《The Princess Wei Yang》
Prologue
Life is unpredictable. Her husband loved her stepsister, deposed her as Empress and even forced her son into death. In that Cold Pce, she was forced to drink poisonous wine. So in the next lifetime, she made a promise to never do good deeds and help others, to never step into the pce and to never be the Empress!
At the Prime Minister¡¯s estate, the mistress¡¯ daughter is reborn into a she-devil.
An evil stepmother? I will make sure you go to Hell!
A two-faced, hypocritical older stepsister? I will rip apart that beautiful fa?ade!
A scheming younger stepsister? I will throw you into the grave!
You guys didn¡¯t let me live peacefully so you should also expect the same!
Initially wanted to stay away from disaster as far as possible; however, a man¡¯s heart is like a needle in the sea¡ªimpossible to search for, impossible to understand.
The man who once swore to abandon her yet became someone who can¡¯t live without her.
The enemy from the past lifetime suddenly confesses his feelings for her.
Even worse, she is bothered by a handsome man with a thick-skinned who doesn¡¯t know how to give up!
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Chapter 1
The Deposed Empress
Da Li.
Under the roof of the Cold Pce, Li Wei Yang counted six fleas in her long hair. It¡¯s been years since shest bathed, causing her to feel as if there was a thick armor on her body. Catching fleas has be the only method to kill time.
12 years. She has been imprisoned inside the Cold Pce for 12 years. Wei Yang lifted her head up into the sky. Every time it rains, her legs would ache, bing so painful that it made her want to go crazy.
She was Prime Minister Li Xiao Ran¡¯s biological daughter. Unfortunately, she was not born from the first wife but a mistress. Her mother was merely a maid of lowly ss. Not to mention, she was born in February, coinciding with the saying that any female born in the month of February was a misfortune to the family. As a result, her father sent her to a distant rtive to be raised in foster care. However, even the distant rtive didn¡¯t want to raise a mere stepchild born from a lowly maid. They sent her off to a rural area for her to survive on her own. Her father was the Prime Minister and her family background was one of the most powerful and influential in Da Li yet she had to depend on herself to do house chores and even farm work.
She was abandoned and forgotten. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact her older stepsister, Li Zhang Le, refusing to marry that person then her father and Da Furen (first wife) would probably never spare her a second look . . .
Zhang Le, Wei Yang, their mere names set them worlds apart.
When she first returned to the Li¡¯s estate, she was filled with joy and happiness. She had naively believed her father had finally remembered her, only to have overheard her father say to her beautiful and elegant stepsister, Li Zhang Le: ¡°Xian Hui, you can be at ease now. Wei Yang will take your ce and marry Tuo Ba Zhen instead.¡±
Older sister Li Zhang Le was also given the name Xian Hui. Her name was truly beautiful, at least that was what Wei Yang thought at the time. Soon, this particr name would be her worst nightmare.
Eventually, she listened to her father¡¯s decision and married the Third Prince, Tuo Ba Zhen, instead of Zhang Le. She willingly and wholeheartedly helped Tuo Ba Zhen realize his ambitions, slowly watching as he went from Third Prince to be the Emperor. She had even given birth to his son, Yu Li. Once Tuo Ba Zhen became Emperor, he also made her Empress. All of this happened within 8 years.
Tuo Ba Zhen once said she had soft skin and was a first ss beauty. But a first ss beauty still could not bepared to a fairy with ethereal beauty. Just a nce and anyone could see the difference between them was wide and embarrassing.
What happened after? After. . .
Every time Li Wei Yang remembers that particr day, she would burst outughing. Laughing at her young and naive self,ughing at the present her and the past her, at how different the two have be.
She could still remember that night clearly. The pce maids and everyone in Kun Ning Pce was punished immediately on scene, as if they were impatient to bring it all to a conclusion or to keep everything a hidden secret. The maids weren¡¯t even brought to the torture chamber but were punished right outside of her bedchamber.
The entrance to Kun Ning Pce was locked. All the ones to be punished had their mouths stuffed and muted. In a blink of an eye, Kun Ning Pce had turned into a bloody mess. Li Wei Yang was dragged in front of Emperor Tuo Ba Zhen.
In Tuo Ba Zhen¡¯s usual astute gaze, there was now a sharp, cold and ruthless look. ¡°You bitch! She is your blood-rted sister and yet you so cruelly tried to harm her.¡±
Li Wei Yang was filled with anguish but still said, ¡°Harm her? I have never harmed her!¡±
Mercilessly Tuo Ba Zhen hit her in the chest causing blood to spill out of Li Wei Yang¡¯s mouth. He looked at her with disdain. ¡°Wretch! Zhang Le was suffering inbor but I wasn¡¯t there. A maid went to look for you, pleading for your help, but why did you closed your doors and turned your head the other away? It¡¯s obvious you were trying to harm her! If I didn¡¯te back in time, both mother and child would¡¯ve died!¡±
Lifting her head, her eyes fell on Tuo Ba Zhen. He was just as handsome now as then, like he didn¡¯t belong in this world. The truth is, she has never understood this man in front of her. She herself didn¡¯t know who the man she loved was, what kind of person he was. One minute he could be gentle and sweet, but he could also be cold and ruthless. She felt like aughingstock for being deluded in her one-sided affections for him, not realizing that he had never needed her.
Li Wei Yangughed coldly. ¡°Your Majesty is thinking of jiejie, but have you ever thought of Yu Li ¨C our son? On the same day yours and jiejie¡¯s child is to be born, my Yu Li was severely ill and suffering on his deathbed! Is it wrong of me to call upon the Imperial Doctor? Zhang Le is human, but so am I! She has sessfully given birth. Even the child is given the title of Crown Prince upon birth, but my Yu Li has died! You once promised me you would let Yu Li be the Crown Prince. Aren¡¯t you already the Emperor? Why are you changing your mind? Why!?¡±
His face was cold, looking at her with indifference. ¡°I already gave you the title of Empress, but you still don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough! You¡¯re greedily eyeing the title of Crown Prince too!¡±
Li Wei Yang could only taste blood in her mouth. Her voice was cold and frosty like ciers. ¡°Empress? That¡¯s right, I am the Empress, but the royal decree to depose me is already sitting in front of you. You were merely waiting for Zhang Le to finish giving birth so that you could stamp your seal! Tuo Ba Zhen, what have I done wrong? I¡¯ve been married to you for eight years. How have I treated you?¡± she asked as she pulled open her outer shirt to reveal a scary scar on her chest.
¡°In the 38th year of Xiandi, I shielded you from an assassination attempt and left a scar right here in the middle of my chest. In the 40th year of Xiandi, knowing that the Crown Prince had poisoned the wine, I drank it in your stead. In the 41st year of Xiandi, knowing Seventh Prince wanted to kill you, I traveled day and night by horse for thousands of miles just so I could inform you! In the 42nd year of Xiandi, when you were aiding in the disaster relief and got infected, I alone took care of you for 48 days straight! When you became the Emperor, what did you promise me, do you even remember? You said as long as you are the Emperor, I will always be the Empress. But then right after, you became infatuated with Li Zhang Le. Not only did you let her son be the Crown Prince, but you also wanted to depose me! Tuo Ba Zhen, you truly did not disappoint me!¡±
Tuo Ba Zhen stared at her with an indifferent and apathetic expression. His apathy was so natural, as if he was born with that countenance. His expression made her heart feel as if it was being squeezed tightly, feeling as if a very small but very sharp needle had suddenly stabbed deep into her heart at the moment she least expected it. She took in a sharp breath of air. However, on her face remained a stubborn look but deep in her gaze was grief and loss.
¡°Zhang Le is the person I love. Even though my original intention was to depose you, I was still going to let you reside in the pce so that you don¡¯t have to worry about food and shelter and livefortably for the rest of your life.¡±
¡°Livefortably for the rest of my life?¡± Something sharp poked a hole inside her chest. First the hole was small but slowly, little by little, the hole became bigger, until it felt like her heart had beenpletely crushed. Li Wei Yang was like an iceberg about to crumble and shatter into pieces. They were a married couple for eight years, experiencing the ups and downs together. At his most difficult time, she was the only one beside him but when he became the Emperor, he suddenly loved Zhang Le. He wanted to depose her but at the same time, said he didn¡¯t want her to worry about food and shelter.
¡°Everything I¡¯ve done was for you. Just to protect you, I didn¡¯t even care about my own life but in the end all I¡¯ve received is a saying to not worry about food and shelter? 8 years! We¡¯ve been husband and wife for 8 years, but it can¡¯t even bepared to Li Zhang Le¡¯s beauty. Afortable life? Who needs afortable life? All of the danger and suffering I endured is to achieve what I have today but you so easily handed it to some other woman! Yet you want me to be grateful towards you guys?¡±
Tuo Ba Zhen pounded his hands down on the table. The teapot fell to the ground. He frowned. ¡°Shut up! What other woman?! Zhang Le is your sister!¡±
Li Wei Yang sneered. ¡°Sister? She is the fairy sent from heaven, she is the noble youngdy of the Li family, and what about me? I¡¯m merely the mistress¡¯s daughter, a misfortune that my father wouldn¡¯t even look at, like the dirt on the ground! If she had really thought of me as her sister, how could she steal my husband from me? How could she steal the position of Crown Prince from my son?¡±
Tuo Ba Zhen softly scoffed. He lowered his gaze onto Li Wei Yang¡¯s pale face. His gaze was wicked and intimidating to the point it could make a person forget how to breathe. ¡°Zhang Le is pure and kind-hearted. She wouldn¡¯t even kill an ant. You can¡¯t bepared to her! As for Yu Li, he has no respect or sense of filial piety. He dared to say disrespectful things towards Zhang Le. He has no rights to be the Crown Prince!¡±
Pure and kind-hearted? Since young, she was always the one helping others and doing the good deeds, but the person to benefit from it all was her sister. It¡¯s simply because she has the face of an Angel, beautiful enough to make others believe her heart was also a reflection of her appearance.
Li Wei Yang wanted tough at herself. His voice was like a sword, stabbing straight into her heart as blood oozed out. It felt like there were hot tears streaming out of her empty, dried up eyes.
Her eyes were filled with unspeakable despair. ¡°That¡¯s right, I can¡¯t bepared to Zhang Le but Yu Li is innocent. He¡¯s a 4 year old child. There are many things he doesn¡¯t understand. He sees his mother hurting and crying, that¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t help but to say some resentful words towards Zhang Le, but you¡¯re so cold-hearted to lock him up for 3 days and 3 nights!¡±
Tuo Ba Zhen emotionlessly stared at her without saying a word.
Her heart broke even more. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that, his lungs wouldn¡¯t be infected. He wouldn¡¯t have to die at an age so young! He¡¯s your flesh and blood. All because of one word from you that he is too disrespectful and you treated him like that. Am I wrong? I called upon all the Imperial Doctors to treat him because I want to save my flesh and blood! You only think about Li Zhang Le. My Yu Li was suffering from a high fever. He told me that he was hurting. Do you understand how painful it was for me? If I could, I would trade my life in exchange for his. That precious son of yours has you and Li Zhang Le, but Yu Li only has me! Why should I go see Li Zhang Le and take care of her? At that moment, my Yu Li was fighting between life and death. Right now I don¡¯t need anything. All I want is for Yu Li to live again! I hate Li Zhang Le, I hate her to death. I hate that I can¡¯t mince her into pieces!¡±
¡°You bitch!¡± Tuo Ba Zhen was furious. He was filled with disgust and disdain for this woman before him. ¡°If you want to hate then hate me! She didn¡¯t want to enter the pce but it was me who forced her to enter the pce, wanting to make her the Empress. She¡¯s an innocent and kind-hearted person. How could she possibly have such an evil and scary little sister like you?¡± He walked quickly towards Li Wei Yang and evilly pulled on her hair. ¡°I will definitely not forgive you! I want you to suffer for the rest of your life! Guards! Cut off this bitch¡¯s legs and throw her into the Cold Pce!¡±
Then Wei Yang saw some sort of yellow thing. The pce was dark and somber, but that yellow thing blinded everything else. It was even brighter than the candlelight, prating through the entire world. She knew right then that it was the Emperor¡¯s royal decree to depose the Empress.
The Eunuch announced the decree. Somewhere, there was a pair of eyes that looked like poisonous arrows wanting to shoot through her heart. Her soul was lost, she was empty. All thoughts disappeared inside her head except for two words: revenge and hatred. She could not hear a word; her devastated soul had long flown away to somewhere far, far away.
Tuo Ba Zhen, you are ruthless. Truly ruthless!
Holding her heart, shey down on the ground but he didn¡¯t spare her a second look. He lifted his foot and kicked her mercilessly. This kick didn¡¯t just hurt her physically but had trampled on her dignity and spirit.
Li Wei Yangughed hysterically. She had once said she loved Jiang Nan¡¯sndscape. One of these days, when everything hase to an end, she wanted to go to Jiang Nan to view its scenery, to drink good tea, to listen to the best folk songs and to travel the world. Tuo Ba Zhen said he would remember those words for the rest of his life. And it¡¯s because he remembers, that¡¯s why he used this method to punish her. She said she wanted to travel the world, so he cut off her legs. She said she wanted to be Empress, so he deposed her and threw her into the Cold Pce. Tuo Ba Zhen, you are truly sinister, truly ruthless!
Under the Cold Pce¡¯s roof, Li Wei Yang slightly narrowed her eyes.
Afterwards, Tuo Ba Zhen made Li Zhang Le into Empress, made her son into Crown Prince. For the rest of their lives, they were loved and bathed in glory whereas Li Wei Yang had been forgotten and abandoned. Staying alive was merely to prolong thest breath. She had promised herself to live longer than Li Zhang Le. She must live longer than Li Zhang Le!
Right then, the doors to the Cold Pce opened. Li Wei Yang saw a faint ray of light through the crack in the door.
¡°Li Wei Yang, kneel and ept the decree!¡±
Kneel? Her legs were amputated, so how can she kneel?
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t understand what the man was saying. His voice was hoarse yet sharp to the ears. She was dragged out into the hallway by someone.
¡°The Emperor has decreed: the deposed Empress Li has no virtues and does not reflect on her wrong-doings, instead cursing the new Empress day and night. She is granted the poisoned wine!¡±
¡°Consort Li, don¡¯t me others. The Empress has been terrified and restless, losing sleep at night. The Emperor found a diviner and it was determined that your karma is too strong and opposes the Empress. You should hurry and go reincarnate!¡±
Poison wine. Of course it was going to be poison wine! Her life was spent as a good wife. She did everything for him. She was a good Empress. On the battlefield, she didn¡¯t care about her own health but personally went around and encouraged the soldiers¡¯ morale. When a natural disaster happened, she immediately donated silvers and gold to the citizens. Even if he got angry at her, she helped him point out and corrected his faults. She treated the pce maids and eunuchs with tolerance and kindness. But what happened to her now? When she was met with misfortune, not a single person hase forward to help her.
Li Wei Yangughed like a maniac. ¡°Tuo Ba Zhen, Li Zhang Le, good for you guys! You guys treated me so well! In the next lifetime, I ¨C Li Wei Yang ¨C swear to never do people favours, to never step into the pce and to never be the Empress!¡±
The senior eunuch looked at the deposed Empress Li with pity and sighed deeply. ¡°Drag her down.¡±
Miles away, Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice could still be heard. Her voice was hysterical but also filled with painful suffering. That noise sounded like endless curses filling up the entire pce, instilling fear into people¡¯s hearts. . . .
Chapter 2
The Unwanted Daughter
The candlelight was very faint.
Li Wei Yang was lying on the bed when she suddenly woke up. She could clearly hear the conversation going on outside.
Outside the room, Mrs. Ma was speaking cautiously. ¡°Mother, do you think we should go find a doctor for Third Miss? After all, she was sent by the Li¡¯s. If she dies. . .¡±
After listening to her daughter-inw¡¯s words, Mrs. Liu ¡®s face turned cold and callously replied, ¡°Thess thinks she¡¯s a nobledy, but from what I heard, she was born from a lowly maid who was in charge of washing feet. Not only that, she was born in February¡ªan utter misfortune. The Li¡¯s are a reputable family. They couldn¡¯t kill her so they sent her off to their distant rtives in Ping Cheng. Furthermore, Lao Tai Tai and Li Furen became sick consecutively. Isn¡¯t she a bad luck star to her family? That¡¯s why they panicked and sent her off to us here in the vige! In my opinion, not only is she a misfortune, she¡¯s azy pig. Every time she¡¯s given a small task, she would act as if it¡¯s killing her. That stinkingss!¡±
Li Wei Yang startled at the conversation. She studied the environment. This room didn¡¯t have much of anything. The most it had was a square table, four wooden chairs, a wardrobe andst but not least, the wooden bed she was currently lying on. This ce is¡ªHer mind was suddenly foggy. The outside conversation still went on loud and clear.
¡°When she was at the Li estate, she had maids and never had to do anything strenuous. Today she was a little careless and fell into the crack between the ice sheets, causing her to fall ill. It¡¯s not exactly her fault. . .¡± Right now the weather was extremely cold yet Mrs. Liu had forced Wei Yang, a young girl, to go do theundry at the frozenke. Mrs. Ma didn¡¯t have the heart to watch. Her voice became more worried and restless.
Mrs. Liu coldly scoffed. ¡°Even for a stillborn, there will be room left for affections but this 3rdMiss is totally useless. I gave her a small task but she can¡¯t do it as if I told her to do something impossible. What they say is true, who does she want to deceive. If I don¡¯t shove her, she won¡¯t move. Other people only take two steps but she has to take three steps. Watching her pretending to be ill over there makes me angry. Might as well leave her outside and let her freeze to death!¡± As those words were spoken, she looked intently at Mrs. Ma with a chilling expression. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know? You pity that little wretch. Since you pity her then you go ahead and do theundry for her!¡±
Mrs. Ma quickly said, ¡°Mother, you¡¯re right. I won¡¯t say any more nonsense.¡±
Mrs. Liu breathed heavily as she stood up then mmed the door.
What¡¯s happening? Aren¡¯t I already dead? Howe I¡¯m lying here? Li Wei Yang wanted to move but her whole body was drained of energy, as if there were no bones in her system. She carefully thought over everything. Right then, someone lifted the curtains and walked in. Soon, Li Wei Yang was sitting up in someone¡¯s arms. This person¡¯s shoulders were small and skinny with a soft chest and there was some sort of locust smell.
¡°Eat some congee. After sweating, the fever will get better.¡±
A warm breath of air hit her face. Li Wei Yang thought she saw a ghost as she stared at the woman weirdly. If she remembered correctly, this vige woman, who was about 20 years old, was Mrs. Ma¡ªthe oldest daughter-inw of the farmer family she had lived with before. But how can this be? Clearly she was given the poison wine, but after a blink of an eye, she was seeing the familiar faces from 23 years ago. . .
At 16 years old, she married Tuo Ba Zhen. 8 yearster, she became the Empress. Afterwards she was imprisoned in the Cold Pce for 12 years. When she passed away, she was already 36 years old. However, Mrs. Ma looked the way she was 23 years ago. This waspletely unbelievable! Instinctively she looked at her hands. They were skinny, slender and porcin white. This pair of hands didn¡¯t belong to a 36 years old woman but a pair of hands that belonged to a young maiden. As the thought crossed her mind, there was a flicker of horror in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes.
Mrs. Ma spoke with concern, ¡°What is it? Do you still feel cold?¡± Her voice was filled with warmth and one could tell that she was actually genuine. ¡°We need to go find a doctor but my mother, she . . . sigh. . .¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at the bowl of congee in Mrs. Ma¡¯s hands. She didn¡¯t know what kind of rice was used to cook the congee but there was a strange smelling from it. For some reason, her eyes began to moisten. If this was a dream, she hoped to never wake up from this dream because she has a feeling¡ªa feeling that she was still alive.
Li Wei Yang was about to speak but suddenly, she saw another person lifting the curtains and quickly stepped inside.
Mrs. Ma was holding the bowl of congee, looked up and saw Mrs. Liu¡¯s expression. Her whole body trembled.
¡°What are you doing?! Get up!¡±
Mrs. Ma startled and hurriedly let go of Li Wei Yang. She stood up and was about to put the bowl down on the table but because of her anxiousness, some congee was spilled. It burned her hand but she forced herself to endure the painful scalding and carefully set the bowl down on the table.
Witnessing how brazen her daughter-inw was to secretly give Li Wei Yang food and even clumsily spilling some out, Mrs. Liu boiled with anger. She grabbed the bowl of congee on the table and threw it into Mrs. Ma¡¯s face. There was the sound of the bowl shattering on the ground as Mrs. Liu pointed at Mrs. Ma. ¡°You bitch, I already said you can¡¯t give her food. Do my words go in one ear and out the other? If you don¡¯t want to live in this house then scram! Don¡¯t stay here and embarrass me!¡±
The pitiful Mrs. Ma was drenched by the bowl of congee. Her entire body was red from the scald. There were tears in her eyes but she didn¡¯t dare to utter a single word. All she could do was hold tightly onto her shirttail as she gently wiped off the congee and proceeded to clean up the mess on the floor.
Mrs. Liu hadn¡¯t changed one bit from her memories. She treated others meanly without anypassion. It didn¡¯t matter if it was herself or Mrs. Ma, Mrs. Liu would treat them like ves. Li Wei Yang stared intently at Mrs. Liu. She wanted to talk, but Mrs. Ma quickly winked at her, as if telling her to not say anything otherwise she would get even more punished.
Mrs. Ma was a kind daughter-inw, but no matter what she did, this evil mother-inw couldn¡¯t see it. She would spend the entire day looking for faults. When she saw Mrs. Ma defending Li Wei Yang, she immediately thought Mrs. Ma was trying to go against her, making her resentful towards both of them.
Li Wei Yang clenched her teeth and wordlessly stared at Mrs. Liu.
Instinctively Mrs. Liu nced at Li Wei Yang. Mrs. Liu saw a frosty coldness in Wei Yang¡¯s gaze. Her heart jumped as she shouted, ¡°Are you crazy to look at me like that?!¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t have time to ponder why she was reverted back to her 13 years old self when the thought took a turn. Underneath her chest, she felt a jade pendant. This jade pendant was given to her by her biological mother when she was still a baby.
Her father had sent her off to the Li¡¯s distant rtive in foster care until she was 7 years old. In the beginning, they had given her maids and servants but eventually, they realized Prime Minister Li had no intentions of bringing her back to the Capital. Instead, under someone¡¯s persuasion, she was sent to the rurals and had to live with the farmer¡¯s family. Each month, 10 silver were given for the living expense.
Six months ago, for some reason, the living expense was no longer paid. Mrs. Liu had gone to their door and asked three times but the Li¡¯s rtives didn¡¯t care. For that reason, Mrs. Liu resented her further. Not only did she treat Wei Yang as a maid to ve around, Mrs. Liu was also abusive. She didn¡¯t let Wei Yang leave and would call people to hit her until she developed bruises all over her body.
Mrs. Liu looked at Li Wei Yang¡¯s appearance, furrowed her brows and yelled, ¡°You little slut, what are you stupefied for!¡±
The jade pendant was the only thing her mother had left for her to remember by. She had risked her life to hide it, afraid to let Mrs. Liu set her eyes on it. But today. . .Li Wei Yang lifted her head to look at the older woman. There was a flicker of coldness in her gaze, but in a blink of an eye, a brownnosing smile had appeared. ¡°Aunt Zhou [1], more or less you have taken care of me. I don¡¯t have anything to show my gratitude except for this jade pendant, which I want to give to you as a token of appreciation.¡±
If she remembered correctly, the Pisces jade pendant would be discovered and stolen by Mrs. Liu two weekster. Back then, she had wanted to get it back only to suffer under cruel physical abuse. Later on when she became Third Prince¡¯s wife she had sent people to go look for it. However, the vige had experienced an epidemic and a majority of the vigers had died, including Mrs. Liu. As a result, the jade pendant could not be found.
Mrs. Liu couldn¡¯t believe the jade pendant she had always desired but was secretly hidden somewhere was now being offered to her by Li Wei Yang herself. She became happier but scoffed coldly and snatched the jade pendant from Wei Yang¡¯s hands. She said, ¡°This is not enough!¡±
Mrs. Ma was shocked, looking at Li Wei Yang like she didn¡¯t know this young girl. From what she knew, Wei Yang had always carefully hidden away the jade pendant and would never allow anyone else to take it away. How could she suddenly give it to Mrs. Liu . . .
Mrs. Liu held onto the jade pendant, her mood was better. She made a noise and sneered, ¡°Forget it, you can stay on the bed for today but tomorrow, you have to wake up and work!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was gentle and obedient. ¡°Of course Aunt Liu. Tomorrow I will definitely work!¡±
Mrs. Liu was surprised with Li Wei Yang¡¯s obedience. She was about to say something but right then, a tall man entered. When he saw the scene inside, it was as if he was used to it. With an angry face, he nced over Mrs. Ma, looking somewhat scornful and forcefullyughed. ¡°Mother, why are you so angry? Let¡¯s go. I bought a block of silk today at the market that looks exactly like Li Furen when worn. Come with me and take a look!¡± he urged and dragged Mrs. Liu outside.
As Mrs. Liu was being dragged, she turned around and said to Mrs. Ma, ¡°If I catch you giving her food again, I will skin you!¡±
After Mrs. Liu disappeared, Mrs. Ma held her face and burst out into tears.
Li Wei Yang looked at Mrs. Ma and slightly shook her head. One shouldn¡¯t be weak and a pushover. There were many ways to get back the jade pendant. To deal with a swindler like Mrs. Liu, one would have to use an even more wicked method!
________
Chapter 3
A Simple Meal
Right now it was February 12 in the 31st year of the Yong Ming Empire. In other words, she had traveled back to 23 years ago. This year she was 13 years old.
For the entire night, Li Wei Yang was tortured by the memories of her ¡°previous lifetime¡±. She hated that she couldn¡¯t cry out loud because the chamber was too small. A tiny noise could be heard by someone else so she had to hold in the powerful sobs. She was terrified that if she closed her eyes, she would revert back to the crippled person who was abandoned in the Cold Pce. She was afraid to hear the Li¡¯s name. Except when she thought of the two people she hated most in this world was livingfortably at the the Capital, she was angry she couldn¡¯t use a sword to sh them a million times over. . .
After crying until the tears have dried up and all the turbulent emotions have been expressed, she gradually calmed down. Li Wei Yang lifted her head and looked through the window at the night¡¯s sky. Her eyes turned dark and bleak.
When she was alive before, she had believed what matters was to do your part right and know where you stand, to put your best efforts into everything and you will naturally receive good karma in the end. But who would¡¯ve thought that those things were unrealistic and illusive. She had traded herpassion and kindness in return for a terrifying betrayal and heartache.
Her father was heartless, her husband was bitter and resentful, and even that person whom she thought of as her good sister. . .Even though she couldn¡¯t bepared to Li Zhang Le¡¯s beauty, but she had been faithful and loyal to Tuo Ba Zhen. For him, she had ignored the line between life and death. Had it not been for her, Tuo Ba Zhen would have died long ago. He wouldn¡¯t have the chance to be the Emperor. Yet she has be the trash that has been discarded into the Cold Pce.
Heaven has granted her a chance for rebirth. Li Wei Yang inhaled deeply, her gaze was determined. There were no reasons to be mercy towards those people. Someday, this debt they owe her, she will ask for it back from each and every single one of them!
The night began to disappear. A day had passed by. In a blink of an eye, a new day had begun.
Mrs. Ma was hesitant.
She didn¡¯t know if she should wake up Li Wei Yang. The rooster was about to make the morning call, but if Li Wei Yang continued to sleep, she was going to get a scolding from Mrs. Liu. Mrs. Ma contemted then reluctantly stepped into the bedchamber, but she soon discovered that it was empty. There was not a single soul. She panicked.
Where was Wei Yang? Looking at how clean the room was, she was surprised.
In the kitchen, Li Wei Yang paced back and forth. She had finished warming up the soy milk, poured steaming congee into everyone¡¯s bowl, carefully prepared the pickled cucumber on a separate te and finally, ced the pot of congee onto the table.
Upon seeing Mrs. Ma¡¯s stunned expression as she entered the kitchen, Wei Yang smiled. ¡°Lian Zi jie, I have already prepared the meal.¡±
Mrs. Ma¡¯s maiden name was Lian Zi, but Wei Yang had never addressed her name with such affection before. Until now, she had always been scared and nervous, like she was about to burst out crying anytime.
Of course Li Wei Yang knew what the other person was thinking. Before she was 7 years old, there had been maids and servants to help with her daily routine. Then suddenly she was sent off to the countryside to survive on her own, naturally it would be hard to endure. Especially in thetter half of the year when Mrs. Liu couldn¡¯t get her hands on the living expense, she had be more abusive and mean. Consequently Wei Yang became even more terrified and nervous, like a deer caught in headlights.
But right now, when she has already experienced Tuo Ba Zhen¡¯s ruthlessness and cruelty, experienced the agony of her broken legs and the 12 years of imprisonment in the Cold Pce, what was Mrs. Liu? She was an insignificant obstacle. No, she couldn¡¯t even be considered an obstacle. She was simply a small rock on the road. What was there to be afraid of?
Thinking of this, Li Wei Yang smiled and said, ¡°Aunt Zhou and them are almost here. Lian Zi jie should hurry up with the preparations.¡±
In total this family had five members. The head of the family was Zhou Qing. He was the groundskeeper for the Li De house and was usually not at home. Then there was his wife, Mrs. Liu, his eldest son, Zhou Jiang and his wife, Mrs. Ma, andst but not there was the youngest daughter, Zhou Lan Xiu.
Mrs. Ma stared at Wei Yang in confusion, but Wei Yang merely grinned and stepped outside.
At the Zhou¡¯s shabby house, therge gates slowly opened as a whimsical young girl about 12-13 years old carefully brought out a wooden tub. The wooden tub was filled with clothes. The girl was dressed in blue but it had turned ck after being repeatedly washed. On the back, there was a section that had been patched up again. Her hair was tied up into two small buns. She was dressed in rags but she appeared serene. She had a delicate, ovr shaped face. Her skin was especially white. Her eyebrows were long with a pair of phoenix eyes that shone clearly and were filled with spirit, a structured nose and small mouth. Her ck hair illuminated her figure, turning the worn-out clothing into a lovely sight. Compare to other girls in the vige, she was no doubt prettier. As a result, when she walked out, a lot of eyes had strayed towards her.
Li Wei Yang wore cheap clothing and had no make-up on, but her face remained calm andposed, as if she didn¡¯t notice the staring. With the wooden tub in hand, she made her way towards the riverside.
Then again what was the use of beauty? Before she had thought her appearance was quite exceptional too, but when she returned to the Capital and saw Li Zhang Le, she understood the meaning of beautiful like a fairy. Compared to Zhang Le, her beauty was consideredmon.
Li Wei Yang stopped by the riverside and squatted down. With power, she used the washing bats to beat the dirt out of theundry. The washing bats pounded on the clothes and created the pow, pow sound. Water sshed up and sprayed onto her clothing and face, but she was unaffected and focused on the task. There was no hint of resentment.
The other girls, who were alsoundering, noticed her. They nudged at each other and nced at her through the corner of their eyes. They exchanged smirks and whispers, gossiping like a bunch of sparrows.
¡°Look, look, the precious xiaojie (young miss) is here doing theundry.¡±
¡°How pitiful! Look at what she¡¯s wearing. It can¡¯t even bepared to us.¡±
¡°Is she really the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter? Howe not a single courtier has shown up to visit her?¡±
¡°Aiya, don¡¯t you know? She was born in February and was said to be a curse towards her father! They were in a hurry to kick her out. In other words, they have no intentions of seeing her again!¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s better to be a vige maiden like us than the Prime Minister¡¯s unwanted daughter! If it was me, I would have been angered to death!¡±
¡°Exactly! Even if it was given to me, I wouldn¡¯t want it!¡±
Each and every word flew into Li Wei Yang¡¯s ears. She remembered when she was really young she had carried the hopes and dreams of one day returning to the Capital to live a promising life. However, every time she imagined it, her self-pitying would intensified along with other griefs and sorrows. . .
The corner of her lips curved into a smile. Before the rebirth, it was because of these people¡¯s words that had made her shed thousands of tears. But at this moment, she stood up and walked towards the und (source of where river begins) instead.
This fabric was actually what Mrs. Liu uses as her socks. The long fabric was stinky. Li Wei Yang held onto the long frabric and beat it down with the bat. The dirty and stinky water flew down stream to where the other girls were. They were still busy gossiping so they hadn¡¯t noticed.
Once she finishedundering the clothes, Li Wei Yang grabbed the tub and stood up.
Everybody looked at her strangely, feeling as if something about her was different. Despite what they said, she continued to maintain a calm andposed appearance, as if ¨C as if an adult was watching a bunch of ignorant children fooling around. . .
When she returned to the Zhou¡¯s house, the sky was still bright. Mrs. Liu had just finished her meal and was sitting on the porch flossing her teeth with a toothpick. Seeing Wei Yang, her eyebrows furrowed. She wanted to say something but for some reason, she swallowed it down, got up and went back inside.
Mrs. Ma came over and handed Wei Yang a torti bread. In a small voice, she said, ¡°Father-inw has returned.¡±
Zhou Qing? Li Wei Yang raised her brows, staring at Mrs. Ma.
Mrs. Ma stiffened up. Li Wei Yang, this girl was still young but her eyes. . . There was something there that didn¡¯t match her age. It was mature and stony.
No wonder Mrs. Liu hadn¡¯t yelled or did some scolding today. . .In a sh, there was a bright smile on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, like the flowers blooming in spring. She said thanks to Mrs. Ma, lowered her head and ate the torti bread. Her throat was dried up to the point it was hurting but she was happily devouring it.
That¡¯s because the golden opportunity to punish Mrs. Liu has finally arrived.
Chapter 4
Punishing Mrs. Liu
Zhou Qing was a man who had the ability to see the broad picturepared to Mrs. Liu. He had never treated Li Wei Yang too wickedly because his principle was to leave himself a route to retreat for all types of situation. Consequently every time he returned home, Li Wei Yang would have several days of peace and tranquility.
Having finished cooking, she extinguished the fire. Li Wei Yang opened her eyes, which was blurry from the steam. After a while of contemtion, she gradually stood up. She was about to massage her tired limbs when a voice flew in from the doorway.
¡°You damnss, you¡¯re beingzy again. Hurry up and clean up the kitchen! I¡¯lle backter to see if you¡¯re still beingzy!¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly nced over the young girl, standing at the door, with her arms on her hips, ring at her. This young girl was only older than her by a year but was taller than her by a head. Her face was pretty but the sour attitude had ruined her natural beauty.
Zhou Lan Xiu was filled with jealousy as she stared fixedly at Li Wei Yang¡¯s delicate features. She scoffed inwardly then turned around and left. She instructed over her shoulders, ¡°Remember to thoroughly clean the pots. Also, the floor should be cleared of puddles. The misceneous items on the stove should also be organized!¡±
Li Wei Yang stood in the tiny kitchen, her eyes on the girl¡¯s back then promptly grinned. Half an hourter, she finally finished cleaning the pots, hunched her back and began to clean the floor.
At this moment, Zhou Lan Xiu poked her head through the window and said, ¡°It¡¯s not going to be clean if you do it like that. You have to kneel down and clean! How can you not know! Oh and the water tank is empty. After you finish, fill up the water tank. Did you hear me?¡±
Li Wei Yang wiped off the perspiration on her forehead and chin. Then she continued on with the chores.
It had always been like this. As the daughter of a farmer family, Zhou Lan Xiu had to work as well but she would constantly think of ways to dump all the chores onto Wei Yang. Afterwards she would im all the credits for the housework. She would go out and proim how busy and tired she was too, iming that she had to take care of the spoiled xiaojie who didn¡¯t know how to do anything. Not only that, every day when it was time for Wei Yang to eat, all that was left were two cold buns and a little bit of soup. Before, Li Wei Yang would cry while she worked but now, she didn¡¯t care about anything. Despite how exhausting the chores were, she could still endure it.
At night, Zhou Qing didn¡¯t stay home for dinner. He was invited for dinner by the vige head. A groundskeeper like him was plenty a dime at the Li¡¯s in Ping Cheng but in this small vige, he was a highly regarded person.
Li Wei Yang knew that Zhou Qing had an amazing tolerance for alcohol. Each time he would drink until midnight beforeing home, thus giving her a very good opportunity. She calcted the time, waiting until it was peaceful at midnight. She silently picked up the red fabric that she had purposely kept hidden when she was doing theundry earlier in the day. Standing up, she opened the doors and walked up next to the fence. She hooked the red fabric onto the fence and stared at it for a long time, softly chuckled and quickly returned to her room.
In the middle of the night, there was the abrupt sound of the front gates being opened. Li Wei Yang strained her ears and listened attentively. There was the sound ofmotion and then she pretended she didn¡¯t hear anything.
Right at this moment, a drunken Zhou Qing returned and saw in his chamber was the tall and broad silhouette of a man. He turned grim and immediately awakened from the drunken stupor. He went to retrieve a knife and with a bam, kicked open the door.
This simple sound had startled everyone inside the house, except for Li Wei Yang who still had both eyes closed but was silently listening to the happenings outside.
Abruptly there was a smacking sound, as if someone had just been harshly pped in the face. Following it was Zhou Qing¡¯s yelling.
¡°You slut, you waited until I¡¯m not home to call over another man! You have no shame! What? You don¡¯t know? I clearly saw a male figure running out from your room! You dare to be so shameless and say you don¡¯t know anything. If one day someone kills me, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re going to say you don¡¯t know either.¡±
Once the words were spoken, it was followed by two more ps. It was obvious the person being chastised was Mrs. Liu.
Not waiting for a defense from Mrs. Liu, Zhou Qing shouted again, ¡°Quickly kneel down! I want you to clearly exin who that man was! If you stay silent, tonight will be your funeral!¡±
Then there was the sound of Mrs. Liu sobbing and pleading. ¡°I¡¯m innocent! How can I do something so humiliating?¡±
Inside the room, Zhou Qing spit onto Mrs. Liu¡¯s face and said, ¡°Innocent? Who is trying to implicate you? There¡¯s no one here who resents you to implicate you!¡± He began beating her again.
Mrs. Liu wasn¡¯t going to give up. She held onto Zhou Qing¡¯s sleeves and fought back.
Zhou Qing continued to berate, bing even more infuriated. With one hand, he pulled Mrs. Liu¡¯s hair and dragged her across the floor, hitting and admonishing simultaneously. ¡°You have sullied the Zhou¡¯s honour!¡±
In fact, Mrs. Liu did have a lover but they only met up when her husband and son were not home. Hooking the red fabric onto the fence was their secret code. Tonight she didn¡¯t hang up the red fabric but for some reason, her lover hade by. She was in the middle of opening the backdoor to let her lover out but unexpectedly, her husband had returned.
Right now her chest felt like it was being punctured by a million arrows and there was no way to avoid it as Zhou Qing continued to beat her. She mustered up all the strength to escape.
Zhou Qing roared, ¡°You slut,e back here!¡±
He chased after her into the courtyard and managed to grab a hold of her hair. Mrs. Liu moaned and fell to the ground.
Zhou Qing was about to hit her again but Zhou Jiang ran out and said, ¡°Father, father! Stop it, stop it! Mother won¡¯t do something like that! Let¡¯s go back into the room and talk it out! Let¡¯s talk it out!¡±
Mrs. Liu heard it and instantly understood her son¡¯s meaning. She burst out into sobs again, wanting to create an even bigger uproar so that Zhou Qing would have to think twice. ¡°You came home drunk and were seeing things! And now you want to wrongfully use me!¡±
Zhou Qingughed coldly. ¡°Wrongfully use you? As if! Tonight I drank half a liter of wine. It¡¯s not enough to intoxicate me to the point I can¡¯t differentiate between a man and a woman! I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re already this old and can still do something like that. These past few years when I¡¯m not home, who knows how many times your lover has visited! Why are you still pretending to be prim-and-proper in front of me?¡±
¡°Fine, you don¡¯t believe me then I¡¯m going to kill myself! Even if I die, it¡¯s because you Zhous forced me to!¡± Mrs. Liu was a contemptuous woman. She jumped up with intentions of banging her head against the wall.
However, Zhou Qing had quick reflex and grabbed both of her arms. ¡°You dare to threaten me with suicide?¡± He threw her onto the ground and drover his foot into her chest. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He turned around, grabbed the doortch, and proceeded to repeatedly beat up Mrs. Liu.
Mrs. Liu¡¯s cries were like the sound of ughtered pigs, echoing into the distance.
Li Wei Yang shifted her body, the corner of her lips slightly curved upwards. This is what they call the evil we bring upon ourselves are the hardest to bear.
Upon hearing the upheaval, the neighbours opened their gates and stepped out.
Mrs. Ma and Zhou Lan Xiu, who were in their respective rooms, had long heard it but Mrs. Ma was the daughter-inw and thus, did not dare to intervene in her inws¡¯ affairs. Zhou Lan Xiu had wanted to help her mother, but when she saw how murderous her father looked through the window, she couldn¡¯t move an inch.
Zhou Jiang looked at the surrounding and quickly interrupted Zhou Qing. In a loud voice, he said, ¡°Father, you¡¯ve drank too much. It¡¯s already veryte, let¡¯s not cause amotion and wake up our neighbours.¡± Saying so, he walked forward and snatched the doortch and pulled Zhou Qing to the side. He whispered, ¡°Father, let¡¯s slowly talk it out. Even if you want to use your fists, we should still go inside. It¡¯s awkward to let the neighbours see.¡±
Zhou Qing red at Mrs. Liu. He had beaten her up to the point she was gasping for breath. Nheless his anger was still not appeased as he brutally kicked Zhou Jiang. ¡°I¡¯m not home and yet you can¡¯t guard the house either! How humiliating and shameful! Bring her in!¡±
Zhou Qing swallowed down his anger and supported Mrs. Liu, who was beaten to the point of trauma. Mrs. Liu was a haughty woman. Despite being beaten nearly to unconsciousness, she kept on insisting her innocence. She didn¡¯t stop crying either.
Momentster, Zhou Qing¡¯s berating could be heard. ¡°Shut up! It¡¯ste, why are you wailing like it¡¯s someone¡¯s funeral!¡±
Instantly the world was peaceful.
Hearing this sentence, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and guffawed.
Chapter 5
The Pigs Have Escaped
Mrs. Liu had to stay in bed for seven days. During these seven days, Zhou Lan Xiu continued to berate her with words but nobodyid a finger on Li Wei Yang. As a result, these seven days passed by with ease. Coupled with Mrs. Ma¡¯s help, she was able to eat until her stomach was bloated.
Seeing that Li Wei Yang had finished with theundry, Zhou Lan Xiu walked over and handed her a bucket filled with pig¡¯s food. ¡°Go feed the pigs!¡±
In the rural viges, feeding the pigs was considered an important responsibility. Normally Mrs. Liu wouldn¡¯t let others perform this task, instead assigning it to Zhou Lan Xiu. Since Mrs. Liu wasn¡¯t present at the moment, Zhou Lan Xiu immediately dumped the responsibility onto Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang smiled happily and said, ¡°Yes, Lan Xiu jiejie!¡±
With her delighted, smiling expression, Li Wei Yang received the bucket filled with pig¡¯s food and carried it towards the pigsty.
The Zhous raised a total of eight pigs. With a grin, Li Wei Yang looked at the bunch of pigs. She pondered then scooped a bit of the feed and dumped it into the food bin. Instantly the pigs rushed over towards the food and fought each other for it. Li Wei Yang watched as they shoved and pushed each other, each wanting to have a bite, and immediately came up with an interesting idea. She surveyed the surrounding, set the food bucket on the pigsty, opened the gates and freed the pigs. The eight pigs that have been imprisoned in the small pigpen for so long suddenly had their freedom as they rushed out at the speed of light.
Li Wei Yang stepped to the side to avoid the stampede. Upon seeing all of the pigs have escaped, she slightly smirked. Afterwards, she picked up the bucket filled with pig¡¯s food and silently exited the house from the back gates. She rounded the house towards the water well that the vigers used the most and dumped the entire bucket of pig¡¯s food into it. Watching the water gently sshed up and about, Li Wei Yang gently smiled.
A few people passed by but Wei Yang didn¡¯t talk to them. They looked at her strangely, pondered for a bit then left. Li Wei Yang briefly looked at the daylight. She decided to sit down on the ground, crossed her legs and stared at the entrance of the vige in the distance.
After waiting for about half an hour, she saw Wang xiansheng [1] and the vige head slowly walking towards her. She was happy.
If anyone wanted to return to the vige, they would have to pass by this water well. Inititally she wanted to wait for the vige head to pass by, but unexpectedly there was also Wang xiansheng. This Wang xiansheng was the vige¡¯s only schr. Despite having failed many times at the exams, he was nevertheless the only one in the vige who was literate and read books. Thus, the person who liked to reason the most, moderate other people¡¯s affairs, demonstrate justice and build himself a good reputation was none other than this very Wang xiansheng.
Li Wei Yang immediately stood up. As she roughly wiped her eyes, she was also looking at the well with a nervous, terrified countenance.
The vige head passed by and looked at Li Wei Yang with suspicions. ¡°Li guniang [2], what are you doing here?¡±
The vige head was merely asking out of convenience but suddenly, Li Wei Yang lifted her head, revealing her worries and sadness. She said, ¡°Lan Xiu jiejie told me to feed the pigs. I was careless and clumsy and identally poured the pig¡¯s feed into the well. What should I do, what should I do. . .Tonight I¡¯m going to be beaten to death!¡±
The vige head was horrified. ¡°What? What did you do?¡±
Li Wei Yang disyed a confused and terrified expression. Then she promptly burst into tears. When outsiders saw, they would be sympathetic and conflicted. ¡°What should I do, what should I do! I¡¯m definitely going to be beaten to death. I¡¯m going to be beaten to death! I don¡¯t dare to go back, so I might as well just jump into this well!¡± With that said, she climbed onto the well, as if she was actually going to jump down.
The vige head panicked, thinking that if someone reallymitted suicide in this well then all the other vigers would no longer be able to drink from it. He rushed over and held tightly onto her. ¡°A million times, please don¡¯t do it! Let¡¯s carefully talk it out!¡±
Wang xiansheng observed for a long while. He stroked his beard and asked, ¡°How can there be something like this? From what I heard, you stay at their house but they are given living expenses every month. How could they force you to feed the pigs?¡±
Li Wei Yang used her sleeves to wipe her face, looking very sorry. ¡°Before my family sent 10 silvers every month for the past five years but now they have stopped. . .¡±
¡°What?! 10 silvers every month?!¡± Wang xiansheng jumped from shock. He taught for the vige but each year, not a single student could donate 2 silvers for renovation! It was really unfair! He breathed heavily and looked at Li Wei Yang, thinking the Zhous were too greedy. 10 silvers for the past five years, which meant these past five years they had gotten 600 silvers. How much did it cost to raise a small girl? Even if they had to raise her for the rest of her life, it still wouldn¡¯t cost 600 silvers! And yet, they treated her like a servant girl for them to order around as they please. How unreasonable! He glowered, filled with outrage for the injustice. ¡°Let¡¯s go! We need a clear exnation from the Zhous!¡±
The vige head also thought the Zhous were out of line. Seeing the vige¡¯s highly regarded and educated schr storming up front, he quickly chased after but didn¡¯t forget about Li Wei Yang as he craned his neck and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Don¡¯t cry!¡±
Li Wei Yang wiped away the fake tears and hurried after them.
Right at this moment, she heard a strange, sarcasticughter. She stopped and craned her neck but couldn¡¯t see a single person. Perhaps she had misheard? Li Wei Yang furrowed her eyebrows. She could hear the vige head up front urging her to follow. Once again, she looked around her. Confirming that there was no one else, she started walking again.
She was probably hearing things.
The moment he stepped through the gates, Wang xiansheng yelled loudly, ¡°Zhou Qing! Come out here quick! How could you guys let ady in the Capital feed the pigs? She¡¯s not a servant for you to ve around!¡±
Zhou Qing rushed out of his room. Witnessing this scene, he became stupefied.
The vige head said, ¡°That¡¯s right. She stayed at your house but had given so many silvers. You guys shouldn¡¯t take the money and bully her, forcing her to do strenuous chores!¡±
Right then, Mrs. Ma and Lan Xiu stepped out, staring at Li Wei Yang with shock.
Li Wei Yang said pitifully, ¡°Vige head uncle, it was me who wanted to help Lan Xiu jiejie. Don¡¯t me her. She didn¡¯t force me to do it! It¡¯s my fault. Initially I thought the bucket was too dirty and shouldn¡¯t let the pigs eat dirty food, that¡¯s why I went to clean it. In the end, I was careless and dropped all of the pig¡¯s food into the well. It¡¯s my fault! I¡¯m so clumsy that I can¡¯t evenplete such a simple task!¡±
The vige head nced at Zhou Qing and said, ¡°You are so. . . you suddenly told her to feed the pigs but she¡¯s ady from the Capital, she wouldn¡¯t know how to do those things! Not to mention, she lives at your house but already gave you the money. Even though they have stopped sending you the money, the amount you have epted over the years is more than enough to raise her for another 80 years! You shouldn¡¯t treat her like a servant girl!¡±
To avoid people gossiping and tarnishing the Zhou¡¯s honour, Mrs. Liu would usually berate and abuse people behind closed doors. As a result, Zhou Qing would turn his head the other way. Unfortunately, the vige head and the vige¡¯s only schr were both here at the moment, causing the neighbours to look over.
It was a blow to Zhou Qing¡¯s dignity. He spun around and cruelly kicked Zhou Lan Xiu. ¡°Youzy, I told you to feed the pigs. How would she know how to feed the pigs!¡±
Li Wei Yang lowered her head, looking genuinely apologetic. In other people¡¯s eyes, she looked even more pitiful. Despite how much the vigers liked to gossip and be envious of Li Wei Yang¡¯s beauty, they were still very simple-minded. In their opinion, the Zhous had received so much money from the Li¡¯s then they should also treat their daughter kindly. How could they bully her instead?
Being pointed at by his close neighbours, Zhou Wing couldn¡¯t control his temper. He meanly pped Zhou Lan Xiu. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you causing me problems!¡±
Li Wei Young thought to herself: This is just the beginning.
True enough, shortly after, they heard Zhou Jiang racing forward with a pale face. Horror-stricken, he eximed, ¡°Father! The pigs! The pigs have all escaped!¡±
Chapter 6
Old Friends Reuniting
Thanks to the escaped pigs incident, Li Wei Yang became the focus of the vige. Zhou Qing and Mrs. Liu no longer dared to ve her around but allowing her to stay home all day was also irritating. They agreed to let her work at the teahouse not far from from the vige.
The teahouse was managed by Zhou Jiang and Mrs. Ma, selling simple teas and torti bread for travelers passing by the vige. It was a convenient way to make money. Mrs. Ma felt sorry for Li Wei Yang who was just a young girl and yet had to endure so much suffering. So she assigned Wei Yang the easy task of boiling the water for the teas and didn¡¯t force her to do anything else exhausting.
Wei Yang was adding wood to the fire when Mrs. Ma hurriedly rushed in. She saw Wei Yang busy but urged nheless, ¡°Wei Yang, hurry up a bit! We need a little bit more hot water. Also bring out 10 torti bread. We have a special guest at the teahouse.¡±
Li Wei Yang did as she was told. She walked towards the door but felt confused. There were plenty of travelers and guests from the South and North, but there had never been anyone who was considered a ¡®special guest¡¯. The special guest Mrs. Ma mentioned, what kind of person was it? She slowly walked up to the door and quietly observed the front of the house.
Standing under the cover was a bunch of bodyguards dressed in blue. It was hard to see the person sitting in the middle of the crowd. In the middle of twenty normal horses was a rare white horse with a silver and red-striped saddle, creating an overwhelming atmosphere.
Mrs. Ma repeated her urgings. ¡°Wei Yang! Hurry! Don¡¯t let the guests wait too long.¡±
For some reason, there was an ominous feeling inside of Li Wei Yang, as if the moment she stepped outside something bad was going to happen. Her feet couldn¡¯t move, staying motionlessly in one spot.
¡°Wei Yang? Why aren¡¯t youing out?¡± Zhou Jiang was impatient then quicklyughed as he apologized to the guest. ¡°That girl¡¯s a little dense and slow. I will carefully discipline herter.¡±
Then there was a voice that sounded like one of the bodyguards. ¡°No problem, just hurry and bring over the tea. My master is in a hurry.¡±
Looking at the situation, there was no way to retreat. Li Wei Yang contemted and decided she should still go out. She took half a step but abruptly froze after ncing over the person sitting in the middle. In a sh, everyone¡¯s eyes were on Li Wei Yang. Even that young man lifted his head and briefly looked at her.
He sat in the middle of everyone. He had a pair of eyes that shone brightly like the moon but there was also an aloofness in it. Those eyes were bright enough to the point it made others find it difficult to open their own eyes. From afar, one could see a coldness that separated him from the rest of the world. His white attire was embroidered with a downwards pattern that was carefully and expertly quilted. His gaze was steadfast like the stream but also frosty like the ice. Those pair of eyes flickered over Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang shuddered. She quickly lowered her head after the brief nce. She held the tray up to her eyebrows and lowered her head as much as possible, covering up her face so that person wouldn¡¯t be able to see her. She took a few more steps and handed the food over to Mrs. Ma. Then she covered her face, pretending to be afraid of strangers. She hurriedly returned to the small storage space in the back of the house. It was only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
The middle-aged man sitting beside Tuo Ba Yu said to him, ¡°Your Highness, it¡¯s about to get dark. Should we go look for somewhere to stay for the night?¡±
Tuo Ba Yu didn¡¯t look at him. His frosty gaze was fixed on the ce where Li Wei Yang had disappeared to. There was a hint of humor in his eyes. This girl, it was the same girl he had seen that day. . .
The girl was about 12-13 years old and adorned a worn-out white attire that had been patched up in some ces. Perhaps she had been fanning the stove fire because her face was stained by some ck marks. Tuo Ba Yu noticed Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands were fair but also very skinny, barely any meat. Her ck hair was long and messy, which was haphazardly tied up on top of her head. Despite her intentions to hide her face, her big ck eyes still shine with a strange, inexinable feeling. That petite figure provoked a sense of protection, making one want to protect her, to take care of her.
Shaking his head, Tuo Ba Yu thought he was being weird. He couldn¡¯t believe he would harbor such a ridiculous, unrealistic thought. Remembering how she had deceived the others previously, amusement surfaced in Tuo Ba Yu¡¯s eyes.
This girl was very interesting!
As he reyed the scene in his head, he casually said, ¡°No, we will speed up and rest at the small town up ahead. We have to set out early tomorrow and return to the Capital on time.¡±
Zhan Shuo quickly agreed. He didn¡¯t have the guts to say otherwise. He knew Seventh Prince¡¯s personality too well. When he tells you to do something then that means he has already made up his mind, despite using a negotiable tone of voice.
Very quickly, the crowd had finished their teas, got up on their horses, went past the vige but didn¡¯t stop as they raced forward, heading towards the North.
Li Wei Yang watched the dust created by the horse¡¯s hooves. There was a ghost of a smile on her mouth. Who knew that the first familiar face she woulde across again after the rebirth would be him¡ªTuo Ba Yu! Seventh Prince!
Tuo Ba Yu was Tuo Ba Zhen¡¯s archenemy. They had fought andpeted countless number of times but a victor could still not be named. Li Wei Yang remembered that person also had a pair of cold, emotionless eyes. The corner of her mouth slowly lifted up. Right now, Seventh Prince should still be schooling outside but he had suddenly returned to the Capital. A storm must be happening in the Capital.
She lowered her head and stared at the calluses on her hands. Reuniting with familiar faces, they stood in the light while she hid in the dark. This feeling was indeed fascinating.
The sun eventually set, reced by a crescent-shaped moon, bringing along with it thousands of stars that lit up the entire evening sky. They arrogantly shone their lights down onto the world. The humid air was appeased by the presence of the moon, causing the temperature to be cooler and easing the people.
Li Wei Yang walked behind Zhou Jiang and Mrs. Ma as they headed back to the Zhou¡¯s house.
An excited Mrs. Liu dashed forward and held onto Li Wei Yang. She was brimming with happiness. ¡°Xiaojie, there¡¯s good news for you!¡±
Both Zhou Jiang and Mrs. Ma were stupefied in their spot. They didn¡¯t understand what was going on as they stared at Mrs. Liu. They wondered if she had taken the wrong medicine because she was suddenly so nice towards Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang stared at Mrs. Ma¡¯s glowing face. Her eyebrows furrowed then unfurrowed. Then she pretended to be startled. ¡°Aunt Zhou, what¡¯s wrong¡¯s with you?¡±
Mrs. Liu pretended not to notice the weird expression on Wei Yang and quickly replied, ¡°Li jia [1]! Li jia sent their people!¡±
Her behaviour was full of enthusiasm as Li Wei Yang thought of a possibility. ¡°Li House in Ping Cheng?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Li daoye [2] sent Lin Mama [3] to visit you!¡± Mrs. Liu was beaming. It wasn¡¯t only Lin Mama but also 100 silvers as an expression of gratitude.
Li Wei Yang thought it was strange. ording to the previous lifetime, she would have to wait for another year before Prime Minister Li would remember someone like her and send people to pick her up. Only then would the Li House in Ping Cheng quickly send someone to this vige to pick her up and move her back to the estate in Ping Cheng. Afterwards they would announce to everyone that she had recovered from her illness. Following that they would send her back to the Capital. . .Howe it was happening a year earlier?
At this time, a fair-skinned woman who was older than 30 in a blue silk dress with a gold brooch on her hair and gold earrings came out of the room. She smiled and said, ¡°Nubi¡¯s [4] greetings to San xiaojie [5].¡±
Li Wei Yang stared at her. It really was Lin Mama from the Li House in Ping Cheng. She was the female servant with the highest status at the Li¡¯s in Ping Cheng. She softly grinned. So it seems everything was true. Perhaps the Li House in Ping Cheng had received some sort of news from the Capital and made their first move by quickly bringing her back to Ping Cheng.
Great, this was very great!
Chapter 7
Returning to the Li¡¯s Estate
Having stayed at the Li¡¯s in Ping Cheng for half a month, they then assigned Wei Yang two servant girls and two mamas for her journey back to the Capital. The horse carriage was sent by the Prime Minister¡¯s estate. On the curtain were gemstones of different colours braided together and the silk was a majestic crimson colour,plementing the exquisite embroidering of the peony flower. The interior d¨¦cor of the carriage werevish and sophisticatedpared to the frugal, in-looking exterior.
Li Wei Yang tossed it a brief nce and didn¡¯t look at it anymore. She knew the carriage was simply a tool for Da Furen to use and intimidate her.
This was only the beginning.
Inside the carriage, Bai Zhi carefully set the hot cup of tea down onto the small table made out of rosewood. She glimpsed at Li Wei Yang who had her eyes closed and was resting. She was anxious, wondering if she should make any small talks with Wei Yang. She felt San xiaojie didn¡¯t have the typical aura of a lone person travelling on a journey.
She nced over Zi Yan who was sitting on the opposite side. Noticing the same weird expression on Zi Yan, she became even more nervous. They were both servants sent by the Li¡¯s in Ping Cheng to take care of San xiaojie. However, they didn¡¯t have a grasp of this San xiaojie¡¯s personality so they didn¡¯t dare to open their mouths.
Li Wei Yang gently closed her eyes as her memories flew back to that year when she returned to the Prime Minister¡¯s estate. Cautiously she had stepped into the Prime Minister¡¯s estate as Da Furen scanned her from top to bottom.
A bright and benevolent smile appeared on her face as she said, ¡°Oh! This child really does have good fortune! Go help her change garments.¡±
Back then she was always timid and fearful, restless and nervous, but when she heard those words she was filled with gratitude. A meager concubine¡¯s daughter like her who was born in February, if it wasn¡¯t for Da Furen¡¯s benevolence, why would father suddenly remember her existence?
Unfortunately back then, she was oblivious to the disdain and callousness hidden deep in Da Furen¡¯s eyes.
When she had arrived at the Prime Minister¡¯s estate then, Li Wei Yang was illiterate. She couldn¡¯t even read a single word. She had been the image of a typical country bumpkin. Should news spread that she was a child born from the Prime Minister¡¯s estate but couldn¡¯t read or write, people would ridicule withughter.
She reminisced on the past when Tuo Ba Zhen was a prince with no reputation,cking power and ability to be the next Emperor. For those reasons, why would father and Da Furen marry off her beautiful and fairy-like older sister, Li Zhang Le, to the empty-handed Tuo Ba Zhen? Nheless, Tuo Ba Zhen still had his respectable and noble adopted mother, Wu Xian Fei, which was why it was hard to decline the proposal. However, none of them could¡¯ve guessed thatter on Tuo Ba Zhen would go on to be crowned the Emperor. Furthermore, the vige bumpkin some years ago, who couldn¡¯t even write her own name, was going to be the Empress.
Back then, after her meeting with Da Furen, she had then followed a servant out. When they passed by a study room, there was the sound of someone reciting a poem.
Li Wei Yang had heard the voice resonating:
¡°The peach tree is young and elegant;
Brilliant are its flowers.
This youngdy is going to her future home,
And will order well her chamber and house.¡±
At that time, Li Wei Yang was illiterate but she felt that the person¡¯s words and tone was soothing.
She was about to listen more, but was frightened by a scream. ¡°Ah! What are you doing here?¡±
Surprised, Li Wei Yang lifted her eyes and saw a pretty young girl looking at her with wide-eyes.
The xiansheng, who was reciting the poems, also turned to look. Li Wei Yang heard the xiansheng questioning, ¡°Is she a servant in the estate?¡±
Just a simple question like that had turned Li Wei Yang beet red and speechless.
The pretty girl stared at her. Obviously she had already guessed Wei Yang¡¯s real identity but still covered her mouth and giggled. ¡°Servant! Why would we have such a filthy servant in our estate?¡± Her words were filled with ridicule.
Li Wei Yang had lowered her head and stared at herself. Compared to the aristocratic youngdies from the noble houses, she was from the opposite side of the world. She clenched her hands, feeling dissatisfied.
The pretty girl was relentless. ¡°What are you still standing here for? Can¡¯t you see you¡¯re disturbing xiansheng¡¯s lecture? Leave!¡±
¡°San xiaojie, we should go.¡± The servant beside her had whispered.
Li Wei Yang had hoped there was a hole in the ground for her to crawl into.
Right then, somewhere, a gentle voice spoke up. ¡°Chang Xi, she¡¯s your san jie ¨C Wei Yang! How can you be so unreasonable?¡± That voice had relieved her, sounding like a voice from Heaven.
Shortly after, she had discovered the girl who had helped her was Li Zhang Le. Li Wei Yang had stood in the same spot for a long time, as if she was dumbfounded. She had never met such an exceptional person before. She had never heard of a voice so pretty. She had secretly thought to herself: Even a fairy can¡¯t bepared to her. . .
¡°San xiaojie! San xiaojie!¡± Zi Yan softly called her name.
Li Wei Yang slowly opened her eyes. She sat up straight and grinned. It was a slight grin but it still made her look spirited and adorable. ¡°What is it?¡±
Zi Yan smiled and said, ¡°San xiaojie, we¡¯re almost there.¡±
Li Wei Yang pulled the curtains closed. The horse carriage had just passed the gates of Zheng An and will soon arrive at Changmen where the Prime Minister¡¯s estate was. The Prime Minister¡¯s estate was not located in a busy area, neither was it beside any other noblemen¡¯s manor. When the estate was first built, a certain prince had wanted it and had especially asked for it from the Emperor but eventually thought the location was somewhat undesirable, thus he didn¡¯t live there anymore. Later on, the said prince was discovered to be conspiring to usurp the throne and was unsessful. As a result, he hadmitted suicide via poison wine. His wealth was expropriated and the estate was seized by the Imperial Household Department. Finally, it was sold to the Li¡¯s and passed on for generations.
The estate was originally built by the prince for his retirement. In the garden, there were rockeries and rows of wisteria. It was extremely elegant and refined. When it came to space, the garden could not bepared to other more luxurious manors in the Capital. However, when it came to architecture and design, it was considered one of the best.
It was a short distance, but the cold and monotone sound of the horse¡¯s hooves made it seemed as if time was stretching on.
Eventually after some time, the horse carriage came to a stop.
Outside came the genteel voice of an old female servant, ¡°San xiaojie is here!¡± Then she ced a small stool down next to the horse carriage. Bai Zhi and Zi Yan stepped down from the horse carriage using the stool. Afterwards they turned around and helped Li Wei Yang down the carriage.
She entered the estate and walked past the corridor. On both sides of the passageway, numerous bamboo birdcages were hung up high. There were robins,rks, red and yellow orioles and even red necks, blue necks, parakeets, doves, etc. The hundreds of varying bird types sang in unison, creating a smooth andidback melody. Li Wei Yang looked briefly at the eagle and its sharp gaze before calmly turning her attention elsewhere.
Along the pathway, there were a bunch of servants dressed in green with blue essories. They stood there silently but when they saw Li Wei Yang, they bowed down with respect. The scene was exactly the same as in her previous lifetime.
In the previous lifetime, when she saw those servants, she became nervous and uncoordinated. Thinking back to it, Da Furen could¡¯ve sent someone to teach her the proper etiquette or someone from the Li¡¯s in Ping Cheng could¡¯ve briefly described it to her, but there hadn¡¯t been anyone. Instead they had allowed her to appear uncultured in front of the servants, allowing others to think a country bumpkin could never change its ways.
Li Wei Yang reminisced on those times. She grinned, but didn¡¯t stop walking as she looked at the countless servants surrounding her. She continued to follow the leading servant. Bai Zhi and Zi Yan hurriedly followed in her steps.
¡°Did you see? That person is San xiaojie!¡±
¡°She¡¯s pretty. Even her conduct looks good! Didn¡¯t someone say she grew up in a vige?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, xiaojie truly is xiaojie. She didn¡¯t let her upbringing affect her manners and behaviour and turn her into a cowardly person!¡±
Li Wei Yang had no interest in their discussion. She walked straight towards He Xiang Yuan (Lotus Court).
A servant thoughtfully pulled up the screen when she saw Wei Yang approaching. She cheerfully said, ¡°San xiaojie.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and nodded her head towards the servant then she stepped into the room.
Bai Zhi and Zi Yan followed inside. The floor was made out of yellow mosaic tiles and it was polished to the point it was reflective like a mirror. Over their heads was a beautiful octagonalntern and the pirs were made out of rosewood with ivory iys which shone brightly. Everything else was made out of pearwood and/or ckwood with traditional flowers engravings. It was luxurious and hard to look away from.
The two servants from Ping Cheng felt as if they had stopped breathing.
It was so extravagant!
Li Wei Yang, who should¡¯ve been shocked by the luxury in this estate, didn¡¯t even care to spare those things a nce. She gracefully stepped forward. With a smile, she bowed down in respect to Lao Furen who was sitting high up in the middle.
¡°Wei Yang¡¯s greetings to grandmother, mother and the two aunts.¡±
Chapter 8
Benevolent Mother, Filial Daughter
The previous Prime Minister, Li Chang Sheng, had passed away in his mid years. His wife, Mengshi [1], had been so distressed that she had left the main court and moved into a lesser courtyard to recuperate. She was afraid the main court would remind her of herte husband so she had decided to move to He Xiang Yuan, which was the furthest away from the main court. He Xiang Yuan was very isted, thus she rarely questioned the estate¡¯s internal affairs.
This paternal grandmother, Meng shi, was quite reticent and was a woman of few words. She rarely socialized with others. Nheless, she was fair and just in the way she handled matters. She has never wrongfully used or mistreated anyone. For this reason, Li Wei Yang had always harbored good feelings towards her. Unfortunately, in the previous lifetime, Lao Furen¡¯s health was bad and had passed away long before Li Wei Yang became the Empress.
In the chamber, Meng shi sat in the middle, adorned in a turquoise silk tunic with the five blessings pattern embroidered on it. On her head was a mink fur headgear with a jade piece stitched in the middle. At Li Wei Yang¡¯s graceful movements, she gently nodded her head and simply said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back.¡±
For some reason, upon hearing this sentence, Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes became red. Everyone saw it and suddenly felt a rush of emotions.
A woman in a honey coloured Xiangzhou silk dress with a round neck, essorized with a gold phoenix brooch in her hair, chuckled and approached Li Wei Yang. She helped Wei Yang stand up and studied her from head-to-toe. Then she smiled and said, ¡°Lao Furen, take a look. She is truly well-behaved!¡± She looked at Da Furen who was sitting on the other side. ¡°Congrattions to you, sister-inw. You have gotten another beautiful gem of a child.¡±
Da Furen, Jiang shi, chuckled lightly but there was no humor in her eyes. She carefully studied Li Wei Yang and said, ¡°She really is a well-behaved child. Come over here and let me take a closer look.¡±
Li Wei Yang nced up from the corner of her eyes but kept on her face a bright smile. Her countenance was respectful and obedient. She gently walked past the second daughter-inw, Wen shi¡ªthe person who had helped her stood up earlier. She demurely walked towards Jiangshi and slightly bowed down. ¡°Mother.¡±
Jiang shi looked at her with affection and care. ¡°They say Ping Cheng¡¯s fengshui is very good, to the point it can help nurture someone into an exceptional and talented person. When you were just born, you were as small as a kitten. Your body and health wasn¡¯t good either but now, you look a lot healthier. This is a good resulting from a setback!¡±
Good fengshui? Nurture into an exceptional, talented person? Li Wei Yang coldlyughed inside. She was just short of being nurtured into death, but that person has the nerves to say it was a good resulting from a setback. This kind of thick skin was definitely not normal.
She gently smiled. ¡°What mother said is right. It¡¯s because over the past few years, Wei Yang has received your care and concern.¡±
When these words were spoken, in other people¡¯s eyes, Li Wei Yang would seem like a person who knew her manners. If she were toin to Lao Furen at this moment that she had been abused, Lao Furen would simply scold Da Furen with a few simple words. At the same time, Da Furen could push the me and responsibility onto the carelessness of the maids and servants. In the end, it would not affect Da Furen. Instead Li Wei Yang would be left with the impression of being an ignorant person.
So when Li Wei Yang said those words, Jiang shi was impressed and broke into a grin. She reached out for Wei Yang¡¯s hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand my well-intentions. Now that you¡¯re back, you should spend more time with your sisters. If youck anything, juste and talk to me.¡±
The third daughter-inw, Zhou shi, quietly watched this scene without a word of opinion. On the other hand, Wen shi was smiling with ridicule. From the beginning to the end, Lao Furen had no expression as she fiddled with the Buddhist m beads in her hand.
¡°Wei Yang will definitely listen to mother¡¯s words. I will spend more time with . . . my sisters.¡± In other people¡¯s eyes, Li Wei Yang¡¯s face had turned pink and she appeared to be very acquiescent.
Da Furen briefly nced at Zi Yan and Bai Zhi behind Wei Yang. She nodded and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good to have only two maidservants with you. Hua Mei, from now on you will follow San xiaojie and take care of her.¡±
A petite maid with a pair of delicate phoenix eyes stepped forward and greeted Li Wei Yang with respect.
¡°You¡¯ve grown up now, so it¡¯s not enough to have only two first rank servants by your side. For now, you will be assigned another one. After the New Year¡¯s, another one will be assigned to you. I have already prepared all of the second rank servants for you. As for the third rank servants, the selection process is still ongoing. It should be ready soon enough.¡± When speaking these words, Da Furen appeared to be a sincerely, benevolent mother.
Li Wei Yang grinned with gratefulness. She knew that it wasn¡¯t only Da Furen who was judging her at this moment, but there was also Meng shi, Wen shi and Zhou shi. They were all studying her and judging her. In this entire family, father was the Prime Minister and Da Furen Jiang shiwas the official person in charge of managing the estate¡¯s internal affairs. However, in these past few years, Erfang and Dafang [2] was caught in a cold war and then there was also Sanfang. . .All in all, their scheming and psychological warfare were inevitable.
For a person who had just returned like her, the most important thing was to have a strong support.
Da Furen looked at her, furrowed her brows and said, ¡°Child, why are you dressed so thinly?¡± She then waved her hand. ¡°Bring over the cloak I¡¯ve prepared.¡± In front of everyone, she smiled and personally wrapped the cloak around Li Wei Yang.
The cloak was light but warm. On the light pink silk cloak was the dotted pattern of a peony flower, which was sewn on it with gold thread. Beside it, there were also cloud patterns sewn in ck thread. The interior of the cloak was made of white mink fur, making it look very warm and soft.
However, when Li Wei Yang touched it, she immediately discovered the cloak was old and had already been used. Clearly Da Furen wanted to emphasize her dignity and magnanimity in front of everyone, so she had especially looked into the back of her wardrobe and found the cloak, using the second-hand cloak to appear benevolent and conscientious.
Wei Yang said, ¡°Thank you, mother.¡±
Precisely then, someone came in to ry a message to Jiang shi. ¡°Da Furen, Yu Shi Furen has gifted 5 rolls of Liu Yun Ge silk from Ning Zhou. You should take a look.¡±
Da Furen nodded and smiled happily. She said, ¡°Lao Furen, I shall take my leave. There¡¯s a few things I have to take care of. Wei Yang, when I¡¯m done, I will bring you to your father.¡±
Li Wei Yang hurriedly replied, ¡°Yes, mother. Please don¡¯t worry.¡±
The m beads in Meng shi¡¯s hands subtly moved as she simply nodded her head. Da Furen quickly took her leave. The moment she left, Erfang and Sanfang also stood up. Erfang Wen shieven nced at Li Wei Yang with disappointment. She thought she would be able to watch the concubine¡¯s daughter incriminate Jiang shi, but it turns out, Li Wei Yang was a mere coward. She had suffered through so much hardships and abuse and yet she had no courage to say it.
Once the three furens left, it was calm and quiet.
Meng shi nced at Li Wei Yang with her delicate features. For some reason, she suddenly sighed and then said to Luo mama standing beside her, ¡°Lead this child out.¡±
Li Wei Yang kneeled down on the ground and earnestly kowtowed in front of Meng shi. Afterwards she followed Luo mama out.
As Luo mama led Li Wei Yang towards the canopy, she abruptly heard Li Wei Yang yelped out loud. She stopped in her footsteps. ¡°San xiaojie, what¡¯s the matter?¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head, but there was a strange expression on her face. As if without thinking, she touched the back of her neck. Luo mama didn¡¯t say anything further and resumed her steps, but purposely slowed down. She tossed a look at the back of Li Wei Yang¡¯s neck and noticed the presence of red spots, simr to wounds caused by needles. Blood was slowly oozing out as well. Luo mama froze up.
Li Wei Yang seemed to be enduring it to the best of her ability, but tears were already appearing.
Luo mama couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. Smiling, she said, ¡°San xiaojie, this embroidered cloak is beautiful. Recently Lao Furen has wanted something simr to it. Could you possibly let me borrow the cloak for two days so I can study the embroideries?¡±
The kind of garments Lao Taitai wore would definitely have a different kind of colour and pattern than the ones she would wear. Li Wei Yang immediately understood the hidden meaning but feigned ignorance anyway. She obediently removed the cloak and gave it to Luo mama. Luo mama received it. Perhaps it was by ident or it was on purpose, her fingers brushed against the mink fur inside the cloak. Luo mama¡¯s expression changed.
¡°Luo mama, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Wei Yang innocently asked.
Luo mama briefly nced at the bunch of servants surrounding them. The smile on her face didn¡¯t go away. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. San xiaojie should go and familiarize yourself with your new residence. I have to return to Lao Furen¡¯s side.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at the cloak that Luo mama was tightly holding in her hands. She gently smiled and said, ¡°Yes, Luo mama should hurry back.¡±
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Trantor¡¯s Note: Sorry guys! Updates will be a bit slower from now on since I have a few things on my te at the moment. The chapters are slowly getting longer and more descriptive as well now that Wei Yang is back in the Capital.
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Chapter 9
Surrounded by Flowers
Luo mama brought the cloak back to He Xiang Yuan and dismissed all of the servants. Then she said to Meng shi, ¡°Lao Furen, there¡¯s something I have to tell you.¡±
Meng shi noticed the serious expression on Luo mama¡¯s face and nodded her head. ¡°What is it?¡±
Luo mama carefully retold everything that had happened. ¡°Even though these are the kind of things I shouldn¡¯t concern myself with, but San xiaojie is really pitiful. She had no idea and even thought of the cloak as a treasure. After all, she¡¯s still a child. She doesn¡¯t know how to take precaution against others.¡±
Listening to Luo mama, Meng shi felt suspicious as she took the cloak. She brushed her hands gently against the cloak two times and discovered a strange feeling. Abruptly she looked down. ¡°Hm, what is this?¡±
Underneath theyer of the soft and warm mink fur, there was an area that was prickly and poked into the skin. Upon closer inspection, it wasn¡¯t fur but several small needles. The needles were very thin. If a person didn¡¯t look at it carefully they wouldn¡¯t notice the difference.
¡°Why do the clothes have these things in it?¡± Meng shi furrowed her eyebrows.
¡°Sao xiaojie in the end is still a young girl. She wouldn¡¯t know about these things. The needles are so small that it¡¯s not easily seen. Not to mention, the fur helped cover it up. The person wearing it won¡¯t be able to notice, but the moment the person makes any sort of movements, the needles will poke into their skin.¡±
¡°Those wicked servants! How dare they do something like this!?¡± Meng shi roared, infuriated.
Even though she wasn¡¯t there to watch over Li Wei Yang grow up, Wei Yang was still her grand-daughter. Not to mention, she was a delicate and well-mannered child. She had just returned to the estate and yet, who had the nerves to scheme against her already? Meng shi contemted for a while. Aside from Da Furen Jiang shi, there was no one else who had the nerves to do something like this!
Meng shi¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°This cloak was gifted right in front of me. Is she trying to cause me troubles?¡±
Luo mama rarely saw Meng shi in an angry state. She hurriedly lowered her head. ¡°Lao Furen, there¡¯s a chance this isn¡¯t Da Furen¡¯s doing. The way Da Furen treated San xiaojie was with kindness¡ª¡±
¡°Kindness? That child wasn¡¯t born from her, so what does it matter if there¡¯s kindness or not?! I had thought that she was someone of noble background, who understood what to do and what not to do, and that she won¡¯t stoop low like others but as it turns out, she has be muddle-headed too. Our family cannot let words spread that we are someone who abuses and mistreats the concubine¡¯s daughters. Luo mama, you go and bring Mo Zhu to San xiaojie.¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Luo mama promptly replied.
