in2ebook Chapter 108 This practice is truly shameful.
Chapter 108 This practice is truly shameful.
“Su He and Consort Ru are from the same clan. Consort Ru is Su He’s aunt. Su He should have been five years old when Consort Ru was stabbed to death by her second brother.”
Xu Jiaojiao was taken aback, not expecting that Su He and Consort Ru had a connection.
"At the time of the incident, Su He had just been taken to Yongning Palace for a short stay by Consort Ru."
Everyone knew what Consort Ru was thinking at the time; she simply wanted Su He to gain more exposure in front of the Emperor so that he would grant Su He a marriage with the Crown Prince.
At that time, the Emperor had listened to Consort Ru's whispers in his ear so much that he was indeed considering bestowing a marriage upon her. However, an unexpected event occurred before the imperial decree of marriage was issued.
On the day Consort Ru died, Su He took a nap. When she woke up, the mess in Yongning Palace had been cleaned up. She didn't know her aunt was dead; she only saw her second brother kneeling on the ground being whipped, and then she fell in love at first sight.
"Huh?" Xu Jiaojiao was dumbfounded: "Five years old? Love at first sight??"
Jia Rong chuckled mockingly: "Isn't it ridiculous? But all these years, Su He has said this to everyone she meets."
Xu Jiaojiao's lips twitched, somewhat speechless.
To be honest, Su He really has no brains.
Even if she truly loved Prince Chen and wanted to marry him, she should never have said that she fell in love with him at first sight on that day.
Putting aside the fact that a five-year-old child doesn't understand anything, just the fact that Prince Chen killed her aunt that day means she can't just openly talk about it like this.
After all, her aunt deserved her punishment, and they were relatives. Such actions were tantamount to openly inviting criticism of her and her family.
Such stupidity explains why Jia Rong said Prince Chen looked down on him and why he has been confined to the Protectorate for years, forbidden from going out.
"But I've heard that Su He saved Your Highness's life. Is that true?"
Although Su He was foolish, the way Prince Chen was so afraid that she would get hurt didn't seem like he was faking it.
Jia Rong curled his lip: "At that time, my second brother was beaten to a bloody pulp, but Su He was crying her eyes out on the side, throwing a tantrum in the snow and begging Father Emperor to retract his order, looking like she was mourning a funeral."
Seeing her like this, the Emperor became even angrier and beat his second brother even more severely.
Of course, I was very young then, and I've long forgotten what Su He looked like, but this kind of anecdote had already spread throughout the palace and beyond.
Xu Jiaojiao was speechless again: "Is this all it takes to save my life?"
Jia Rong raised his index finger and shook it: "No, no, no, how could it be so simple!"
She smiled mysteriously: "When Su He saw that her father refused to retract his order, she rushed up and hugged her second brother, only to be whipped as a result."
You must understand, the whips carried by the Imperial Guards are iron whips with barbs. Even my second brother, who had been trained in the army for years, couldn't withstand them. How could a five-year-old child possibly endure them?
"So she was whipped into this sickly state?"
Before Jia Rong could continue, Xu Jiaojiao couldn't help but interject.
She was truly speechless. Her mother opened the door for her speechless state, and she was speechless again. Otherwise, she wouldn't have interrupted Jia Rong.
The latter nodded seriously: "Yes, otherwise, where do you think this so-called life-saving grace comes from? My second brother is so powerful, and he has countless experts like Shadow One by his side. How could it be a weak woman like Su He to save him?"
Xu Jiaojiao couldn't help but laugh out loud: "She's quite a remarkable woman..."
Jia Rong was amused by Xu Jiaojiao's sarcastic remarks, and the corners of her mouth turned up: "Who says otherwise?"
At that time, my second brother was still young. Deeply moved by Su He's willingness to die for him, he took great care of her, seeking out renowned doctors from all over the land to treat her illness. Each time he returned from a campaign, he would bring her novel little trinkets.
To avoid Xu Jiaojiao misunderstanding, Jiarong added, "Of course, my second brother has always only treated Su He as a younger sister and has never had any other thoughts. My second brother has only ever been in love with you, Jiaojiao, since we were little."
Xu Jiaojiao: "..."
For a moment, she was both amused and exasperated.
She pursed her lips and asked, "So, if that's the case, then the Prince and Su He are childhood sweethearts. Why would Your Highness say that the Prince would never marry Su He?"
Jia Rong couldn't help but laugh when the topic came up.
The truth is, she did laugh out loud: "This just goes to show, Su He is really stupid! I even suspect that the whip hit Su He on the head back then, instead of on the back!"
"Pfft..." Xu Jiaojiao couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.
Seeing her laugh, Jia Rong laughed even more exaggeratedly: "Hahaha... Sister Jiao Jiao, let me tell you, just how stupid Su He is!"
She not only insisted on taking the whip herself, but she also went around telling everyone that she saved her second brother's life by taking that whip, making everyone think that she had saved her second brother's life.
The second brother thought it was a trivial matter and let Su He say what she wanted. But as Su He grew older, her words changed. It went from expressing gratitude for being saved to demanding repayment; the second brother insisted on marrying her.
"This..." Xu Jiaojiao was speechless. She never thought that a noble lady like Su He would use such despicable means to force a man to marry her.
It makes sense. Su He was left with a chronic illness after being whipped. In an era with poor medical conditions, it was questionable whether she would even have the chance to give birth smoothly. Among the wealthy and noble families who valued the continuation of bloodlines, it was unlikely that anyone would be willing to marry Su He as their principal wife.
If Su He didn't want to marry down, she could only seize this opportunity to hold onto Prince Chen, the only man who might marry her as his principal wife.
But she never imagined that a man as unruly as Prince Chen, who dared to storm the palace and kill a concubine, would let a weak woman like her do as she pleased.
Xu Jiaojiao shook her head: "This is really shameful..."
Jia Rong shrugged indifferently: "It doesn't matter. Anyway, only she is embarrassed. My second brother has never admitted to this."
Xu Jiaojiao chuckled: "That may be true, but it's really bad for the Prince's reputation. Besides, although the Prince hasn't admitted to it, he has indeed treated Su He very well. Everyone can see his attitude. How is that any different from admitting it?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Rong, who had been smiling, immediately lowered her lips and sighed helplessly: "Sister Jiao Jiao, Second Brother's kindness towards Su He stems partly from gratitude for her protecting him even at the cost of her life, and partly from helplessness. In truth, he doesn't like Su He at all, and even harbors resentment towards her because of her various actions over the years..."
Xu Jiaojiao tilted her head in confusion: "Is there something you're having trouble saying?"
Jia Rongweng smiled slightly: "It's not exactly a difficult thing to say, it's something everyone knows..."
Protector-General Su stabilized the southern border, and his eldest son, Su He's elder brother Su Yu, was stationed there year-round. The Su family, father and son, commanded a large army and enjoyed immense prestige in the south. The people of the south revered the Su family more than the imperial court; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call the Su clan the "local emperors" of the south.
Having said that, the perceptive Xu Jiaojiao had basically understood Prince Chen's predicament...