Chapter 34: Xiao Huaiqing Deserves a Beating!

"Do not bother setting an extra place; he has likely already eaten," the Empress Dowager said, intending to stand up for her young daughter-in-law.

The Emperor nodded, signaling to Deng Wei to invite him in.

When Xiao Huaiqing arrived and saw his Imperial Uncle present, his expression darkened instantly. He acted as if the Empress Dowager and the Empress were invisible; after performing a perfunctory salute, he stared fixedly at Lin Yue.

The Emperor frowned, his displeasure evident. "Coming to the palace so late, and without saying a word—have you and Yingyue been quarreling?"

Xiao Huaiqing shook his head. "No."

"Then go home and keep Yingyue company," the Emperor commanded. "Do not just stand there."

Xiao Huaiqing did not leave. Instead, he asked Lin Yue, "When are you coming back?"

Lin Yue acted as if she had not heard him and continued her meal.

Seeing this, Xiao Huaiqing’s expression worsened. After struggling to restrain himself, he said, "Mother, when are you going home?"

Lin Yue set down her chopsticks and looked up at him. "You and Yingyue are newlyweds; I won't go back to disturb you. Perhaps in a couple of days."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Huaiqing thought Lin Yue was still angry about him being with Su Yingyue. He softened his tone. "Yingyue is unwell. As her mother-in-law, shouldn't you be there to look after her? I came specifically to bring you back; come home with me."

"Ha!" Lin Yue laughed.

*(I go to take care of Su Yingyue, only for you two to team up and bully me again? Get lost. I am not going.)*

"You aren't on duty, isn't looking after your wife something you can do yourself? If I go back and my presence makes Yingyue nervous, causing her condition to worsen, what then? You previously complained to your Imperial Grandmother that I was bullying Yingyue; such inconsistency makes things very difficult for her."

Xiao Huaiqing looked toward the Empress Dowager, feeling a twinge of nervousness; he had forgotten about his previous complaint.

The Empress Dowager had not forgotten. She said coldly, "You are a grown man, yet you need to trouble your mother to care for someone. Where is your filial piety? To be filial is to be virtuous—when a person is filial, things naturally go smoothly. Su Yingyue’s illness may well be of your own making. Your mother is staying here perfectly well; stop pestering her."

The Empress added, "Huaiqing, you are an adult now that you are married; do not expect your mother to do everything. Your father is away, and she has held the manor together for three years, enduring gossip and hardship. For you to call her back to wait on your wife is profoundly unfilial."

The Emperor chimed in at the right moment, "Your Imperial Grandmother and Aunt are right. You should go back. As for your wife's illness, I will have an imperial physician follow you to check on her; ensure it does not drag on."

Xiao Huaiqing had not expected that in just a few days, Lin Yue’s influence would have grown so strong—far beyond what it had been in the manor. He blamed himself for coming to the palace to complain, which had given her this opportunity. She must have put on a pitiful display to convince everyone and turn them against him. This woman was as devious as ever.

Thinking this, Xiao Huaiqing sneered. "If you won't come back, that is fine. I will write to my father and tell him that you can't even stay in the manor and spend all day running outside."

Lin Yue replied calmly, "What you do is your business; there is no need to tell me. I am not your birth mother and cannot discipline you, but do not forget—everyone here can write letters, not just you!"

The Emperor’s face turned cold. "Xiao Huaiqing, you are being too presumptuous!"

The Empress added with disdain, "Indeed. Even your Imperial Grandmother has said nothing, yet you, a junior, are so arrogant. You are clearly lacking in discipline!"

The Empress Dowager declared, "Put away those suspicious thoughts. Your mother’s character is impeccable; it is not as you imagine. If you continue to be so insolent, don't blame me for withdrawing my affection. Do not come to the Shoukang Palace again."

Xiao Huaiqing’s eyes were bloodshot as he shouted in frustration, "Why do you all protect her? What is so good about her? She is nothing but a woman who married into the royal family to bring good fortune to my father! She relies on her looks to charm everyone—she is a disaster!"