Even though Lao Furen was someone who rarely questioned the estate¡¯s internal affairs, but she was also a person who was cold on the outside and hot-tempered on the inside. If there were things she couldn¡¯t let pass, she will definitely do something about it. If it was just a bunch of tiny needles, all one had to do was remove it. However, Lao Furen was worried that Da Furen would do something else and words will spread, thus hurting the Li¡¯s generations of reputation. Fortunately for San xiaojie, this time she will have Lao Furen¡¯s people beside her. Da Furen will need to think twice before taking any actions against Wei Yang.
Meng shi contemted some more and said, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already brought this cloak here, remove all of the needles before returning it, but you must not say a word of it to San xiaojie.¡±
¡°Yes, I understand,¡± Luo mama replied.
At this moment, Li Wei Yang was heading towards the flower garden with a servant leading in the front. Along the way, Li Wei Yang was restless. She was filled with uncertainty regarding the impact of those tiny needles. In truth, the needles weren¡¯t Da Furen¡¯s doing. She wouldn¡¯t take actions without considering the effects of it on herself first. The needles were a part of Li Wei Yang¡¯s n. She had attached the needles when no one was looking. Using this opportunity, she wanted to let Meng shi know that Da Furen was in fact a two-faced, hypocritical person.
Right then, a voice sounded from the opposite study room. It was the voice of a person reciting poems, a voice that was easy to listen to. It startled Wei Yang.
¡°San xiaojie, that is Da xiaojie reciting poems with all the other xiaojies!¡± Hua Mei exined.
Li Wei Yang looked at her speechlessly.
Thinking that Wei yang was listening, Hua Mei continued on, ¡°Our Da xiaojie is like a fairy from heaven. Not only is she kind-hearted andpassionate, her skills are exceptional. She is good at everything. Before, all the other xiaojies didn¡¯t read books and poems but Da xiaojie went up to Da Laoye and said even females should have some form of education. As a result, Da Laoye journeyed to Mount Yuan and personally invited the most famous female teacher back to the estate. This kind of special hospitality is probably the only one here in Da Li!¡±
Li Wei Yang ced her hand on the banister as she silently tightened her grip on it. A casual grin appeared on her face. ¡°Is that true? Dajie is truly capable.¡±
Suddenly, the sound of a young girl¡¯s giggling came from the distance. ¡°Who are you? Why haven¡¯t I seen you before?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked over and saw two beautifully dressed young girls slowly approached from the other side, where the study room was. One of them was pointing at her and asking the question. She didn¡¯t want to run into these people so early on, but it seems they are the one who wanted to walk right up to her door. She grinned. Perhaps history was repeating itself.
¡°San xiaojie, the one who just spoke is Wu xiaojie. The person standing beside her is Si xiaojie,¡± Hua Mei whispered the reminder.
In a blink of an eye, Wu xiaojie, Li Chang Xi had already appeared right in front of her face. Chang Xi wore a short-sleeved, pale-blue dress. On her hair was a small pair of beautifully crafted brooch and around her neck was a pure gold ne encrusted with jewels. She had an elongated, oval-shaped face, eyes were slightly nted, and in between her brows was a small dot. Her cheeks were rosy pink and when sheughed her mouth was slightly parted, revealing rows of purely white teeth. At first nce, it was hard not to like her.
Beside Wu xiaojie was another simr looking young girl, though she was dressesd in blushed pink. Her features resembled Li Chang Xi, but appeared to be more gentle-looking. She was none other than Si xiaojie, Li Chang Xiao.
¡°Si mei, Wu mei.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled, looking innocent and yet bashful. The afternoon sunlight shone on her face causing her beauty to radiate.
Si xiaojie, Li Chang Xiao, nodded and smiled cordially at Wei Yang. On the other hand, Li Chang Xi was chuckling with mockery and looking very arrogant. ¡°You¡¯ve just returned and already calling us meimeis. Who said you can address us like that?¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes and said, ¡°I can¡¯t call you meimei? Then should I call you jiejie?¡±
Li Chang Xi was caught off-guard. Her eyebrows immediately furrowed as she looked at Li Wei Yang from top to bottom. She noticed Wei Yang could actually be considered quite pretty. She had soft, porcin skin, ck hair like ink and perfectly drawn brows. Compared to the image of a foolish country bumpkin that Chang Xi had in mind, it waspletely different. She suddenly felt unhappy. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning behind your words? Are you trying to look for troubles?¡±
The person looking for trouble is you! In Wei Yang¡¯s dark, ck eyes, there was a flicker of coldness. However, it came and disappeared so fast that it wasn¡¯t noticeable. On the surface though, she continued to smile. ¡°Si meimei, I have to go give my greetings to father. Don¡¯t block my way.¡±
Li Chang Xi thought Li Wei Yang was a being coward. She became even angrier. ¡°You wretched misfortune born in February! How dare you talk to me like that?¡±
Si xiaojie, Wu xiaojie, they were all just like Li Wei Yang¡ªthe concubine¡¯s daughters. In the previous lifetime, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t understand why Li Chang Xi was always trying to pick on her, especially when she hadn¡¯t done anything towards Chang Xi. However, now she finally understood why. In life, there was a certain group of people who simply likes to cause drama. When it was calm and peaceful, those people would try to stir up something for the sake of it. Not to mention, she was the new person who had just returned. If they don¡¯t bully her and try to subdue her now, in the future, how could they do as they please?
There was not an ounce of anger on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face. There was only a calm smile. ¡°That¡¯s right. I was born in February. Wu mei, what kind of opinion do you have on my birthday?¡±
Seeing that Li Wei Yang wasn¡¯t upset, Li Chang Xi was even more irritable. She was about to say something but suddenly, a genteel voice spoke up. ¡°Chang Xi, San mei had just returned. How can you be so rude to her?¡±
Upon hearing this voice, Li Wei Yang felt a cold breeze against her back. This voice, even if a hundred years has passed, she will still never forget it.
Li Zhang Le!
She slowly turned around. Her eyes fell on the unequivocal beauty elegantly approaching them. . .
Chapter 10
Big Sister Li Zhang Le
A slender and elegant figure of a beauty slowly appeared. She had a pair of exquisite eyes with longshes, wearing a pale green dress with Begonia flowers embroidered on the skirt, shimmering like the afternoon sunshine. A translucent sash was tied around her waist which emphasized her petite figure, slender as the willows yet graceful as the canaries in the breeze. Her hairstyle was simple, essorized only by a gold bodkin with a peach-shaped pearl. The pearl dangled low and helped to highlight her soft and attractive features, making her look naturally youthful and elegant.
Under the blue skies, she walked forward slowly with a smile. It made everyone feel as if a thousand flowers were blooming in the spring, like the moon in mid-Autumn. A genteel music seemed to have sounded from all directions as cranes flew around, causing everyone to have lost some of their souls.
This is Da xiaojie Li Zhang Le¡¯s charismatic appeal. No one could escape from it.
Li Wei Yang stared at her. In her gaze was the subtle hint of sorrow. No wonder she had lost to Zhang Le. Such beauty, such soothing and mellow voice, any man who saw her would be softened.
Li Wei Yang was a traditional woman. Once she has fallen in love with someone, she was going to love with everything she has. Eight years of being husband and wife with Tuo Ba Zhen, she could say that she has given him everything¡ªheart and soul. Even when everyone in this world was against him, she would be the one to defend him, love him to the point of disregarding her own life.
They have lived together for eight years. For the entire eight years, to be kind to a person you didn¡¯t love¡ªeven if it was eight days, it was already exhausting, let alone eight years! As a result, she had to give Tuo Ba Zhen a round of apuse. He was able to put on an act for so long, enduring it until the moment he became the Emperor. It was only then did she realize the person he wanted from the start had been Li Zhang Le.
Though thinking about it, it seemed right. Compared to the Li estate¡¯s Da xiaojie, the difference was like heaven and earth. Li Wei Yang realized that, despite having already lived for half a person¡¯s lifetime, she was just the supporting character in the story. Howughable and yet pitiful.
¡°Chang Xi, how can you speak like that to San mei?¡± Li Zhang Le furrowed her brows, looking at Li Chang Xi. Her expression was filled with disapproval.
Li Chang Xi, who was in the middle of putting on an intimidating presence, immediately changed her attitude. She walked up to Li Zhang Le and grabbed her arm, swinging it back and forth like a child. ¡°Da jie, I was just kidding with San jie. Don¡¯t tell mother about it, otherwise I will definitely be scolded!¡±
Those pretty eyes of Li Zhang Le steered over to Li Wei Yang¡¯s face. She smiled and said, ¡°That will depend on whether or not your San jie will forgive you. If San mei agrees, then I will also let it go but if San mei don¡¯t want to, then there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±
Li Chang Xi stared at Li Wei Yang resentfully.
Li Wei Yangughed coldly on the inside but on her face was a smile. ¡°Da jie don¡¯t need to worry. It¡¯s true that Wu mei was only kidding with me.¡±
Li Zhang Le nodded. ¡°That¡¯s good then. Chang Xi, go and apologize to your San jie.¡±
Li Zhang Le was still Li Zhang Le. She was always ying the role of the middleman, always appearing demure and fair,passionate and approachable. In the past lifetime, this act had deceived her into trusting Zhang Le, yet in the end she was the one being backstabbed. And the one to stab her in the back was this verypassionate and approachable sister. Compared to Li Chang Xi, Li Zhang Le was a lot more arrogant with a sense of heightened ego. The way she used her status to intimidate others was a lot more disdainful than Chang Xi by tenfolds.
In Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, there was a flicker of coldness. It had gone as fast as it had appeared so that no one was able to pick up on it.
Standing on the side, Li Chang Xi stated icily, ¡°Sorry, San jie!¡± When she said the two words ¡®san jie¡¯, she emphasized it in a way that made it seem as if she was clenching her teeth.
With a gentle expression, Li Wei Yang smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Wu meimei.¡±
Li Chang Xi didn¡¯t say anything but red at Li Wei Yang viciously.
Li Zhang Le walked forward, patting on Li Wei Yang¡¯s arm. ¡°From now on, we are good sisters. Let¡¯s not be too antagonistic but more open-minded. Wu meimei, we should go. Xiansheng is waiting for us. San meimei, you should also hurry along and go greet father. You shouldn¡¯t dy it anymore.¡±
Li Wei Yang noticed that she was vaguely defending Li Chang Xi but feigned ignorance.
Li Chang Xi became even more resentful. As she walked by Li Wei Yang, she purposely stretched out her foot to trip Wei Yang. Li Wei Yang saw it but acted like she didn¡¯t and continued on with a straight posture. Li Chang Xi smirked with arrogance as she waited for Wei Yang to humiliate herself in front of everyone. She heard Li Wei Yang softly cried out but for some reason, Li Zhang Le suddenly tripped over as well. The both of them had fallen over into the pond.
Li Chang Xi was horrified.
¡°Da jie! Da Jie!¡± Li Chang Xiao, who was abandoned behind, quickly rushed over.
Li Wei Yang was covered in muddy water, looking like a wild duck crawling out from the pond. When she stood up, she immediately extended her hand to pull Li Zhang Le up as well. The pondwater only reached their waist. Nothing would happen as long as they stood up. Unfortunately, Li Zhang Le¡¯s beautiful skirt and dress was dirtied and her hair was all over the ce. She was scared into a daze, having no clue as to what had just transpired.
Li Chang Xi did not expect for Li Zhang Le to have fallen over as well. Her sole intention was to embarrass Li Wei Yang. Everyone present was scared into silence.
Li Chang Xiao quickly instructed the dumbfounded servants standing by, ¡°Stop looking! Quickly help Da xiaojie and San xiaojie up!¡±
One by one, Li Zhang Le and Li Wei Yang stepped out of the pond, drenched in muddy water from head to toe.
As Li Wei Yang got out, she said with grievance, ¡°Wu meimei, I know that you don¡¯t like me but how could you possibly push Da jie into the pond too? You are too much!¡±
Suddenly, everyone¡¯s gaze turned on Li Chang Xi.
Due to the fact that she had grown up under Da furen¡¯s wings and had a close rtionship with Li Zhang Le, she would often use that as an excuse to overlook and step on everyone, but at this moment, even she couldn¡¯t believe this situation.
She stuttered, ¡°No . . . Da jie, I didn¡¯t . . . I just wanted to push her over . . . I didn¡¯t know it would turn out like this!¡± She looked over to her biological sister, Li Chang Xiao. ¡°Si jie, you saw it right? Help me say something. I didn¡¯t push Da jie! It¡¯s Li Wei Yang! It¡¯s definitely her! She dragged Da jie down!¡±
In truth, Li Chang Xiao had witnessed Li Chang Xi¡¯s attempt to trip Li Wei Yang. However, she wasn¡¯t able to capture any suspicious gestures from Li Wei Yang, particrly as to why Da jie had tripped as well. Da jie was Da furen¡¯s heart. Even if it was a small mistake, they could be skinned for bringing harm to Zhang Le.
Li Chang Xiao realized the magnitude of the situation. Her face paled as she quickly defended, ¡°Da jie, Chang Xi definitely did not mean to ¨C¡±
Li Wei Yang lowered her head, appearing very pitiful. ¡°Da jie, everything¡¯s my fault. If I hadn¡¯t angered Wu meimei, this wouldn¡¯t have happened to you.¡± As she finished speaking, she took the initiative to use her own clothes to wipe off a footprint on Li Zhang Le¡¯s skirt. Earlier when Li Chang Xi attempted to trip her, she had used the opportunity to step onto Li Zhang Le¡¯s skirt and drag her down, causing Zhang Le to fall into the pond with her.
Li Zhang Le¡¯s gaze hesitated between Li Chang Xi and Li Wei Yang. During the confusion and chaos, she could only vaguely remember someone had grabbed her but she did not know who it was exactly.
Li Chang Xi¡¯s embarrassment turned into anger. She pointed at Li Wei Yang and shouted, ¡°Why are you pretending to be pitiful?! It was your fault!¡± She wanted to rush over and grab Li Wei Yang¡¯s arms.
The servants had never witnessed the xiaojies being so imprudent so they did not know what to do.
Right then, everyone heard an authoritative voice. ¡°What kind of troubles are you causing here?!¡±
Everyone turned around.
Not far from there was Prime Minister Li.
Everyone was stupefied.
Chapter 11
Light Punishment as Warning
Li Xiao Ran wasn¡¯t too old. His hair was jet ck, bounded high up and wearing a yellow official¡¯s hat. Underneath the hair was a wide forehead, further down was bushy and long brows, a pair of stern-looking eyes and his mouth was slightly pressed together, looking extremely serious. Li Wei Yang rarely saw himughing in an easygoing manner. At the very least, she has never witnessed himughing with her.
Li Wei Yang slowly lowered her head, hiding the emotions in her eyes. How many years has it been since shest heard Li Xiao Ran¡¯s voice?
At this moment, an anxious voice belonging to Da furen Jiang shi also spoke up, ¡°Zhang Le, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± At the same time, she pulled Li Zhang Le closer to her side, examining carefully from head to toe, afraid that there was something wrong with her daughter. Her eyes did not hide the restlessness and worries.
Li Zhang Le¡¯s eyes reddened, looking pitiful and yet still enduring it. She pulled on Jiang shi¡¯s clothes and said, ¡°Mother, it¡¯s so cold.¡±
Jiang shi hurriedly removed her coat and wrapped it around Li Zhang Le¡¯s frame instead. Holding Zhang Le¡¯s hands, she said, ¡°Aiya, your hands are so cold. What happened?¡± She turned around, her piercing gaze stopping on Li Wei Yang.
Li Xiao Ran furrowed his brows. His eyes and voice was filled with coldness. It was also firm, with an astuteness that seemed to know everything about the situation. ¡°You¡¯re Wei Yang? Why did you already cause trouble just as you returned to the estate?¡±
Everybody¡¯s expressions changed as they all looked at Li Wei Yang. They were no longer looking at her as if she was the San xiaojie but an alien specie. She had just returned to the estate and yet was already unfavoured by theoye. How can she peacefully live through the days from now on?
Initially, Li Chang Xi¡¯s face was pale as a ghost but when she realized Da furen was targeting Li Wei Yang, she wasforted. On the other hand, Li Chang Xiao had a gentle and kind personality and just as she was about to speak up, Li Chang Xi abruptly pinched her. Her eyes, which were filled with delight at other¡¯s misery, nced in Li Wei Yang¡¯s direction. Then she looked over to Li Zhang Le¡¯s dirtied dress, winked at Li Chang Xiao and gestured her to stay quiet. All she had to do was watch the scene unfold, for Da furen will definitely punish Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yangughed inwardly. Before it was like this as well. In their eyes, she couldn¡¯t evenpare to the dirt underneath their feet. How pitiful of her to have blindly rushed into their arms as if they were truly her family! It was indeedughable. As she faced these same people right now, she no longer had any feelings of pain and suffering. There was only the determination to win. So let¡¯s bring it on because she wasn¡¯t afraid of anyone. Looking at these bunch of chicken eggs, thinking they were something special, only to have met her ¨C the imprable boulder ¨C let¡¯s see who was going to crash and burn!
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Xiao Ran. A gentle smile formed across her face as she slowly bowed down. ¡°Father, it¡¯s the first day Wei Yang returned and yet I have caused such troubles for Da jie. I am truly apologetic. Not to mention, Da jie had even helped me ¨C¡± her gaze fell on Li Zhang Le¡¯s face, eyes brimming with gratitude, ¡°Everyone says Da jie is like a fairy. I have just returned but have already received Da jie¡¯s kindness and concern. Compared to what others have said, she is a hundred times more kind andpassionate. But. . .¡± she abruptly changed the flow of the conversation as her innocent eyes turned to Li Chang Xi, ¡°Wu meimei, you were truly careless. If you hadn¡¯t bumped into me, Da jie wouldn¡¯t have fallen into the pond because she was trying to help me. Why didn¡¯t you look where you were going?¡±
Li Chang Xi was horrified. She had thought that, in front of father and Da furen, nobody would dare to say a word otherwise. To her surprise, Li Wei Yang had a quick and sly tongue, brazen enough to even defend herself. Immediately, Li Chang Xi¡¯s face reddened as she jumped to defense, ¡°Father, mother, Chang Xi does not dare to do such a thing! Li Wei Yang obviously ¨C No, San jiejie fell down by herself. For some reason, she dragged Da jie down with her! Everyone saw it with their own eyes!¡±
Li Wei Yang was not afraid of Li Chang Xi¡¯s intimidating presence. The bright afternoon sun was reflected off her bright eyes, which was expressed with surprise. ¡°Wu mei, how could you say something like that? Father, if you don¡¯t trust Wei Yang¡¯s words, then just ask Da jie. Da jie is the fairest person here. She won¡¯t be biased just because she¡¯s close with Wu mei and I¡¯m the new person in this estate, is that right?¡±
Li Zhang Le startled. She did not expect Li Wei Yang to shower her with so manypliments. If she responded in Li Chang Xi¡¯s favour, then it would appear as if she was unfairly siding with Wu mei. Even if father trusted her, there was still going to be some lingering of suspicions.
After contemting, there was a slight hint of chagrin on her face as she said to Li Chang Xi, ¡°That¡¯s right, Wu mei. You¡¯ve been careless. How could you cause Wei Yang to fall over the railings? If I hadn¡¯t been there to pull San mei back, Wei Yang¡¯s forehead would¡¯ve hit the rocks. San mei¡¯s beauty would have been ruined!¡±
Not surprisly that was how it turned out. Li Wei Yang hid a cold smile tugging at the corner of her eyes. She thoroughly understood of Li Zhang Le¡¯s character. At any point in time, Zhang Le will always choose to protect her image as a kind andpassionate person. If she were to say Wei Yang had pulled her down, then wouldn¡¯t she have be the idiot? On the other hand, if she were to say she was the one to rescue Wei Yang then that would be a different story. Despite growing up with Li Chang Xi, in a sh of a second, Li Chang Xi has be a mere stepping stone for her good reputation.
After listening to the exnation, Li Xiao Ran stared intently at Li Zhang Le. ¡°Is that true?¡±
Li Zhang Le hesitated for a brief moment before quickly nodding her head. Turning to Wei Yang, she said, ¡°San mei had just returned but something like this was allowed to happen. Being the older sister, how could I simply stand there and watch San mei get implicated?¡±
The moment she opened her mouth to speak, Li Xiao Ran immediately believed her. Where this child was concerned, he still very much doted on her.
Seeing the bright smile on his face, Li Wei Yang lowered her head, shielding the look in her eyes, a cold smile tugged subtly at the corners of her mouth. Father, very soon you will discover the kind of mishaps this angelic daughter of yours will bring! She will have to pay for her hypocrisy!
Da furen coldly nced at Li Chang Xi. ¡°Chang Xi, how have I taught you? What happened to your etiquettes? Not only did you almost cause injuries to your San jie, you had also caused Da jie to be drenched from head to toe. From now on, you are to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days! You are not allowed to stand up without my permission!¡±
The smile on Li Zhang Le¡¯s face was as warm as the spring breeze. ¡°Mother, meimei¡¯s stubbornness is because she is still young. San mei will feel uneasy if the punishment is too heavy.¡± Then she turned towards Wei Yang with a grin. The sun shone onto her face, illuminating her ethereal beauty. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, San mei?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was faint yet in her eyes seems to be a raging fire. ¡°Da jie is right. It¡¯s all my fault. If I hadn¡¯t returned today, Wu meimei wouldn¡¯t be so upset with me and your dress wouldn¡¯t be soaked. Wu meimei, don¡¯t be upset with me!¡± It looked as if she wanted toe to peaceful terms, reaching out to hold Li Chang Xi¡¯s hand.
Li Chang Xi was outraged as she flung Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands off of her. Looking terrified, Li Wei Yang took two steps backward.
Li Zhang Le¡¯s beautiful eyes instantly darkened. How pitiful that the iron cannot be refined into steel. Chang Xi did not live up her to expectations. Her mother would have listened to her words and let go of the situation but it doesn¡¯t seem to be the case now. . .
Li Chang Xi had been rash about her anger, only realizing afterwards in horror that she had made a mistake.
As expected, Li Xiao Ran was infuriated. ¡°You have no sense of propriety! Take a look at yourself! Three days? You are grounded for one month and you are to copy the woman¡¯s text a hundred times before you can be released!¡± Then he turned around and walked off without ever looking back.
Da furen was horrified as she quickly chased after him. ¡°Laoye,oye, don¡¯t be angry¡ª¡±
After the two of them left, Li Chang Xi turned red with anger. ¡°Li Wei Yang, you are a despicable person!¡±
Despicable? If you hadn¡¯t started it, none of this would have happened as a result. Li Wei Yang stayed in her spot.
Meanwhile, Li Chang Xi was pulled back by Li Chang Xiao. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Haven¡¯t you already given us enough scare?¡±
Wei Yang grinned, her eyes was clouded with murk, causing Li Chang Xi to feel as if she was being stabbed by a sharp and cold knife. However, it onlysted for a few seconds. In a sh, Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes had be clear and innocent again. Nothing else could be detected.
¡°Enough! Wu meimei, stop with the tantrum!¡± Li Zhang Le chided as she slowly walked forward.
Li Chang Xi was still unhappy as she stared at Wei Yang with resentment. Nheless she didn¡¯t dare to make another sound.
¡°From now on, we ¨C as sisters ¨C shouldn¡¯t be arguing with one another. Instead we should be living with each other in peace and harmony.¡± Li Zhang Le¡¯s face radiated with grace and elegance, sparkling like clear crystals.
¡°Yes, Da jie,¡± Li Wei Yang replied softly, as if she was whispering.
Looking at that pure and calm smile on Wei Yang, for some reason, a dark shadow clouded over Li Zhang Le.
Chapter 12
Tea Brewing Skills
She was enveloped in darkness as blood oozed out of the broken legs, being tormented day after day. . .
Li Wei Yang awoken from the nightmare, drenched in cold sweats. Even her clothes and nkets were drenched in cold sweats.
She was panting until Bai Zhi lifted up the aqua blue curtains and asked in a low voice, ¡°San xiaojie, are you alright?¡±
Li Wei Yang instinctively nced at the bed with its paisley design. She had only been dreaming. She was still alive. Shrouded in the dark, Li Wei Yang had a vague expression on her face. A few strands of hair drenched in sweats had matted to her forehead.
¡°San xiaojie, did you have nightmares again?¡± Bai Zhi asked cautiously. ¡°Do you want to drink some water?¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head.
Right then, Mo Zhu came in and asked in a gentle voice, ¡°Are you feeling unwell, San xiaojie?¡±
Mo Zhu and Bai Zhi were on the night watch today. Li Wei Yang briefly nced at Bai Zhi.
Bai Zhi immediately said, ¡°No, it¡¯s just the nket is too thick causing the sweats!¡±
Bai Zhi was a smart servant. Li Wei Yang thought to herself, that year, the Li¡¯s in Ping Cheng had also gifted Bai Zhi and Zi Yan to her. Unfortunately, she had pitied the two of them, feeling sorry that they had to suffer with her, so she had never gotten close to the two of them. She had listened to Da furen¡¯s advice by allowing them to leave and start their own family. Right now, she needed some help and these two servants also needed to be tested once more.
Mo Zhu was Lao furen, Meng shi¡¯s, second rank servant. She was then promoted to a first rank servant when she was ordered to serve San xiaojie.
After listening to Bai Zhi¡¯s exnation, Mo Zhu turned around and stepped out to retrieve the warm water that was being boiled on the stove. Returning with the warm water, she said, ¡°Nubi will help xiaojie bathe.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded.
Mo Zhi was quick. She poured the boiled water into a tub then she took out a handkerchief made out of bup and scented with fragrance. She dipped it into the water then assisted Bai Zhi in bathing and changing Li Wei Yang¡¯s clothes.
After changing out of the moist clothes, Wei Yang¡¯s mood was better and she felt calmer. She looked at the two servants and smiled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else to be done. The two of you should go rest. Should I need anything, I will call you.¡±
The following afternoon, Zi Yan brought over a small green ceramic bowl.
She said, ¡°San xiaojie, this was delivered from the kitchen. They said Laoye had invited over some guests today so they haven¡¯t been able to prepare lunch. You should drink the chicken soup first.¡±
Wei Yang was not like Zhang Le who had her own private kitchen. Instead she had to eat with everyone else. Listening to Zi Yan, Li Wei Yang simply smiled and said, ¡°Okay.¡± She opened the lid and with a brief nce, she realized the chicken soup was watered down. There was only four pieces of chicken meat in the soup,posed of the head, neck, butt and breast. They were mostly bones, however. Nothing was edible.
Li Wei Yang could only smile.
There were rules to be followed in Li jia. On the surface, the way they treated the concubine¡¯s children seemed to be fair and void of favouritism. The decors were all expensive and luxurious items. From appearance, it seemed as if Da furen was an extremely fair person. However, all of these expensive items have been recorded and tracked down. It could not be thrown away or damaged; otherwise one would have topensate for it. In total, she only had two set of clothings that were presentable in front of guests. She had already been here for a month. Despite Da furen often sending people over to take measurements for the new tailored clothings, those new clothings haven¡¯t actually materialized.
In the past lifetime, Jiang shi hadn¡¯t reacted this way. She hadn¡¯t been so obvious and had maintained her good image of a benevnt and kind stepmother. Unfortunately, it seems as if she was holding a grudge from thest time Wei Yang had caused her precious daughter, Li Zhang Le, to be drenched from head to toe. Consequently, Zhang Le had the coughs for two days.
It seems like even the servants were starting to look down on her. Li Wei Yang looked at the soup with a ghost of a smile on her face.
Zi Yan¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°San xiaojie, I had argued with the kitchen staff, but they said it was the rules that even the other xiaojies had to follow yet San xiaojie was the one being picky about the food. They also said when the other xiaojies wanted to eat something in particr, they would pay extra for it. San xiaojie could do the same.¡±
Pay extra? Li Wei Yang shook her head,ughing. She was infamous for being the unloved concubine¡¯s daughter. She had no money to give the servants and staff. Da furen was sweet on the outside but bitter on the inside. She had gifted Wei Yang a lot of things but there was no money which could be used for practical things. Even worse, she couldn¡¯t sell the gifts for money. Those servants must have already guessed Wei Yang didn¡¯t have any money. How interesting!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes brightened. She helped Zi Yan stand up. ¡°Bring over the scissors.¡±
Zi Yan had no idea what Wei Yang wanted to do but she obeyed nheless. Her eyes were fixated on Wei Yang nervously, afraid that Wei Yang was thinking of doing something reckless.
Li Wei Yang grinned and took off her coat. Using the scissors, she cut off half of her sleeves then allowed Zi Yan to haphazardly patch it up again. When it was all done, she put her coat back on. Nobody could tell there was something wrong from the outside.
She stood up and said, ¡°I heard Wu meimei is already up and about. Perhaps she¡¯s doing her greetings at Lao furen¡¯s.¡±
Zi Yan looked at Wei Yang with a clueless expression.
¡°Let¡¯s go to Wu meimei.¡± The smile on Wei Yang¡¯s face became even brighter. There was also a hint of slyness.
Stepping out of her chamber, Li Wei Yang had stered on a bright and cheerful expression. After all, nobody liked to stare at a mournful expression, including Lao furen!
He Xiang Yuan was lively, filled with a fragrant scent. Da furen was sitting beside Lao furen. They were discussing ns for the New Year.
Li Zhang Le was in a snow white dress made out of fox skin with patterns of clouds and red begonias. When it came to appearance, she was a lot more eyecatchingpared to the other xiaojies. Her stunning outfits were a perfectplement to her beauty as well. Even if she was just sitting in one spot, she was still very attractive. The other maidens in the room simply could notpare to her. At this moment, she had on a delicate smile as she listened to her mother¡¯s words, looking very elegant and patient.
On the other hand, Li Chang Xi was wearing a coat made out of mouse skin with patterns of red roses. Her head was essorized with rubies and a pair of matching earrings that dangled from her earlobes. Her smile was natural and easygoing,pletely hiding the sluggish and fatigued look from being locked up inside her room for an entire month. It was obvious she had be a lot more clear-minded after the punishment. She was wholeheartedly trying to get on Lao furen¡¯s good side, sometimes speaking up to retell a light-hearted story. Despite the efforts she put in though, Lao furen remained calm and unfazed.
Si xiaojie, Li Chang Xiao, was quiet and reserved like always. Now and then she would lift her head up and nce at Er xiaojie, Li Chang Ru, who was Erfang¡¯s daughter. Everytime she looked over, she would catch Li Chang Ru staring intently at Li Zhang Le with resentment and jealousy.
Everyone in this room looked as if they were living in harmony with one another but the truth was they all had ulterior motives.
A servant, Lu Xin, brought over a tray and ced a cup of tea beside each and every person.
Lao furen, Meng shi, picked up the cup and took a sip of it. She startled. ¡°Oh? The vour of this tea is great.¡±
Upon hearing so, Li Zhang Le also picked up the cup and took a small sip. Then she agreed with apliment, ¡°Mm, even the colour of the tea is pretty. The vour is longsting too. It is definitely premium tea.¡± She looked towards Lu Xin and said, ¡°As expected of someone under Lao furen. You are talented at everything. I have never tasted such greatly brewed tea!¡±
Tea brewing skills in this period was considered elegant and high ss. It wasn¡¯t just popr with the royalties and beaurocrats; it was even popr among themoners. Not to mention, Da xiaojie Li Zhang Le was one of the many tea specialists, having been taught by a professional. To receive herpliment must mean the person had exceptional tea brewing skills.
Everyone in the room began to taste the tea andplimented on it.
A smile stered across Meng shi¡¯s face. ¡°Lu Xin, your tea brewing skills have improved drastically. This calls for a reward.¡±
Lu Xin bowed down. ¡°Lao furen, this tea was not brewed by me but San xiaojie.¡±
Everyone in the room was astounded. There was aplicated expression on Da furen¡¯s face.
In Lao furen¡¯s eyes though, there was a smile. ¡°Oh, was it Wei Yang? Tell her toe in.¡±
All her efforts had done little to impress Lao furen, but Li Wei Yang had easily received Lao furen¡¯s praises. Li Chang Xi looked at Li Wei Yang who was entering the room. She was instantly filled with anger and resentment.
Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Retaliating With Someone Else¡¯s Power
Li Wei Yang was full of confidence that once Lao furen drank her tea she would not be able to drink tea brewed by anyone else. Due to the fact that Tuo Ba Zhen was a tea lover, and wanting to make him happy, she had searched for reputable tea sommeliers and had received their tutge. After eight years, she was confident enough to say that her tea brewing skills was superb and could not be surpassed by anyone else.
She was not afraid of Da furen investigating the matter either. All the xiaojies of the Li¡¯s in Ping Cheng knew how to brewed tea. She had stayed in Ping Cheng for quite a while so it was logical that her tea brewing skills had improved as well.
Naturally Meng shi was very satisfied with the tea. She looked at Wei Yang as her smile became a lot warmer. ¡°The way you brewed the tea is not like everyone else. Where did you learn your tea brewing skills?¡±
In the previous lifetime, because she was the concubine¡¯s daughter born in February, she was always very cautious of her manners and speech. At all asions, she would simply be sitting quietly in a corner and would never casually converse with Lao furen. However, she was no longer like that.
She replied, ¡°Lao furen, when I was at Ping Cheng, they had invited Dong jia¡¯s San Niang to teach the xiaojies how to brew tea. I had participated and learned a few skills as a result, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m still an amateur.¡±
Da furen¡¯s expression turned for the worse. Even Li Zhang Le had furrowed her eyebrows. Had only learned a few skills and yet was able to brew such tea? If she had been seriouslymitted from the beginning then wouldn¡¯t that mean. . .
Dong jia¡¯s San Niang was a famous and highly respected tea sommelier. Unfortunately, she had difficulties moving and walking about so she had never left Ping Cheng. Li Zhang Le had once thought of inviting her to the estate but sadly there was no fate. To have heard such things from Wei Yang, for someone as prideful as Li Zhang Le, it was like a deration of war.
Li Wei Yang had observed both mother and daughter¡¯s expression, but did not show it on her face. She simply said, ¡°Lao furen, can I borrow the cup of tea for a minute?¡±
Meng shi slightly nodded her head.
Li Wei Yang stepped forward, picked up the cup of tea beside Meng shi and gently swirled it around. Afterwards she ced it back down as Lao furen looked down and noticed that a peony flower had appeared inside the cup of tea. Steam rose from the cup, creating an illusive mood.
Sitting on the side, second daughter-inw, Wen shi, was curious and scooted closer to take a look. As she looked into the cup, she was taken by surprise. ¡°I had no idea a flower could be created like that! Your skills are truly exceptional!¡±
Li Zhang Le¡¯s expression changed. Suddenly, she stood up and walked over. At the sight of the peony flower, she was immediately speechless.
Li Wei Yang humbly responded, ¡°It¡¯s just a simple trick but at least it could bring a smile to Lao furen¡¯s face. Dong jia¡¯s San Niang was able to create the mountains and river out of the tea leaves. Now that¡¯s the kind of talent that makes other speechless with apuse.¡±
A simple trick? Yet not a single person in the Capital was able to do the same thing.
Meng shi was fixated on the cup of tea. The peony flower slowly disappeared as she let out a small sigh.
Meanwhile, Wen shi¡¯s eyes narrowed and she asked, ¡°San xiaojie, what happened to your sleeves?¡±
When Wei Yang¡¯s arms were rxed by her side, it was not noticeable but the moment she lifted her arms, the sleeves were incidentally lifted as well, revealing the mismatched sleeves underneath. Li Wei Yang had been waiting for this question all along. She quickly dropped her arms and said with embarrassment, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±
¡°What do you mean it¡¯s nothing? It¡¯s obvious your inner sleeves are very short!¡± Wen shi¡¯s daughter, Li Chang Ru, purposely voiced out in a panic, as if she had discovered a huge secret.
As soon as she heard those words, Da furen stared fixedly at Li Wei Yang. Her gaze was sharp, like the edge of a sword ready to kill. She smiled and slowly said, ¡°Wei Yang, what is this about?¡± Despite doing her best to hide her emotions, her tone was still stony and everyone present was able to pick up on it.
Li Chang Ru blinked her eyes excitedly and said, ¡°Da baimu, can¡¯t you see? Wei Yang¡¯s clothes aren¡¯t the right size for her! Aiya, how pitiful. She doesn¡¯t even have something as simple as fitting clothes.¡±
Li Wei Yang lowered her eyes to the ground. She appeared nervous and uneasy, but on the inside, she wasughing. Da furen ced a huge significance on her appearance and dignity, especially when she was in front of Lao furen and the other daughter-inws. However, since Da furen had purposely neglected to provide her with proper clothings and nessities, why should Wei Yang help save her face value? Even if Da furen became even more resentful of Wei Yang as a result, her reputation would be tarnished once it¡¯s known to everyone that she mistreats the concubine¡¯s daughters. The Prime Minister¡¯s reputation would also be on the line and because of that, Lao furen would definitely get involved.
Wen shiughed out loud and said, ¡°Da sao, can it be that you still haven¡¯t gotten a simple tailor for Wei Yang¡¯s clothes? She¡¯s already been back for a month.¡±
Meng shi looked at Da furen with impatience. Even if Da furen was a fierce person, her face still turned red at this moment.
Li Zhang Le quickly defended, ¡°Mother had said before that she would get Wei Yang four new set of clothes. Why hasn¡¯t it arrived yet? It must be those servants shirking their responsibilities!¡± Zhang Le darted her eyes towards Wei Yang. Even though she was reprimanding, there was also pity in her tone of voice as she stared at Wei Yang, as if she was staring at her most beloved younger sister, masking the iciness underneath. ¡°San mei, you should have said something to me instead of wearing such attire out into the public. Wouldn¡¯t it embarrass mother as well?¡±
Wei Yang¡¯s mouth curved into a small grin, without a modicum of fear. ¡°What da jie said is right, but our sizes are different, otherwise I would have bothered you already.¡±
Despite being the concubine¡¯s daughter, she was nevertheless the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter. How was it possible to let the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter use hand-me-downs? Li Wei Yang knew for certain that Li Zhang Le had no intentions of giving her used clothings either, but she had chosen her words carefully and with meaningful intent so as to make Zhang Le speechless.
As expected, Zhang Le was forced to swallow down her defense as anger boiled up inside of her. All the other girls had always listened and showed their respect towards her and yet, Li Wei Yang was not one of them. Li Wei Yang must be crazy!
Da furen did not disy any signs of anger. Even if she was angry, she would never show it on her face or voice it out loud. Doing so would undermine her elegant and benevolent image. But today Li Wei Yang had given her a p to the face by appearing in public dressed improperly.
The room was dead silent, so silent that one could hear the sound of their own heart beating.
Making an enemy out of Da furen was not a good decision, but so what? Previously she had been obedient and submissive but still ended up as someone else¡¯s pawn in a chess game. In that case, she would rather take the initiative to change her fate. Right now, she was gambling on Lao furen¡¯s desire to protect the Li¡¯s reputation.
Zi Yan, who had followed Wei Yang, had rolled her hands into tight fists underneath her sleeves as her body trembled. On the other hand, Wei Yang continued to maintain a smile on her face. There was not a flicker of fear or submission in her eyes.
Meng shi looked at Da furen and calmly said, ¡°You¡¯ve been quite neglectful.¡±
Lao furen generally did not have any interest for the estate¡¯s internal affair and had never reprimanded Da furen. Nheless, with this one sentence alone, it showed that Lao furen was taking Wei Yang¡¯s side on this matter. Anger spread throughout Da furen¡¯s body as her face became even redder, her breath becamebored and she shot up from the chair. She was truly outraged now¡ªangry to the point she could no longer maintain her fa?ade.
Despite being the matriarch of the family, her husband was the Prime Minister and ced great value on respect and family rules. For that very reason, Lao furen must never be angered or disrespected. Not to mention, Wen shi was always looking at her with a pair of hawk-eyes, ready to nitpick at her faults anytime. She could no nothing except to tolerate and endure it. To top it off, she had to keep up with her image as the benevolent, sophisticated and fair Prime Minister¡¯s wife and mother to all the concubine¡¯s daughters.
Li Wei Yang was simply the concubine¡¯s daughter. If she wanted to teach the girl a few lesson then the first thing she had to do was to calm down and not do anything rash and reckless. There was still many more opportunities left in the future to put Li Wei Yang into her ce.
So, even though she was outraged, Da furen turned to Lin mumu with a serious look and shouted, ¡°Kneel down!¡±
Lin mumu froze up in surprise. Everyone in the room was also taken back.
Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Stepmother Bleeds
Da furen regained her calmposure and coldly scolded Lin mumu, ¡°I had especially assigned you the task because strangers would make me restless. I have told you so many times to quickly bring her the new clothes. Howe you haven¡¯t gotten it done? Wei Yang is our Li jia¡¯s San xiaojie, the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter. How can she tolerate your slowness? It¡¯s unreasonable to make our San xiaojie wear old clothes out in public. Is it because you guys want to create misunderstandings between us mother and daughter? To make others think that I am treating San xiaojie badly?¡±
Listening to Da furen¡¯s words, Li Wei Yang remained respectful but was coldlyughing on the inside. Da furen was Da furen for a reason. She did not waste a single breath beating around the bush. Every word she spoke was spot-on. Wei Yang could bring up the same reasoning, but if she did then Da furen would not have any face left. On the other hand, when Da furen said these words, she was practically pushing the me onto Lin mumu.
Lin mumu was quick to react as she immediately kneeled on the floor and admitted her faults in between sobs. Lin mumu said it was all her fault, that it was her irresponsibility and ipetence that brought about this matter. Even though Da furen had verbally given her the task, Lin mumu knew it was not Da furen¡¯s real intentions to make new clothes for Wei Yang. It was all due to the incident regarding Li Zhang Le that had caused Da furen to be upset, which was why these past two days, Da furen was in fact waiting for Wei Yang toe and beg for forgiveness. But who would¡¯ve known that Wei Yang would directly seek out Lao furen instead?
San xiaojie looked weak and fragile, but she was actually very smart. If she had been any bit more foolish she would¡¯ve gone to Da furen and asked for justice and lose her face value in the process. However, she had purposely waited for this moment where Lao furen and Wen shi was both present to bring up this case and put Da furen into a difficult position. There was nothing Da furen could do but to swallow down her anger.
¡°Hurry up and apologize to San xiaojie!¡± Li Zhang Le yelled out loud.
Due to Zhang Le¡¯s beauty, even the way she spoke was filled with elegance and sophistication, but when it came into Wei Yang¡¯s ears, for some reason, all she heard was a two-faced person talking. It filled Wei Yang with disgust and resentment. Wei Yang was not like Li Chang Xi and the others, who only wanted to gain Da furen¡¯s favours with sweet-talk and praises, so that in the future, they could secure a good marriage. Wei Yang knew Da furen was more than willing to use them as a stepping stone for Li Zhang Le¡¯s future.
Continuing with the act, Lin mumu kneeled down in front of Wei Yang to apologize. ¡°San xiaojie, it¡¯s all my fault. Nubi will immediately tell them to bring over all of the new clothings to you. I guarantee you will like them too.¡±
Looking horrified and panicky, Wei Yang immediately backed away and looked at Da furen. ¡°Mother, this, this is really. . .¡± She spoke extra slowly, stumbling on her words, as if she wanted to beg mercy for Lin mumu¡¯s sake.
Da furen gently replied, ¡°Wei Yang, don¡¯t you worry. Just leave everything in my care. Should you feel any injustice in the future, I will help you teach these irresponsible servants a lesson!¡±
Wei Yang bowed down with gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Mother. I shall leave everything in your care.¡± After today, Wei Yang was sure nobody was going to easily look down on her.
Meng shi examined Wei Yang then waved her over. ¡°Come here, child.¡± Wei Yang walked over as Meng shi signaled Luo mumu. ¡°It¡¯s been a month since you¡¯ve been here. I have a present for you.¡±
Luo mama understood immediately as she returned a few momentster with a small box in floral designs. Inside the box, it was filled with jewelry and essories.
Li Chang Xi peeked inside and noticed an expensive yet exquisite brooch with Begonia flowers on it. It was the brooch she been vying for for a long time from Meng shi. She had spent so much time and effort by Meng shi¡¯s side but was never given the brooch and yet today, Lao furen was giving it to Wei Yang. Her eyes were filled with jealousy and resentment as she red at Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang was surprised as well. She had never expected Lao furen to gift her with these things. A warm sensation ran through her body. Obviously this was Meng shi¡¯s way of telling everyone that she had Wei Yang on her mind.
Wei Yang was filled with gratitude towards Lao furen. Despite her actions, Lao furen didn¡¯t yell at her but instead was willing to be her support. She didn¡¯t say another word as she kneeled down and kowtowed in front of Lao furen. ¡°Thank you Lao furen. I will remember your grace.¡±
Meng shi smiled, knowing that Wei Yang had understood her intentions.
In a blink of an eye, Da furen¡¯s expression had stiffened.
Wen shi quietlyughed to herself. Anything that made Da furen ufortable and miserable was something that made her happy. As a result, she reached up and pulled out the gold phoenix brooch in her hair and ced it into Wei Yang¡¯s hands. ¡°Good child, this is my gift to you as well.¡±
Wei Yang shlyly received the brooch and secretly darted a look in Da furen¡¯s direction. She noticed how green Da furen¡¯s face had be and was ring at Wen shi instead. Wen shi, on the other hand, disregarded Da furen andughed cheerfully.
Li Zhang Le quickly regained herposure and quietly coughed. Da furen immediately responded by turning towards Wei Yang and acted as if it was nothing. In a kind voice, she said, ¡°Dear child,e over here! I have prepared a gift for you earlier. I might as well give it to you right now.¡± Da furen had given Li Wei Yang some decorations that had looked expensive but was rather really useless. However, seeing the gifts Lao furen and Wen shi had given, she had to do something to match them as well. With everyone¡¯s eyes on her, Da furen swallowed down her anger and removed her onyx bracelet. Suppresing a painful look, she put the bracelet on Wei Yang¡¯s wrists. ¡°This piece of jewelry is expensive as it came from the pce. Take it.¡±
Having once been an Empress, she knew that Jiang shi was telling the truth regarding the origin of this bracelet. Smiling, she said, ¡°Thank you, Mother.¡±
Da furen¡¯s mouth was slightly crooked from the suppressed anger. Nheless, she still kept her smiling pretense. ¡°Silly child, there¡¯s no need for thanks!¡±
Li Chang Xi was brimming with jealousy as she evilly sneered, ¡°Wei Yang, it looks like you¡¯ve hit the fortune! Mother had actually wanted to save that bracelet for Dajie, but she¡¯s giving it to you instead!¡±
Upon hearing it, Li Wei Yang made a gesture to remove the bracelet. ¡°If that is the case then Wei Yang cannot ept it!¡±
Da furen wasn¡¯t going to let Wei Yang return the gift as she red menacingly at Chang Xi before returning to Wei Yang with a warm smile. ¡°Silly girl, you are also my precious child. There is nothing wrong with giving it to you. You must ept my generosity!¡±
Seeing Da furen¡¯s two-faced personality, Wei Yang couldn¡¯t be any happier. ¡°Then I shall thank you again, Mother!¡±
Li Chang Xi¡¯s eyes had widened with resentment. On the other hand, Li Zhang Le casually shifted her gaze elsewhere, towards the silver incense burner iid with lotus patterns and gems as she thought to herself how ignorant Chang Xi still was despite the numerous times she had been taught by Da furen. There were no signs of improvements. What was a bracelet? Today Lao furen had shown her support for Wei Yang, so how could Da furen go against it? It would only give Wen shi an opportunity to mock them.
As Wei Yang was leaving, Luo mumu chased after her down the hallway. ¡°San xiaojie! Lao furen asked if you could, from now on, toe by and brew tea for Lao furen every day.¡±
Li Wei Yang immediately replied, ¡°Luo mumu, how could you put it like that? Being filial to Lao furen is something a granddaughter must do.¡±
Her obliging attitude made Luo mumu happy. Wei Yang did not waste Lao furen¡¯s good intentions.
Once she returned to her bedchamber, Wei Yang opened the box Lao furen had given her. It was then that she discovered a hiddenpartment in the box. Removing the red frabric covering the hiddenpartment, she saw ten shiny silvers.
Zi Yan could only cough, unable to say anything else.
Wei Yang froze. All the jewelry and clothing she was given was not practical. She could not sell those presents and neither could she give it to servants in exchange for favours. Except for silvers, everything else was useless in times of need. Lao furen had known that everything that had happened today was an act and yet, she still gave Wei Yang these silvers. Why?
Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Scheming
When Da furen returned to her Fu An Yuan, she silently sat down and unhappily drank her tea.
¡°Li Wei Yang, that insolent! She has be a lot bolder! How dare she go against mother?!¡± Li Chang Xi eximed impatiently, filled with resentment.
Da furen lifted her eyes to Li Chang Xi as the corners of her mouth tilted down but she didn¡¯t say anything.
¡°Wu meimei, how could you say such things about San mei? It is very disrespectful.¡± Li Zhang Le furrowed her brows. Even though she thought Li Wei Yang deserved a lesson or two, but in front of others, she still wanted to protect her kind-hearted andpassionate image.
Li Chang Xi rudely scoffed and said, ¡°Da jie, didn¡¯t mother tell you to investigate her background? Saying that she¡¯s talentless and a coward, but look at her now. Not only is she tactful, but she didn¡¯t look like a coward at all. It¡¯s nothing like what the investigation said.¡±
Da furen angrily red at Chang Xi and asked, ¡°Chang Xi, what are you thinking?¡±
Chang Xi looked at Da furen and gently replied, ¡°Mother, from the way I see things, it¡¯s time for the maid we sent over to finally show us her capabilities.¡±
Da furen paused for awhile beforeughing out loud. ¡°You are right.¡±
The expression in Chang Xi¡¯s eyes changed into a colder look. ¡°Right now, she has Lao furen¡¯s protection but what if the person she angered was father? Everyone will remember she¡¯s a misfortune born in February and then. . .¡± She trailed off vaguely but stared fixedly at Da furen, a huge grin on her face.
¡°You are indeed clever.¡± Da furen¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°This is definitely not a bad idea.¡±
Li Chang Xi¡¯s happiness was more than obvious as she hurried over to brownnose Da furen. ¡°Mother, today you gave her a bracelet!¡±
Da furen grinned as she gave instructions to Lin mumu to bring over a pair of phoenix brooch made of jadeite. She gave it to Li Chang Xi. ¡°One is for you, the other is for your Si jie.¡±
What did Si jie do? Nothing! Li Chang Xi had always been annoyed by this blood-rted sister of hers. She decided to keep the two brooches for herself instead but said thank-you to Da furen anyway.
Li Chang Xi wasn¡¯t extremely stupid but neither was she extremely smart. However, Da furen liked this about her. She needed a Li Chang Xi who would obey her orders, a hot-headed Li Chang Xi who would jump out and do all of the underhanded tricks. This way, it would allow her and Zhang Le to stand and watch on the sideline while keeping their hands clean.
After awhile of gossips and conversations, Li Chang Xi left.
¡°Mother, you are very tolerant towards her,¡± Li Zhang Lemented, staring at Li Chang Xi¡¯s silhouette. ¡°If you continue like this, I¡¯m afraid she will be unruly and cocky.¡±
¡°Silly child, that¡¯s exactly what I want.¡± Da furenughed coldly. ¡°On this side, there¡¯s Erfang who¡¯s narrowminded, then there¡¯s also the scheming Lao Wu, andst but not least, the simple-minded Lao Si, only this way will they be of help to you.¡±
Li Zhang Le understood the implication behind her mother¡¯s words and gently smiled as she sat down beside Da furen. ¡°Mother, isn¡¯t there also the addition of a clever San mei now?¡±
Da furen lifted a corner of her mouth. ¡°Wei Yang is definitely not stupid but very soon, she will make a mistake.¡±
Ever since Wei Yang¡¯s incident in front of Lao furen, the clothes were instantly delivered. It didn¡¯t even take up a day for the clothes to be delivered. There was a pair of clothes for each and every season.
Wei Yang chose the light and soft outfit. It was red and silver with flower imprints. On the inside was a thickyer of cotton that is very warm and could be worn in the middle of winter. All of this meant her n was sessful.
Li Wei Yang was sitting in her bedchamber. She was drinking tea and wondering what to do with the silvers that Lao furen had gifted.
Hua Mei rushed in from the outside, holding a pair of beautifully sewn shoes. ¡°San xiaojie, I noticed your shoes have been worn out and saw that Da xiaojie had a pair of shoes that were delicately sowed with a phoenix pattern so I have sowed one for you too! Xiaojie, look, do you like it?¡±
Li Wei Yang briefly nced at the shoes. The shoes were made out of a crimson coloured brocade with golden phoenix designs. Each line of thread was intriciately sewn. Clearly a lot of effort and time have been spent on the shoes.
Hua Mei carefully examined Li Wei Yang and repeated, ¡°Xiaojie, do you like it?¡±
Li Wei Yang tried on the pair of shoes right in front of Hua Mei. A smile immediately crawled across Wei Yang¡¯s face as she nodded her head, looking like an innocent girl excited by her favourite gift.
Hua Mei silently sighed in relief as she lowered herself to fix Wei Yang¡¯s shoes. As if unintentionally, she said, ¡°Right now, everyone¡¯s beenmenting on how elegant and beautiful San xiaojie is. Compared to Si xiaojie and Wu xiaojie, you¡¯re so much prettier!¡±
Knowing not to mention Da xiaojie, whose beauty was like a fairy, it seems this girl wasn¡¯tthat stupid. Li Wei Yang pretended not to hear Hua Mei¡¯sment as she carefully inspected her shoes instead.
¡°Nubi is new to the estate but has heard all the mumus saying how San xiaojie was born from Qi yiniang and that Qi yiniang was also very beautiful in her youth!¡± Hua Mei eximed, as if she couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer.
Suddenly Wei Yang lifted her gaze to Hua Mei. Under Wei Yang¡¯s gaze, Hua Mei felt nervous and immediately lowered her head. She proceeded to p her own face and said, ¡°Nubi is wrong! Nubi has spoken too much!¡±
Unexpectedly, Wei Yang giggled and said, ¡°Hua Mei, this pair of shoes is indeed very beautiful!¡±
Seeing that Wei Yang wasn¡¯t angry, Hua Mei was relieved and continued, ¡°It¡¯s good that San xiaojie likes it. Aiya, xiaojie must be so lonely without your biological mother at your side, unlike Si xiaojie and Wu xiaojie. They have Si yiniang to take care of them. At the very least, they could lively happily each and every day.¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked and purposefully replied, ¡°Hua Mei, what are you trying to say?¡±
Hua Mei knew how to read people¡¯s expressions and words. ¡°Nubu has heard from the others that, for these past two days, Qi yiniang¡¯s illness have worsened.¡±
Upon hearing Hua Mei talking about Qi yiniang, Wei Yang unknowingly touched the pendant she was wearing underneath. When she was about to leave Ping Cheng, the Lis in Ping Cheng had helped her retrieved this pendent. The pendant was the only gift she had from her biological mother.
Qi yiniang, also known as Tan shi, was originally a servant beside Da furen who was in charge of washing feet. One time when Li Xiao Ran was drunk, he had impregnated Tan shiwith Wei Yang who was born in February and eventually forced to leave the estate. To show off her benevolence, Da furen allowed Tan shi to be a yiniang. In the Li¡¯s estate, all the other yiniangs had a proper background, had beauty or had a child who was respected. They were able to use those factors to strengthen their position in the estate, all except for Qi yiniang. She had no background and had given birth to a child in the unfortunate month of February. Thus, she had angered Li Xiao Ran. In the previous life, she had passed away due to an illness half a year before Wei Yang returned to the estate. However, in this lifetime, Wei Yang had returned to the estate one year earlier so Qi yiniang was still alive.
In the past month, Li Wei Yang had used every means to find out news regarding Qi yiniang but all she had found out was that Qi yiniang was not favoured by Li Xiao Ran, had no reputation or status, had a weak body and was sent to live in the isted Nan Yuan by Da furen. Nan Yuan was far. It was separated from the main courtyard and located right beside the servants¡¯ bedchambers.
Not only was Qi yiniang the poorest out of everyone, she was also the one who everyone else stepped on. The thought of it was painful to Wei Yang, like a needle pricking at her heart. But then Hua Mei was Da furen¡¯s people and right in front of Wei Yang, she was talking about Qi yiniang. There has to be a catch.
Wei Yangughed on the inside, but on the surface, she calmly stared at Hua Mei. Since they have already taken the first step, she couldn¡¯t sit still and do nothing either. However, it is still unsure who¡¯s going to be the actual loser in this game of chess.
Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Merciless, Heartless
Aftering to a decision, Li Wei Yang disyed an expression filled with hesitation and worries. She intentionally stammered, ¡°Qi yiniang . . . Qi yiniang . . . what¡¯s wrong with her?¡±
Hua Mei recognized Wei Yang¡¯s curiosity and hurriedly responded, ¡°San xiaojie, Qi yiniang¡¯s illness is going to worsen when winter arrives, afraid she won¡¯t be able to endure past the year. . .¡± As she spoke, she was carefully studying Li Wei Yang, not missing any changes in expression.
The smile on Wei Yang¡¯s face gradually disappeared, reced by a crest-fallen look. ¡°Qi yiniang is my birth mother but all I can do is watch her suffer . . .¡±
Hua Mei reminded, ¡°San xiaojie, now that you¡¯re doing better, shouldn¡¯t you help out Qi yiniang? At the very least, you should go and visit her.¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked a few times. ¡°But right now Qi yiniang is heavily ill. I heard father had instructed no one is allowed to visit in case one might be infected by the illness.¡±
Hua Mei smiled and said, ¡°San xiaojie, you can sneak out at night to visit her, isn¡¯t that right? I¡¯ll help you scope out the area in case someone arrives. If someone doese, I¡¯ll immediately notify you. Then nobody will know right?¡±
Li Wei Yang continued to be reluctant. ¡°If father knew I broke the rule, he¡¯s going to be very angry.¡±
¡°I have no rights to persuade you, but San xiaojie, just think about it. Qi yiniang is your birth mother! Even ifoye knew, there¡¯s nothing he can do about it,¡± Hua Mei said.
Hua Mei wanted to encourage her to visit her birth mother in order to infuriate her father? No way, it couldn¡¯t be that simple.
Wei Yangughed, as if she finally understood. ¡°Hua Mei, you¡¯re so clever! Let me think about the time and I¡¯ll tell you whenter.¡± Watching as Hua Mei disappeared, the look in Wei Yang¡¯s eyes turned frosty.
Behind the curtains, Bai Zhi slowly appeared. ¡°San xiaojie, you must not listen to her!¡±
Li Wei Yang nced at Bai Zhi and asked, ¡°Why not?¡±
Bai Zhi paused for a second but she truly did not want to see her young miss get into trouble so she said, ¡°Xiaojie, please don¡¯t mind me for saying this, but everything that Hua Mei has said, it is too suspicious.¡±
It seems Bai Zhi was not that simple-minded and na?ve. Li Wei Yang grinned and said, ¡°Greed has no boundaries. There are some people who can¡¯t live without seeing me suffer.¡± Then she tossed the pair of beautifully sewn shoes aside.
Bai Zhi startled. ¡°San xiaojie, you already knew. All the more, you mustn¡¯t go!¡±
Li Wei Yang tapped rhythmically on the table as her smile broadened. ¡°No, we must go!¡±
That afternoon, Li Wei Yang told Hua Mei that they were going to pay Qi yiniang a visit at around 7pm. However, when the sun had just set at around 5pm, Li Wei Yang had taken Bai Zhi and the two of them silently left their yard from the back doors.
¡°San xiaojie, didn¡¯t you told Hua Mei to meet up at 7pm? Why are we¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang grinned. Her eyes were sparkling with wiles. ¡°If we waited until then, we would only be stepping into their traps!¡± Visiting her birth mother was a must, but the time in which they visited Qi yiniang had to be carefully mapped out. The timing had to be perfect so that Da furen didn¡¯t have a way out, thinking that her scheme had been sessful, and at the same time, it should give her enough time to find a leeway should anything go wrong.
Li Wei Yang and Bai Zhi made their way towards Nan Yuan carefully and silently, without bumping into anyone on the way. Nan Yuan was extremely peaceful and isted. There were weeds growing on both sides of the walls and there were only three rooms in the yard. There were barely any servants at Nan Yuan.
There was a strong stench of medicinal herbs as one neared the door. Li Wei Yang had changed into a servant¡¯s clothing before she left and had purposely lowered her head, trailing after Bai Zhi. When Bai Zhi entered the courtyard, she saw a servant girling out to wee them. The servant girl was wearing a faded cotton attire with dirty stains here and there.
Upon seeing Bai Zhi, the servant girl¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You are¡ª¡±
Bai Zhi smiled and opened the container in her hands for the servant girl to take a look inside. ¡°I¡¯ve been instructed by San xiaojie to deliver this chicken soup to yiniang.¡±
The servant girl was horrified. Isn¡¯t there already someone in there, why is there another delivery? The servant girl quickly replied, ¡°These two jiejie, Zhao mumu also said she came to visit yiniang under San xiaojie¡¯s instructions. She¡¯s currently talking inside!¡±
Zhao mumu? The mumu working in her courtyard? It was as if Li Wei Yang suddenly stopped breathing. She had a strange feeling about this. Leaving the other two behind, she lifted the curtains and quickly stepped inside. In the room, there was only a bed and about two wooden vanity dresser. On the table was an old flower vase. The windows were tightly shut, making the atmosphere very oppressive.
However, as she focused on what was happening inside, the scene startled her. Zhao mumu was feeding soup to the sickly furenying on the bed. Without thinking, Li Wei Yang hurried forward and roughly smacked the bowl of soup out of Zhao mumu¡¯s hands.
The soup spilled all over Zhao mumu who was infuritated. ¡°Who dares?!¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly snorted. ¡°Zhao mumu, have your eyes gone blind that you don¡¯t even recognize me?¡±
Recognizing the person in front of her, Zhao mumu panicked. Didn¡¯t Hua Mei say San xiaojie woulde a few hourster? Why is she here at this time?
¡°Who told you to feed this soup to Qi yiniang?!¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was firm and stony, sounding nothing like a fragile thirteen year old girl.
Zhao mumu was overwhelmed by her aura and stammered, ¡°It¡¯s . . . It¡¯s . . .¡±
¡°Wei Yang? Are you really Wei Yang?!¡± The furenying on the bed froze before snapping out of her daze and reached for Wei Yang¡¯s hands.
Qi yiniang was truly a delicate person. Although she was still quite young, her appearance had aged and she looked sickly. There wasn¡¯t enough meat on her. She was so skinny that the jade bangle on her wrist could fall out any minute.
It was the first time Li Wei Yang met her birth mother. Her eyes reddened unknowingly. Without replying to Qi yiniang, she quickly blinked her eyes a few times, pointed to the ground and said, ¡°Zhao mumu, who gave you the guts to do such a brazen thing that you are attempting to murder Qi yiniang?!¡±
Zhao mumu was about to lie but then noticed a few ants had died on the ground next to where the soup had spilled over. Obviously their deaths were caused by the poisonous soup. There was nothing she could say as she turned and ran for the door.
In an icy tone of voice, Li Wei Yangmanded, ¡°You two, catch her for me!¡±
Bai Zhi and the other servant girl exchanged a nce. Immediately the two cornered and grabbed a hold of Zhao mumu, one on the right, one on the left. Zhao mumu struggled violently in between. Meanwhile Li Wei Yang walked up to her and gave her a harsh p across the face. The sound resonated in the room.
¡°This is for daring to murder Qi yiniang!¡±
Zhao mumu was angry and in pain as she screamed, ¡°San xiaojie! I was sent to care for you by Da furen! You can¡¯t hit me!¡±
Not only do I want to hit you! I will also get rid of you! In a sh, Li Wei Yang had made a decision as she picked up the flower vase on the table and raised it high over Zhao mumu¡¯s head. Zhao mumu looked at the vase with a horrified expression. Even though Wei Yang¡¯s hand was raised high over Zhao mumu¡¯s head, but when she was facing those pair of frightful eyes, she couldn¡¯t deliver the deathly hit. Logic told her she had to be decisive about this but deep down in her conscious, it was not an easy thing to take away someone else¡¯s life with your own two hands.
¡°San xiaojie, if youy a finger on me, you won¡¯t be able to take responsibility¡ª¡± Zhao mumu noticed Wei Yang¡¯s hesitation.
But it was for these words that had helped Wei Yang with her heartless decision.
Using all of her strength, she smashed the flower vase on Zhao mumu¡¯s head. Immediately blood seeped out of Zhao mumu¡¯s head, her eyes widened and her body became limp. The two servant girls panicked and let go of Zhao mumu as Zhao mumu¡¯s bloody corpse fell to the ground.
¡°What is there to be afraid of?! She was the one who came here wanting to murder Qi yiniang. This is the ending she asked for!¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s face was pale as a ghost as she set down the flower vase. After a while, she regained herposure as she stared at the other three people in the room. They were still frozen in horror.
Bai Zhi calmed down then lowered herself to check Zhao mumu¡¯s pulse. ¡°It looks like . . . It looks like she has stopped breathing!¡± she announced shakily.
Li Wei Yang stared icily at Zhao mumu. This old mumu had listened to Da furen¡¯s instructions toe here and murder Qi yiniang. If she had arrived ording to the time set with Hua Mei then her birth mother would have died by the time she came. If she had been merciful earlier and let Zhao mumu lived, there was no doubt that Zhao mumu would run to Da furen and told her everything that had transpired. When that happened, there would be nothing left for the two of them except death. Therefore, she was not wrong.
¡°Xiaojie, what should we do now?¡± A sweat dropped from Bai Zhi¡¯s forehead,nding on her eysh. San xiaojie¡¯s strong personality was not normal like others. She had already decided to serve xiaojie; therefore, she will not do anything to betray her young miss.
Li Wei Yang was about to talk when Qi yiniang, who had seen everything on the bed, quickly said to her servant, ¡°Cui¡¯er, go find a bag and put her corpse in it. Then tie it to a heavy rock and throw it into the lily pond behind the window. You must be decisive and quick, do you understand?¡±
Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Perfect Crime
Qi yiniang¡¯s illness was severe because she started coughing violently after a few simple words.
Li Wei Yang walked over and tightly held on to her hands. ¡°Mom.¡±
Including the first lifetime and this lifetime, this was the first time she ever called Qi yiniang ¡°mom¡±. It made Wei Yang both nervous and scared. She had been too calm before. If Da furen had decided to push for the murder to happen an hour earlier, there was a chance she would never be able to see her birth mother again.
The servant girl named Cui¡¯er, despite being very frightened, she was not stupid either. Knowing the dire situation at hand, she immediately went out to look for a bag. Afterwards, along with Bai Zhi¡¯s help, the two of them shoved Zhao mumu¡¯s corpse into the bag and put in heavy rocks as well. Unfortunately, Zhao mumu was too heavy, not to mention the addition of the rocks¡¯ weight, the two girls wasn¡¯t able to lift the bag. Seeing this, Li Wei Yang decided to help the two girls lift the bag. It took a lot of energy, to the point of exhaustion, for all three of them to toss the heavy bag into the pond behind the windows. Upon hearing the big ssh made by the bag, the three of them exchanged a look and sighed in relief.
¡°Be thorough about cleaning the blood stains in the room. Even that bowl of soup, take it all away. Your actions must be quick and efficient. Don¡¯t let others notice,¡± Li Wei Yang instructed matter-of-factly.
Sitting on the side and watching, Qi yiniang slightly trembled. She would have never expected Wei Yang to save her at the critical moment. Not to mention, she was very decisive in her actions.
After everything was done, Qi yiniang held tightly on to Wei Yang¡¯s hands. ¡°Child, hurry and return to your chamber. Don¡¯t stay here any longer, lest you get pulled into trouble as well.¡±
Looking at Qi yiniang¡¯s face, Li Wei Yang stubbornly shook her head. ¡°No, Wei Yang won¡¯t go. Wei Yang wants to stay with mom.¡±
¡°Zhao mumu is Da furen¡¯s people¡ª¡± Qi yiniang suddenly coughed again.
Wei Yang scooted closer and gently smoothed her back. In a gentle voice, she said, ¡°Mom, you mustn¡¯t worry about Da furen or how she¡¯s going to trouble me. I have my ways to deal with her.¡±
Qi yiniang shook her head. ¡°No, Da furen isn¡¯t someone you can easily deal with.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded and caressed Qi yiniang¡¯s face. She noticed Qi yiniang¡¯s forehead was burning hot. She turned to Cui¡¯er. ¡°How is my mom¡¯s illness?¡±
Cui¡¯er¡¯s eyes were wet but Qi yiniang was looking at her with a look that said to not say anything. In the end, Cui¡¯er couldn¡¯t keep it in any longer. ¡°San xiaojie, Qi yiniang¡¯s life has been difficult. At first it was only a cold but no one allowed her to see a doctor. Not to mention, the food had been halved. Without the needed care, yiniang¡¯s health has be worse over time.¡±
Li Wei Yang pulled out five silvers and shoved it underneath Qi yiniang¡¯s pillow. ¡°Mom, take this. Let Cui¡¯er turn it into smaller coins and use it to go out and buy medicine.¡±
Without thinking, Qi yiniang immediately refused. ¡°No, it should be me who should be supporting you. How can I take your money?¡± After saying so, she took off the jade bangle on her wrist and gave it to Wei Yang.
Even if a person was made out of steel, they could nevertheless tell who was genuine to them. In Qi yiniang¡¯s eyes, there was only care and affection that came from deep within the heart.
Wei Yang¡¯s eyes began to burn as she shook her head. ¡°Mom,o furen really likes me. All of these silvers were given to me byo furen. I¡¯m living very well so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±
Qi yiniang nodded as she suppressed the urge to hug her daughter and cry. With unshed tears, she said, ¡°Wei Yang, it¡¯s all because of my uselessness.¡±
¡°Mom, the person who turned you into this state . . . someday, I will let that woman have a taste of her own bitter medicine!¡± Her voice was cold and vicious. It didn¡¯t match someone of her age.
Qi yiniang panicked and covered Wei Yang¡¯s mouth. Cui¡¯er was her trustworthy confidante. Bai Zhi was able to be trusted as well but even so. . .
¡°You mustn¡¯t speak such nonsense! I only want you to grow up, get married and live peacefully. It is the best oue to wish for. Regarding revenge, don¡¯t think about it anymore. The most important thing is to live a peaceful life.¡±
These were the words only your birth mother would tell you. Wei Yang felt a fierce emotion stirring inside of her but she couldn¡¯t utter a word.
Qi yiniang was about to continue but was interrupted by a strange sound.
Plop!
The noise turned Qi yiniang pale and horrified, as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she had heard. She held on tighter to Wei Yang. ¡°Wei Yang, do you hear that?¡±
¡°Zhao mumu has resurrected?!¡± Cui¡¯er eximed in shocked horror.
Li Wei Yang stood up from the bed. ¡°Let me go take a look.¡± She quickened her steps towards the window and stared out at the lily pond. She noticed behind the rockeries there was the shadow of a person. Small stones were falling into the pond, creating theplop plop sound. Turning around, she smiled at Qi yiniang. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s the rockeries that haven¡¯t been tended to. Small stones are chipping off of it and falling into the water.¡±
After one glimpse, Li Wei Yang was certain there was a person behind the rockeries. But who could it be? When they tossed Zhao mumu into the pond, she wondered if that person had seen what happened.
Coming to this thought, Wei Yang held Qi yiniang¡¯s hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go. I wille back and visit you again.¡±
Knowing Wei Yang couldn¡¯t stay for long, Qi yiniang didn¡¯t want to part with her but had to as she reminded, ¡°You must be careful.¡±
Li Wei Yang knew that Da furen was going to bring Li Xiao Ran over. For this reason, she had to prepare for the next act but she didn¡¯t want to disclose this to Qi yiniang.
Leaving Nan Yuan, Wei Yang told Cui¡¯er to show her the way. Then she took Bai Zhi with her and walked past the lily pond towards the rockeries which was made out of stones from Taihu Lake. From this standpoint to where Nan Yuan was, all one could see was a field of weeds and grass that had grown tall enough to reach a person¡¯s waist. Anything else was but a blur. Therefore, it was impossible to have seen Zhao mumu being tossed into the water. She sighed in relief knowing the secret was safe.
About to leave, she suddenly heard a stifled moan.
Their gazes followed to the other side where they saw a small boy, approximately 8-9 years old, captured by two indistinguishable mumus. One of the two mumus was viciously choking his neck causing the boy to struggle violently. His porcin like skin quickly turned white. His jet ck hair was a mess. His arms and legs were iling in the air.
Li Wei Yang was taken aback. Then Bai Zhi whispered into her ears, ¡°Xiaojie, that¡¯s San shaoye!¡±
She was horrified upon hearing that. San shaoye, Li Min De, was the adopted son of third aunt Zhou shi. 7 years ago, third uncle, Li Xiao He, passed away due to poor health. They didn¡¯t have an heir so news of Zhou shi looking for an adopted child quickly spread. Back then, Da furen had thought about sending over a child from the Li¡¯s bloodline in order to control Zhou shi. The n was for the child to inherit therge amount of dowry from Zhou shi as well as all of Li Xiao He¡¯s wealth. Second aunt, Wen shi, had the same idea in mind. As a result, Da furen and Wen shi had fought over this for a while. However, even though Zhou shi may be gentle and kind, she was not a coward. With Lao furen¡¯s help, she brought over Zhou Min De, who was the child of a distant rtive, and made him into the adopted son. Due to this incident, she had angered Da furen and Wen shi. In other words, this Li Min De was a thorn in Da furen¡¯s eyes.
There was a flicker of terror in Bai Zhi¡¯s eyes. Li Wei Yang was hesitant. How could she save him? There was those two mumus. She wasn¡¯t that stupid to think she could take them both on.
A few momentster, the boy was no longer struggling. His head was tilted to one side, looking like a dead crane.
One of the mumusughed coldly. ¡°Throw him into the pond. We¡¯ll say he lost bnce, fell into the water and drowned himself.¡±
Witnessing all of this, Li Wei Yang finally understood everything. So this was how the poor child had died in the previous lifetime. No wonder when she returned to the Li¡¯s estate, Zhou shi had distanced herself from everyone and became anti-social. She must have been traumatized by the unfortunate incident.
The still body of the boy was thrown into the water. His red silk clothing could be seen floating on the surface before slowly sinking down. The two mumus stayed and watched until his body had already sunk down. One of the mumus even looked around the area to make sure no one was around to witness their act. They left only when they were sure it was a perfect crime.
When the two mumus finally disappeared, Bai Zhi grabbed Wei Yang¡¯s hands in a panic. ¡°Xiaojie, what should we do now?¡±
Qi yiniang, Li Min De, these two people were consecutively murdered. It was as if these two incidents had something rted to her! Li Wei Yang suddenly stood up and without a single word, took off her shoes and jumped into the freezing water.
Bai Zhi was shocked, unable to react fast enough to stop Wei Yang. All she could do was stand and watch as the long ck hair gradually disappeared underneath the water until there was nothing left. . .
Chapter 18
[TPWY] Chapter 18
I thought I should rify some rtionships (it may beplicated) before we get started on this chapter and delve further into the story. Li Xiao Ran is the Prime Minister who is Wei Yang¡¯s father. Li Xiao Ran has two brothers (as far as I remember and up to this point of the story). Those two brothers have wives and children. The second brother married Wen shi (whom you have already met in a previous chapter) and the third brother, who is already dead in the story, married Zhou shi, who adopted Li Min De as her son (because they didn¡¯t have any children of their own). Alternatively, the second brother and his branch of the family may be referred to as ¡°Erfang¡± and the third brother¡¯s branch = ¡°Sanfang¡±.
So Li Min De and Li Wei Yang are more like cousins than siblings, although not really either because he¡¯s adopted. I know it¡¯s confusing, as with all these ancient novels and theirplicated rtionships, and we haven¡¯t even mentioned the royal family yet. Regarding the age, Wei Yang is said to be thirteen years old and Min De¡ªording to Wei Yang¡ªis probably 8-10 (let¡¯s say 10) years old but of course, this is based on her opinion and what he looks like on the outside. All I can say is there¡¯s more to Min De than meets the eye. Anyway, things are getting juicy from this chapter onwards. . .
Chapter 18: Covering For Each Other
Witnessing this scene, Bai Zhi panicked to the point of almost fainting.
Unlike what she was expecting, a few momentster, Li Wei Yang had resurfaced and dragged Li Min De out of the water. Even though Li Min De was still young, he was nevertheless a guy and therefore, it was hard for Wei Yang to pull him out. If she had loosened her grip by just a little, she would have dropped Min De back into the water. Bai Zhi quickly rushed over to help. Together, the two of them dragged him out onto the shore.
Li Wei Yang touched his chest. ¡°Still warm.¡± Then she started to use all the techniques she had seen vigers used to save a drowned person. First she pressed down on his chest two times then used her knee to press on his stomach. After a while, Li Min De, who had became unconscious due to suffocation, came around and was able to breathe again. Coughing two times, he spat out the water in his system and regained his conscious.
Finally he was breathing again. Li Wei Yang sighed in relief.
Li Min De turned around. His eyes were dark ck but also clear and sparkling like the stars in the sky. He had a set of full, longshes which still had water droplets dripping from them. Li Wei Yang was startled, noticing that his features were even more dazzling than the sunlight. Goodness, he was so beautiful that it was unbelievable. His eyes were alluring and attractive, even if he wasn¡¯t smiling. He had smooth, porcin-like skin. If he was a girl, he would definitely be able topete with Li Zhang Le¡¯s beauty. Not to mention, he was probably only ten years old right now.
His crystal clear eyes sparkled and he was about to say something but was interrupted by Li Wei Yang. She covered his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t scream! If you scream, I¡¯ll leave you here right now!¡±
Bai Zhi shuddered. Xiaojie¡¯s voice sounded like she was a bandit on the way to steal someone else¡¯s belongings.
Li Wei Yang noticed how dazed Li Min De seemed as he stared at her. She reached up and touched his face. It was soft and white, like tofu in water.
¡°I¡¯m your San jie, Li Wei Yang.¡± As she spoke, she cued Bai Zhi to remove her dry outer shirt for Min De. Then she proceeded to remove Li Min De¡¯s wet outer shirt but suddenly, out of him fell a half-moon jade with a red string to wear around the neck. Without looking at the ne, Li Wei Yang put it back on his neck. She then gathered his wet shirt together.
Li Min De sat still, staring at her with a pair of shimmering eyes.
Li Wei Yang stared at him. Truly, the longer she stared at that face, the more beautiful it became. However, she grabbed the cor of his shirt and said, ¡°Go back and tell your mother that Da furen wanted to kill you and it was I, your San jie, who saved you. Understood?¡±
This looked like a scene of intimidation and threats. Bai Zhi¡¯s voice was stuck in her throat as she stared with wide eyes.
