Chapter 467 – The Demonic Baby Falls from the Sky, Disasters Approach the World (Part 2)
Unfortunately, the joyful days were far too brief.
Before his daughter was born, he had to temporarily leave the mother and child due to pressing matters.
When he returned, the little cabin that had been filled with joy and happiness was empty, and on the table lay a cold letter—a note saying the woman had left. For “reasons of hardship,” she had entrusted their daughter to a confidant to escort her to him for him to care for.
However, Changshou Wang did not find his daughter; that confidant had vanished along with the child, as if they had evaporated from the world.
Changshou Wang couldn’t find the woman, nor his daughter, not even that so-called confidant.
What was the strange meaning behind this letter?
Was Liu Zhi’s illegitimate daughter the child he had lost back then?
Such a bizarre thought lingered in his mind; it wasn’t impossible.
Before leaving Dongqing, that woman had indeed shown unusual care for Liu Zhi’s courtyard, hinting that if she gave birth to a child she couldn’t afford to raise, she might leave it at Liu Zhi’s door, asking for Liu Zhi’s help. Changshou Wang thought it was just a joke and didn’t pay it any mind.
In retrospect, it didn’t sound impossible… As he pondered, Changshou Wang’s expression soured.
By the time he realized that Liu Huan, Liu Zhi’s daughter, had married into the royal family and become the princess consort of the Fourth Prince Wu Ma Jun, his expression was beyond comprehension.
He wasn’t heartbroken over his daughter; in fact, his hopes for that daughter were solely based on her mother. Without that woman, the so-called daughter was of little consequence to him.
His change in countenance was merely due to the fear that Liu Huan’s existence would interfere with his grand plans.
Liu Zhi had raised Liu Huan and sent her off with a grand bridal procession, securing such a favorable marriage, clearly showing his affection for her without any doubt of her lineage.
What if someone revealed at this moment that Liu Huan’s biological father wasn’t Liu Zhi but him? How would Liu Zhi react?
Changshou Wang thought about it and imagined he would probably go mad with anger!
A daughter he had cherished for years turned out not to be his own? Who would want to be such a gullible fool?
What man could endure such humiliation?
In Dongqing, among the six states and twenty-one counties, Liu Zhi dominated Chongzhou while secretly holding control over the grain supplies of Hujun.
Even if such a strong ally couldn’t be fully utilized, he couldn’t fully lean toward the imperial family; Changshou Wang had every reason to be concerned.
He squinted, a fierce glint in his eyes. Regardless of whether the contents of this letter were true or false, he couldn’t take the risk.
The best plan was to secretly eliminate Liu Huan, making it a case of death with no witnesses.
Though it was somewhat regrettable, he had never met Liu Huan, and there was no father-daughter bond to speak of.
People act for themselves; heaven punishes those who don’t. He truly felt guilty toward this daughter, but it was perfectly reasonable for her to sacrifice for her father, after all, he had given her life… At worst, once he ascended the throne, he would give this daughter a posthumous title, granting her an honorific title of mourning.
Thinking that, Changshou Wang lamented slightly, if Liu Huan were not Liu Zhi’s daughter but had another identity, he would immediately bring her to his side and cherish her… but alas, she was Liu Zhi’s “daughter”!
His ambitions could not afford any losses; he couldn’t offend Liu Zhi at this critical moment, so he could only sigh regretfully.
Changshou Wang probably never imagined that before he could act against Liu Huan, she would stir up a disaster.
Having been pregnant since the end of April, Liu Huan’s belly was nearing eight months.
At just six months, her belly was already comparable to that of a normal expectant mother.
Now it had grown considerably, and the medical officers had examined her closely, declaring she was carrying twins with very strong fetal vitality.
Liu Huan smiled lightly, even if Wu Ma Jun was despised by the Emperor, she felt no sorrow.
