Silent Lover (The Silent Concubine) - Chap 86
The Queen Consort, accustomed to a life of luxury in the palace, would usually spend the chilly spring days cozying up by the fireplace. However, on this particular day, she suddenly decided to go out for a spring outing and managed to persuade the Prince to visit the West Mountain to see the welcome spring flowers…
Despite not being a regular worshipper, the Queen Consort had a vegetarian meal in the temple on the West Mountain, listened to sutras, and didn’t return to the palace with the Prince until late at night…
Occasionally, the Queen Consort would peek out of the carriage, as if waiting for something. Finally, at the intersection near the moat, she saw what she had been waiting for.
“Hmm? My Lord, there’s another carriage over there, rushing so late towards the West Mountain. Are they also going to pray?” The Queen Consort casually pointed out, her sharp eyes noticing the emblem of the Prince’s estate on the carriage…
“It’s the Prince’s carriage.”
“The Prince’s? Has the Prince arranged for someone to go to the West Mountain?”
The Prince denied it, much to the Queen Consort’s astonishment…
“Quick! Stop that carriage!”
Shen Yu sat inside the carriage, finishing a few notes just in case he met the Prince and didn’t have the patience to convey his gestures…
“Whoa!”
The carriage abruptly stopped, and the papers in Shen Yu’s hand almost flew away…
A larger carriage blocked the road, and the Queen Consort stepped down from her carriage, walking over slowly.
“Who are you people from the Prince’s estate? Why haven’t you dismounted and bowed to your master?”
“Your servant Sun Lao Liu greets the Queen Consort…”
Sun Lao Liu seemed unsure of himself…
“Sun Lao Liu? My Lord, I recognize him. He used to be a servant in the Prince’s estate, but a year ago, he was sent to the Warm Spring Manor for being unclean and lecherous, always harassing the maids…”
The Queen Consort said to the people inside the carriage, then turned to Sun Lao Liu with suspicion. “Why aren’t you at the manor at this late hour? Why did you come here?”
“Your servant… your servant was… ordered by the Prince to go to the West Mountain…”
Sun Lao Liu wiped the sweat from his forehead…
Shen Yu was even more puzzled. Wasn’t the Warm Spring Manor ahead? Could it be that Sun Lao Liu had taken him on the wrong path?
“When did I ever order you to go to the West Mountain?”
The stern voice from inside the carriage rang out, and Shen Yu saw the Prince stepping out from the curtains.
“So, my Lord went to the West Mountain. Why did Sun Lao Liu lie to me and say he was at the manor?”
“Sun Lao Liu, are you and Shen Yu planning to elope while my Lord and I are away?”
The Queen Consort’s words sounded like a foregone conclusion, her face full of anger.
“Imperial Concubine, I never imagined that you, under my Lord’s nose, would collude with Sun Lao Liu! I thought you were a rule-abiding person, but I never expected you to be so shameless and do such despicable things!”
The Queen Consort made a decisive judgment…
Shen Yu’s face turned pale. He hadn’t interacted with many people, was unfamiliar with the ways of the world, and didn’t know there was so much scheming and framing. He finally understood that the Prince hadn’t summoned him at all; the Queen Consort had been waiting for him on this road…
“Imperial Concubine, don’t blame me for not giving you a chance. If you want to clear your name with Sun Lao Liu, just explain loudly. I’m not an unreasonable person. You can say that I’ve falsely accused you.”
Shen Yu’s hands and feet went cold. How could he explain? Where should he start explaining? The Prince didn’t even believe in his innocence with Emperor Yeh…
“I… I didn’t…”
Shen Yu made a gesture but then weakly dropped his hands. He didn’t know many sign languages. The Prince’s cold and indifferent eyes made him shiver, feeling as if the entire dark night was pressing down on him, suffocating him…
“Aren’t you good at making gestures? Have you run out of words?” The Queen Consort sneered, “Catch these two adulterers! Oh, no, let’s not call them men or women, let’s just call you, the Imperial Concubine, neither male nor female… I don’t even know what to call you anymore.”
“Yu’er! Run! I’ll hold them off, you don’t need to worry about me!”
Sun Lao Liu suddenly grabbed the bundle from Shen Yu’s arms and shielded him, standing in front of Shen Yu. Shen Yu instinctively tried to take back the bundle; it contained his most important belongings…
However, Sun Lao Liu’s and Shen Yu’s struggle, seen through the Prince’s eyes, was just a scene of two contemptible lovers plotting to elope, a heartbreaking scene of separation between two lovers.