Li Wei Yang stared intently at Li Min De. She was about to abandon him but Li Min De, who had just been through a near-death experience, was afraid of being abandoned the most at this moment. He reached out and grabbed a corner of her dress then quickly threw his arms around her. ¡°San jiejie!¡±
The feeling of warmth enveloped her, in addition to the weakened voice, she suddenly felt clumsy. A long momentter, she finally hugged Li Min De back.
He was truly a nice child. She was abruptly reminded of Yu Li, her son in the previous lifetime. He used to always act like this in front of her. Every time he saw her, he would rush over and throw himself at her. There was pain in her chest. Unable to control herself, she started pinching Li Min De¡¯s face before caressing it. Li Min De was still young but also very acquiescing. He sat still in one spot and let this strange sister touch him to the point his face was distorted.
Bai Zhi furrowed her brows. She thinks that xiaojie had forgotten this child was ten years old, meaning he was only three years younger than xiaojie herself. Thinking of this, Bai Zhi coughed loudly. Li Wei Yang snapped out of her daze and relinquished Li Min De.
She reminded Li Min De, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about anymore. Remember, in theing hour, you shouldn¡¯t appear in front of anyone else. Let them think that you¡¯re already dead. What happened today, besides your mother, you must not tell anyone else!¡± Her nails dug into his shoulders and her eyes was burning with a fiery me, intimidating others. Underneath the fiery gaze, Li Min De was frozen and stupiefied. Without knowing, he nodded his head.
Li Min De carefully walked off, dragging with him Bai Zhi¡¯s oversized shirt. He was clever to choose the road where nobody took. Seeing this, Li Wei Yang nodded in satisfaction. Earlier, at the most critical moment, he even pretended to faint so that the two mumus thought he had already died. He was a clever child indeed.
Bai Zhi took a few steps before she made a noise.
Li Wei Yang also noticed it. In the grass, there was a dead white crane. In Da Li, white cranes were considered a symbol of good fortune. They were exceptionally precious and rare. Even the prime minister¡¯s estate didn¡¯t have any white cranes and yet, here was one. Not to mention, it was already dead. An icy smile formed on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face. Then she dug a hole and buried the white crane deep down.
When everything was done, a strong wind blew over causing Bai Zhi to shudder. ¡°Xiaojie, what should we do now?¡±
Li Wei Yang gave it some thought then said, ¡°Go back and get me a change of clothes, one that I would wear on a daily basis. Remember to be careful and to not make a sound lest it captures someone¡¯s attention.¡±
Bai Zhi nodded.
Watching as Bai Zhi disappeared, Li Wei Yang hid behind one of the rockeries.
The bait had been dropped. Obviously it was time to reel it in. She knew those people were going to arrive very soon.
At this moment, Da furen and Li Xiao Ran, with the addition of Wu xiaojie, Li Chang Xi, was making their way towards Nan Yuan.
¡°Laoye, a white crane suddenly flew by the estate, heading in the direction of Lake Bibo behind Nan Yuan, you muste and take a look!¡± Da furen said with a chuckle.
Li Xiao Ran nodded his head. This was a symbol of good fortune.
Li Chang Xi was beaming with happiness as well. Just the thought of the misfortunes waiting for Li Wei Yang was enough to get her excited.
Halfway there, Hua Mei was seen rushing over from the side road with a panicky expression.
¡°Aren¡¯t you San jie¡¯s servant? What are you doing here?¡± Li Chang Xi yelled.
There was a hint of uneasiness and impatience on Hua Mei¡¯s face. She wanted to tell Da furen that she couldn¡¯t find San xiaojie anywhere. Perhaps San xiaojie had left to Nan Yuan before her, butoye was here and she dared not say anything.
Li Chang Xi had no patience and urged, ¡°Where is San jie? You should be serving her!¡±
Earlier Hua Mei had rushed over to Da furen¡¯s ce to ry the news but when she returned, she couldn¡¯t find Li Wei Yang anywhere. She was frightened and burst, ¡°San xiaojie heard of Qi yiniang¡¯s illness and wanted to visit her. Nubi. . . nubi. . .¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face darkened as he said to Da furen, ¡°This child doesn¡¯t know what the rules are. Even if she wanted to go visit, she should have at least told you first.¡±
Da furen smiled cheerfully like the Goddess of Mercy. ¡°Haiz, the child¡¯s been away for so long that it¡¯s understandable she doesn¡¯t know the rules and protocols.¡±
Li Xiao Ran snorted loudly. He was not happy with Li Wei Yang. Not only was she born in the bad luck month of February, she wasn¡¯t looking after her own behaviour and action. Even if she wanted to visit her mother, she should at least say something to Da furen. How ignorant!
The moon had alreadye out, shining down on the procession of people below.
The interruption had dampened Li Xiao Ran¡¯s mood to see the fortunate white crane. He slowly walked towards Lake Bibo and stared at the clear water which reflected the moon on the surface. There were only tall, wild grasses and no sighting of the white crane anywhere. His expression immediately turned for the worse.
¡°Didn¡¯t you say there was a white crane?¡±
Even Da furen was surprise about this. She had clearly instructed someone to put the dead white crane at this spot, but howe she couldn¡¯t see it anywhere? Nheless she remained calm andposed.
¡°Perhaps it¡¯s just too dark around here and it¡¯s hiding somewhere in the wild grass.¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s mood dropped even lower as he furrowed his eyebrows. He was about to turn around and leave when suddenly, a panicky mumu rushed towards them. Behind her was about 3-4 other people. Each one of them was holding antern.
¡°San shaoye! San shaoye! Where are you?!¡±
Da furen¡¯s stiffened expression began to rx as she tried to suppress the blissful feeling inside. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Min De¡¯s wet nurse? What¡¯s wrong that you¡¯re looking for Min De?¡±
Who cares if the dead white crane could not be seen, the important matter was Li Min De!
Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Cursed Fate
The wet nurse Zhang shi kneeled down. ¡°Da furen, in the afternoon, I had taken San shaoye out for fresh air in the garden but shaoye had disappeared. I looked everywhere several times. There¡¯s only this ce left to search.¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s eyebrows furrowed even more. Sanfang didn¡¯t have any children. All they had was the one adopted son. If something happened, it would be uncertain whether or not Zhou shiwould be able to endure it. As he contemted, he questioned, ¡°Does San furen know about this?¡±
The wet nurse¡¯s face paled. ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t. Nubi was afraid furen wouldn¡¯t be able to endure it. Instead I said Lao furen had invited San shaoye over.¡±
Li Xiao Ran knew how important the child was to Zhou shi and immediately ordered people to search for him.
The corners of Li Chang Xi¡¯s mouth lifted up. ¡°That¡¯s right, we have to search thoroughly, otherwise who knows if someone could slip and fall into the pond in this dark night.¡±
Li Xiao Ran looked at her stonily. ¡°What kind of jiejie are you that you would curse your San di? Preposterous!¡±
¡°I was simply worried about San di and had said something nonsensical!¡± Li Chang Xi quickly responded.
Li Xiao Ran snorted coldly.
Da furen nced over the still water. In a quiet voice, she said, ¡°Laoye, what Xiaowu said isn¡¯t wrong. Everything is possible. Wasn¡¯t itst year that Zuo Yushi¡¯s youngest son fell in the water when he was ying around? There¡¯s so many people here. You and I should head to Nan Yuan and rest there while we wait for the results.¡±
Li Xiao Ran couldn¡¯t believe the heap of misfortunate events happening. His mood worsened as he nodded his head and made his way towards Nan Yuan.
Meanwhile Da furen was giving orders, ¡°Thoroughly search the area around the waters.¡± Then she briefly exchanged a look with Li Chang Xi.
Li Chang Xi understood right away. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t you worry. I¡¯ll stay behind and make sure we¡¯ll find San di.¡±
Satisfied, Da furen took her people and headed towards Nan Yuan.
Li Chang Xi regained herposure as she lifted her chin and arrogantly barked, ¡°All of you, hurry and search that area over there!¡±
Everyone present immediately began searching the wild grass and the pond. Using theirntern, they walked around and repeatedly called ¡°San shaoye¡±. However, even after a long moment, there was still no reply.
Right then, someone shouted in horror, ¡°San shaoye¡¯s shoes!!¡± The person picked up the floating shoes, holding it as if it was a precious gem, and handed it over to Li Chang Xi.
Li Chang Xi nodded and said, ¡°Oh no, it looks like San di really did fall into the water. Hurry and search again!¡± In her head, she was going over what the two mumus had said, that they had tossed the body into the pond. It must be somewhere here. The body should float up anytime soon. Li Chang Xi instructed the people to search carefully and they quickly obeyed.
Li Chang Xi waited for a very long time, to the point she was losing patience. Looking around, for some reason, she suddenly slipped and fell. She yelled out loud but didn¡¯t even have enough time to hold onto the rocks before she found her body sinking into the water.
Growing up in the Capital, Li Chang Xi had an easy and luxurious life as a xiaojie. She didn¡¯t know how to swim. The only thing she could do was ssh around and raced forward. Out of nowhere, she felt a pair of hands grabbing her ankle and pulled her downwards. Her mind went nk as she screamed at the top of her lungs only to end up drinking water instead. She panicked. The weeds in the pond were deadly as they tangled around her, causing her to struggle vigorously. As a result, she found herself even more tangled to the point she couldn¡¯t breathe.
In the waters, she thought she saw a pale, white face. But it was gone as quick as it had appeared, not giving her a chance to examine carefully, as if it was just her imagination. Her entire body was dragged down.
¡°Quick! Quick! Hurry and rescue Wu xiaojie!¡± Meanwhile on the shore, everyone was shouting in unison. In a matter of seconds, bodyguards came running over and yet, everyone was hesitant to jump in. This was because everyone knew how precious Wu xiaojie¡¯s body was. If she was touched by a man not worthy of her status then death would be the only way out for the man.
At longst, there was a wet nurse who knew how to swim as she jumped in the water. Time passed as the nurse searched for Li Chang Xi. Eventually she was found tangled with all the weeds. The nurse quickly swam over and dragged her out of there onto the shore. Everyone began to surround Chang Xi. Her pupils had dted and turned white causing everyone to panic as they started pping and shaking her. Soon, Li Chang Xi began to breathe again.
One of the wet nurses suddenly made a noise. Everyone focused and noticed on the left side of Li Chang Xi¡¯s face was two wound marks. The marks appeared to be made by a sharp rock. The wound was so deep that one could see the bones and it didn¡¯t stop bleeding either.
Everyone present knew this was going to be a big problem. They began to shout loudly, ¡°Quick! Quickly bring Wu xiaojie to Nan Yuan!¡±
In a hurry, they carried Li Chang Xi to Nan Yuan. As everyone entered Nan Yuan, they immediately saw Li Xiao Ran sitting in the yard and Da furen had a strange expression on her face. Qi yiniang, who was supposed to be sick, was also present and cautiously serving tea.
When Li Xiao Ran entered Nan Yuan, he had intended to lecture Li Wei Yang. However, Li Wei Yang was nowhere to be found. Added to that, he witnessed a whole bunch of people carrying Li Chang Xi inside, causing him to be upset. ¡°What happened now?!¡±
A wet nurse instantly spoke up, ¡°Laoye, Wu xiaojie was standing beside the water and for some reason, she suddenly fell in. I thought it was very weird.¡±
Li Xiao Ran abruptly stood up.
Da furen rushed over to Li Chang Xi¡¯s side with affection. When she saw Li Chang Xi¡¯s face though, she was frightened and stumbled backwards. ¡°Aiya, my poor child, what happened to your beautiful face?¡±
Li Xiao Ran briefly looked at Li Chang Xi¡¯s face. His heart dropped. The wounds have ruined the face!
¡°Nubi also found San shaoye¡¯s shoes but we couldn¡¯t find the body. Nubi¡¯s afraid San shaoye has already fallen into the water and met an unfortunate fate. . .¡± the wet nurse exined.
Da furen was initially shocked over the fact that Qi yiniang was still alive and then she had to see Li Chang Xi¡¯s ruined beauty. She suppressed the panic within her, putting on a sorrowful expression. ¡°Our family has always been peaceful. . .¡±
Lin mumu added her two cents on the side, ¡°Ever since San xiaojie returned, the misfortunate things kept happening. This time, her cursed fate had even killed San shaoye. How are we going to exin this to San furen? Not to mention, San shaoye is the sole heir to Sanfang!¡±
Qi yiniang¡¯s face turned ashen. She finally understood this was all part of Da furen¡¯s scheme. And part of Da furen¡¯s scheme was to associate her supposed death to Wei Yang¡¯s cursed fate. Wei Yang was supposed to visit Nan Yuan and as a result, caused Qi yiniang¡¯s death. To top it off, her fate had also caused the sole heir of Sanfang to die. Even if Wei Yang was innocent, in order to give Sanfang justice,oye would definitely punish Wei Yang. . . .
Da furen . . . is truly vicious!
Qi yiniang quickly knelt on the ground. ¡°Laoye, Wei Yang is only a child. This has nothing to do with Wei Yang. Wei Yang¡ª¡±
Lin mumu red at Qi yiniang. ¡°Qi yiniang, what you said is incorrect. San xiaojie shouldn¡¯t have ignored the rules set out byoye and visited Nan Yuan. The moment San xiaojie arrived, San shaoye disappeared and right now, even Wu xiaojie is injured. Qi yiniang, how can you say this has nothing to do with San xiaojie?¡±
¡°Father, what has happened here?¡± A voice sounded from outside the courtyard. Then slowly, Li Wei Yang, along with Bai Zhi, entered. She was wearing a pale yellow dress, looking like the first blossom in spring. It was fresh and youthful. Her eyes were big and sparkled with rity, yet there was suspicion in her gaze as she walked in.
Li Xiao Ran was stunned. He was about to get angry, but for some reason, he couldn¡¯t anymore.
Da furen was tense. Then she immediately put on her benevolent mother act. ¡°Wei Yang, because of you, San furen¡¯s beloved son has disappeared. It looks like we cannot keep you here in our estate!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes widened, looking very innocent. ¡°Mother, what did you just say about San di? But I just saw San di ying in the flower garden!¡±
Da furen¡¯s expression instantly changed.
Chapter 20
Chapter 20: Ruined Beauty
¡°What did you say?!¡± Li Xiao Ran was shocked.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face was rosy, her eyes clear. ¡°Father, I saw San di ying at the flower garden. Afterwards, he was picked up by San furen. I even held his hand and scolded him, saying how he kept running around everywhere to the point he lost a shoe and didn¡¯t know where he lost it.¡± As if she just noticed the lost pair of shoe, she beamed happily. ¡°Aiya, so this is where it¡¯s been? San di is so mischievous to y near the water and get his shoes wet.¡±
Realizing he was overreacting earlier, Li Xiao Ran became much more rxed but then his eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Why did youe to Nan Yuan?¡±
Li Wei Yang grinned. ¡°Father,o furen said I had too less people in my courtyard. Today, I followedo furen¡¯s instructions to choose a few servants from Hui Chun Hall. As I passed by Nan Yuan, there were a lot of servants surrounding the outside. Someone said both mother and father were presently here so I came to give my greetings.¡±
Li Xiao Ran stiffened whereas Da furen¡¯s expression had be frigid.
¡°Have you chosen any?¡± Li Xiao Ran questioned.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression was a mixture of fear and happiness. ¡°The steward mumu said she had prepared five servants for me and I could choose three out of the five. But they all seemed good to me, so I was going to go too furen to help me make a decision.¡±
Wei Yang had recently returned to the estate, picking out a few servants to help out was an understandable thing. But why did Hua Mei said Wei Yang had gone to visit Qi yiniang? Li Xiao Ran remembered the white crane that didn¡¯t exist and Hua Mei¡¯s reluctance to speak. He immediately came to conclusion that this was a scheme to hurt their father-daughter rtionship. His intense gaze nced over Da furen.
Da furen was thinking that she had definitely underestimated Li Wei Yang. First, the white crane could not be found anywhere. Then, Qi yiniang was still alive. Added to it, San shaoye, who was supposed to be dead, was alive as well. All of this proved that Li Wei Yang was the reason those two were still alive. And the only evidence left behind was¡ª
Not giving Da furen a chance to speak, Li Wei Yang eximed in horror. ¡°Aiya, what happened to Wu mei? The wounds on her face is so serious?¡±
Da furen scoffed. ¡°Who knew why she suddenly fell into the water and even got that injury!¡±
Li Wei Yang appeared genuinely surprised. ¡°Right now, Wu mei¡ª¡±
Precisely then, Li Chang Xi stirred.
The servant girl beside her yelled excitedly, ¡°Wu xiaojie has waked up!¡±
Li Chang Xi sat up. Instinctively she touched her face but saw her hand was stained with so much blood. ¡°I¡ªwhat¡¯s wrong with my face?! Mother, what¡¯s wrong with my face?!¡± she eximed in terror.
In a pitiful voice, Da furen exined, ¡°Chang Xi, your face is injured. Don¡¯t touch it anymore. I have already instructed someone to go find the doctor. You just stay still and rest.¡±
Li Chang Xi noticed Li Wei Yang standing beside her. She abruptly jumped up. ¡°You bad luck star! Everything is your fault! You caused me to be like this!¡± Li Chang Xi panted heavily, pointing her finger at Li Wei Yang¡¯s nose.
¡°Wu mei, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Li Wei Yang was stunned. ¡°Who had upset you so?¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know?! Ha! You¡¯re a wicked monster! If it¡¯s not because of your cursed fate, how could I have possibly fallen into the water out of nowhere?!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her nonchntly. ¡°Wu meimei, you should mind what you say. Even though I was born in February but up to now, both mother and father are still in good health. If you say something like that, then you¡¯re obviously not giving mother and father any face!¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t use any menacing words, but it still infuriated Li Chang Xi to the point of madness. After hearing those words, the irate Li Chang Xi wanted to shove Li Wei Yang as she shouted, ¡°You¡¯re a shameless person! You did this to me and dare to say you had nothing to do with this?!¡±
Qi yiniang panicked. All she wanted to do was rush forward and protect her daughter, but at this moment, Cui¡¯er pulled her back from the side. It was then that she became clear-minded. Due to her lowly status, she couldn¡¯t do something like that.
Meanwhile, Li Wei Yang¡¯s mouth slightly twitched. The attempt to harm had failed, instead she ended up ruining her own beauty and yet, she had no ounce of regret. Did she think everyone else was dead? Like expected, before Li Chang Xi could eveny a finger on Wei Yang, she was stopped by the mumus and servant girls standing by.
¡°Be quiet! You with this behaviour, can you still be called a xiaojie?!¡± Li Xiao Ran was breathing hard as he pointed at Li Chang Xi.
Li Chang Xi struggled and yelled, ¡°Father, my face has been ruined! Can¡¯t you see, it¡¯s all because of that bad luck star, she cursed me! She turned me into this state! Father, kick her out of the estate, kick her out!!¡±
Li Xiao Ran stiffened up.
Li Wei Yang casually responded, ¡°Wu meimei is correct. It is father¡¯s decision on how to handle matters. If there¡¯s something you want to say then say it with rity. Yelling and shouting like this, it is making father lose face.¡±
Unable to free herself from the servants¡¯ grasp, she could only angrily yell at Li Wei Yang. ¡°You damned wretch! Don¡¯t think so highly of yourself. You¡¯re just a person of lowly status! You wicked monster!¡±
Li Wei Yangughed coldly on the inside. Even though Li Chang Xi had menace in her, she was nevertheless still a young girl. Choosing this time to recklessly throw a hissy fit, all it¡¯s doing is making Li Xiao Ran lose his patience. Li Xiao Ran was a person who put a lot of emphasis on rules and status. Right now, Li Chang Xi did not look like the prime minister¡¯s daughter but a petty and noisy woman.
So Li Wei Yang merely looked at Li Xiao Ran with sadness. ¡°Father, all Wei Yang has done was to go and choose a few servants. Wu meimei fell into the water is because her bazi (eight characters) is weak and offended the water ghost. Yet, she kept saying it¡¯s because I cursed her. Where did I curse her?!¡±
There was a deeper meaning in her words. She had her father, mother and even her birth mother. None of them had been ¡°cursed¡± but she had the time to go and ¡°curse¡± a stepsister who she had no rtions with?
In truth, the faulty on Da furen who hadn¡¯t thought of the fact that Li Wei Yang had guarded herself against Da furen. First, Wei Yang went to Nan Yuan earlier than expected to rescue Qi yiniang. Had she not, this whole ¡°cursed the birth mother¡± thing would have be reality. She would¡¯ve identally involved Li Min De and caused his death too. Should it all happen, Li Xiao Ran would have no choice but to punish Li Wei Yang. But right now, Li Chang Xi was ming Li Wei Yang for making her fall into the water when in fact, she had fallen in herself. It was truly too forceful, perhaps even intentionally.
Da furen silently understood that Li Chang Xi¡¯s worth had ended here. A concubine¡¯s daughter whose face was ruined, there was absolutely no worth in it. Not to mention, she was showing off her pettiness and narrow-mindedness in front of everyone. It was all done for! Nheless, Da furen had no intention of stepping in to mediate. At the end of the day, Li Chang Xi was merely a pawn in her chess game. Even at the significant moment, she could be easily disposed. Therefore, Da furen stayed silent but her face had fallen, her cold eyes stared intently at Li Wei Yang.
As expected, Li Xiao Ran with his frosty expression red at Li Chang Xi. ¡°You be quiet for me! You don¡¯t need your esteem anymore?!¡±
¡°Father, she caused me to fall into the water. . . and my face . . . my face ispletely destroyed!¡± Li Chang Xi continued on yelling at the top of her lungs.
There was ice in Li Xiao Ran¡¯s gaze. He yelled loudly, ¡°I¡¯ll find the best doctor to cure you but I don¡¯t ever want to hear you repeat another single word!!¡±
Li Chang Xi summoned her strength to struggle but she was held tightly by the servants. Her eyes reddened, looking like she wanted to mince Li Wei Yang¡¯s flesh.
The best doctor? Li Wei Yang secretlyughed. The scar was her big gift to Li Chang Xi. Even if the famous doctor Hua Tuo was resurrected, he wouldn¡¯t be able to cure itpletely.
Her eyes shifted over to Da furen.
Next, it¡¯s your turn!
Chapter 21
Chapter 21: All An Act
Fu An Yuan
Doctor Lin applied the ointment onto Li Chang Xi as she stared at him with a hopeful gaze.
The doctor sighed and said, ¡°Wu xiaojie, it¡¯s impossible for your face to heal and look as it was before.¡±
Li Chang Xi¡¯s expression immediately changed. She smashed the tea cup on the ground and sobbed. Si yiniang Zhou shi and Li Chang Xiao hurriedly rushed over with a handkerchief in hand.
Da furen¡¯s cold eyes nced over Siyiniang Zhou shi. Zhou shi came from Jiang Nan. She spoke with elegance and genteel. Even the way she behaved was delicate. She was talented in poetry and artwork. Furthermore, she had a curvy and voluptuous figure which was very attractive, even after she gave birth to Li Chang Xiao and Li Chang Xi. Therefore, she was doted on by Li Xiao Ran.
Looking at these mother-daughter trio, Li Zhang Le slightly furrowed her eyebrows. Nheless, the slight movement of the eyebrows caused Doctor Lin to take in a sharp breath. No wonder everyone was always saying the Prime Minister¡¯s first daughter was beautiful like a fairy. They were definitely right.
Da furen softly coughed, causing Doctor Lin to snap out of his daze.
¡°Doctor Lin, Wu mei still hasn¡¯t married. A woman¡¯s beauty is very important to her. Please do everything you can to help. Also, you must keep this a secret so that words don¡¯t get around.¡± Li Zhang Le¡¯s tone was gentle and fluid.
Doctor Lin thought, not only was Da xiaojie remarkably beautiful, she was also very kind-hearted. Thebination was such a rare sight. He sped his hands together and said, ¡°Da xiaojie, regarding Wu xiaojie¡¯s scar, I will definitely do everything that I can. As for keeping this matter a secret, this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve worked for Li jia. Da xiaojie, please do not worry.¡±
Li Zhang Le nodded then instructed a servant to lead the doctor out.
In the room, the sobbing was still going on.
¡°What are you crying about? Haven¡¯t you scared enough people?¡± Da furen stonily asked.
Li Chang Xi was aggravated. She was bawling to the point it was hard to breathe. Beside her, Si yiniang witnessed the scene with pain. There was resentment in her eyes.
¡°Furen, this time you must avenge for Chang Xi!¡±
Da furen mmed the tea cup on the table. Her expression was one of anger. ¡°Avenge, avenge! All you know is to avenge. This is because Wu yatou messed up, otherwise, things wouldn¡¯t turn out this way either.¡±
Si yiniang froze then tears began to fall from her eyes, aggrieved.
Da furen hated this face of Si yiniang the most. The only reason she was being tolerant of these three was because she had a use for themter on.
¡°Si yiniang, there¡¯s no need to agonize. Mother didn¡¯t say she would ignore you guys either. However, San mei is really too good at her speeches. Not to mention, father has trust in San mei¡¯s innocence as well. Even if mother wants to defend Wu mei, there is nothing else she can do,¡± Li Zhang Le cated. Her words were obviously targeting Li Wei Yang.
As expected, Si yiniang had a look of hatred.
It was clear that it was Xiao Wu who had bothered San jie first. Consequently, she brought about her own Karma. The corner of Si xiaojie, Li Chang Xiao¡¯s mouth twitched, but she couldn¡¯t utter a word.
Da furen¡¯s tone became a lot friendlier. ¡°Wu yatou grew up beside me. To see her wounded like this, how I can not feel pain? I didn¡¯t expect for Wei Yang, despite her young age, to be so vicious and wicked. Now she has ruined Wu yatou¡¯s beauty. Haiz, but right now, she iso furen¡¯s confidant. Laoye has trust in her as well. Even if I have something in mind, I won¡¯t be able to use it. You guys go back first. Give me some time to think this through thoroughly.¡±
Si yiniang suppressed the feeling of resentment and helped Li Chang Xi up. Li Chang Xiao turned and nced at Da furen, who was sitting inside the room. She felt that, even though Da furen had a kind face on, but under the light, somehow she seemed extremely cold.
Li Zhang Le watched the retreating figures as her gaze became icy. ¡°Mother, what happened today. . .¡±
Da furen grinded her teeth together with loathe. ¡°I did not expect for this San yatou to be such a dangerous character!¡±
¡°If mother wants to make it difficult for her, there are plenty of methods. We should wait for an opportunity wheno furen and father are not at home and all we have to do is directly kill her.¡± Li Zhang Le casually enjoyed a cup of tea, but her voice sounded like she was killing an ant. If there was an outsider in the room right now, they would not be able to believe those vicious words coulde out of the famous and beautiful Da xiaojie of the Prime Minister¡¯s estate.
¡°Even though your father doesn¡¯t say it outright, but he is already suspicious of me. If I do something right now, I will be giving others the opportunity to grab a hold of my weakness. I will lose more than I gain. It¡¯s better to let someone else do the dirty work.¡±
The daughter naturally is the one to understand the mother best. Li Zhang Le had obviously guessed Da furen¡¯s intention. Smiling, she said, ¡°Si yiniang is quite the devil. Will she let us manipte her?¡±
Normally she wouldn¡¯t but the circumstance right now. . . Da furen smiled.
Wu xiaojie getting into an incident, Da xiaojie was the most concerned for every day she came to visit. Not only that, she also prepared the meals. She was regretful for not taking better care of her little sister. She had even taken the bird¡¯s nest that Da furen had given to her, thoroughly prepared it, and brought it over to Li Chang Xi. Everyone saw it. They felt that Da xiaojie was even morepassionate and open-minded.
During this time, nothing happened to Li Wei Yang. She slept and ate normally. She was not worried about Da furen or Si yiniang bothering her because she understood Li Xiao Ran¡¯s personality. After this incident, this Prime Minister father of her will know that there was someone in the estate with ulterior motives. On the outside, Li jia have always been harmonious and has a strict hierarchy but now, someone¡¯s life was threatened. If he continues to pretend to be blind, his reputation, esteem and career will be affected. Everyone in the Li¡¯s estate won¡¯t be able to escape either. So, one can see that there will be some peaceful times in Li jia.
However, even though those people weren¡¯t going toe look for, it didn¡¯t mean she will do the same.
Half a monthter, the first time she paid a visit to Shuang Yue Ge (Twin Moon Chamber) to see Li Chang Xi, she coincidentally met Li Zhang Leing out of the chamber. Under the sun, her face had obviously been carefully made up, making her even more charming. She was dressed in a silk coat with floral patterns. At a simple nce, the long dress with peony flowers could be seen peeking out,yers uponyers with incandescent beauty.
Li Wei Yang blinked several times, a beaming smile on her lips. ¡°Da jie.¡±
Li Zhang Le smiled and nodded at her. There was no change in her expression as she said, ¡°San mei, are you here to visit Wu mei?¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded. ¡°Da jie looks very happy. Is there some good news?¡±
Li Zhang Le blinked prettily. There was a subtle hint of mirth hidden in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s almost the end of the year. Da ge ising back soon. Haven¡¯t you heard, San mei?¡± Once she finished speaking, the servant girl beside her spoke up to remind her that Da furen was anxiously waiting for them. Li Zhang Le grinned then left.
Li Wei Yang watched her retreating figure. She was contemting when Zi Yan, who was standing behind her, softly sighed.
¡°Da xiaojie is so beautiful.¡±
¡°Da shaoye ising back soon?¡± Meanwhile Bai Zhi questioned.
The two maids¡¯ point of interest waspletely different.
Li Wei Yang briefly nced at Bai Zhi, impressed. On her lips was a barely noticeable frosty smile. That¡¯s right. The Li¡¯s Da shaoye, Da furen¡¯s biological son, Li Min Feng wasing back. In the first lifetime, he was Tuo Ba Zhen¡¯s good friend, confidante and loyal subject. She remembered the chaos in that previous lifetime, remembered when she kneeled down to beg him, but he simply mmed the door in her face and refused to see her.
He had given her one sentence: ¡°Simply an insignificant concubine¡¯s daughter but you¡¯re overestimating yourself!¡±
Overestimating yourself. Li Wei Yang lifted her head and looked at the bright sunlight. Suddenly she turned around and walked towards Shuang Yue Ge.
Abruptly, Bai Zhi said, ¡°Xiaojie! Wu xiaojie, she¡ª¡± Li Chang Xi was definitely going to bawl her eyes out and scream at the top of her lungs.
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t turn around but merely smiled. ¡°Knowing there¡¯s tigers on the mountain, that is why we go. Let¡¯s go. I have my own reasons.¡±
Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Adding Oil to the Fire
Entering Li Chang Xi¡¯spound, it was filled with a deep fragrant smell. Li Wei Yang was slightly taken aback. She paused at the doorway and contemted deeply before continuing on.
In themon area, Si yiniang Zhou shi chuckled and stood up to wee the guest before taking a seat in the chair with the lowest status. Her resentment could not be seen. Meanwhile on Li Chang Xiao¡¯s face, there was unspeakable worry but she didn¡¯t say anything, silently standing to the side.
¡°Today San xiaojie¡¯s timing is off. Wu xiaojie had just fallen asleep,¡± Zhou shi said with a smile. She had almond shaped eyes that resembled ake in springtime. Even though she was the birth mother, in front of other people, she didn¡¯t have the rights to call the xiaojies by their full name.
Had just fallen asleep? Li Wei Yang smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I am here to visit Wu meimei. It is the thought that counts.¡± Her eyes gently studied Zhou shi. Zhou shi was in a honey coloured silk dress. The bottom of the dress was embroidered with twin lotus flowers. She didn¡¯t look like a furen who had given birth to two daughters. No wonder Li Xiao Ran doted on her.
At the same time, a servant had silently gone to Li Chang Xi¡¯s bedroom to tell her Li Wei Yang was here to pay a visit.
Li Chang Xi abruptly stood up and grabbed a pink flower vase on the table. She flung it at the door. ¡°Get lost! Tell her to get lost immediately!¡± She could not suppress the fierce hatred in her voice.
The flower vase shattered to pieces as the water inside spashed everywhere onto the floor. The resenting voice prated through the myriads of curtains, passing into everyone¡¯s ears. Zhou shi¡¯s expression immediately turned into that of embarrassment. Li Chang Xiao abruptly jumped to her feet, but quickly realized she had acted impolitely and slowly sat back down. She could not hide the anxiousness on her face.
Instinctively Zhou shi nced at Li Wei Yang. She noticed the other¡¯s eyes, clear and shimmering like ripples of water, was also staring back at her. Zhou shi startled. When she regained herposure, Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze had the hint of a smile in it. There was nothing abnormal about it. Zhou shi concluded that this young thirteen year old girl in front of her was not as simple as she appears.
Any person to experience this type of incident would feel embarrassed, but Li Wei Yang seemed to have not heard those menacing words telling her to get lost, as if she did not hear the sound of the vase being shattered. Either the person was too stupid to understand a thing or was a sly person whose true thoughts never showed. Zhou shibelieved in thetter. But a concubine¡¯s daughter who had grew up in the vige, how can she mature to this point?
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was not affected in the least bit. ¡°Si yiniang, earlier I had smelled on you a special but familiar kind of scent. Do you have a liking for the Xue Li fragrance?¡±
Xue Li fragrance? Si yiniang was puzzled. She had never heard of this type of fragrance before.
Li Chang Xiao questioned with curiosity. ¡°What is that?¡±
¡°Even though Ping Cheng may not be as flourishing as the Capital, but there are plenty of new and interesting things. For example, the Xue Li fragrance. The prolonged use of this type of fragrance is said to improve a woman¡¯s skinplexion as well as maintain its youthfulness.¡±
Si yiniang furrowed her brows. She was unfamiliar and had never harbored this type of fragrance with her. What did Li Wei Yang mean by this?
Li Wei Yang continued, ¡°The Xue Li fragrance may be good but it is not suitable for everyone. This is because in the ingredients for Xue Li, there is a particr ingredient called Tian Zhi. If the user have some sort of wound or scar on the skin, the skin will not be able to heal and scab properly. Instead it will rot away. Fortunately Si yiniang does not harbor any flesh wounds, right?¡±
Listening to the exnation, Zhou shi¡¯s face turned white.
Li Chang Xiao¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°San jie, what you said is true?¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded. ¡°Of course it is the truth. Xue Li has a unique scent. I recognized because I have encountered this fragrance before on Mo yiniang, uncle¡¯s most favored yiniang. I was curious so I had asked her about it.¡±
This Uncle Li was father¡¯s younger brother and he was the head of the Li¡¯s household in Ping Cheng where Li Wei Yang had temporarily stayed. He had a beautiful concubine, Mo yiniang, who came from a brothel. She was over 40 years old but she had taken extreme care with her skin, so she looked like a young 18 years old girl instead. It was quite unbelievable. The fact that Uncle Li was crazily smitten by this yiniang was passed on by those who had visited Ping Cheng.
Xue Li fragrance was one of the many methods used by Mo yiniang in her skincare routine. The bad thing about Xue Li fragrance is that the prolong use of it will cause one to be infertile. The second bad thing is that it will stop the natural healing process of wounds. Scars won¡¯t be able to scab but will rot away instead. A nobledy wouldn¡¯t dare touch a wicked thing, but they were often used by those who came from brothels to attract men.
Li Wei Yang knew this but pretended not to know. ¡°Si yiniang, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±
Zhou shi¡¯s hands were tightly fisted, hidden inside the long sleeves. She couldn¡¯t suppress herself as her nails dug deeply into her palms. The fragrance in this room was supposed to be from the Yu Rong ointment gifted by Da furen. She had said the ointment would help to heal Chang Xi¡¯s wounds. Who knew it was actually something so vicious and dirty?
Li Wei Yang tossed a brief look beyond the curtains. Peeking from behind the curtains was the beautiful face of ady. Her chin was slightly thin and there was a frightening scar on her cheeks. There was a surprised look on her face. Thedy behind the curtains suddenly realized she was discovered and quickly turned around and walked off. As she turned around, a corner of the red dress pped. The ruby curtains moved and made a noise. A strand of ruby fell on the ground and shattered as rubies rolled everywhere.
Li Wei Yang watched as a ruby rolled to her feet. Then she lifted her head and stared into Si yiniang¡¯s terrified face. She stood up, slightly grinned and bid goodbye.
Walking out from Shuang Yue Ge, Zi Yan was still clueless.
¡°San xiaojie, why is there Xue Li fragrance in Wu xiaojie¡¯s chamber? Everyone had said that, as a result of using this for a long time, Mo yiniang became infertile and couldn¡¯t have children. Wu xiaojie still hasn¡¯t married. . .¡± she curiously wondered, but as she got to this point, she seemed to have realized something. She immediately stopped talking as a look of fearful panic took over.
¡°There are some things that only require the eyes to see. You should pretend you are deaf and mute, understand?¡± Li Wei Yang stopped in her tracks and looked at Zi Yan.
¡°Understood.¡± Zi Yan lowered her head, but her fingers kept trembling.
Bai Zhi sighed to herself. The Prime Minister¡¯s estate,pared to the Li¡¯s manor in Ping Cheng, was a lot more frightening.
Li Wei Yang lifted a corner of her mouth as she turned around, looking back at Shuang Yue Ge.
Da furen obviously wanted Si yiniang and her daughters to loathe Wei Yang, which was why she had intentionally delivered this kind of fragrance. First, she wanted Li Chang Xi to never be able to heal from the scarring. Henceforth, Li Chang Xi would hate her. It would also traumatize Zhou shi. Secondly, she wanted Li Chang Xi to walk around with the scar so that everyone knew Wu xiaojie was harmed by Li Wei Yang. Thirdly, even if Li Chang Xi was able to marry into a good marriage due to her position as the concubine¡¯s daughter from the Prime Minister¡¯s estate, she was still just a concubine¡¯s daughter whose face was ruined and could never give birth. In this way, she would have to listen and obey to each and every word of her maternal family, specifically Da furen.
It was one stone hitting three birds. . .
Unfortunately, Da furen may be vicious, but she was doing more than required. This time, Li Chang Xi may be stupid but her birth mother was not. Li Wei Yang had thought she was going to have to say a lot more to make Si yiniang understand, but thankfully, Da furen¡¯s Xue Li fragrance had helped her instead. Da furen wanted to stand on the outside and watch the fight, yet she didn¡¯t know she had brought the fire to her own home.
Li Wei Yang tilted her head back as the bright sunlight shone down on her longshes. . . .
Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Fortune Cat
As soon as Wei Yang returned to herpound, Mo Zhu came up with a smile.
¡°San xiaojie,o furen has invited you over to her ce.¡±
Li Wei Yang grinned. Her eyes slightly shifted and immediately noticed a shadow lurking behind the sycamore tree in the yard. Bai Zhi furrowed her brows but didn¡¯t speak. Thatss, Hua Mei, was always spying on xiaojie like a stubborn spirit. She was bestowed by Da furen, so if they were to get rid of her, others might start saying xiaojie was displeased with Da furen. Yet if they let her be, eventually it was going to bring cmity.
Li Wei Yang pretended she didn¡¯t see and turned to Zi Yan. ¡°Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu wille with me. You will stay here.¡±
Mo Zhu was bestowed byo furen so she obviously had to go, but Bai Zhi and Zi Yan herself both came with xiaojie from Ping Cheng. However,tely, xiaojie was close to Bai Zhi. Zi Yan subtly furrowed her brows that it was hard to decipher. When she noticed Li Wei Yang calmly staring at her, she suddenly came to realization.
¡°Xiaojie, please go. I will look over thepound with care.¡±
With her two servants, Li Wei Yang made her way towards He Xiang Yuan.
She had just arrived and had noticed the doors were wide opened. Theughter of the noble women could be heard. Li Wei Yang blinked and quickly entered. In the hall, Lao furen as well as all the other furens and xiaojie were present. Everyone looked extremely cheerful.
Li Wei Yang had just entered when Li Zhang Le stood up with a smile. ¡°San mei, take a look. Our Da ge hadn¡¯t yet returned but his gifts for all of us has already arrived.¡±
Li Wei Yang followed Zhang Le¡¯s gaze and noticed all the servants had disyed the endless brocades of silk and hand-embroidered fabrics of different varieties on the table. The hall was radiating like the afternoon sun, causing everyone¡¯s eyes to be blurry.
The stewardess Sun niangzi was smiling to the point her eyes had disappeared. She said, ¡°Everything Da shaoye sent are of high quality. Lao furen, look, this is Jin Qiao silk from Yunzhou. The colour is exceptional. This is Yanzhi silk woven from Chengzhou. The colour is bright and beautiful. It was dyed well. Apparently, the seamstress was said to have embroidered clothes for the Empress Dowager. This is the hand-embroidered peony silk from Linzhou. The seamstress is known as the expert in this field. Also, there¡¯s Bi jiangxia silk, Ziluo silk from Mozhou; Haiyun hong silk, Luoxiu jin silk, golden oriole silk from Ningzhou. All the niangniangs and nobles in the pce wore this kind of material. Truly, it makes one¡¯s vision dizzy!¡±
Da shaoye was studying and traveling the world outside, it was natural that he had visited many ces. However, he wouldn¡¯t send these gifts for no reason. These gifts were obviously from someone else, using Da shaoye¡¯s name, in order to gain favours with the Prime Minister¡¯s estate.
There was no need to guess who this person was. Li Wei Yang already knew.
Li Zhang Le lowered her gaze. Her slender fingers stroked the patterned silk. ¡°Even though the Capital¡¯s silk are gorgeous but it can be too exuberant. Yet this silk is different, it is a lot more elegant.¡±
Everyone¡¯s eyes were on Li Zhang Le. Her unrivaled beauty caused others to be in a daze, just like all those gorgeous and magnificent silk brocades, as if she was the flower embroidered on the silk. It waspletely delicate, ingenious and admirable, making it hard for anyone to look elsewhere. But that kind of beauty was a needle prickling Wei Yang¡¯s eyes as she slowly looked away. There were some people in this world who were born with their parent¡¯s love and affection, iparable talents and skills and the fortune of having an unrivaled beauty. All she had to do was slightly look and she could steal someone else¡¯s hard-earned effort.
Lao furen said, ¡°I don¡¯t wear this color, so just let the young misses take whatever they want!¡±
Er xiaojie, Li Chang Ru, was immediately filled with happiness as she gracefully stood up to say her thanks before quickly going over to pick her silk. Perhaps it was idental, or on purpose, but her hands stopped at the silk brocade that Li Zhang Le liked. With a fake smile, she said, ¡°Da jie, I really like this silk brocade and even the color is quite suitable for me.¡±
Li Zhang Le grinned. ¡°Then Er meimei should go ahead take it.¡± Obviously Li Zhang Le didn¡¯t want to give away that particr silk brocade but she wanted to appear generous and kind-hearted. Li Wei Yang quietlyughed as she lowered her head to drink her tea, acting like she didn¡¯t see anything.
Li Zhang Le¡¯s hands stopped on the sparkling Hayun hong silk brocade but at the same time, Li Chang Ru¡¯s hands also reached for it. It happened again for the next three times. Even if Li Zhang Le had selfposure, her smiling face was long gone.
Er furen giggled and said, ¡°Da xiaojie has always been greatly taken care of but your meimei is still a child. She finds everything new and refreshing so you should tolerate her a little. In return, I will gift you a set of jewelry made of gems.¡±
Zhang Le had plenty of jewelries made out of gems but didn¡¯t have much of these rare silks. Her face slightly turned red but she couldn¡¯t talk back to the seniors.
Li Wei Yang lowered her gaze. All of these silk brocades were brought by Da shaoye. Although it was supposed to be for everyone in the family but in reality, all the good stuff would be given to Da furen and Li Zhang Le. However, Er furen and Er xiaojie were being shameless and thick-skinned. As a result, it made Li Zhang Le angry but she had to hold it in.
Da furen casually said, ¡°Zhang Le, they¡¯re just silks. If you like something in the bunch, just tell your Da ge to bring a few back.¡± Despite speaking in a casual manner, her words were meant to pressure Er furen.
Er furen¡¯s expression changed as she immediately retorted.
Dafang and Erfang over there were acting the two warring sides. Meanwhile, San furen was sitting to one side, grinning as her eyes stopped on Li Wei Yang. The Li¡¯s had Da xiaojie who was known for her goddess-like beauty, Er xiaojie with her dazzling charms, Si xiaojie and Wu xiaojie who were both cute and adorable, yet when ites to Li Wei Yang, she possessed a unique, individual charm.
Right at this moment, Li Wei Yang looked up and caught San furen¡¯s eyes. The two of them exchanged a smiling look. There was a special, silentmunication between the two of them.
After Li Wei Yang had rescued San shaoye, she and San furen had developed a secret, implicit agreement to be allies. This was something that Da furen had absolutely no knowledge of. All Da furen knew was that her two mumus had been careless, which caused their failures. They didn¡¯t check to make sure the body was dead before disposing the body. She believed that San shaoye had good fortune and was able to escape death but didn¡¯t realize it was Wei Yang who had saved him.
The room was filled with gorgeous and splendid silk. It was hard not to be tempted. Even Si xiaojie, Li Chang Xiao, who was generally simple-minded couldn¡¯t help but browsed through the numerous brocades of silk. Only Li Wei Yang remained in her seat, not moving an inch.
Lao furen suddenly spoke up, ¡°Wei Yang, don¡¯t just sit there. You should go and pick out a few that you like.¡±
Li Wei Yang stood up and said, ¡°Wei Yang thanks Lao furen.¡±
She had just picked up a brocade of golden oriole silk to examine when suddenly, a strong breeze from the outside blew in. Following it was the sound of a servant¡¯s scream. Wei Yang promptly felt there was something sharp and curvy on her shoes. She was taken by surprise and instinctively took a step backwards.
It was a snow-white Arabic cat. One of its eyes was blue and the other was yellow. It was looking at her arrogantly.
Li Zhang Le¡¯s slender hands reached down to pick up the Arabic cat. ¡°Did it scare you, San mei? This is the fortune cat that Da ge sent me. Take a look, isn¡¯t it pretty?¡±
Of course Li Wei Yang recognized this particr cat. In the previous lifetime, it had been Li Zhang Le¡¯s most adored pet. It had entered the pce with her. Not only was it arrogant and proud, it had once used its ws to scratch Yu Li¡¯s small hands and drew blood.
Wei Yang could never forget the moment when Li Zhang Le was hugging her cat and said to her, ¡°San mei, my fortune cat likes to sunbathe in the flower garden but it does not like strangers. It¡¯s better if you could keep an eye on the Crown Prince and don¡¯t let him get too close to Yuhua Yuan.¡±
Underneath her sleebes, Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands clenched into tight fists. Her smile grew brighter. ¡°Da jie, it¡¯s such an adorable cat!¡±
As she spoke, a n was already established in her head.
Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Destroyed Silk
As everyone happily left with their silks, Li Wei Yang stayed back. Every afternoon, she would stay back to brew tea for Lao furen.
Lao furen was really interested in her lifestyle beforeing back to the Li¡¯s estate and would always question her about it.
In a gentle voice, Li Wei Yang would retell Lao furen of the interesting stories she has encountered at the Li¡¯s in Ping Cheng.
However, Lao furen would shake her head and said, ¡°San yatou, you are not speaking the truth.¡±
Looking at Lao furen with a pair of clear eyes, Li Wei Yang finally said after a few minutes, ¡°Lao furen, do you really want to hear the truth?¡±
Lao furen nodded. ¡°I want to hear the truth.¡±
Li Wei Yang took a deep breath. Regarding some things, if a person really wants to know then they will eventually discover the truth. So there was no need to hide it.
¡°I stayed at the Li¡¯s in Ping Cheng until I was seven years old. The Prime Minister¡¯s estate still hasn¡¯t sent anyone to pick me up so they immediately sent me to the Zhou family living in the vige. The matron of the Zhou¡¯s family was Liu shi. She was very harsh and would usually never let me eat. When I was younger, I didn¡¯t understand things so I would steal food from the kitchen but she would find out and punish me.¡± Li Wei Yang pulled up her sleeves, revealing the scars on her wrists. ¡°Right here, on my back, on my legs, all have scars.¡±
Shocked, Lao furen stared at Wei Yang, unable to believe it. ¡°Did you tell her that your father is the Prime Minister?¡±
Li Wei Yang chuckled. She knew Lao furen wouldn¡¯t believe her, but it was the truth. ¡°I cried and told Liu shi that my father was a courtier in the Capital, but instead she would scoff at me. I stayed with the Zhous for six years. In the summer, it was hard to sleep because of mosquito bites. In the winter, the bedroom was like a cier. The Zhou¡¯s daughter thought of me as a yhorse. My hands and knees were scraped to the point of bleeding. My fingers too were filled with wounds because of sowing and heavy housechores. Even my feet are calloused.¡± Her voice wasn¡¯t loud, there was no anguish in her tone¡ªshe didn¡¯t even mention the times when she was almost beaten to death¡ªand yet, her leveled tone hinted of pain, hardship and helplessness.
Lao furen and Luo mumu were both still in horror.
Lao furen instinctively nced at Wei Yang¡¯s small hands before slowly and carefully reached for Wei Yang¡¯s hands. It was then that she noticed there were scars on the delicate hands. The scars were faint so she hadn¡¯t noticed it until now when she took a closer look.
Luo mumu shook her head. All the xiaojies in the Prime Minister¡¯s estate were born with silver spoons in their mouths. They lived in luxury and were protected from the harsh reality but San xiaojie had to live it. In her veins ran the Prime Minister¡¯s blood but she was bullied by a lowly farmer¡¯s wife.
Staring at Wei Yang, Lao furen felt pain in her chest. She could not imagine how a young, seven year old girl could¡¯ve survived day-after-day living in that environment, could not imagine what it had done to her maturity.
Lao furen slowly spoke up, ¡°Child, you have suffered greatly. I didn¡¯t know how harsh they had been to you¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled. Her dark eyes seemed to be reflecting Lao furen¡¯s face. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t feel suffering from those things. The thing that pained me the most was when the festivals came. I would watch Lioye and his family go out to celebrate. I had wanted my father there so I could be spoiled, wanted to admire the flowers with father, celebrate the Lantern festival together, but other people would yell and scold me. They would say I was an orphan with no parents.¡± Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t cry, simply because there are certain things in this world that, even if you cry, you won¡¯t be able to attain it. This logic, she has known since she was young.
Lao furen gently held Wei Yang¡¯s hands and said, ¡°Child, you havee home. From now on, no one will be able to bully you anymore.¡±
Lao furen¡¯s words, the sympathy in her eyes, were genuine. Li Wei Yang silently held tighter to Lao furen¡¯s hands. That¡¯s right, she has now returned. From now on, no one will be able to bully her. If being a nice person means getting bullied and trampled all over, she was going to be an evil person!
Lao furen smiled, her eyes showing genuine care. ¡°Silly child, living here by myself is very lonely, you shoulde visit me often.¡±
Li Wei Yang knew that these words spoken by Lao furen was going to be her greatest guarantee. It was going to guarantee her future in the Prime Minister¡¯s estate.
Returning to her quarters, she was immediately greeted by Zi Yan.
Li Wei Yang briefly nced around. Hua Mei was outside with a duster, dusting the flower-patterned wooden panel. Wei Yang didn¡¯t stop as she made her way inside.
In Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu¡¯s hands were two brocades of extremely beautiful silk. Just once nce at the silk and it would invoke satisfaction.
Li Wei Yang allowed the two servants to set the silk on the table. Then she told Mo Zhu to leave while Bai Zhi stayed.
She ced her hand on the silk, feeling its luxury and beauty beneath her fingers. Out of the corner of her mouth, she said two words, ¡°Tear it!¡±
Bai Zhi didn¡¯t react in time but merely stood in one spot, surprised.
Li Wei Yang looked at Bai Zhi and calmly said, ¡°What are you still doing standing there, tear them up.¡±
Although Bai Zhi was shocked, she still obeyed Wei Yang¡¯s words. Grabbing one of the brocades, she pulled out a hair pin from her head and used it to rip apart the silk. The beautiful silk was soon destroyed in two.
The sun,ing from the East, shone through the windows into the chamber, causing the chamber to be drenched in a mixture of darkness and light. On the table, the beautiful silk sat. As the sound of the tearing continued, Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile.
Bai Zhi faithfully obeyed Wei Yang¡¯s instructions and shortly after, the silk was destroyed to the point of unrecognizable, pooling into a heap.
Having destroyed it, Bai Zhi was suddenly afraid. ¡°Xiaojie, these silks were sent by Da shaoye. It¡¯s to be used in the New Year, what if. . .¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes and said, ¡°Bai Zhi, find a storage box and lock up this pile of destroyed silk.¡±
Bai Zhi immediately lowered herself to leave. ¡°Yes, nubi has understood.¡± On the inside though, Bai Zhi was still suspicious. What was the point of locking away the destroyed silk?
At this moment, Hua Mei used the excuse of washing up and changing her clothes to leave for Fu An Yuan. She was feeling restless because of the exposed incidentst time.
Yet Da furen had no intentions of scolding her but simply smiled and said, ¡°Hua Mei, I have already given you instructions to take care of San xiaojie.¡±
Hua Mei found herself rxing. Fortunately Da furen wasn¡¯t angry.
Lin mumu approached Hua Mei and gently held her hand. In a tender voice, Lin Mumu reminded, ¡°Furen¡¯s intentions, do you understand?¡±
Hua Mei¡¯s insides jumped then quickly nodded her head.
Lin mumu stopped in her steps. ¡°Furen can forgive you this once, but there won¡¯t be a second time!¡±
Hua Mei could feel Lin mumu¡¯s hand at her side, like a snake worming its way into her skin. Hua Mei yelped quietly, desperately wanting to free herself, but Lin mumu pinched her back, using so much power that it felt like her nails were digging into Hua Mei¡¯s skin.
Hua Mei was in so much pain that she couldn¡¯t help scream for mercy. ¡°Yes! Yes! Nubi will definitely look after San xiaojie carefully!¡±
Da furen¡¯s hands moved along the red coral silk with apassionate face as her mouth curled into a grin.
Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Who is the Puppet
3 dayster, Erfang¡¯s xiaojie, Li Chang Ru, could no longer wait and immediately put on her new attire. The dress was made of Jinqiao silk. The yellow/green dress was radiant and blinding. A phoenix was embroidered on the dress and when walking, the changing of colours and patterns was unreal. Compared to other days, Chang Ru appeared even more elegant. When she appeared at He Xiang Yuan, she caught everyone¡¯s attention.
Right then Li Zhang Le appeared holding her fortune cat. The moment she noticed the radiant and elegant dress on Li Chang Ru, her expression instantly turned for the worse.
Li Wei Yang was already present long before Chang Ru and Zhang Le. From affair, she witnessed this scene and grinned. This Da jie of hers most prized possession was her beauty, believing herself to be the most beautiful person in the world. As a result, Zhang Le also believes all the best things should belong to her. For this reason, when Zhang Le saw the beautiful dress on Li Chang Ru¡ªwhich was made of the silk that should¡¯ve been hers¡ªher face turned green. She didn¡¯t look anything like thepassionate and kind-hearted person she was renowned for.
Li Wei Yang walked down the hall. Lao furen¡¯s hobby was to keep birds as pets. Her favorite was the red parrot kept at the entrance. There had once been thieves in the Prime Minister¡¯s estate and it was due to this talking parrot that had saved Lao furen¡¯s life, which was why this parrot was especially important to Lao furen.
The parrot lived inside a cage made out of boxwood. When it saw Li Wei Yang appearing close to it, the parrot cocked its head and made a rowdy noise.
Li Wei Yang smiled at the servant, Lu Zhi, who was in charge of taking care of the parrot. Wei Yang held up a bowl of food and a bowl of water, ced it into the cage and instructed, ¡°Er xiaojie is so pretty! Er xiaojie is so pretty!¡±
Lu Zhi took a look at Er xiaojire from afar and nodded in agreement. ¡°Er xiaojie¡¯s new dress is indeed very beautiful.¡±
The parrot pped its wings. ¡°So pretty! Er xiaojie! So pretty!¡±
Li Wei Yang grinned, pulled back the curtains and entered.
Li Zhang Le and Li Chang Ru¡ªone following the other¡ªmade their way over. The servant was about to pull back the curtains for the two but Li Zhang Le suddenly heard a voice over her head.
¡°Er xiaojie is so pretty! Er xiaojie is so pretty!¡± The voice was high-pitched and childish. In a quiet ce, the voice was even clearer. The parrot¡¯s voice was like a knife slicing through the calm that Li Zhang Le was fighting hard to keep.
The parrot was merely a pet. It didn¡¯t understand things as it repeated the phrase several times. Paired with the sound of wings pping, the fortune cat in Li Zhang Le¡¯s arms abruptly cried out and dove for the parrot.
Lu Zhi cried out loud. She hurriedly used the wooden stick to take down the parrot¡¯s cage and protected the bird in her arms. The fortune cat jumped at Lu Zhi¡¯s legs, snarled and growled threateningly with no intentions of leaving as the cat red at the parrot.
The parrot continued to talk, ¡°Er xiaojie is so pretty!¡±
Lu Zhi was quick to protect to the parrot. ¡°If you continue to be noisy, the cat might just bite off your tongue!¡±
The parrot was quite smart. Upon hearing Lu Zhi¡¯s threat, it was scared and did not dare to speak any further, instead shivering in Lu Zhi¡¯s arms.
Li Zhang Le suppressed her anger and held her fortune cat. ¡°Good cat, stop fooling around.¡± As she said so, her face turned brighter with a smile and walked inside as if nothing had happened.
When greetings were being given, even though Lao furen¡¯s face remained as usual, Li Wei Yang knew that Lao furen had already known about what happened with the pets.
After visiting Lao furen and returning to her living chambers, Li Wei Yang looked at Zi Yang. ¡°Did anything happen?¡±
Zi Yan lowered her eyes and replied, ¡°Except for Hua Mei who left to pick up some tea, nobody else left the courtyard.¡± Then, as if she realized something, she added, ¡°Hua Mei left for about half an hour before returning.¡±
Li Wei Yang gently chuckled. ¡°Call her in for me.¡±
Zi Yan hesitated. ¡°Xiaojie, if you need something, just let me do it.¡±
¡°You can¡¯t. Today I want to put on a y. How can I not make it a good show?¡± Li Wei Yang grinned. ¡°Go summon her for me.¡±
Zi Yan obeyed and went out to summon Hua Mei.
Meanwhile Li Wei Yang enjoyed her tea and patiently waited.
Shortly after, Zi Yan returned with Hua Mei following. Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t even care to raise an eyelid.
Hua Mei had always been guarded by Zi Yan, therefore, she rarely has the opportunity to enter Wei Yang¡¯s bedchamber. But today she was summoned by xiaojie, she couldn¡¯t help feel restless. Even though Hua Mei was a lowly maidservant, she had never feared Li Wei Yang, mainly because she had Da furen as her powerful backup. Even if San xiaojie disliked her, there was nothing San xiaojie could do to her. Yet after thest incident, Hua Mei truly thought San xiaojie was . . . a little unpredictable. It was hard to know what she would do next.
Li Wei Yang lifted her head. ¡°Hua Mei, from today onwards, you will help me look after the wardrobe and essories.¡±
This was an important task, which was why Zi Yan was shocked. Her lips twitched as she looked at Bai Zhi who was actually quite calm andposed. Noticing Bai Zhi¡¯s expression, Zi Yan swallowed her words and didn¡¯t say anything.
Startled, Hua Mei stared at Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang continued, ¡°Bai Zhi, hand over all those important coffers to Hua Mei. Let her look after them.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Bai Zhi immediately turned around and left.
Hua Mei beamed happily. San xiaojie was probably afraid of Da furen, which was why she decided to give me this important task! Hmph! Then again, she¡¯s still just the concubine¡¯s daughter, still need to live ording to the matron¡¯s mood!
Bai Zhi heaved out three coffers and said to Hua Mei, ¡°These three coffers will be looked after by you. You cannot be careless.¡±
Hua Mei cheerfullyughed and grabbed the keys from Bai Zhi. ¡°That¡¯s obvious! Xiaojie need not worry!¡±
Early the next morning, Hua Mei didn¡¯t have time to give the coffers a thorough check-up before she was interrupted by Lao furen¡¯s people, who was sent over to tailor new clothes for San xiaojie.
Hua Mei brought out the coffers, opened it up, then immediately heard Bai Zhi¡¯s angry voice.
¡°Hua Mei! What is the meaning of this?!¡±
Hua Mei stiffened and looked down. The silk brocades were all tangled up in a messy pile and had cat scratch marks all over. Worse, it was all destroyed!
Hua Mei turned pale white and abruptly kneeled on the floor. ¡°San xiaojie. . . Nubi . . . Nubi don¡¯t know why it¡¯s like this!¡±
Li Wei Yang furrowed her brows and stood up. ¡°Tie her down!¡±
Hua Mei suddenly wanted to grab a hold of Wei Yang¡¯s dress but was shoved away by Bai Zhi. ¡°Do you not hear xiaojie¡¯s words?!¡±
Hua Mei viciously shoved Bai Zhi as she screamed and pushed herself towards Li Wei Yang. ¡°San xiaojie, you can¡¯t punish me!¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t look back. ¡°Then we¡¯ll wait until I¡¯ve seen Lao furen and Mother!¡±
On the way to He Xiang Yuan, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t stop but walked right into the courtyard.
Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°Lao furen, Wei Yang¡¯s silks have all been ruined by a cat. . .¡±
Lao furen was sitting and sipping on her tea but the moment she heard Wei Yang¡¯s voice, her eyebrows furrowed. She was about to say something but right then, Lu Zhi stumbled into the hall.
¡°Something bad has happened, Lao furen! The parrot. . .¡±
Lao furen shot up on her feet. The tea cup in her hand fell and shattered into pieces.
Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Making You Choke
Lao furen¡¯s favorite parrot was eaten by a cat.
This quickly became a big deal in the Prime Minister¡¯s estate. Very quickly, Da furen took the lead to He Xiang Yuan.
Li Zhang Le, with her precious fortune cat in arms, had just entered the courtyard when she heard Lao furen¡¯s anger.
¡°How dare you bring that beast in here!¡±
Startled, Li Zhang Le looked at everyone else in bewilderment. However, everyone was holding their breaths. No one dared to let out a word.
Hearing this, Da furen coughed two times. ¡°Lao furen, it¡¯s possible that your parrot wasn¡¯t eaten by Zhang Le¡¯s cat. It could possibly be a wild cat. . .¡±
¡°Wild cat? Where would a wild cate from?! You go and catch a wild cat and bring it here for me then!¡± Lao furen¡¯s expression was rarely as icy as now. She was so furious that she couldn¡¯t speak properly.
Da furen had never experienced Lao furen¡¯s rage to this point, so she didn¡¯t dare say anything else.
Li Zhang Le quickly let go of the cat and stepped forward. ¡°Lao furen, this fortune cat gifted by Da ge is a treasure. Not only is it obedient, it is also timid. It definitely won¡¯t do something like this¡ª¡±
She couldn¡¯t even finish her sentence and was interrupted by Lao furen spitting into her face. ¡°This morning it wanted to devour my parrot and I didn¡¯t even say anything! What are you saying now, it¡¯s obedient and timid? I have already said it before we shouldn¡¯t keep that kind of beast as domestic pets in the estate to keep my parrot safe and yet, you went ahead and kept it anyway! Obviously you¡¯re trying to anger me to death! Not to mention, even your meimei¡¯s silks were destroyed by that cat! She didn¡¯t even get a chance to wear them yet! Tell me, how are you going topensate?!¡±
Li Zhang Le fumbled in horror. Meanwhile Li Wei Yang merely stood silently on the sideline with a pitiable look on her face.
Zhang Le¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Something had happened to San mei¡¯s silk? What are the chances?¡±
Li Wei Yang pretended not to understand the implication in Zhang Le¡¯s words. ¡°Da jie, this cat must be strictly disciplined. Today it ate Lao furen¡¯s parrot and ruined the silk brocades. Who knows if next time it will upset a nobleman? And if that person turns out to be narrow-minded, even if this cat died a million times, it won¡¯t be able to make up for the mistake!¡±
All the guests that have entered and leave the Prime Minister¡¯s estate were high-ranking officials and noblewomen. Should the cat identally injure one of these officials then it would be the Prime Minister¡¯s estate at fault! Lao furen¡¯s expression turned for the worse.
Li Wei Yang blinked a few times, looking very timid. ¡°Then again, we can¡¯t me Da jie¡¯s cat. It¡¯s just an animal, how can it understand things? It¡¯s my fault for being careless. I should¡¯ve personally taken care of those valuable items and shouldn¡¯t have given Hua Mei the responsibility. After all, Hua Mei is still young and yful. She is still inexperienced when ites to dealing with these things.¡±
Lao furen¡¯s mood darkened. First of all, the fortune cat devoured her precious parrot. Secondly, the silks that she had personally gifted to Wei Yang were destroyed by the same cat. Wasn¡¯t this Li Zhang Le¡¯s way of showing her dissatisfaction?
As the thought crossed her mind, Lao furen coldly said, ¡°So it is that yatou Hua Mei¡¯s ipetence?¡±
Li Wei Yang purposely nced at Da furen, looking troubled. ¡°This. . .¡±
Da furen didn¡¯t care to look at her but spoke to Lao furen. ¡°Hua Mei was sent by me. Her ipetence is because of my inability to discipline. That¡¯s why I¡¯vee here to ask for Lao furen¡¯s forgiveness. However, there is something I must say as well. The person was already gifted to Wei Yang. Wei Yang should¡¯ve also disciplined her. How could you have tolerated her reckless behaviors?¡± Obviously this was saying it was Wei Yang¡¯s fault for not disciplining her new maid.
Wei Yang smiled nervously and said, ¡°Mother, how can you say that? Hua Mei is the servant gifted by you. I couldn¡¯t favor her enough.¡±
Lao furen abruptly said in a cold voice, ¡°You¡¯re the matron of the family but you can¡¯t even discipline a simple servant and force me to be involved! Bring in that Hua Mei!¡±
Hua Mei was brought forward. Her legs and hands were tied up as she bawled. Seeing this, Da furen furrowed her brows.
¡°Still, we should give her a chance to exin!¡±
Lao furen glimpsed at Luo mumu.
Luo mumu immediately stepped forward and questioned, ¡°The chests were looked after by you?¡±
Hua Mei had a hard time agreeing. ¡°Yes, but nubi had just received the chests¡ª¡±
¡°All the silks in the chests were ruined?!¡±
¡°Yes, but nubi is innocent. There must be someone trying to put the me on nubi! It¡¯s San xiaojie! Lao furen, it must be San xiaojie who is setting up nubi!¡± Hua Mei recklessly screamed, desperate to be freed of the crime.
This servant was definitely brazen. She didn¡¯t even give her owner face!
Lao furen¡¯s eyes nced around. ¡°Such azy and ipetent servant, don¡¯t let her dirty my eyes. I don¡¯t want to hear anymore of her lies and excuses. Mute her! Then take her out and give her 50 strokes as a warning!¡±
Hua Mei promptly realized she had said the wrong things. She struggled with all her might and bent over. ¡°Lao furen, nubi knows wrong! It is all nubi¡¯s fault! Da furen, please save nubi! Please save nubi!¡± As she begged for mercy, she repeatedly kowtowed, desperately asking Da furen to say something and help her. Every time her forehead hit harshly against the floor, the faces of those who were watching turned a little paler.
Li Wei Yang nced at her and calmly suggested, ¡°Lao furen, why don¡¯t we forgive her this time?¡±
Li Zhang Le¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. Just as she was about to say something, Lao furen shot her a look.
Actually Lao furen didn¡¯t want to punish Hua Mei but wanted to use this to teach Li Zhang Le a lesson.
Da furen was shuddering on the inside. ¡°Lao furen is right. This kind of servant must be strictly punished!¡± Once these words were spoken, it was the same as sealing Hua Mei¡¯s fate.
All of the mumus immediately covered Hua Mei¡¯s mouth and dragged her out. Hua Mei¡¯s screams were muffled but it was obvious she still had things to say. However, Lao furen and Da furen both acted as if they didn¡¯t hear anything. Naturally the mumus also didn¡¯t care.
Even though Lao furen was normally grave, she had never once been so angry. It made everyone shudder.
Da furen¡¯s expression was twisted. Even Li Zhang Le¡¯s beautiful face had turned snow white as she witnessed her beloved cat being taken out by one of the servants. Clearly Lao furen had no intentions of forgiving her cat.
Looking at the faces of the mother-daughter pair, Li Wei Yang let out a sigh. Seeing the two of you choking to death, truly can feel the cool, refreshing breeze!
Lao furen took a look at Li Zhang Le. Her anger has not yet subsided. ¡°All of your silks will be given to Wei Yang! You will copy the Buddhist scripture a hundred times to pray for my parrot!¡±
Give all her silks to Li Wei Yang? Copying the Buddhist scriptures to pray for some bird?! Lao furen had gone crazy!
Li Zhang Le made some movements but was held back by Da furen as she said, ¡°Say you understand!¡±
Going against Lao furen was disadvantageous, Li Zhang Le understood this. ¡°Yes, Zhang Le will definitely do as you say.¡±
Walking out of He Xiang Yuan, losing her beloved cat and being punished by Lao furen, Li Zhang Le¡¯s eyes were red. There was a vicious look on her face filled with venom as she said, ¡°San mei, you definitely have a lot of schemes up your sleeves to have Lao furen in the palm of your hands!¡±
Li Wei Yang simply smiled. ¡°What are you saying, Da jie? I don¡¯t understand. All I know is that Da jie has been careless this time. Da jie should¡¯ve known that animals must be disciplined and shouldn¡¯t be allowed recklessly about, isn¡¯t that right?¡±
Under her sleeves, Li Zhang Le¡¯s hands were clenched into fists. Coldly, she replied, ¡°Very good, those words cane from you. Hopefully you will be able tough freely like thise next time.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked innocently at Zhang Le. ¡°Jiejie is kidding! Copying the Buddhist scriptures a hundred times isn¡¯t that easy. Jiejie shouldn¡¯t stand here and waste time otherwise, should Lao furen find out, she will be even angrier!¡±
Li Zhang Le choked on her words.
Da furen quickly approached her side with an unflinching expression. ¡°Zhang Le, no need to spare words. Let¡¯s go!¡±
Li Wei Yang grinned. ¡°Wei Yang sends Mother and Da jie off.¡±
Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Hatred Too Deep
San furen lived at Ya Zhu Yuan.
Li Wei Yang had just appeared at the entrance to the courtyard when a shadow hurriedly approached her.
A pair of slightly cold hands, as if afraid, held on to Wei Yang¡¯s hands and expressed urgency, ¡°San jiejie!¡±
Li Wei Yang lowered her head, looking into a pair of strangely beautiful eyes. It was as if she could see her own reflection in those eyes.
She was a little shocked but promptlyughed. ¡°Min De.¡±
Li Min De was actually a bit worried Wei Yang would shove his hands off but instead, she allowed him to go on holding her. Sweetness filled his insides as a grin appeared on his face. He looked at her in seriousness. ¡°San jiejie, are you here to visit me?¡± There was a tinge of happiness in his voice.
Seeing how adorable he was, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but to reach out and pinch his cheeks as she chuckled and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m here to visit Min De.¡±
Li Min De was instantly happy. As Min De held her hands, they continued walking forward. ¡°San jiejie, I said I want to go look for you but mother said it would be a nuisance to you.¡±
The fact that she had saved Li Min De was truly a secret they had to keep.
Li Wei Yang smiled, not minding Min De¡¯s hands on hers as they made their way into San furen¡¯s living chamber.
San furen happily greeted Li Wei Yang with a smile before taking a seat. A servant standing by served the tea.
Li Wei Yang held up the tea cup, which had a lid with many colorful flower designs, opened it and allowed the fragrant smell of tea to slowly rise out in steam.
Lowering her head, she took a small sip of the tea. ¡°I came here to say my thanks to San furen.¡±
To San furen, the Li Wei Yang who had saved Li Min De, was someone she obviously had to repay the life-saving debt. Mirth slowly appeared in her eyes as her tone of voice remained leveled, ¡°It was merely a convenient. Let¡¯s just see it as a chance for San xiaojie to release her frustration.¡± She wasn¡¯t trying take credit for anything, speaking normally instead.
Li Wei Yang knew that trying to scheme within Lao furen¡¯s territory was a very difficult task. If it weren¡¯t for San furen¡¯s silent help, she would not be able to seed in this n alone.
San furen looked at Li Wei Yang and softly spoke, ¡°Now that Hua Mei is gone, it will be easier to act.¡± She took a sip of tea then set the cup aside. ¡°However, today¡¯s big loss is something Da furen cannot overlook.¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t respond but simply smiled. Clearly she wasn¡¯t the least bit nervous of this fact.
San furen was suspicious. A young girl who was only 13 years old, where did she find such courage to go head-to-head with Da furen? She gently reminded, ¡°Wei Yang, she and I are constantly at each other¡¯s throat so it doesn¡¯t matter if our fights are one time more or one time less. But you need to remember that she is still the matron of the family. In the future, your marriage. . .¡±
In the previous lifetime, she had always obeyed Da furen¡¯s words but in the end, she was still just a pawn. Her life ended in tragedy and since it had been like that, what is there to be nervous about fighting it this time? Nheless Li Wei Yang wasn¡¯t going to tell San furen these things. They could be allies but that¡¯s all they were ever going to be.
As she made her way outside, Li Wei Yang saw Li Min De again. He was standing in the middle of the courtyard waiting for her.
Grinning, she advanced towards him and said, ¡°Min De, I have to go now.¡±
Leaving so soon? Instinctively Li Min De¡¯s breathing stopped.
Just when he found it difficult to breathe, he heard her say, ¡°You have to be good and listen to your mother. Don¡¯t be running around recklessly.¡±After the reminder, Li Wei Yang brushed past him.
Li Min De quickly stepped forward. His eyes were burning brightly¡ªa fire so bright it could possibly burn up the other person. ¡°San jiejie. . .¡± he called and promptly grabbed her hand.
¡°This is. . .¡± The hand that had been hiding behind his back was suddenly raised up in front. Li Wei Yang was slightly bewildered.
¡°A jadeite charm!¡± Li Min De replied then quickly closed his lips, nervously looking at Li Wei Yang.
Her insides slightly shook as her eyes fell on the item in his hand.
It was a half-moon shaped jade. Taking a closer look, Li Wei Yang was even more surprised by the brilliant pure green color and graceful quality of the jade. With the jade in her hands, she gave it a gentle stroke. It felt like touching a beauty¡¯s fair, delicate skin. The jade seemed to have its own life and essence. She came to a conclusion that this piece of jadeite was invaluable.
Her eyes shifted back to Li Min De¡¯s small face and delicate features. Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t understand and wondered, ¡°Weren¡¯t you wearing this on youst time? Why did you take it off?¡±
Li Min De looked at her and anxiously replied, ¡°This jadeite had been with me since I was little.¡± He swallowed as his ears turned beet red. ¡°It was San jiejie who had saved my life so I thought¡ªI thought I should give this to jie. . .¡±
¡°Give it to me? This is your most treasured item. Can you really let go of it?¡± She stared at him with a smile. She felt that this little guy was extremely adorable. Unable to resist the urge, she reached out and patted his head. The feel of his hair against her skin was softer than imagined.
The first time Li Min De saw Li Wei Yang, he had already noticed there was something different about her. The look in her eyes was differentpared to other people, like still water under the graceful moonlight, cold but deep.
He did not know how to tell her that he was genuinely sincere about giving her this piece of jadeite. He stumbled nervously, ¡°I . . . I . . .¡±
Witnessing the tenacious young gentleman trying hard to exin himself, Li Wei Yang smiled and returned the jadeite. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t carelessly give away this jadeite to someone else.¡±
She didn¡¯t get the chance to finish her words when her hand was squeezed tightly by Li Min De. There was sincerity and determination in his eyes as he spoke in a gentle voice, ¡°This jadeite can protect its owner! It¡¯s true! Mother said it had saved my life several times!¡± The sincerity in his voice, along with the sound of his beating heart, seemed as if it could prate through the jadeite into the other person.
Li Wei Yang was shocked by his steely determination. She said, ¡°I also have one myself. See?¡± She pulled out the jadeite that Qi yiniang had given her. ¡°This is enough to protect me. As for this jade, you should carefully keep it with you.¡± The truth is, she felt there was more to Min De¡¯s jade so how could she possibly ept it? ¡°Come visit me often.¡± Li Wei Yang patted his head.
There was a tinge of sadness in the young man¡¯s eyes, but it was quickly reced with mirth as a smile appeared. . .
In another bedroom, the servant Tan Xiang brought in a cup of tea as she noticed Da xiaojie, Li Zhang Le, was sitting in front of a mirror engraved with peony flowers and phoenixes with a grave expression.
Tan Xiang¡¯s heart beat rapidly as she spoke in a soft voice, ¡°Xiaojie, Lao furen has sent people to pick up the four silk brocades.¡±
¡°Take it! Take it all! A crow is still just a crow even if you change your feathers!¡± There was no one else in the room so Li Zhang Le readily expressed her resentment.
¡°There¡¯s ¨C There¡¯s also the mumu in charge of supervising xiaojie¡¯s Buddhist scriptures. . .¡± Tan Xiang trailed off when she noticed the ugly look on Zhang Le¡¯s face. She swallowed the rest of her sentence.
Suddenly, Li Zhang Le grabbed the tea cup and smashed it into pieces. Tan Xiang was horrified as she noticed the other¡¯s slender fingers reaching for the sewing kit on the vanity dresser. Zhang Le pulled a needle out of the kit, grabbed Tan Xiang¡¯s fingers and using force, poked the needle into Tan Xiang¡¯s fingers a few times.
As she watched blood oozed out of Tan Xiang¡¯s fingers, Zhang Le dipped her own fingers in the other¡¯s pool of blood then stared intently into Tan Xiang¡¯s face. ¡°Do you know what to say?¡±
Pain from the injured fingertips shot right up to her heart. Tan Xiang was in so much hurt that her face had turned white but she still said, ¡°Yes, Da xiaojie identally hurt her fingers, afraid the blood will dirty the scriptures, will request the mumu to return another day!¡±
Li Zhang Le instructed icily, ¡°Go.¡±
Once Tan Xiang left, Li Zhang Le shifted her gaze to her own reflection in the mirror.
¡°Li Wei Yang, good for you! Very good for you!¡±
Tan Xiang was a few steps away from the door and upon hearing the coldughtering from Da xiaojie, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver.
Chapter 28
Chapter 28: The yboy
**biao ge/biao mei ¨C way to address cousins
Li Wei Yang truly liked Li Min De because, in his eyes, she could sense a type of yearning that didn¡¯t want to part. Even though San furen was his adopted mother and treated him as her real son, her personality was nonchnt and reserved, so most of the time, it left Min De feeling extremely lonely.
