Chapter 14, are you trying to kill me with obesity?!
“This…”
The palace maid paused, seeming unsure of how to approach the topic. She secretly glanced at Shen Qingmei’s face, trying to gauge the appropriate response without overstepping boundaries.
Otherwise, if she accidentally angered this unpredictable crown prince, her lowly life would be at his mercy with just a few words.
Seeing the hesitation, Shen Qingmei’s heart sank, already knowing the answer.
“Speak the truth, I won’t blame you,” Shen Qingmei granted permission, and the palace maid bowed respectfully before responding.
“I have been in the palace for less than three years, and I have had few opportunities to see the Crown Prince and the other princes and princesses. Therefore, I cannot make a definitive judgment. But during my time in the palace, I have heard some things. It is said that the Crown Prince did not always look like this when he was younger. It gradually developed over time… His Majesty once gathered all the imperial physicians in the Royal Hospital to diagnose and treat the Crown Prince, but they could not find any cause. The Crown Prince also underwent more than a year of treatment, but there was no improvement. Out of anger, he gave up.”
What the palace maid dared not mention was that several imperial physicians in the Royal Hospital were executed because of this incident, causing the entire hospital to be in a state of fear and paranoia.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingmei subconsciously raised an eyebrow.
Not born this way? It was caused by something later on?
From the perspective of modern medicine, hereditary obesity is the most difficult to treat. But if we exclude the possibility of bad genes, as long as Huangfu Chang’an himself doesn’t overindulge in food, there’s no way he could have turned out like this—after all, he looks like he’s fourteen or fifteen years old, right? He hasn’t even developed a beer belly like a middle-aged man!
Besides the normal reasons for gaining weight, Shen Qingmei also considered the possibility that someone had tampered with her own body. However, if even the Royal Hospital couldn’t diagnose any illness, she temporarily lacked any concrete evidence.
She touched her arm that resembled a radish and felt a sense of unease.
Could it be that this infatuated fool, unable to obtain the love of his beloved yet blood-related elder sister, resorted to self-destructive behavior out of sadness and despair?
Good heavens!
What kind of bizarre creatures had she encountered!
He was clearly the most esteemed crown prince in the entire palace, yet he was overwhelmingly obese and extremely ugly, subject to disdain and ridicule, becoming the laughingstock of the world—
Shen Qingmei suddenly started to admire this person’s mental resilience. His ability to withstand such blows was damn impressive. Despite turning out like this, he still gallivanted around, competing with his future sister-in-law for a man. If it were an ordinary person, they would have long given up and retreated with a noose around their neck!
Clearly, he was the most hideous and dull-witted heir in the entire royal family. Any random prince would surpass him by a thousandfold, yet he was chosen to be the crown prince—
Shen Qingmei admired the father emperor whom she had not yet met. What kind of emperor was he? Only a blind fool would have chosen Huangfu Chang’an as the crown prince. Didn’t he realize that this would easily cause turmoil in the country?
Her heart twisted with frustration when suddenly a group of palace maids entered the chamber, carrying various dishes that were placed on the table. The array of colors and variety was dazzling.
The leading palace maid, aware of Shen Qingmei’s presence at the bedside, inquired as customary, despite hearing about her memory loss.
“Your Highness, would you like the food to be brought in or would you prefer to have your meal outside?”
Eat, eat, eat! What a load of nonsense!
She couldn’t see what was on the table, but the clinking sounds alone indicated that there were at least twenty to thirty dishes. It was said that the palace was extravagant in terms of food, clothing, and other expenses, and it truly seemed excessively lavish!
Having just eaten some snacks, Shen Qingmei didn’t feel hungry. And with the dreadful news that she was now a chubby and round “Tianzi No. 1,” she had no mood to eat. Annoyed, she waved her hand impatiently.
“Forget about it, I have no appetite!”
“…Understood.”
The palace maid retreated with a response, and in no time, the plates were taken away with a clatter.
There was one persistent individual, however, who approached with a plate of pastries held in both hands and knelt down gracefully by the bedside, raising the plate above their head. “Your Highness, this is a special crab roe pastry made by Prince Lanyi specifically for you. It’s a pastry that you particularly enjoy. If you were to return it untouched, Prince Lanyi would be heartbroken.”
“I said I have no appetite, don’t you understand human language?” Shen Qingmei impatiently waved her hand, knocking the plate of crab roe pastry to the ground, her face filled with anger. “What does it matter if it’s blue clothes, green clothes, or red clothes? If you like it, go ahead and eat it yourself! You’re forcing me to eat even when I’m already this fat. Are you deliberately trying to make me die of obesity?”