"Presumptuous!"

"Huaiqing, you have gone too far! Who taught you to be like this? You are a disgrace to your father!" the Emperor roared, realizing for the first time that his nephew was a complete fool.

Xiao Huaiqing was startled, but seeing Lin Yue remain as steady as a mountain, he assumed she knew the Emperor would take her side. He shouted indignantly, "Imperial Uncle, have you been bewitched by her too? She is not a good person. Why won't you believe me?"

The Empress laughed in anger. "You say your mother is not a good person, yet you came to beg her to return? To let you and Su Yingyue torment her?"

Xiao Huaiqing was choked for words. "I..."

The Empress Dowager slammed the table. "You scoundrel! What 'I'? I didn't believe it when your mother said you bullied her, but it seems she was being modest. How can you call this anything but bullying? You are riding roughshod over her, engaging in character assassination—it is a hundred times worse than mere cold violence!"

Lin Yue looked at the Empress and the Empress Dowager in surprise. She had not expected them to be such formidable allies; she almost wanted to applaud.

*(System, wow, giving the Empress Dowager that nutrient solution was definitely the right choice. I don't even have to worry about her fainting from high blood pressure when she gets angry now.)*

System: *[Don't get too excited. Xiao Huaiqing’s behavior is so abnormal that I suspect he has realized he cares about you.]*

Lin Yue scoffed internally: *(Cares about me? By trying every way possible to kill me? And when he can't, teaming up with those around him to bully me, hoping everyone who meets me will despise me, so that he can be the only one who pities me, and I’ll have to be obedient and let him control me for the rest of my life? Please, he’s the one with the broken brain, not me. Why should I care what he wants? He is disgusting and doesn't even know it—he's absolutely the worst.)*

*(And he’s supposed to be the male lead? Puh-lease! I really want the Fourth Prince to rise up and end him. I don't want to see him get the last laugh.)*

*The Fourth Prince will rise up??* The Empress made a mental note!

*How can the Fourth Prince rise up? What about the Crown Prince?* The Emperor frowned, his disgust for Xiao Huaiqing deepening.

The Empress Dowager sensitively realized that, just as the system had said, her grandson’s concern for Lin Yue had exceeded normal boundaries. This would never do! It was against ethics and could lead to him being killed!

The Empress Dowager immediately said, "Huaiqing, go home. Your wife is waiting for you."

"As for your mother’s affairs, I will say this one last time: she is your mother, your elder, and a woman you must never interfere with. If there is a next time, you will be sent to your father’s fief and never allowed to return."

Xiao Huaiqing was horrified. "Imperial Grandmother..."

The Empress Dowager raised a hand to stop him. "Go home and ask Chief Clerk Bai and everyone around you who cares for you. Ask them what they think—ask if a son is allowed to dictate to his own mother, let alone slander her maliciously!"

Xiao Huaiqing’s face turned pale. Unreconciled, he looked at Lin Yue. "Are you coming or not?"

Lin Yue replied, "I am not!"

Xiao Huaiqing clenched his fists, his heart seething with resentment. "Fine! Very well! Don't expect me to come and invite you again! Hmph!"

Watching Xiao Huaiqing storm out, Lin Yue said to the system: *(That idiot, just looking at him makes me angry! If the Great Wei really falls into his hands one day, I will definitely cultivate immortality and come back to destroy his country!)*

System: *[Calm down, calm down! The system has detected the host generating hostility; 2,000 merit points deducted!]*

Lin Yue: *(Damn it, if I had known, I should have just redeemed another bottle of nutrient solution. Heavens, I can't hate him, I can't kill him—how long must I endure this humiliation?!)*

The Emperor gulped. "...Nutrient solution??"

The Empress licked her lips. "...Even that gets deducted? It seems I need to be harder on Xiao Huaiqing next time, otherwise, when will it be my turn for that nutrient solution?"

The Empress Dowager looked down at her strong, capable hands. If she could have another bottle, wouldn't she be ten years younger? Indeed, that boy Xiao Huaiqing was truly asking for a beating!