In the garden¡¯s summerhouse, Li Wei Yang quietly retold him the stories of her life back in the vige. She told him about the time when she would fold up her pants and wade through the water just to harvest wild duck¡¯s eggs. Afterwards she would create a fire on the bank of theke and cook the eggs by covering it in hot sand. She would then devour each and every one of it until there was nothing left.
Li Min De listened attentively with eyes filled of longing.
Living at the Prime Minister¡¯s estate, he had never experienced something such as that. Not only did he feel it was a new kind of life, he could also taste the freedom in Wei Yang¡¯s description.
He blinked and said, ¡°San jiejie, one of these days, I want to visit the ce you have lived before.¡±
Li Wei Yang stared into those eyes which revealed how much he wanted to p his wings and fly away, chuckled and said, ¡°Silly child, it isn¡¯t a ce where you can y.¡±
Li Min De lifted his head and stared at Li Wei Yang. Under the sun, her face revealed youthfulness, like a clear spring sky, but in those dark ck eyes, it was hard to say whether she was happy or sad. It was a pair of eyes that was tooplicated to read. This San jie, she really was unlike everyone else, Li Min De thought to himself.
On the other side of the garden, Li Zhang Le had just passed the rockeries when suddenly, she was startled by a figure jumping out of nowhere.
¡°Biao mei!¡± As these words were spoken, a young man dressed in a long silk robe from behind the rockeries stepped out and blocked her path.
Li Zhang Le recognized who this person was and smiled.
Li Zhang Le¡¯s biological aunt had married General Zhong Yong. Later on, Zhong Yong inherited the noble position as Marquis of Bo Chang. Their oldest son, Gao Yuan, entered the pce to be the Crown Prince¡¯s reading partner. During an assassination attempt on the Crown Prince, he had blocked the arrow for the Crown Prince and died at a young age. The Crown Prince was extremely sad about Gao Yuan¡¯s death and pleaded the Emperor to reward Gao Yuan¡¯s mother with the glorious title of Wei Guo furen.
Since the eldest son had passed away, Wei Guo furen began to dote on the other son, Gao Jin. Gao Jin was handsome and even though, he seemed like an upright person, he had grown up to be a yboy. His behavior had caught the Marquis of Bo Chang¡¯s attention and several times, the Marquis had be so angry he wanted to teach Gao Jin a lesson but each time, Wei Guo furen would step in to protect Gao Jin. This was because at that time, Gao Jin had been Prime Minister Li¡¯s favorite student. The Marquis would regrly visit the Prime Minister¡¯s estate with Gao Jin for two reasons. First, the Marquis hoped Gao Jin¡¯s studies would bring good results to satisfy some of his greed and secondly, he wanted to ride on the coat-tail of the Prime Minister¡¯s reputation.
Even though Gao Yuan and Gao Jin were indeed blood brothers, they did not seem like they were born of the same mother. Gao Yuan had been young, talented and educated. On the contrary, Gao Jin was but a yboy. Prime Minister Li had tried teaching Gao Jin several times but seeing that he didn¡¯t take his studies seriously, the Prime Minister had to give up.
Furthermore, Da furen had spoiled this nephew of hers, mainly because he was her sister¡¯s only son left. Consequently, Gao Jin was able toe and go in the Prime Minister¡¯s estate as he pleased.
¡°Biao mei must remember and miss me that¡¯s why you¡¯re looking for me!¡± Gao Jin chuckled as he walked towards Li Zhang Le. ¡°Normally it¡¯s so hard just to see your face. Meimei has truly be even prettier as you grow up, just like a fairy. . .¡±
Li Zhang Le was usually on good terms with Gao Jin but today there was a huge smile on her face. ¡°Of course there is a reason why meimei had invited biao ge over.¡±
Seeing Li Zhang Le¡¯s smile, Gao Jin¡¯s heart began to beat quickly. ¡°Whatever meimei needs, your biao ge will do, even if it means throwing myself into the mes and boiling water. I will definitely get it done for you!¡±
Gao Jin didn¡¯t particrly like to visit the Prime Minister¡¯s estate, mainly because he didn¡¯t like the Prime Minister¡¯s serious face and how he was always trying to educate someone else. However, Gao Jinter discovered just how much Da furen would spoil him and not to mention, all of his biao meis were beautiful and elegant. In particr, Da biao mei, Li Zhang Le, was the prettiest amongst the others but Li Zhang Le¡¯s personality was prideful and would always treat him coldly. But today she had taken the initiative to invite him over, making him extremely excited and happy.
Looking at Li Zhang Le¡¯s unrivaled beauty, he realized that all the other women he¡¯s ever been with were nothing inparison. All he wanted was to take a hold of her hands and be intimate with her. However, he also knew that he couldn¡¯t act recklessly with Li Zhang Le. Wei Guo furen had told him before that this Da biao mei of his would eventually be someone great¡ªsomeone who he could not easily toy around with.
Li Zhang Le suddenly pointed to a person sitting in the summerhouse. ¡°Biao ge, you haven¡¯t met San meimei, have you?¡±
Following Li Zhang Le¡¯s slender finger, Gao Jin noticed a young man standing with his back towards him. Sitting opposite of the young man was a young girl. She was wearing a pink dress thatplimented her delicate features¡ªslender chin, pink lips, white teeth and long, darkshes to apany a pair of deep, cold ck eyes.
For a long moment, Gao Jin stood still.
Noticing his reaction, Li Zhang Le waved her hands in front of Gao Jin¡¯s face. Grinning, she said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
Gao Jin snapped out of his daze, a big smile on his face. ¡°She¡¯s that mysterious concubine¡¯s daughter? She is really¡ª¡± Different.
Unlike Li Zhang Le¡¯s ethereal goddess-like beauty, Li Chang Ru¡¯s seductive elegance, Li Chang Xiao and Li Chang Xi¡¯s heart-stopping beauty, Li Wei Yang had a pair of eyes that were clear yet cold, like water in a bottomless well, filled with mysterious depth. With Gao Jin¡¯s experience, he had seen all types of beauty but Li Wei Yang was something different.
Li Zhang Le asked, ¡°Biao ge, isn¡¯t San mei pretty?¡±
¡°Pretty! Pretty indeed!¡± The moment Gao Jin said these words, he seemed to have remembered something and became serious. ¡°Of course, her beauty still cannotpare to biao mei.¡±
As if these words needed to spoken out loud, Li Zhang Le thought and smiled. ¡°Biao ge, don¡¯t you want to have a taste of San mei¡¯s beauty?¡±
Cao Jin panicked when he heard Zhang Le. ¡°Biao mei don¡¯t toy around with me! The Prime Minister¡¯s wrath is something I can¡¯t touch!¡±
There was mockery in Li Zhang Le¡¯s eyes. ¡°If it was Er meimei and the others then of course biao ge cannot touch them. But her? If you like her then go ahead and make her yours. What can they do if you have the power to pursue her?¡±
Since he was fifteen years old, Gao Jin had be experienced when ites to women. Yet the women he has touched were mostly obedient and timid, pretty maidservants in his estate or cute little things from amoner¡¯s background. As long as he liked them, he could have them. If his mother scolded him, all he had to do was pretend to listen. However, Li Wei Yang was still the Prime Minister¡¯s blood and flesh. Should something bad happen, he would have no excuses to give the Prime Minister, which was why he was still hesitating.
Li Zhang Le coldly scoffed. ¡°Biao ge! Biao ge should think it over carefully. If you lose this opportunity, there won¡¯t be a next time. Even if anything happens, mother is still your blood-rted aunt!¡±
Upon hearing those words, Gao Jin was a little dazed before realization dawned on him. As if he added blush to his face, his entire face turned red.
Looking at Li Wei Yang from afar, he viciously made up his mind. ¡°Then I shall listen to biao mei¡¯s words!¡±
The smile on Li Zhang Le¡¯s face deepened. With Li Wei Yang¡¯s status, even if she wanted to be Wei Guo furen¡¯s daughter-inw, aunt will not allow it to happen. In that case, she can only be a concubine. . .
Besides, aunt wasn¡¯t a nice person to begin with. All of the concubines in the Bo Chang estate that Gao Jin had gotten bored of, they were now living a life worse than death!
Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Invitation Letter in the Rain
The wound on Li Chang Xi¡¯s face had be a scar. Arge amount of powder was needed just to slightly cover it up. She had to recuperate in herpound for one month. Eventually she had to unwillingly leave her living quarters at Shuang Yue Ge and go to He Xiang Yuan when Lao furen asked for the fifth time.
She had just entered Lao furen¡¯spound when she heard theughter. ¡°Wei Yang, you are always making meugh!¡±
Li Wei Yang was wearing a yellow and green silk cotton dress. There were orchid embroidered on the cor, making it extremely eye-catching. On her head was a simple jade hairpin. She gave off a youthful and amiable aura, making her appear to be a very friendly person. The smile on her face was even more jovial.
¡°It is Wei Yang¡¯s fortune to be next to Lao furen.¡±
Lao furenughed again and gently poked her head as she said to Luo mumu, ¡°She is lying again! Such a sweet tongue!¡±
Li Chang Xi was shocked. Lao furen was generally serious and respectable. She was never too close with her grand-daughters, but since when has she be so affectionate towards Li Wei Yang? What she didn¡¯t know was that, for the past month, Li Wei Yang had been visiting Lao furen regrly. She was Lao furen¡¯spanion as they prayed together, brewed tea and talked. Since then, everyone knew Lao furen¡¯s most favored was Li Wei Yang.
Right then, a servant quickly went to ry Wu xiaojie¡¯s appearance.
Li Chang Xi promptly followed and performed her greetings. ¡°Chang Xi had been ill but immediately came here to give Lao furen my greetings the moment I got better. Please forgive me.¡±
Lao furen looked at her nonchntly. ¡°You may stand.¡±
Li Chang Xi knew her behavior at Nan Yuan must have spread to Lao furen¡¯s ears. She was a bit anxious, her body was stiff, unable to move.
Li Wei Yang briefly nced at Lao furen¡¯s expression then chuckled and walked forward. She helped Li Chang Xi up. ¡°Wu meimei, you shouldn¡¯t always be asking for forgiveness at the littlest of things. Lao furen is a benevolent person and won¡¯t me you.¡±
Li Chang Xi¡¯s expression changed. She suddenly realized that Li Wei Yang already had a great understanding of Lao furen¡¯s moods. They were both the concubine¡¯s daughters. If Li Wei Yang could gain Lao furen¡¯s favor, why couldn¡¯t she?
¡°Lao furen. . . It¡¯s just that Chang Xi feels restless inside. . .¡± Li Chang Xi blinked several times as tears began to drip from her eyes.
Li Wei Yang was grinning. It seemed Li Chang Xi had thought it through carefully because she wasn¡¯t shouting venomous words or acting out in anger.
Lao furen sighed and said, ¡°You¡¯re also a docile child, I know. It must be hard on you.¡±
Li Chang Xi finally stopped crying once she heard those words from Lao furen.
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled. ¡°With Wu meimei¡¯s speedy recovery, us sisters will be able to visit each other more frequently.¡±
Li Chang Xi stared at Wei Yang intently with aplicated feeling inside.
Lao furen nodded. ¡°Indeed. Not only are the two of you sisters, you guys are also thexiaojies of the Prime Minister¡¯s estate, I will not ept the two of you fighting over a trivial matter. When that happens, it doesn¡¯t matter who is right or wrong, both shall be punished, understand?¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked and said, ¡°Understand.¡±
Soon after, the two of them left Lao furen¡¯spound.
Lao furen turned to Luo mumu and questioned,
¡°I heard Qi yiniang is ill? She has a dry cough. Go summon the doctor to check up on her.¡±
This is for San xiaojie, Luo mumu immediately understood. ¡°Yes. Lao furen truly is the most magnanimous. After returning from Nan Yuan thest time, Laoye hasmented that the living condition over there is terrible. A doctor was then requested for Qi yiniang. Furthermore, 4 additional servants were sent over there to take care of Qi yiniang. As of now, things are a lot better. It could be attributed to good Karma.¡±
Lao furen nodded. ¡°Luckily for Qi yiniang, she has a clever daughter.¡±
Luo mumu replied, ¡°Normally whenever Lao furen prays, Da xiaojie would drop by as well. However, Da xiaojie is still young so she would get impatient and leave shortly. San xiaojie, on the contrary, is quite strange. She could actually sit and pray with Lao furen for 2-3 hours. She indeed has Buddha in her heart.¡±
Lao furen chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not a blind person. Who is genuine and who is not, I can easily tell. Even though what this child (Wei Yang) is seeking for is a ce for support but because of her genuine heart, I don¡¯t mind helping her out. Most importantly, she has value in supporting.¡±
Luo mumu helped Lao furen toy down. ¡°Hopefully San xiaojie will not disappoint Lao furen¡¯s good intentions.¡±
Lao furen closed her eyes and said, ¡°Although she is smart, she is still very young, sigh. . .¡±
Luo mumu jerked in surprise but she did not dare speak another word.
At dusk, Li Wei Yang found a rudimentary calligraphy book as she ced it on the table and began to practice her writing.
The Capital was not short of skilled and talented maidens, for example Li Zhang Le. At one year old, she was able to read. At three years, she was able to recite poetry; at five, she had memorized the Bai¡¯s school of thought. She had always been superior amongst her peers and received plenty of praises.
In the previous lifetime, Li Wei Yang only started to learn calligraphy and read books when she returned to the estate. Compared to all the other nobledies, she had beengging behind. Even if she had put in all her effort, she was only able to recognize the characters. Her calligraphy skills had been sneered at by many people. Eventually, she would cease to stop reading and writing altogether. However, practicing calligraphy now can help one enhance their concentration and thoughts. It was an advantage to Wei Yang.
With a loud noise, the window was pushed open. A cold breeze swept inside, causing the pages of the books to flip. Bai Zhi, who was sowing at the side, stood up to close the window. Noticing the change in weather, her eyebrows furrowed. Earlier, it had been sunny and warm but now the weather had be gloomy and dark.
She turned around and spoke to Li Wei Yang. ¡°Xiaojie, it¡¯s be really dark. You shouldn¡¯t practice writing in the dark. Let me light up another candle for you.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded but didn¡¯t look up. Bai Zhi knew that when Wei Yang was practicing her writing, she didn¡¯t like to be interrupted. Quietly, Bai Zhi closed the window and left.
Another thirty minutes passed by, the skies had turned even darker and grey. There was a sh, followed by the sound of thunder and then rain began plummeting to the ground.
The sound of heavy rain was everywhere in all four corners.
Li Wei Yang lifted her head, stood up and opened the window. She looked outside as her body slightly shook.
She didn¡¯t like the midnight rain. On the night Yu Li died, it was raining just like this. Consequently every time the world rained heavily like today, those painful memories would revisit her.
Right then, Zi Yan hurriedly approached the door and set down the bamboo umbre. After wiping her face of the rainwater, she then stepped inside.
¡°Xiaojie, I just saw Rong¡¯er who is serving Qi yiniang. She says Qi yiniang has sent a letter.¡±
Rong¡¯er is the new servant sent to Qi yiniang¡¯s ce. She was a quick-witted girl.
Li Wei Yang took the letter Zi Yan handed over and read the content: There¡¯s something important to discuss, a secret,e quick.
Li Wei Yang gripped the letter in her hand and lifted her head to Zi Yan. ¡°Where did you see Rong¡¯er?¡±
Zi Yan replied honestly, ¡°In the garden area. I was there to fetch plum flower seeds and coincidentally ran into Rong¡¯er who was hurrying over here.¡±
Li Wei Yang paused. ¡°At that time, the rain would have started. From Nan Yuan to here should only take thirty minutes.¡± Yet it has been raining for an hour. . .
Zi Yan did not understand what Wei Yang was mumbling about. She felt it was strange. ¡°Xiaojie, what did you say?¡±
ording to the letter, Qi yiniang had an important secret to discuss with her, so obviously she would have to go by herself.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s fingers gently stroked the letter as she calmly said, ¡°Go out and summon all the servants and mumus in thepound. Tell them to put on their raincoats. I have instructions to be followed.¡±
For some reason, Zi Yan felt something ominous was about to happen. . .
Chapter 30
Sorry for the dy ¨C there have been some mimunications. Enjoy!
This is my first time tranting a novel so please spare me the criticisms ?? if you find any of my trantions confusing, I would be happy to rify it to you!
**biao ge/ biao mei/ biao jie = way to address cousins
**yatou = way to refer to a young maid
**mumu = way to refer to an older maid
**xiaosi = way to refer to a servant
**Nan Yuan = literally tranted to South garden
** muqin = way to address your mother
** jianzhong = a derogatory term for an illegitimate child
Chapter 30: Beating a wastrel soundly
Li Wei Yang must pass through the remote back garden to get to Nan Yuan. She ordered all her yatous and mumus to hide in an obscure corner. She only bought along Bai Zhi, who held up her umbre as they walked towards the garden.
In the pouring rain, even as Bai Zhi attempted to hold up the umbre, one side of Li Wei Yang¡¯s shoulders was still drenched.
Gao Jin hid under the banana leaves with his xiaosi behind him, holding up his umbre.
"Shaoye, San xiaojie ising!" his xiaosi alerted him.
Gao Jin¡¯s pair of eyes has already started to ogle Li Wei Yang closely. She was wearing a jacket-skirt made with yunjin; on it were embroideries of magpies on a plum tree. Below was a skirt of the same color made with hongjin. As she continued to walk over, she looked delicate and graceful. Gao Jin stared at her from head to toes and as he watched her, he became even more excited.
He quietly celebrated in joy; after today, she will be his!
Bai Zhi kept having a strange feeling that someone was watching them. She felt uneasy: "Xiaojie, nubi is afraid."
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly: "There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of."
Her voice, like icy bells knocking loudly against the wind, makes Gao Jin feel a sudden urge to have her and couldn¡¯t restraint himself any longer. He jumped out hoping to fully grasp ahold of her.
The moment he jumped out, Gao Jin¡¯s hands began to feel numb and painful.
Li Wei Yang raised her brows and she ruthlessly kicked him at the most important part of his lower body.
At the same time that her feet rested on his lower body, Gao Jin¡¯s hands were about to snap. After he let out a scream, his whole body fell back.
Bai Zhi immediately pulled out a cloth bag, slipped it over his head, and shouted: "Someonee quick, there is a thief in this yuan zi! Hurry!"
Within seconds, the servants who came along quickly rushed out. Li Wei Yang pointed at Gao Jin and coldly said: "Give him a sound beating. Beat him to death!"
"Who dares strike me!" the person in the cloth bag shouted, "I am Biao xiaoye!"
What is going on? Everyone was confused.
Li Wei Yang coldly smiled: "Why would Biao shaoye be in the back garden? It¡¯s obvious that this offender is trying to be clever, hoping to escape punishment! Beat him up!"
After witnessing how San xiaojie handled Hua Mei, all the servants began to fear her so who would dare not to follow her orders?
Gao Jin screamed and pleaded for his life, and cursed at the servants but he was held down by the yatous and mumus as they continued to beat him soundly since they were afraid San xiaojie might think they didn¡¯t put enough efforts.
Li Wei Yang looked towards a banana tree not too far away and to her surprise, saw the silhouette of a person disappeared.
Gao Jin was beaten for nearly half an hour until everyone had no more strength left and stopped their beating. The wastrel in the cloth bag who wanted to assault Wei Yang has already been beaten on the brink of death.
Li Wei Yang threw him a nce and then ordered: "Throw this offender out!"
Four mumus threw the almost beaten-to-death Gao Jin over the walls.
The xiaosi who came with him finally dared toe out. Trembling, he lifted the cloth bag and see that his gongzi¡¯s forehead was trickling with blood, his nose tilted towards one side, the seams of his eyes were ripped, his eyes were discolored, and his words were iprehensible, he knew this time they were in deep trouble ......
Having just rained, as the jaded green banana leaves outside the window drooped, a bead of water slid off and crisply hits the ground. Da furen didn¡¯t know why she kept feeling agitated. The Buddha beads have been swiveling in her hands for a long time before she finally ced the beads down. She spoke to Li Zhangle who was by her side: "Today I¡¯ve been feeling restless, it¡¯s as if ......"
Li Zhangle lowered her eyes, veiling the coldness in her eyes. Eventually, something will happen, but to them, it will be good news.
She only said partially what she wanted to say when the curtains of the door were opened and someone rushed in quickly. Perhaps he ran his way here, he couldn¡¯t stop in time and fell onto the ground. It was after rolling a few times to get up from the floor before he finallyposed himself. He didn¡¯t even care to wipe the dirt off his face and shouted to Da furen: "Da furen, not good! Something big happened!"
This person was xiaosi Qiuzi who served Gao Jin. Da furen¡¯splexion paled: "Don¡¯t you know what this ce is, how can you just barge in! Leave immediately!"
Qiuzi¡¯s face whitened: "Bad news, bad news ...... something bad happened!" He spoke as if he has just encountered ghosts, his whole body was shivering, "Xiaoye was at the garden just now, he, he ......"
Da furen was shocked: "What did he ... do this time?"
She wanted to say what trouble has he gotten himself in this time but thought it was inappropriate to say so she rephrased it. Li Zhangle lightly lifted her lips, this scene was also part of their n. After Biaoge seeds, he would send xiaosi over to pass on the news and say Xiaoye identally mistaken San Xiaojie as a maid so he imed her. At that time, once muqin finds out, even though she would be angry, she would still cover up for him. This way, they can get rid of Li Wei Yang, who has been a thorn in their eyes.
"Shaoye was originally in the garden, who would have thought, who would have thought ......" Qiuzi was very anxious that his head was covered in sweat, "Who would have thought San xiaojie bought along a bunch of people and beat Shaojie up soundly ......"
Da furen froze, her eyes looked frosted, she said: "Li Wei Yang? What exactly happened!"
Qiuzi faltered, speaking not a single word.
Da furen coldly spoke: "He fancied Li Wei Yang again? Foolish! Absolutely foolish!" At this moment, she heard the sound of ss breaking from aside. It was Li Zhangle who idently dropped her teacup, spilling tea all over the ground.
At this point, Da furen suddenly understood, she snapped: "Except for Da Xiaojie, everyone else leave!"
Qiuzi wanted to say more but was driven out by others. Li Zhangle¡¯s beautiful face suddenly turned pale white as she was astounded by her cousin¡¯s failure and more importantly, she didn¡¯t know how to face her muqin¡¯s interrogation.
"You are very foolish!" Da furen was no longer calm, her brows rose, and her harmonious countenance was fuming with rage.
"Muqin!" Li Zhangle was panic-stricken for a second but calmed down after. Her bright red mouth gnashed her teeth in anger, her sharp voice thin as knives, "I wanted to punish this yatou ¡ª"
"You are too impatient!" Da furen pressed her hands tightly together as she sauntered back and forth around the room. Li Zhangle watched her surprisingly, in her memory, she has never seen her muqin in such diposed manner, "Muqin ......"
"How many times have I told you, your future is promising, how can you involve yourself with this type of people!" Da furen swiftly stopped in her steps, turned her head, her expression was rigid. Suddenly, like a bloody red day appearing in a dark night, she turned evidently cruel: "I originally wanted to keep her for future use, now that this happened, we can only make the best of a mistake! We must get rid of this jianzhong!"
Chapter 31
Hi everyone!
A new update: Unfortunately, solstar can no longer continue on with this project so I will be taking over. I¡¯ve been a blogger using the tform Blogger (and has not been a huge fan of using WordPress) so I will continue to release new updates on . However, since it started on this blog, I will update WordPress ten chapters at a time.
Let¡¯s thank solstar for all the hard work she put into tranting the first 30 thirty chapter of this lengthy novel and hope everyone continues to support the effort put into tranting this.
**Er ge = way to address the second brother
**biao ge/ biao mei/ biao jie = way to address cousins
Chapter 31: Arrogant and Domineering
Bai Zhi turned and looked towards Li Wei Yang: "Xiaojie, what has just happened?"
Li Wei Yang sinctly replied: "Someone wants to ruin me."
At this hour, the rain has already stopped. Li Wei Yang looked into the horizon at the rainbow, her pupils contracted, and she spoke in a low voice: "If I had killed him just now, it would have been great satisfaction, but unfortunately, he still has his use. Or else for these wicked people who tarnish other¡¯s reputations, to be pierced with thousand knives is not enough to quell my hatred.
Bai Zhi stood still.
Li Wei Yang gave her a glimpse but alsoughed and continued: "Let¡¯s go ¡ª"
Because it has just rained, lights were reflecting from the rainwater on the wet grounds. With both feet touching the ground, it was impossible to avoid getting the dress wet. Bai Zhi was too busy holding up Li Wei Yang¡¯s dress that she forgot to react when she saw the mumu guarding the door and instead repeatedly emphasized what the mumu had just said once more: "Da furen said to close off our yuan zi?"
Guarding the door, Zhang mumu smilingly said in the usual cold tone: "Yes, Da furen just sent someone over because Biao shaoye was attacked, no one is allowed to leave this yuan zi."
Li Wei Yang squinted her eyes and said, "I was in my yuan zi for some time but I haven¡¯t seen anyone suspicious."
The creases on Zhang Mumu¡¯s face were very deep, her smile revealed a hint of malice, "I apologize, San xiaojie, who is the one behind the attack, we have to wait for Da Fu Ren to decide."
Li Wei Yang coldly smiled, she has already expected that her opponent would use this tactic, lock everyone within the yuan zi and then punish each one individually. She pursed her lips and in a low voice said: "I am going to He Xiang Yuan, are you preventing me from visiting Lao furen?"
Zhang mama chuckled: "San xiaojie, Lao furen currently ... I¡¯m afraid she doesn¡¯t have the time to see you."
Li Wei Yang showed a brief smile and hid the hint of bitter hope in her eyes. Just because Da furen won¡¯t let her, would she not find other ways to see Lao furen? She has left Zi Yan and Mo Zhu behind and instructed one to seek Prime Minister Li from his study and one to seek Lao furen from He Xiang Yuan. Da furen must think she is a fool to just sit here and wait for her toe and punish her?
"San xiaojie, please don¡¯t take offense!" Zhang mama waved her hand and then a fewrge waist mamas came forward to seize Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang sunk her face and snapped: "Stop! I am the well-respected prime minister¡¯s San xiaojie, how can I be handled by such lowly servants? Not to mention that the truth is not yet known, even if I did something wrong, it¡¯s not up to you all to personally interrogate me! Hurry and summon mother, tell her toe interrogate me personally!"
Bai Zhi was quick-witted, she immediately warned the mamas behind them: "If San xiaojie suffers from any injury and Lao furen looks into this, you all have to watch your lives!"
Everyone stared nkly at one another and couldn¡¯t help but feel the urge to protect Li Wei Yang instead to prevent her from inflicting any injuries.
Zhang mama thought it was not a good idea. Originally, Da furen ordered her to tie up San xiaojie but now ¡ª San xiaojie is after all a Zhuzi, she herself is just a servant, it is inappropriate to offend the master. Her brows furrowed as she thought about it for a while before smilingly said: "Nubi is only following Da furen¡¯s orders ¡ª"
Li Wei Yang lightly said: "Mother is not an illogical person who doesn¡¯t understand the importance of status! It must be you servants who are misusing the master¡¯s authority! Leave-!" With words spoken in such serious tone, Zhang Mama¡¯s forehead was drenched with sweat: "San xiaojie, Nubi really can¡¯t do anything, I beg San xiaojie to understand ....."
Seeing her unwilling to back off, Li Wei Yang coldly spoke: "That¡¯s fine, I will wait at the Liang Ting, you go bring over some hot tea, a cloak, and a cushion. Once mother arrives, I will personally exin to her!"
San xiaojie¡¯s expressions did not reveal any hints of anxiousness, not even panic from the thought of being interrogated. Zhang mama spoke for a long time but in the end felt apprehended so she told her people to prepare the things. Not for long, everything was brought forward and Bai Zhi hung the cloak on the cool bench. Li Wei Yangfortably sat down, held the cup of hot tea in her hands, and thoughtfully stared at Zhang mama.
Her expression was coldly distant, as if carrying an unfathomable chilling aura from the well in the cold winter. Zhang mama originally came to seize her but was actually subdued by the imposing manner of a thirteen-year-old girl. Standing there, herplexion paled as she became uncertain what was toe.
Half an hourter, only the sound of a jade bell can be heard with a light breeze of fragranced air. Da furen entered the garden with a morous looking woman.
Because of the water stains, someone has already ced a rosewood nket on the grounds. As they approached closer, Li Wei Yang observed from afar.
As Da furen approached and suddenly realized Li Wei Yang was peacefully sitting down, her face darkened: "Wei Yang, why haven¡¯t you greet Wei Guo furen yet!"
Wei Guo Furen indeed has a noble reputation but as family, these type of etiquettes can be disregarded, which is why everyone was standing there, coldly staring at Li Wei Yang as if they have forgotten that she is also part of the Li family.
Li Wei Yang slightly smiled, stood up to bow, and gently said: "Greetings to aunt."
Wei Guo furen made a sound of eptance instead of signaling her to stand nor said anything else, but only coldly sat down and lifted her eyes to give Li Wei Yang a glimpse and then looked at Da furen and said: "This girl is very thick-skinned, not the usual thickness."
Da furen lightly smiled and only said: "She was raised in the vige since she was young so she wasn¡¯t taught much etiquettes. Sister, please don¡¯tugh at me.¡±
Wei Guo furen finally said: "You may rise."
Li Wei Yang coldly smiled inside: A very domineering demeanor ¨C it seemed like Da Furen wanted to put her to death with this matter.
A young girl¡¯s deliberate provocation was heard: "It was you who ordered people to beat up my Er Ge?"
This girl was Wei Guo furen¡¯s youngest daughter Gao Min, who was the most arrogant and domineering. Li Wei Yang lightly spoke: "Wei Yang only beat up a small thief who slipped into my yuan and haven¡¯t seen Min Biaojie¡¯s Er Ge, you must have misunderstood!"
"What thief! You dare to insult my Er Ge!" Gao Min aggressively questioned.
"Wei Yang is not smart; I don¡¯t understand Min Biaojie¡¯s meaning. Could it be that the thief who trespassed into my yuan today was Gao Jin Biaoge?" Li Wei Yang showed no resentment nor anger and instead stood there with a slight smile and she spoke without being too overbearing nor too humble.
She obviously only said Li Wei Yang beat up her Er Ge, when did she say her brother was a thief! Gao Min couldn¡¯t believe that Li Wei Yang was that good with her words that she can¡¯t think of aeback, and instead angered herself as her face reddened.
Wei Guo furen originally wanted to let Gao Min to show off her authority but she couldn¡¯t believe it backfired. She was about to show her rage when Li Zhangle suddenly spoke: "What is going on today!" Her eyes swept towards the maids and mamas standing by the side.
Bai Zhi softly voiced: "Reporting to all Furens, today San Xiaojie brought us all to the garden because this afternoon we saw a cuckoo dwelling in the garden and we were preparing to catch it and gift it to Lao furen. Who would have known a person suddenly appeared, not to say he scared away the cuckoo, but he was also sneaking ¡ª"
Gao Min loudly interrupted: "What do you mean by sneaking! That is my Er ge!"
Bai Zhi felt perturbed, but seeing Li Wei Yang¡¯s unwavering expression, she confidently continued: "Biao Xiaojie, this is what we all nubis saw with our very own eyes, not just I telling a lie."
Gao Min suddenly became very angry and raised her hand preparing to p Bai Zhi. Li Wei Yang was quick to noticed, walked a step forward to grab ahold of her wrist. Gao Min originally wanted to show off her power and did not expect her hand to be held tightly by Li Wei Yang in mid-air. Unable to move, she couldn¡¯t help but fly into a temper: "Li Wei Yang, how dare you, a mere concubine¡¯s daughter dare to offend me!"
Li Wei Yang is young but she has massive strength, she warmly smiled: "What do you mean Min Biaojie, Wei Yang is worried venting off on a servant will make you lose face!"
Wei Guo Furen couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and loudly pped the stone table, "A mouth filled with nonsense, such audacity, kneel down!"
Chapter 32
**ya tou = a way to address a young girl
**o ye = a way to address the patriach of the family
Chapter 32: Bringing trouble upon oneself
Noticing Wei Guo furen was getting angrier, everyone suddenly became petrified.
Li Wei Yang raised her brows as her eyes quietly gave Wei Guo furen a look and said: ¡°Aunt, Min Biaojie was just confused, there¡¯s no need to kneel and ask for forgiveness.¡±
After those words were spoken, everyone burst into an uproar. Is this Prime Minister¡¯s San Xiaojie insane or is she an idiot?
Wei Guo furen furiously ordered: ¡°Take this ya tou out and heavily give her 100 strikes!¡±
Hearing the order, everyone was intimidated. A fraildy like Li Wei Yang, 20 strikes would break her bones and render her unrecognizable, but with 100 strikes, she would certainly not live!
Da furen¡¯s lips revealed a slight smile but said: ¡°Mei mei, this seems to be too harsh ---¡°
Wei Guo furen couldn¡¯t hold back her resentment: ¡°This ya tou is trying to be clever, if I don¡¯t punish her harshly, I can hardly quell my anger!¡±
Da furen put on a perplex expression but was actuallyughing on the inside. She had already tried to change Wei Guo Furen¡¯s mind but she still wanted to take Wei Yang¡¯s life. Once Laoye finds out, it will be toote!
Immediately, people approached and grasped ahold of Li Wei Yang¡¯s arms, forcing her down!
Li Wei Yang did not actually fret and raised her head and said: ¡°Wei Guo furen doesn¡¯t have the authority to interrogate!¡±
Gao Min was so furious that her facepletely reddened. ¡°This uneducated thing! Why are you all still standing there!¡±
Li Wei Yang questioned: ¡°I am uneducated? What do you mean Min Biaojie?¡±
¡°I am saying you have a father but no father to raise you!¡± Gao Min angrily said.
Once those words were spoken, Da furen was shocked and spoke to warn her: ¡°Min er!¡± Unfortunately, it was already toote, a loud voice bellowed from behind: ¡°What do you mean to have a father but not a father to raise her!¡±
Li Wei Yang quickly spoke in a loud voice: ¡°Greetings to father!¡± Gao Min, Da furen, and everyone else were all startled by her actions. It was only when she opened her mouth did they reacted and turned around.
Once Gao Min saw Li Xiao Ran, she was suddenly stunned that she couldn¡¯t even finish her sentence and only said: ¡°Uncle ...... I ...... I didn¡¯t deliberately ......¡±
Li Xiao Ran sat down, inly said: ¡°Min Er, do you know where you are at fault?¡±
Gao Min froze for a second, Li Zhangle signaled her with her eyes before she reacted and said: ¡°I have spoken the wrong words, I only wanted to punish her a little.¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s smile revealed a hint of coldness: ¡°I¡¯ve be too careless to actually trouble Wei Guo furen and her daughter to teach my own daughter. I¡¯ve really troubled both of you.¡± His voice sounded very normal, but in this situation, it was difficult to not cause people to feel fear from his words.
Wei Guo furen is honorable but it is simply in name only. Even though Marquis of Bo Chang to this day is already in the fifth rank, no matter what he can never rise higher than Prime Minister Li. Wei Guo furen was so used to her own arrogance that she realized she was exceeding her own authority. Herplexion changed for the worse but didn¡¯t dare to show it.
Li Xiao Ran gave Da furen a look and opened his mouth to speak: ¡°With such a huge scene happening, shouldn¡¯t I be present too. Furen, what do you think?¡±
Da furen knew that Gao Min¡¯s words have deeply offended Li Xiao Ran, she fakely smiled: ¡°Laoye, this situation ---¡°
Having spoken only half of what she wanted to say, Lao furen also arrived. Everyone rose up to greet her, even the domineering Wei Guo furen.
Lao furen¡¯splexion was dull as she walked over to sit behind Li Wei Yang. She didn¡¯t know why but simply a small action gave Li Wei Yang an inexplicable peace of mind, this grandmother has offered her her full support.
Wei Guo furen dangerously squinted her eyes: ¡°Since you both have arrived, it¡¯s actually good, then I ask that Lao Furen and Prime Minister Li give my son an exnation!¡±
Li Xiao Ran frowned: ¡°What exnation?¡±
Originally she wanted Wei Guo furen to directly kill Li Wei Yang but now it seems like it will not work. Then she should go on with her next n, to kick Li Wei Yang out of the estate! Da furen stoically said: ¡°Ai, Wei Yang, now I can¡¯t even help you, someonee, bring Biao Xiaoye in.¡±
Not for long, Gao Jin was carried in, his body filled with injuries, his face swollen, and his mouth uttering indecipherable sounds. Because his teeth were partially knocked out, he couldn¡¯t speak a single word. After seeing her son, Wei Guo furen felt sudden pain in her heart, and powerfully spoke: ¡°Qiu Zi, please tell us what happened!¡±
Qiu Zi immediately spoke: ¡°Xiaoye met up with San Xiaojie, Nv cai heard at the side that San Xiaojie told Xiaoye that he marry her in a grand wedding. Xiao Ye said that he has to obtain his parents¡¯ permission so he did not agree. San Xiao Jie got angry and actually summoned the people from her Yuan Zi to beat up Xiao Ye ......¡±
After Li Xiao Ran heard the story, his eyes looked down at Li Wei Yang. He noticed that she looked very calm, like a cool piece of jade floating in the water, preventing any uncertainty from arising. Now that her chastity, the Li family¡¯s reputation, such important things are jeopardized, observing her expression, she still held onto a calm demeanor.
Da furen let out a sigh and put on a sympathetic look: ¡°ording to what he said, it was originally a simple romance between a man and a woman, but because both have forgotten their statuses, they¡¯vemitted such a grave mistake, Wei Yang, you¡¯ve let me down.¡±
Wei Guo furen coldly smiled: ¡°She ordered people to beat my son, there were many eyes that witnessed the scene ...... Li Wei Yang, with the evidence present, there is nothing you can say, why don¡¯t you admit that you are guilty......¡±
Lao furen has never liked Wei Guo furen¡¯s arrogant behavior, she warmly said: ¡°I don¡¯t care what others have seen, Wei Yang, what do you have to say.¡±
Li Wei Yang walked forward a few steps, her pair of eyes ck as ink, shone brightly: ¡°This is all false, I¡¯ve only returned for two months, I am not acquainted with Biao Ge, how did everything turn into a tryst? If it was a tryst, why was there a need to bring everyone from my yuan zi, am I really that stupid?¡±
Da furen secretly clenched her teeth; she originally wanted to call Wei Yang out through Qi yiniang. Who would have expected this ya tou actually brought along an entire crowd, she is truly very cunning!
Li Xiao Ran see that what she was saying sounds rational; he was about to frown when he heard Li Zhangle¡¯s voice: ¡°To say San mei and Biao ge were having a tryst, this type of story --- let¡¯s not say I won¡¯t believe it, but father won¡¯t believe it, even Lao furen won¡¯t believe either!¡± Her beautifully-painted fingers stroked her soft hair: ¡°It¡¯s just that Biao ge holds no resentment nor hatred towards San mei, why would he use her? Father, you¡¯ve also watched Biao ge growing up, although he is mischievous, he doesn¡¯t have the audacity.¡±
To casually question a Qianjin Xiaojie¡¯s chastity, this is a huge issue, does Gao Jin have the audacity to do such a thing? Li Xiao Ran¡¯s brows rose up greatly.
Li Zhangle turned to her side, looked at Li Wei Yang and said: ¡°San mei, don¡¯t know if you can exin this?¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked and then smiled: ¡°Do Da jie and I have a grudge? Why are you using me like that?¡±
¡°I --- when did I use you?¡± Li Zhangle suddenly opened her eyes wide.
¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you who led Gao Jin Biaoge in, how could he have found the way into the convoluted garden?¡±
¡°I --- I ...... when did I invite him over ......¡± Li Zhangle¡¯splexion changed.
Li Wei Yang squinted her eyes, her eyes sharp as knives, ¡°Oh, Da jie¡¯s marriage still hasn¡¯t been arranged yet, and you are still young, feeling lonely is understandable......¡±
Her expression remained calm, her tone odd yet revealed hints of ridicule, how can Li Zhangle endure such mockery, her face has whitened, and she hissed: ¡°What nonsense are you speaking!¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly cut her off and jerked out the strip of paper in her hand: ¡°Da jie, take a look at this!¡±
Thoughts:
What do you all think will happen next? Will Wei Yang be able to defend herself?
Chapter 33
The Princess Wei Yang Chapter 33
Chapter 33: Teaching one¡¯s daughter
Li Wei Yang held out a strip of paper and on it was written: Have something urgent to discuss, secret,e promptly.
It was the original strip of paper, but with the sender added on, Xian Hui.
Li Wei Yang faintly smiled and said: ¡°This was found on Gao Jin Biaoge¡¯s body, as for Xian Hui ---¡°
After giving it a look, Prime Minister Li¡¯splexion changed. Xian Hui, those were the words that he bestowed upon his beloved daughter for her name.
Wei Guo furen and Gao Min saw this and became confused. Wei Guo furen thought all along that her son was injured by Li Wei Yang but she never thought that a strip of paper would appear. She is not a fool either and immediately understood everything --- Li Zhangle and her mother wanted to get rid of a concubine¡¯s daughter through her own hands? Even so, they shouldn¡¯t put her son¡¯s life at risk! Herplexion momentarily turned worse, her face coldly watched the present situation.
Hearing a thundering voice, everyone turned, Da furen¡¯splexion darkened and spoke: ¡°Full of nonsense!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression remained the same and said: ¡°Mother, every ya tou and mumu here can testify. All of them saw this with their own eyes, this strip of paper was searched from Gao Jin Biaoge¡¯s body.¡±
Da furen¡¯s eyes sternly swept across everyone: ¡°Which of you have seen this!¡±
Being red at by her intimidating stares, no one dared to voice out. Da furen randomly pointed to a mumu and coldly asked: ¡°Did you see it?¡±
A gleam of bewilderedness shed past under the mama¡¯s eyes. She drooped her head and depressingly spoke: ¡°The situation then was very chaotic, nubi, nubi also, also can¡¯t remember .......¡±
A gleam of satisfaction shed across Da furen¡¯s face but then heard Bai Zhi said: ¡°Furen, nubi saw it with my own eyes.¡±
Da furen coldly watched her: ¡°You are Wei Yang¡¯s ya tou, your words cannot be trusted.¡± Afterwards, she looked towards Prime Minister Li, ¡°You know what type of person Zhangle is, how could she havemitted such inappropriate misdemeanors!¡±
¡°Father, you must believe in your daughter!¡± Li Zhangle couldn¡¯t hide her sense of urgency, she was very frantic.
This matter has embroiled two xiaojies, bing more nonsensical! Lao furen lightly coughed.
¡°Everyone stop talking! Today was simply Jin Er causing a scene at the garden and was mistaken by the servants as a thief so he was beaten up. This child has been wronged, I will find a day to personally visit him and offer my apologies. Wei Guo furen, you all should return first, tending to Jin Er¡¯s injuries is much more important.¡± Li Xiao Ran promptly decided and directly spoke. To distinguish right and wrong, he can¡¯t let others see the scandals in his family so he especially can¡¯t interrogate in front of outsiders.
Seeing his expression, everyone knew that was his final verdict. Wei Guo furen coldly grunted and stood up: ¡°Let¡¯s leave!¡±
Da furen hurriedly spoke: Lin mumu, direct my sister to my room so she can take a rest.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need!¡± Wei Guo furen didn¡¯t even turn back, she signaled her people to carry the stretcher and left.
Da furen didn¡¯t run after her, she knew that the most important thing to do now is not to appease her sister but to help her daughter prove her innocence.
Lao furen¡¯s eyes swept across everyone and said: ¡°Luo mumu, tell everyone to leave us, you know what to do!¡±
¡°Yes!¡± Luo mama obeyed and brought along with her all the servants that weren¡¯t involved in the matter.
¡°Kneel down!¡± Li Xiao Ran angrily said.
Li Wei Yang sincerely kneeled on the stoned ground, lowered her head and looked downward. Li Zhangle, on the other hand, was still standing, making no movement. It was true that Li Xiao Ran doted on her, but it was even truer now that he was infuriated.
He directed his anger towards Li Zhangle: ¡°Little brute! Kneel down as well!¡±
Since she was young, this was the first time her father raised his voice at her.
Seeing her daughter kneeling, tears shed across Da furen¡¯s eyes, she gently said: ¡°Laoye, you¡¯ve watched our nu¡¯er grow up, in this freezing weather, it won¡¯t be good if she bes sick, we should let her get up......¡±
Li Xiao Ran looked at Li Zhangle, his favoritism for his daughter can¡¯t be oppressed. Her body like snow, her lips like petal, she seemed extremely weak and fragile. As his heart began to soften, he wanted to let her get up, but at the same time, he saw Li Wei Yang staring at him. Her eyes emitted an unknown desire to seek justice in this matter.
Subsequently, Li Wei Yang opened her mouth to speak: ¡°Nu¡¯er acted recklessly, I sent people to beat up the person without first figuring out whether it was a thief or it was Biaoge, I¡¯ve troubled father and mother, I am absolutely ashamed, I earnestly hope that father will punish me.¡±
Her voice was purely cold, everyst of her tones were particrly crisp.
This ya tou, what does she mean! At this moment, Li Xiao Ran was greatly astonished.
She glibly asked to be punished but actually had an ulterior motive! Da furen red at Li Wei Yang, she hated her to death but understood that if the matter was investigated, Li Zhangle would eventually be exposed.
¡°Oh, my dear daughter, your father knows that you¡¯ve just returned to the estate so you are still na?ve. How can we allow ourselves to punish you? Quickly get up.......¡± Da furen pretentiously signaled her people to help her up.
¡°If father won¡¯t punish me, I will not stand up.¡± Li Wei Yang swung the people¡¯s hands away, vision staring straight into the distant but without focusing on anyone. Her lips faintly stretched, her tone was dull but it made others felt the special presence of her persistence.
Her attitude was obviously seeking a verdict; she will not give up until then. She asked to punish herself but in the end she was aiming for Li Zhangle!--
Because of this strip of paper, it was difficult for Li Zhangle to exin anything. How can she admit that this strip of paper was a prop used to frame Li Wei Yang but inexplicably had the two words Xian Hui added at the end! In this way, she will be involved in this matter and no matter what, she won¡¯t be able to prove her innocence!
Da furen saw the situation, clenched her teeth and unexpectedly kneeled down as well. Li Zhangle reached out to hold her and immediately said: ¡°Mother, what are you doing?¡±
Da furen watched Li Xiao Ran carefully and deeply voiced: ¡°Two of our daughters have been dragged into this matter, it is really because my discipline is at fault. If Laoye has to put the me on someone, then me me, Zhangle¡¯s body is weak, Wei Yang is na?ve ......¡± At this point, she was choking with sobs as if she was being wronged.
Hearing her mother¡¯s words, Li Zhangle promptly turned and coldly stared at Li Wei Yang: ¡°Why are you not helping mother up! Do you really have to be this disobedient and impious?!¡±
However, Li Wei Yang continued to kneel, her eyes looking down as if she hadn¡¯t seen anything.
Li Xiao Ran was furtively surprised, women from a well-respected family have learned to be virtuous and modest and to have a sense of propriety. This child went so far to the point of not leaving a route for retreat ......
During the entire scene, the parrot was silent; only the pattering sounds Lao furen¡¯s Buddhist beads could be heard. It has just rained so the grounds were all damp. In this weather, standing was already a kind of torment with the hands and feet chillingly cold, let alone kneeling. As for Li Wei Yang, she hadn¡¯t even wipe her drenched hair, yet had directly kneeled down on the ground.
Li Xiao Ran stared at this daughter who was less than ten steps away from him and felt very surprised.
Everyone was quiet, staring at Li Xiao Ran, waiting for him to announce his final verdict! Would he favor his beloved Li Zhangle or would he investigate until the end to give Li Wei Yang justice!
Chapter 34
The Princess Wei Yang Chapter 34
Da fu: a way to address a physician
(San) shen: a way to address the wife of your paternal uncle, in this case third uncle
Chapter 34: A Pearl in the Palm
It seemed like both sides refused to give in.
Li Xiao Ran frowned since he was in a dilemma ---
Lao furen stared at Li Wei Yang pondering and uncontrobly let out a sigh.
In the end, Li Xiao Ran slowly spoke: ¡°Zhangle, you should help your mother up first.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart momentarily turned into distant loneliness. At that moment, she already understood Li Xiao Ran¡¯s decision.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes carried sympathy: ¡°Wei Yang, in today¡¯s matter, you were too reckless, you shouldn¡¯t have beaten up your biaoge indiscriminately. He is Wei Guo furen¡¯s only son. Father has to eventually give an exnation to Marquis of Bo Chang ---¡°
In his words, he mentioned nothing of the paper nor Li Zhangle but only mentioned that Li Wei Yang has beaten up the wrong person. He clearly wanted to put all of the me on her and turn a blind eye to the true mastermind. Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t believe that her father knew what Li Zhangle did but he simply wanted to cover up for her.
She lifted her head and slowly said: ¡°Father, how do you want to punish Wei Yang?¡±
Upon hearing this, Li Zhangle¡¯s face revealed unrestrained joy. Father in the end still took her side!
Li Xiao Ran watched Li Wei Yang with sympathy and was about to speak when a young person rushed in front of him and loudly dropped on his knees. He surprisingly kneeled right next to Wei Yang, right by her side.
Li Zhangle was rash and quickly went forth to grab him and said: ¡°San di, what are you doing. Get up now.¡±
Li Min De pushed away her hand and loudly voiced: ¡°If Uncle wants to punish someone, then please punish Min De. I was the one who told San jiejie that a rare cuckoo appeared so she went into the garden. Afterwards, Biaoge frightened the cuckoo away, I angrily said something and then Biaoge became furious and forcefully pushed me.¡± He kowtowed and revealed the bloody injury on his forehead, which was originally covered by his hair. Blood smoothly flowed down to his finger as it made his beautiful face unrecognizable, leaving everyone in speechless sympathy.
Lao furen surprisingly shouted: ¡°Min De, your forehead is injured?!¡±
Li Min De¡¯s pair of clear ck eyes, bright as pearl, stared at Li Xiao Ran: ¡°Uncle, San jiejie saw that I was injured so she has mistaken Biaoge for a thief. If Uncle wants to look into this matter, then don¡¯t put the me on others and punish only me!¡± After he finished his words, he loudly banged his head on the ground.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions revealed shock, she was obstinate because she wanted her father to understand that this whole scene was solely caused by her beloved daughter Li Zhangle. But by now, she finally understood how biased her father was! She couldn¡¯t believe that at this critical moment, only this child was willing to step out to help her.
At that time, everyone was far away, no one can verify whether Li Min De was present at the scene. Having this usually obedient Sanfang Xiaoye as a witness, painted as the bully now, who would believe Gao Jin¡¯s words? It¡¯s just that --- the injury on Min De¡¯s forehead......
Da furen¡¯splexion turned green and she spoke: ¡°Wei Yang, if the situation was as described, then why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier?¡±
Li Wei Yang clenched her fists but eventually looked down and gently spoke: ¡°San di was injured and he was truly frightened, I ordered people to escort him back first. I just learned about Biaoge¡¯s identity but I was afraid San di would be dragged in and then that would cause discord between the two families. Let alone father is righteous, mother is benevolent, they wouldn¡¯t punish me over such trivial matter so I hid the truth.¡±
Hearing this, Da furen was almost enraged to the point of spitting blood out and couldn¡¯t hide the coldness in her eyes.
Li Xiao Ran stood motionlessly and unexpectedly didn¡¯t know how to react. Lao furen stood up and personally walked over and helped Wei Yang up: ¡°Foolish child, you¡¯ve caused yourself trouble just to protect your di di, in this matter, not only should we not me you, we should reward you.¡±
With Lao furen¡¯s words, everything was finalized.
Li Wei Yang looked up and sincerely said: ¡°Thank you Lao furen for standing up for Wei Yang.¡±
Li Xiao Ran felt a bit awkward and was a little ufortable in looking into Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes. He walked forward to help Li Min De up: ¡°Here, get up.¡±
Who could have known that Li Min De didn¡¯t even get the chance to steady himself when his vision suddenly blurred and fell backward.
In the garden, sharp voices blurred and echoed throughout.
Li Min De was escorted back to San furen¡¯s ce and in the residence, the da fu was applying medicine on Li Min De. San furen¡¯s expressions were anxious and she desperately asked: ¡°Da fu, how is my son¡¯s injury?¡±
The da fu turned to greet her: ¡°Replying to San furen, Gong zi is in a stable condition, he only need to rest for a period of time to healpletely. But ......¡±
¡°But what?¡±
¡°But his forehead will unfortunately, leave a scar.¡±
Li Wei Yang was terrified, inside she felt acrimonious.
Min De was only a na?ve child and he had this beautiful appearance, his future was promising, but because of her, he suffered from injuries.
Not until the da fu had left did Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t hold back and walked forth to speak: ¡°San shen, thank you.¡±
San furen turned around and shook her head: ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡±
Her face showed an odd expression. Li Wei Yang was absent-minded and immediately looked towards Li Min De and realized he was smiling at her, revealing a mouthful of snow white teeth: ¡°This injury --- I made it myself.¡±
Li Wei Yang was rmed.
The nanny on the side wiped away the tears and softly spoke: ¡°San Xiaoye heard that you were being given a hard time, he immediately thought of this idea, nubi didn¡¯t stop him in time, he used a rock to hit his head, he was relentless ---¡°
Li Min De continued to smile adorably and revealed a hint of slyness within: ¡°If I hadn¡¯t done so, they would continue to me San Jiejie without end!¡±
Only when Gao Jin bes the bully could she escape from being punished. Li Wei Yang had a way to escape but she only wanted Li Xiao Ran to investigate the truth but she would have never thought that this child would help her to this point!
Li Min De saw that Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression changed and was afraid that she would feel uneasy, he quickly said: ¡°San jie, don¡¯t worry, it doesn¡¯t hurt at all!¡±
Such a huge wound, how would it not hurt. Li Wei Yang furtively held both of his hands and said: ¡°But Da fu said it might leave a scar ......¡± Li Min De brightly smiled and said: ¡°I am a man; a scar is nothing much!¡±
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t express thisplicated feeling. Having been there for a while, she eventually held San furen¡¯s hand, said nothing and then turned around to leave.
San furen stared at her silhouette, sighed and said: ¡°You foolish child, your San jiejie is not dumb, she has already thought of a n to extricate herself, your involvement in fact actually made everything moreplicated.¡±
Li Min De¡¯s pair of beautiful eyes shone: ¡°I know Sanjie would definitely have a n, but she would have to inflict injury on herself, so why don¡¯t I do it, which is even more effective!¡±
After those words were spoken, San furen was speechless.
Outside, Li Wei Yang walked down the step, her expression heavy as she continued, Bai Zhi carefully said: ¡°Xiao jie ---¡°
Li Wei Yang shook her head, looked into the horizon at the rainbow, a chilling hope shed across her eyes. After this, she finally understood that to bring down Li Zhangle would not be easy at all, but to strike her father¡¯s pearl in the palm, she has to n for the unexpected!
Chapter 35
The Princess Wei Yang Chapter 35
** biaojie/biaomei = way to address a female cousin
** qianjin = the daughter of a wealthy family
** dajie = way to refer to one¡¯s oldest sister
** sanjie = way to refer to one¡¯s third sister
** fuqin = way to address one¡¯s own father
** changshan = traditional dress worn by males
** yuguan = the essory men wear to hold up their hair
** gongzi = way to address a young man
Chapter 35: Reuniting with an old acquaintance
The next day, Li Wei Yang went to pay her respects to Lao furen as usual but was unexpectedly stopped halfway on the route.
¡°Isn¡¯t this San Biaomei?¡± A voice was heard from the pavilion.
Bai Zhi saw a group of young girls approaching and her facial expressions became tense.
Li Wei Yang followed her line of sight and saw a few young girls walked towards her in big steps; leading the group was Gao Min who they just saw yesterday. Gao Min¡¯s eyes lightly squinted, ¡°Li Wei Yang!¡±
Gao Min was Wei Guo furen and Marquis of Bo Chang¡¯s eldest daughter; she had a well-respected reputation and was also skilled in music and literature so she was well-known in the capitol. Yesterday, she suffered from Li Wei Yang¡¯s tactics so she couldn¡¯t wait to seek her revenge today.
¡°Li Wei Yang, yesterday you had your share of fun!¡± Gao Min has a tall stature; she was older than Li Zhang Le by a month. At this moment, she was looking down onto Li Wei Yang.
¡°I am unsure what is the meaning behind Min Biaojie¡¯s words.¡± Li Wei Yang brushed off her words as she calmly spoke.
This yatou is brazenly arrogant. A hint of rage shed across Gao Min¡¯s eyes.
¡°If you know that I am your Biaojie, why don¡¯t you greet me?¡± Gao Min¡¯s willow-leaf shaped eyebrows rose, her voiced questioned loudly.
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, ¡°Wei Yang grew up in the countryside and so don¡¯t understand these etiquettes, please don¡¯t be offended.¡± After she finished speaking, her eyes turned towards Li Zhang Le, who was standing on the side. Seeing her calm expression, Wei Yang knew she must have been the one who instigated Gao Min to seek trouble with her.
Gao Min coldlyughed: ¡°Kneel and admit your fault!¡±
Her manners were arrogant and overbearing making Bai Zhi angry to the point of reddening her eyes.
Li Wei Yang looked at Gao Min, her face showed a hint of cold malice, Gao Min thought highly of herself so she always stepped upon others as if they were ants. These type of people are very abominable: ¡°Wei Yang don¡¯t know what fault to admit?¡±
¡°You are at the very least a prime minister¡¯s qianjin, the daughter of an eminent family. You should cultivate your character and behave ethically but you deliberately covered up your servant¡¯s misdemeanor and continue to make up excuses. If I spread words about your evildoings so that everyone would know, you don¡¯t even have to think of marrying someone in the future!¡±
Gao Min¡¯s words were malicious, Li Zhang Le¡¯s expressions were calm as if she didn¡¯t hear a single word. Li Changxi heard it from the side and her lips raised slightly with a grin. Whether it was dajie Li Zhang Le or sanjie Li Wei Yang, whoever fell from disgrace, she will still be in joy. It was only Li Changxiao, although she didn¡¯t speak a word, whose expressions revealed worries.
¡°So I am wrong from the start ......¡± Li Wei Yang looked at her as if she was speaking to herself.
¡°Of course you are wrong! And you are very wrong!¡± Gao Min raised her chin slightly and looked down at her from her position, ¡°If you kneel and plead for forgiveness now, I will consider letting you off. Or else, if yesterday¡¯s matter was made public, then your reputation will be ruined!¡±
Li Wei Yang surprisingly showed a cold smile.
¡°Kneel and ask for forgiveness?¡± Li Wei Yang suddenly walked one step forward, looking directly into Gao Min¡¯s eyes.
¡°You want to let everyone know about yesterday¡¯s matter? Then should we let everyone know that your Er ge is a pervert, a fool who tried to assault a woman but was beaten up as a result!¡±
¡°Or should I tell everyone that it was my dajie Li Zhang Le who secretly met up with your Er ge, but was discovered by my poor San di. So they both teamed up and beat San di up severely, attempting to kill off a witness!¡±
¡°Min Biaojie, I am merely the daughter of a concubine. Do you think the people of the capitol would be more interested in my obstinate and unreasonable behavior or the love life of the prime minister¡¯s well-reputable daughter! If you let everyone know about this, it would ruin me but also your beloved Da Biaomei!¡±
These words one by one pounded at her face, originally overbearing and arrogant, Gao Min¡¯s expression changed and uncontrobly retreated a step backward.
Li Zhang Le¡¯s entire face whitened and as for the others, they were stunned. They have never seen such aggressive behavior from Li Wei Yang.
Gao Min expressed: ¡°Do you really dare? Do you really dare?¡±
Li Wei Yang just nonchntly stood there and stared at them: ¡°What is there that I dare not to do!¡± She caressed her sleeve and clearly spoke out each word, ¡°You are fed up with me and I don¡¯t want toy my eyes on you. Since we can¡¯t bear the sight of one another, I hope that if Min Biaojie sees me from now on, please stay at least three feet away from me.¡± After she finished saying her words, she turned preparing to leave.
¡°Li Wei Yang!¡± Gao Min angrily shouted, ¡°You uneducated thing! Watch me tell......¡±
¡°Tell my fuqin?¡± Li Wei Yang forcefully turned her body, eyes shooting out cold beams, making her not seemed like a fragile thirteen-year-old maiden girl: ¡°Go ahead, I am sure he will appreciate Min Biaojie poking her nose in his business by helping him teach his daughter! The words you¡¯ve spokenst time, I believe fuqin hasn¡¯tpletely forgotten them yet!¡±
Gao Min was trembling with anger, her face turned white; she couldn¡¯t utter a single word as she stared at Li Wei Yang.
Li Zhang Le originally wanted to the arrogant Gao Min to punish Li Wei Yang but seeing the situation, she had no choice but to keep her calm and gently said: ¡°Min Biaojie, our Sanmei grew up in the countryside, she is still young and doesn¡¯t understand much, if she has offended you, please don¡¯t take it too personally.¡±
Hearing this, Li Chang Xi smiled and said: ¡°Sanjie, having dwelled with these bumpkins for a while, she can only be more and more vulgar and ignorant, it¡¯s best that you return back and be more educated. That way you can avoid being unpresentable and also cause us to beughed at by others.¡±
Li Chang Xiao bit her lips, she wanted to speak for Li Wei Yang but in the end held back.
¡°Oh? You dislike the fact that I am making you all lose face?¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were like kindling iced fire: ¡°Dajie, wumei, every year during your birthday, father would do everything he can to prepare presents for you, these beautiful silk are made by na?ve girls who work days and nights, even to the point of blinding their eyes to produce these; these morous bear skins were caught by these rough hunters who ambush for days in the severely cold winter snow; these invaluable mermaid tears were fetched by these lowlymoners who sacrificed their life in the ocean. The things you eat, drink, walk with, which of these did note from the low and vulgar people that you all look down upon? Taking from themoners, but keep hurling a mouthful of insults, so who is after all low and vulgar!¡±
Hearing this, everyone waspletely distracted. Seeing Li Wei Yang¡¯s delicate features revealed an inexplicable chilled smile, they didn¡¯t know how to react but to be frightened.
Li Chang Xi saw Li Zhang Le¡¯s expression showed embarrassment and hastily said: ¡°Da jie, don¡¯t be too concerned with her! Let¡¯s leave!¡±
¡°Yes, you all are such highly dignified people, it¡¯s better that you don¡¯t put too much thought into words spoken by a vulgar na?ve girl like me. When rubber and porcin touch, no one knows which will break!¡± Li Wei Yangughed grimly, to live once more, she will not swallow the insult silently and definitely will not hold back because of respect. Since they¡¯ve approached her, then she will not let them off that easily!
¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Suddenly, the clearughter of a man echoed from the mountains behind.
Everyone was astonished and saw two young gongzi gracefully walking towards them. In front of them was a debonair, handsome young man who was wearing a bamboo green changshan with inked lotus sewn with gold threads. He wore a silver fox-skinned cloak on the outside and his jet ck hair was held up by a yuguan; his handsome appearance could match the beauty of a woman. Li Changxi saw him and smiled happily: ¡°Da ge, you¡¯ve returned!¡±
Li Min Feng grinned: ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now, all of you quickly greet San dianxia.¡± Before finishing his words, everyone saw a tall, handsome young man who was wearing a mink-furred jinyi, calmly walked over in a leisurely manner.
Everyone stood still in wonder......
Chapter 36
The Princess Wei Yang Chapter 36
Hi everyone! Here is Chapter 36!
As suggested by a reader (N.), I will take sponsorship from readers who are interested in having an extra chapter for a week. Since I will be graduating soon, a chapter will be released once a week but if some are interested in sponsoring a chapter, feel free to donate with the Paypal button on the left.
I¡¯ve done some research and it seems like some charge $40, so I¡¯ll do that. You can sponsor as little as $5 but once it reaches $40, an additional chapter will be released with the scheduled chapter. I don¡¯t know if this works, but let¡¯s see what happens :)
A reader, Ang Y. has reached out to me and would love to help with the trantions! Let¡¯s thank her and show your support because 200 more chapters, how long will that take to finish? Thank you so much ^_^
And onest note, I want to gauge readers¡¯ opinion, please fill out (just opinion, no personal info). It involves readership user experience, thoughts on sponsorship, RSS feed, etc.
**(San) huangzi = (third) prince, son of the emperor
**Xiong = way to refer to friend, like a brother
**(San) dianqia = way to refer to the third prince
**(San) mei = way to address a younger sibling who is the third-born
Chapter 36: The Meeting of Enemies
As he approached, everything around suddenly faded away without a trace.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes stared widely at the person as he slowly, one step at a time, gracefully walked over. Her breathing stopped for a moment.
His bone structure was distinctive, his facial features were firm and handsome. Within his jet ck eyesid a cool seriousness, a suppressed silence like a splendor that can capture the soul of a human; he¡¯s undoubtedly the impressive San huangzi Tuoba Zhen.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands slowly grasped ahold of her sleeves and sounds of Da furen¡¯s fakeughter shed across her mind: ¡°Wei yang is obedient and intelligent, so mother would definitely want to help you find a good husband. San huangzi Tuoba Zhen is young and handsome, he and you are a perfect match. Wei yang, once he marries you, you will serve by his side and you will have a good future.¡±
Li Zhangle¡¯s dimples also showed: ¡°Yes, every girl who is at a marriageable age in the capitol would want to be the wife of the third prince, Wei Yang, you are very fortunate.¡±
But in the end, the wings of a bird were forcefully broken off, feathers bloodily ripped off, this pain, she will never forget ......
Li Wei Yang squinted her eyes and her mouth exposed a hint of mockery. She deeply breathed in and realized her blood flow gradually returned to normal, this unresolvable hatred eventually dissolved and flowed throughout her body.
Everyone was busily greeting so Li Wei Yang followed along and lowered her head yet she felt an inquisitive vision fell onto her.
¡°You all were just talking boisterously, what were you talking about?¡± Li Min Feng smilingly asked.
¡°Nothing much ...... San mei indignantly spoke the wrong words, Da ge please don¡¯t tell father and mother, or else San mei will be punished.¡± Li Zhang Le¡¯s eyes were enshrouded with water, revealing an indescribable beauty. Hershes looked like teardrops that were about to fall, which appeared to be even more like raining pear blossoms, making her more lovely and delicate.
As a beauty who have spoken such words, whoever heard this would believe Li Wei Yang hasmitted an unforgivable sin that she has to trouble her jie jie to help her cover up. Even though she detested this person deep within her heart, Li Wei Yang had to admit that if they were to discuss about flirtatious appearance, Li Zhangle would be considered perfect in this area. As one who is able to put on an act bying off as a jiejie who rather be wronged for her beloved meimei, what men in this world would be unmoved?
¡°Is that so, you are San mei?¡± This was Li Min Feng¡¯s first time meeting Li Wei Yang, he looked her up and down.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions were dull: ¡°Da ge, it is simply casual bickering between sisters.¡±
Since it¡¯s girls¡¯ bickering, would he still have the nerve to say something? In her eyes, Li Wei Yang obliviously mocked him, but once Li Min Feng looked into her words, her mockery has disappeared.
She was unexpectedly indifferent which made it seemed like Li Zhangle was making a big fuss over something small. Li Zhangle harbored resentment, her beautiful eyes blinked and she said: ¡°Yes, we just bickered a few words, no need to keep it to heart.¡±
Li Min Feng softly voiced: ¡°Good, my sister must possess a mind unlike the simple-mindeddies.¡±
Simple-minded, he is directing it towards her, Li Wei Yang, of course, understood his meaning but pretended not to understand as her face revealed a smile.
Gao Min has already forgotten about Li Wei Yang, she turned her brightly lit eyes and asked: ¡°San dianxia, when did you return to the capitol?¡±
Tuoba Zhen smiled: ¡°I returned with Min Feng xiong.¡±
Li Min Feng smiled warmly: ¡°Min Biaomei, San dianxia came to visit my father.¡±
As they continued their small talk, Li Wei Yang stood on the side as her eyes coldly watched. Tuoba Zhen hasn¡¯t changed a bit, his mouth still carried a superficial, gentle smile. She has once thought he was the most charming male deity, but now, he was even more disgusting than the bugs that live within the sewers.
On the side, Li Changxi directly stared at the beautiful Tuoba Zhen, her eyes did not budge.
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes unknowingly moved past the deity-like Li Zhangle andnded on Li Wei Yang.
Staring at the girl, he noticed her soft, shining hair and her skirt with an embroidery of the West Lake danced in the air as the wind blew. On her snow white face, rouge lightly appeared on her cheeks paired with her righteous eyes, with a glimpse, one can tell she is a rather intelligent girl. Tuoba Zhen has already been used to seeing morous beauties, but he rarely encountered this kind of inly-dressed beauty. A moment ago, after overhearing her aggressively scolding the qianjins, he has already be curious in her so he unconsciously stared over a few times and at the very moment locked eyes with Li Wei Yang. At that very moment, a dazzling smile appeared on her calm face, showing her clean, white teeth and her sparkling eyes, which could¡¯ve easily charm others.
This smile was unusually splendid that it lit up Tuoba Zhen¡¯s profound eyes, making him unable to redirect his nce elsewhere. He dropped his head to hide the astonishment within his eyes.
Li Zhangle keenly realized he was listless, she smilingly said: ¡°San dianxia, this is my San mei Wei Yang, she has just returned from Ping Cheng and has not shown her face in the capitol as of now.¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes looked at Li Zhangle and smiled: ¡°Oh, really?¡±
Li Min Feng smiled: ¡°Yes, my San mei grew up in Ping Cheng, she hasn¡¯t seen much, if she embarrasses herself, I hope San dianxia can forgive her.¡±
Gao Min coldly spoke on the side: ¡°She¡¯s just impolite? I think Min Feng Biaoge should discipline her more and don¡¯t let her make the prime minister lose face!¡±
Li Wei Yang lifted her eyes and gave Gao Min a glimpse. Gao Min didn¡¯t know why but she felt intimidated and nervous from the stare. She wanted to call her devilish but in the end she restrained herself from saying more.
Tuoba Zhen thoughtfully said: ¡°How can that be, San Xiaojie is na?ve and eloquent, these are valuable traits.¡±
To call her na?ve, he was actually pointing out her discourtesy; to call her eloquent, he was saying she has a sharp tongue, Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Thank you San Dianxia for the praises, Wei Yang don¡¯t deserve such remarks. If we talk about eloquence, how can Wei Yang¡¯s bepared to Dianxia¡¯s.¡±
Her skin was very white like snow that it looked transparent, making her eyes looked rather big. The smile on her face was exceptionally splendid; her demeanor can only be described as respectful, nothing entric can be spotted. However, Tuoba Zhen felt that her demeanor was too calm, too calm to the point of making him feel an inexplicable emotion. As he meticulously analyzed, he realized it seemed more like hatred ......
But why? Tuoba Zhen intuitively thinks he didn¡¯t observe wrongly but at this moment, a graceful body appeared in front of him: ¡°San dianxia! I haven¡¯t seen you for a long time, how is Wuxian fei recently?¡±
Gao Min¡¯s face was filled withughter, her arrogance was nowhere to be seen anymore, Li Zhangle has also unconsciously followed behind them.
Everyone crowded around Tuoba Zhen as he strolled towards a distinct octagonal pavilion. As he was about to step on, he nced behind him and realized the odd girl has already disappeared ......
Chapter 37
The Princess Wei Yang Chapter 37
Here is Chapter 37!
An update regarding the survey: Thanks to everyone who filled out the survey ^_^. I¡¯ve read through the responses and here¡¯s what I will be working on:
1. More information about the novel: A page listing links to the previous chapters tranted by Solstar and a character page
2. Links to Previous and Next so it makes it easier to navigate and read the novel
3. A donation bar on the side with a progress bar indicating how much more it will take to reach $30. This week, $19 was donated but as a start, an additional chapter will be released to thank everyone for reading the trantions and of course, the sponsors ^_^. The next additional release will be reset to 0.
Every Wednesday around 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM, a new chapter would be released. An additional release will be scheduled to be published immediately after the amount has been reached.
4. A like button for each post
5. A calendar to show a schedule of releases
Another note: Li Zhang Le¡¯s name will be written as Li Chang Le from now on because in Chinese, the pinyin of her name when pronounced is technically Chang instead of Zhang.
**mufei: way for an imperial prince to address his or her mother
**qinwang: an official title bestowed to a prince
**muqin: way for a child to address his or her mother
**buyao: dangling hairpin
**sun¡¯er: way for a male grandchild to refer to himself in front of his grandparents
Chapter 37: Brother and sister conspire
In the chamber, Li Chang Le personally served Li Min Feng a cup of tea: ¡°Gege, you must be tired from traveling back.¡± Li Min Feng gave a smile and said: ¡°Meimei, we haven¡¯t seen each other for only six months yet you¡¯ve be more beautiful, even causing San huangzi to ze at you without shifting his attention!¡±
-Li Chang Le lightly smiled, Tuoba Zhen was very handsome and alluring but his mufei came from a humble background so it was only after gaining the emperor¡¯s favor that she gave birth to him. Because of this, he was disliked and wasn¡¯t favored. Fortunately, his mother passed away, so he was eventually adopted by the childless Wu xianfei. As a prince with such background, he could never ascend the throne. Recalling Tuoba Zhen¡¯s handsome face, Li Chang Le unconsciously released a smile of sympathy.
Li Min Feng looked at his meimei and knew exactly what she was thinking about: ¡°Don¡¯t let mother influence you, the politics within the court is ever-changing, this San huangzi is not an ordinary person ---¡°
Hearing this, Li Chang Le thoughtfully said: ¡°But he is relying on the crowned prince, in the future, he would at most be a qinwang ......¡±
Li Min Feng let out a smile but he didn¡¯t give a response. In his eyes, even though his meimei was as beautiful as a goddess, she was ultimately shortsighted and didn¡¯t possess the far-reaching mind of a man. This year, it seemed like he and San huangzi were traveling leisurely, in actuality, he was sent to Changzhou by the emperor to investigate the case that involved Zhang Gun, the governor of Changzhou. Once Tuoba Zhen arrived in Changzhou, he dug up what Zhang Gun was trying to cover up. He questioned Zhang Gun¡¯s steward and found evidence, forcing the shrewd and well-experienced Zhang Gun to have no choice but to plead guilty to his crimes. From epting the assignment to reporting the crime of Zhang Gun, only half a month time was used. After, Tuoba Zhen stayed in Changzhou to reorganize the chaotic administrationpletely. Within a month, he had rectified the mess and transition the new administration to the seeding governor.
In this assignment, Tuoba Zhen did an outstanding job, which greatly showed off his talents and capabilities and earned him praises from the emperor. In the eyes of the pompous Li Min Feng, he had to admit that Tuoba Zhen was indeed determined and intelligent and was able to handle everything agilely, which showed that he was not an ordinary figure. He didn¡¯t know if he should mention these words to the sheltered Li Chang Le. As a result, he only said: ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it, then let¡¯s wait and see.¡±
Li Chang Le heard this and her heart fluttered.
As she continued to probe further into his words, Li Min Feng became unwilling to continue on and thus changed the subject: ¡°Meimei, what has happened today, you allow a little yatou to cause you displeasure.¡±
In the eyes of his privileged self, he eventually saw this meimei of a concubine to be of a degrading status. In their household of sisters, who didn¡¯t treat Li Chang Le with profound respect and humility, it was only this Li Wei Yang who didn¡¯t show an inch of reverence, this made him felt surprised because ording to his muqin¡¯s methods, how could she tolerate the existence of such a yatou?
Speaking of Li Wei Yang, Li Chang Le¡¯s face uncontrobly paled: ¡°This degradable thing! She has won Lao furen¡¯s favor now, you should know Lao furen¡¯s thoughts, she biasedly favors San fang and has always not been close to muqin and us, if she insists on protecting the yatou, muqin can only leave her be.¡± In addition to their failure of framing her, they actually raised her father¡¯s suspicions, so they couldn¡¯t act recklessly anymore.
Li Min Feng pondered and spoke: ¡°But as a yatou who was raised in the country without any knowledge or education, meimei should just not be bothered with her!¡±
¡°Da ge, how can you say such things, meimei is being continuously bullied by her! I was anticipating your return so that you can help me seek revenge!¡± Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes widened, the buyao of jade and pearls on her hair slowly shook as if she was forbearing from something, her raised voice was of anger and hatred.
Li Min Feng stiffened and said: ¡°To teach this yatou a lesson is naturally an easy task, there¡¯s no need for meimei to get angry and ruin your own mood. Just watch, Da ge will help you seek revenge!¡±
Li Chang Le listened and stood up, walking slowly to the side of the window. Her skirt of golden phoenix prints made a light rustling sound. After a period of silence, she fiercely turned around and coldly voiced: ¡°Da ge, I don¡¯t want you to simply take revenge, what I want is her life!¡±
Since she was young, no one has made her felt this unpleasant, she couldn¡¯t tolerate this!
Li Min Feng was stunned; this was the first time he saw such ferocious expression appeared on her face that it was about to rip apart her beautiful face.
¡°We can¡¯t be too impatient; we have to think of a more thorough n.¡±
He Xiang Yuan
Li Min Feng saw Lao furen seated upon the ottoman through the purple scenic divider screen, ntingly resting on red sandalwood; wearing a light blue silk skirt, Li Wei Yang was sitting on a tramp atop the sandalwood ottoman. She slowly massaged Lao furen¡¯s leg and she spoke with Lao furen as her head faced upward. As for San furen, she sat by Lao furen¡¯s side sipping a cup of tea and smilingly spoke a few words here and there. His muqin, meimei Li Chang Le, Si mei, Wu mei, and the people of Er fang all rested at a farther distance away.
Lao furen is very particr in allowing who to reside at the position by her side. His eyes focused, it seemed like what his meimei said was true, as a concubine¡¯s daughter, Li Wei Yang had actually climbed too high and had gained the favor of Lao furen.
As he took back his nce, he saw Lao furen ncing towards his direction. He immediately restrained the waves of heat within his heart and approached forth to pay his respects.
Lao furen smiled happily and reached out a hand to help him up. As she looked at him, she harmoniously said: ¡°This child, you have been wandering outside in the past year, and has be more and more distinguished.¡±
Li Min Feng respectfully smiled and said: ¡°Originally, fuqin wasn¡¯t going to allow sun¡¯er to return for the new year, but when I wrote a letter back saying I miss Lao furen and muqin, it was only then that fuqin relented. This time, Min Feng brought back Changzhou specialty product, the thousand-year duck that is often gifted to the imperial empress, give it a try.¡±
Lao furen seldom smilingly said: ¡°It¡¯s great that you have such a filial heart.¡±
Li Min Feng gently smiled: ¡°Lao furen, duck meat can calm one¡¯s mood and stimte one¡¯s appetite. The current empress extremely loves duck; every year, duck is brought to the capital from Changzhou, salted and pickled.