“That pill really works; now the fetal vitality is strong, the children will definitely be very healthy…” As she thought this, Liu Huan’s smile became even more radiant. “The physician said from the pulse examination, there’s an eighty percent chance it’s a boy and a girl, a dragon and phoenix born together, which is an auspicious sign; heaven blesses the royal family.”
The children in her womb would be her ultimate trump card, and as her due date approached, she became increasingly cautious.
The maidservants by her side were all gifts from her marriage; they knew the temperament of the Fourth Prince’s consort all too well.
Seemingly pure-hearted, she was actually quite ruthless.
To test whether the stolen pill truly helped with conception, she had sent people to harm innocent women, and later, to eliminate the beloved concubine Hui Jun from Wu Ma Jun’s side, she had employed numerous schemes, even orchestrating a situation where Hui Jun became intimate with the Emperor.
Had it not been for the Emperor’s interest in Hui Jun, it might have resulted in another unjust death.
Being a confidant maidservant to such a person meant constantly worrying about whether one would be the next unfortunate victim.
With such disdain in her heart, the maidservant dared not voice her thoughts; she merely obediently arranged Liu Huan’s lavish hairstyle.
Liu Huan looked at her plain appearance, frowned in dissatisfaction, and said, “Make it more colorful; it’s too plain.”
The maidservant hesitated but ultimately had to obey and applied a dazzling, eye-catching makeup, adorning her with expensive jewelry, her head full of jewels, exuding unparalleled wealth. As a maidservant, she had the duty to advise Liu Huan, claiming that pregnant women should keep it simple and that heavy makeup would be harmful to the baby, but ever since the last time when her advice earned her a slap, she had learned to keep her mouth shut.
Looking at the young woman in the mirror with her splendid makeup, Liu Huan snorted and said, “How can this princess be overshadowed by that lowly woman?”
Even though Hui Jun was loved by many, she was unwilling to concede even an inch.
Just a lowly maidservant, and she thinks she can turn from a wild chicken into a phoenix by climbing into the Emperor’s favor?
The maidservant lowered her head and said nothing, but she knew perfectly well who Liu Huan’s “lowly woman” referred to.
Hui Jun, the Emperor’s most favored woman, the luckiest of the favorites.
Forget about the other concubines and princes; even the Empress and Crown Prince would retreat three steps in her presence.
Recently, Hui Jun had been unwell, bedridden with illness, and upon hearing her complaints, the Emperor waved his hand to summon all the princes’ consorts to attend to her… Such favor, even the current Empress had never enjoyed, illustrating just how important Hui Jun was in the Emperor’s heart.
The maidservant truly couldn’t understand why their royal consort insisted on competing with Hui Jun.
Given their current statuses, there was really no need to vie for anything.
No matter how the maidservant thought, Liu Huan had already dressed herself in splendor, completely unlike someone going to attend to an ailing person.
As she sat in the carriage heading to the palace, Liu Huan’s mind was still preoccupied with how to make Hui Jun suffer.
Little did she know, a storm was brewing silently within the palace, and a road to the underworld awaited her.
One hand supporting her belly and the other resting on the arm of her maidservant, she followed the palace maids to Hui Jun’s quarters with languid steps.
Of course, Hui Jun was not ill; she was merely using an excuse to keep an eye on the second prince’s consort while also making things difficult for Liu Huan.
Having bullied the ill-fated consorts of the Emperor for too long, she found it rather boring and shifted her focus onto the daughters-in-law of these consorts.
Clearly quite healthy, she still insisted on claiming she was sick, lying in bed nursing fresh seasonal fruits while directing the other princes’ consorts around for amusement.
Among those frequently put to work were the Second Prince’s consort An Yina and the Fourth Prince’s consort Liu Huan. An Yina had previously offended Hui Jun with her words, so it was only natural for her to be resented. As for Liu Huan… quite a few people whispered that Hui Jun might be taken into the palace by the Emperor, and this Fourth Prince’s consort had played no small part in that.