Unexpectedly, Shen Qingmei’s outburst startled the palace maid, who immediately bowed and trembled, begging for forgiveness.
“Please, Your Highness, calm down! I dare not!”
“Hmph!” Shen Qingmei let out a cold snort. “Just get out!”
Did these people not understand how to read her mood, or did they simply not care about her feelings? Every time she spoke, she had to repeat herself for them to take it seriously. Did her first words automatically vanish into thin air?
She had no authority!
Huangfu Chang’an, you have failed miserably as the crown prince!
After instructing the palace maids to clean the floor, the eunuch she had initially encountered was also preparing to leave. Shen Qingmei softly called out to stop him.
“Halt!”
The eunuch walked at the back, knowing well that Shen Qingmei’s call was specifically for him. He had to turn around to inquire, “Your Highness, do you have any orders?”
“Come here.”
Reluctantly, the eunuch moved back to the bedside.
“What is your name?”
“My name is Zhaode. Your Highness used to call me Xiaozhaozi.”
Shen Qingmei sat up straight. There was a question she had been wanting to ask for a long time, but hadn’t had the chance to ask yet.
“Xiaozhaozi, I want to know why such a big accident happened to me, and yet father emperor hasn’t come to the palace to visit me.”
“Um…”
Although Xiaozhaozi didn’t particularly like this Crown Prince, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him in his current situation. Losing memory meant something significant for the Crown Prince, almost obvious without explanation.
Thinking about it, Xiaozhaozi couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. He had long been used to the power struggles within the palace. Previously, His Majesty had been under immense pressure to secure the Seventh Prince’s position as the Crown Prince. But now… even if His Majesty favored the Seventh Prince, the situation might not be optimistic!
“That’s because His Majesty is not in the palace.”
“Not in the palace? What do you mean?”
“His Majesty goes out of the palace at this time every year. It could be as short as half a month or as long as two to three months.”
“Out of the palace?” Damn! Is he going on a secret disguise visit? It sounds so advanced! “Did father emperor say when he will return to the palace?”
Xiaozhaozi shook his head. “The length of His Majesty’s time away from the palace is uncertain. He has already been away for over a month this time. He might return to the palace soon, but it’s also possible that he will have to wait a bit longer.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingmei fell silent.
If her support hasn’t returned yet, would it be dangerous for her to stay in the palace?
“You may leave now!” Suddenly remembering something, Shen Qingmei spoke up to dismiss Xiaozhaozi. She caught a glimpse of the snacks and fruits placed nearby and couldn’t help adding, “Take all these foods away!”
Damn it! She wanted to lose weight! She wanted to be thin!
Thin, thin, thin! Thin like a flash of lightning, blinding those foolish people!
Once Xiaozhaozi left the palace and closed the door, Shen Qingmei looked around, testing the mood, and called out, “Where are the secret guards?”
—Hmm, it seems like that’s how it’s portrayed on TV!
As expected, a figure emerged from a secluded corner and knelt halfway at the bedside, saying, “What are your orders, Your Highness?”
Pfft—!
It turned out to be a woman! How rare!
“Oh, so there really are secret guards…” Shen Qingmei smacked her lips, instantly feeling much more at ease. At least she didn’t have to worry about assassins and such. “Wait, if you’ve been following me all this time, why didn’t you intervene and save me on the day I fell into the water?”
The woman dressed in black martial attire, kneeling with one knee on the ground, kept her head half lowered, making it difficult to see her face. However, her cold aura made it clear that she was a mature and authoritative woman.
“At that time, I was led away by someone.”
“Hmm,” Shen Qingmei reluctantly found this answer somewhat believable. She nodded and smiled, saying, “I thought you were going to say you went to the restroom or something…”
Upon hearing this, Bai Su couldn’t help but twitch her eye corner. Is it really okay for Your Highness to be like this now? How will she explain it when His Majesty returns?!
Compared to the eunuchs like Xiaozhaozi who were openly visible, the secret guards were obviously much more reliable. Shen Qingmei was about to gather more information about the imperial family from the woman when suddenly a cold male voice sounded at the door.
“Lan Yi requests an audience with Your Highness.”
Shen Qingmei furrowed her brows and looked at the mature secret guard. “Who is this Lan Yi in blue and green attire?”
Bai Su calmly replied, “Lan Yi is a male favored by Your Highness.”
…Oh my goodness! A favored male?!
Did she hear it correctly?!
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