Li Min Feng¡¯s consideration was evidently sincere, so the smile on Lao furen¡¯s face became much warmer.
Li Chang Le warmly spoke: ¡°Yes, this four fortune duck also has another meaning! Does Sanmei know?¡±
Seeing them directing the subject to her without any reason, she gently smiled and said: ¡°Wish to learn from you.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s smile deepened: ¡°In the previous dynasty, renowned poet Song Xi described four happy asions in life: A good rain after a long drought, the reunion of long-time friends, the wedding night, and passing the government examination. It circted among the people and then incorporated into the names of sumptuous courses at a meal, to bring good luck.
The smile on Li Changxi¡¯s face was trying to fawn on Li Chang Le: ¡°It¡¯s still Da jie who have wide experience and extensive knowledge, we usually know how to eat yet don¡¯t know the history behind the food we eat!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes drooped, she said: ¡°Exactly, Wei Yang didn¡¯t read many books, and haven¡¯t experienced much ---¡°
Lao furen chuckled and said: ¡°There¡¯s no point for a girl to read lots of books, it¡¯s sufficient to be meek and well-mannered, being erudite can actually lead to others¡¯ dislike.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s countenance turned worse and then recovered to normal: ¡°Yes, Lao furen¡¯s words are right.¡±
Li Min Feng¡¯s vision coldlynded on Li Wei Yang, this meimei of a concubine definitely cannot be kept!
Chapter 38
The Princess Wei Yang Chapter 38
One more new trantor on board - please wee Chau V.! She will not be tranting as frequently as Ang and I will be but many thanks :)
This is an extra chapter release sponsored by Atanasia J., Katherine T., Jessica W., and Ngoc N. Thank you everyone!!!
**yatou: maid
**nubi: a way for maids to refer to oneself in the third-person
**zhuzi: master
Chapter 38: Having an ulterior motive
In the afternoon, Li Min Feng personally paid Li Wei Yang a visit.
He dismissed the mama at the door and once he reached the door, he saw a yatou wearing a light-green vested changqun resting upon the door on the west wing, speaking to another yatou.
¡°Zi Yan jiejie, what are you sewing right now?¡± the yatou curiously asked.
Zi Yan smilingly showed her embroidery work to the yatou. Li Min Feng had a very good vision so from afar he saw a pair of multicolored mandarin ducks sporting on a lotus pond filled with lotuses sewn on the handkerchief, making it look lively and invigorating.
The yatou rolled her eyes andughed: ¡°Zi Yan jiejie wants to get married! You should find a day to ask San Xiaojie to find you a good match!¡±
Zi Yan¡¯s face turned red, she took back the handkerchief, gave the yatou¡¯s shoulder a light p, and spat: ¡°Don¡¯t speak such rubbish.¡±
Zi Yan was fifteen this year, she was born with an oval-shaped face and fair skin. Her smile was like the lotus flower, attracting others¡¯ attention. Li Min Feng calmly gave her a nce, an odd feeling shed by his heart.
The little maid smiled: ¡°Don¡¯t be ashamed, San Xiaojie will definitely find you a good husband!¡±
Zi Yan¡¯s smile gradually rxed and then lightly voiced: ¡°San Xiaojie can¡¯t act on her own free will, how can she help nubi ---¡°
The little maid was distracted, she wanted to say something but showed a face with inexpressible words. It¡¯s true, San Xiaojie is the daughter of a concubine, even though Lao Furen favored her, she couldn¡¯t earn Da Furen¡¯s favor. If Da Furen wanted to use her marriage to make her life difficult, with the zhuzi in such a situation, then what more can her yatous ask for.
Zi Yan let out a sigh and felt troubled by words she that couldn¡¯t be spoken aloud. But suddenly she heard someone coughed; she jumped and looked up to see a young gongzi standing right in front of her eyes. She face turned red and she walked up to greet him: ¡°Da Shaoye.¡±
¡°Oh, your name is Zi Yan?¡± Li Min Feng¡¯s expression was very calm as he looked into her eyes.
Zi Yan¡¯s face surprisingly turned red, she voiced quietly: ¡°Yes, nubi is San Xiaojie¡¯s big yatou Zi Yan. Da Shaoye wants to see Xiaojie?¡±
He originally came to see Li Wei Yang but he had changed his mind. Li Min Feng smilingly said: ¡°No, it¡¯s just that yesterday I lost my fan nearby, so I came to ask San meimei for a yatou to help me search.¡±
Zi Yan chuckled and said: ¡°Nubi can help out for this situation, where did Da Shaoye lose his fan?¡±
¡°It was outside the door at a distant grass area,¡± Li Min Feng said.
Li Min Feng and Zi Yan both walked out, the little yatou carefully watched on the side and suddenly frowned, picked up her qunzi and ran into the room.
Li Wei Yang was in the room speaking to Mo Zhu, Mo Zhu said: ¡°Even though Lao Furen dislikes being extravagant but she is still quite picky with her food. For example, when eating fish, Lao Furen only eats the eyes of the fish; when eating chicken, she only eats the parts that are 70% fat; when eating sea mushrooms, she only chose the stomach with the least fat. Out of all the dishes, Lao Furen still enjoyed the simmering duck the most, unlike how every household cooks it, the duck¡¯s interiors are cleaned out first. Then it is ced in a porcin jar and it is cooked for three days on a small fire to make the meat tender and crispy. Additionally, in the whole duck, the duck¡¯s foot is cooked separately; the bones are removed and then soaked in spices and magnolia flower, I can¡¯t describe how good the smell was."
Li Wei Yang nodded, delivering goose feather from afar, though it was nothing much, but it was the thought that counted. Lao furen one, liked to drink tea and two, liked to eat goose, from what Li Min Feng did, it was evident that he was a calctive person.
At this moment, there was a little yatou who peeped furtively behind the door.
Li Wei Yang shed her eyes towards her direction and animatedly looked over, giving the little girl a scare. She could only hear Mo Zhu¡¯s voice: ¡°Who is lurking outside, Xiaojie allow you to enter!¡±
The little yatou frightfully entered and kowtowed to Li Wei Yang: ¡°Xiaojie, nubi has something to report.¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly gave her a nce, Bai Zhi quietly said: ¡°Xiaojie, this is little yatou Xiu¡¯er from the tea room.¡±
The little yatou from the tea room? Feeling uncertainty, Li Wei Yang warmly asked: ¡°What is wrong?¡±
Xiu¡¯er said: ¡°Da Xiaoye just came and said he lost his fan in the high grass outside. He asked Xiaojie¡¯s yatou to help him search for it. Zi Yan jiejie was originally doing embroidery work in the yuanzi so she volunteered to go and told nubi to inform Xiaojie.¡±
Li Wei Yang stared at the Xiu¡¯er for a long time and then suddenly smiled: ¡°Bai Zhi, reward her a small purse, three dayster, promote her to second-level yatou, she doesn¡¯t have to return to the tea room, she can stay in this yuanzi and serve me.¡±
Xiu¡¯er was very delighted and immediately kowtowed a few times: ¡°Nubi thank you Xiaojie!¡±
From a little yatou that did menialbor to a second-level yatou in a shortpse of time, this was very good news, Xiu¡¯er happily left. Li Wei Yang lightly sipped her tea, Bai Zhi finally understood and said: ¡°Xiaojie, Zi Yan should have reported to you first, she was careless, please don¡¯t me her.¡±
A yatou without the permission of the master left the yuanzi with Xiaoye seems to be not, or was she too filled with joy that she has forgotten her status? Li Wei Yang calmly smiled and said: ¡°Perhaps she was careless or she has greater desires and thinks that my ce in this family is too small.¡±
Xiaojie¡¯s words were serious, Bai Zhi¡¯s face turned pale. Li Wei Yang looked at her and said: ¡°Zi Yan and you are the same, both traveled with me from Pingcheng, I treat both of you like family but this does not mean I can tolerate everything.¡±
Bai Zhi lowered her head and felt fearful within. She secretly med Zi Yan for acting upon her own judgment, zhuzi told her to guard the yuanzi but she left with someone.
At this time, Bai Zhi had not discovered a deeper meaning but Mo Zhu did as her brows rose.
¡°Go tell all the yuanzi¡¯syatous and mamas toe.¡± Li Wei Yang ordered.
¡°Yes.¡± Mo Zhu quickly left.
Within minutes, besides Zi Yan who disappeared half an hour ago, everyone was there.
Li Wei Yang sat on the chair as her eyes swept across everyone in the room and then she pointed at one of the mama: ¡°I really hate people who do not take responsibility for their own actions, you went to the steward and told him my yuanzi has no ce for you, then you should think of another way to make a living!¡±
¡°Xiaojie, nubi ......¡± Once she is kicked out from the residence, it will be difficult to survive. Liu mama¡¯s face paled and she was frightened to the point of trembling, ¡°Nubi does not know what I did wrong ---¡°
¡°What did you do wrong? Where did you go just now! Why is it that when Da ge came, you did not notify me, do you want people to think I deliberately neglected my brother?¡±
Liu mama was terrified: ¡°It¡¯s Da Shaoye who said there¡¯s no need to notify ......¡±
¡°Ridiculous! How can there be no notification when someone enters another person¡¯s yuanzi! Da ge is well-educated, how could he have spoken such words, it¡¯s obvious that you were deliberately cking off! You even dare nder Da ge, go punish yourself with twenty strikes!¡± Li Wei Yang coldly said.
Without even being able to plead for forgiveness, Liu mama was dragged out by servants summoned by Mo Zhu. Everyone only looked at Liu mama with sympathy but not one person dare speak for her. They all already understood, as long as Lao Furen still favors San Xiaojie, then the zhuzi of this yuanzi will still be San Xiaojie, and no one else!
Zi Yan, right at this moment, walked in with a face filled with delight. Seeing the scene, her delicate face turned white!
Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Secret Collusions
Bai Zhi and Zi Yan entered the house one after the other, Li Wei Yang did not pay attention to Zi Yan and spoke only to Bai Zhi: ¡°Did you feel like I was too harsh in punishment?¡±
Bai Zhi thought about it and said: ¡°This house does have rules, Xiaojie was right.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "I brought you two with me when I came to Li Residence, you do well, I can be proud, you misstep out of line, I will lose face. By my side, aside from diligently carrying out errands, you also need to be loyal, if you cannot do these two, then I will send you back to Pingcheng.¡±
Bai Zhi answered yes, Zi Yan softly said, ¡°Xiaojie, of course Nubi is loyal to you.¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed in her heart, she does not want Zi Yan to think unnecessary thoughts; she was using Liu Mama¡¯s matter to remind her, but can¡¯t determine the effect.
One morning three dayster, Zi Yan brought breakfast and set up the table.
Li Wei Yang discreetly sizes her up with a nce.
Zi Yan was born beautiful, a pair of water-clear almond eyes, lotus-like face with delicate red blush, wearing a pale red embroidered dress, rounded shoulder and slender waist, an eye-catching figure. If Li Wei Yang was just a naive thirteen-year-old girl, naturally nothing seems amiss, but however her mind was already past thirty years old, how could she not know that a shift has happened with this girl in front of her, without expression on her face, said in an easy voice: ¡°This dress is pretty.¡±
Zi Yan justughed and said: ¡°Didn¡¯t Xiaojie give some beautiful silks that she didn¡¯t like to Nubi? Nubi wanted to wear it for Xiaojie to see.¡± Upon seeing Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression, said: ¡°Xiaojie said that it is suitable for Nubi, now it seems it is as you said.¡±
This dress, Zi Yan has finished making it to be used for the New Year, however she has brought it out now! Bai Zhi¡¯s pupils narrowed slightly, almost afraid to see Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression. Xiaojie is not a weak ignorant person who can be bullied; on the contrary, although she is only thirteen years old, she is shrewd and capable, careful and subtle. The slight changes with Zi Yan were discovered by Xiaojie. She didn¡¯t say anything because she wanted to give Zi Yan a chance, but this girl was too dumb to see it!
Li Wei Yang''s soup spoon gently touched the bowl, then she heard Zi Yan whispered: ¡°Xiaojie, yesterday afternoon, the young master has specially someone to deliver a red coral bonsai, look---"
Li Wei Yang nced at her: "Oh, is it?" Deliberately did not say more.
Zi Yan is a bit anxious, but did not dare to show it on her face, instead said carefully: "The young master sent a fragrant jade fan to Da Xiaojie, she sent back a set of four stationery treasures of Chinese study; a pair of Fanghu hairpin to fourth Xiaojie, Fourth Xiaojie sent back a set of Yan Zhi Ge ancient books; a green jade cosmetic box to Fifth Xiaojie, she ... ... "
"Yeah, everyone has given a gift in return, however it is difficult when ite to me, they have money to send some gold and jade, however I am poor1." Li Wei Yang appeared slightly embarrassed.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s current expenditure, although not rich and ostentatious like Da Xiaojie, was unlike those other misses who have their mothers to subsidize, can only rely on the monthly allowances and the mary rewards from Lao Furen, she also has to rewards the servants, therefore cannot spend money extravagantly. Zi Yan only wanted to find an opportunity to see the young master but never thought that Third Xiaojie cannot produce a decent gift in return, was immediately staggered.
Unconsciously, Bai Zhi held her breath; her gaze hesitated on Zi Yan¡¯s and Xiaojie¡¯s face, then quickly lowered her head, pretending like she did not hear anything.
Mo Zhu who was distributing the food on the table,ughed and said: "Xiaojie, the young master doesn¡¯t need the gold or silver jade wares, it is about the sentiments, you can send a pouch or a pair of shoes that are useful.¡±
As a sister, sending a pouch or a pair of shoes to her big brother is not impossible, the gift may be small but it conveys deep affections. Li Wei Yang nodded and praised: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± However it was difficult to do it soon, ¡°Time is too tight, it may be toote.¡±
So as to not let Li Wei Yang change her mind, Zi Yan said: ¡°Xiaojie, embroidery can harm the eyes, you should not do it personally. Nubi will work day and night, should be able to make a pouch for the young master on time.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s cold gaze fell on her, but her face was full of smiles: ¡°Zi Yan, you know how to care of my burden.¡±
Zi Yan, upon hearing no objections from her, could not hold back her smiles. She was anxious that she would be unable to reasonably convey her feelings to the young master, now this is a great opportunity!
After Zi Yan left, Li Wei Yang put down her chopsticks.
Mo Zhu brought a cup of tea and lightly said: ¡°Xiaojie, don¡¯t be mad¡¡±
Li Wei Yang was very angry, she mmed the teacup on the table so hard that the tea spilled out when it shook and coldly said: ¡°That girl clearly thinks I¡¯m blind!¡±
Bai Zhi could not bear to speak, Mo Zhu lightly said: ¡°Zi Yan, this child, is rather impatient. Xiaojie has already warned her yesterday, yet she doesn¡¯t reflect on it.¡±
Li Wei Yang took a deep breath, she has done what she can, giving her two chances, but she only thought about climbing to a higher branch of the tree, never thinking about the difficulties of her own master! If Zi Yan has any conscience, she should know that she should not have any involvement with the young master!
For a long time, Li Wei Yang did not utter any sound seems to be deep in thought, Bai Zhi, finally unable to bear it, said: ¡°Perhaps Zi Yan has been deceived.¡±
Li Wei Yang nced at her, slowly said: "She was deceived? Did she never think that, if she didn¡¯t have any use, would the young master even be interested in his own sister¡¯s maid!" She could not repress the moodiness from her heart, traces of condensation appearing on her face.
Mo Zhu thought about it, carefully asked: ¡°Xiaojie, what should be done?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face gradually rxed: "Find someone to watch her, her every moves should be reported back to me!¡±
Mo Zhu respectfully said: "Yes."
Bai Zhi was secretly wiping her tears. Li Wei Yang saw it, and sighed gently: ¡°Bai Zhi, I know you were together from a young age, your rtionship is good.¡±
Bai Zhi wiped her tears, her face bing steadfast: ¡°Xiaojie is good to all of the Nubis, yet Zi Yan is like this, she is too ungrateful. Nubi knows the severity, Xiaojie should set your mind at ease.¡±
Li Wei Yang paused for a moment, then slowly said: "It seems that Dage is doing this for Dajie." She looked out the window, a single plum blossom bloomed alone, could not help but sigh, "do not act any different, they will be taking actions soon."
Bai Zhi said: "Nubi understands."
Li Wei Yang lowered her head and continued to eat, thinking about the entire matter in her mind, Li Min Feng was arrogant, yet he stooped down to be interested in a yatou, was he using Zi Yan to deal with her? But Li Min Feng was not a fool, he would not make the same mistakes as in the Hua Mei incident, then, what was he trying to do?
Chapter 40
Chapter 40: The storm of giving a gift in return
Zi Yan really did work day and night, soon producing an exquisitely embroidered pouch that was sent to the young master¡¯s Xiu Zhu Yuan.
Li Wei Yang was watching, yet acted as if she knew nothing, would not talk about it in front of people. Soon, she used the excuse that the pouch is too light, and sent a piece of jade green ink stone. Zi Yan was oblivious, only jumping for joy because she got another opportunity to see the young master.
Spring Festival was soon approaching, the moods of the masters also became better. The maids and the mothers worked extra hard, hoping that the masters would give some rewards.
On this day, Luo Mama who serves Lao Furen personally led a master over: ¡°San Xiaojie, Lao Furen has ordered the storehouse to be open, bring all the good materials previously saved for the young misses to use for making clothes.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°I still have the materials that Dage broughtst time---¡°
Luo Mamaughed and said: ¡°It¡¯s only a total of four bolts, enough for two dresses, this time Lao Furen has given each misses enough to make 16 dresses, San Xiaojie do not need to refuse,e and choose.¡±
Having said that, she ordered the box to be brought up, the box was full of silks and brocades, while it couldn''t bepared to those brought back by Li Min Feng, it was still top grade.
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°Mother, you have good taste, help me choose. What texture? What colour is suitable?¡±
Mother Luo did not shirk, she lowered her head and chose a fair amount of colour, thenughed and said: ¡°Xiaojie¡¯s skin is white, will look good regardless of the colours, however around New Year, there are a lots of dinner party, Xiaojie should wear brighter colours, as for the undershirt, underskirt, socks and shoes, it should match all the way through, then it should do.¡±
Li Wei Yang listened and nodded, said: ¡°Then thank you very much, mother.¡± After saying that, she turned her head and saw Zi Yan standing by the side of the table, then she inadvertently let Zi Yan send mother Luo out; shortly after those two left, Bai Zhi came to report: ¡°Xiaojie, the silver spindle that was originally prepared for mother Luo, has been secretly switched by Zi Yan.¡±
Li Wei Yang raised a brow: ¡°Oh? Switched to what?
Bai Zhi bowed: ¡°A bunch of coins.¡±
Instead of being angry, Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°She sure knows how to save me money!¡±
Mother Luo is Lao Furen¡¯s most trusted su
bordinate, absolutely should not offend her, since Zi Yan actually changed that silver spindle prepared by Li Wei Yang, what is her motive! Mo Zhu frowned and said: ¡°Xiaojie, this way, mother Luo would only think that Xiaojie is stingy, don¡¯t know how to be a person.¡±
This was still quite trivial, Zi Yan deliberately presented her poor status to mother Luo who was very close to Lao Furen, this was not just to make mother Luo unhappy! Li Wei Yang asked: ¡°What else was said?¡±
Bai Zhi took a deep breath, answered truthfully: ¡°Zi Yan said that Xiaojie has spent too much money recently, that we are stretched to the limit, unmanageable, hope that mother Luo would pardon this once.¡±
Li Wei Yang pondered for a moment, a hint ofughter on the corners of her lips, suddenly said: ¡°It seems like she is utterly loyal to Dage now!¡±
Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu looked at each other, their hearts are confused. Zi Yan doing this, is inarguably rted to the young master¡¯s words, but why would the young master do this? To let others think that San Xiaojie is too stingy? No, it was not this simple. But after thinking deeply, they couldn''te up with any other purposes. At this time, they heard Li Wei Yang said: ¡°We are master and servant, since she really wants to be the one sleeping next to big brother, I will do her a favour!¡±
Early the next morning, Li Wei Yang purposely woke up an hourte, then brought Zi Yan and Bai Zhi with her to give morning greetings to Lao Furen. After entering the tea room, she brewed tea as she did normally, then entered the house with Zi Yan, leaving Bai Zhi outside.
Zi Yan liked to enjoy her moment of fame; with the thought of being able to see the young master after entering the house, she couldn''t help but be delighted, Bai Zhi secretly sighed, and lowered her eyes.
Xiaojie had already given Zi Yan multiple chances and did everything she could to regain her loyalty.
Lao Furen was sitting, softly talking to Li Min Feng, Li Chang Le¡¯s hair wasbed into a cloud-like chignon, wearing a bright jade satin jacket, exquisitely embroidered peony-patterned long skirt, looking lithe and graceful, sitting neatly there, suppressing the limelight of all the other misses in the room.
Li Wei Yang smiled and went to greet Lao Furen: ¡°Wish Lao Furen happiness.¡±
Lao Furen looked at her, withughter in her voice, said: ¡°Did you finish copying the Buddhist scriptures?¡±
While smiling, Li Wei Yang took the scriptures from Zi Yan¡¯s hand, said: ¡°Just finished copying themst night, I hurried to bring them to you this morning.¡±
Lao Furen saw the dark circles under her eyes, smiled and patted her hand: ¡°Buddhist scriptures can be copied anytime, do no
t stay up all night.¡±
Li Chang Le listened, her eyes revealing a contemptuous look. Words that she saw looked to have been written so reluctantly by Li Wei Yang were actually considered neat; she wasn''t skilled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, or poetry recital so she couldn''t enjoy the attention in front of everyone; thus, she it was only suitable for her to copy Buddhist scriptures for Lao Furen, and only Lao Furen would ept this.
Li Wei Yang nodded and smiled, turned and offered a cup of tea that she just brewed, Lao Furen was not in a hurry to drink, so she just set it aside.
Li Min Feng raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Zi Yan, Zi Yan taking advantage of everyone¡¯s inattention, quietly nodded to him. A smile spread on Li Min Feng''s lips.
Lao Furen and Li Wei Yang seemed to have a tacit agreement, talking to each other, leaving Da Furen to hang by herself on the side. As such, Li Chang Xi was not pleased to see, turned to Li Chang Le and said: ¡°Dajie, I heard that Father has gone out yesterday and return with a pair of ruby earrings for you, it changes colour under the sunlight, is it not?¡±
Li Chang Le smiled and said: ¡°It does change colours; I heard that it is a tribute offered by a diplomat from Yi.¡±
Li Chang Xi¡¯s eyes revealed her envy, Li Chang Ru humphed and turned away, Li Chang Xiao said: ¡°Dajie should bring it out another day so we can admire it.¡±
Li Chang Le nodded, deliberately looked at Li Wei Yang and said: ¡°Didn¡¯t you two also receive a gem bracelet? Oh right Sanmei, what did father give you?¡±
Li Xiao Ran haspletely forgotten about Li Wei Yang¡¯s existence, went out a few days, did not even bring back a de of grass, Li Chang Le clearly knew this yet purposely asked, wanting to see Wei Yang lose herposure in front of everyone.
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "Father¡¯s safe return is the best gift for Wei Yang, I do not ask for other.¡±
Da Furen listened, sneering in her heart, putting an affectionate expression: ¡°Wei Yang really understand courtesy, all of you must learn from her!¡±
Lao Furen touched the neat words of the Buddhist scriptures, lightly said: ¡°Exactly so.¡±
The smile on Da Furen''s face disappeared.
Li Wei Yang witnessing the Li Min Feng''s calm demeanor, suddenly said: ¡°Speaking of gifts, the gift that I sent in return, Dage is satisfied?¡±
Li Min Feng was stunned, then said smoothly: ¡°The pouch is pretty---¡°
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes blinked, mirroring the twist: ¡°Pouch? Meimei did not send any pouch!¡±
Everyone was surprised, Zi Yan¡¯s expression changed slightly.
Chapter 41
Åô³ÌÍòÀï: Peng cheng wan li: in legends, peng birds can fly thousands of mile hence this is a metaphor for someone¡¯s ambitions going far
½ðó¸ÕÛ¹ð: jin chan zhe gui: to win a golden toad- signifying wealth
Ô§ÑìÏ·Ë®: yuan yang xi shui- a pair of mandarin ducks paddling- mandarin ducks are lovebirds in Chinese culture
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Chapter 41: Reluctantly giving up one¡¯s treasure
Li Chang Le keenly smelling something was off, quickly said: "Meimei is really confused, forgetting what you have sent.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s ck and white eyes revealed a trace of surprise: ¡°Dajie, what I gave to Dage in return is a jade green ink stone,¡± after saying that, her eyes fell on the beautiful mandarin ducks pouch on Li Min Feng¡¯s waist, said: ¡°Is this not the pouch that Dage is talking about?¡±
Li Min Feng¡¯s expression abruptly changed: ¡°Since Sanmei did not send it, then I must have remembered it wrong.¡±
Li Wei Yang has already approached him, suddenly pointed to the pouch on his waist, said with surprise: ¡°Aiya, isn¡¯t this pouch Zi Yan¡¯s?¡± then turning her head, with a faint smile at Zi Yan, said: ¡°Your embroidery and Ping Cheng¡¯s second Xiaojie¡¯s nimble embroidery are the same, exquisite stitches, bright harmonious colours, in our prime minister¡¯s residence, there is no other who can do that.¡±
Everyone was surprised, Li Chang Ru said in a muffled voice: "What is this, how could the main brother carry a pouch made by a maid?!¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s face fell, secretly using her master¡¯s name to send a pouch, this maid¡¯s courage is too much!
Zi Yan turned pale, knelt on the floor with a thud, trembling: ¡°Nubi, Nubi was following San Xiaojie¡¯s instructions in sending the pouch¡¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at the pouch, sighed and said: "If you and Dage have fallen in love just say it, why do you know the nk road darkness? I am brother''s sister, even if I want to send a pouch, I should send a Peng bird Or Golden Toad, to send mandarin ducks paddling, what is that?
Zi Yan suddenly understood everything, San Xiaojie already knew that she would send a pouch with the significance of love, and is sure that the young master would receive it, only it was herself who did not think otherwise, therefore falling into the enemy¡¯s trap! But now it is to
ote for regrets!
Not only Lao Furen, even the expression on Da Furen¡¯s face is unpleasant. The young master is not married, yet he became interested in his sister¡¯s maid Zi Yan, causing people to unconsciously doubt his character. Da Furen coldly said: ¡°Min Feng, You¡¯re too outrageous! You dare to ept other people¡¯s stuff!¡±
Li Min Feng nced at Zi Yan, but did not panic too much, ¡°Mother, I did not think much of it, just saw that the pouch is pretty, therefore I epted it.¡±
Redeeming himself cleanly? You wish! Li Wei Yang¡¯s face revealed rebuke: ¡°Dage, don¡¯t be embarrassed, your generosity to me, I did not know how to thank, since Dage like Zi Yan this maid, obviously I will help you attain your wish.¡± On saying this, she nced at Zi Yan.
Li Min Feng look as usual: ¡°I appreciate your kindness, but----¡°
Li Wei Yang is full of smiles: ¡°What is Dage saying, you¡¯re such a smart person, how could you not guess that the gift was sent by Zi Yan, if you didn¡¯t like her, why would you carry the pouch with you!¡±
Li Min Feng was surprised for a moment, he only carry the pouch in order for Zi Yan to confidentlyplete the tasks for him, never thought that it would be a weapon for Li Wei Yang to use against him, sneered and said: ¡°San Meimei sure is clever, hearing your words, mean that you even know what is in my heart!¡± His wordsck confidence, how to say that he did not have an intention towards Zi Yan, this is not some honest situation.
Li Chang Le frowned, said: ¡°Sanmei, it¡¯s just a misunderstanding, don¡¯t think too much on it.¡±
Li Wei Yangughed and said: ¡°Dajie, Zi Yan apanied me to the capitol from the far away Ping City, I have an obligation to find a good home for her. Since Dage like her, and she is infatuated, I sincerely want to grant their wish.¡± She looked at the frowning Li Min Feng: ¡°Although Zi Yan is of low status, however being the fragrant added to Dage¡¯s red sleeve is more than enough, Dage has epted her token of affection, you cannot trample on her feelings, it is not good if this spread out.¡±
San Furen smile slightly, lowered her head to drink tea.
Da Furen¡¯s face is so gloomy it might rain, Er Furen has listened for a long time, nowughing and said: ¡°Really need to congratte Feng er, I see that this girl is not only born beautiful but also very clever, it¡¯s very rare ah.¡±
Li Chang Ru also echoed: ¡°Yes, Zi Yan is a clever girl,st time I asked Sanmei for her, but Sanmei is not willing! This time Dage has gotten quite the deal!¡±
Shitty deal! Da Furen¡¯s brows are twitching, her eyes chilly, Lao Ye really dislikes young masters of the
house fooling around with maids, with this return Li Min Feng became interested in a maid from his sister¡¯s house, Lao Ye would be furious! But Li Min Feng clearly knew that one who sent the pouch is Zi Yan, not sure why he actually epted the pouch, causing Da Furen to be puzzled and distressed: ¡°This girl is well-behaved and clever,e with me first, after she is taught then she can be sent to Xiuzhu house.¡±
No matter what, definitely cannot let this vixen into her son¡¯s house! Da Furen has made up her mind!
¡°In that case, Mother please instruct Zi Yan properly.¡± Li Wei Yang nced at Li Min Feng: ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Dage treating me so well, such a sweet and obedient girl like Zi Yan, I would definitely not let her up!.¡±
Li Min Feng looked at her coldly: "then I thank Sanmei." Since sess will naturallye soon, leaving Zi Yan at Li Wei Yang¡¯s side is not of much use.
Zi Yan was listening, her face showing happiness. Regardless of San Xiaojie¡¯s intention, she has finally gotten her wish of entering the young master¡¯s house!
Li Min Feng is annoyed, but upon thinking that Li Wei Yang will soon pay for her own behavior, the smile on his face deepen, setting aside the current matter, she turned to Li Chang Le and winked at her.
Li Chang Le understood, smiled and walked over, picked up the tea cup beside Lao Furen: ¡°Lao Furen, please have some tea.¡±
Lao Furen subconsciously ept it, Li Chang Le¡¯s hand slipped, suddenly cried out, the cup fell to the ground, broken with tea spilt on the floor!
The sound shocked everyone in the room.
Already a maid has rushed over, nimbly picking up the broken pieces. Li Chang Le looked embarrassed, would lower herself to bend down, as if to help, scaring the maids.
At this time, Li Chang Le suddenly cried out, picked up a piece of the debris from the ground, said: ¡°What is this?¡±
The maid, Lv Xin,ughed: ¡°Responding to Da Xiaojie, this is the red ginseng that Lao Furen normally eats.¡±
Red ginsengs are precious, not only restoring vitality, blood, but also calms the mind, although the taste is bitter, normally red ginseng are stewed together with duck soup, or cut the red ginseng into thin slices, to drink with tea. This point, Li Chang Le clearly know, yet why did she ask? Everyone thought it was weird.
Li Chang Le seems to wish to say something but having second thought, the slice of red ginseng clenched tightly in her hands, Lao Furen looked at her, said: ¡°What is it?¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s arched eyebrows frown slightly, disturbed: ¡°This is not a red ginseng slice, this is Suzi.¡±
Li Wei Yang heard it, her eyes suddenly turning cold, it finally came!
Chapter 42
Chapter 42: Sell Someone Out In Hopes of Winning Favor
Once everyone had heard, they were shocked and horrified. Da Furen was the first person to react: ¡°Suzi? This is clearly the red ginseng Lao Furen often uses! Chang Le, you are only a child, do not speak without thinking!¡±
Li Chang Le spoke decisively as if hammering a nail into a post: ¡°Red ginseng is also readily avable at my ce. How could I not know? These things are obviously not red ginseng!¡±
Everyone¡¯s gazes were fixated on her hand, but from the moment the red ginseng was added to water to when it had fallen onto the ground, how could anyone recognize what it was now? Yet, Li Chang Le firmly insisted that this was the case.
Li Wei Yang coldly looked at her, not saying a word.
Li Min Feng stood. His expression became as cold as ice: ¡°Lu Xin, why have you not fallen to your knees!¡±
Stunned, servant Lu Xin instinctively dropped to her knees. Li Min Feng¡¯s expressions were unsightly: ¡°Yatou, Lao Furen trusts you the most, leaving tea and refreshments in your care. Yet, you dare to secretly rece Lao Furen¡¯s red ginseng!¡±
Lu Xin did not know how to respond. Her face was ashen pale: ¡°Da Shaoye, nubi did not do such a thing! How could nubi dare to steal Lao Furen¡¯s possessions, even if nubi was given a greater liver, nubi would still not dare to do so!¡±*
Da Furen saw the situation and understood. The corner of her lips curved into a subtle smile that could not be easily discovered: ¡°Feng er, Lu Xin has served Lao Furen for many years. I trust Lu Xin would not do this. It is best if this matter is investigated further to see who else had stepped foot into the tea room.¡±
Lu Xin was taken aback, then raised her head, but did not dare to look in Li Wei Yang¡¯s direction.
Aside from San Xiaojie, no one else could havee in contact with Lao Furen¡¯s tea! But the situation at hand ---
Li Wei Yang smiled softly: ¡°There is no need for further investigation, Mother. Aside from Lu Xin, regarding tea and refreshments, there is no one who could havee in contact with Lao Furen¡¯s tea other myself.¡±
Everyone¡¯s expressions changed, and in a sh, they had be astute.
Da Furen spoke: ¡°How can this be? Chang Le, you just said that this was not red ginseng but suzi?¡±
Li Chang Le asserted: ¡°I can confirm that it is not the treasured red ginseng in this cup of tea but rather Suzi, which has a simr appearance.¡±
Li Chang Xi curiously asked: ¡°What is suzi?¡±
Li Min Feng dismissively exined: ¡°Suzi is clearly not something of great value and cannotpare to red ginseng!¡±
v>
Li Chang Xi revealed an expression of shock: ¡°This does not need to be said! San jie jie secretly stole and reced Lao Furen¡¯s red ginseng?! Aiya, San Jiejie, how could you do something like this?¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly looked at her: ¡°Wu mei, this has yet to be thoroughly investigated. Kindly refrain from ndering me!¡±
¡°San jie, since when did I speak ill of you? Don¡¯t you see? Once this is spread out to the public, everyone will say we sisters are at odds with one another!¡± Li Chang Xi¡¯s mouth jutted out due to the severe swelling. The scar on her face was covered by a thickyer of powder but a dull light still shone through. She turned her head to face everyone, raising her voice: ¡°Lao Furen, Mother, I had good intentions and only said a couple words, yet San Jiejie has treated me this way! Faced with such a great injustice¡ I do not know who I can tell!¡±
¡°That can be discussed at ater time. San mei, exin the matter with red ginseng!¡± Li Min Feng¡¯s gaze was cold.
Er Furen nced at Li Wei Yang, who had yet to speak up. San Furen furrowed her brows: ¡°The matter must still be thoroughly investigated before any conclusions are made. Do not wrongly use an innocent person.¡± She had also noticed a motive and scheme amongst them, and this scheme was directed at none other than Li Wei Yang.
Li Chang Xi was satisfied. Li Wei Yang, that lowly girl, today was the day we shall see how capable she was!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions did not change, slightly smiling as she told Li Min Feng: ¡°Da ge, Da ge is certain that everything lies within your hand, yet there are deities three meters above your head. Da ge is willing to say that I stole Lao Furen¡¯s red ginseng?¡±
Li Min Feng¡¯s expressions steeled, ¡°Whether or not that is true, you should clearly know! Red ginseng is invaluable, more so than gold, but suzi is rather cheap. Even if you were short on money, you should not resort to thievery! Lao Furen enjoys the delicacy of duck. Red ginseng needs to be used with duck soup in order to have medicinal benefits to improve vitality. When used with duck soup, Suzi will create toxins instead. You clearly intended to take Lao Furen¡¯s life!¡± Having said this, he looked around him once and said: ¡°Whoever is also involved in this matter cannot be forgiven and must be dealt with harshly!¡±
At that moment, Zi Yan dropped to her knees: ¡°Lao Furen, spare my life! Lao Furen, spare my life! It was xiaojie who stole the red ginseng, but nubi was not aware of this at first!¡±
This was too --- Li Wei Yang coldly stared at the person seemingly reenacting a ssical drama before her eyes, a cold sneer ying across her lips went unnoticed.
Li Min Feng feigned surprise: ¡°Zi Yan, what did you discover?¡±
Zi Yan wiped away her tears, brimming with regret: ¡°Xiaojie¡ Xiaojie had no choice! Going back and forth led expenses to a
dd up everywhere. Given the monthly allowance, xiaojie was truly in need of money. Xiaojie had to shoulder this burden. That is why she quietly stole Lao Furen¡¯s red ginseng and reced it with suzi. I ask that Lao Furen forgive Xiaojie!¡±
Lao Furen was stunned to hear this. In her mind, she recalled something Luo Mumu had said. When it came to San Xiaojie, she was only rewarded a single set of coins. Lao Furen momentarily became blinded with rage. That child did not respect her at all!
Li Wei Yang smiled slowly: ¡°Zi Yan, you truly are a good servant of mine!¡±
Li Min Feng began to speak: ¡°San mei, the suspect and evidence have been gathered in one ce. What more does San mei wish to deny? Aside from San mei, who else would do such a shameless thing like this? If San mei does not have enough money, you could speak to Mother or speak to me, how could you touch Lao furen¡¯s possessions!¡±
¡°It seems only a couple words from Da jie and a servant are enough to prove my crimes.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled softly, her expressions unwavering.
Li Min Feng furrowed his brows: ¡°Chang Le is honest and well-intentioned. How could she possibly wrongly use you? And Zi Yan is also the yatou by your side!¡±
Li Wei Yang nced over at Zi Yan, slightly smiling: ¡°She is not the yatou by my side. She is one of your people Da ge, or have you forgotten, Da ge?¡±
Li Min Feng was momentarily taken aback. He suddenly understood why Li Wei Yang wanted to give Zi Yan to him.
His suspicions were confirmed as Li Wei Yang spoke without a trace of desperation: ¡°Since she is Da ge¡¯s yatou, she will do as Da ge says. I only fear that if Da ge says it is not the sun but the moon that is in the sky at the moment, she would go against her conscience and willingly agree!¡±
Li Min Feng coldly scoffed, saying: ¡°San mei has just given her to me!¡±
A cold, jeering light appeared in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes: ¡°But she liked Da ge first! Da ge, by only ncing over a couple medicinal texts, Da jie can conclude that this is suzi, and not to mention, Zi Yan is Da ge¡¯s yatou. Are their words truly credible then?¡±
San Furen who had been nonchnt and indifferent, suddenly spoke: ¡°Indeed, that is true. The words of a yatou does not prove anything at all!¡±
Da Furen coldly scoffed, ¡°Feng er, did you not see? You had good intentions to find the wrongdoer for Lao Furen, yet someone has thought unjustly for a good person!¡±
Li Min Feng was neither rushed nor provoked, staring intently at Li Wei Yang as he said: ¡°I was only trying to save face for San mei, or what little that is left. Since mei mei insists on denying this, then there is no need to hold back anymore!¡± Having spoken, he turned around, and said to Lao Furen, ¡°Lao Furen, please allow me to invite a physician to shed light on this matter!¡±
Chapter 43
Chapter 43: Irrefutable Evidence
Lao Furen knitted her brows: ¡°It is good enough to summon my personal physician---¡±
Li Min Feng spoke: ¡°An ordinary physician would probably be of no use, I heard physician Lin is a talent in distinguishing medicine, why don¡¯t we summon him.¡±
Lao Furen was hesitant for a moment; physician Li was known for being conservative and honest with a lofty virtue worthy of respect so he would absolutely not show partiality for either sides. The main reason Li Min Feng suggested to summon him was most likely to ensure everyone is utterly convinced. Lao Furen closed her eyes and continued to hesitate over the idea.
Deadly stillness overtook the whole room.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s delicate face was lit by the sparse sunlight that shone. She coldly smiled: ¡°If Dage can summon physician Lin, that would be the best solution. But what if physician Lin can prove my innocence, what does that mean about Dage?¡±
Li Min Feng brightly smiled withplete confidence1: ¡°Then I will kneel and serve tea to Sanmei and plead for your forgiveness!¡±
¡°Good! That¡¯s settled then!¡± Li Wei Yang quietly smiled.
Li Chang Le listened as her incisive eyes silently shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s face.
Soon after, Li Xiao Ran was summoned over. Once he stepped in, he saw Li Wei Yang standing in themon area by herself while everyone was seated. With a confrontation faintly forming, he couldn¡¯t help but felt a minor headache forming. What was happening again! He was about to ask for an exnation when Lao Furen said: ¡°Since you havee, then take a seat, we will make a judgment once the physician arrives!¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes swept across everyone¡¯s faces and ended up on Li Wei Yang, who was standing perfectly straight; his brows deeply furrowed.
In an hour, physician Lin finally arrived with his medicinal chest as he slowly stepped inside. What made everyone surprised was that he didn¡¯te alone, behind him was a young gongzi, who wearing avender bianfu embroidered with bats and a jaded hairpin crown. He was standing upright, his facial features handsome and firm; he was no doubt San Huangzi, Tuoba Zhen.
Seeing him, everyone was astonished for a second. Li Xiao Ran frantically stood up and led everyone to greet the prince. Tuoba Zhen helped him up as his face revealed a smile: ¡°Brother Min Feng and I nned on ying chess but he didn¡¯t show up. I felt worried so I trespassed your household, I hope Prime Minister Li will not me me.¡±
¡°San Dianxia, what are you saying, we should have personally received you.¡±
After all the small talk has taken ce, Li Xiao Ran took a seat wi
th Tuoba Zhen.
Spotting San Huangzi, Li Chang Le thought of what her brother Li Min Feng said as her face slowly reddened.
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes turned towards Li Chang Le; The Li family¡¯s Da Xiaojie, was not only highborn, she was also virtuous and beautiful so he couldn¡¯t help but fixed his sight on her.
Afterwards, he unconsciously nced at Li Wei Yang; luscious cherry-apple flowers, scorching red like fire, surrounded by jade leaves were embroidered on her dress. It was a strong contrast from her cool character. He didn¡¯t know why but this young girl gave off a mysterious vibe, and from her, he could also sense a rather strong hatred. But why was that?
Realizing he was lost in his thoughts, Tuoba Zhen knitted his brows. No matter what this yatou had in mind, he shouldn¡¯t be too concerned, because only Li Chang Le¡¯s status and beauty were of his match!
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t even want to return a nce back at Tuoba Zhen. To her, this person was even more detestable than Li Chang Le. But it was this obvious alienation that caused the self-centered Tuoba Zhen¡¯s to bepletely bewildered.
She didn¡¯t want to harm others but others tend to harm her. Since her rivals wanted to kill her, then they couldn¡¯t me her for being heartless! Li Wei Yang nced over at Li Min Feng, she said: ¡°Dage, don¡¯t waste any more time, let¡¯s start.¡±
Li Min Feng coldly smiled, he turned around and respectfully said to Tuoba Zhen: ¡°I ask that San Huangzi be our witness.¡±
Tuoba Zhen lightly nodded.
Li Min Feng walked over to physician Lin and said: ¡°Please take a look, what is it that is in the tea.¡±
¡°Okay, let me take a look,¡± physician Lin said.
Li Min Feng pointed at a broken piece of red ginseng scattered on the floor, he said: ¡°The thing hasn¡¯t been cleaned away yet, we shoulde over here and take a look, no one has touched it either ¡¡¡±
Physician Lin nodded and then marched over, he bowed over as he began to seriously distinguish the medicine. Everyone¡¯s eyes widened as they witnessed the scene.
As the examination was still happening, Li Min Feng has already started to say: ¡°Sanmei, you should admit that you are guilty before it is toote, once physician Lin testifies, it will make you feel even worse.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her handsome brother and she coldlyughed on the inside. He was still young and hasn¡¯t attended court so he wasn¡¯t too familiar with the schemes and tricks within the harem. If he was ten years more experienced, he would ensure there were no mistakes in his n: ¡°Dage, I didn¡¯t do it!¡±
Li Min Feng looked at Wei Yang and smiled, his eyes filled with brutality that shouldn¡¯t appear in a young man¡¯s eyes. He then stared at Zi Yan, ¡°What other evidence do you have?!¡±
Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Reverse the course of events
Li Min Feng settled his thoughts, he knew that Zi Yan definitely ced the gold and the remnants of red ginseng that he prepared in Li Wei Yang¡¯s yuanzi. They only have to find it then Li Wei Yang could say whatever but it would be of no use.
It was cruel to treat her this way but who told her to climb to a significant position in Lao Furen¡¯s heart and who told her to be this obedient? In Li Min Feng¡¯s heart, he only considered his own birth mother and his legitimate sister Li Chang Le as people, his other half-siblings are merely ants. This ant that dares to threaten their authority should, of course, pay a price! Li Wei Yang, even if you don¡¯t die, you would still be kicked out of the Li family!
Li Xiao Ran frowned, Wei Yang was only the daughter of a concubine and she was also very unlucky. If she really did stole Lao Furen¡¯s things, they can handle this personally. He was thinking this as he lowered his head to sip his tea and allowed Li Min Feng to continue.
At this moment, only San Furen warmly said: ¡°I believe Wei Yang is innocent, she is not this type of person.¡±
Li Wei Yang turned her head towards the tranquil San Furen and smiled: ¡°Thank you Sanshen, it is a shame that you are the only one that believe me, father and mother, both think I am at fault.¡± Afterwards, she looked towards Li Min Feng, what was left in her eyes was icy coldness, ¡°Dage, I am also you sister, although I am not born from Da Furen, but you and I are flowing with the same blood, why do you treat me with such aggression?¡±
Li Min Feng calmly spoke: ¡°Sanmei, don¡¯t say such meaningless words again, I won¡¯t pity you and disregard what¡¯s right from wrong!¡±
Right from wrong? Li Wei Yangughed on the inside.
Li Chang Le softly said: ¡°Sanmei, what Dage doing is for your sake.¡±
Li Wei Yang turned towards her and coldly said: ¡°For my sake? Then why don¡¯t I see him treat Dajie unjustly? How can there be such a brother in this world? To use every means to frame her sister as a thief!¡±
Li Chang Le was startled and passively spoke: ¡°If Sanmei is really honestly selfless, then why don¡¯t we send people to search your room, if Da ge has wronged you, I will definitely make him beg for your forgiveness.¡±
Li Min Feng icily smiled: ¡°Chang Le, can¡¯t you see, Sanmei is feeling guilty.¡±
Li Wei Yang stared at him and then suddenly chuckled and then looked over at thepletely silent Li Xiao Ran: ¡°Father, do you also think this is of my doing?¡±
¡°Listening to your Da ge¡¯s exnation, it does sound like such.¡± Li Xiao Ran calmly spoke.
Li Min Feng nodded his head: &ld
quo;Father, if you can confirm this matter in a moment, then you should remove Sanmei from our pedigree and kick her out of the Li family so that she can¡¯t ruin the family¡¯s name anymore and cause chaos within.¡±
¡°Da ge, you are going too far with this!¡± San Furen frowned.
¡°Sanshen, this is our family (first household) matter, please don¡¯t put in a word.¡± Li Min Feng said nonchntly.
¡°I am part of san fang but I am also your senior, so I can¡¯t speak my opinion?¡± San Furen voiced.
Li Min Feng coldly humped and gave noment.
Li Wei Yang profoundly gave San Furen a glimpse, her eyes brought along a hint of gratefulness. Afterwards, she looked towards Li Xiao Ran: ¡°Father, are you really going to kick me out?¡±
Li Xiao Ran nced at her and ultimately nodded: ¡°Wei Yang, if you really did do something wrong, Father can only kick you out, and from now on, you will not be part of the Li family!¡±
Everyone thought Li Wei Yang would be panicking with fear, who would have known she would calmly smile: ¡°The real thief is the one who is the one who is using others, what is there that I need to be afraid of. If Da ge wants to search, then please go ahead.¡±
Lao Furen gave Li Min Feng a look, she prevented him from bringing his people to search but instead ordered Luo Mama to bring her people to search.
Li Min Feng coldly smiled, he only had to wait for the results now.
On the side, physician Lin was very meticulous; he picked up a fragment and he smelled and tasted. Until he was finally done that he interrogatively turned his head and looked at Li Min Feng.
Li Min Feng felt joyous and leapt forward a huge step: ¡°How is it, physician Lin, this is suzi, right?¡±
There was a hint of oddness on physician Lin¡¯s face: ¡°Suzi?¡±
Li Chang Le sighed and said: ¡°Wei Yang, how can you do such a thing, look how this matter has turned into now, we even have to alert the physician, if you admitted your fault sooner, Lao Furen would have spared you ---¡°
Li Wei Yang coldlyughed and said: ¡°Dajie, the physician hasn¡¯t even give a final verdict yet, why are you so impatient.¡±
Li Chang Le brows furrowed, her beautiful pair of eyes filled with tears, she spoke with a disappointed expression1: ¡°The evidence is present2, Wei Yang, do you know how hurtful I feel as your jiejie ---¡°
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but gleamed: ¡°Dajie, why don¡¯t we first listen to what the physician has to say!¡±
Lao Furen opened her mouth and spoke: ¡°Physician Lin, is this suzi or not?
¡±
Physician Lin let loose a smile and pointed at the fragment in his palm, he said: ¡°Da Xiaojie, how do you recognize this is suzi?¡±
Li Chang Le leisurely exined: ¡°I¡¯ve looked into Confucian works and have read numerous medicinal books, so I recognized it.¡±
Physician Lin nodded, opened his palm to show everyone the broken fragment: ¡°The book on Chinese medicine describe the red ginseng to be found on valleys and fertilend, it seemed to be partly transparent with a reddish-brown color, but once in awhile would have a non transparent yellowish-brown clot, a vertical groove, ruffles, and fine root marks, the upper portion has an interrupted and well-defined ring pattern ¡¡ and has a bitter taste ¡¡±
¡°As for suzi, even though its shape and appearance is highly simr to red ginseng, but suzi is more rough looking, and has a speck of sweetness in its taste.¡± As he looked at Li Chang Le, he smiled: ¡°So Da Xiaojie has mistaken, this is definitely red ginseng, this does not have any trace of red ginseng.¡±
Those words caused Li Chang Le¡¯splexion to dramatically changed, she became flustered, ¡°Physician, you, have you mistaken ¡¡¡±
¡°Dajie,¡± Li Wei Yang smiled as a pitiful expression appeared on her face, ¡°Why is it that physician Lin said this was red ginseng, you seem to be a bit disappointed.¡±
Li Chang Le was rmed and struck dumb by the words, she turned to look at Li Min Feng. As for Li Min Feng, he was shocked at the very moment, ¡°Physician Lin, you must have mistaken.¡±
Physician Lin¡¯s face darkened: ¡°I¡¯ve practiced medicine for ten years, even though I can¡¯t say how brilliant my skills are but if I can¡¯t differentiate red ginseng and suzi, then I don¡¯t think I can still be a physician! Li Gongzi, please be careful of your words!¡±
¡°How could that be ---¡° Li Min Feng calmed again, still a young man, hearing those words, he brusquely turned and stared at Zi Yan as if he was going to eat her. He told her to switch the red ginseng to suzi in Lao Furen¡¯s tea when Li Wei Yang was not paying attention, how can there be red ginseng in the tea cup! Could it be that this wrench didn¡¯t follow his orders!
At this point, Zi Yan was also shocked, she remembered she did make the switch, how did it be like this!
Li Wei Yang coldly smiled, this crowd of people couldn¡¯t have imagined that she has already ordered Bai Zhi to watch Zi Yan¡¯s every moves; once she made a move, they immediately changed the tea!
¡°Dajie, you im this was suzi without any reason and as for you Dage, you used me of thievery!¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions revealed sorrows, her eyes surprisingly bright, ¡°This is for what reason!¡±
Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Taking control of the game
Da Furen suddenly stood up: ¡°Chang Le, how can you speak such nonsense!¡± As she spoke, she quickly shot her a warning nce and Li Chang Le was stunned as the pearl on her golden hair sp icily froze. She almost forgot how to breathe until momentster when she finally reacted: ¡°Sanmei, it is all Dajie¡¯s fault, you have been wronged!¡±
Watching their performance, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help it and shook her head. This type of fickle, two-faced personality, how could she have been that stupid in her previous life, it¡¯s not their acting that was good but it was her who desired family so they were able to deceive her.
Witnessing the scene, Tuoba Zhen frowned. What was happening?
Li Min Feng has always boasted his own intelligence and has never met with such setbacks, his face gradually reddened and he said: ¡°The people who were sent to search haven¡¯t returned yet ---¡°
He, at this point, obviously was hoping Zi Yan made a single slip-up and that the things ced in Li Wei Yang¡¯s quarters would still be found!
At this moment, Luo Mama led her people in, she bowed to Lao Furen and said: ¡°Lao Furen, Lao Ye, San Xiaojie¡¯s residence is very clean, there were nothing that we found suspicious.¡±
Li Min Feng¡¯splexion changed for the worse. On the side, Da Furen quickly rose and then slowly sat back down. She suddenly realized her pair of children has been put upon by Li Wei Yang!
Li Wei Yang smiled, her smile was splendid like flowers blooming in the spring, her body deflected a hopeful light making others difficult to direct their gazes elsewhere: ¡°Da ge, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s weird, why is it that you ordered Zi Yan to furtively switch the tea I brewed for Lao Furen but in the end it wasn¡¯t suzi, why is it that Zi Yan actually ced red ginseng and the gold in my residence yet they could not be found?¡±
¡°Li Wei Yang, you are making unfounded ims1!¡± Li Min Feng was very furious that he shouted those words.
¡°Dage, you thought you did a seamless job, but do you know, in this world there are no secrets2.¡± Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°I can only hope to see if Lao Furen and father will give Wei Yang justice. If father takes side with Da ge, then Wei Yang can pretend nothing has happened.¡±
Nothing has happened? Now that San Huangzi and the physician were here, how could he pretend nothing has hap
pened? Li Xiao Ran¡¯s brows furrowed to the point that it could be knotted.
Li Min Feng felt regretful, he realized that the sister in front of him wasn¡¯t as stupid as he thought she would be; he thought this small trick can make her die without a burial ce. The person that he personally invited was now his biggest obstacle, because there were outsiders present, his father couldn¡¯t be impartial! He originally was afraid that Lao Furen would prevent him from punishing Li Wei Yang, now this has turned against him! Li Min Feng wanted to angrily gnaw away his teeth: ¡°Wei Yang, what do you mean with those words, when did I wrong you, Chang Le just made a mistake and thought red ginseng was suzi, for the sake of Lao Furen¡¯s health, I identally mistaken you, if you still feel difort, I can pour you tea and ask for your forgiveness, there is no need to force father.¡±
¡°Li Wei Yangughed, she said: ¡°Pour tea and ask for my forgiveness? It was Dage who said repeatedly that if it is proven that Wei Yang was wrong, then she should be kicked out of the Li family, but now it has been proven that Dage was wrong, shouldn¡¯t it be Dage who should be kicked out of the family?¡±
Li Xiao Ran coughed and said: ¡°Wei Yang, your Da ge and Da jie were just worried about Lao Furen ---¡°
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Xiao Ran, a hint of chill gradually revealed on her face: ¡°Father, Wei Yang doesn¡¯t mean to force anyone, daughter only feels wronged, why is it that I wholeheartedly serve Lao Furen but can still be wronged by others? Yes, Wei Yang¡¯s status can¡¯t bepared to Dajie and Dage¡¯s noble statuses, but Wei Yang treats Lao Furen, father, and mother with respect, how can father blindly say to kick Wei Yang out of the family?¡±
At this point, he was rendered speechless by Li Wei Yang3.
She continued: ¡°Father, Wei Yang did not grow up by your side, but I have yearned to see you for years because Wei Yang believed no matter what happened we are still father and daughter, you would definitely protect Wei Yang, take my side and won¡¯t let others harm me ---¡°
Li Xiao Ran felt shock within his heart, looking at his daughter¡¯s delicate yet mournful face suddenly made him realize his impartiality went overboard.
Lao Furen has actually understood everything, she spoke: ¡°Wei Yang, if you felt wronged, then tell grandmother, if what you say is rational, I will definitely speak for you.¡±
Li Wei Yang heavily thanked Lao Furen and said afterwards: ¡°Da ge has a witness, Wei Yang also does, I ask that Lao Furen allow Wei Yang to
summon the witness.¡±
Lao Furen nodded and Li Wei Yang ordered Lu Xin to summon the person outside to enter.
As expected, after a while, Lu Xin bought in a tall and skinny, middle-aged man. Once he entered, he greeted everyone and on his face appeared to be an expression that wanted to tter others.
Li Wei Yang only looked at him once and then calmly said: ¡°Da ge, do you recognize him?¡±
Li Min Feng smiled and said: ¡°What is he, how would I know him!¡±
Li Wei Yang nced at Tuoba Zhen, her eyes revealed slight coolness: ¡°Of course, Da ge are only acquainted with royalty and nobles, so he would definitely be unable to recall a mere shopkeeper of Zhang Medicinal Shop. You don¡¯t recognize him but he still remembers you. Shopkeeper Gao, please speak the truth.¡±
Shopkeeper Gao¡¯s face showed uncertainty but he eventually opened his mouth to speak: ¡°Two days ago, a person who seemed to be a servant came to my medicinal shop and specifically asked for suzi. Because this is not often used, I thought it was odd so I asked about its usage but I got scolded instead. That person also gave me a piece of gold and told me if people asked about this I should say it was the prime minister¡¯s San Xiaojie who requested them; he also told me to say that San Xiaojie would alsoe here every month to sell red ginseng.¡±
Li Min Feng¡¯s heart froze, he originally viewed Li Wei Yang as a mere wench, he never thought she would be this difficult to handle so he simply asked his servant to do the work; he did take preventative measures to ensure the second and third household from getting ahold of evidence, he deliberately avoid sending his servant to their own medicinal shop and chose one that wasn¡¯t too eye-catching. Who would have known they could still make a small mistake. He coldly looked at Shopkeeper Gao, he said: ¡°A mouth full of rubbish, do you really not want your tongue!¡±
Shopkeeper Gao couldn¡¯t understand the fights within the aristocratic household, he remained where he was and revealed uncertainty of where he was at fault.
Li Xiao Ran frowned: ¡°Since you received gold to use San Xiaojie, then why are you testifying for San Xiaojie?¡±
Shopkeeper Gao¡¯s face was filled with joy but he remained silent.
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled: ¡°He is a businessman, of course, profits are the most important. Because I gave him two pieces of gold, he would speak the truth, Da ge, what else do you want to say now?¡±
Chapter 46
Chapter 46 : Kneel and repent
Such a big room, in the end it was frighteningly silent.
Want to use your own power against everyone else? In Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes, a trace of sneer came across.
At this instant, Li Wei Yang looked clearly into the cold-blooded eyes of the other side, suddenly thought of the painful moments when her own legs were cut off, unexpectedly there was a feeling of suffocation. No matter when, it was just herself fighting.
¡°San jie would not lie!¡± At this time, a hand suddenly stretched over, through her sleeves pressing on her hand.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s entire body was startled.
She turned her head, along with the arm in her hand to look, in the bright and beautiful sunshine, Li Min De¡¯s pair of eyes bright like stars, steady gaze, pure, full of trust.
This little boy, forehead full of crystal-like sweats, upon hearing this news, rushed to her side at the first chance.
It was strange, just earlier she still felt suffocated.
However at this moment, a whiff of warmth flow into her heart, when everyone was questioning her, suspecting her, even hating her, surprisingly this child stood by her side.
Warm,fortable, even ¡¡ lifesaving.
She fiercely grasped Li Min De¡¯s hand, then let go, quickly moving to Lao Furen before kneeling in front of her: ¡°Lao Furen, since Wei Yang came back, unknowingly adding trouble to everyone, please Lao Furen---send me back to Ping Cheng!¡±
Her expression, steady and emotionless, but in her eyes, there seemed to be a trace of crystal tears, all of a suddenly people dared not to look away.
As silence lingered in the room, everyone was holding their breath.
At this time, Lao Furenughed, her frowning eyebrows smoothing out, the corner of her lips lifting, the original cold expression immediately softening.
¡°Feng er, kneel before your sister, serve tea to admit your wrongs.¡± Lao Furen has made the decision.
Li Min Feng¡¯s express changed drastically, looking back in disbelief, only to see Lao Furen¡¯s cold eyes. He gritted his teeth, quickly walked over, as if using hatred as strength to pick up the teacup; he walked towards Li Wei Yang, breathing heavily, all the muscles in his face twitching, simply unable to open his mouth. Meanwhile Da Furen aside, her face has already revealed an extreme look of anger, if it wasn¡¯t for all of the people present, she would have probably rushed up and tear Li Wei Yang¡¯s face.
Li Chang Le suddenly turned back, face full of tears, looking pleadingly at Tuob
a Zhen.
At this moment, a trace of sneer came back to Li Wei Yang¡¯s face.
She looked at Li Min Feng, soon he will have to kneel down!
Just at this time, suddenly a slender arm stretched out, stopping Li Min Feng¡¯s movements: ¡°Brother Min Feng, men¡¯s knees are golden, can kneel before heaven, earth, king, parents and masters, what is the meaning of kneeling before a girl?!¡±
Third prince Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face is uncharacteristically beautiful among the colourful clothes, and what more eyebrows andshes are dark, causing people unable to turn their gaze away.
Li Min Feng was stunned, then stopped his actions.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes shift, quietly looking at Tuoba Zhen.
Tuoba Zhen was also looking at her, for the first time, he is really looking at Li Wei Yang.
Obviously enduring silently but restraining, very calm, yet one can feel that an impending explosion of fury surged through her body. She looked frail and delicate, but, there was no power in this world, that could knock her down. So contradicting, yet so harmonious, natural as if wisdom was concentrated on one person.
Tuoba Zhen could not help but think, there were countless women around him, some as noble as an empress, some as virtuous as Mei Guifei, some as elegant as Wu Xianfei, some as beautiful as Li Chang Le...however, someone like Li Wei Yang, this was the first time seeing.
That was clearly a begonia, blooming in this world.
Stubborn and beautiful.
Unfortunately, born frommon origin, too low! His eyes turned dark, of course receiving Li Chang Le¡¯s grateful look.
Everyone was shocked, third prince came out to save Li Min Feng, if Li Wei Yang still insisted on Li Min Feng kneeling to admit his wrongs, that was going too far!
Lao Furen looked at this scene, could not help but frown.
Da Furen let out a breath of relief, luckily third prince was present, very timely!
Li Wei Yang smiled coldly, not looking at Tuoba Zhen who kept staring at her, instead walked in front of Lao Furen, bowed deeply: ¡°Thank you Lao Furen for standing up for Wei Yang, however as Gege¡¯s body is precious, Wei Yang cannot ept it!¡±
Lao Furen lightly looked at Tuoba Zhen, her lips twitched: ¡°Then Feng er can kneel a night in the ancestral hall, as for admitting wrongs, Chang Le can rece her brother.¡±
The expression changed for three people, including the Da Furen who just sighed in relief.
The light in Li Chang Le¡¯s pair of clear autumn water eyes show a mix
of uneasiness and shame, she looked at Tuoba Zhen, clearly hoping that he wille to her rescue.
He could only help once not twice, Tuoba Zhen could only look at Li Chang Le with apologetic eyes, showing an expression of dismay.
Da Furen quickly judged the situation, between her eldest son and beloved daughter, she made a choice: ¡°Chang Le, you should rece your brother, admits your wrongs to Wei Yang.¡±
Li Chang Le looked at Da Furen in disbelief, who gave her a wink, she only feels humiliated,posed herself, looking at Li Wei Yang while holding that cup of tea without moving, finally came up, voice thin like a mosquito: ¡°Sanmei.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and looked at her, deeply inhaling the cold air, calming the burning fury in her body.
Li Chang Le slowly kneel down, her smile bing stiff: ¡°It is I and Da ge who misunderstood you earlier----¡±
Li Wei Yang lightly said: ¡° Dajie is wrong, it is not misunderstanding, it¡¯s wrongful treatment.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s ck cloud-like hair, eyshes delicate and charming like a half bloomed rose with water vapour, everyone who are present, suddenly seems to not have the heart to bear it.
Da Furen is particrly annoyed, her own beloved daughter raised meticulously, in the future will be unspeakably precious, but now have to grovel at the foot of a girl ofmon birth, even though in the future Li Chang Le will be noble and distinguished, she will forever unable to wipe away this mark of humiliation.
Li Chang Le almost could not conceal the hatred in her heart, lower her head further in embarrassment, ¡°Yes, treated you unfairly.¡± She paused, then continued: ¡°Please forgive me.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s lips were bitten red, eyes sobbing, everyone was shocked by her beauty, indeed, beauties are everywhere, but devastatingly beautiful looks are hard to find.
Li Wei Yang looked at her, saying each word: ¡°Dajie, I have never med you or Dage.¡±
I¡¯m dying to drink your blood, eat your flesh.
¡°It¡¯s just a misunderstanding.¡±
There will be a day when I will make you all perish.
¡°We are still good sisters.¡±
Slowly waiting for this to befall you all, this process, will be interesting.
Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes, then presented a toothy smile that revealed her white teeth, ¡°Please get up.¡±
Da Furen thought that all was over, but did not see, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes were filled with unspoken disappointment, watching the mother and children¡..
Chapter 47
The Princess Weiyang Chapter 47
¡¤
1͵¼¦²»³ÉÊ´°ÑÃ×- unable to steal the chicken, instead lose the rice- meaning originally want to gain something but instead you lost
Nv¡¯er = way to address oneself as the daughter
Er zi = way to address oneself as the son
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Chapter 47: Residual man sending gifts
Li Xiao Ran stood up and said: ¡°Now we are like a harmonious family, do you know where you are wrong? Talk and let me see.¡±
Li Chang Le shyly said: ¡°Nv¡¯er¡¯s learning is not refined, and has spoken irresponsibly.¡±
Li Min Feng look respectfully: ¡°Er zi was impudent, misunderstood my good sister.¡±
Lao Furen gently smiled and said: ¡°What wrong did Li Wei Yang do?¡±
Li Xiao Ran was stunned.
At this time, suddenly a voice said: ¡°Sanjie has a wrong.¡±
Everyone was surprised, all are looking at the boy standing next to Li Wei Yang, he is wearing a red gown, a moon white jade belt on his waist, a cheerfulness on his brows, that did not reach his eyes, slightly raised eyes, when he smiled, there was a beautiful look about him that people couldn¡¯t turn their eyes away, San Furen was taken aback: ¡°Min De, what are you talking about?¡±
Li Min De loudly said: ¡°Sanjie does have a wrong! Her wrong is that she is too poor, therefore suspected by others! If Sanjie had enough money, how could she be suspected by others to be someone who would rece Lao Furen¡¯s red ginseng to exchange for money? This shows that Sanjie is poor!¡±
This sounds like a child¡¯s talk, but everyone was stunned, including the Li Xiao Ran who had a face full of righteousness ready to criticize Li Wei Yang for being too unyielding.
This move of Li Min De¡¯s, without doubt was to aid Li Wei Yang, to avoid Li Xiao Ran criticizing her, while at the same time get a benefit.
Sure enough, Lao Furen could be heard saying: ¡°From today onwards, San Xiaojie¡¯s monthly allowance shall be doubled.¡±
Li Chang Xi suddenly stood up: ¡°Lao Furen!¡± This way, wouldn¡¯t she be lower than Li Wei Yang!
Lao Furen lightly said: ¡°Let this matter rest, no one is allowed to talk about today¡¯s incident.¡±
Li Wei Yang retreated two steps, keeping the appropriate smile for a granddaughter, already there was nothing to do with her.
Third prince still had to chat with the people, Li Wei Yang only made an excuse that she was tired and wanted to go back.
Just at this time, Zi Yan suddenly rushed out, chokingly said: ¡°San Xiaojie, bring Nubi back with you! Nubi is guilty, please spare Nubi!¡±
Since the conspiracy has been brought to light, Da Furen definitely will not spare Zi Yan, since Zi Yan was aware of this, could she be considered to be not as stupid. However, did she think that she was a phnthropist? Since she dared to betray, then she must pay the price. Li Wei Yang gently smiled and said: ¡°You already belong to Dage, therefore logically you cannot go back with me! From now on, serve him well!¡±
After saying this, she left without looking back, Zi Yan slumped on the floor, her face was of the color of despair.
Tuoba Zhen watched her walk away, a trace of smile appearing in his gaze. Li Wei Yang was it, he will remember her ...
Li Wei Yang came out of He Xiang Yuan, then release Li Min De¡¯s hand: ¡°How did youe here?¡±
Li Min De blinked his eyes, his long eyshes fluttering: ¡°Sanjie, you are in danger, I have to protect you!¡±
Li Wei Yang can¡¯t help butugh, squeezing his tofu white cheek, yes, slippery, feels good.
Li Min De¡¯s cheeks have been squeezed so much, to the point of almost bleeding, he raise his face, looking straight at her: ¡°Sanjie, how do you always stir up trouble!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at his jet-ck shiny eyes, when she initially helped him, one it was convenient, two it was useful, third was because he looked like Yu Li. But now, his appearance is outstanding, without the slightest trace of Yu Li, Min De, after all is just Min De.
Li Min De grabbed Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand again: ¡°Sandi, there are some rose dew prepared in the pavilion,e drink with me.¡±
At the pavilion, the wet nurse rushed out: ¡°Aiya my San Shaoye, you have finallye back! If you didn¡¯t Nubi will have to search for you again!¡±
Li Wei Yang felt strange, how did Li Min De knew of her difficulties? It seemed as though he was monitoring her.
However at the pavilion, Li Min De has already sat down, concentrating on eating the rose dew, the pink juice sticking on his rosy lips, making him look very handsome.
Li Wei Yang looked at him, the chill in her eyes slowly turning gentle, and couldn¡¯t help but touch his head, Li Min Deughed, looked at Li Wei Yang, his eyes abruptly lighting up, except he seemed to have thought of something at that instant, his head nted to the side, Li Wei Yang was taken aback.
¡°I am not a child.¡± He suddenly said stubbornly.
Li Min De looked forward to her: ¡°I have grown up, do not look at me like a child!¡±
At the moment, his fair skin, seemed like rouge were spread on it, his voice had a childish sound to it, only his look was solemn.
Li Wei Yang suddenlyughed, because of his childish words at this moment, only a child in this world, would say that they have grown up.
Li Min De saw that Li Wei Yang did not believe him, suddenly grabbed Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand, seriously said: ¡°I will be strong, no one will ever bully you.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s ck and white eyes blinked, finally unable to help it,ughed out loud.
Li Min De sulked, his Sanjie, had the most beautiful pair of eyes in this world: dark as ink, gentle as moonlight, as well as...solitary as the winter stars. All that he said, were all from the heart.
He was angry, because of her current disbelief, because of her disregard of the matter.
Bai Zhi was staring at San Shaoye, gently sighed, such a beautiful young boy, unexpectedly devoted to her own Xiaojie.
A distance away, Tuoba Zhen came out, through the corridor, suddenly stopped walking.
He was looking at the young girl smiling like a flower at the pavilion, temporarily unable to link her to the cold-hearted girl with ws in the main hall from earlier.
A young girl, clearly not yet grown, yet beared the uncertainty andplications of an adult, really interesting.
Behind him, Li Min Feng who would soon be kneeling at the ancestral hall, said hatefully: ¡°That damn girl!¡±
Tuoba Zhen turned his head, said: ¡°Brother Min Feng, this round, you were unwise!¡±
Li Min Feng originally only had the mentality of tricking someone, thought that just one shot would be able to push Li Wei Yang on the brink of death. But he did not think that instead of stealing a chicken, he would lose the rice, he lost face in front of the entire family, causing his noble sister to kneel and admitted wrong, this was an upsetting moment, unable to restrain but detestably said: ¡°There will be a time for her to cry in pain!¡±
Tuoba Zhen lightly said: ¡° Men should focus on the imperial court, rather the house, you should not participate in these unnecessary battle.¡±
Li Min Feng was surprised, silent for a moment, his expression changing, but finally said: ¡°Yes.¡±
Tuoba Zhen once again casted a nce at Li Wei Yang in the distance and smiled slightly.
That night, just as dinner started, Mo Zhu came into the house and said: ¡°Xiaojie, Third Prince has sent someone to deliver gifts for all the madames and misses.¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes, slightly displeased, Mo Zhu carefully said: ¡°Xiaojie, look---¡±
¡°What is it?¡± Bai Zhi nced at Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, quietly asked.
¡°A pot of Begonias.¡±
Chapter 48
This chapter is tranted by Ang. Thanks :)
1ÂÌ÷ÞÖìÑÕ: green temple, red face: referring to a young woman, a description of her beautiful face
2½è»¨Ï×·ð: presenting the Buddha with borrowed flowers: to win favour or influence using someone else¡¯s propert
3躹âÑø»Þ: hide one¡¯s light under a bushel- keeping a low profile
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Chapter 48: Mother of all on earth
This weather, warm air causing the flowers to release its fragrance, is not a novelty thing. Li Wei Yang frowned, watching Mo Zhu directing people to bring in the Begonia. One look at the Chinese flowering apple would know that this is the famous, unbloomed red Chinese flowering apple bud, a bit like rouge, while strewn about are some that have already bloomed, a dark concentration. The leaves also set it off well, light green and meticulous, just like green temples, red face1, letting peoplee across it as an unrivaled beauty.
Begonia, her favorite flower in her past life.
Back then in the pce, Begonias were often nted, at that time, she thought that the bright and beautiful begonias represented Tuoba Zhen¡¯s care and love for her, afterwards, she learned, Begonias are in fact also called heartbroken flowers, it is an unlucky thing, Tuoba Zhen, in reality, was very loathsome. Everything, was just a y, that he would send begonias today, it was really an exquisite irony.
Mo Zhu said: ¡°San Dianxia said famous flowers are suitable for beauties, has inadvertently disturbed all the misses, therefore presenting the Buddha with borrowed flowers2, to apologize. Peonies for Da Xiaojie, baby roses for Er Xiaojie, jasmines for Si Xiaojie, for Wu Xiaojie are----¡±
Upon seeing Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression, Mo Zhu became silent.
Seeing the begonias flowering like spitting fire, Li Wei Yang subconsciously reached out a hand, gently caressed the most flourished flower, silent for a long while before her hand stiffened and picked off the most beautiful flower. The color of that flower was especially bright and red; under the candlelight, it looked just like blood. Her hand slowly tightened, the petals twisted in her palm, then fiercely hurling it, the flower petals falling in pieces on the floor.
Mo Zhu looked surprised at this scene, Li Wei Yang said: ¡°The evening wind is strong, destroying the begonias.¡±
Mo Zhu understood, bowed and said: ¡°Yes.¡±
Bai Zhi cannot help but be bewildered, what Xiaojie was thinking about, they cannot even fathom....
Fu An Yuan
When Da Furen returned to the house, she immediately dismissed everyone, she snapped: ¡°Kneel!¡±
Li Chang Le was startled, she had never seen her mother with such harsh words and stern looks, that she forgot to move, until mother Lin reminded her, then she kneeled down.
¡°Do you know what you did wrong today?¡±
Li Chang Le at her mother¡¯s words, immediately realized that this was directed at the incident where Dage and her tried to framed Li Wei Yang, knowing that she has concealed her anger, then lowered her head, not speaking.
¡°Do you know, after all these years I have raised you with care, holding you in my hands, making you known in the world, for what!¡±
Li Chang Le suddenly raised her head, said: ¡°I know mother loves me, in this case, why did you not stand up for me, allowing that bitch to climb above my head!¡±
Da Furen¡¯s anger was hard to block: ¡°You stupid girl! How has mother normally taught you! Your status, how could you lower yourself to the level of a girl born from a concubine! Do you wnat to infuriate me?!¡±
Li Chang Le turned away, tears falling, stubbornly refusing to admit wrong.
Da Furen¡¯s heart felt extremely anxious and grief, practically dying, mother Lin seeing the situation is not good, hurriedly help her cool her down, also pour a cup of water, Da Furen took a sip, then calmed down: ¡°Chang Le, do you still not understand your mission?¡±
Li Chang Le was surprised,pletely at loss.
Da Furen sighed, and personally went to help her up, sat down on the soft couch and softly said: ¡°Silly child, from the very beginning, our family¡¯s hopes are on you.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s beautiful eyes contained doubts.
Da Furen said: ¡°You are the most beautiful, most intelligent daughter of the Li family, think about it, why are we so strict with you from a young age, why do we want you to be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and arts, that even in extreme cold or hot weather we would supervise you so you don¡¯t ck of?¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s long eyshes fluttered, said: ¡°Because father and mother have high expectations of me?¡±
Da Furen¡¯s smile is a bit mysterious: ¡°Did you ever thought of why even with your goddess-like beauty, we rarely allow you to appear in public? Have you wondered why even though many matchmakers havee to the door of Li Residence, yet we are not willing to marry you off? Did you not wonder that no matter what you said or do, your father has never criticized you, loving you as ever before?¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s expression, looked even more confused.
Da Furen sighed, stroking her hair, said: ¡°At this point, you still don¡¯t understand? From the very beginning, we have already decided, to let you enter the pce, let you be the empress, be the mother of all on earth, so that the power of Li n cannot be shaken.¡±
Li Chang Le was dumbfounded: ¡°But the current emperor already...¡±
Da Furen smiled: ¡°Silly child, His Majesty is already old, but he has sons, most importantly, all of his sons are outstanding, extraordinary, and most of them are of simr age with you. One day, one of them will inherit the throne, and you, only need to quietly wait for that moment toe.¡±
Lin Mama lowered her head, so, Furen has calcted such an idea in her mind.
Da Furen gently smiled, said: ¡°Think about it, an empress, must be a famous, noble, dignified, wise and virtuous woman, therefore we have cultivated you in ordance to the qualities that an empress must have.¡±
¡°But...but I---¡± although Li Chang Le has already guessed her parents¡¯ n, actually hearing Da Furen admitting it for the first time, she couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.
