Chapter 453 Mother and Son’s Doubts

Chapter 453: Mother and Son at Odds

He lowered his voice and whispered in Luo Qianxue's ear, "Can you stop causing a fuss? The Crown Prince is your brother. If I'm not upset that he's sitting there, why should you be?"

"Today is our wedding day, after all. My parents and all these guests are sitting here. Do you have the heart to let them watch our Xue family make fools of ourselves?"

"It's just bowing during the ceremony. Can't you just bear it for a moment?"

Hearing this, Luo Qianxue was so furious she nearly burst into tears.

Before anything had even happened, Xue Cheng was already making her swallow her pride!

Why should she have to endure it when Luo Qingge and Xie Liuzheng didn't? Why was it always her?

If she endured it today, would she have to endure everything from now on? How could she live like that?

At that moment, Luo Qianxue desperately wanted to rip off her veil and declare she wouldn't marry him after all!

But reason won out. She knew full well she couldn't do that.

After all, Xue Cheng was the one she'd insisted on marrying, and it was her own mother who'd suggested giving Luo Jingshen the seat of honor.

No matter how she looked at it, she didn't have a leg to stand on.

Luo Qianxue could only force herself to swallow this bitter pill.

The Xues exchanged glances but didn't dare breathe a word. Consort Li, however, was grinning from ear to ear.

She was thoroughly pleased with Luo Jingshen's performance.

She never expected him to show up at the Xue residence on his own today and cooperate so well.

Consort Li felt that Luo Jingshen had finally come around and was willing to accept her. Even the way she looked at him was full of tenderness.

This scene cut Luo Qianxue to the quick.

Sure enough, her mother still couldn't get over that Dog Crown Prince.

For his sake, she didn't hesitate to put him in Father Emperor's seat and make her kneel to him.

Luo Qianxue's eyes were rimmed with red. Xue Cheng gave her another tug.

"It's time to bow. What are you daydreaming about?"

Luo Qianxue snapped out of it and reluctantly knelt down.

After the wedding ceremony, maidservants helped Luo Qianxue to the bridal chamber.

Xue's parents and Xue Cheng stayed in the front hall to host the guests, and the one they flattered the most was Luo Jingshen.

On ordinary days, with his low-ranking fifth-rank sinecure, Xue Father could never get close to Luo Jingshen.

Today, he went all out to flatter him, and as a result, Luo Jingshen was plied with plenty of wine.

Consort Li couldn't stand it any longer. She stepped forward and cut them off coldly.

"There are many guests today, and the Crown Prince doesn't hold his liquor well. Lord Xue, why don't you go see to the other guests?"

"Someone, escort the Crown Prince to a guest room to rest."

Luo Jingshen was helped away by guards, and Consort Li sent Jian Lan to trail behind at a distance.

She watched until she saw exactly which room Luo Jingshen entered.

After Jian Lan returned and quietly reported to Consort Li, the latter used a headache as an excuse to retire to the guest quarters.

In reality, she went straight to Luo Jingshen's guest room to find him.

The moment Consort Li entered, the pungent smell of alcohol hit her. She saw Luo Jingshen hunched over the edge of the bed, throwing up violently.

Panic surged in her heart. She hurried over and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

"Shen'er, are you feeling any better? I'll have someone make you a bowl of hangover soup right away."

She stood up to call Jian Lan to make the soup, but Luo Jingshen grabbed her sleeve.

"No need. I'm not drunk."

These past few days, he'd been so gloomy and irritable that he'd barely eaten anything.

That was why the wine he'd just drunk came right back up.

Luo Jingshen sat up in bed, his deep, brooding eyes boring into Consort Li.

"Is everything you said true? Am I really the son of you and Fourth Imperial Uncle?"

He'd already confirmed he wasn't Emperor Jingyang's blood, but he still had his doubts.

Seeing that he had indeed sobered up considerably, Consort Li quickly went to shut the doors and windows. After making sure no one was outside, she came back.

She sat by the bed and said, "It's absolutely true. How could I possibly lie to you about something like this? Surely you've seen how I treat Luo Junhe."

"If he were really my son, would I have tormented him like that?"

Luo Jingshen furrowed his brow, his sharp gaze boring into Consort Li.

"Since you knew he was the Empress's biological son, why didn't you just find a way to kill him and nip the problem in the bud?"

"Instead, you let Luo Junhe grow up, and now he's married such a capable princess who helps and backs him at every turn."

"If your baby-swapping scheme ever comes to light, do you have any idea what would happen to all of us!?"

At the mention of this, Consort Li was overcome with regret. She should have killed Luo Junhe a long time ago.

But because of her selfish motives, she hadn't wanted Luo Junhe to die so quickly. Instead, she took pleasure in tormenting him.

It was because she felt that Luo Junhe was the Empress's son, and tormenting him was equivalent to wounding the Empress's heart.

Consort Li harbored deep jealousy toward the Empress and only wanted to make her suffer, which gave Luo Junhe chance after chance to catch his breath.

But now, facing Luo Jingshen's questioning, she certainly couldn't tell the truth.

Because it would make her look both foolish and incompetent, and she didn't want Luo Jingshen to think less of her.

Consort Li's mind worked quickly. As she thought, her expression fell, and she said with a look of deep anguish, "Do you think I didn't want to eliminate Luo Junhe? It's because he's too formidable!"

"Earlier on the battlefield, I sent people to ambush him multiple times along the way, but he dodged them every time. It wasn't until the last attempt that he was severely wounded."

"Later, at the palace banquet, I set a fire to burn him to death, but who knew he'd be so lucky—he only ended up disfigured and blinded, but he still didn't die."

"Over the years, while I've been raising the Empress's son for her, there hasn't been a single day I didn't want to kill Luo Junhe. It's just that his luck has been too good, so..."

Before Consort Li could finish her words, Luo Jingshen interrupted her.

A faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Do you think I would believe that?"

"Perhaps you did do those things, but you never truly intended to kill him. Luo Junhe lay in bed for three years, too weak to even lift a hand—anyone could have stepped on him."

"As his birth mother, you had countless opportunities to end his life outright, yet you chose not to. Instead, you got your kicks from tormenting him."

"Now look what's happened. You suggested having the young lady of the Marquis Yongning's household marry him to dispel his bad luck, and instead, he ended up wed to Ji Yuntang. Now his face and eyes have been healed, and with Ji Yuntang's medical skills, it's only a matter of time before Luo Junhe stands on his own two feet."

"By doing this, you've undoubtedly planted a ticking time bomb for both me and yourself. If his true identity is ever discovered, then the two of us, the Fourth Imperial Uncle, and even your daughter—everyone in the Cao family—will die!"

Consort Li had pondered this matter before, but she believed that since no one had uncovered the truth in over twenty years, it was unlikely anyone would ever discover Luo Junhe's identity in the future.

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