Chapter 384: What Kind of Influence Does He Truly Have?
Yu Luo’s attitude was enough to make the Third Prince fume with frustration. If she weren’t his life-saving benefactor, he would have already taught her a lesson about the consequences of offending him.
“Third Royal Brother, why are you here so early? Did you also hear that the Crown Prince found a remarkable doctor to treat Father today?”
Just as the Third Prince was inwardly cursing, a large group of people approached from a distance. The grand entourage, accompanied by personal attendants, made Yu Luo instinctively lower her head.
Fortunately, she had altered her disguise today. As long as she didn’t speak, the Fourth Prince and A’Bai—who had seen her yesterday—would not recognize her.
While she had no reason to be wary of A’Bai, if he realized she had entered the palace under the Third Prince’s protection in this disguise, he would certainly overthink it and worry about her.
With that thought, Yu Luo tucked her head even lower.
Hearing the Fourth Prince’s teasing remark, the Third Prince stood and greeted the approaching group with a formal salute.
“Eldest Brother, I see Second and Fourth Brothers have also arrived?”
The Eldest Prince, Leng Yueteng, gave a slight nod, his face expressionless.
“I met them outside just now. The other concubines, young princes, and princesses have been barred from entering per the Empress Dowager’s decree.”
“With such strict measures in place, it seems the doctor our Crown Prince found must be truly exceptional. Hopefully, Father will recover soon,” the Fourth Prince remarked, his usual flippant demeanor giving way to seriousness.
“I didn’t realize Father was inside either. The guards just informed me. We might as well wait here,” the Third Prince suggested.
He invited the group to sit at the stone table with him, and none of them noticed Yu Luo standing quietly behind him.
As they sat down and began conversing, time passed quickly.
By noon, the side hall doors still had not opened.
It wasn’t until late afternoon, at the hour of Shen (between 3-5 PM), that the doors finally creaked open, and the Empress Dowager and Empress emerged one after another.
The gathered princes immediately stepped forward and bowed in greeting.
“You’re all here? As you should be. Your father is doing well now, but he must rest. Return in three days to pay your respects,” the Empress Dowager announced.
The surgery itself hadn’t taken much time, but they had waited for the Emperor to wake up before permitting anyone to be informed. That wait had stretched from dawn until now.
Hearing the Empress Dowager’s words, the princes all visibly relaxed.
Meanwhile, Yu Luo—whose feet were sore from standing—scanned the crowd anxiously but couldn’t find Ye Jiamei. This only made her more worried.
“Your Majesty, I request permission to personally tend to Father,” the Eldest Prince, Leng Yueteng, suddenly stepped forward and knelt before the Empress Dowager.
His words immediately put the Crown Prince on guard, while the Third and Fourth Princes exchanged subtle glances, frowning at the Eldest Prince’s unexpected move.
The Crown Prince sneered inwardly.
There was no way the Empress Dowager would allow anyone near the Emperor while he recovered—not even himself, the Crown Prince.
The Empress Dowager was well aware of the Eldest Prince’s ambitions.
“That won’t be necessary. Your father requires rest. In the meantime, assist the Crown Prince in handling state affairs. That is the best way you can show filial piety,” the Empress Dowager said firmly.
“Eldest Brother, the doctor attending Father will personally care for him in the coming days. It’s best we do not disturb him,” the Crown Prince added smoothly.
Hearing this, the Eldest Prince maintained his usual cold expression but ultimately nodded and stood.
“Return to your duties. Your father is under my watch. You need not worry,” the Empress Dowager declared.
With that, the princes had no choice but to leave.
Yu Luo, who had hoped to see her mother, was disappointed. She had no choice but to follow the Third Prince out of the palace.
The moment they boarded the carriage, the Third Prince noticed her sulking.
“I’ll bring you back in three days,” he offered.
Yu Luo’s face lit up with a trace of joy.
“Can you arrange for someone to watch over the hall in the meantime? I fear my mother may be in danger. The Emperor is not fully recovered yet. If someone doesn’t want him to survive, they might target her,” Yu Luo said, her brows knitted in concern.
Seeing her think so far ahead, the Third Prince’s eyes flickered with admiration.
“The Empress Dowager has already spoken. I can’t interfere too much. But don’t worry—the last people who want the Emperor to die are the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince. Your mother was brought in by the Crown Prince himself. He won’t let anything happen to her.”
Hearing this, Yu Luo finally relaxed a little.
When the carriage arrived at the alleyway, the Third Prince seemed ready to accompany her inside, but Yu Luo quickly declined.
“So, you still don’t trust me?” he asked, amused.
“It’s not that,” Yu Luo replied. “But my identity is sensitive. It’s best not to give others an opportunity to use it against you. I don’t want to bring trouble to you, Your Highness. Thank you for today. I’ll take my leave.”
With that, she turned and walked away.
The Third Prince watched her until she disappeared into the alley.
One of his guards hesitated. “Your Highness, should I follow her?”
“No need. She’s cautious. Even if you follow her, you won’t find out where she’s staying. Besides, she made it clear she doesn’t want me to follow.”
“Understood.”
The guard paused before adding, “Your Highness… is it possible that the young lady simply doesn’t realize your worth? Even the legitimate daughter of the Marquis only became a secondary consort to the Crown Prince. Yet this girl—a mere concubine’s daughter—rejected Your Highness outright.”
The Third Prince smirked.
“She really doesn’t know how to appreciate a good offer. Forget it. Let’s head back.”
The carriage rolled away.
In the shadows, Yu Luo stepped out of a corner, watching the vehicle disappear before finally turning toward her residence.
When she arrived, she locked eyes with Chi Jinchen, who was sipping tea in the courtyard.
A guilty look flashed across her face.
“I know you entered the palace today,” he said. “Wasn’t that a bit too risky?”
Yu Luo stiffened.
“You knew?”
Chi Jinchen’s warm gaze held a trace of exasperation, though to Yu Luo, it looked like his usual expression.
“Of course. I was the one who brought you here. How could I not be concerned about your safety?”
Yu Luo hesitated.
“I won’t act on my own next time,” she muttered.
“I’m not blaming you. I just worry about you.”
He put down his teacup.
“Rest assured—even if the Empress Dowager has guards watching over the hall, your mother is already under my protection. No harm will come to her.”
Yu Luo’s eyes widened slightly.
“Chi Jinchen… who exactly are you?”
Even the Third Prince couldn’t arrange guards in the palace, yet Chi Jinchen could.
Yu Luo was now more curious than ever—just what kind of influence did he truly wield?