¡°The background of an empress must be noble, but cannot be a threat to His Majesty¡¯s throne and power. Which is why although your father is the prime minister, he hid his light under a bushel3, upholding the methods of the doctrine, unwilling to easily cultivate a faction, always agreeing with His Majesty¡¯s ideas. Other people mock your father for being timid as a mouse, but this is the real way of being a subject, those who stand out, are insufferably arrogant, in the end, are still exterminated. Now, do you understand why after the incident blew up today, your father repressed this matter and refused to me you.¡±
Li Chang Le listened, her face slowly showingcency, but soon her face drop again: ¡°But I am not willing to see that bitch pleased with herself!¡±
Da Furen frowned, thinking that her daughter was still young, in the end not understanding, then pointed out: ¡°Although I dislike her, I have suppressed myself to not make a move, do you know why is that?¡±
A thought turn in Li Chang Le¡¯s mind, hesitatingly asked: ¡°Mother, are you waiting for an opportunity?¡±
Da Furenughed: ¡°You¡¯re not too stupid, in facing an enemy, if you cannot hit the mark with certainty, then you need to wait for the opportunity. Your grandmother loves that girl, we only have a stroke of bad luck, in this provocation, did you not realized, even though your father did not me you, he is disappointed with you!¡±
Li Chang Le was taken aback, she murmured: ¡°Disappointed?¡±
Da Furen sighed, said: ¡°The most remarkable daughter in the Li n is you, but you are not the only daughter. If your father continues to be disappointed in you, then he will slowly give up on you.¡± She suddenly thought: ¡°Maybe Li Wei Yang is slowly forcing your father...¡±
Li Chang Le gnashed her teeth: ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, Father has raised me for so many years, that he would be willing to give up on me!¡±
Chapter 49
This chapter is tranted by Chau :) An extra chapter this week - enjoy this treat!
Chapter 49: Each Person Has A Motive
Da Furen smiled and vaguely said: ¡°Indeed, your Father certainly will not abandon his hopes. The n will not end with one failure, it will continue but the only difference is the person who executes it. If you cannot do it, there is still Chang Xiao and Chang Xi. If they do not seed, there is still Chang Ru of Erfang, and not to mention a bright and clever Li Wei Yang now. Whether it is the children of the wife or the concubines, it is only in name. The right to decide still remains in your father¡¯s hands.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s fingers quivered as a panic rose in her heart.
Da Furen noticed the effect it had on her and decided it was not necessary to frighten her anymore: ¡°To tell you the truth, whether it is Chang Xiao, Chang Xi, or anyone else, they are only stones used to test the waters before the Li family takes action. Once they grow up, they will be much more useful, but in the end, they are only stones used to pave the road for you. Do you understand? That is why you must not make any mistakes, and especially not to involve your Dage and bring him down with you.¡±
Tears seemed to be brimming in Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes. Under the candlelight, they seemed even lovelier and capable of stirring one¡¯s heart: ¡°Mother¡ª¡ª¡±
Da Furen gently patted her hand: ¡°You are precious jade and beautiful in this manner. Why would you be willing to be ruined by amon tile? I can bear with it; you can also bear with it and patiently wait for a timely opportunity.¡±
Li Chang Le lowered her head and did not respond for some time. Atst, she only offered a soft ¡°hmm¡± in agreement.
Towards the end of the year, Da Li was enveloped in a great snowfall. All the officials and nobles in the capital drank wine and gazed out at the snowfall in good spirits, but eventually, no one could smile anymore.
This snowfall hadsted over half a month and had be a snowstorm. Tens of thousands at the southwestern border were affected. Shocked, the Emperor ordered expenditures to be reduced, emergency relief to be provided, and ordered civil and military officials to devise countermeasures. Not long after, proposalsnded on the Emperor¡¯s desks like falling snow.
In the Pavilion, Tuoba Zhen could be seen wearing a deep blue changpao. The yijin and sleeves were intricately embroidered with flying cranes amidst the clouds with silver threads, whichplimented the golden, carved belt and pale jade ornament the color of bamboo. Even with a just a nce, his presence created asting impression, more so than for others. The ck chess in his hand remained suspended in midair above the chessboard.
Li Min Feng looked to him, slightly smiling as he said: ¡°San dianxia is still preupied with the state of the snowstorm?¡±
A strange expression crossed Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face. He smiled as he set the chess piece down: ¡°Not at all, the Crown Prince will address all urgent matters. I am only someone with too much time on their hands and is indulging in their wealth and prestige.¡±
Li Min Feng casually said: ¡°San dianxia, you and I have known one another for many years, yet you feel the need to keep things from me?¡±
Tuoba Zhen no longer hid his sentiments but only smiled vaguely and said: ¡°Min Feng xiong, it seems you already have a solution to the snowstorm in mind?¡±
Li Min Feng set down a white chess piece and casually said: ¡°Between this and that, there is only one way, and that is to open up the granary for emergency relief. At this point, bixia is prepared to close his ears to the world.¡±
Tuoba Zhen nodded, smilingly as he said: ¡°That is true. In the past couple days, Fu Huang has reprimanded the officials in court several times. He ordered that a countermeasure to address the source of the snowstorm must be devised in three days. It is a pity that no one dares to present their proposal.¡±
Perhaps they were not necessarily afraid, but who was willing to risk their authority and status for this. Li Min Feng did not say this aloud and only urged: ¡° San dianxia, this is your chance.¡±
Tuoba Zhen did not say anything. He was staring off into the distance, past Li Min Feng. Taken aback, Li Min Feng turned around to see three youngdies leading mumus and yatous through the long, curved corridor towards them. The youngdy and the lead wore bright red garments with exquisite embroidery of peonies, and every movement made was full of life...
The sides of the corridor were covered with an exotic species of plum blossoms in full bloom. The plum blossom scenery was awe-inspiring but was quickly blurred away in the presence of Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty.
Li Min Feng quickly turned around to look at Tuoba Zhen, and unsurprisingly, he was captivated by Li Chang Le.
In his mind, Li Min Feng smiled. In this life, there was no man that was not enthralled after having seen his meimei. Although Tuoba Zhen had a cold and detached personality, he was no more than amon man.
Li Min Feng raised an eyebrow: ¡°Chang Le, you certainly know how to pick the time and ce. You do not arrive early, nor do you arrivete. You choose toe at a time like this, causing San dianxia to forget about the chess game altogether!¡±
Li Chang Le looked to Tuoba Zhen with a reserved smile: ¡°There was a matter dying me, so I camete. Chang Le will offer tea instead of wine as an apology to San dianxia.¡±
Tuoba Zhenughed aloud and stood up: ¡°How can that be? Da Xiaojie is as lovely as this. Even if I had to wait an entire lifetime, I would still be willing.¡±
Those words held a meaning of their own. Li Chang Le¡¯s face reddened. Then, she remembered what her mother had said. Until it was certain he could secure the throne, she was not allowed to take any actions. She immediately rposed her expressions and slowly said down: ¡°These are Chang Le¡¯s two sisters, Chang Xi and Chang Xiao. San huangzi met themst time.¡±
Tuoba Zhen looked over Li Chang Xiao with a bit of embarrassment on her face, and Li Chang Xi, whose eyes were bright with admiration. He slightly smiled and nodded. They were only the daughters of concubines. There was no need to pay them any mind.
Li Chang Xiao lowered her head. She only came to act as support. Everything else did not require her to speak or participate, and she was not to divert attention from Dajie. That was enough.
Li Chang Xi could not hide the flush on her face. She used to worry that her scar would affect her marriage prospects, but yesterday, Da Furen personally came to see her and told her she must treat San dianxia well and offer her courtesy. In her words, there seemed to be a suggestion of a marriage arrangement, leaving Chang Xi overjoyed. Although San dianxia was not of noble birth, he still had his adopted mother, Wu Xian Fei, and her prestigious status. Even if he could not be Emperor in the future, at least, he would be a well-respected, noble prince with great authority! With such a good marriage, she did not think Mother would think of her, and her initial resentment suddenly subsided.
¡°Earlier, San dianxia was contemting the state of the snowstorm?¡± There was a fire pit for warmth in the pavilion. Li Chang Le¡¯s long eyshes were quicklyyered with fine beads of snow, her lovely eyes slightly stirring. Her presence seemed even more noble and brimming with extravagance, prompting others to want to protect her and grow closer to her.
Tuoba Zhen nodded, looking after everyrge snowke falling beyond the pavilion with a hint of concern in his eyes.
Li Chang Le smiled slightly, intending to make conversation, but then, she saw a girl in the snow, holding a bamboo umbre. Beneath the umbre, a young girl was enrobed in red, fur garments, whose presence was like intricately carved jade.
Seeing that person, in the blink of an eye, Li Chang Le¡¯s lips were quivering, but then she recollected herself. A light of dread appeared in her eyes, and in a fleeting moment, this vehement expression disappeared as if it had never existed.
Li Chang Xi furrowed her eyebrows: ¡°Li Wei Yang, what are you doing there?¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her head and nced over the people seated in the pavilion. Her lips slightly curved into a smile, and she deliberately came over at a slow, leisurely pace: ¡°Wei Yang greets San dianxia, Dage, Dajie.¡±
Li Chang Xi contemptuously peered over the cup of tea in hand: ¡°In this extreme cold, people are suffering from the snowstorm, yet you still have the mind to collect snow on plum blossoms. You really are inconsiderate and indifferent to their struggles.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°There may be thousands of principles, but piety stands above all. I am collecting the snow on plum blossoms for Lao Furen. Does Wu mei have something to say?¡±
Taken aback, Li Chang Xi immediately scoffed coldly and turned away.
Li Chang Le nced over at Li Wei Yang and gently said: ¡°Meimei, the weather is cold and unforgiving, you must take care of your health.¡±
Chapter 50
This chapter is sponsored by Christine G., Siska Siska, and Andrew T.
Thanks for the support! Enjoy this extra chapter :)
1Çã¹úÇã³Ç: used to describe how one¡¯s beauty can destroy cities and countries
2·çÉùº×à¦: literally means ¡°sound of wind and cries of stork¡± ¨C used to describe the fear of soldiers and to represent political instability
3¹¢¹¢ÓÚ»³: to keep something at heart and remember it
4ÑÃÃÅ: historical term used for building where government officials held a court
5Íêèµ¹éÕÔ: literally means to return jade intact back to the state of Zhao; return something intact to its owner
Chapter 50: Fishing in the snow
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled: ¡°Thanks for Da jie¡¯s concern.¡± Ever since she suffered a defeat at He Xiang Yuan, Li Chang Le seemed as if she has changed into another person. Not only did she acted gently towards her, but also acted courteously, and ensured that she kept herposure.
It was obvious that Da Furen must have given her a scolding.
Compared to Li Chang Le, Li Wei Yangcked the luxurious makeup powder, making her seem much more young and budding. But once Tuoba Zhen saw her, he thought of her being overbearing and confident in the main room. He couldn¡¯t help but notice her more and smilingly said: ¡°San Xiaojie, please sit.¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t decline and as if she hasn¡¯t seen Li Chang Xi¡¯s cold face, she sat right next to her. Li Chang Xiao furtively showed a genial smile, Li Wei Yang felt a bit astonished.
In the past life, Li Chang Xiao was the same as she was now, weak and goodhearted, obedient and understanding. Eventually, Da Furen married her off to Wu Huangzi (fifth prince) but since the mother of Wu Huangzi was of high nobility, she could only be a concubine. The main wife was domineering so her days were not easy. After she suffered two miscarriages, her mentality was slowly deteriorating and she became an abandoned child of the Li family. Seeing Li Chang Xiao¡¯s genial smile once again, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathy. She couldn¡¯t change everyone¡¯s fate but if there was a day when she gets rid of Da Furen and others, would the fate of this sister take a favorable turn?
Looking to her other side, she saw Tuoba Zhen smilingly conversed with Li Chang Le. Li Wei Yang unwillingly smiled, Da Furen was considering the crowned prince and Qi Huangzi then, once she weighed each power, she eventually gave Li Chang Le¡¯s hand to the powerful Qi Huang Zi. Who would have known that Qi Huang Zi was framed by Tuoba Zhen and lost his chance to the throne. Da Furen immediately used Lao Furen¡¯s passing away as an excuse for Li Chang Le to be in mourning and prevented the marriage. Until Tuoba Zhen actually ascended the throne, it was then that Li Chang Le was sent home. In the capital, she was already a twenty-five years old spinster, everyone was mockinglyughing at the Li family for keeping this beauty1 until she has be a spinster.
At that time, she felt very sympathetic for her, under Da Furen¡¯s pleadings, she often received her in the pce to help her rx. Yet she wouldn¡¯t have realized the most idiotic person was herself, they have fallen in love already, but it was because of the political instability2, they still needed her as a shield for Li Chang Le ...... thinking about it more, Tuoba Zhen had his eyes set on Li Chang Le from the start but because of his lower status, he was rejected by Father, and married her instead. Based on his personality, he would remember this3 and once he achieved sess, he eventually would win the beauty and eradicate the mockery.
Tuoba Zhen noticed Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were drifting away, revealing an absent-minded expression, making him feel rather uneasy.
Li Chang Le suddenly said: ¡°Actually, Chang Le has an idea, to resolve this catastrophe.¡±
Tuoba Zhen was stunned, slits of interest drifted up into his deeply quiet eyes.
Li Chang Le confidently voiced: ¡°In the end, snow disasters are natural catastrophes so they cannot be avoided but we can make use of manpower to resolve this issue. One way is to open the granaries and set up gruel stations outside major yamens4 in order to resolve this critical matter.¡±
Opening the granaries once again, hopelessness flowed out from Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes, yet his face still kept on an expression willing to listen respectfully.
Li Chang Le spoke at a normal speed: ¡°The second way is to have the emperor hold a worshipping ceremony and invite all officials and nobilities to offer their blessings. The pce will lead a charity with officials ying a part in donating. With the royal family and officials taking part, the nobilities wouldn¡¯t dare to back out. At that time, we can umte all the funds and resolve this critical situation. This way we can also reveal the emperor¡¯s benevolence and kindheartedness to the world.¡±
A hint of admiration shed across Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes: ¡°Well spoken! Da Xiaojie hase up with a great idea this time.¡± He thought about it and said, ¡°At that time, we have to ask Prime Minister Li to take the lead at the charity.¡±
Li Chang Le and Li Min Feng nced at each other and then simultaneously smiled: ¡°This is a definite.¡±
Tuoba Zhen smilingly said: ¡°Of course, I will ask the Crowned Prince to propose this to the emperor and announce to the world that this is the Li Family¡¯s Da Xiaojie¡¯s phnthropic act. Fu Huang most likely will reward you and Da Xiaojie¡¯s name will be known throughout the empire. At the same time, the possessions donated by Prime Minister Li will, of course, be returned to its owner5.¡±
Li Wei Yang softly smiled, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s reaction was quick. Since he still has to depend on the Crowned Prince, he couldn¡¯t get ahead of the Crowned Prince and directly offer the proposal. But if he stated clearly that this was Li Family¡¯s Da Xiaojie¡¯s idea, first, the Crowned Prince will give face to the Li Family and wouldn¡¯t reap all credit. Second, this would be a way to get on Prime Minister Li¡¯s good side. Third, Tuoba Zhen would most definitely find a way to ensure the Crowned Prince couldn¡¯t attend so that he could personally go to the catastrophe-stricken areas and be deeply respected by the people of the world.
He was very calctive, Li Wei Yang unconsciously gave a calm and cold smile.
Li Chang Xi saw that Li Wei Yang was absorbed in thought and coldly voiced: ¡°Seeing San jie¡¯s expression, could it be that you¡¯ve thought of an idea better than Da jie¡¯s?¡±
Li Wei Yang gave her a nce and calmly said: ¡°Da jie¡¯s idea is naturally good but it cannot resolve the critical situation themoners are facing, what the emperor iscking the most is not wealth but strategies to provide disaster relief.¡±
¡°Oh? What strategies do you have, let us hear them.¡± Li Min Feng raised his brows, this sister of his was raised with themoners, her skills in lyre-ying, chess, calligraphy, and painting were average, it can be said that she has nothing to show off, he didn¡¯t believe that she could offer a better idea.
Li Wei Yang deliberately revealed an expression of awkwardness.
Li Chang Le scowled, puckered her lips, and stared at her, her expression deeply grieved to speak, ¡°Every time we indulge in our extravagant lives while themoners have to lead homeless lives and suffer from hunger and hardships, it has be difficult for me to sleep and eat well, sister, if you do have a strategy, say it so San Dianxia can offer his thoughts, please don¡¯t keep it to yourself.¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly smiled, what sympathy for themoners, what difficulty in sleeping and eating well, you, Li Chang Le spends more than five hundred tael of silvers on a bowl of bird¡¯s nest, why pretend to be a charitable person here? It¡¯s nothing but to establish a virtuous name for herself and wait for the best proposal.
She coldly smiled within yet nothing was revealed in her expression, instead she smiled: ¡°To provide disaster relief, it¡¯s nothing more than implementing these few steps. First, we have to make a registry for all victims that need aid. Then, we provide relief to each registered victim to ensure the aids from the emperor are distributed among the victims of the catastrophe, especially widows and greatly sick patients must receive more of the relief, to prevent stealing and uneven distribution. Second, a reward system has to be implemented. We have to make the aristocrats supply relief to the victims without charge or sell food supply to the victims at a discounted price and in return, those who participate will be rewarded and those who do not will be punished. Third, set up gruel stations. This will be implemented by all major yamens where they will set up gruel stations for the victims. This is consistent to what the government has been doing for years, the only issue was that officials didn¡¯t wholeheartedly care. But if the results of providing relief to the victims are associated with their promotions, they would indubitably put in greater effort ---¡°
Everyone was initially waiting for her to humiliate herself, listening until now, they unconsciously revealed a stunned reaction.
Seeing Li Chang Le disyed envy and hatred in her expression, Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, the fish has been hooked by the bait.
Prev:
Chapter 51
1Ò»ÀÍÓÀÒÝ: to describe something good for all times
2»ðÉÕüë: literally means eyebrows catching on fire, used to describe one is in imminent danger
Chapter 51: Take possession and make it as one¡¯s own
¡°Fourth, reduce taxes. Dispatch a messenger to each region to announce a three-years tax exemption for all victims, this will make the people remember the emperor¡¯s kindness with gratitude. If we do this, what¡¯s important is not reducing taxes but showing the people that we care. Five, set up backup granaries. After relief has been provided and the price of grains begins to decrease, we will purchase grains from the farmers to prepare for future catastrophes; once the price of grains starts increasing, we can sell the grains we¡¯ve purchased to lower the market price. We can also use the grains we¡¯ve purchased to areas affected by catastrophes in the future, this is the once and for all good tactic1.¡±
Everyone listened and speechlessly gazed at one another as they were all stunned. Tuoba Zhen greatly apuded and said: ¡°Great! Great! This is wonderful!¡±
Li Chang Le still had the same usual expression, anger and hatred greatly appeared in her pair of beautiful eyes. She couldn¡¯t believe that Li Wei Yang could have thought of such a n, the most important part was she had to admit that the n was very rational! She couldn¡¯t believe it, no matter what she couldn¡¯t!
¡°Even though this Five-Steps Disaster Relief Policy iscking in some areas, but it inarguably is a great idea!¡± At this point, a person entered the pavilion, shocking everyone.
It was Li Xiao Ran, whose face was filled with joy.
After oveing his awe, Li Min Feng suddenly stood up and smilingly said: ¡°Yes, Chang Le¡¯s Five-Steps Disaster Relief Policy is definitely extraordinary, I¡¯m afraid she¡¯ll have to bepared to men of the world!¡±
Everyone was surprised, Li Chang Xi then jumped up: ¡°Yes, Da jie is awesome, toe up with such an idea, she is really an exemry role model for all women!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was confused but then stood at where he was and was silent for a moment.
Tuoba Zhen frowned, his gaze swept across the blushing Li Chang Le; in the end, he didn¡¯t voice a word.
¡°It was obviously our Xiaojie ---¡° Bai Zhi eximed.
Li Min Feng sternly reproached: ¡°Silent! The masters are speaking, you as a yatou dare to speak here!¡±
Bai Zhi was frightened by his words and his intimidating expression, she bewilderedly looked towards Li Wei Yang. Not only her, but everyone in the pavilion looked towards her.
Li Min Feng walked up a step, his handsome face revealed a hint of coldness: ¡°San mei, don¡¯t you think Chang Le is an extraordinary woman?!¡±
Taking the credit of other people¡¯s merits, this pair of siblings was indeed shameless. As for Tuoba Zhen, he had already lowered his head to sip his tea, the inner struggles within the Li Family were none of his business, what he wanted was the end-result.
Li Xiao Ran gazed at the quiet Li Wei Yang, a hint of regret passed through his heart, and then heughed loudly: ¡°Yes, Chang Le is amazing, even I as the Prime Minister couldn¡¯t resolve this problem yet it was easily resolved in her hands! She is inarguably a female Zhuge Liang!¡±
Li Chang Le lightly smiled, her index finger considerably brushed past her own beautiful skirt as she hid the mocking smile on her lips.
Li Wei Yang, even though you came up with this five tactics, so what, who would dare to speak out for you here?! Mother was right, you are simply a lowly illegitimate, you are destined to pave the roads for me! Thinking to this point, she gently smiled: ¡°Father, I don¡¯t deserve the praise, I am doing it for the people, there is nothing to boast about.¡±
She even had the impudence to admit it, Li Wei Yang almostughed aloud. In the previous life, half a month before Tuoba Zhen ascended the throne, the eastern region of Da Li was suddenly flooded; Tuoba Zhen personally visited the flood-stricken areas and she also apanied him. Facing an agonizing sight of millions of homelessmoners, fifteen strategists gathered together and came up with a n based on the situation after three days without rest. Only then, the n was in fragments, it wasn¡¯t fully systematic, but it was after pondering upon this that she came up with such tactics.
Li Xiao Ran regretfully glimpsed at Li Wei Yang, he couldn¡¯t have known that this not eye-catching daughter of his had such a brain, but ----- he had been training Li Chang Le for years, now was the perfect opportunity for her to shine, not only would this garner her attention from the imperial family, but it would also help her gain a good reputation amongst the people. If only Wei Yang was also raised by his side, if only she also had a beautiful face, then he perhaps wouldn¡¯t have neglected her hard work, but since the situation has gotten out of hand, he could only go with the flow.
Witnessing the end-result, Tuoba Zhen smilingly said: ¡°This being so, I will enter the pce and put forth this Five-Steps Disaster Relief Policy to my imperial father, at that time, I will ensure Da Xiaojie¡¯s merits are rewarded.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s brows rose, she smiled withplete satisfaction for the first time.
Since the start, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t utter a word.
Coming back from the pavilion, Bai Zhi was infuriated, Li Wei Yang looked at her and smiled: ¡°What has happened to you?¡±
¡°**£¬ÄãÔõô»¹¸úûʶùÈËÒ»Ñù£¡ÄÇÖ÷Òâ·ÖÃ÷ÊÇÄãÏë³öÀ´µÄ£¬ÔõôÄÜÈôó**½«È«²¿µÄ¹¦ÀÍÇÀ×ßÁË£¡Å«æ¾ÌýÈË˵£¬ÒòΪÎÄÎä°Ù¹ÙÃÇÏë²»³öºÃ·¨×Ó£¬±ÝÏÂÒѾگÁîÃñ¼ä£¬²»ÂÛÄÐÅ®£¬Ö»ÒªÄÜÓоÈÔֵķ½·¨£¬Äеļӹٽø¾ô£¬Å®µÄ¸ø·âÉÍÚ¾ÃüÄØ£¡¡±
¡°Xiaojie, how can you act as if nothing has happened! You obviously came up with the n, how can you let Da Xiaojie take credit for it! Nubi heard because no officials coulde up with a good idea, the Emperor has already sent out an edict saying that no matter male or female, whoever cane up with a n to resolve the crisis, if he¡¯s a male, he would advance in rank, if she¡¯s a female, she would be rewarded!¡±
¡°Oh, really?¡± Li Wei Yang listened but was not concerned at all.
Bai Zhi was always calm, it was rare seeing her fret: ¡°In the family now, Xiaojie only has Lao furen on your side, but Da Xiaojie is after all her granddaughter as well, no matter how much she dotes on you, she couldn¡¯t disregard Da Xiaojie and the others; she is also getting old, she can¡¯t protect you in the future, what will you do then!¡±
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t believe Bai Zhi would speak such words, she stared at her: ¡°Bai Zhi, I am really d that you are saying these words to me.¡±
Bai Zhi was on the urge of stomping her feet, ¡°Xiaojie, what time is it now, how can you not be a bit worried! Do you really want to be in imminent danger2 before you be worried!¡±
Mo Zhu was standing on the side, she tried to persuade her: ¡°Xiaojie, should we tell Lao furen about this situation -----¡°
¡°No need, Lao furen has been frequently troubled because of me, we shouldn¡¯t bother her with such trivial matters.¡± Li Wei Yang rose, she stared at the snowstorm outside her window and she slowly revealed a smile.
Five-Steps Disaster Relief Policy? Li Chang Le, slowly wait for your reward.
Tuoba Zhen didn¡¯t lie, he immediately proposed the n. Once the emperor saw it, he was extremely delighted; after hearing that it was devised by Prime Minister Li¡¯s fifteen years old daughter, he greatly praised the prime minister and promised that once the catastrophe was over, rewards would be given ordingly. Not long, countless schrs and musicians came up with poems and songs to describe Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty and intelligence as well as her patriotism towards her country and people. It can be said that Prime Minister Li¡¯s eldest daughter¡¯s skillfulness in literature and arts was iparable to her impressive feat, she will be entered into the records and be remembered throughout history.
Da furen couldn¡¯t hide her joy on her face for half a month. Not only her but Da Xiaojie¡¯s servants who had their allowance doubled, were also joyous, causing servants of the other households to envy them.
Amidst the shouts of joy, it was only Li Wei Yang who silently waited, she was waiting for a catastrophe to befall upon Li Chang Le¡¯s head ......
Chapter 52
This chapter is sponsored by Orne M.
A cliffhanger towards the end of this chapter - does Wei Yang already know what to do?
1ϹèÅöÉÏËÀºÄ×Ó: literally means a blind cat encounters a dead monkey; it is a phrase used to describe something happened simply because of pure luck
Chapter 52: Winds rising inside the house
In the evening, Li Wei Yang was about to tell her servants to prepare her bath when she heard cries in her yard, she frowned and asked: ¡°What is with the noise outside?¡±
Mo Zhu immediately answered: ¡°Nubi will take a look.¡±
Li Wei Yang thought it over and said: ¡°Bring the person inside.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Da Xiaojie¡¯s servants were bullying me ......¡± Mo Zhu bought in a little yatou who was crying and had the red mark of a handprint on her cheek.
¡°What is going on?¡±
¡°Xiaojie, hmm, hmm, hmm, it was almost time for Xiaojie¡¯s bath, so Nubi went to fetch some water. When I finished fetching hot water, someone pushed me and made me drop the kettle. Nubi saw that it was Da Xiaojie¡¯s servant so I held back my frustration and refilled the kettle. But who would have known that she would forcefully take it from me and gave me two ps; Nubi couldn¡¯t hold back any longer so I argued with her. Then, she held me on the ground and beat me, eximing San Xiaojie is a nobody, Da Xiaojie needs to bath, who dares fight with her!¡±
¡°Oh, really?¡± Li Wei Yang saw the injuries on the little yatou¡¯s body, it didn¡¯t seem like it was a lie.
The little yatou cried loudly: ¡°Da Xiaojie has always used milk to bath, she never uses hot water, as a matter of fact, they simply wanted to bully us -----¡°
Li Wei Yang stared at her, she sighed and told Bai Zhi: ¡°Give her some snacks and silvers.¡±
Bai Zhi quickly followed her instructions. Once the little yatou received constions, she wiped her eyes and then fumbled off; as she left, her shoulders were jerking.
Li Wei Yang calmly shook her head, she said: ¡°From this day on, without my instructions, no one in here is permitted to leave.¡±
¡°Xiaojie! How can you forbear anything!¡± Bai Zhi returned, her face still had on unappeased anger.
Li Wei Yang sat by the window with her cheek resting on her right hand, she swung her head as she looked towards the other yuanzi where performers were singing. Li Chang Le loved watching performances, originally Da Furen restrained her but now sheplied with her every wish. Apparently, this mother-daughter pair was too joyous. Li Wei Yang¡¯s pair of righteous eyes had on ayer of shadow under the candlelight, her tone lightly said: ¡°Bai Zhi, let¡¯s quietly watch.¡±
The progress of the development was contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations.
Words had spread that the Empress Dowager might summoned Li Chang Le, Da Furen and her daughter thought it was time for them to be rewarded so they immediately tailored new clothing. They seek the top tailor of the best fabric shop to personally bring them fabric of superior quality and they hurriedly made the clothes for the day they get summoned into the pce. Everyone thought they would be rewarded next but who would have thought within half a month, things had suddenly changed for the worse.
The Li Family didn¡¯t receive any rewards, on the other hand, Prime Minister Li was summoned into the pce by the emperor; the prime minister had his head down while he was scolded by the emperor. He returned in a bad mood, the first thing he did was rush into Li Wei Yang¡¯s yuanzi, he exasperatedly said: ¡°Wei Yang,e out!¡±
Li Wei Yang heard his voice in the room yet she was not flustered at all, she pleasingly smiled as she walked out and said: ¡°Father, what has happened?¡±
Li Xiao Ran forcefully held back his anger: ¡°What idea did youe up with! Do you know something serious happened at the disaster regions!¡¯
Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes and innocently said: ¡°Father, what idea did Wei Yange up with?¡±
Li Xiao Ran was astonished, he said after: ¡°This Five-Steps Disaster Policy -----¡°
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes sparkled, her face still had on an innocent expression: ¡°Father, you must have remembered wrong, this n was concocted by Da jie.¡±
Li Xiao Ran opened his eyes big, he suppressed his anger and said: ¡°What is the meaning behind your words?¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly smiled: ¡°Father, you¡¯ve said it, Da jie¡¯s excellent idea is matchless, she is a female Zhuge Liang, if problems arise, shouldn¡¯t you go and ask Da jie?¡±
Li Xiao Ran raged: ¡°Wei Yang! You came up with this n, now that problems have arisen, you have to take responsibility for this!¡±
Li Wei Yang brightly smiled: ¡°And why is that?¡±
Li Xiao Ran was very angry that he couldn¡¯t utter anymore words.
¡°It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t grow up by Father¡¯s side, so credits for my merits have to be given to Father¡¯s beloved Da jie, once problems arise, I have to step out and resolve them?¡± She eloquently spoke each word and each phrase.
¡°Wei Yang! How can you say such words! I am your father!¡± Li Xiao Ran irately voiced.
Li Wei Yang looked at him, her expression didn¡¯t show a trace of enmity: ¡°Then, Father, what do you want me to do?¡±
Li Xiao Ran involuntarily walked one up step: ¡°Of course, it¡¯s toe up with a countermeasure!¡±
¡°Father, I am merely a yatou who has grown up in the countryside, what kind of idea would I be able toe up?¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was soft and gentle, it seemed as if she was an adorable girl just voicing that she dislikes pearl but likes jade more. However, the words that came from her mouth made Li Xiao Ran even more angry, he told himself to not get frustrated, he needed a favor from her, he stared fixedly into her eyes: ¡°Wei Yang, Father knows you are doing this out of spite, but you can¡¯t do this now, it¡¯s because we used your idea that riots broke out in the regions. Even though soldiers are sent out there, but oppression is not a solution, you must have an idea, is that right!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Father, you have too much faith in me, I will say it one more time, I have no solution.¡±
Li Xiao Ran heavily stomped his foot: ¡°Wei Yang!¡±
Li Wei Yang gazed at his eyes carefully, she coldly said: ¡°Father! It is because you are my most respected person, that is why I am speaking to you here, even though I came up with that idea, but I am merely a thirteen-year old girl, what kind of idea do you think I cane up with? Instead of relying on me, why not ask the other guests of the residence! Or ask Da ge, a man of great talents! Or even Da jie, a woman of alluring beauty! Father has invested a lot of time on these people, now it¡¯s time for them to repay you!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was held back by her imposing manner, his mouth opened, his tongue twisted as he stared at his daughter.
How could he be intimidated by a thirteen-years old girl? Why was it that he felt that she had something that made him felt terrified? Why was it that he had a premonition whether he resorted to both mild and stern measures, Li Wei Yang wouldn¡¯t give him an answer? Perhaps, she really didn¡¯t know? In fact, she was only a child, even if she came up with the n, it was pure luck1. Now that troubles arise, she definitely wouldn¡¯t admit it ----- Li Xiao Ran no longer uttered a sound, every time he faced this daughter of his, he felt somewhat guilty and regretful. Even though those feelings were minimal, he couldn¡¯t not admit thatpared to Li Chang Le, the things he gave to this child was too little.
After a while, he said: ¡°You really have no ideas?¡±
Li Wei Yang eyes lit, her tone cordial: ¡°Father, Wei Yang does not have any solution.¡±
Li Xiao Ran vented his anger, he looked at Li Wei Yang to see what else he wanted to say, he pondered, he ultimately sighed and then quickly left.
Listening on the side, Bai Zhi was frightened to the point that her back was drenched in sweat. She really didn¡¯t know, when did her Xiaojie be this bold, she dared to speak out against Laoye. She was baffled as she continued to watch Laoye aggressively left, even though he puzzling walked out, it was most definitely -----
Mo Zhu carefully approached and said: ¡°Xiaojie, the winds are starting to blow outside.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Yes, the winds are blowing stronger.¡±
Chapter 53
1ÆÛ¾ýÖ®×ï: lese-majesty: the crime of deceiving the sovereign
2ÃÏÊÏ: Meng Shi: Meng is the family name, Shi referring to her family name
3ʱ³½: Shi chen: 1 of 12 two hours period
4¿ªÃűãÊǼûɽ: the actual phrase is ¿ªÃżûɽ (kai men jian san) which means getting straight to the point
Chapter 53: Just cheating you
Afterwards, Li Xiao Ran became terribly pressed, he had been busy all day long, suffering for five whole days.
Mo Zhu brought a cup of tea from outside, carefully looked at Li Wei Yang¡¯s face: ¡°Xiaojie, today Da Furen went to ask Lao Ye about the rewards, then---¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrow and looked at her.
Mo Zhu¡¯s lips tilted slightly: ¡°Lao Ye was really annoyed, that he even jumped up and scolded Da Furen severely! I heard that when Da Furen left Lao Ye¡¯s study, her eyes were red!¡±
All of this was as expected, Li Wei Yang sipped the tea, said: ¡°And then?¡±
Mo Zhu continued: ¡°Da Shaoye was ordered by Lao Ye toe up with some solutions; in the end, all of the solutions he came up with were rejected by Lao Ye, Nubi has inquired, maybe Da Shaoye became ruthless due to his anxiety, that he even said that Xiaojie you should be tied up and interrogated, Lao Ye greatly rewarded him with a p on the face, and chased him out of the study.¡±
Li Xiao Ran is a biased father, but not stupid, if he tied her up at this time to interrogate, then he will not gain a single solution, what¡¯s more, there is nopletely airtight wall in this world, this move is like telling the entire world, that the person who came up with the idea was not Li Chang Le. This is----lese-majesty!¡±
¡°Da Xiaojie seeing that Lao Ye is fuming with rage, did not dare to show her face. She hid in her own room all this time, even meals are quietly sent in! Heng, now everyone is scolding her foring up with those rotten ideas, causing great harm to themon people.¡± Bai Zhi just finished saying this, suddenly remembered that Li Wei Yang were the one who came up with these ideas, immediately shut up.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°That¡¯s right, those are really rotten ideas.¡±
These five methods, each has hidden danger, if not specifically implemented, is absolutely unperceivable. Li Chang Le has only thought that they were good solutions, took credits for it, and did not know how to fix the wed solutions. The higher one rise, naturally the harder the fall will be, after everyone who sang praises discovered that the established goddess was really a fool who leapt without looking, only let the contradictions broaden, the results are naturally painful.
¡°I heard that there is a schr who wrote a ragged verse on the back door of the prime minister¡¯s house, specifically ridiculing Da Xiaojie, saying she is an offender who bring disaster upon the country and the people. The steward has brought people to tear it up, as a result, some unknown person used red paint to paint it on the snow white walls, attracting countless people to watch, enraging her!¡±
Li Wei Yang listened with interest, a cute smile was on her face from the start.
Others who see would only think that she was a naive girl, on no ount would they think that she was the deviser of all of this. Bai Zhi secretly thought in her heart, her own Xiaojie ah, her heart was quite ck, such ruthlessness on making one move, Da Xiaojie go through this trouble, and what good reputation did she still want to have, even the children in the streets were singing nursery rhymes scolding her.
At this time, Li Wei Yang suddenly stood up, said: ¡°Let¡¯s go, to He Xiang Zhai.¡±
¡°Ah....¡± Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu nced at each other, confusion in their eyes.
¡°If I continue to be reluctant in providing countermeasures, sooner orter it would force Father to jump off a wall.¡± Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes, remaining calm andposed.
The next day, Prime Minister Li¡¯s mother, also first-rank titled Meng Shi personally sent a booklet to the Dowager Empress, the content of the booklet was a strategy for dealing with this disaster. Of course, only half of the strategy was there, the remaining half, was still in Li Wei Yang¡¯s head.
Six hours after the booklet was sent, a decree came from the pce, the Dowager Empress¡¯s summon.
Of course, the one summoned was not Da Xiaojie, Li Chang Le, but San Xiaojie, Li Wei Yang; for a short while, the entire house was in an uproar.
Li Xiao Ran hurriedly prepare and Da Furen, iming a headache, hid and her silhouette was not seen. Er Furen happily watched Da Furen shrivel, in an instant, thinking of her own daughter who had nothing for grabs, had curbed her enthusiasm. Only San Furen, had specially brought out some money, so that Li Wei Yang could reward the pce servants. Lao Furen¡¯s criterion was to order her own mamas who knew the rules well to give Li Wei Yang emergency training, for fear that in not understanding the rules of the pce, she would disgrace herself in front of the Dowager Empress.
In the room, Li Chang Le was lying in bed weak with sickness, since hearing that Li Wei Yang would soon be visiting the pce, she was angry and testy. She did not know what idea did Li Wei Yang eventually came up with, that she can be immediately summoned by the Dowager Empress.
Sunlight came in through the floral decorations on the windows, Li Chang Le mercilessly twisted the silk gauze handkerchief in her hand, as if she wanted to make a hole in it.
Tan Xiang came in, seeing that Xiaojie¡¯s mood was bad, could not help but feel afraid; she just thought of leaving, who knew she would hear Li Chang Le coldly said: ¡°What are you avoiding?!¡±
Tan Xiang trembled in her heart, packing a smile on her face: ¡°Xiaojie, the sunlight is not bad today, why don¡¯t Nubi help you out to the garden for a walk?¡±
With a bang, the famille-rose flower vase on top of the tea table fell on the floor, shattering all of a sudden, Tan Xiang was shocked and immediately kneel down.
At this time, the sound of people talking could be heard from the outside, Yatou Lu Zhu drew the curtain aside to enter, upon seeing the scene, what was there to not understand, she just lowered her head and said: ¡°Xiaojie, Luo Mama, apanying San Xiaojie are here.¡±
Li Chang Le suddenly sat up. Li Wei Yang actually dared toe here, if it was not for her, how could she has suddenly be someone cursed by everyone!
Li Chang Le at this point, did not have the slightest thought that if it wasn¡¯t for her intentionally stealing the credits for someone else¡¯s work, how could she be reduced to the point of being afraid to face people?
¡°Let her get out!¡± Li Chang Le just finished saying this, suddenly realized that this was not right, ¡°Luo Mama came with her?¡±
Lu Zhu said quietly: ¡°Yes, Luo Mama came with her.¡±
Li Chang Le frowned: ¡°Clean up the vase.¡±
This meant that she will see people, Lu Zhu sighed a breath of relief, bustled with Tan Xiang together to pick up the vase pieces, then Li Wei Yang could be weed in.
¡°Dajie, what is this, are you feeling unwell?¡± Li Wei Yang was in a good mood, her delicate face filled with youthful vigor. She was not polite, sitting next to the table, Tan Xiang hurried to pour tea, Lu Zhu went to bring a small table for Luo Mama to sit down.
Li Chang Le looked at Li Wei Yang with a forced smile: ¡°Howe Sanmei came to my ce?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, holding the cup of tea without speaking. Luo Mama opened the door and saw mountain, ¡°Da Xiaojie, San Xiaojie will soon visit the pce, in this short period time, we are unable to prepare decent clothes, Lao Furen told San Xiaojie toe and borrow one from you.¡±
The expression on Li Chang Le¡¯s face was twisted momentarily: ¡°My clothes---I¡¯m afraid it might not suit Sanmei. The materials that Dage brought backst time, weren¡¯t new clothes made from them?¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes, as if she didn¡¯t hear anything, staring at the jade green buds in the tea cup.
Luo Mama smiled: ¡°Lao Furen said, those clothes are too bright and beautiful, the Dowager Empress prefer in and demure ones, Da Xiaojie please grant this favour.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s anger and resentment were unbearable, those clothes were the ones that her own mother, after making every attempts to find out the Dowager Empress¡¯s preferences, had made especially made for her. Now she even had to hand it over to someone else, how could she be willing! She immediately said: ¡°Sanmei, I¡¯m afraid it will not fit you.¡±
The house suddenly quiet down, no one dared to make a sound, silent for a while, only the sound of Li Wei Yang gently putting down the tea lid, making a brittle sound, as if she did not understand the hint, just smiled: ¡°If it doesn¡¯t fit, it can be adjusted, Lao Furen naturally has a needlework master.¡± Then she paused: ¡°Or is it Dajie is afraid that Wei Yang will ruin it? Do not worry, Wei Yang is only borrowing it to wear for a short while, will return to you upon returning.¡±
Li Chang Le was reprimanded, her face turning blue and white, speechless after all.
Luo Mama said: ¡°It¡¯ste, Da Xiaojie---¡±
Li Chang Le breathed deeply and grinded her teeth: ¡°Very well, take it but meimei need to return safely.¡±
She didn¡¯t buy it, what kind of idea could a country girl have! It would be best if after entering the pce she would offend the Dowager Empress, and immediately be put to death!
Chapter 54
This chapter is tranted by Ang and sponsored by Jessica H., Christiine G., and Amy N. :)
1ϼàú-xiapei: a strip of scarf over ceremonial robe for nobledies.
2·ïÌ念½¡£¬¸£ÔóÍòÄê: variations of well wishes for someone
3Low ranking officials
4Öб¥Ë½ÄÒ: zh¨ng b¨£o s¨© n¨¢ng: lining one¡¯s pocket, meaning to embezzle public funds or other people¡¯s money
5Government office in feudal China
Chapter 54: To seek wealth
In the afternoon, Li Wei Yang apanied Lao Furen into the pce.
After days of nonstop snow, it was bitterly cold; even though seven or eightrge heating stoves were ced in Ci Xin Gong, it was useless, it was still unable to block the deep cold that came in.
Lao Furen was wearing a red knitted jacket with gold clouds, an embroidered lion mandarin square on the chest, there was a narrow serrated decorative edge on the cor with gold and silver buckle, plus the xiapei¡¯s1 radiance was glittering.
Li Wei Yang lowered her head, staring steadily at the three feet square of white jade brick on the floor, knelt with Lao Furen to perform the bowing rituals.
At the moment, the hall was filled with silence that even the ¡°swisha¡± sound caused by the rubbing friction between the shirt and skirt can be heard.
¡°Which one is Li Wei Yang?¡± The Dowager Empress with dignified face and amicable looks, slowly asked.
Li Wei Yang took a deep breath, stepped forward, did a grand curtsey, said: ¡°Dowager Empress, healthy body, pool of happiness for thousands of years2.
The Dowager Empress¡¯s eyes fell on her, smiled and said: ¡°Raise your head and let me see.¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her head, her gaze respectful, demeanor dignified.
The Dowager Empress looked at her face, nodded while smiling, said: ¡°She is a beautiful girl.¡± Then she said: ¡°The countermeasures in the booklet, were devised by you?¡±
Li Wei Yang quietly said: ¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Oh...¡± The Dowager Empress pondered and sized her up again, ¡°So young, with such knowledge, it is rare.¡±
Her gaze was clearly gentle, yet Lao Furen felt as if a meaningful nce was present, a trace of uneasiness rising in her heart, however, Li Wei Yang beside her, seemed to be unaffected. Lao Furen for a moment was unconsciously surprised. How would she have thought, that in Li Wei Yang¡¯s past life, such scenes were somon that she was already ustomed to it.
After they rose, Dowager Empress allowed them to sit, Dowager Empress had ordered the formality to be dispersed with, then chatted with Lao Furen, and did not bring up the issue in the booklet.
Li Wei Yang calmly looked at the white porcin with blue white tea lid, quietly sitting on the most right-hand seat, she knew that the Dowager Empress did not want her to be too proud, deliberately pressing down on her temper.
Soon, outside of the curtain, a servant announced: ¡°The Emperor has arrived.¡±
Everyone was busy getting up for greetings, the emperor entered wearing a bright yellow Kui dragon design, did not salute when facing the Dowager Empress, called out: ¡°Empress Mother.¡± He turned around and waved a sleeve towards the people who bowed and said carelessly: ¡°All rise.¡±
The emperor¡¯s stature was tall, in his younger days, he was also a beautiful man, just that through the years, the life of an emperor had added a fearsome quality to him, causing an involuntary feeling of dread in people. He sat down, his eyes naturally staring at the girl in the hall.
When Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze met the emperor; there was no ignorance, instead, her eyes turn mischievously, thenughed openly. Her eyes were dazzlingly glorious like ck diamond, with this turn, the emperor felt that in front of his eyes was splendor, he could not help but sized her up carefully.
Thirteen years old, although tall but obviously not yet grown, merely a child.
¡°Are you saying that the five policies disaster relief has a problem?¡± The Emperor asked, fixing his attention on Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang calmly bowed her head: ¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Speak.¡±
¡°Father returned two days ago sighing, he said he has lost imperial grace, unable to help share Bixia¡¯s burden, I see that Father was worried, I could not bear it, so I made detailed inquiries about the actual conditions of the victims, then analyzed Dajie¡¯s strategies, I discovered that there are a lot of oversights in the five policies disaster relief, if Bixia would like to hear, I will exin everything clearly to Bixia.¡±
The emperor never thought that such a weak, slim girl would speak methodically, could not help but be more interested: ¡°Speak.¡±
¡°The five policies disaster relief mentioned by Dajie, originally could be a good relief in disaster, however, Father has brought up to me, that the victims have riots, iming that they did not receive any reliefs, yet Bixia¡¯s emergency grains has clearly reached the disaster area. Thinking carefully, this trouble appeared somewhere within the process. The first policy is to register the victims, to ensure that reliefs can be reached to each person, but in the midst of relieving people in disaster area, Bixia and supervising censors cannot send the emergency grains directly into the hands of the victims, instead it goes down ayer, the distributing authority falling in the hands of the Xulis and Lizhengs3, they used the disaster for personal gain, concealed, misreported and lied to victims.
Li Wei Yang gently raised her eyes and discovered that the emperor was sitting straight, showing a reflective expression.
She continued speaking: ¡°The second policy is to persuade the institutions, so that wealthy households will voluntarily aid disaster victims, or reduce the price of grains for victims. Regarding the loophole in this policy, Bixia needs to pardon my offense, then I can say.¡±
The emperor frowned: ¡°I will not me you, speak.¡±
The Dowager Empress watched this girl in surprise, she was around a lot of princesses and duchesses, yet had never seen such a young girl capable of weighing things.
Li Wei Yang smiled warmly: ¡°Yes, the loophole in the second policy is that when Bixia has implemented the system to help, a lot of local officials secretly moved the original allocation of emergency grains to their private possession, then forced the wealthy to provide money and food, thus when local wealthy households feel dissatisfied, it is inevitable that troubles would be incited by the victims!¡±
Just now she was speaking of Xulis and Lizhengs, now even court officials have been involved.
The Emperor squinted his eyes: ¡°Are you saying that my court officials are lining their pockets4?
Li Wei Yang bowed her head, said earnestly: ¡°Not all of them, there is always three or four out of ten, the more ample the grains in the treasury are, the plumper the mice, Bixia is a wise ruler, you must have had a pretty clear idea.¡±
Lao Furen was a bit anxious, but looking at the Emperor, he didn¡¯t appear to have be angry, for the time being, he was quietly listening to her continuing her speech.
¡°The third policy is is to set up gruel stations. Major yamens5set up ces for gruel stations, giving gruel to relieves victims. When Bixia has hurriedly sent officials to deliver the emergency grains to the disaster-stricken area, the local officials have also set up gruel stations for reliefs. But even with adequate relief grains, there are stillrge numbers of victims starved to death. Such profound mystery arises from the local officials.¡±
Professing that officials were corrupted, the emperor¡¯s frown became more pronounced, could not help but be angry: ¡°Nonsense!¡±
Li Wei Yang immediately kneeled on the ground, but her face showed no sign of fear, only calmness.
It was just a bet, as long as she won, she would gain great benefits.
Lose, it was only a death. After all, she was given a life, what was there to be afraid of? Moreover, she understood the personality of this emperor Bixia, although he was short-tempered, he was a wise emperor, otherwise, Dali would not be so rich and powerful.
She bowed her head, did not say a word, just straightened her spine, expression steadfast.
The hall was still like the deads, in the end, only the emperor could be heard coldly saying: ¡°If you cannot say the cause, I will give you the death penalty for falsely using the loyal and upright people.
At this moment, Lao Furen¡¯s back was already soaked....
Next: Chapter 55
Chapter 55
This chapter is tranted by Ang :)
1Price stabilizing granaries: granaries keep stock of grains to help stabilize market prices in event of famines, to reduce the risk of merchants charging high prices for grains when there are shortages.
2Imperial mandate: is being conferred an honorary title from the Emperor.
Chapter 55: Light at first nce
Li Wei Yang bowed, she said: ¡°In order to share Bixia¡¯s burden, Father has specially sent a spy to the disaster-stricken areas to understand the situation. He said, those officials, upon hearing that the censors areing, immediately built a factory stove through the night, used a tall pole to hang a yellow banner, wrote four words ¡°bureaucratic gruel¡±, waiting for victims to assemble. When the censors arrive, they toll a bell to start distributing the gruels, when the censors left, they immediately dismantle the stove, the disaster reliefs have also ended. Bixia, not only are the officials lining their pockets, even worse is that they also mixed lime mud in the grains to make up the numbers, in the end even putting barks into the pot, the victims struggled to drink this kind of ¡°gruel¡±, to the extent that they are starved to death. Such reliefs, how can there possibly be no riots?¡±
The Emperor listened, dumbstruck, he had never imagined, that there was actually such things happening. He did not believe what Li Wei Yang was saying about the officials lining their own pocket, because he himself had sent three groups of patrolling censors and had been unable to uncover the reason for the riots, yet this girl had spoken about the matter so clearly and logically, if he had to force himself to think that this girl was speaking carelessly, it was impossible.
¡°Nothing came out when I sent someone to investigate! Not only the censors but also the pce spies as well!¡± The Emperor articted each word.
Li Wei Yang hung her head, of course, the emperor would not find out anything, because the evidence on the surface had been buried by the local officials and they had taken actions to suppress those victims so that they simply could not uncover the truth. But...these issues, each time a disaster urred in her previous life, she had seen them with her own eyes, these are all tricks that were habitually practiced by the corrupted officials and dirty clerks.
¡°Father¡¯s spy did not discover anything initially, because the victims are simply not willing to say anything, full of resistance feelings, then I suggested to Father to tell them to disguise themselves, pretend to be a mobster to blend in, of course, to make the other side believe, naturally cause some trouble...¡±
¡°You....¡± the emperor was at a loss for words.
¡°Fourth, which Dajie mentioned, is tax remissions. Bixia has proimed the tax exemption order, even dispatch it to the disaster area to administerfort, this is originally a good thing to appease people. But after the disaster has happened, there are some local officials who sped up the tax collections. When the tax exemption order has reached the disaster area, the tax collections process is already done, Bixia, your subjects, can only receive imperial grace.¡±
The Dowager Empress looked to the side at the clerk, the other side was wielding the brush energetically, recording the words of the Prime Minister¡¯s third daughter without reserve.
¡°Fifth is the ever-normal granaries1. Bixia, the ever-normal granaries have a reputation of benefitting the people on the outside, but on the inside is infringing upon themon people , the local officials who are responsible for the ever-normal granaries use the power of buying and selling grains to collude with the despots and unscrupulous merchants, to embezzle Bixia¡¯s relief funds, coupling with the usual deduction from the stored grains, measures that benefit the people will naturally be a dispute with the people, this system cannot be carry on. Therefore, the five policies disaster relief, it¡¯s just empty talks on paper, even giving corruption opportunities torge rats, this is really wrecking the country and bringing cmity to the people!¡± Each of Li Wei Yang¡¯s words, phrases, and sounds seize the people.
The Emperor sat on his throne for quite a while, did not say even a word.
Everyone was looking at him nervously, not knowing when a word came out of his mouth, this beautiful little girl would lose her head.
However, the emperor finally drew a deep breath: ¡°These five policies came from your sister.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes fell, fully respectful: ¡°Bixia, Dajie has never left the house, to be able toe up with solutions is naturally good, unfortunately the implementations, will encounter a lot of problems, while I am different from my sister, due to my poor health, my father has sent me to the countryside to recuperate, so I know about the paupers and poor tenants....Bixia, please forgive Dajie¡¯s offense.¡±
Such thorough insights, precise analytical skills and broaden outlook, all appearing in a young girl. The Emperor looked at Li Wei Yang, the quick and powerful gaze shocking: ¡°You already knew there will be problems?¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes and said: ¡°Bixia, Wei Yang is only discussing matters on its merits, cannot foresee things.¡±
She was not an immortal, how could she foresee things? The Emperor nodded and said: ¡°You are young, to be able to have such insights is quite rare, then in ordance with your meaning, how to solve this?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Disaster reliefs should start from reorganizing the administration officials, Bixia please resend censors to punish the corrupt officials.¡±
The emperor¡¯s be shook, he waved his hand and said: ¡°Dispatch my orders, all themon people, provided that they have discovered corrupt officials, may tie them up, send them to the capital for punishment, and all the roadblock checkpoint must allow them to pass, if anyone dare to obstruct, they will be put to death immediately.¡±
Li Wei Yang whispered: ¡°Bixia, please put a boundary on the mary corruption.¡±
The Emperor coldly said: ¡°From now on any corruption of disaster relief funds, exceeding 100 taels, all will be killed!¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes: ¡°But there are a lot of corrupted people, I¡¯m afraid they cannot be all killed at once, and there are not enough officials to fill the spots.¡±
The Emperor looked at her, suddenlyughed: ¡°ording to you, what should be done?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Regarding the issue of filling officials, Bixia will naturally have the Imperial discernment, I can only strive for some time for the officials¡¯ session.¡±
The Emperor nodded and said: ¡°Well, I will leave the matter of officials¡¯ session to your father.¡±
Lao Furen became overjoyed upon hearing this, killing corrupt officials will offend a lot of people, but if the power of appointment was still within grasp, then it didn¡¯t matter if the officialse from the left or right, they would all find ways to fawn on the Li family, to please the Li family, this was a very good thing.
The Dowager Empressughed: ¡°I have never seen such an intelligent girl, Bixia, you have to reward her heavily.¡±
The Emperor nced at Li Wei Yang, shook his head and said: ¡°This girl is too young, not suitable for receiving imperial mandate2, will have to reward gold and silver.¡±
As expected he was an old fox, now he was not willing to give an imperial mandate? Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart sank, the smile on her face bing more magnificent; she bent over without being overbearing or self-effacing, bowed heavily three times, and said with a sincere voice: ¡°I am grateful for Dowager Empress¡¯s praise, I am embarrassed by undeserved praise, I am only lucky, to meet with Bixia¡¯s grace and intelligence, allowing a woman to talk about the state of affairs, I happened to live amongst themon people, therefore able to relieve some burdens off Bixia. I dare not ept the rewards, Bixia please take it back.¡±
Her attitude, not conceited nor rash, neither overbearing or self-effacing, had immediately won the Dowager Empress¡¯ good opinion, the Dowager Empress smiled affectionately, beckoned and said: ¡°Silly child, just ept what was given to you, Bixia¡¯s precious words, he will not go back on it!¡±
The Emperor nodded in agreement, waved his hand. Immediately a pce servant nodded, exited the main hall, came back after a while, continuously carrying more than twenty trays, on each tray, are heavy gold and jewelry, each one extremely rare, Lao Furen is used to seeing gold and jewelry, yet also became dazzled.
Such generous rewards, it was a first since the beginning of time.
All of the female officials looked extremely envious, talking to themselves: This girl is really met with great luck.
Li Wei Yang did not raise her head to look at those gold, only kneeling on the ground quietly, the expression on her face could not be seen, gold? She did not want it! The thing that she wanted was far more valuable than gold!
Next: Chapter 56
Chapter 56
This is a weekly freebie tranted by Chau! :)
1 This part has be a question, but the meaning is the same.
2 I use Empress Dowager because it is moremon in trantions. I feel like Dowager Empress is more urate though.
3An Ping Xianzhu -a position bestowed only to women during the feudal era; it is different from gongzhu (princess, daughter of Emperor) and junzhu (princess, nieces of the Emperor), the rank xianzhu is below both gongzhu and junzhu --- An Ping is the characters bestowed as a title based on one¡¯s character and achievements
4 Titles bestowed to wives of officials who have contributed major achievements towards the country
Vocabry
Chen nu - what female subjects refer to themselves as when speaking to the Emperor
Dimu - legal mother of concubines¡¯ children
Nuhai - a girl, young child
Shichen - lit. long hours, the day is broken up into 12 two-hour periods
Shu ren - referring to a gentle and righteous person
The eunuch rolled up the list of the treasures presented and ced it on the tray brimming with gifts. His voice was sharp and clear as he addressed Li Wei Yang: ¡°Why have you not epted the edict and expressed your gratitude?¡±[1]
Li Wei Yang respectfully kowtowed and said: ¡°Chen nu is grateful for Bixia¡¯s grace. However, every time chen nu thinks of the suffering of people in turmoil, chen nu cannot bear to ept this. If Bixia permits, chen nu will use every treasure here to help the people in the affected areas as well as those disced from their homes and are seeking refuge.¡±
The Emperor was taken aback. It was difficult to see what he was thinking in the bottomless depths of his cold eyes. In truth, a bit of fear had surfaced in him. A youngdy with such intellect who was also not after wealth and fame was rare.
The Empress Dowager[2] smiled softly and nodded. She looked to Li Wei Yang with well intentions and said: ¡°Gentle young one, you are worthy to ept these treasures. You should not turn them down. Moreover, you have good intentions. It would only be right to further reward you. Bixia, what do you think?¡±
The Emperor pondered over it for a bit before nodding: ¡°Imperial Mother, you are right. Compared to the gold and silver you have been awarded, you should ept it. The Empress Dowager has said to further reward you, so I will award you the title Anping Xianzhu, your mother ¡ª¡ª ¡± [3]
Having said one part, Li Wei Yang softly spoke up: ¡°Bixia, chen nu¡¯s dimu is already a furen of the first rank of nobility.¡±[4]
Li Xiao Ran was the Prime Minister. Lao Furen was of the first rank of nobility and likewise Da Furen. However, the imperial edict could be issued many times. Da Furen was already of the first rank of nobility, if the Emperor were to bestow the title of first rank once more, it would not be an issue. Why would Li Wei Yang abruptly speak up in this manner?
This was clearly directed at the Emperor: you bestowed Da Furen the title of first rank, yet I still have my birth mother!
The Empress Dowager nearlyughed out loud. This young yatou was truly unwilling to be at the slightest disadvantage. She reminded them, ¡°Bixia has already bestowed the rank for dimu. It is only right that this child¡¯s birth mother should receive the same honor.¡±
The Emperor was also aware of theplication. In his mind, he only needed to know that Li Wei Yang¡¯s father was Li Xiao Ran, not who her mother was. However, since she had taken the initiative and brought it up, he could not pretend he did not understand: ¡°Very well. It shall be extended to your mother, as it should be.¡± Having said this, he did not want to prolong the ordeal any further. He swept his sleeve and left to seek his court officials to discuss matters.
The Empress Dowager kept Li Wei Yang back for a bit, speaking to her like a grandmother of a normal household would.
With Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions just then, she could not help but feel a bit cautious towards this child because she was worried. In her eyes, a girl with intellect and intentions like this at a young age was undoubtedly a dangerous sign. She solemnly ced Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand in her own and earnestly told her: ¡°Women should not participate in men¡¯s affairs. What young misses of prestigious households should do is be well-learned in poetry and painting, marry into a righteous household and live the rest of their lives in peace.¡±
Although these words were vague, their meaning was clear. It was intended as cautionary advice to Li Wei Yang.
Today, the child was elevated to such a high, noble status and will be entangled in jealousy and hatred from there. Least to say, someday, she may suffer a great fall and end up on the cold ground without anyone or any ce to look to for support.
The Empress Dowager was worried that Li Wei Yang did not understand, or perhaps, understood but did not epted this and even bore resentment in her heart. She had not expected Li Wei Yang to remain calm and collected, nodding as if she weremitting the advice to heart. There even seemed to be a look of gratitude in her eyes.
The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief and momentarily felt that she did not quite understand this child. For the most part, children in the Imperial family abandoned their innocent childhood at an early age, such maturity for their age was nothing out of the ordinary. Yet this child had grown up in the rural countryside. How could she have had such keen insight and recognized who was sincere and truly her allies in a fleeting moment, and moreover, she had delivered an appropriate response... Least to say, it was truly surprising.
Not six hours had passed before news reached the three women of the Prime Minister¡¯s household. Li Wei Yang had been bestowed the title of Anping Xianzhu. At the same time dimu Jiang shi was given first rank of nobility, and her birth mother Tan shi was to be shu ren of the third rank, shocking the entire household for the time being.
Er Furen was stunned. Li Wei Yang bing xianzhu was one thing, how was Qi Yiniang, who was not even allowed to eat at the grand table, bestowed the title and status of shu ren of the third rank? It was simply too much for someone to believe. Looking back and forth between the eight, redcquered chests, she understood the extent of the Emperor¡¯s grace.
When it came time to receive the imperial edict, Da Furen¡¯s face was tense and quivering in fury for some time until she reluctantly recollected herself. Er Furen¡¯s envious stare red, and even San Furen¡¯s cold and nonchnt disposition had a hint of astonishment. Li Chang Le was furious to the point where her face had grown pale. Since the edict required every member of the household to wait at the doors of thepound, everyone in the Capital soon realized San xiaojie of the Li household Li Wei Yang had resolved difficult matters in the Emperor¡¯s stead and was bestowed a position by the Emperor! The person who would have had this honor and glory should have been her, Li Wei Yang had deliberately stopped her mid-step and she had be the person behind the efforts!
Nevertheless, Da Furen was a calm and collected person. Having epted the imperial edict, she ordered someone to help Lao Furen inside and another to take silver to thank the eunuch that delivered the edict.
Li Chang Le¡¯s face was drained of color. Li Chang Ru of Erfang took great pleasure in her deted defeat and deliberately approached her, ¡°Dajie, why is your expression so unsightly?¡±
Li Chang Le could not say a word at all. Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into the palm of her hands until it drew blood.
Da Furen¡¯s voice was gentle and calm: ¡°Chang Ru, your Dajie has only caught a bit of a cold. Your concern for your Dajie is a good thing, but you should be careful that the cold does not spread to you. The imperial edict has been received, receive to your quarters to rest.¡±
Li Chang Ru pursed her lips and unhappily helped Er Furen to return to their quarters.
Qi Yiniang suddenly received a blessing from her daughter. She was overjoyed and brimming with tears, but in front of Da Furen, she did not dare to reveal her happiness. Li Wei Yang gave Qi Yiniang a meaningful look. Tan shi wanted to step forward to exchange a few words with her daughter, but there were so many people there that she did not dare to say much. She only looked intently at Li Wei Yang before a yatou helped her return to her quarters.
Li Wei Yang looked to her birth mother as she left, then turned away. As she stood on the steps, she saw Da Furen had ordered yatou Tan Xiang to help Li Chang Le inside while overseeing those who carried the chests inside. The housekeeper beside her restlessly went back and forth: ¡°Be careful, be careful.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly. This time she had let Li Chang Le down with a great disappointment and yet, there did not seem to be a trace of any emotion on Da Furen¡¯s face. It seemed she was a formidable opponent and not easy to confront.
As Li Chang Le gracefully ascended the steps, she suddenly paused mid-step and stared intently at Li Wei Yang.
Bai Zhi was frightened by her stare and immediately lowered her head.
Tan Xiang embarrassedly said: ¡°San xiaojie, Da xiaojie is not feeling well and cannot participate in the evening banquet Lao Ye has prepared for xiaojie. Nubi will help Da xiaojie return.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions did not change, she nodded: ¡°Alright. Look after Dajie well.¡± Having said that, she turned and returned to her quarters.
¡°You! Stop there!¡± Li Chang Le abruptly called out. Although her voice was not loud, it had strange undertones.
Li Wei Yang looked to her, smiling: ¡°Dajie, is something wrong?¡±
Li Chang Le returned the gesture with a hostile re: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you arranged all of this!¡±
¡°I arranged this?¡± Li Wei Yang smiled softly, ¡°Did I plead that Dajie steal my idea? Or did I plead Dajie to go the Emperor to be rewarded? Dajie did everything knowing fully well what was ahead, how can you me me.¡±
Chapter 57
This chapter is tranted by Ang :)
And sponsored by Naomi N.!
1¹«ÖÐ: (public) in olden time where multiplebranches of the family live together, there is a pool of money monitored by themain branch and the small branches would contribute to
2ÓÀ´ËÍÍù: y¨ªng l¨¢i s¨°ng w¨£ng- simr to ¡°out with theold, in with the new¡±
3·ï×ÓÁúËï: f¨¨ng z¨« l¨®ng s¨±n -descendants of phoenixes and dragons, this refers to being descendants of theroyal family since phoenix is the empress and dragon is the emperor
Chapter 57: Schemingfailed
LiChang Le¡¯s cold eyes stared at her: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let you off.¡±
LiWei Yang remained calm andposed: ¡°Dajie, a bit of wind and you don¡¯t feelwell, so weak and ipetent, in the future, you must cherish yourself, do notlet father and mother worry for you.¡±
Havingsaid that, Li Wei Yang strutted away with Bai Zhi.
Thelist of gifts bestowed by the emperor was very long, Da Furen¡¯s hand, whichheld the list clutched tightly.
¡°LaoYe, is this not too much?¡± On the surface, Da Furen seems surprised by the longlist of gifts.
¡°Theseare the rewards Bixia bestowed on Wei Yang.¡± Li Xiao Ran knew why Da Furenwould say so, because the gold and jewelry here, the level of values was farbeyond that of her dowry when Da Furen got married.
¡°LaoYe, Bixia bestowed these to the Li family.¡± Da Furen looked at the list, sayingeach word, she couldn¡¯t just watch Li Wei Yang gain such big benefit.
¡°Furen,Bixia has said clearly that these rewards are for Wei Yang, if we don¡¯t give itto her, the news that spread outside will not be good.¡± Li Xian Ran saidslowly: ¡°The Li family cannot afford to lose that person.¡±
DaFuren thought about it, replied: ¡°Lao Ye, the household expenditure for thisyear isrge, the second branch and third branch of the family are also usingthe public funds1, adding the expenses offestivities, wees and send off2 of New Year, in orderfor everyone to have face, I even used my own dowry. You have always beenhonest, unwilling to ept offerings from officials, if we have this money,our financial situation can be relieved. Moreover, soon Min Feng will have toget marry, there are three younger sisters after Chang Le, in the future theirdowries must also be great---¡±
LiXiao Ran was embarrassed, to support such arge family, it was not an easything. He subconsciously chose to ignore the ie from the Li n¡¯scountless stores and country estates. Simr to his wife, in his subconscious,he was also unwilling to give this much gold and jewelry to Wei Yang, moreoverhe could feel the defiance from this child¡¯s bones, this vited his authorityas head of the household, he felt offended. Well, Wei Yang should get a littlelesson.
Therefore,he nodded and agreed: ¡°Very well, I will speak to Lao Furen.¡±
Generallyspeaking, Lao Furen willply with Li Xiao Ran¡¯s opinions, so when Da Furenhear this answer, she can¡¯t help but smile in satisfaction.
HeXiang Yuan
Thesky was still clear in the afternoon, beads of snow fell again towards evening,rustling when they hit the zed roofing tiles, the sound of snow dense andanxious, after a few moments of effort, soon the house can be seen covered in athinyer of white. Li Xiao Ran look at the weather, frowned and entered thehouse. He saw only Lao Furen wearing a lotus green embroidered satin robe,leaning against a pillow with a red ¡°shou¡± of Hunan embroidery, sitting on thecouch reciting scriptures.
¡°You¡¯resaying that the rewards bestowed by Bixia should be used to fill the publicfunds?¡± After hearing his words, Lao Furen twisted the Buddha beads, saidsneeringly: ¡°It is written clearly on the imperial edict, that these things aregiven to Wei Yang, now enshrined in the ancestral hall, you don¡¯t need me toget someone to read it for you again.¡±
¡°Ofcourse I know this, but Furen she...¡± Li Xiao Ran did not expect Lao Furen¡¯s facewould suddenly change, immediately turning red in the face, speechless.
¡°Ican be rest assured when you¡¯re dealing with government affairs on normal days,but too indulgent towards the married woman of your house. Wei Yang is alsoyour daughter, although born of a concubine, in my opinion, is not inferior toyour eldest daughter, you should let go of this idea.¡±
LiXiao Ran unconsciously frowned: ¡°How can Wei Yang and Chang Le bepared---¡±
¡°Howtopare? Coming up with ideas for Bixia to help share your burden was notChang Le, you need to think clearly!¡± Lao Furen remind him.
Theexpression on Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face was not good, he was obviously turning a deafear.
LaoFuren hmphed and said: ¡°I know, Chang Le is your first daughter, pretty andbeautiful, you and Jiang Shi have ced great hope on her. However, I neveragreed, first, our Li family has always been rising in ranks as high official,there¡¯s no need for the thought of climbing up to be descendants of phoenixesand dragons3. Second, Chang Le istoo arrogant, maybe she will bring disaster. If the Crown Prince¡¯s position isstable, then these two things may not obstruct anything, however the currentsituation, all of the princes are not fuel-saving lights, us involving in maynot have good results. Besides, after this incident, Chang Le¡¯s reputation inthe city is aplete mess, if you still think that just this beautiful faceis enough to climb up to the empress¡¯s position, then you need to be preparedto put our Li family to roast in an oil bath.¡±
LaoFuren¡¯s words, had also been spoken in the past. This was also the reason whyshe never liked Li Chang Le, too beautiful and arrogant, may not be the Lifamily¡¯s blessing.
¡°Whatis your position now, every step, is like walking on thin ice...¡± Lao Furenseemed to be muttering to herself, yet also seemed to be reminding him, ¡°Youchoosing among the emperor¡¯s sons, Bixia may not be ignorant of it.¡±
LiXiao Ran was surprised for a moment, filling with apprehension.
Hisown ideas, was it too rash?
Hecouldn¡¯t help but nod: ¡°This situation can beid aside naturally, but WeiYang---¡±
LaoFuren sighed: ¡°Her every words and deeds in the hall today, they are recordedinto the annals of history, even if you are not thinking of the honor shebrought for you, you still have to think of the pen of the historian, is our Lifamilycking money, why is the need to do something so low ss?¡±
DaFuren would definitely refuse, Li Xiao Ran could feel the pain jumping on histemple. But he dared not vite Lao Furen¡¯s wish, so he nodded and said: ¡°Thenwe willply with Lao Furen.¡±
Anhourter, all of the precious treasures in the storeroom were delivered intothe hands of Li Wei Yang.
LaoFuren pulled her to her side and instruct her: ¡°These are what Bixia rewardedto you, you must watch over it. Do not let anyone rip you off. Although you didwell on this matter, in the end you stuck out like a sore thumb, a bit of badcan bring fatal disaster, seek not to be meritorious but only to avoid me,in the future you must act cautiously, understand?¡±
Theseare all advices from the heart, Li Wei Yang rarely received such care from hergrandmother, her eyes turning red.
LaoFuren smiled, patted her hand and said: ¡°Silly child, the upper hand on thehigh position, is instantly a matter of heaven and hell, today has reallyscared these old bones of mine, you, are too daring; you actually dare to actin a slick way in from of Bixia. However, filial piety is always right, afterbeing titled third rank decentdy, your mother¡¯s days would be better.¡±
¡°Thankyou Lao Furen for not ming me.¡± Li Wei Yang stretched out her hands aroundLao Furen¡¯s arm, tears falling drop by drop on the ground, leaving a string ofwatermarks.
LuoMama quickly passed over a handkerchief, smiled and said: ¡°San Xiaojie don¡¯tcry, you are now the most well-off Xiaojie in the city!¡±
LiWei Yang was surprised for a moment, immediatelyughed.
Yes,the things reward by the emperor, aside from those that could not be moved butonly be used to furnish and decorate, half of them were gold, these withrespects to her future, were more useful than anything else!
DaFuren soon got a letter from Li Xiao Ran, filled with anger and rage, turnedand went to Li Chang Le¡¯s Yan Yu Ge, when reaching her yard, Tan Xianghurriedly came out, speaking with hesitation: ¡°Da Furen, Xiaojie....Xiaojie isnot feeling well---¡±
LiXiao Ran is hosting a banquet tonight to celebrate for Li Wei Yang, all highofficials and noble lords woulde, at this time Li Chang Le was sick?! DaFuren¡¯s face, turned iparably stony. This good-for-nothing!
Next: Chapter 58
Chapter 58
This chapter is tranted by Ang! Enjoy :)
1³ÉÁú³É·ï: turn into dragon and phoenix: bing royalty since dragon represent emperor and phoenix represent Empress
2¹Þ×ÓÆÆˤÁË: smashing the pot to pieces because it¡¯s cracked- meaning not learning from one¡¯s mistake, instead you just continue in the worse direction
3This is an old saying from the northern part of China which means someone is taking the opportunity for themselves
4This means that they have done so much and gain nothing, instead, someone else has gained
Chapter 58: Congrattory Banquet
Li Chang Leid on the beauty couch with sickness, a handkerchief covering her face.
Da Furen walked over quickly and shouted angrily: ¡°Get up!¡±
Li Chang Le was surprised, sat up subconsciously, Da Furen raised her hand, gave her a p.
A vivid fingerprint mark appears on Li Chang Le¡¯s face, her eyes bulged, staring at Da Furen in disbelief.
¡°Even when losing you must be a good loser! Don¡¯t put on such behavior!¡± Da Furen¡¯s voice was cold like ice.
Li Chang Le only feels the burning pain on her face, tears rushing out immediately: ¡°Mother! That yatou framed me! She set me up! It doesn¡¯t matter that you didn¡¯t get justice for me, you still hit me!¡±
¡°You still haven¡¯t figured it out!¡± Da Furen shouted, ¡°Kneel!¡±
Li Chang Le was surprised, kneeling down subconsciously.
¡°From a young age, I have put you on the palm of my hand, dying to pick the moon from the sky to give you. Only hoping that you can turn into dragon and phoenix[1], I have higher expectations for you than your brother!¡± The more Da Furen talked, the angrier she became: ¡°Who would have thought that you would be so stupid, watching someone else dug a pit and jump straight into it, even so, I do not me you, if you fall, you just climb back up, but you would just lie in the pit, smashing a pot into pieces[2], not knowing how to go forward ... my painstaking efforts, have all been destroyed by you!¡±
Upon hearing this, Li Chang Le wanted to cry but dared not to, dully looking at Da Furen with tears in her eyes.
Da Furen was exasperated: ¡°Chang Le, what did I tell you before, I have already arranged a good way for you toe out, you just wouldn¡¯t listen, therefore being taken in by that slut!¡±
Li Chang Le was almost bewildered: ¡°This is Dage----¡± In the beginning, it was definitely Dage who said this idea was hers, of course, she then went down the slope of the donkey[3].
¡°Your brother is simple-minded, sent him to study in other ces, don¡¯t even know what he has learned! That he would meddle with maids of the residence! This time the two of you, have recklessly made a wedding dress for other[4]!¡±
These words, at that time when she was famous throughout the world, mother had never mentioned it before, at that time she was still happy ... Li Chang Le could only refute in her heart.
¡°Do you know, that slut is now the Lady of Anping, a higher status than your own, just now Lao Furen has specially selected ten yatous and Mamas to give her.¡±
Li Chang Le lost her calm and snapped: ¡°This slut!¡±
¡°Since it is already one step wrong, then it cannot be wrong again, who knows how many high officials and noble lords wille to tonight¡¯s banquet, all here to celebrate Li Wei Yang bing a titleddy, if you don¡¯t go, isn¡¯t that letting her gloat from now on?¡± Da Furen¡¯s voice was a bit unfeeling.
¡°Mother!¡± She moved on her knees to Da Furen¡¯s side, ¡°Mother, I was wrong!¡±
Da Furen looked at the Li Chang Le who was brimming with tears, sighed and wiped the tears from her face: ¡°I know, you feel embarrassed, however regardless of whether it is inside the house or outside, you need to be steady and swallow your grievances! I believe, no matter how clever Li Wei Yang is, as long as you stand there, no one would notice her!¡±
Although her tears have not dried, Li Chang Le¡¯s manner began to rx.
She suddenly understood Da Furen¡¯s meaning.
Themoners outside who curse and spit on her, what did it matter, as long as she had her devastatingly beautiful looks, her father¡¯s support, there would be a day, she would get what she wanted! Li Wei Yang, was destined to only be a stepping stone! Today, she needed to borrow Li Wei Yang¡¯s banquet, to take away all of her glory!
When entering the main hall, it was already filled with congrattory guests, on one side was the female guests with close links to the prime minister¡¯s residence, the other side was Prime Minister Li¡¯s colleagues and students.
Li Chang Le gently entered the main hall, like a gorgeous cloud floating in, instantly attracting everyone¡¯s gaze.
Everyone looked up, looking that the Li Chang Le in front of them, her full forehead, her chin sharp and mellow, slightly prominent, bright red cherry lips slightly pursed, eyes clear like autumn water, bright like a shining star, a touch of sorrow in them, drawing out an endless charm.
Among the crowd, Fifth prince Tuoba Rui was sitting in the most honorable position, his face handsome, also beautifully dressed, stands out exceptionally among the crowd. As Li Chang Le was passing by, she happened to meet his eyes, his eyes shining as he looked at her, Li Chang Le¡¯s face turned hot from that gaze and smiled slightly.
