Chapter 429: Women: Duty 01

Name：The Girl Who Struggled Through Palace Intrigues to Become the Empress Author：
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Chapter 429

Xiao Jingyan's watertight response nearly shut down any further words from Nalan Cuo. Thus, Nalan Cuo could only say:

"I am deeply grateful for Prince's favor."

After having dinner and seeing Xiao Jingyan off, Nalan Cuo's principal wife Mrs. Zhou pulled him back into the room, looking anxious as she fretted:

"What did the Prince say about that matter? Is he willing?"

Nalan Cuo shook his head and sighed, "He politely declined."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhou became even more agitated, tugging at Nalan Cuo's clothes as she pleaded repeatedly:

"My Lord, you should have begged him! Once a girl enters the palace gates, it's like descending into the depths of the sea. Rongrong is our only daughter; how can we let her waste away in the palace for her entire life? I shudder just hearing about those sordid affairs inside. With Rongrong's innocent nature, if she enters the palace, won't she be devoured alive? Cough cough..."

Mrs. Zhou could hardly contain her agitation, and a surge of blood caused her to cough violently, even coughing up blood.

Nalan Cuo doted greatly on Mrs. Zhou, and seeing her like this, his eyes instantly reddened.

He supported her to sit down, carefully wiping the blood from the corners of her lips with a handkerchief, and poured some warm water for her to drink and moisten her throat.

But Mrs. Zhou refused to drink a single drop, continuing with tears in her voice:

"My Lord, I know my days are numbered, and I'm not asking for Rongrong to stay in the capital for my sake. First, I don't want our daughter to go to that place that devours people without spitting out the bones. Second, if I pass away one day and our daughter has married into the palace, how will you cope, my Lord? As long as Prince An is willing to take Rongrong as his wife, all our problems will be solved. Moreover, Rongrong has feelings for Prince An..."

Saying this, she abruptly knelt before Nalan Cuo, clutching his pant legs tightly,

"My Lord! Your wife has never asked anything of you, but for the sake of our daughter's future, I am begging you now. You must find a way..."

"What is the Lady doing? Get up quickly!"

Nalan Cuo hurriedly helped Mrs. Zhou up, but she kept coughing up blood and fainted in his arms.

That night, after the palace physician secretly examined Mrs. Zhou, he sighed deeply,

"My Lord, the Lady has been internally depleted for a long time, and her body is extremely weak. Even if I exhaust all my medical skills, I cannot ensure that the Lady will live past the Mid-Autumn Festival this year..."

Mrs. Zhou had been suffering from lung disease for over half a year.

Whenever they went to bed at night, she would have great difficulty breathing, sometimes gasping with a flushed face. Nalan Cuo could only helplessly watch, his heart aching but powerless.

Now that Mrs. Zhou's life was nearing its end, and Rongrong was their only daughter,

When she first entered the palace, did Xiao Jingheng say similar 'heartfelt' words to Empress Jia Rui and Ning Wanshuang?

And now,

Those who were once just tools for producing heirs in his eyes

had risen above the rest to become the most noble woman in the realm.

Zhao Hua was about to say something when she saw Xiao Yinzi hurriedly enter.

"Your Majesty, Minister Nalan is here."

Xiao Jingheng nodded, "Let him in."

Zhao Hua said, "Your Majesty has court matters to attend to, so your humble servant will take her leave."

She gave a slight curtsy to Xiao Jingheng, then shot a meaningful glance at Xiao Yinzi before brushing past Nalan Cuo as she exited.

Nalan Cuo respectfully saluted Zhao Hua, who only responded with a faint smile before leaving.

Nalan Cuo strode quickly to the end of the hall and paid his respects to Xiao Jingheng.

Xiao Jingheng casually waved to exempt him from the formalities, then asked in a nonchalant tone:

"Was it handled cleanly?"

Nalan Cuo replied, "Following Your Majesty's orders, I had the coroners thoroughly examine Prince Rui's body. A dagger had pierced his heart chamber, showing no signs of simulated death. Afterward, an empty coffin was interred in the Prince's mausoleum, while Prince Rui's body was cremated immediately after the coroners' examination."

"Handled efficiently." Xiao Jingheng nodded in satisfaction, then asked:

"I heard from the secret agents that it was Prince An who struck the fatal blow?"

"This... "

A brief struggle flickered in Nalan Cuo's heart, but ultimately he cupped his hands in a deep bow and said gravely:

"It's uncertain... When I rushed in, Prince An was holding the dagger plunged into Prince Rui's heart chamber, and Prince Rui was clutching Prince An's hand. You could say Prince An personally dealt with Prince Rui, or you could say Prince Rui committed suicide... and merely acted out this scene before me."

He slightly raised his eyes, only daring to observe Xiao Jingheng's inscrutable expression from the corner of his vision.

"Prince Rui and Prince An have always been close friends. Yesterday, Prince An even refused to have any attendants by his side, only meeting Prince Rui alone in private. I don't know what they discussed. Moreover, when Prince Rui first entered the Ministry of Rites, Prince An privately sought me out many times, asking me to take good care of Prince Rui. Thus, in my humble opinion... the possibility of Prince An personally taking action against Prince Rui does not seem very likely..."