late empress not oppose, but she also strongly supported it. Young Empress Xie was angry about this, feeling that the late empress shouldn’t agree to let Si Youying enter the palace.

The late empress did not say much to young Empress Xie then, only mentioning that as long as the emperor liked it, she would understand when she grew older.

Empress Xie didn’t understand at the time; she felt her sister was afraid to refuse Si Youying’s entry. She felt grievance for her sister and even went home to tell her father to stop Si Youying from marrying the emperor, but her father disagreed.

Seeing her father didn’t help her and her sister, she decided to drive away the one named Si Youying herself. She deliberately caused trouble, which angered the emperor.

The emperor, considering her youth and her being the late empress’s sister, did not punish her. However, she was given a harsh lesson; it was the first time she was scolded in her life.

Empress Xie was the legitimate daughter of the Xie family, also the youngest daughter, and since her birth, she had been dearly loved. No one had ever scolded her, not even spoken harshly to her.

Before Si Youying’s arrival, the emperor had never scolded young Empress Xie. He was very fond of her too. However, since Si Youying came, the emperor not only reprimanded her but also ceased to pamper her as before.

She thus thoroughly disliked Si Youying, yet everyone in the Zhao family liked Si Youying. Even her father and mother praised Si Youying as a heroine.

"Your Majesty, what’s wrong?" Jiang Chuan asked with concern as he noticed Empress Xie’s complexion growing increasingly pale.

"In my life, I’ve hated no one more than Si Youying!" Despite many childhood memories being vague, she clearly remembered matters concerning Si Youying. To this day, she remembered Si Youying’s smug expression.

"Your Majesty, who is Si Youying and why do you dislike her so?" Jiang Chuan wasn’t by Empress Xie’s side since childhood, so she wasn’t aware of matters involving Si Youying.

"A vixen." Empress Xie briefly explained Si Youying’s story to Jiang Chuan.

Jiang Chuan was taken aback after hearing, "So, the emperor really liked Si Youying back then?"

Empress Xie did not respond to Jiang Chuan’s question.

"Your Majesty, this Qin Xiulian looks like Si Youying, so the emperor will definitely accept her as a concubine, which would be disadvantageous to us." Jiang Chuan said worriedly, "We need to think of a way to deal with this Qin Xiulian."

Just now, Empress Xie was reminded of some past events, such as the emperor walking side by side with Si Youying, exchanging smiles, or when the emperor was sparring with her in the courtyard.

Looking back, during those times, the emperor and Si Youying had mutual affections.

"My brother is truly capable, actually finding someone who looks identical to Si Youying!" Empress Xie finally understood Duke Zhen’s intention. "This Qin Xiulian poses no threat to me, but she should pose a significant threat to that wretched Noble Princess Consort Rong."

"You mean Duke Zhen arranged Qin Xiulian’s appearance to deal with Noble Princess Consort Rong?"

"Yes, if Si Youying were alive, she would have married the emperor before Noble Princess Consort Rong." Empress Xie smiled meaningfully, "If Si Youying were alive, that noble princess would not have been Noble Princess Consort Rong, the wretched one!"

"Duke Zhen aims to have Qin Xiulian receive favor to tackle Noble Princess Consort Rong?"

"Exactly." Empress Xie sneered, "That’s my dear brother’s scheme."

Although Empress Xie was angry at Duke Zhen for not informing her of this matter beforehand, she understood Duke Zhen’s purpose. If Qin Xiulian were to divert the emperor’s favor from Noble Princess Consort Rong, it’d be a boon for her. Yet, her disdain for Si Youying left her disgruntled with Duke Zhen’s plan.

Moreover, she felt uneasy. Since childhood, she knew the emperor wanted to marry Si Youying; it was unfortunate that Si Youying died in battle, a deep regret in the emperor’s heart. Now that someone identical to Si Youying appeared, the emperor would surely assuage his old regrets on Qin Xiulian. She feared Qin Xiulian might become another Noble Princess Consort Rong, possibly even more favored.

"Your Majesty, this is good for us, isn’t it?"

Empress Xie frowned and said, "Not necessarily."

"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

With a somber expression, Empress Xie said, "I must think about this matter carefully."

At this moment, in a council tent.

"Boss, it’s been clarified, the wolf pack wasn’t sent by someone; they’ve been lurking in the deep forest all along."

"Boss, even without the appearance of the wolf pack, that Qin Xiulian would have appeared before you."

"Boss, this Qin Xiulian was likely arranged by Duke Zhen."

The emperor smirked playfully, "Duke Zhen is truly skillful, to have found someone identical to Youying."

Shen Hu disdainfully smirked, "Looks are identical, but the demeanor is far from comparable to General Si."

Chu Ying sighed, "I never expected there to be two people so alike in this world."

Zhang Gong directly asked, "Boss, what do you plan to do?"

The emperor suddenly laughed, "Of course, let Qin Xiulian enter the palace as a concubine, and become my most favored consort, otherwise it’d waste Duke Zhen’s good intentions."