In the past, Li Chang Le never attended such asions, Da Furen¡¯s thought it was easy to understand, the more mysterious, the more fragile, outsiders only knew that Prime Minister Li¡¯s eldest daughter was devastatingly beautiful, but just not to this extent was her beauty, seeing it at this moment, the fifth prince¡¯s eyes, unmoving, fell on her, looking infatuated.
Li Chang Ru was already dressed up in splendid attire sitting in a seat for female guests, originally her beauty had attracted some praises, but now, who still remembered her? Her beautiful face slowly twisted, silently cursing Li Chang Le through clenched teeth.
In the entire hall, the sole person sittingfortably was only Da Furen. Seeing her beautiful daughter, evoked a smile, this was right, not relying on wits, just this iparable beauty, would be able to beat Li Wei Yang to the dust.
Li Chang Le gracefully weed the gorgeous firework-like gaze of everyone, calmly taking in the surprise, the envy, the coveting and various kind of gazes, enchantingly stretch a hand tob the loose hair beside her ear.
Someone eximed in wonder: ¡°This daughter of the Li is very beautiful.¡±
¡°Yes, like someone out of a painting, that you cannot believe it!¡±
¡°The Li hid her very well, such beauty, heavenly fairy must be as such!¡±
At this time, everyone has forgotten, this is a banquet held in honor of the prime minister¡¯s third daughter being titled Lady of Anping, no one remembered, that this cmity was eliminated due to San Xiaojie¡¯s strategy, so much so that no one thought to ask, where was San Xiaojie now.
Li Wei Yang did not appear, the banquet would soon begin, there was not even a trace of her.
Seeing this scene, San Furen frowned.
Li Min De moved quietly in front of her: ¡°Mother, I will look for San Jie.¡±
San Furen nodded and seemed to want to entrust something, but still held back the words. Whether Li Wei Yang came or not, it did not matter now, with such a beautiful older sister, no one remembered if she came.
Everything has been ruined by Li Chang Le. And what was more, it was clear that she did it intentionally.
Li Min De nodded and left quickly.
Garden
Theteing Third Prince Tuoba Zhen walked through the corridor, happened to see Bai Zhi hastily rushed by, following that line of sight, that in an unobtrusive corner of the garden, he saw Li Wei Yang.
Beneath the plum blossom tree, a girl wasying on her side on the spacious swing, skirt spread out charmingly, jet-ck hair falling, she watched the moonlight from the sky, eyes half squinting, thinking about something.
Tuoba Zhen suddenly raised a smile and was just about to go over, the prime minister¡¯s maidservant who was guiding him quickly stopped him: ¡°San Dianxia, the banquet will soon begin.¡±
¡°I know!¡± Tuoba Zhen smiled, ¡°This is not my first timeing, I will go over by myself shortly!¡±
The maidservant was surprised, a bit at loss, Tuoba Zhen waved a hand towards her, ¡°You may leave.¡±
The maidservant did not dare to disobey, gave him a curtsy, and quietly retreated.
Li Wei Yang who was staring at the moonlight seemed to have heard the sound of movement from this side, turned her head to look over.
Tuoba Zhen stopped in his steps, he saw clearly, the moment when Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes saw him, he saw the mix of a smile of mockery and cold like rippling water from a well, making one felt as if they had ced themselves in iced water.
Prev:
Next: Chapter 59
Chapter 59
This chapter is tranted by Chau :)
1waigong - maternal grandfather; jiujiu - maternal uncle
2Taizi - Crowned Prince
3hou - English equivalent is Marquis
4shu nu- way of referring to a concubine¡¯s daughter
5zhangbei - elders
Chapter 59: A Sudden Gust of Wind
Something stirred within him as Tuoba Zhen smilingly said: ¡°San Xiaojie is the main person of the banquet today, why did you run here to hide?¡±
Li Wei Yang idly ran her fingers through her hair, simply smiling: ¡°The banquet is certainly for Dajie to indulge in extravagance. If I stand in Dajie¡¯s way, it would be a crime worthy of a hundred deaths!¡±
¡°What are you saying?¡± Tuoba Zhen was a bit surprised but outwardly maintained his warm smile, ¡°The evening banquet is not held for Da Xiaojie.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled softly, ¡°Today, San Huangzi uses his good name to congratte me, but in truth, you are weighing the worth of us sisters in Father¡¯s heart, is that right?¡±
¡°You...¡± Tuo Ba Zhen did not expect her to be so direct. He was stunned but remained brightly smiling and unwavering as before.
Li Wei Yang raised an eyebrow, looking to him: ¡°San Dianxia does not need to worry. Although I helped Bixia and Father resolve a difficult matter, in Father¡¯s eyes, I will always be a concubine¡¯s daughter who is unworthy of his attention. This Anping Xianzhu is only a title that is pleasing to the ears. Dajie is different. Dajie has Father¡¯s favor and a maternal grandfather and uncle1 with military authority in hand, and of course, she also has unparalleled beauty. Naturally, Dajie will be the most useful to San Dianxia.¡±
There was no trace of any emotion on her lovely face. There seemed to be a hint of disdain in her eyes as well. Tuoba Zhen noticed this and suddenly had a strange feeling.
This girl could grasp his intentions with a single nce. He smiled slightly: ¡°It seems you are someone with a rare intellect.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze remained fixated on him but seemed to go through him, focused on something else, indifferent but hostile.
Having been reborn, she had eventually thought things through. Although Li Chang Le had her indisputable beauty, what Tuoba Zhen valued the most at this time was the support of Prime Minister Li and military authority of the Jiang family behind her. This man not only had great ambitions and fearlessness but unparalleled patience. He yed along with her for eight years until he had drained her of what little value she had left, only then did he stop.
Tuoba Zhen stared intently at her. In truth, Li Wei Yang could be considered beautiful, but she was ratherckingpared to Li Chang Le. Moreover, in the encounters with him, she did not have the charm and grace of women. There were also her determination and ambition. He breathed out a sigh: ¡°From the moment we met, you seem to have a deep hatred for me...¡±
The corner of Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips curved upwards as she reluctantly said: ¡°Dianxia has misunderstood. You and I barely know one another, how can deep hatred exist between us.¡±
Tuoba Zhen tensed and discovered that he did not have any means to understand this girl, much less a bit of her thinking.
This feeling was certainly unnerving.
He casually said: ¡°You must attend the banquet, even if it is only to pave the way for Li Chang Le, you cannot decide not toe. Taizi Dianxia2 has brought gifts and intends to present them to you before everyone during the banquet. If you do not attend, it would be considered that you have gone against Taizi¡¯s will.¡±
He thought Li Wei Yang would find another excuse to decline and did not expect Li Wei Yang to stand up with a bright smile as she said: ¡°Thank you San Dianxia for the reminder.¡± Having said this, she left in the direction of the banquet.
Bai Zhi bowed to Tuoba Zhen and quickly followed after Li Wei Yang.
Tuoba Zhen was stunned. After that, he coldly stared after Li Wei Yang¡¯s retreating figure for a while with a nk smile.
At the banquet, Li Chang Le was cheerfully conversing with other daughters of aristocratic families. On the other side, the other furen were quietly conversing.
Dong Furen of Marquis3 of Hechang¡¯s household was about forty years old and was covered in pearls and jewels. She softly smiled and said to Da Furen: ¡°This banquet was prepared for San Xiaojie, is it not, why have we yet to see San Xiaojie arrive?¡±
Da Furen smiled but did not say anything. It was only right that Li Wei Yang did note. Everydy here could not bepared to Li Chang Le, since she was alreadyckingpared to her sisters, she had no reason toe and lose even more face.
After thest incident, Wei Guo Furen came to deeply resent Li Wei Yang. She smilingly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and had a jeering expression: ¡°A young yatou that grew up in the countryside must becking in poetry and painting, and must be unfamiliar with etiquette no less. It seems to me Prime Minister Li should hide this shu nu4 well in order to lose face in front of others!¡±
Dong Furen covered her mouth with her handkerchief, slightly smiling: ¡°This may be so, but she is currently Anping Xianzhu. I heard the Empress Dowager had to look at her differently too!¡±
Wei Guo Furen smiled coldly: ¡°Anping Xianzhu, there was no official ceremony nor was there such an honor, then what meaning would this Xianzhu have! It was only because Bixia has high regards for Prime Minister Li and appeased her, she is truly a naive yatou! That being said, it is only right that she does not show her face in order to save herself from bing aughingstock in front of everyone.¡±
Suddenly, Dong Furen stopped smiling, pointing at the graceful silhouette ahead, fearfully said: ¡°That is, who is that?¡±
Da Furen followed Dong Furen¡¯s hand and could not help but frown.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Li Wei Yang, their expressions were those of astonishment.
Since Li Wei Yang now possessed the title and status of Xianzhu, every Furen and Xiaojie without a noble rank had to ceremonially greet her. She smiled softly and returned the gesture to everyone. Her notions were not only free of any errors but also had a refined and noble air, even the small smile she had was just enough, further surprising everyone.
¡°Didn¡¯t they say she grew up in the rural countryside?¡±
¡°Her mannerisms and disposition is not like that at all! Surely, look at her gestures and see. Her movements are swift and graceful like drifting clouds and flowing water, not too different from the imperial concubines and princesses.
Da Furen was stunned and speechless. Her harsh gaze was fixated on Li Wei Yang as if she did not know her. She could not understand why Li Wei Yang did not resemble a yatou from the countryside but more like a princess of high, noble birth!
Dong Furen stared at Li Wei Yang. This child, while her appearance wascking inparison to the beautiful Li Chang Le, her actions were calm as water, refined and unhurried. Compared to Da Xiaojie, it was a different presence.
Being too beautiful will make others uneasy, but Li Wei Yang was pleasing and cheerful enough without being a potential threat. Her eyes were clear, and her smile seemed slightly sweet. In this manner, her presence was much strongerpared to Dajie, a feeling that every Furen and Xiaojie in the room shared.
Li Chang Le¡¯s gaze closely followed Li Wei Yang¡¯s every gesture. She did not think this lowly girl would dare to appear at the banquet. Li Chang Xi came to her side and looked after Li Wei Yang¡¯s silhouette, spitefully saying: ¡°Look at that triumphant look on her face, with just the position of Xianzhu, she thinks she must be a princess!¡±
Li Chang Le did not say anything as she grimaced.
Li Xiao Ran smiled at everyone as he said: ¡°I wee everyone to the residence today, first of all, so everyone may socialize and eat and drink merrily, and secondly to introduce my third daughter...¡± Having said this, he turned to Li Wei Yang and said in a low murmur: ¡°Wei Yang, now greet everyone here.¡±
Li Wei Yang gently smiled, bowing slightly as she greeted their guests: ¡°Wei Yang respectfully greets zhangbei5.¡±
Everyone had thought they would see a countryside yatou who was ignorant of etiquette and dared to cause trouble. They had not expected she would be a lovely Xiaojie. Perhaps the opposition was too strong, for the admiration for Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty suddenly dissipated and everyone¡¯s attention turned to Li Wei Yang.
Even so, this San Xiaojie, a daughter of a concubine, was a legend. First of all, she was not favored and was sent to the rural countryside. After that, she returned and miraculously stood firm in the Li household and had done a great service to the country and was made Xianzhu by Bixia. This was unheard of in Da Li, since the country was established to this day, it was truly a miracle to behold!
Everyone¡¯s eyes and gazes were full of curiosity and admiration like. Li Wei Yang had a gentle expression, refined and courteous, making Tuoba Zhen, who had just arrived, stared intently at her, his gaze not leaving her. Li Wei Yang was a daring yatou, something one could recognize from the words she had spoken before. However, having arrived at the banquet, she seemed to have be an entirely different person, with the bright smile on her face, it could be said to be wless.
At this moment, suddenly a cry from a girl rang out.
¡°Qi Huangzi! Qi Huangzi Dianxia!¡±
Next: Chapter 60
Chapter 60
Another weekly freebie by Chau :)
1Qianjin - honorific for Xiaojies, literal trantion: thousand jin ½ï (pounds) of gold
Hostility = unfriendliness or opposition
Animosity = strong hostility¨¤Therefore animosity >> hostility
Chapter 60: Ripples in Spring Water
Taken aback, everyone immediately shifted their gaze and saw a young man standing beyond the door.
His eyes were as bright and clear as the full moon. The rity and coldness in them could be seen even from afar, isting him from the world around him, which made others had difficulty keeping their eyes open. His in white robe was exquisite with its flowing, intricate silver embroidery.
Although it was as simple and natural as that, it had stirred admiration within everyone.
Seventh Prince, Tuoba Yu, Li Wei Yang frowned, even he came...
As Tuoba Yu entered through the doors, he looked straight at Li Wei Yang. Perhaps since the first time they met, when she had schemed against that family with a performance, he found a bit ironic, if notughable, and up until now, he could easily recognize her among the crowd of youngdies gathered there.
Although she had changed into beautiful silk clothing, her face cleaner and clearer, and even with her deceptive, bright smile, he could recognize her, even with a single nce. She was indeed the little girl that had intentionally let the pigs loose and then pitifully wept andmented by the well, and moreover, she had deliberately avoided him at the tea shop.
However, looking at her now, she seemed much more beautiful than before.
After all, it was the silk clothes that made someone seem beautiful. Tuoba Yu¡¯s lips slightly curved as he looked at the wide-eyed qianjin1 Xiaojies. This Seventh Prince was known as the most handsome member of the Imperial family, and of course, he was also known to be rather cold and indifferent.
San Huangzi Tuoba Zhen smiled and said: ¡°Seventh brother.¡±
The bright smile on Tuoba Yu¡¯s face seemed tense: ¡°Third brother.¡±
Two handsome imperial princes of the Imperial family in one ce was certainly a pleasant sight to behold. Li Wei Yang smiled. Who would have thought these two were actually sworn enemies of a lifetime? Brothers in the Imperial family could not avoid the inevitable struggle for the throne. Looking back, she had only once thought for Tuoba Zhen¡¯s sake and always saw Tuoba Yu as her sworn enemy. Now, it seemed like this feeling had changed.
Rather than allowing Tuoba Zhen to rise to the throne as Emperor, Li Wei Yang would willingly make Tuoba Yu the ultimate victor.
Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui was evidently surprised: ¡°Even Seventh brother hase here today too.¡±
Tuoba Yu¡¯s gaze seemed to sweep over Li Wei Yang: ¡°The Prime Minister had held a banquet for his beloved daughter, I certainly muste to celebrate.¡±
In truth, he had been in his imperial mother¡¯s pce when someone happened to bring up the fact that Bixia had bestowed the title of Xianzhu to someone. That someone happened to be Li Wei Yang, a concubine¡¯s daughter of Li Xiao Ran. The pce maids quietly gossiped about this San Xiaojie who grew up in a small vige not far from Ping Cheng.
Once he heard the name, Tuoba Yu could not understand why he thought of those clear, dark eyes. He left the pce, and when he realized it, the horse carriage had already arrived at the doors of the Prime Minister¡¯s residence.
His intuition told him the girl he saw at that tea shop must have been Li Wei Yang. He wanted toe to confirm this and ultimately confirmed his suspicions.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face brightened. He only sent the invitations out of courtesy. Who would have thought three honored guests would suddenly arrive? It was enough to showcase the extent of his authority and influence in the Imperial court ... With a bright smile, he raised his cup of wine: ¡°I thank the three princes that came, allow me to offer the first toast.¡±
Seventh Prince had suddenly appeared. Moreover, the host of the banquet was in high spirits, improving the overall atmosphere of the banquet, so the guests began to exchange toasts with one another.
Tuoba Zhen stood and said: ¡°Prime Minister, the Crowned Prince is preupied with official matters and could not personallye. However, he had me bring a gift in his ce.¡±
Li Xiao Ran smiled: ¡°The Crowned Prince is truly considerate.¡±
Tuoba Zhen ordered a silk-covered box to be opened to reveal its contents. Everyone immediate offered high praises. As it turned out, there was a beautiful golden peacock inside. Fragile, golden silk was used to craft its feathers, which gently quivered in the wind as if they were actual feathers. Its eyes were a pair of emeralds that were the size of rice grains which gleamed mysteriously under the candlelight. The tail of the peacock was embedded with colorful, precious gemstones, cleverly pieced together so it had a rainbow-like effect in the light. It was certainly a rare treasure to behold.
Such a gift seemed highly valuable and enough for others to see that the Crowned Prince respected this Xianzhu, or rather, it was that he noticed that Li Wei Yang was made Xianzhu.
Li Wei Yang kept a neutral smile on her face and epted the silk box.
Tuoba Zhen was staring at her when he vaguely caught a glimpse of a sneer on her lips, but it was like a faint impression and quickly disappeared.
At that moment, Li Min De came running in with ragged breaths. His gaze shifted back and forth until he found Li Wei Yang. His form was no longer tense, and he quickly came to her side. When he saw Tuoba Zhen standing not too far away from her, his gaze seemed to grow hostile as he stared at Tuoba Zhen.
Tuoba Zhen sensed a strange stare boring into him and instinctively turned around to see a young boy with a strangely beautiful face standing there.
He was¡ª¡ªthe young Shaoye that San fang had adopted. Tuoba Zhen did not think much of the little child but he subconsciously looked back at the child a few more times. Aside from his unique and extraordinary appearance, the child¡¯s lively eyes seemed to be harboring a hidden animosity.
Animosity? Animosity towards him? He did not recall offending the child in any way.
Intending to take the young boy¡¯s gaze lightly, he thought he could dismiss it, but Li Min De¡¯s stare was rather unusual. It subconsciously made him uneasy.
He did what he could do to avoid that stare and turned around to return to his seat. Sometimeter, he felt the unnerving stare leave him.
Li Wei Yang saw the sweat on Li Min De¡¯s forehead and curiously asked: ¡°Is there something wrong? Why are you covered in sweat?¡±
A strange light appeared in Li Min De¡¯s eyes: ¡°Nothing. I went to the flower gardens to look for you, but I couldn¡¯t find you.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze fell on Li Min De¡¯s gold-embroidered robes, a small stain in particr, and grew slightly worried: ¡°You fell?¡±
Li Min De cheerfully smiled: ¡°Not at all.¡± At the same time, a strange mist seemed to ze over his eyes, which did not suit someone his age at all.
Li Wei Yang felt even more perplexed. She had never seen this child reveal an expression like this. Perhaps he had just heard something, but even so, it did not exin where the stain came from.
¡°Min De.¡± She softly said.
The outline of Li Min De¡¯s mouth was extraordinarily beautiful, his lips slightly curved upwards. When he was not smiling, there seemed to be a vaguely cruel and wicked light: ¡°Sanjie, earlier, I met a very strange person--- ¡±
A very strange person? Li Wei Yang was perplexed by his wording. As she was about to ask him, Li Min De changed the subject. His eyes were innocent and clear as day as he offered her a bowl of pear soup: ¡°Let¡¯s not talk anymore. Here, try this, it¡¯s really good.¡±
Li Wei Yang remembered there were more important matters left. For that reason, she quietly let it go this time.
At that moment, San Furen nced in Li Wei Yang¡¯s direction. They exchanged a smile, fully understanding one another¡¯s intentions.
After a cup of tea, a terrifying shriek suddenly rang out, frightening everyone.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face grew solemn. He was about to order someone to go to see what had happened when he saw Da Xiaojie of the Wang family with military authority, her face drained of color, leaning against a young maid as if she was about to faint.
Da Furen saw her and immediately frowned: ¡°Wang Xiaojie, what is the matter?¡±
Wang Xiaojie let out a shriek, shaking from head to toe as her face turned pale white, unable to say a word.
Wang Furen stood up. She was only a stepmother and seeing a daughter, who was not her flesh and blood, cause trouble at a banquet. She sternly said: ¡°You are a Xiaojie of a prestigious household, and yet you do not have proper manners at all. Quickly leave.¡±
It was then that Wang Xiaojie suddenly broke down and sobbed: ¡°Mother, it has nothing to do with me but - but just now when I went outside to be alone with my thoughts, I saw ... I saw a dead person hanging from a tree!¡±
Chapter 61
This chapter is tranted by Ang and sponsored by Aminata S.
1Æß×ì°ËÉà:q¨© zu¨« b¨¡ sh¨¦- with seven mouths and eight tongues- meaning all talking at once or in confusion
Chapter 61: An uproar
Everyone¡¯s expression became delicate and astonished.
Da Furen¡¯s face suddenly changed, she quickly stood up, then slowly sat back down and said: ¡°Wang Xiaojie, you must be mistaken, it¡¯s dark now---¡±
Wang Xiaojie shook her head and said: ¡°No, no, I did not see wrong, if you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask my maid, she saw it too!¡±
The maid¡¯s face was also green, a frightened look: ¡°Xiaojie is right, Nubi also saw it, hanging on the plum blossom tree, the tongue is already sticking out, so scary!¡±
There was a bad feeling in Da Furen¡¯s heart; she subconsciously looked at Li Wei Yang, unsure why, she felt that this incident and that bitch who was currently drinking tea, had some binding link. Thinking of this, she said decisively: ¡°You must have seen wrong! Someone, help Wang Xiaojie back to her seat.¡±
Wang Xiaojie wanted to say more, but seeing the look on Wang Furen¡¯s face, she immediately did not utter a word, returned to her seat, but still seemed to be in a state of uncertainty. Immediately the Xiaojies flocked to her to enquire about the situation when she wanted to say something, Wang Furen suddenly coughed, Wang Xiaojie immediately did not say a word.
Li Wei Yang saw the opposite side still clueless, just as Li Min Feng was toasting the Fifth Prince, the corner of her lips raised slightly.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression was not good, Da Furen quickly said: ¡°It is dark, perhaps it is possible that Wang Xiaojie was mistaken, I will immediately send someone to take a look.¡±
Li Xiao Ran nodded, then put aside this matter. Suddenly saw the wife of the Minister of War, Wang Shi, stood up, no longer looking dignified, full of panic said: ¡°My Su Er is gone!¡±
Everyone was shocked for a moment, Mrs. Liu of the Minister of War¡¯s residence had this son at the age of forty; she loved him like jewelry, bringing him with her no matter where she went, how could he suddenly disappear?
Da Furen quickly said catingly: ¡°Liu Furen, do not worry, I will send someone immediately to search.¡±
Just as Liu Furen nodded, a hesitant look appeared on San Furen¡¯s face: ¡°It¡¯s dark out, children running around is certainly dangerous, just now Wang Xiaojie said that something has happened beneath the plum blossom tree.... Should go and check out there first.¡±
Da Furen gave San Furen a harsh nce, said pleasingly: ¡°Don¡¯t be an rmist, children are fond of ying, we will find them back soon.¡±
Liu Furen was not willing to listen to her, her face already losing her calm: ¡°No, I want to search personally!¡± As she said this, she shoved away the young maid, and stood up first.
The Minister of War who was watching, suddenly felt embarrassed, although he was afraid of offending the Prime Minister, in the end, as he greatly loved his one and only flesh and blood, he stood up as well in apology, and then quickly followed her.
Such a scramble, how could the banquet be carried on.
Everyone also stood up, with seven mouths and eight tongues1 said: ¡°We should also go and see.¡±
¡°Yes, yes, Liu Furen has only this one lifeblood, it would be a big deal if it¡¯s gone!¡±
¡°Prime Minister, we should also go see!¡±
Seeing everyone say this, Li Xiao Ran can only nod and say: ¡°So, we will all go together.¡±
Da Furen was anxious, quickly send a look to Lin Mama beside her, let her leave first, and immediately go to see what happened underneath the plum blossom tree, must get there before everyone else to deal with the body that suddenly appeared. However, when Lin Mama reached the doorway, she was caught up with everyone else who was leaving and was momentarily blocked at the doorway, unable to get out.
Li Wei Yang saw everything, revealed a slight smile.
Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu happened to see this smile, could not help but raise a brow in interest. This San Xiaojie, is really strange ah.
¡°Seventh brother, are you not going to watch the spectacle?¡± Tuoba Zhen suddenly interrupted his focus.
Tuoba Yu turned back, smiled slightly and said: ¡°Naturally I would want to see, Third brother, first please.¡±
The Fifth Prince, who left a long time ago following Li Chang Le, was not at his seat at all.
Everyone had reached the garden, Liu Furen due to San Furen¡¯s reminder, ran desperately towards the plum blossom tree, plum blossoms blooming vigorously beside theke, easy to distinguish. She strode in first withrge steps, already forgetting her status and the etiquettes of ady, focused on finding her own son.
On reaching beneath the plum blossom tree, immediately a silhouette was seen hanging from the tree, swaying, Liu Furen was scared back a step, looking closely, could see the silhouette was long, suddenly let out a sigh of relief, it was not her son!
Everyone rushed over, all has seen the body, yet they heard a maid eximed in shock: ¡°It¡¯s Zi Yan! It¡¯s Zi Yan!¡±
Bai Zhi rushed over, clung to the body, tears falling: ¡°Zi Yan! What happened? Zi Yan, what happened to you!¡±
Li Min Feng who came over quickly, on seeing the scene, was stunned speechless, he had never imagined, that Zi Yan would appear here.
Li Wei Yang said coldly: ¡°Bring her down.¡±
Naturally, a thick Mama hurriedly went to bring her down, checked her breath, she was already dead. Seeing Zi Yan¡¯s white face, Bai Zhi could not control her tears, more tears streaming down.
Li Min Feng clenched his fist, his eyes red: ¡°Impossible! How could she---¡± He clearly told those people to deal with Zi Yan, and quietly take the body out of the residence, how could it be hanging on a plum blossom tree!
Just now her eyebrows were still smooth, Li Wei Yang looked at him coldly: ¡°Dage, a perfectly fine young maid, you ask me for her, I gave her to you, now just a few days past, how could she be dead!¡±
Li Min Feng was taken aback, unable to suppress the angry look on his face: ¡°What are you, that you can interrogate me!¡±
At this time, Li Min De frowned and said: ¡°Dage, Sanjie was conferred the title of Anping Xianzhu personally by Bixia, you have not yet obtained official rank, etiquette-wise, you must salute Sanjie when you see her, Sanjie did not hold it against you, howe you don¡¯t even know how to speak!¡±
Li Min Feng¡¯s eyebrow twitched, but mindful of the presence of everyone, he had to hold back his anger.
Li Xiao Ran seeing this scene, expression ugly, he coldlyshed out: ¡°What is going on!¡±
Da Furen looking gloomy and unsteady, slowly said: ¡°Lao Ye, Zi Yan has disappeared today, I thought she has taken leave to visit family.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked faintly at Li Min Feng and said: ¡°Dage, Zi Yan is your concubine, if she has taken leave, how would she not say something in advance.¡±
Da Furen said coldly: ¡°Wei Yang, you are confused, Zi Yan is just a maid, what concubine.¡±
Not married yet had taken a concubine, this was not a practice of arge family, also disrespectful towards the new daughter-inw. Da Furen was currently selecting the best candidates as Li Min Feng¡¯s wife, if everyone knew that Da Shaoye had already taken a concubine, they would think that in the Prime Minister¡¯s house they arecking in teaching their son.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°True or not, as long as Dage knows in his heart.¡±
Next: Chapter 62
Chapter 62
*The title means to corrupt public morals.
Chapter 62: Injury to the wind
After that incident, Da Furen had locked Zi Yan up to sell, who knew that Zi Yan would sneak out, taking the opportunity to pester Li Min Feng, threatening him that if he forced her to leave she would reveal everything to the public, causing such amotion.
Da Furen frowned: ¡°A good banquet, was actually messed up by a childish yatou, someone, take her away.¡±
Immediately, someone went to lift Zi Yan, Bai Zhi was firmly grasping Zi Yan¡¯s sleeve, with both side pulling, Zi Yan¡¯s clothes were torn in half, Da Furen thundered: ¡°Remove her quickly!¡±
Bai Zhi suddenly burst out: ¡°Look!¡±
Everyone¡¯s gazes looked over at her words, to see Zi Yan¡¯s fair corbone and arms, are covered in bluish purple bruises, one look could tell that they were traces of abuse.
Li Chang Le quickly took a nce, suddenly turning around, making the ruby set of the gold earrings on her ears shake, coldly said: ¡°She must have done something shamelessly, really debauchery!¡±
A pair of respectable girls, appearance as pure as jade.
Fifth Prince immediately said: ¡°Da Xiaojie should not look at these filthy things, to avoid dirtying your eyes!¡±
San Furen said slowly: ¡°Since this yatou was already given to Da Shaoye, then it should be dealt by you, however, this is too...¡±
Her meaning was clear, although Zi Yan was a maid, there should not be such abuse, not to mention these countless bruises, the son of a well-known family should be polite to others, to have done such things....
Li Wei Yang heaved a long drawn sigh as if she could not bear it: ¡°Dage, I am not ming you, but Zi Yan came with me from Ping Cheng, well-behaved, obedient and sensible, but with you driving her to death, what can I say?¡±
Da Furen narrowed her eyes, eyebrows winding like the sharp corners of a crescent, dered: ¡°Feng er is usually busy with work, how can he pay attention to a maid. The maidservants of the Li family must check themselves in order to serve their masters with ease, Zi Yan fornicated with a manservant and incite trouble in fear that we will me her, therefore dying like this.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Oh, really?¡±
Li Min Feng was, of course, the person who knew most about this situation, Zi Yan kept pestering him to raise her up as a concubine, only he had not yet married, how could he take such a yatou in? Therefore, he hardened his heart, ordered people to forcefully tie this yatou up, and to either kill or sell her; inevitably those people had taken some actions and quietly dealt with Zi Yan. The main issue was, the body should have been sent out of the house, how did it appear in the main hall in front of everyone?! Obviously someone was deliberately ying tricks! Thinking of this, he became red in the face, curled his fingers and scoffed: ¡°Zi Yan¡¯s death, I really don¡¯t know anything.¡±
Da Furen shouted: ¡°Quickly take her away!¡±
The servants began to move the body. However, as they were about to take away the body, there was a pattering sound, something fell out of Zi Yan¡¯s arms.
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Dage, this is the pouch that you carry around with you, now has been dirtied by this yatou, or?¡±
A maid mysteriouslymitted suicide, her body full of traces of abuse, from her arms, Da Shaoye¡¯s pouch fell out ...... when connecting all these together, everyone¡¯s face changed.
This Da Shaoye of Li, his morality was really corrupted! Noment on the injury to the wind, that he even had such hobby! Such person, who would still dare to marry their daughter to him. How would he able to move on to the next phase, to join the court as an official, it would simply cause Prime Minister Li to lose facepletely!
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face was livid, he held back most of his anger, his gaze was rigidly fixed on Li Min Feng, as if he would soon erupt.
The servants took Zi Yan away, everyone¡¯s expression returned to being calm, but undercurrent surging in their heart; their gazes directed towards Li Min Feng seemed so strange and had a bit of fear in them.
At this time, Liu Furen suddenly eximed: ¡°Su er!¡± Everyone looked to see, a maidservant bringing an eight-years old Shaoye over. Liu Furen rushed over, embracing the boy in her arms and kept calling out my sweetheart.
¡°What happened?¡± Li Xiao Ran asked with a frown.
The maidservant curtseyed and said: ¡°Nubi saw Liu Shaoye at the back, he was looking everywhere for the toilet, therefore getting lost----¡±
Everyoneughed, but just after experiencing this matter, theughter was insincere. At this point of the banquet, how could it continue on, everyone awkwardly proposed a toast and then left.
The Li family stood by the doorway sending off the guests, Da Furen and the others were forcing a smile, only Li Wei Yang smiled as usual. Tuoba Yu went by her side, smiled and said softly: ¡°Well done.¡±
Li Wei Yang face was calm as if she didn¡¯t hear him, solemnly salute: ¡°Seeing off Seventh Prince.¡±
She knew, today regardless of Tuoba Zhen or Tuoba Yu, no one would believe that Li Min Feng was that kind of a confused person, but what matter if they didn¡¯t believe it, rumors were more dreaded than tigers, tomorrow everyone in the city would know, how the words and actions of the Li family¡¯s main son was corrupted with a perished morality.
From today on, whether it was Li Min Feng¡¯s career or his marriage, it had been thoroughly ruined.
This was the return gift to him for previously framing her.
When there were no outsiders remaining, Li Xiao Ran suddenly pped Li Min Feng¡¯s face, the force so great, that his entire body was knocked to the ground, even a tooth was knocked out, his mouth full of blood.
Da Furen hurriedly pulled him back: ¡°Lao Ye, do you not see, this incident today was deliberately set up by someone?¡±
Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t care whether it was a setup or not, he only knew that he had no face in front of people at all, the centuries-old good reputation of the Li family, had all been ruined in the hands of Li Min Feng; he couldn¡¯t help but shouted in anger: ¡°Setup! Who set him up, what is he! If he was really innocent and in the clear, and he still went to seduce his sister¡¯s maid, then he is a shameless thing!¡±
Da Furen was unable to refrain her tears and snivels: ¡°Lao Ye, he is our eldest son, how can you not believe him---¡±
¡°Believe him? I have seen with my own eyes! Of all the time to be an embarrassment, he had to do such thing when everyone was present, it is simply an injury to the wind!¡± Li Xiao Ran once again forcefully kicked Li Min Feng.
Li Min Feng suddenly turned his head, staring at Li Wei Yang with blood-red eyes: ¡°You slut! It is you who incite that yatou----¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Xiao Ran and said with grievance: ¡°Father, Dage me everything on me.¡±
Li Xiao Ran was at the peak of his anger, he pointed at Li Min Feng and said: ¡°Someone, lock the young master in the ancestral hall to repent for a hundred days!¡±
Da Furen¡¯s face suddenly turned death white, she suddenly looked back, stared at Li Wei Yang, eyes vicious like she would eat her, but Li Wei Yang smiled and looked over at Li Chang Le who had stood in the same spot, speechless: ¡°Dajie, I¡¯m tired, I will return to my room first, please make way.¡±
Li Chang Le looked at Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes as if she had seen the devil crawling up from hell and then involuntarily stepped back.
Next: Chapter 63
Chapter 63
Tranted by Erie (me) and sponsored by Kris P. and Mylinh B. :)
1ÔÔÔßÏݺ¦: ce evidence to frame others ¨C literally means to frame
2ÈýÈ˳ɻ¢:when three people say there is a tiger, this bes the truth ¨C literally means a lie turns into the truth
3ÌíÓͼӴ×: add oil and add vinegar ¨C literally means to exaggerate and add colors
Chapter 63: Imprisonment turns into disaster
Li Wei Yang walked out from the main hall and slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Bai Zhi was waiting outside, when she saw Li Wei Yanging out, she hurriedly rushed over: ¡°Xiaojie.¡±
Li Wei Yang gave her a nce and saw tears flickering in the corners of her eyes. She unconsciously sighed and said: ¡°You are still upset over what happened to Zi Yan?¡±
Bai Zhi wiped her tears, she said: ¡°Xiaojie, Nubi and Zi Yan entered the residence together, of course, our rtionship is unlike others. Even though she bought it onto herself, she died so miserably, Nubi really feels ...¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded, when San Furen sent someone to tell her that Da Shaoye punished Zi Yan and they even tortured her until she died, she immediately thought of this idea. She knew Li Xiao Ran well; when there was someone who threatened to jeopardize his reputation and position, there was no need to discuss!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes looked around and then she suddenly frowned: ¡°Did Min De and San furen leave?¡±
Bai Zhi¡¯s face was nk, she said: ¡°San furen returned but San Shaoye was not seen.¡±
Since the start of the banquet, this child was acting weirdly, Li Wei Yang thought over it and still felt that there something wrong, she said: ¡°Come with me and look for him.¡±
They walked back as they looked for him. Ultimately, they saw a familiar figure on a step of the pavilion in the still garden.
Li Wei Yang was stunned, she quickly strolled over.
¡°Sanjie.¡± Li Min De was sitting on the step as he lowly spoke.
The moonlight was shining on his face, making it seemed like his lips was faintly whitening.
¡°Why are you sitting here alone?¡± Li Wei Yang reached out for him. Her hand had just reached him when it was startled by the cold temperature of his body; she told Bai Zhi to bring her cloak over.
Bai Zhi turned around and then darted away, leaving the two of them alone at the pavilion.
Li Min De didn¡¯t lift his head, his longshes were drooping, ¡°Sanjie, what happened today, you nned this with mother, right?¡±
Li Wei Yang stared nkly, she didn¡¯t know how to respond. Da fang has openly and secretly thought about San fang¡¯s assets, earlier, San furen was not well and that was all Da furen¡¯s doing. Now San furen was simply returning what she endured, there was nothing wrong with that, but Min De, was still a child after all, would he be able to understand?
¡°Min De, you shouldn¡¯t worry about these things, quickly return home, don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± She pulled him again.
He still didn¡¯t move and only furrowed his brows, he said: ¡°I want to stay here a little longer.¡±
¡°What is going on with you tonight?¡± Her face revealed ayer of light anger, ¡°Are you going back or not!¡±
¡°I won¡¯t go back!¡± Li Min De suddenly spoke with a loud voice and Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were turning cold. She wouldn¡¯t be good-hearted towards anyone without any reason, if she and Li Min De didn¡¯t establish a rtionship on good terms, she wouldn¡¯t even care if he froze to death.
¡°Fine, if you are not leaving, then I will leave.¡± Li Wei Yang turned.
A reluctant whisper was heard from behind: ¡°You hide everything from me ......¡±
Li Wei Yang suddenly turned her head and stared at Li Min De; she was thinking this child was not old yet his mind was mature.
¡°We didn¡¯t mean to hide it from you, it¡¯s just that it¡¯s better for you to know less of these actions used to frame others1.¡± We also couldn¡¯t let a child be involved in this.
¡°You only think of me as a child.¡± Li Min De frowned.
If you are not a child, then what are you! Li Wei Yang¡¯s head started hurting, ¡°In the future we¡¯ll do our best to ---¡°
Li Min De suddenly lifted his head, his shining eyes looked at her until Li Wei Yang felt inexplicably guilty.
Whether it was San Furen or her, they wouldn¡¯t let Min De be in danger.
¡°Stop making a scene, get up.¡± Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes as she spoke in a serious tone.
¡°I am not making a scene.¡± Li Min De¡¯sshes were like a fan, his tender face was expressionless; it seemed like his face revealed a serious aura inconsistent to his age.
Li Wei Yangughed and said: ¡°Don¡¯t you want me to think of you as an adult? Is this an action of an adult?¡±
He didn¡¯t reply. Li Wei Yang reached out to pull him up.
Li Min De speechlessly flung her hand off, Li Wei Yang quietly mocked him, this child was not lovable at all!
Li Min De suddenly stood up, unfortunately, once he took a step, he fell down.
¡°Your legs fell asleep, right?¡± Li Wei Yang held onto him and sessfully pulled him back, she helplessly let out a sigh, ¡°San Shaoye, you want me to apany you to catch a cold?¡±
Li Min De clutched his face, he was still upset.
What do you have in your arms, it is bulging.¡± Li Wei Yang asked suspiciously.
¡°Nothing ......¡±
She suspiciously looked at him, ¡°It¡¯s really nothing?¡±
He hugged his chest: ¡°...... It¡¯s only an invaluable toy, it¡¯s iparable to what the Crowned Prince has gifted.¡±
Li Wei Yang was still: ¡°You --- also prepared a gift for me?¡±
A hint of red clouds appeared on Li Min De¡¯s face, it wasn¡¯t after a while that he affirmed.
Li Wei Yang was slightly shocked, she felt uneasy on the inside.
She realized Min De was a lonely child because of his precociousness, he was much more intelligent and sensitive than an adult, which made others couldn¡¯t help but have affections for him.
Li Min De slowly took out a wood carving from his chest.
Li Wei Yang: ¡°......¡±
It was a doll that looked like a rabbit, uh ......
¡°Does it look like you?¡± Li Min De pleasingly asked her.
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t have the heart to upset him and only said: ¡°Yes, it looks very simr, you made it yourself?¡±
¡°Yes!¡± Li Min De happily smiled
¡°It¡¯s made beautifully.¡± Li Wei Yang lifted his gift up to look at it meticulously; even though the wood work was choppy, every line and corner were rounded. It could be seen that lots of effort was put into this, ¡°Min De is too kind to me.¡±
Li Min De smiled, she suddenly saw his curled up fingers and frowned. She immediately held onto his hand and her fingertip felt a finely broken and coarse scar, ¡°You¡¯ve injured your fingers?¡±
Li Min De hid his hand: ¡°I did not!¡±
It was obvious that he had injured his fingers yet he denied.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes was dark as the night, her long curlingshes jittered under her eyes forming a shadow. She eventually smiled cheerfully: ¡°I will take good care of this gift.¡±
As the saying goes, once gossip was repeated often enough2, it would be epted as the truth. An incident that had been spread through many people¡¯s mouths would inevitably be exaggerated3. Also, that night at the banquet, present were many nobles and the women of their family and they enjoyed gossiping about others. Soon, the entire capital had already heard about Prime Minister Li¡¯s eldest son who had returned from his studies, was actually a dissolute man that took concubines before getting married and they didn¡¯t know how he killed the yatou. Da Furen thought of all kinds of way to suppress the rumors from spreading, but the rumors had be more and more intense. Gossipers spread the news and continued to add in their own details, causing the incident to be more colorful and be a popr topic amongst the public. In the end, the version had evolved into this, Li family¡¯s eldest son sexually assaulted a yatou, this yatou killed herself on the day of the banquet. The most frightening was that this version spread to the pce, which made the Emperor very furious since he had the intention of allowing Li Min Feng to be an official in the court. Not only did he shelved all proposals that supported his intention, he also scolded Tuoba Zhen, who also presented a proposal.
Third Prince, who was always cautious, thought that if he wrote a proposal to help, he would gain a favor from Prime Minister Li and would also gain an extra helper that could be used in the future. He didn¡¯t expect that this would happen; this was a rare misstep in years.
Da furen bought Li Chang Le to the ancestral hall to visit Li Min Feng who was locked up for ten days.
Li Min Feng sat in front of a table in a trance, hisplexion dull, his eyes white, and his face dispirited. In the past few days, he didn¡¯t understand from his enriched knowledge gained from academics and travel experience, how could he be no match to a thirteen-years old girl and suffered a big loss?
He couldn¡¯t believe that he continuously fell for Li Wei Yang¡¯s schemes and was even led in circles by her. These great talents and political schemes, in her eyes, were nothing.
¡°Da ge, how did turn like this?¡± Li Chang Le was almost speechless.
Once he saw Da furen, he immediately rushed forward: ¡°Mother, help me get out of here, I can¡¯t stand this any longer!¡±
Next: Chapter 64
Chapter 64 part1
Sorry for the dy - been busy with other work. This chapter will be split into two parts because of its length. Subsequent chapters with over 20+ pages will also be split into parts as well.
1Ò»·«·ç˳: literallymeans the smooth journey of a ship; means everything has been going smoothly
2Ë®ÕÇ´¬¸ß: literally means when the tiderises, the boat floats high; means that someone has a high status because of his rtionships with other
Chapter64 Insidious and Sinister
Li Chang Le frowned and revealed a hesitant expression: ¡°In thepast ten days, we have thought of everything, but Father still wanted toimprison you for at least a month.¡±
¡°Impossible!¡± Li Min Fengloudly beamed, ¡°I am Father¡¯s most beloved son, how can he do this to me!¡± Heprobably didn¡¯t know but his eyes became sharp with deep difort and he wasshaking like a leaf that was about to fall.
Li Chang Le said: ¡°Da ge, Father is very angry, everyone has beendiscussing about this recently, Father has always valued reputation, what youdid was very uneptable to Father.¡±
¡°No matter what youheard, I have to tell you that everything is a lie! It was obviously a corpse,how could it run to the plum tree and hang itself! It¡¯s Li Wei Yang, thatbitch, who nned everything, I will settle this with her soon!¡±
He held onto Li Chang Le¡¯s shoulder and shook her with all hisstrength and greatly shouted. His handsome and noble face had alreadydisappearedpletely.
Li Chang Le was stunned, she felt an unusual fear; Li Min Feng¡¯sface reminded her of a beast that was about to die, he had already lost hiscalm.
Da Furen rushed forward and then mercilessly pped Li MinFeng: ¡°I want you to sober up! If you are this impulsive, you will fall into LiWei Yang¡¯s trap. She is definitely hiding in the dark right now, watching usfall on hard time and turn insane!¡±
Li Min Feng was taken aback and absentmindedly stared at Da Furenfor a while and then suddenly revealed a shameful expression. It was such ashame that he was a man; he often boasted himself as a talent but at this moment,his disposition was not as steadfastpared to a married woman who was raisedin a family harem.
Guilt and shames gradually revealed on his face and then hedejectedly loosened his hands.
Soon afterwards, he astonishingly discovered that Da Furenactually revealed signs of old age. Not only were there silver strands growingfrom the side of her hair, but there were also wrinkles at the corner of hereyes, eyes that showed unease.
His mother was actually capable of feeling anxious and he wasonce again astonished by this. A mere Li Wei Yang had force his mother intothis condition, what was going on?
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face floated in his mind, causing him to rage infury and even to have the intention to kill. His eyes immediately turned dull,a helpless and resentful smile formed on his mouth: ¡°Mother, how can I lose toa young yatou?¡±
Da Furen coldly said: ¡°I¡¯ve been urging you both again and againthat this Li Wei Yang is a ruthless bitch. We either not make a move or we makea move that delivers a killing blow. But you two, you never listen to me!¡± Shesaw intentions to kill in his eyes and uncontrobly sighed, ¡°It¡¯s also myfault for spoiling you both. Everything has been sailing smoothly for so long1, it has made you both unable to endure thewaves.¡±
¡°But she made me sufferthis bad!¡± Li Min Feng angrily said, his expression was like that of an injuredwild wolf. He saw himself as a man of great talents so he thought a littletrouble could¡¯ve gotten rid of Li Wei Yang, but he could¡¯ve never imagined thathe had gotten rid of himself.
Da Furen showed a slight smile, a smile that sent shivers downpeople¡¯s backs: ¡°At this moment, if you continue to stir up trouble to get out,it will make your father be more tired of you. Even more, the entirecapital is discussing this incident; if you leave, you will bring onhumiliation onto yourself, so might as well stay here and think about where didyou go wrong?!¡±
Li Min Feng exposed a hint of uncertainty in his expression.
Li Chang Le coldly said: ¡°Da ge, your heart is too soft, if youdealt with Zi Yan earlier, this incident probably wouldn¡¯t have urred.¡±
Li Min Feng felt a bit ashamed, she was right, he indeed was alittle interested in Zi Yan, but she, as his younger sister, didn¡¯t have theright to lecture him.
Da Furen gave Li Chang Le a nce: ¡°If it wasn¡¯t you whoinstigated your brother, how would a man like him bring himself into thesematter!¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s face paled, she couldn¡¯t escape under Da Furen¡¯sstrict expression: ¡°Mother, if we were to be overpowered by Li Wei Yang, thiswouldn¡¯t benefit Da ge at all.¡±
¡°You both! To deal withLi Wei Yang, we must slowly wait for an opportunity. She is now Anping Xianzhu,it is much more difficult to touch her now!¡± Da Furen coldly spoke.
¡°Mother, you¡¯ve been sayingto wait for an opportunity, when exactly do we have to wait until!¡± Li Chang Lefrowned.
An inexplicable smile formed on Da Furen¡¯s face: ¡°Very soon.¡±
Li Min Feng and Li Chang Le both showed an expression ofuncertainty. Da Furen gave Li Min Feng a glimpse: ¡°Ponder with a quiet mind, Iwill eventually think of a way to let you leave here. As for you Chang Le, don¡¯tsh with that slut, Mother will very soon make her disappear for good!¡±
Leaving the ancestral hall, Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t help but asked:¡°Mother, do you have a n already?¡±
Da Furen furtively smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.
Li Chang Le had utmost interest in the idea of Li Wei Yang¡¯simpending death, she said: ¡°Do you need daughter¡¯s help?¡±
Da Furen gently looked at her and said: ¡°You shouldn¡¯t beconcerned, just simply look nice in front of others.¡±
Li Chang Le blushed and said: ¡°Daughter has always beenattentive in this area.¡±
Da Furen smiled: ¡°Whether Li Wei Yang is a Xianzhu or aprincess, it doesn¡¯t matter, there is one thing she can¡¯t rival with you. Didyou noticed that night at the banquet many titled gongzi were staring at you,especially that Fifth Prince,st night your father told me that the FifthPrince have the intention to seek your hand for marriage.¡±
Li Chang Le frowned: ¡°Father has already agreed?¡±
Da Furen shook her head and said: ¡°Fifth Prince¡¯s mother MinImperial Concubine has been favored all these years, so the Fifth Princebenefited from this2, but your fathersaid, the ones with the biggest chance to ascend the throne are the CrownedPrince and the Emperor¡¯s beloved Seventh Prince. As for the Fifth Prince, hestillcks experience ---¡°
This meant that they had already decided on either siding withthe Crowned Prince or the Seventh Prince ...... Li Chang Le felt a bitdisappointed, she didn¡¯t know why, Third Prince¡¯s handsome face appeared in hermind.
Da Faren lightly tapped her hand: ¡°You have to dress up nicelyand take advantage of this opportunity, do you understand?¡±
Ever since Da Furen visited Li Min Feng in the ancestral hand warned Li Chang Le once again, Li Wei Yang discovered that not only didnews regarding Da Shaoye not eating at the ancestral hall no longer spread, butalso Li Chang Le acted normal and became more well-behaved. Moreover, seeingthis Da Xiaojie again, she was more well-dressed than before. Li Wei Yangvaguely guessed that it was either because Da Furen was preparing to schemeagainst her or her older sister was using her beauty as a weapon to dosomething extraordinary.
After a month, Li Min Feng was released from the ancestral hall.A trace of anger towards Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t be seen on his face, not even aninkling. However, underneath the tranquil expression was definitely ragingtorrents of anger.
Chapter 64 part2
Part 2 of Chapter 64 - going to release Part 1 of Chapter 65 soon since this is a bit short :) stay tuned!
3·çÓêÓûÀ´:literallymeans storming ising; means that trouble is about toe
Chapter64 Insidious and Sinister Part 2
Chaos amongst the disaster victims had passed by; slowly, Dalihad recovered its calm. But this peaceful period didn¡¯tst long because afterevery disaster, an epidemic disease broke out. This was especiallymon inareas where disaster victims were afraid of the spread of diseases that theyimmediately buried the disease-infected people, horses, cows, and sheeps in theground. This behavior unintentionally infected the water source, causing morepeople to be infected. The Emperor sentrge numbers of medical officialto disaster areas to treat the epidemic and eventually the situation was soonunder control. But because many traveling officials returned to the capital,the epidemic followed along back to the capital. Commoners were oftendetermined to work every day so after receiving treatment, they recovered verysoon. Unfortunately for the groups of nobilities, as people that didn¡¯t moveoften, it was much more difficult for them to recover once infected. Three tofour highly ranked court officials had died in a row, causing shock and fear.
Prime Minister Li had been busy with this problem, which hadcaused him nights of restless sleep.
Da Furen saw this and slowly felt that the opportunity hade.
That night, Li Xiao Ran was tossing and turning restlessly, hecouldn¡¯t sleep at all. At the moment, Da Furen suddenly sat up with sweatdrenched over her forehead.
Li Xiao Ran was surprised, he saw Da Furen¡¯s unease expressionand asked: ¡°Furen, what is going on with you?¡±
Da Furen¡¯s expression was absentminded, it was as if she wasperturbed; she uttered something yet couldn¡¯t speak recognizable words.
Li Xiao Ran felt anxious, he said: ¡°What is going on!¡± Using thecandle¡¯s light, Li Xiao Ran noticed that round-face Da Furen¡¯s lower jaw wasvery pointy as if it could poke someone and her eyes had greenish-ck shadowsunderneath, making her look anxious.
Da Furen tightly held herself as her whole body trembled: ¡°I hada nightmare, it¡¯s very frightening Lao Ye!¡±
It was only a nightmare, Li Xiao Ranid back down and obviouslydidn¡¯t care about what she said.
Da Furen felt angry inside but she suppressed it and said: ¡°Isuddenly dreamt of many wooden people, and in their hands were wooden pegs,they used them to beat Lao Ye ---¡°
Hearing this, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression immediately worsened, hesolemnly said: ¡°What kind of dream is this!¡±
Da Furen showed a troubled expression, after a while, sheprobingly said: ¡°Could this dream have some sort of omen ......¡±
Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t speak yet he had an uneasy feeling in hisheart.
He suddenly thought of twenty years ago, the Emperor had justascended the throne. That year in the summer, a drought broke out. Alchemistsand necromancers in the capital used their evil ways to bewitchmoners; someeven caused chaos in the harem, teaching concubines how to use voodoo. Theconcubines in the harem envied, berated, and exposed one another, using oneanother for cursing the Emperor. The Emperor furiously ordered the whole cityto be searched and in many concubine¡¯s halls andmoner¡¯s homes, countless ofvoodoo things were found. Under harsh torturing, imperial maids and concubinesadmitted that they were bewitched by superstitions and used voodoo to curse theEmperor and other maids and concubines. This incident implicated many innocentofficials and had caused the deaths of many. As a result, the Emperor orderedthat anyone found to have done voodoo, regardless of gender and age, must beexecuted or exiled. Now that Da Furen had this dream, did it foreshadowsomething?
Thinking of this, Li Xiao Ran thought of the recent outbreak ofepidemic and naturally couldn¡¯t sleep. Da Furen dreamt of a wooden person andit aimed at him, was it an omen of misfortune? This guess made him displeasedand nervous.
In the middle of the night, a sound was heard at the window, whichroused Li Wei Yang from sleep.
Bai Zhi immediately took a look and busily said: ¡°Xiaojie, itwas just the wind, it¡¯s nothing, Nubi has closed it.¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t know why sweat appeared on her forehead. Shelightly wiped it and thenid that back down again. She didn¡¯t know why shefelt that a cmity wasing --- an ominous premonition ......
Thisnight, a storm was brewing3.
Next: Chapter 65
Chapter 65 part1
1´ò²Ý¾ªÉß: act rashly and alert the enemy
2ÌøÁºÐ¡³ó: a buffoon who performs antics
Chapter 65: A n Within a n Part 1
The next morning, Li Chang Le went to pay her respects to DaFuren. Seeing her unwell expression, she indistinctly exposed joy and thencouldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°Mother, what great news is there?¡±
Da Furen smiled, she gazed at Li Chang Le¡¯s beautiful andcharming eyes: ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve already arranged everything, just rest assured.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s face revealed a trace of delight, she had alreadyguessed, Mother wanted to get rid of the bitch Li Wei Yang. She smilingly said:¡°Mother, I¡¯ve already arranged a few people to keep a close eye on Li Wei Yang .......¡±
¡°No, we can¡¯t beat the grass and frighten away the snake1 now, this damn yatou is always on the alert,you have to know, less people the better.
¡°But ---¡° Li Chang Le really wanted to punish Li Wei Yang withher own hands.
Da Furen calmly said: ¡°Just watch what I do.¡± She didn¡¯t n ontelling Li Chang Le her entire n; in the past it was because she didn¡¯t wantto dirty her hands with the blood-infested things, now she doesn¡¯t want her todivert her attention. ¡°Your priority is how to let the Crowned Prince or theSeventh Prince like you.¡±
Li Chang Le frowned: ¡°You all always talk about the CrownedPrince, Da ge had called him an idiot, and this Seventh Prince, his age issimr to mine, he only relies on Emperor¡¯s favoritism to establish hisposition. Da ge also said the Third Prince is not the same as the otherprinces, his actions are those of a man with a noble character.¡±
Da Furen listened as she shook her head: ¡°How can you believewhat your Da ge said, he is only an erudite, hepletely doesn¡¯t understandthe situation. No matter how powerful the Third Prince is, he can never bpared with the Crowned Prince and the Seventh Prince.¡±
Even though Li Chang Le didn¡¯t open her mouth to speak, TuobaZhen¡¯s handsome face was lingering in her head. In her heart, she honestlycouldn¡¯t think favorably of the distant Crowned Prince and the cold SeventhPrince.
Da Furen¡¯s expression sank, she said: ¡°I know what you arethinking about, the Third Prince seems refined and courteous. I heard he¡¯seagerly attentive towards you, he asked about your favorite things and boughtit back from afar. But I have always feel that he has ulterior motives.Perhaps, he wants to control you through this, and from there control yourfather.¡±
It was worth mentioning that even though Da Furen was a woman,but staying by Prime Minister Li¡¯s side for a long time, she was able to tell.Her daughter, if she was to marry a prince with an impressive background, itwould be great if she became the empress, why would she choose a riskier path?
Li Chang Le lived afortable life, she had already betired of the family chef¡¯s dishes. After knowing this, Tuoba Zhen sent a chefthrough Li Min Feng; this chef¡¯s specialty dish was Jiangshan¡¯syeredosmanthus cake. Eachyer was thin and tender, soft yet wasn¡¯t waxy, sweet yetwasn¡¯t greasy, which made Li Chang Le unable to part with it. Originally sheheld a bit of admiration towards him, now it has increased. Li Chang Le deeplybreathed in, she slowly said: ¡°Mother is thinking too much, Third Prince mightnot be what you described him to be.¡±
Da Furen coldly groaned and said: ¡°I¡¯m only afraid that you don¡¯tuse your brains --- based on background, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s birth mother is of low birth,which is poorpared to the Crowned Prince and Seventh Prince. But he is veryprudent and he moves carefully at every step so the Emperor trusts him a lot,the Empress also treats him well. It seems like he wholeheartedly consideredfor the Crowned Prince ...... he probably has ulterior motives.¡±
Li Chang Le heart jittered: ¡°If he seriously has other motivesand if he bes the Emperor one day ......¡±
Da Furen coldly smiled, she said: ¡°But he is merely a rascal2, how would he dare to hope for greaterthings. So what if his scheming is profound, it can¡¯t cover up his lowbackground and a mother without any family backing. If he had a matriarch nlike Seventh Prince¡¯s, your father might have supported him but he is only ---¡°Da Furen suddenly thought of something, she stared at Li Chang Le, ¡°Don¡¯t tellme you like him?¡±
In the end, Li Xiao Ran faintly guessed Tuoba Zhen¡¯s ambitionyet he was reluctant to support and indulged his ambitions; even more, hewouldn¡¯t ce his bet on him.
Li Chang Le lightly uttered a sound, her face turned red and shesaid: ¡°Who said so, Da ge has been continuously praising him, this is actually ......¡±
Da Furen sneeringly said: ¡°Your Da ge and him traveled together,their rtionship is naturally on good terms, but he views everything toosimple. Your father originally wanted to let your Da ge interact more with theCrowned Prince and the Seventh Prince, he didn¡¯t want to, to let him interactmore with the Fifth Prince, he also didn¡¯t want to. He believed these peoplealready has a powerful matriarch n and thus, once they ascend the throne, hewill not gain any credit, so he wanted to choose another path. But he didn¡¯tthink about how could a Tuoba Zhen without any power or allies can ovee allthe obstacles. You shouldn¡¯t fall for his frivolous behavior.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s heart vaguely had a shadow appearing distinctlyyet she softly spoke: ¡°Yes, I understand, Mother.¡±
Da Furen¡¯s eyes glimmered, changing unpredictably, she spoke ina low voice: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the husband Mother finds for you will indubitably be a matchless ruler and noble.¡±
Chapter 65 part2
After Zi Yan¡¯s death, only Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu were the closestyatous left by Li Wei Yang¡¯s side. Everyone from the start thought she wouldselect two high-ranked yatous from others, but who would have thought afterhalf a month had passed by, she still hadn¡¯t make a move. Even though theyatous and mamas were surprised, they didn¡¯t dare to ask. Because there weremore things to do in the residence, Mo Zhu requested from Li Wei Yang andselected Qin Fang and Hong Luo to serve tea and help around. Since Qin Fang hadserved in Da Furen¡¯s residence and she was particrly clever, Mo Zhu had beenwatching her attentively, being frightened that she was a spy sent by Da Furen.As for Hong Luo, because she was ounting manager Liu¡¯s daughter, who wasawaiting to marry and wasn¡¯t connected to any of the masters in the entireresidence, they didn¡¯t keep a close eye on her especially when she wasdependable and honest. She didn¡¯t speak much and gradually won their trust andbegan doing more work in the residence.
Tonight, it was Bai Zhi and Hong Luo¡¯s shifts.
Li Wei Yang was thirsty before bedtime and instructed someone tobring tea over. Bai Zhi really liked Hong Luo, this reserved yet hardworkingyatou, and had the intention of letting her reveal her face to the master. Inthe future once she was released, their master can bestow more to her so shesent her to serve tea to Xiaojie.
Hong Luo lowered her head and Li Wei Yang inexplicably looked ather arm. It wasn¡¯t a big deal if she didn¡¯t see it but with a glimpse, Li WeiYang noticed an oddity from her wrist.
Hong Luo usually dressed inly, besides the mandatory jewelry,she doesn¡¯t wear other special ones, but today, a jade bangle appeared on herwrist.
It wasn¡¯t a big deal, but it was odd that she hid the jadebangle under her sleeves. If Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t lean in closer, this jadebangle wouldn¡¯t have been seen by anyone.
Li Wei Yang had seen countless jewelry so she naturallyrecognized this bangle was not ordinary. The whole bangle was made of greenjade, not a speck of defects could be seen and it was brightly shining in thedark.
She remembered that Mo Zhu had said before that Hong Luo¡¯sfather was a small manager in the ounting room and she also had two olderbrothers waiting to marry so they promised her off to someone, hoping theycould have more gifts for her brother¡¯s marriages. This kind of family wouldbuy such a valuable jade bangle for their daughter?
Numerous thoughts shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind and in theend, not a single trace of change appeared on her face as sheid down asusual, turned her body. She listened to Hong Luo quietly retreating yet hereyes were still wide opened.
Was she too suspicious, perhaps, it was gifted by her futureinws?
The next morning after waking up, Li Wei Yang had on a normalexpression when she saw Hong Luo and then found an excuse to send her out. Shethen called Mo Zhu and Bai Zhi to inquire, Mo Zhu replied: ¡°Hong Luo¡¯s motheroriginally promised her off to someone but for an unexined reason, themarriage was called off. So her father begged the housekeeper to let Hong Luostay in the residence to help out.¡±
Bai Zhi became more vignt because of what happened to Zi Yan:¡°Xiaojie, do you suspect Hong Luo ......¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head, it was only a valuable jade bangle,what could this prove?
But Hong Luo¡¯s monthly allowance was little and she didn¡¯t havemuch chance to leave the Li residence. She wasn¡¯t missing anything at herce, if this bangle wasn¡¯t stolen then where could ite from?
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°You both pretend like you know nothing, ifthere¡¯s nothing wrong with her, then that¡¯s good, but if there¡¯s a problem, itmust be handled with evidence.¡±
Honestly speaking, she didn¡¯t wish to see a second Zi Yan appearbut things were like this in the world. The more you didn¡¯t want something tohappen, there was a higher possibility that it would.
Compared to Zi Yan who had lots of loopholes, Hong Luo grew upin the Li family; her work was steady and keen and she was seen as a cleveryatou. But the smarter she was, the easier it was for her to beoverconfident. If she didn¡¯t wear the jade bangle, Li Wei Yang wouldn¡¯t havediscovered. But in this world, once a woman sees a valuable and beautifuljewelry, even if they had to hide it underneath their clothing, they wouldstill wear it for the feeling. Hong Luo is after all a woman, she couldn¡¯t bearthe pain of simply looking at the beautiful jewelry so she took a risk.
After that matter, Hong Luo carefully recalled that night¡¯sexpression and her body was suddenly drenched with sweat. She didn¡¯t dare wearthat bangle again and she put in all her efforts to serve Li Wei Yang.
Three dayster, Bai Zhi came to report: ¡°Xiaojie, Nubi hasbeen secretly keeping a close eye on her, but she is very prudent in her workand she doesn¡¯t interact with outsiders, there is nothing unusual.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded and said: ¡°Perhaps she became aware.¡±
Bai Zhi was stunned, she anxiously said: ¡°Could it be that Nubiwasn¡¯t careful enough and revealed our intentions?¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head, she said: ¡°Even the cleverest fox willeventually reveal its tail, let¡¯s wait longer.¡±
Li Wei Yang was right, after waiting for three days, Hong Luodidn¡¯t notice any unusual behavior from Xiaojie and believed she wasoversensitive, so she finally took action.
That night, Bai Zhi and a mama who were responsible for guardingthe night caught Hong Luo sneaking around. Bai Zhi ordered people to stuff hermouth and then personally brought her in front of Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang looked at Hong Luo¡¯s trembling body andughed: ¡°Whyare you so frightened?¡±
Bai Zhi approached forth and then pull out the cloth stuffed inHong Luo¡¯s mouth. Hong Luo immediately said: ¡°Xiaojie, what did Nubi do wrong?¡±
Li Wei Yang saw that she deliberately put on an expression as ifnothing had happened, she calmly smiled and said: ¡°I¡¯ve treated you well, whydid you betray me?¡±
Hong Luo tightly pursed her lips, she didn¡¯t speak one word yetcold sweat endlessly rolled down her forehead.
Li Wei Yang knew Hong Luo couldn¡¯t bepared with Zi Yan whodidn¡¯t have any experience with fights; Zi Yan had just arrived from Ping Chengand she had read many ys so she still had dreams of bing a phoenix. ButHong Luo was raised in the Li family residence so she knew the oue of Nubisthat participated in the inner fights within the family wouldn¡¯t end well andthus wouldn¡¯t end their future because of tiny temptations. Da Furen must havehad something of Hong Luo in her hand and then gave her threats andpromises.
Pondering up to here, Li Wei Yang softly spoke: ¡°Hong Luo, youhaven¡¯t passed fifteen yet this year, a height of one¡¯s youth. I oftemented,mented the tragic end of beautiful women. Even more, Imented thelives of women, once we take a wrong step, we waste our whole life. So as awoman, we must learn to cherish ourselves. Hong Luo, don¡¯t just be concernedabout what¡¯s present now, you must think about your long future!¡±
Hong Luo astonishingly looked at Li Wei Yang, her face whitenedand her body was still like a wooden carving.
Li Wei Yang sighed, Bai Zhi said: ¡°Hong Luo, Xiaojie is givingyou a chance to be honest with her, she is doing you a favor. I saw you justnow obviously burying something, I¡¯ve already sent someone to dig it out. Whydon¡¯t you tell us honestly, this is a chance for you atone for your crime witha good deed.¡±
Hong Luo¡¯s expression changed unpredictably, she watched Li WeiYang¡¯s clear like water eyes and remained silent.
Li Wei Yang gradually said: ¡°Hong Luo, you are prudent, yourwork is clean. I¡¯ve been thinking of you highly; two days ago Bai Zhi evenmentioned promoting you to a first-level yatou but why do you want to demolishyour future? If I fall, you are my yatou, where else better can you go?¡±
Hong Luo lowered her head, for a long time, she didn¡¯t say aword.
Li Wei Yang knew she was struggling on the inside, she didn¡¯tpress her. Only the silent hourss could be heard as a grain of sand crawledpast.
Hong Luo was already drenched with sweat. When she finallyopened her mouth to speak, she almost couldn¡¯t hear her own voice: ¡°Nubi iswrong, Xiaojie, please point Nubi to a path of livelihood.¡±
Chapter 65 part3
1×Ý»¢¹éɽ: literally means let the tiger returns to its den; cause danger tour in the future
2ÉËÌ캦Àí: literally means against nature and reason; tomit ruthless actions
Li Wei Yang gave Bai Zhi a signal and Bai Zhi responded byretrieving a small case from aside. Bai Zhi stuffed the box in Hong Luo¡¯s arms.In the box was five hundred silver taels, Hong Luo was stunned all of a sudden.
Li Wei Yang asked: ¡°If these taels aren¡¯t enough to resolve yourdifficulty, you can tell me whenever.¡±
Hong Luo held up the box, her hands suddenly began shaking andtears began falling. She wiped away the tears and said: ¡°San Xiaojie, Nubideserves to die but Nubi didn¡¯t have a choice. Three years ago, Nubi¡¯s motherwas ill, father didn¡¯t have a choice but to steal one hundred taels from thebooks for my mother to see the doctor. Afterwards, Da Furen caught ahold ofevidence and said she would send him to the officials. Father is already oldand he has leg problems, Nubi was driven into a corner to havemitted suchactions.¡±
This was exactly simr to what Li Wei Yang had predicted, shelet out a sigh and said: ¡°Hong Luo, I won¡¯t make things difficult for you,bringing this box with you, leave this ce with your father and don¡¯t let DaFuren find you.¡±
Bai Zhi suddenly frowned: ¡°Xiaojie, how could you let her leavelike that? Isn¡¯t this letting the tiger back to its den1?
Li Wei Yang waved her hands to indicate that she made up hermind.
Hong Luo had never thought that Li Wei Yang would treat her likethat, her tears were flowing down nonstop. She thanked her, stood up and walkedtowards the door. Taking two steps, she suddenly stopped as if she couldn¡¯tmove, her whole body was still right in front of them. Her back was shaking,she then turned around, kneeled in front of Li Wei Yang and tearfully said:¡°Xiaojie, Nubi beg your pardon, if Nubi just left like this, Nubi would feelguilty. Da Furen ordered Nubi to bury wooden dolls in the residence, a totalof seven ......¡±
Seven? Li Wei Yang was stunned; she shook her head. Da Furen wasdefinitely something, she thought highly of her that she buried seven all atonce.
Bai Zhi felt fear inside, if today Hong Luo rather die than tellthem, or if she just left, even if they dug out one, there were the remainingsix that would have send her Xiaojie to her doom. Cold sweat covered her head,she was very careless, how could Xiaojie let Hong Luo leave? Thinking up untilthis point, she suddenly understood and lifted her head to look at Li Wei Yang.At that moment, she understood her Xiaojie¡¯s intention.
Li Wei Yang took a chance with Hong Luo¡¯s character and softspot and believed she would be honest with her. Understanding this, Bai Zhicouldn¡¯t help but be speechless. Xiaojie¡¯s thoughts were tooplex, shecouldn¡¯t be read at all.
¡°Nubi knows this is against nature and reason2 and there will be karma but didn¡¯t dare defyDa Furen¡¯s order. To prevent others from finding out, I only made a move atnight. These seven dolls, besides buried under the tree, there is one at everycorner, one under your bed, and thest one ......¡±
Hong Luo¡¯s face turned red and finally said: ¡°Thest one, Nubihid it in the grass behind the residence.¡±
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, Da Furen¡¯s tricks came one by one, waitingfor her doom! If she didn¡¯t discover this early, she wouldn¡¯t even know how shedied! Tiny wooden dolls? This was voodoo magic.
She asked Hong Luo: ¡°Are there other people with you on this?¡±
Hong Luo shook her head, she said: ¡°Nubi don¡¯t know.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded and said: ¡°Then starting today, you shouldcontinue to pretend to not know anything.¡±
Hong Luo was astonished, she lifted her head and said: ¡°Xiaojie,you still let Nubi stay by your side?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°As long as you agree, I won¡¯t kick you outand will treat you the same as before.¡±
She dared keep someone that betrayed her not because she wasoverconfident, but she held onto her opponent¡¯s biggest soft spot. Hong Luo, thisperson, still had a conscience.
Bai Zhi bought Hong Luo out, Mo Zhu cautiously said: ¡°Xiaojie,what should we do now, should we report this to Lao Furen?¡±
Mo Zhu was bestowed to her by Lao Furen, so it wasn¡¯t unusualthat she said such words.
Li Wei Yang shook her head and calmly said: ¡°Lao Furen isgetting old, it¡¯s better to not trouble her, what do you say?¡±
Mo Zhu bit her lips and ultimately decided: ¡°Yes, Nubi listensto everything Xiaojie says.¡±
Since she decided to stay with Xiaojie, she would serve Xiaojieher entire life. The person with the power to decide her fate was Xiaojie, it¡¯sher, so there was nothing much to be concern about.
¡°Look for the wooden dolls Hong Luo was talking about.¡± Li Wei Yanginstructed.
¡°Yes, Nubi will secretly trash them.¡± Mo Zhu said, following hergood advice.
¡°No, keep everything, then summon Rong Er over from my mother¡¯sresidence.¡± Li Wei Yang faintly smiled as she replied.
Mo Zhu was surprised, Rong Er? Wasn¡¯t she that yatou who falselypassed along a message from Qi Yiniang to draw Li Wei Yang over to the gardento see Gao Jin?
Not long, Rong Er arrived trembling with fear; once she saw LiWei Yang, she immediately kneeled down.
Because of what happenedst time, she thought San Xiaojiewouldn¡¯t let her off that easily but who would have known that everything wascalm. Right when she was letting out a thankful breath, Li Wei Yang summonedher.
¡°Rong Er, serving Qi Yiniang, do you feel aggrieved.¡± Li WeiYang¡¯s face had a smile as she asked.
Rong Er¡¯s expression slightly changed, she bowed her head andsaid: ¡°Nubi is clumsy, Qi Yiniang is magnanimous, to be able to serve her, it¡¯sNubi¡¯s luck this lifetime.¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly smiled and said: ¡°Da Xiaojie gifted yousomething not small? Or else how did you dare use Qi Yiniang¡¯s name to call meout?¡±
Rong Er, hearing this, immediately bowed her body, her voice wasshaking, ¡°Nubi ...... nubi ......¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s coldly voiced: ¡°You couldn¡¯t have forgotten whatyou have done!¡±
Rong Er saw that Li Wei Yang¡¯s countenance was chillingly coldand her voice was serious. It frightened her, causing her face to turn pale andshe didn¡¯t dare to move. She then tearfully cried: ¡°Nubi ...... nubi is loyal to QiYiniang, really don¡¯t know ...... don¡¯t know anything about betraying the master.¡±
Seeing that Hua Mei had already been executed, she knew therewas no witness to testify against her. Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, she said: ¡°Ilet you speak yet you don¡¯t speak. Later when I don¡¯t let you speak, even ifyou do, it¡¯s already toote.¡±
Rong Er was frightened but she boldly said: ¡°Nubi honestly don¡¯tknow what wrong did Imit.¡±
Li Wei Yang suddenly dropped the tea cup onto the floor and thenstaring at the fragments, said: ¡°Kneel over them.¡±
Rong Er bit her teeth together as she kneeled over the brokentea cup pieces. Pain from her knees spread to her heart as tears began formingin her eyes.
¡°Someone who dares betray her master should naturally bepunished.¡± Mo Zhu coldly said, she didn¡¯t sympathize Rong Er at all. If Li WeiYang was sessfully framed by her back then, they would have ended up with amiserable death, this kind of Nubi, death was too easy for her!
Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°Pour a cup of tea for Rong Er.¡±
Rong Er was surprised, San Xiaojie¡¯s words, what did those mean?
Mo Zhu understood, she lowered her head as she retrieved anempty tea cup and ced it in Rong Er¡¯s palm, ¡°Hold this, if a single dropflows out, then don¡¯t you ever wish to stand up again.¡±
Rong Er held up the tea cup in her palm, she was reallyfrightened.
Mo Zhu carried over a pot of boiled water and gradually pouredit into the tea cup.
Rong Er really couldn¡¯t understand what was Li Wei Yang¡¯smeaning behand this; she only felt the sudden heat from the hot water in thetea cup as it became more and more hot to touch. Rong Er clenched her teeth,she only felt faint pain in her fingertips and sweat formed on her forehead.She persisted, wanting to get through this. She didn¡¯t imagine that Mo Zhuwould pour out the water in the cup and then pour another cup of hot water forher to hold. At this point, the cup itself was hot and it was a full; not long,she felt it was too hot to touch, her arms and whole body began to dramaticallyshake.
¡°Hot?¡± After a while, Li Wei Yang calmly asked.
¡°No, not hot ......¡± Rong Er immediately answered.
¡°Good, it¡¯s not hot then let¡¯s change the cup.¡± Li Wei Yangsaid.
Mo Zhu went and soon returned with a tray and on the tray was aburnt copper cup.
Rong Er quickly kneeled and only felt her whole body tremblingand drenched with sweat. At this point, she didn¡¯t know if the pain came fromher knees or her fingertip, both was as painful. It was only that it was porcinjust now, but now that it¡¯s a burnt copper cup, the skin of her hand woulddefinitely split and be torn!
Rong Er tearfully said: ¡°Xiaojie, spare my life, Nubi wouldn¡¯tdare ever again!¡±
Li Wei Yang said in a low voice: ¡°Who instructed you to send me amessage.¡±
Rong Er trembled and tears were running, she fiercely kowtowedand asked for forgiveness: ¡°It was ... it was Da Xiaojie¡¯s yatou Tan Xiang. Theday before I was sent to serve Qi Yiniang, Tan Xiang summoned Nubi and rewardedNubi taels, forcing Nubi to agree to help Da Xiaojie. Nubi ...... got confusedtemporarily. Beg San Xiaojie¡¯s forgiveness! Beg San Xiaojie¡¯s forgiveness!¡±
If she said it earlier, then nothing would have happened? Li WeiYang lightly smiled, she said: ¡°Rong Er, are you willing to atone for youractions by doing me a favor?¡±
After what happened just now, Rong Er felt that San Xiaojie wasvery terrifying. She fearfully looked at Li Wei Yang and nodded, she said: ¡°Nubi...... nubi will definitely make up for my actions.¡±
Everything was arranged, Mo Zhu whispered: ¡°What Xiaojie wantsto do, any one of us can go, if she goes, she might cause more troubles ......¡±
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, her sparkling eyes were able tostartle others: ¡°If one of you went, our opponent wouldn¡¯t be able to believeit.¡±
Mo Zhu blinked her almond-shaped round eyes: ¡°What if Rong Erleak our n?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s finger gently tapped the tea cup and then calmlysaid: ¡°Since she didn¡¯t seedst time, she had already been abandoned, nowthat I have evidence in my hand, if she dares betray me ---¡° After, she spreadher lips to reveal a clear, shallow smile.
¡°There is one more thing Nubi does not understand.¡± Mo Zhu washesitant. ¡°How did Xiaojie know then that Rong Er passed along a message underthe false pretense of Qi Yiniang?
Li Wei Yang stared at the heavy colors in the sky, her eyes werepondering deep: ¡°A mother loves her child like treasure, that day it washeavily raining outside yet the message strip asked me to meet, this is notsomething a mother would do.¡±
Mo Zhu finally understood and said: ¡°Xiaojie is very attentive.¡±
She had already died once, if she didn¡¯t learn from this, thenshe deserved to die in others¡¯ hands. Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was momentarily cold.
Chapter 65 part4
Last part of Chapter 65
This chapter part is sponsored by Andrew T., Christine G., and Aminata S. Thank you :)
1ðÖ°öÏàÕù, ÓæÎ̵ÃÀû: watching a snipe and a m fight while the fisherman wins; twoparties are fighting and a third steps in to reap the benefits
2˳ÌÙÃþ¹Ï: follow the vine to find the melon;following the trail of something to find something else
That night, Si Yiniang came and knocked openthe doors to Li Wei Yang¡¯s residence.
Bai Zhi opened the doors and saw Si Yiniang who was wearing ain moon white dress. Wearing a pair of red mandarin embroidered shoes, shewalked in a flirtatious style that didn¡¯t belong to women of her age. Sheapproached Li Wei Yang and then gently paid her respects: ¡°Blessings to Xianzhu.¡±
From that one phrase, Li Wei Yang smiled. Si Yiniang, she wasone of very few rational people in the family. She calmly spoke: ¡°I wonder whatis going on with Yiniang? You have to see me this urgent?¡±
Si Yiniang¡¯splexion changed a few times, it was unusuallyvariable; her eyes were moving swiftly and soon her eyes fell onto Li Wei Yang,she decided to confront her: ¡°Xianzhu, I have no choice but toe now at thistime of the night.¡±
Li Wei Yang was instantly silent and then she said: ¡°The wordsyou want to say, Yiniang might as well say it directly.¡±
Si Yiniang nodded and ordered her trusted maid: ¡°Bring that yatouin here.¡±
A yatou was pushed inside as she stumbled along and fell ontothe ground. Her face was smudged with dirt; her hair was disheveled. Kneeling,the entire body was violently shaking, it was, no doubt, Rong Er.
Li Wei Yang coldly stared at her and said: ¡°How is it you?¡±
Rong Er lowered her head and she continued to tremble.
¡°Si Yiniang, what is your meaning?¡± Li Wei Yang raised herbrows.
Si Yiniang smiled and said: ¡°Xianzhu, this yatou, do yourecognize her? She is Rong Er, the one that serves by Qi Niang¡¯s side.
Li Wei Yang calmly gave Si Yiniang a glimpse and forced a smile:¡°At this time of the night, what does Si Yiniang mean?¡±
Si Yiniang¡¯s face enshrouded ayer of frost, she said: ¡°Thisyatou came to my residence in the middle of the night and buried something.Unfortunately, she was discovered by my yatou, guess what was the thing sheburied?¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes and said: ¡°Rong Er, rather thansleeping in the middle of night, what were you doing at Si Yiniang¡¯s residence?¡±
Rong Er continued to lower her head and secretly criticized SanXiaojie¡¯s acting was really good, wasn¡¯t it her who asked her to do this?
Si Yiniang was suddenly tired of this testing the water game,she curled her lips upward: ¡°This yatou buried this.¡± As she spoke, she threw awooden doll towards Li Wei Yang¡¯s feet and on it was a string of numbers. LiWei Yang picked it up to look at it and it was Li Xiao Ran¡¯s date of birth.
Li Wei Yang coldly nced at it and then her eyes lookedtowards Rong Er: ¡°How dare you!¡±
Rong Er was trembling so hard she couldn¡¯t speak a word. SiYiniang coldlyughed and said: ¡°Xianzhu, you don¡¯t have to pretend, isn¡¯tthis your mother¡¯s doing? She wants to use voodoo magic to frame me!¡±
Li Wei Yang seemed as if she was stunned and then she smiled:¡°Qi Yiniang¡¯s personality, I¡¯m afraid no one in the Li family wouldn¡¯t knowabout. If she had the means to scheme, she wouldn¡¯t have let me wander outsideall these years and she herself wouldn¡¯t banished to Nan Yuan. Even more, shewasn¡¯t favor from the start, so if she wanted to harm others because ofjealousy, she should have chosen to Da Furen or Liu Yiniang¡¯s residence, don¡¯tyou agree? The words you¡¯ve just spoken, Si Yiniang, you probably can¡¯t believethem either.¡±
Liu Yiniang Wang Doukou was born with a beautiful appearance andwas graceful and multi-talented. Recently, she had the tendency to surpass SiYiniang, so with those words, Si Yiniang¡¯s countenance suddenly changed.
¡°Unless it¡¯s Xianzhu¡¯s doing?¡± Si Yiniang coldly spoke.
Li Wei Yang coldly smiled and said: ¡°If Yiniang thinks this way,then the person who instructed Rong Er to bury the wooden doll should bedelighted. Please leave, escort the guest out.¡± Li Wei Yang stood up.
¡°Xianzhu, how could I notbelieve you, I was joking with you just now ......¡± Her tone meant otherwise: ¡°Eventhough I am stupid, I know that if it was either Xianzhu or Qi Yiniang¡¯s doing,you would definitely not let your own yatou to do it. This is inevitablynting evidence to frame others.¡± Her fingers fiddled around with the goldeningot on her wrist: ¡°I know, someone must have nned this, this person wantsto see the struggle between a snipe and a snail so that it benefits thefisherman1 ......¡± Shesighed, her dark amber colored eyes revealed a cunning look: ¡°If I reallybelieved that you sent this yatou over, then I wouldn¡¯t be here tonight.¡±
Si Yiniang was smart but she was too assuming. After observingher for a while, Li Wei Yang had already understood her attitude and mettle. SiYiniang had been suppressing Qi Yiniang all these years and knew about her softpersonality. She knew Qi Yiniang wouldn¡¯t dare do this and would naturallythink elsewhere, which was what Li Wei Yang wanted!
Qi Yiniang smiled, she, of course, knew that Rong Er was fromthe same vige of Da Xiaojie¡¯s trusted yatou Tan Xiang. They were reallyclose at one point but recently, they suddenly became distant, so ...... that waswhy she immediately came over.
Li Wei Yang looked at her and slowly said: ¡°The mastermindbehind this, her motive, if Si Yiniang already knew this, why did youe toask me?¡±
Si Yiniang gracefully said: ¡°Xianzhu, think over this, thisperson¡¯s motive was not only to frame me, I¡¯m afraid after she eliminates me,she will follow the vine2and quickly get to Rong Er and pull Qi Yiniang down, and then put the me onyou. At that point, she will say that you hated that your mother was notfavored and because of what happened to Wu Xiaojie, you and I are enemies soyou used voodoo magic to plot against us mother and daughters.
Si Yiniang¡¯s imagination was very vivid.
Bai Zhi couldn¡¯t help butughed but seeing Li Wei Yang wasacting normal as if she gradually believed what Si Yiniang said, so she did herbest to hold it in.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice revealed traces of cold intentions, shesaid: ¡°Since Si Yiniang already understood everything, what do you n to do?¡±
Si Yiniang miserably said: ¡°Since others want to harm us, thenhow could we await our doom. I am an indecisive woman so I can only rely on SanXiaojie to think of an idea now.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Si Yiniang and then calmlyughed all ofa sudden, she said: ¡°Since Yiniang came, then we should take more time todiscuss.¡±
A sweet smile appeared on Si Yiniang¡¯s face and she said:¡°Xianzhu, I¡¯m only afraid that others won¡¯t allow us time to discuss. If we aretoo overcautious, it might make us be indecisive.¡± After Si Yiniangfinished speaking, she gave Rong Er a glimpse, ¡°This yatou ...... let Qi Yiniangpunished her with neglect of duty.¡±
This would take Rong Er¡¯s life, it was a chance to kill thewitness.
Li Wei Yang looked at Rong Er¡¯s terrifying expression and calmlysaid: ¡°To avoid startling the snake, we shouldn¡¯t punish her temporarily, Iwill have a way to make her shut her mouth, don¡¯t worry.¡±
Si Yiniang nodded and said: ¡°Do Xianzhu have a n yet?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°This is very sudden; I still haveto ponder upon this. If I think of something first, I will give Yiniang aresponse tomorrow.¡±
Si Yiniang left satisfactorily. The next day, she kept herpromise ......
Two dayster, Li Chang Le came to Shuang Yue Ge to visit LiChang Xi as usual. Having not enter the door yet, she saw a young yatou holdinga green pastel small cup leaving.
Li Chang Le was curious and couldn¡¯t help but asked: ¡°It¡¯s inthe middle of the day, what did Wu mei eat?¡±
This yatou was taken aback, her hands were suddenly trembling,and she couldn¡¯t speak with her face and ears turning red as she looked at LiChang Le.
The young yatou immediately retreated, Li Chang Le arched herbrows and said: ¡°Yiniang, what is the meaning of this, are you not going totell me?¡±
Awkwardness shed across Si Yiniang¡¯s face, she apologeticallysmiled: ¡°Da Xiaojie, this is hundred flower hibiscus soup, I used every meansto get this recipe through someone. I heard this is the best way to removescars and care for the skin. This is to heal the scar on Wu Xiaojie¡¯s face,it¡¯s not expensive, you shouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡±
Li Chang Le smiled and knew Si Yiniang was not easy to handle,she smilingly said: ¡°Yiniang, no need to worry, I was simply asking.¡± Sayingthis, she walked into the room with Si Yiniang.
Li Chang Xi was looking at herself in the mirror, Li Chang Lesaid: ¡°Wu mei?¡±
Li Chang Xi turned her head; she had just applied powder and thescar didn¡¯t seem as obvious. She revealed a smile and said: ¡°Dajie is here,hurry and sit down.¡±
Li Chang Le smiled: ¡°I have something to speak with sister.¡±After she turned around and told Si Yiniang: ¡°Yiniang please return.¡±
It seemed like Si Yiniang wavered for a while. She moved slowlyas if she didn¡¯t want to leave and was afraid that Li Chang Xi would have aslip of tongue. As Li Chang Le watched, she became more curious.
Li Chang Xi ignorantly said: ¡°Yiniang, do you have other thingsto say?¡±
Si Yiniang red at her and twisted her body to leave.
Li Chang Le meticulously looked at the scar on Li Chang Xi¡¯sface and said: ¡°Sister¡¯s scar seems to have almost healed.¡±
Li Chang Xi subconsciously touched the scar on her face. Itwasn¡¯t that much difference butpared to the hideousness a few days ago, itwas a lot better: ¡°Thanks to what Yiniang bought over ---¡° she spoke half thesentence and then suddenly remembered what Si Yiniang told her. She quicklyclosed her mouth and smilingly said: ¡°What did Sister wanted to say before?¡±
People were like this, the more you hid, the more she wanted toknow. Li Chang Le frowned and said: ¡°Meimei, you don¡¯t have to hide from me,I¡¯ve seen everything before, the thing in the small cup ---¡°
Li Chang Xi exposed a stunned expression and felt uneasy, shesaid: ¡°Dajie don¡¯t tell anyone or else I won¡¯t be able to eat such a greatthing in the future!¡±
Li Chang Le was startled and said: ¡°What exactly is this thing?¡±She wouldn¡¯t believe what Si Yiniang said, hundred flower hibiscus paste, if itwas that, was there a need to be secretive?
Li Chang Xi was hesitant for a long time until Li Chang Lepretended to be angry. She mumbled and said: ¡°It¡¯s human centa.¡±
Li Chang Le waspletely astonished and her voice cracked:¡°This type of thing ...... you ...... you ......¡±
Li Chang Xi¡¯splexion turned worse and she kneeled in frontof her, she said: ¡°Dajie, I don¡¯t have any choice, this is my only option. Thescar on my face has be less and less light, three more servings, it willhealpletely ...... please don¡¯t tell anyone ---¡°
Li Chang Le¡¯s crystal eyes waveredaround Li Chang Xi¡¯s face. She remembered her mother said this yatou still hadher use so she ultimately bit her lips and said: ¡°Get up first.¡±
Li Chang Xi, trembling with fear, said: ¡°Da jie, do you forgiveme?¡±
Li Chang Le sighed and said: ¡°Why are you still kneeling!¡±
Li Chang Xi quickly stood up, her smile spread across her face: ¡°Dajie, you don¡¯t understand, this thing sounds disgusting but after taking thisfor a long period of time, not only would your skin be smooth and crystal-clear,but it will also maintain your youth ...... I heard the concubines in the imperialharem use this to maintain their beauty!¡±
Hearing this, Li Chang Le¡¯s face reddened, she said: ¡°That¡¯snonsense!¡±
Li Chang Xi bit down her teeth and said: ¡°Da jie if you don¡¯tbelieve me, you will understand once you try it yourself!¡±
Li Chang Le was taken aback, she gradually said: ¡°What rubbishare you talking about! How could I touch such thing!¡± After, she quickly roseand said: ¡°As for this matte it shouldn¡¯t be mentioned again!¡±
Li Chang Xi watched her speedily paced out and she couldn¡¯t helpbut furrow her brows. Not long, Si Yiniang walked in and said: ¡°Your Da jiefound out?¡±
Li Chang Xi wailed: ¡°It¡¯s your fault, Mother. I usually eat thisat night but today you must have me eat this in the afternoon and she foundout? It was a waste of breath exining to her before I was able to get out ofthis.¡±
Si Yiniang smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s better that she found out.¡±
Li Chang Xi suspiciously looked at Si Yiniang, what was themeaning of this?
¡°Youdon¡¯t have to ask, your Da jie cherishes her beauty as if it was her life, shewill definitely return again.¡± Si Yiniang confidently said. Li Wei Yang hadsaid, holding onto Li Chang Le¡¯s weakness would allow them to win them bysurprise, and now, she seemed to be right.
Next: Chapter 66
Chapter 66 part1
Please wee Panisa and Jaslynn! Panisa will be editing the chapters from now on and Jaslynn will be helping out with the trantion to bnce out the workload!
This chapter is tranted by Chau!
Chapter 66: Digging YourOwn Grave
Niangniang -honorific for the Empress and imperial concubines
Da sao - sao is an honorificfor sister-inw (in this case), children also use it to refer to the wife ofa paternal uncle
Dimei - honorific for asister-inw who is the wife of a younger brother
Huibing - how servants/nubiaddress others of higher status
Zhang nu - eldest daughter of ahousehold
Sinister aura - the harmful or evil distinctiveatmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person,thing, or ce
·¨ŽŸ F¨£sh¨© - can betranted to Taoist master; in many dramas and novels, their job is to:identify evil spirits in people¡¯s homes, perform rituals, and hopefully banishthem
Ñáʤ֮ÊõY¨¤nsh¨¨ng zh¨© sh¨´- ancient witchcraft involving curses; if a family was cursed,they might be homeless, physically injured, die, or even lose their home andfamily
Convent - a monastery but specifically aninstitution of female monastics (nuns) only
Li Chang Le returned to her courtyard andsecretly had Tan Xiang ask around about this. When Tan Xiang returned, Li ChangLe could not wait to ask: ¡°What did they say?¡±
Tan Xiang said: ¡°Nubi found seven or eightphysicians. They all confirmed that centa does have benefits and can nourishone¡¯s beauty. Besides, many of the niang niang in the pce also eat this.Perhaps what Wu Xiaojie said was not false.¡±
Li Chang Le had seen it before in medicinaltexts, but those bloody things, in the end she still felt unusual anddisgusting, now seeing Li Chang Xi use it to nourish her beauty, of course shecould not resist the temptation.
That night, Li Chang Le quietly went to theShuang Yue Pavilion. Li Chang Xi was seated on a lounge. A Yatou carried a trayinside and approached her. There was a small, delicate bowl on the tray. Out ofhabit, Li Chang Xi lifted the lid and began to carefully eat.
Li Chang Le had barely stepped through the doorwhen she sensed a strange aroma.
This enticing aroma had a hint of fresh blood.Li Chang Le instinctively held her nose, but she immediately felt that theaction was too sudden, reluctantly smiled and stroked her hair, saying: ¡°Meimeiis eating that?¡±
Li Chang Xi saw Li Chang Le and immediatelystopped eating and stood up to greet her.
¡°The aroma is a bit unusual, is it trulyeffective?¡± Li Chang Le could not help but ask.
Li Chang Xi calmly smiled: ¡°Dajie, I will notdeceive you. Compared to Xue Lian ginseng, it is much more effective. Rightnow, I only hope that this can erase my scar.¡±
¡°These things¡ª¡ªis it true that they have harmfuleffects...¡± Li Chang Le was very cautious.
¡°How can they not be good in any way, if theywere harmful, then why would so many people dare to eat this? This cannot beeasily obtained. You must be fortunate to take it right after someone has givenbirth. Common physicians cannot obtain this, and the cost starts with the priceof gold and upwards.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s fingers trembled slightly. Sheheard Li Chang Xiugh and say: ¡°Dajie, do you want to take some and try itfor yourself?¡±
Li Chang Le looked at the blue and whiteporcin bowl, hesitating. In the end, she still could not resist thetemptation of bing even more beautiful and nodded.
Three dayster, that night, Lin mama by DaFuren¡¯s side had brought four big-boned mamas and suddenly advanced towards LiWei Yang¡¯s courtyard.
Li Wei Yang had changed into her night clothesto go to sleep early. She was running ab through her hair when she heardBai Zhi from outside say: ¡°Lin mama, aste as it is, why would Furen want toinvite our Xiaojie over?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her reflection, a cornerof her lips curving upwards. Of course, Da Furen was rather anxious and hadfinally decided to eliminate her? Mo Zhu softly said: ¡°Xiaojie, should youreapply your makeup or not?¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded. Mo Zhu nimbly helped herbrush her hair, reapply her makeup, and change into her day clothes.
Outside, Lin mama smiled as if she were notsmiling at all: ¡°We are only servants and would not dare to dispute thismatter. This is Da Furen¡¯s order, I am only the messenger. Please have SanXiaojiee with Nubi.¡±
Although Li Wei Yang was Xianzhu of the secondrank, Da Furen was her dimu and not to mention, of the first rank. Although Linmama was respectful, in truth, she would not look at Li Wei Yang twice giventhe choice, and her tone of voice was strange. Frustrated, Bai Zhi was about toretort when she recalled Xiaojie¡¯s order, and smiled and said: ¡°If so, then Linmama, please wait for a bit. Xiaojie will immediately rise and get dressed.¡±
Lin mama said: ¡°Of course, Nubi can wait here.¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly reapplied her makeup andchanged into her clothes. She ordered Bai Zhi to call all the Yatous and mamasto wait in Li Wei Yang¡¯s courtyard. Bai Zhi had an idea of what they werewaiting for. She bowed and did as ordered. Li Wei Yang brought Mo Zhu with her,and they calmly left.
Da Furen¡¯s courtyard was not the meeting cebut in the main hall. Gathered there, aside from Er Lao Ye who had businessaway, Lao Furen, Da fang, Er fang, and San fang were all present. Li Chang Lewaspelling in her light purple dress, attracting everyone¡¯s attention. Shewas called here in the middle of the night, but her beauty did not diminish atall, on the other hand, her lovely face was delicate as plum blossoms, her formas if she were flying amidst the clouds, refined and beautiful, making ErXiaojie Li Chang Ru turn back to look at her again and again.
Li Wei Yang greeted everyone. Her gaze fell onDa Furen.
Da Furen sat straight, her hair a bitdisheveled. There was only a ruby hairpin to keep her hair up and no otherjewelry, giving her an air of simplicity and generosity. Her gaze shifted to LiWei Yang, smiling: ¡°Take a seat over there first.¡±
Er Furen finally lost her patience and said: ¡°Dasao, what is the matter here? It is the middle of the night, yet you will notlet anyone rest!¡± Herst words seemed demanding and questioning.
Li Xiao Ran frowned but did not say anything. DaFuren smiled and said: ¡°I am doing this for the Li family¡¯s sake because what Iam about to say involves everyone in the Li family, therefore I must becareful. If Er Dimei does not want to hear this, you may return. This matterwill not be dyed without you.¡±
What was not said could be overlooked, but byopening her mouth, she had already implicated the crime with Er Furen. Er Furenscoffed, ¡°Since we are already here, we should hear it before we go. Da sao, ifyou have something to say, then go ahead.¡±
From what Da Furen had said, Li Wei Yang hadunderstood her intentions but still pretended not to have sensed anything wrong,ignoring Li Chang Le¡¯s gaze as if it were empty air.
Lao Furen lost her patience: ¡°Very well, what isit that you wish to say, exin this clearly!¡±
Da Furen smiled coldly and said: ¡°Lao Furen, ifit was not urgent, I would not have troubled you. These days, Lao Ye has beenhaving nightmares again and again. My heart was torn, and I immediately invitedthe most well-known Taoist master in the Capital to see. He senses that thereis a sinister aura within our home.¡±
Lao Furen scoffed coldly: ¡°A sinister aura?Where is this sinister aura?¡±
Da Furen¡¯s expressions slightly darkened. Shewearily looked over everyone in an arc and said: ¡°This matter - I hope LaoFuren will agree to search the courtyards.¡±
Lao Furen frowned Under the candlelight, sheseemed rather somber and disinterested: ¡°What are you saying? It iste intothe night, and you wish to investigate?¡±
Da Furen lightly smiled and said: ¡°Yes, that isright.¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s frown deepened her wrinkles, formingthe character ´¨. She was about to say something but heard Li Xiao Ran say: ¡°LaoFuren, my health truly has not been well recently. I only fear there is a fiendcausing trouble in our home, so we must thoroughly investigate.¡±
Lao Fufen said, ¡°If so, won¡¯t it causeunnecessary fear and panic and make the family uneasy?¡±
The area under Li Xiao Ran had darkened to blueck He had not slept well for many nights. He looked to Lao Furen andsincerely said: ¡°I do not have any other choice. If I continue like this, thereis not a day when I feel at peace.¡±
Da Furen smiled and said: ¡°It is just to searchas a precaution. If there really is something wrong, then it will not be tote to resolve it.¡±
Li Wei Yang kept her head lowered, not a singlestrand of hair had fallen out of ce, as if Da Furen¡¯s words had nothing todo with her.
Er Furen smiled rather coldly: ¡°What? Da saointends to even search our bedrooms?¡±
Da Furen calmly responded: ¡°Could it be that ErDimei has something that she does not want others to see?¡±
Er Furen shook with fury: ¡°Da sao, what are youtrying to say?¡± She red at Da Furen: ¡°Did you call us here in the middle ofthe night to humiliate us?¡±
Da Furen coldly smiled: ¡°Er Dimei, I am onlysaying that those who do not want to be searched must have demons in theirheart.¡±
Er Furen nearly leapt to her feet: ¡°Da saoobviously ¨C ¡± Li Chang Ru subtly pulled at Er Furen¡¯s sleeves, ¡°Mother.¡±
Er Furen froze, realizing Lao Furen and Li XiaoRan were looking at her, and suddenly fell silent. She was breathing heavily asshe sat down: ¡°If you want to search, then search, but if nothing is found,then what?¡±
Da Furen calmly said: ¡°The Taoist master saidthere is a filthy object, so it cannot be fake.¡±
San Furen suddenly said: ¡°Who will you havesearch the courtyards?¡±
Da Furen smiled and said: ¡°Of course,arrangements have been made.¡±
Er Furen smiled coldly: ¡°Da sao, if only yourservants search, I fear it will not be for the best.¡±
At that moment, Li Wei Yang, who had beenindifferent, decided to speak: ¡°I believe Mother¡¯s decision is well-intentionedthis time. Every fang should send someone to join the search, then that way,won¡¯t it be fair?¡±
If so, there would be others aside from Da fang.To Er Furen, this scenario seemed much better. Moreover, with others there, DaFuren would not be able to manipte any of the evidence.
Da Furen saw through Li Wei Yang¡¯s intentionsand coldly scoffed. This lowly girl does not know everything was arrangedbeforehand and continued to struggle moments before her death.
Lao Furen said: ¡°Then quickly go. It is alreadte as it is.¡±
Da Furen nodded and gestured to Lin mama, whoimmediately led the others to search. Er Furen and San Furen had ordered theirtrusted stewards to follow. Lao Furen paused and thought, ¡°Luo mama, go withthem.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were downcast. With so manypeople, no one had much of an advantage. She slowly closed her eyes. Suddenly,there was a hand tugging at her sleeve.
Li Wei Yang opened her eyes and saw Li Min De infront of her.
Li Min De¡¯s gaze was reserved, his longeyshes quivering. The bottom of his eyes were consumed by a dark shadow, butthe friendliness in his eyes was genuine.
¡°Sanjie, do you not feel well? Why is your facethat pale?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly, ¡°I am fine. Havingbeen dragged here in the middle of the night, I only feel a bit sleepy.¡±
¡°Ah.¡± Li Min De said when he saw the smilingintention in her eyes.
Li Chang Le coldly looked at them. She could notpossibly understand why, despite using her most gentle expression with Li MinDe, he remained cold as ice, but in front of Li Wei Yang, he obedientlylistened to her like a docile kitten.
Li Min Feng sat beside her and also noticedthis. He broke into a cold smile. Li Wei Yang, the day you die is almost here,try and make the most of this final hour.
Everyone was seated in the main hall, but no onewas in the mood for conversation. They were left to their thoughts,asionally hearing Li Min De and Li Wei Yang whisper, but other than that,there was only the sound of prayer beads in Lao Furen¡¯s hand.
Two shichen passed, and everyone who went tosearch had returned. The person at the lead was not Lin mama, but rather thst person in the group led by Luo mama.
Luo mama pped her hands and said: ¡°Bring themhere.¡±
The corners of Da Furen¡¯s lips revealed aslight, subtle smile.
The Yatous lifted a tray and carried it into themain hall. Something bulging under the cloth on the tray. It seemed to havehidden quite a bit.
Da Furen slightlyughed aloud: ¡°What have you found?¡±
Luo mama suspiciously nced at Da Furen andsaid: ¡°Huibing Da Furen, every courtyard was very clean, but something unusualwas discovered in Da Xiaojie¡¯s kitchen.¡±
Suddenly, Li Chang Le stood up and thought aboutthe centa being discovered, but she felt it was not much of a concerneither. It was only for beauty nourishment. Although it was not very pleasant,it was not a severe crime either. At the same time, she felt that it wasstrange. Mother was intent on searching the courtyards. She thought somethingwould be found in Li Wei Yang¡¯s courtyard, but why was nothing found at all?
Da Furen was horrified: ¡°What?¡±
Luo mama lifted back the cloth on the tray.Judging by its unusual color, there seemed to be a clump of flesh underneath.Li Chang Ru frowned at the sight of it: ¡°What is this filthy thing?¡±
Li Chang Le frowned and med herself for hergreed. She had taken not a piece of centa but all of it from Chang Xi. Whenthose things had yet to be prepared as a dish, they seemed a bit disgusting.
She hesitated, unsure of how to exin. DaFuren breathed a sigh of relief and said: ¡°So, it was a centa.¡± It was onlyfor beauty nourishment, a bit bloody though. Chang Le was rather daring, evenwilling to eat something like this. After that, she smiled and said to Luomama, ¡°Aside from this, nothing was found in the other rooms?¡±
She clearly had someone bury seven wooden dollsin the ground. How was not a single one found when they were searching?¡±
Luo mama said: ¡°Every room has been searched.There was nothing.¡±
Da Furen¡¯s face suddenly became unsightly.
Luo mama paused, ncing over everyone¡¯sexpressions before saying: ¡°There is something strange inside the centa¡ª¡ª ¡±
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Chapter 66 part2
Tranted by Chau :) Last part of Chapter 66
Chapter 66: Digging YourOwn Grave - Part 2
Niangniang -honorific for the Empress and imperial concubines
Da sao - sao is an honorificfor sister-inw (in this case), children also use it to refer to the wife ofa paternal uncle
Dimei - honorific for asister-inw who is the wife of a younger brother
Huibing - how servants/nubiaddress others of higher status
Zhang nu - eldest daughter of ahousehold
Sinister aura - the harmful or evil distinctiveatmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person,thing, or ce
·¨ŽŸ F¨£sh¨© - can betranted to Taoist master; in many dramas and novels, their job is to:identify evil spirits in people¡¯s homes, perform rituals, and hopefully banishthem
Ñáʤ֮ÊõY¨¤nsh¨¨ng zh¨© sh¨´- ancient witchcraft involving curses; if a family was cursed,they might be homeless, physically injured, die, or even lose their home andfamily
Convent - a monastery but specifically aninstitution of female monastics (nuns) only
Lao Furen frowned: ¡°What?¡±
Luo mama hesitated for a bit, ncing at DaFuren¡¯s tense expression, and said: ¡°Huibing Lao Furen, it is tu.¡±
¡°Tu?¡± Li Xiao Ran was a Prime Minister and hadyet toe across this nt that grew in countryside fields, ¡°What is that?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips slowly lifted. Shock appearedon Li Chang Xi¡¯s face, how could that be?
Luo mama went up and carefully cut the clumpedmeat open. Everyone saw there was something indigo inside. Li Xiao Ran frowned:¡°Well, what is it?¡±
¡±This is a type of poisonous grass. If it growsnear crops, nothing can be harvested, therefore it is called tu.¡± Luo mama¡¯sexpressions were rather solemn. She had lived many years in the residence buthad yet to see these filthy things. She had thought something like this couldnot possibly appear in the Li family...
¡°Why would it be here?¡± A bit of suspicionappeared on Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face, ¡°What is it used for?¡±
Li Chang Le hastily said: ¡°This centa herewas what Wumei had given me¡ª¡ª ¡±
Li Chang Xi saw that something was not right andquickly responded, ¡°Dajie, I did not put this inside the centa...¡±
Li Chang Le shot her a hostile re. Li ChangXi truly did not put those things in, but because she could not stand the smellof the centa, she secretly sought out Physician Song. He said she onlyneeded to add some herbs to suppress the smell, that was all, so she said: ¡°Itwas Physician Song who suggested I put herbs inside to take away the stench.¡±
¡°Father, tu is not an herb but a harmful,poisonous weed. When I was at Ping Cheng, I had heard of it, that ten years ofdrought, nine years of flooding, if rice is stored there and tu grows in theyard, the whole family can only eat dirt! You see, isn¡¯t this a lethal type ofpoison?¡± Li Wei Yang suddenly said.
Li Xiao Ran could not believe his own ears: ¡°Thedestructive potential of this poisonous grass is even more terrifying thanfloods and droughts?¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded, ¡°Indeed, it is much moreterrifying. For that reason,moners despise these things. Furthermore, itdoes not have the ability to take away odors. Dajie, has Dajie misunderstoodthen?¡±
Da Furen suddenly realized something was notright. Her face grew solemn: ¡°Wei Yang, do not speak carelessly!¡±
¡°Silence!¡± Li Xiao Ran motioned to her, then hefrowned, ¡°Chang Le, why would you bring this into the residence?¡±
¡°I... I... I only took Physician Song¡¯s advice andwanted to take away the smell of the centa. How would I know it had otheruses?¡± A hint of panic appeared in Li Chang Le¡¯s lovely eyes.
¡°Dajie,st time, didn¡¯t you insist that youwere knowledgeable and read medicinal texts? How could you not know tu can beused to harm others and not an herb to take away odors?¡± Li Min De¡¯s cold voicerang out inside the hall.
Li Min Feng frowned: ¡°Sandi, there are hundredsand thousands of herbs out there. Your Dajie cannot possibly know everything!To find out, we only need to invite Physician Song here!¡±
Physician Song was a physician that frequentlyexamined the sick in the Li family for thirty years. No one would dare tosuspect his words.
Li Xiao Ran immediately ordered someone to findPhysician Song but received news that Physician Song¡¯s health was not well andhad retired.
Si Yiniang had a nk, cold smile from thebeginning to the end. Physician Song examined the sick in the Li family andtook payment for examination every time. This time, San Xiaojie had generouslygiven him two thousand taels of imperial gold. It would be enough tost thislifetime to the next. The old man would obviously im to be ill and quietlywithdraw.
This time, San Xiaojie had dealt a heavy hand.
Li Min De¡¯s dark eyes shone knowingly: ¡°Da Bofu,any other dafu is as capable.¡±
At that moment, Lao Furen spoke: ¡°Invite my dafuhere.¡±
Lao Furen often relied on Physician Shen, theChen family had looked after her meals and life from when she was a child. This Physician Shen was already the second generation. Physician Shen came in a hurry.Li Xiao Ran ordered tu to be given to him to examined. He frowned.
Li Xiao Ran said: ¡°This can be used to take awayodors?¡±
Physician Shen naturally shook his head: ¡°Tu isa poisonous grass. As for an ability to take away odors, it is unheard of.¡±
A cold sneer shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips,but she feigned to be surprised and fearful, ¡°How can that be? Why would Dajiehide poisonous grass in the centa?¡±
Physician Shen frowned, his mouth slightly movedas if he had something he could not say.
¡°Does it need to be said? If it cannot be usedto remove odors,bined with fear that it would be discovered, then thepurpose was to hide it! After all, who would have thought tu would be hiddeninside the centa?¡± Li Min De¡¯s pale, handsome face, pitch ck eyes andsmile all possessed a simr expression.
¡°Indeed, how can poisonous grass be used toheal?! Tu is even more dangerous than arsenic! Clearly, there is no possibilitythat it can save lives, since that is impossible, then...¡± Li Wei Yang blinkedand trailed off.
¡°Li Wei Yang, you must be insane! Whatnonsense!¡± Li Min Feng furiously stood up, his hands clenched into fists.
Li Wei Yang looked to him: ¡°Dage, is there aneed to be so tense? Does Dage not know that tu is used in witchcraft,something Bixia has clearly forbidden!¡±
Li Xiao Ran stiffened and suddenly thought itthrough. Tu was used in witchcraft. If the curse was light, the family maybe uneasy, injured or suffer injustices, or if worse, encounter evil, deathof a child. And in the worst case, possessions will be lost and their familybroken apart, making this a vicious curse. He raised his head and stareddisbelievingly at his Da nu er.
¡°Chang Le, why would you do this?!¡± He could notunderstand why Da nu er, who was always generous and knowledgeable, kept makingthese mistakes these days and now even used witchcraft. If this became known tothe public, it was a crime that would cost them their heads!
She must be insane!
San Furen sighed: ¡°Indeed, Chang Le. Thesttime your father punished you only because you were wrong. How could you resentand curse him? Why would a girl do something like this?¡±
Li Chang Le suddenly became fearful and shouted:¡°Father, it wasn¡¯t me. It really wasn¡¯t me!¡±
Li Min Feng knew it had be serious and ranover and knelt before Li Xiao Ran: ¡°Father, meimei certainly did not do this. Meimei is gentle and righteous, and your beloved nu er. Do you not believemeimei?¡±
Li Xiao Ran stared intently at Li Chang Le¡¯sface, still lovely and vulnerable as before, making others unable to turn awayfrom her, but he did not know why, the longer he looked at her the more fearfulhe felt. She could harm Wei Yang because she envied the favor Li Wei Yangreceived and did not hesitate to steal someone¡¯s idea for fame and glory, eat adisgusting centa to nourish her beauty, and even hide tu to use witchcraftto harm him. A nu er like that could still be the intelligent and righteoushaizi who was as vulnerable as he remembered?
Li Xiao Ran hadpletely forgotten he was theone who tolerated her behavior every step along the way, secretly allowing herto do as she pleased, and let her be narrow-minded, cruel and selfish asshe was now, believing the best in the world had to belong to her, and she didnot hesitate to trample upon everyone beneath her feet.
Li Chang Le¡¯s face reddened. She nearlyexhausted herself trying to exin: ¡°Father, nu er did not. How could nu eruse witchcraft to harm you? How can nu er do something like this?¡±
In her panicked state, she was determined tofind a scapegoat. She pointed at Li Chang Xi, crying out, ¡°It was you! It wasyou who framed me! You framed me! You gave me the centa!¡±
Shock appeared on Li Chang Xi¡¯s face. She couldnot hold back against an injustice and said: ¡°Father, with the wound on nu er¡¯sface, dafu said centa can be a beauty supplement to heal the scar and gavenu er this prescription. Who would have thought Dajie would find out and sayshe wanted to eat it too. This cannot be easily obtained and nu er wasreluctant to give it to Dajie, but Dajie was determined to take it. Nu er didnot have a choice but to give it to her, but when nu er brought it over, thecenta was very clean inside, there was no tu!¡±
Si Yiniang wiped away her tears: ¡°Wu Xiaojie, donot say any more. In their hearts, everyone understands what is right andwrong!¡±
These words were the truth. Si Yiniang did notinform Li Chang Xi of her n. If there was no tu inside when the centa wasbrought over, then the issue must be with Physician Song!
Regardless, Li Chang Le continued to me LiChang Xi and went in front of Li Xiao Ran to grievously say: ¡°Father! If it wasnot Wu meimei, then it was that Physician Song. He knew that tu could be usedto harm others but still suggested it to nu er. It is a scheme to frame nu er!There is certainly someone behind this scheme! Physician Song must have beenbribed by someone!¡±
Da Furen quickly ran over and knelt beside herdaughter, her tears glistening as she said: ¡°Lao Ye, Chang Le is our zhang nu,she is gentle and usually cannot bring herself to even step on an ant. Howcould she use witchcraft? Clearly, there is someone who wants to harm her!¡±Having said this, her re was like a sharpened arrow shot in Li Wei Yang¡¯sdirection.
From what she could gather, Si Yiniang would notdare to harm Da Xiaojie. Physician Song had served the Li residence for manyyears. To bribe him, one must need to offer a lot, and now, in the PrimeMinister¡¯s residence, the wealthiest person who also happened to bitterlyresent her and her daughter, was none other than Li Wei Yang!
She had thought that the person to die today wasLi Wei Yang and did not expect her to have another scheme in hand!
That little bitch! The silk handkerchief in DaFuren¡¯s hand was crumpled until it was about to be torn into pieces, herexpression became even more resentful.
Li Min Feng lifted his head and said: ¡°Father,you only need to find Song Zheng, and everything will be clear!¡±
This performance, Li Wei Yang felt ratherpleased by it. Finally, a corner of her lips rose in a slight smile, as ifjeering, as if perfectly content, and as if she was indifferent.
Seeing his wife disregard her pride, kneeling onthe ground and pleading before everyone¡¯s eyes. In the blink of an eye, aflicker of hesitation appeared on Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face.
Li Min De blinked: ¡°Da Bofu.¡± His face had astrange look that was difficult to exin, his gaze had a bit of wickedintentions as well as a bit of childishness. - whoever it was, they could notbe angry with a child like this, as lovely as this but also as understanding.Li Min De continued, ¡°Da Bofu, Song Zheng is no longer in the capital. Theworld is far and wide, and we do not know where he has gone, how can we findhim then? Dage clearly wants to stall for time!¡±
Li Min Feng¡¯s face turned purple in rage: ¡°Sandi, what are you trying to say!¡± Everyone saw him with his fists clenched as helunged at Li Min De.
Li Min De had a frightened expression but hiseyes could not help but reveal his ridicule: ¡°Dage, are you threatening me? Infront of Da Bofu, am I not allowed to say a word of reason?¡±
Li Wei Yang held Li Min De¡¯s hand, slightlyshaking her head.
She did not want to involve an innocent Min De.
Er Furen hid her cold smile with herhandkerchief: ¡°Half the night has passed, you could not search anyone but yourown nu er. Da sao, it is best if you proceed impartially.¡±
Furious, Da Furen turned around to say: ¡°ChangLe is not an unrighteous and corrupted child. She must have been unjustly framedby someone else!¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°Mother, this issomething everyone has witnessed and cannot be justified in any way. Even ifyou pity Dajie, you should not cover it up for her. On the contrary, if you had admonished Dajie on a daily basis, she certainly would not have done something likethis! Using witchcraft to curse Father, first of all, is a disgrace to filialpiety. Secondly, Bixia has forbidden witchcraft and ordered that those who useit will be exiled if it is a light offense and sentenced to death if it issevere. Dajie is not important, but do you want to involve all of the Lifamily?¡±
San Furen silentlyughed and said: ¡°Indeed, inthis life, how can there be a wall without winds and mes? If this besknown to the public, who knows how many will sneer and speak scornfully of theLi family?¡±
Li Chang Le panicked, her hands shaking as shetried to rpose herself: ¡°Father, it really wasn¡¯t me! Father, you mustbelieve me!¡±
In her heart, Da Furen resented these people,but outwardly her expressions were despairing as she pleaded: ¡°Laoye, please donot wrongly use an innocent Chang Le!¡±
Lao Furen frowned and suddenly swept her armout, sending the tea set on the table to the floor, loudly ttering as theporcin shattered. For some time, she had felt that Li Chang Le was too beautiful,perhaps even a cmity, but she did not expect this Yatou to do this! Furious,her face turned ashen white and her lips purple, Luo mama rushed over to helpher clear her chest.
Everyone had never seen Lao Furen like this andwere taken aback.
Li Wei Yang saw this and took the newly pouredcup of tea from a Yatou¡¯s hand and came before Lao Furen: ¡°Lao Furen, please donot be too angry, everything needs to be carefully reexamined first!¡±
Lao Furen waved her hand and took in deepbreaths as she said: ¡°Absolutely not. The longer this is left to be, many moreunfortunate events will follow, this must be resolved at once!¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s voice was stern and effective. Herexpressions were steeled. Li Xiao Ran stirred at the sound of her voice. Peoplesay even righteous ministers had difficulty judging matters in the family.Matters in the imperial court he could examine and judge impartially. If he hada choice, he would not punish Li Chang Le, but the thought of her using suchwicked methods to curse him heightened the fear in his heart.
Li Wei Yang sighed, slightly wistful, slightlyresenting: ¡°Father, if you cannot bear to do so, then simply have someonedispose of those filthy things. Only, there is one thing to keep in mind andthat is to be more careful, so in the future, no one else will bring thesethings into the residence.¡±
The meaning behind it was more like: you shouldbe more careful, so you would not be cursed.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes soon hardened like ice. Thatwas right. Li Chang Le dared to curse him, only because he had a couple harshwords with her. A Yatou with cruel intentions as this, could it still be hisbrilliant and knowledgeable nu er? Simply put, her beauty was that of venomoussnakes!
Li Wei Yang stood still and emotionless, but herlong eyshes gently quivered, revealing the person within, as dark as ink:¡°That is right, Dajie. The centa that is dripping with blood looks likeeating human flesh. Wu meimei has no choice but to eat it to heal her wounds.Jie is fine though and only used it for beauty. In the future, do not touchthese things anymore.¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face had be harsh andunforgiving. This centa, dripping with blood in a way that even he had tolook away from, but that Yatou saw it as a beauty supplement. Her mind wastruly terrifying!
Li Min De looked at Li Wei Yang. He saw hersmile from the beginning to the end. His eyes were still bright like a lightunder the ss, clear and gleaming as if it could illuminate the world.
He knew the person behind what happened todaywas none other than his lovely San jiejie, but so? This was thew of nature.They hold the dagger. Those were the fish. Rather than quietly lie there and be cutinto pieces, take the knife into your own hands!
Li Xiao Ran looked straight at Li Chang Le,deeply conflicted, and for a moment, he did not know how to discipline her.
This matter could not be said to be small, tosay it¡¯s big....it can pierce the sky. If Bixia heard of this, then it wouldimplicate the entire Li family. Li Chang Le, was it worth it for the Li familyto take this risk for her? Due to her disaster relief efforts, Chang Le¡¯sreputation in the Imperial family, great families, even among themoners, hadplummeted in a never-ending descent. Some even said her beauty was a cmity. Could this nu er still be Empress in the future? Who would support her? LiXiao Ran felt the trust he had for the past ten years copse for the firsttime.
Li Chang Le, her life seemed to be over. Li WeiYang recognized this and remained a step ahead, only to end her life sooner.
After all, Li Chang Le was still young and couldnot think of a countermeasure. Her mind was nk, her face drained of anycolor as she stared at Li Xiao Ran, not knowing if he would believe her or whathe would decide. Li Min Feng debated if he should ask his maternal family tointervene, but his grandfather and uncle were stationed by the border. Waterfrom afar cannot put out a fire nearby.
Da Furen naturally knew this. After all, she wassomeone who had experienced many hardships and was more level-headed than theother two. Although her expressions were nk, she was actually thinking of away out from here.
Lao Furen¡¯s voice was cold and detached, but herface reflected a faint hostility: ¡°When the previous Emperor was still alive,the former Prime Minister He Ping and his daughter, Yang Ning Gongzhu, Zhu YiGongzhu and even the Great General Zhou De lost their heads, and was it notbecause of witchcraft? Everything linked to witchcraft is an inevitable road todeath. Now, Chang Le has found these filthy things. She cannot say who framedher, so it must be something she did herself! No matter what, if this besknown to the public, the Li family will be greatly disadvantaged. You shouldmake your decision now.¡±
Having heard these words, what remained of hishesitation crumbled. Li Xiao Ran had decided and coldly said: ¡°Chang Le, youhave deeply disappointed me. From here on out, go to Pu Ji An. If anyone asks,I will say that you have caught the epidemic and must recuperate.¡±
Pu Ji An, that was - a temple for nuns! Fathermust be insane, Li Chang Le lost her self-control: ¡°Father, you are telling meto shave my hair and be a nun?!¡±
She could not believe it, could not believe anyof it. Li Xiao Ran could be this heartless.
Li Xiao Ran turned away, not caring to look ather.
Er Furen smiled and said: ¡°Da Xiaojie, this isyour father leaving you a path to live, to leave you to close your doors andreflect, that is all!¡±
Close your doors and reflect? She could closeher doors and reflect, if not in her courtyard, then somewhere else in the Lifamily. Father sent her to the temple and did not mention when she couldreturn, if so, Father might leave her there for the rest of her life, thenwhat?!
She hurriedly ran to Li Xiao Ran and held ontohis feet, desperately saying: ¡°Father, don¡¯t! Don¡¯t send me to that demone! Nu er has been unjustly treated! Nu er has been wronged!¡±
Li Xiao Ran looked at her, her extraordinarilybeautiful face like a delicate lotus. Reluctance appeared in his eyes as heextended his hand as if wanting to stroke her hair.
Li Wei Yang coldly looked on. From the momentshe stepped foot into the residence, both mother and daughter had schemed toharm her every step of the way. If she was harmed by those two and forced toleave or lose face, she only feared Li Xiao Ran would not care, and yet, he wasreluctant to punish Li Chang Le.
Only... Li Chang Le hadmitted a grave crimethis time and could not be forgiven. Li Xiao Ran had to be resolute! Shequietly looked on, a cold light crossing her clear eyes.
Of course, Li Xiao Ran waved his hand, finallyclenched into a fist, and coldly said: ¡°Leave.¡±
Li Min Feng quickly stood up, his eyes reddened:¡°Father, you must be mistaken, how could you not believe her and force meimeito go to that kind of ce?!¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s cold stare swept over Li Min Feng,she had always wholeheartedly doted and loved this grandson, but he was toofoolish and ignorant, wayward and insolent, exactly like his mother. And now he even dared to say such things, he had no manners at all!
She breathed out a sigh and said: ¡°Chang Le,your father only wants you to live well for now. No need for further dy,someone escort Da Xiaojie out to gather her belongings!¡±
Da Furen¡¯s face froze and suddenly she stood upfrom the ground: ¡°Lao Furen, at least allow me to have some parting words withmy nu er.¡±
Lao Furen looked at her and frowned.
¡°Very well,¡± Li Xiao Ran saw that Da Furen wasdesperately pleading and agreed. After a second thought, he ordered someonebeside him, ¡°Those who took part in the search today, aside from those trusted,will all¡ª¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang stood from afar and heard. Shelowered her gaze. Li Xiao Ran wanted to eliminate the nubi that knew what had happenedhere, but the people in the hall were all members of the Li family. Who couldcast aside their wealth and glory to spread this, but nubi were different andcould sell their masters out at any time. Even Physician Shen was no exception.
Da Furen helped Li Chang Le stand. She pretendedto fix her daughter¡¯s hair, but there was a sense of urgency in her eyes.
¡°Mother...¡± Li Chang Le wept.
¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, Chang Le...¡± Da Furentightly embraced her, ¡°Your father only lost his temper for a moment there. Hestill loves you and will wee you home in the future. You must remember tolive well...¡± She could not help but begin to cry as well, sobbing as she said:¡°I have told you before, you need to be careful. Do not give that lowly girl anopportunity to scheme against you. Who would have thought you were too kind,suffering like this today...¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly smiled. Da Furen ultimatelydid not forget to set a trap for her.
Li Chang Le leaned against Da Furen¡¯s shoulder,despairingly crying. In her heart, her hatred for Li Wei Yang deepened, but shedid not dare to reveal this and was deeply disappointed by Li Xiao Ran¡¯sdecision. This time, she was leaving without knowing when she would return. IfFather listened to Lao Furen or Li Wei Yang and did not allow her to return,then her life would be over. Perhaps in the Capital, if she did not make anappearance, people would quickly forget about her. Even if she had the beautyto befall empires, what use would it be? If at all!
This matter certainly had to do with Li WeiYang! She could not stop cursing, if she had a knife in her hand then andthere, she would immediately choose to die with Li Wei Yang.
At that moment, Da Furen softly whispered toChang Le. After that, her icy stare turned to Li Wei Yang as she raised hervoice, ¡°You should take good care of your well-being.¡±
Li Wei Yang noticed something was not right butcould not say what it was for sure.
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 67 part1
Chapter 67: Hanging by a thread
1Ï¥ÏÂ- x¨© xi¨¤- olden way of address parents in a letter
2½ª»¹ÊÇÀϵÄÀ±:ji¨¡ng h¨¢i sh¨¬ l¨£o de l¨¤: old ginger is spicier- This means the older generation is better / more experienced
3Éá²»×ź¢×ÓÌײ»×ÅÀÇ°¡: Unwilling to part with the child, cannot trap the wolf: means danger cannot be ovee without taking risk
4Éô- sh¨§n- paternal aunt (father¡¯s younger wife)
5´ó²®- d¨¤b¨®- husband¡¯s or father¡¯s elder brother
6´êˆAÄó±â: cu¨ yu¨¢n ni¨¥ bi¨£n: rub round and pinch t: meaning to help mediate or resolve dispute.
___________________________________________________________
After hearing Da Furen¡¯s words, Li Chang Le¡¯s gaze changed in vain. She turned her head with aplicated expression to nce at Li Xiao Ran, then said gently: ¡°Nu er understood.¡±
Then, as if she had set a certain kind of determination, step by step she went in front of Li Xiao Ran and knelt down gracefully: ¡°Nu er gave thanks to Father for the love and care I have received since childhood. From now on I am unable to please the parents1, Father please take care.¡±
Li Xiao Ran looked at her with aplicated feeling. He eventually sighed, waved his hand and said: ¡°Leave.¡±
Such offence, if went unpunished, could cause unknown chaos to the Li family.
Li Chang Le got up, nced at Li Wei Yang distantly, a trace of sneer that is not easy to detect shed in those beautiful eyes.
Then, with a lift of her head, she quickly ran out. An unforeseen event happening in a sh.
Upon reaching the center of the main hall, Li Chang Le suddenly halted, looked back and said: ¡°The things that Nu er did not do, I will never admit to it! I would rather die to clear my name!¡± Having said this, she turned her head to rush towards the pir nearby.
The cries in the entire hall immediately bing one.
Fortunately, not far away, Li Min Feng moved quickly and was able to grasp her at thest critical moment. Thus, although Li Chang Le hit the pir, she only fainted.
Da Furen acted as though she would copse any moment and stumbled over: ¡°My daughter ah!¡±
Lao Furen eximed, almost fainting from the scare.
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly, unclear from her expression whether it is joy or sneer, watching this farce uncannily. Although she did not hear what Da Furen said to Li Chang Le, she could see it vividly now.
Sure enough, old ginger is spicier2.
Unwilling to part with the child, cannot trap the wolf.3 Li Chang Le with this hit, had certainly hit just right.
To be willing to die as testimony, why not wait until you had gone outside before trying to hit the pir? Why did it have to been at this time?!
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face suddenly changed. He walked over quickly to check Li Chang Le¡¯s wounds and ordered: ¡°Physician Shen,e take a look quickly!¡±
Physician Shen quickly brought his medical case over, carefully examined Li Chang Le¡¯s wounds, then sighed in relief, said: ¡°Xiaojie has only fainted.... There should be no worries about her life.¡±
Li Min Feng¡®s pair of eyes werepelling, his words loud and clear as he said: ¡°Father, you see, Meimei is willing to die as testimony, she obviously was wronged to be so.¡±
Li Xiao Ran frowned slightly, not saying a word.
Er Furen sneered, ¡°Da Xiaojie surely is reckless, this hit sure did hit well.¡±
Da Furen said in a slight choking voice: ¡°Er Dimei, you have watched Chang Le grow up, why do you said such cruel words?¡±
Li Min Feng¡¯s lips raised, smiled, ¡°Er Shen4, to die as testimony, if not done right would have taken a life. Chang Le is but a weak girl, certainly it is because she has received a great injustice to be this way. Everyone present here, how many of you would go to this point?¡±
San Furen sighed: ¡°Either in sentiment or reason, Da Xiaojie should not be like this. This way, is it not questioning Lao Furen¡¯s and Da Bo¡¯s5 decision?¡±
After these words, the entire room went silent.
Da Furen was startled, then cried as if her heart was broken. She looked at Li Xiao Ran and said: ¡°Laoye, I am married to you for 20 years. Even if there were not meritorious deeds, there were still hard work. Chang Le is my dearest daughter. She is also the one you have showered love from childhood. She has never received such wrongful treatment. Look at her now, her head is full of blood! You know she value appearances the most, if her appearance is ruined like this, this is more serious than taking her life! How would she take such measure to coerce? Laoye, clearly she has had her fill of distress!¡±
Physician Shen had also examined Li Chang Le¡¯s wounds, nodded and said: ¡°Indeed, there is a possibility that there would be a scar left on her forehead.¡±
Da Furen, of course, knew that appearance is important, but if Li Chang Le was sent to the nunnery, how would people look at her in the future? No one would want a girl that had been abandoned by her family for unknown reason! Her life would have been ruined!
In the end, Li Xiao Ran could not bear it, he said: ¡°Let it be then. First, take her back to recuperate.¡±
Li Min De felt indignant. Just as he stepped forward to speak, Li Wei Yang shook her head, so he had no choice but stop.
On arrival, Li Chang Le walked in; on departure, she was carried out, breathing weakly, her head still bleeding nonstop. Li Xiao Ran let out a sigh. And without a word, he left with a p of his sleeve. After all, for him, he would not have believed Li Chang Le would curse him, but witnessing it with his own eyes, he couldn¡¯t not believe it.
Si Yiniang did not make a single remark from start to finish. But when she saw that Li Chang Le would remain, a sh of ¡®as expected¡¯ look appeared in her eyes, but there was also an unspoken disappointment as well.
Her eyes met Li Wei Yang¡¯s nce mid-air, then she smiled faintly and left with Li Chang Xi and Li Chang Xiao.
Li Wei Yang personally sent Lao Furen back. While returning to her own ce, she saw that Li Min De was waiting for her in the corridor. She smiled and went to greet him.
¡°Jie, this time you took too big a risk.¡± Li Min De¡¯s first sentence was this.
Only then did Li Wei Yang raised her eyes, looked back at him, said gently: ¡°Min De.¡±
Li Min De could not help but feel down. Sanjie was very cunning, clearly knowing that when she used such gentle voice to speak to him, he would have no resistance. Therefore, using it at such critical moment.... So that he could not open his mouth to me her for taking risk, to me her for not telling him in advance. Very cunning, Sanjie was very cunning...
However, he couldn¡¯t not admit it that, originally, there was a bit of the suffocating feeling, a feeling of not being trusted. But after she gently said his name, those emotions vanished into thin air. He was unable to remain angry at her...
Knowing that he was dissatisfied that she did not warn him in advance, Li Wei Yang could not help but take a deep breath and said: ¡°Min De, knowing this situation is not necessarily a good thing. It is easy for information to be leaked. Most importantly, it is too risky.¡±
Li Min De frowned and said: ¡°You¡¯re saying---- that Si Yiniang could turn on you at any time?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, while at the same time was amazed by his acuteness and intelligence: ¡°Yes, because even though Si Yiniang went along with this n, I could not determine her reason for bringing her own daughter into this, therefore--- I was always on guard for the moment she could turn on me. Seeing it now, perhaps I was thinking too much about it.¡±
Li Min De smiled and said: ¡°Just now Mother told me, she received news that Da Furen and Da Bofu has discussed it before. They have promised Si Jiejie to Wu Dianxia, then Wu Jiejie to the third son of the Duke of Rong.¡±
Li Wei Yang was not surprised, the issue of Li Chang Xiao being promised to the Fifth Prince, had also happened in the past life. However, with her current status, after marrying over she could only be an imperial concubine. As for the former life of Li Chang Xi, she was married to the second son of Xu Mao Gong, but now---a Shu-born daughter whose appearance had already been ruined, why would Da Furen suddenly want her to marry a legitimate son of the Duke of Rong? Was it even possible? These two marriages, although profitable to Da Furen, but for Si Yiniang, it was also not too bad.
¡°The third son of the Duke of Rong, Cheng Lin, born noble, elegant in manner, attitude and speech. The Duke of Rong is also from a long line of noble family. On the surface, there is nothing to nitpick about this marriage, therefore, Da Bofu has already considered it.¡±
¡°On the surface? Could it be...¡± Li Wei Yang frowned.
¡°Sanjie, you are now a Xian Zhu, your marriage will be decided by Bixia in the future, therefore Da Furen cannot meddle easily. But for other people, naturally it is up to her to rub round and pinch t6. Think about it, if there is nothing wrong with the third son of the Duke of Rong, why would Si Yiniang jump into this? My mother also suspected as much, inquired quietly, only to find out that the Cheng family¡¯s son likes to listen to opera, even bringing a bunch of actresses into the residence, favoring them all. He¡¯s not only listening to opera every day, but also sharing the same bed with them every night. In the end, he has angered the Duke of Rong into ordering people to secretly beat those actresses to death. This is not really a secret.¡±
So this is the case, this kind of secret, she herself did not know about it. The Duke of Rong¡¯s third son¡¯s incident, for men, it is nothing but the free-spiritedness of a youth, dismissing it with augh. Father would certainly not take this incident too seriously. If Li Chang Xi was still as fair as a flower and as beautiful as the moon, perhaps Father would think about the third son¡¯s preposterousness. But seeing that Li Chang Xi¡¯s appearance was currently like this, who would still bother? He would only consider how much benefits this marriage would bring. But for Si Yiniang, wealth and rank were empty. Her daughter¡¯s happiness was the most important. The Duke of Rong¡¯s third son¡¯s incident was so absurd, who knew how absurdly he would act after marriage. She would definitely think of something to destroy this marriage.
¡°Da Bomu made such a ruckus today, the marriage she proposed, Da Bofu would naturally not mention it. Even if it is mentioned, Lao Furen will not be happy. So on the surface, it looks like Si Yiniang has offended Da Furen today. But it is all for the sakes of Sijie and Wujie.¡± Li Min De whispered.
Li Wei Yang fell into silence. Indeed, Si Yiniang, in order to block this marriage, would not hesitate to make an enemy out of Da Furen. It might seem foolish, but it was out of love from a mother¡¯s heart.
Li Min De stretched out his hand, gently holding hers. Their hands warmed up at the same time, and a heart seemed to be warming up; he could not help but say: ¡°I¡¯m afraid that from now on, Da Furen would not let it go.¡±
Li Wei Yang said honestly: ¡°Da Furen is very shrewd, crafty and dangerous. The end justifies the means. Between her and I, there is a already deep-seated hatred. I want revenge, nothing wrong with that. But I don¡¯t want to pull you into it. Therefore, from now on, do not get too close to me, specially cannot be like today, constantly going against Da Furen. Understand, Min De?¡±
Hearing these words, Li Min De opened his eyes wide, unblinking.
Li Wei Yang seeing him like this, had to make her words more clear: ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way, she has no direct stake in you. So if you really want to help me, do it in the darkness.¡±
Li Min De lowered his head, felt his heart is like the duckweed that floats on top of water, very impulsive. Of course, he knew that it was not good to provoke Da Furen. Even San Furen did not dare to y hardball. But when he heard Li Wei Yang said this, he was angry. He didn¡¯t know why he was depressed. Perhaps it was because of Da Furen, perhaps it was Sanjie, or even maybe because of himself.
Why must Sanjie bedened with such trouble?
Why must be she be so calcting, with no sincerity towards anyone?
He had this intense feeling, that Li Wei Yang at this time exining things to him, not because she liked him or saw him as someone important, but because she felt help from the darkness would bring a greater use in the future.
¡°Sanjie, it is because we are standing in the same boat that you are being good to me?¡± Was it not that one day, when she and him were no longer on the same side, she would no longer smile at him, and would not take notice of him?
Li Wei Yang was startled.
This youngster, was he not too sensitive? So sensitive that she didn¡¯t know what to say.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am a fool...¡± Li Min De said quietly. He shouldn¡¯t have said such words, making Sanjie unhappy.
Li Wei Yang smiled, holding his hand a bit more tightly: ¡°No, I am not saying these words to you only because we are in the same boat. On the contrary, I like Min De, therefore I hope that you would not be hurt.¡±
Li Min De raised his eyes, ¡°Therefore, this bit of me, am I too weak, that I will bring trouble to you?¡±
Li Wei Yang paused then shook her head: ¡°No.¡±
Li Min De¡¯s jet-ck eyes seemed bottomless: ¡°Sanjie even to this point, you still want tofort me?¡±
¡°What I have said are truths,¡± Li Wei Yang stared at him, said very seriously: ¡°you are a smart child. One day in the future, you will be smarter than I am. You will be the one San Furen and I will rely on. I do not have a younger brother, you are like my younger brother.¡± Li Wei Yang said to this point, smiled with her eyes fixed on him.
In the corridor with rednterns hanging high, Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were so bright, that one could not turn his gaze.
Li Min De held onto her hand, not letting go: ¡°Sanjie, do you really hate Dajie and the others that much? Actually, Mother has recently mentioned to me that she want to return to Linchuan to visit grandmother. And if she is happy there, then she will buy a house there to settle down, nevering back here. To live happily, you can leave together with us----¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze was cold, she also wanted to live a happy life. But for her to leave this ce, it meant giving up on revenge. She could never forget... when her legs were cut off, that picture of flesh and blood flying in all direction, torn to pieces; the horrifying, humiliated voices of despair of the pce servants who died because of her, she remembered it all. While in this life, Da Furen mother and daughter pair had never wanted to leave her alone. Even if she was willing to let it go, the other side would not let her have happy days!
Li Wei Yang took a breath, said with curt finality: ¡°I cannot forgive them, therefore I will never go!¡±
Li Min De was surprised, raised his thick eyebrows, said: ¡°Sanjie?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes blinked, a deep emotion in her eyes seem to have opened up, letting her be more gentle at the same time, unknown sadness also appearing, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I am too worked up.¡±
She discovered that she had unknowingly scratched blood on Li Min De¡¯s hand, so immediately let go of his hands.
Li Wei Yang suddenly turned, looked at the distant sky, and said lightly, ¡°Tolerance, this thing, I cannot afford to have it, and I do not want to have it!¡±
Her appearance right now, seemed like she would disappear any moment.
Li Min De suddenly felt an intense fear rising from the sole of his feet--- this Sanjie, it seemed as though he could never grasp a hold of her, elusive, unable to seize! Although he could not understand her at the moment, in her heart, there must be unspeakable secrets hidden!
Hence, Li Min De suddenly stepped forward, grabbed her arm.
Turning back slightly in surprise, their gazes crossing in the air. In that instant, an unexinable emotion shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s face.
Li Min De bore his sadness, forcing himself to look at Li Wei Yang, raised his lip in a smile: ¡°If Sanjie will not leave, then, I will never leave as well. I will apany you here.¡± His tone, although light, is firm.
Li Wei Yang moved slightly, just as she was about to say something, suddenly a scream could be heard.
A yatou ran like mad from a distant, colliding into a number of people along the way, her face full of panic, hurriedly rushed in front of Li Min De: ¡°Bad news, bad news San Shaoye. San Furen just now... just now suddenly fainted!¡±
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Trantor: Ang
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 67 part2
Long chapter ahead
Chapter 67: Hanging by a thread
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San Furen fainted? Li Wei Yang was shocked, not sure why but suddenly a feeling of a very bad premonition floated over her.
San Furen was diagnosed, she was infected with an epidemic.
Lao Furen hearing this, personally went to visit her twice, even bringing a famous doctor for treatment in order to have San Furen recover quickly. Li Min De also stayed by his mother side day and night. Li Wei Yang was afraid he would also be infected and tried several times to get him to rest, but he insistently refused to leave.
Li Wei Yang had no choice, she could only silently hope that San Furen would recover quickly.
All the way to through the simple gray brick tile, Li Wei Yang¡¯s face was always heavy. Although the doctor repeatedly said that San Furen¡¯s condition had improved, soon it would be the end of the year. If San Furen¡¯s condition really did improve, why couldn¡¯t she go out by now?
In the room, all of the windows were covered by thick curtains, making it difficult for the sunlights to shine in through the curtain from outside, getting in only due the cracks in the corners. The room appeared murky
Not far from the window, stood a gu qin, but there were a lot of dusts on top of it. It was obvious that no one had touched it in a long time.
Upon seeing Li Wei Yang entering, Li Min De stood up from a chair from the side, his face in the murky light, appearing very pale. In his pitch ck eyes, from an unknown time, carried a desperate look.
Li Wei Yang was surprised, suddenly feeling uneasy.
Upon seeing Li Wei Yang arrived, a yatou immediately secured the green bed curtain on the ckcquered bed. San Furenid there. Li Wei Yang could see with a nce that she had be so thin that she lost her shape. Her face was white like a sheet of paper, her body thin like a leaf, a gust of wind could have blown her from that astonishing bed.
San Furen was unexpectedly very sick!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart felt uneasy, expanding continuously.
She was fine, how could she have contacted epidemic?! Li Wei Yang could not hold the sourness in her heart, she walked over quickly: ¡°San Shen.¡±
Ever since San Furen became sick, she would not see people aside from Li Min De and Lao Furen. When Da Furen and others came to visit, they were all blocked at the door.
The yatou said quietly to San Furen whose eyes were closed: ¡°Furen, San Xiaojie is here.¡±
San Furen opened her eyes, saw Li Wei Yang, showed a smile, then she nodded to the yatous beside her, so that they could help sit her up on the bed: ¡°Wei Yang. Is everything well?¡± San Furen asked.
Li Wei Yang of course knew what she was asking about, she smiled and said: ¡°Even though Dajie¡¯s forehead injury is not serious, she is still unconscious. The physician said she has injured her sinews for 100 days. At that time, Dajie hit her head with a great force, therefore it is unknown whether there will be any side effects.¡±
San Furen smiled gently, said: ¡°This way, they can stop for a while.¡±
San Furen could see it clearly, right now Da Furen would be trembling in fear. It seemed that Father had not gone to see Li Chang Le even once, even bing estranged with Li Min Feng.
It was known upon reflection, Si Yiniang¡¯s pillow pressure was very strong. Father initially was suspicious, even now he probably suspected whether the use of witchcraft was real or not. It was a pity that Li Chang Le was not dealt with. This incident, on the surface it seemed as though Li Chang Le was staying in the Li house, but remaining here by pestering endlessly, her position in her father¡¯s heart had plummet greatly, her days would no longer go by peacefully.
¡° Are you well?¡± San Furen looked at her.
¡°Thanks to your blessings, Wei Yang is well.¡±
¡°Thanks to my blessings?¡± San Furen smiled slightly, her smile carrying a bit of bitter, ¡°I cannot protect myself, how can this blessing word can be said? I have been wanting to help you, to see Da Furen fall, unfortunately....¡±
¡°San Shen has helped me a lot already, you should stop worrying and rest to recover.¡±
¡°I know that you are smart and talented. You are now a Xian Zhu, Da Furen cannot create difficulties in the matter of your marriage, and also cannot easily make a move towards you. That is great fortune.¡± San Furen said, as if tofort her, ¡°Listen to my one advice, think of ways to find a good marriage in the future. Stay far away from those wolves.... A person¡¯s lifetime, is just these wishes, won¡¯t you say so?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at San Furen, unable to brush off her meaning, said: ¡°San Shen¡¯s words, Wei Yang has remembered them.¡± Not sure why, but she always felt that San Furen¡¯s words, seems to be leaving instructions for her funeral.
But...how could it be? This incident happened too suddenly!
San Furen leaned on the head of the bed. The first thought that anyone who saw her now would think of was a withered flower. Her face was very gray, her cheeks that were once ruddy and pretty had be thin due to extreme weight loss, but her eyes were still astonishingly bright. In Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart, there was a bit of fear. If something happened to San Furen... her gaze fell on the nearby Li Min De who had his head hung low, thinking of something.
¡°Furen, time for your medicine.¡± The yatou beside her held up the medicine.
San Furen looked dully at the bowl of medicine and shook her head. Li Wei Yang saw her face paling, constantly short of breath when speaking. She was afraid that she would be tired and wanted to persuade her to rest, to not think too much.
However, San Furen lowered her voice as much as possible: ¡°When others ask you about my illness, how did you answer them?¡±
¡°I said that San Furen is getting well soon,¡± Li Wei Yang thought about it and then answered.
¡°No, you need to say that I have already recovered, just still need some rest.¡±
San Furen looked at Li Min De and sighed faintly. Li Wei Yang suddenly realized, could it be that if something happened to San Furen, those people will do something to Min De?
Indeed, Min De is not a blood and flesh of the Li family. If the only foster mother who love him died, his days in the Li family would certainly be difficult. Even---there were already a lot of unsavory rumours spreading.
It¡¯s just that--- paper after all cannot extinguish the fire.
¡°Can¡¯t you see that I am pretty well?¡± San Furen said, while suddenly getting up from the bed, both hands holding on to the bed and forcing herself to stand up. ¡°I feel, perhaps, I will be well soon.¡± She smiled slightly, walked a few steps, suddenly her legs gave out. If it was not for Wei Yang catching her quickly, she would have fallen onto the ground.
Li Min De¡¯s eyes suddenly became wet. He did not turn his head, afraid to look at his own foster mother.
Li Wei Yang at this time understood; San Furen¡¯s health, was really bad. Her original state of health was not so well, and an epidemic was not amon illness... what to do? Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind was turning at a fast speed. She tried hard to think back on how she dealt with the epidemic in the disaster area, but--- in the end could not get anything. She only knew that the disease at that time, the number of deaths far surpassed the deaths brought by the disaster, and the doctors were helpless.
She helped San Furen sit down on the side of the bed. San Duren¡¯s eyes seemed to be searching for something.
¡°Mother, are you looking for the qin?¡± Li Min De said softly.
His look at the moment was so mature that it seemed as though he was a stranger, not at all a 10-year-old boy.
Li Wei Yang grieved for him. Why should a child have to bear so many things that he should not bear? If he really lost his only foster mother who loved him, what should Min De do in the future?
San Furen nodded. Li Min De suddenly took his mother¡¯s hand from Li Wei Yang¡¯s, helped her up, walked over step by step, to sit by the qin.
San Furen raised her hands, gently stroked the strings.
Li Wei Yang frowned deeply.
San Furen lowered her head, concentrated on ying the qin. The song she yed was a touching one. Li Wei Yang once heard, that San Furen sat in the yard alone, ying this song. The song wasposed by San Shu for her. Li Wei Yang sighed gently. San Shen¡¯s heart had never once forgotten her own husband who has passed away before.
San Furen¡¯s song was very touching and sorrowful, a tale as a song...
Just at that moment, a string suddenly snapped. Puffing and panting, San Furen stopped, thenughed suddenly and whispered: ¡°Back then, I also had a chance to be a mother.¡±
Li Min De was shocked and hung his head. From Li Wei Yang¡¯s angle, she could only see that his translucent skin had be even paler.
¡°Wei Yang, I did not intend to say these words to anyone. However, now it seems that if I don¡¯t say it, no one will know in this lifetime. You know why I helped you? Because I hate Da Furen, but why I hate her, you definitely do not know. Da Furen appears very benevolent on the surface, but within she is arrogant and despotic, and so Lao Furen never likes her. Back in those days, Da Bo was often out on trips, second branch was illegitimate, so at that time I was left in charge of the Li household. Afterwards, Da Bo returned to the capital and was promoted to Prime Minister. So I took the initiative to hand over the authority of managing the household. Who knew that Da Furen thought that I was only pretending, that she actually did something that caused me to miscarried. Therefore, this lifetime I can no longer bear my own children. San Ye was originally weak, but kind-hearted. After learning about this incident, he began to dwell on it. But due to being mindful of Da Bo, he did not have the heart to me them, and instead died due to grief. Tell me, should I hate her?¡± San Furen looked at Wei Yang who was beside her, suddenlyughed strangely. The pain in her heart now, was it the regrets for being too trusting at that time? Or was it the hatred in her heart that have not dispensed even to this date? No one could say for sure. Perhaps even she could not say for sure.
Li Wei Yang watched, she could not help but feel sad for her. San Furen wanted to yield, the other side was not willing to believe and needed to take it away herself in order to feel assured. Other people might not understand, but Li Wei Yang did. Da Furen, this person, could not tolerate anyone or anything going beyond her grasp.
San Furen smiled and smiled, suddenly phlegm blocked her throat, she could not help but cough it. Li Wei Yang hurriedly patted her back. Li Min De also hurried over.
San Furen kept spitting into the spittoon held by a yatou beside her, settling down after a long while.
¡°I have thought that I can still live a few more years,¡± San Furen said to Li Wei Yang while gasping, ¡°Now it seems like the days are not many...¡±
In the past life, San Furen had passed away shortly after Li Min De¡¯s mishap. Now that Min De had clearly been saved, she has unexpectedly contacted epidemic. Could it be that this was not something that could be changed? Li Wei Yang clenched her fist, aforting smile on her face: ¡°No, no, that cannot be. San Shen will definitely live a long life.¡±
San Furen graciously shook her head: ¡°Forget about it.¡± She looked at Li Wei Yang, a faint ze burning in her ck and white eyes. San Furen smiled bitterly in her heart. This child, perhaps she was full her hatred towards Da Furen. Recalling when she first married into Li family, recalling her own husband and unborn child, one by one leaving. Thinking of here, an indescribable feeling poured out of her heart. Towards Da Furen, in her heart there was an unappeasable grievance, this was the real reason why she kept helping Li Wei Yang.
However the severity of her illness, everything else had been worn away; grace... grudge... these seemed to be more and more unimportant. There was only one thing that she could not let go.
San Furen gripped Li Wei Yang¡¯s tightly: ¡°San Shen has helped you so much, I only ask you of one thing.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked into San Furen¡¯s eyes, a trace of earnest plea appearing in those beautiful eyes. Li Wei Yang at that moment has understood her meaning.
¡°Help me take care of Min De.¡± Without his mother¡¯s care and not being a flesh and blood of the Li family, the days of this child in future would definitely be tough, Li Wei Yang could imagine.
But--- to agree to such request. The implication was that from now onwards, aside from Qi Yiniang, there would be another person that she need to think of all the time. Li Min De would be her responsibility... Li Wei Yang had a moment of hesitation, but thinking of the long time help San Furen has given her, she really cannot refuse such request.
Li Min De¡¯s head hung very low, no one can see his expression, just how sad it was.
Li Wei Yang did not say anything for a long while. San Furen hastily gripped her hands, Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes, looked at the Li Min De beside her, solemnly nodded her head.
¡°I may not be able to protect himpletely, but I will do my best.¡± she replied.
San Furen smiled and said: ¡°Thank you.¡±
Returning to her own room, Li Wei Yang did not utter a word. Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu watched, a bit unease in their heart. Although they didn¡¯t know the condition of San Furen¡¯s illness, but seeing Xiaojie¡¯s state, probably it was not good.
San Furen, in Li family, was Xiaojie¡¯s important friend. This bit, they understood clearly. If something happened to her, it definitely would not be a good thing for Xiaojie.
Rain fell in the middle of the night, only the sound of falling water could be heard in this silence. Li Wei Yang was unable to sleep, leaning sluggishly against the bed, drearily closing her eyes.
Outside the windows came a slight sound, bringing the wariness of fear of being discovered by someone.
Li Wei Yang leaned slightly, thought about it, draped a coat and stood up. She walked to the bed. Through the windows, she saw a shadow standing outside, Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart jumped.
She subconsciously opened the window.
¡°Min De?¡± Li Wei Yang asked quietly.
In the darkness, that person¡¯s figure instantly stiffened, after a while, then slowly turned around.
Through the weak candlelight of the corridor, Li Wei Yang saw Min De¡¯s handsome face slowly raised up, red circle in his ck and white eyes.
Li Wei Yang looked at him and asked: ¡°Why are you here in the middle of the night?¡±
Li Min De did not speak, only lowered his head.
Li Wei Yang let out a sigh, beckoned him with a hand, Li Min De-- remained motionless in one spot, no other reaction.
Li Wei Yang blinked and said: ¡°Do you want me to ask someone to invite you in? Or are you prepared to let someone discover you slipping into my ce in the middle of the night?¡±
Although they were cousins, although they were young, it still would not be good if this was leaked out. Li Min De obviously knew this, so he immediately climbed in obediently.
Li Wei Yang saw the numerous pool of water on the ground, then Li Min De¡¯s soaked clothing, only felt the headache.
What she did not know was that Li Min De¡¯s attention was on the flimsy clothing she was wearing. He could feel his ears drying up, his face bing slightly red and hurriedly lowered his head.
In Li Wei Yang¡¯s view, this fellow was just a child, did not have the slightest obstacles, so she of course, did not think of this.
Li Wei Yang helped him wring his clothes, said: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use an umbre? Do you think you are made of iron? Or did you want San Shen to worry about you?¡±
¡°I could not sleep!¡± Li Min De frowned.
Li Wei Yang could not ignore the stiffness of his body, stared at him for a while.
Li Min De did not know how to face her gaze, so he subconsciously moved his gaze away. Just as he felt he was about to suffocate, he heard her saying: ¡°I will take you back!.¡±
Li Min De was surprised; immediately sorrow shed in his eyes. Li Wei Yang looked at him in surprised, then thought that she might be thinking too much of it. He was only a child, how can he have such expression? --- she grabbed his hand, but he dodged in shock.
¡°Can I stay a while?¡± He asked, his mouth opening and closing, looking at her nervously.
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t react, Li Min De¡¯s face had already be slightly pale, as if he already knew he was going off the rail.
Li Wei Yang stopped, her ck eyes falling on Li Min De who stiffened. Just when he thought she would reject him, Li Wei Yang felt that this embarrassed youngster was very cute. She could not not help but reach out and rub his head.
ck hair, bringing a soft feeling
Li Min De suddenly grabbed her hand, lifted dark eyes to look at her, voice gentle, a sincere plea in his eyes, ¡°After the rain stop, I will go back, okay?¡±
His palms were hot, his heartbeat seemed to be able to pass through. In that moment, countless thoughts raced through Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind. Still-- in the end, she suppressed it, smiled and said: ¡°Fine, until the rain stop.¡±
His eyes brightened immediately, his smile was very cute.
¡°Min De, after I left, is San Shen alright?¡± Li Wei Yang let him take off his wet clothes while she used a nket to wrap around him.
Who would have thought that his tofu white and delicate face, all of a sudden would show resentment, fingers trembled slightly, ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer will mother live, she, she worked so hard to protect me, yet I cannot help her...¡± his young soft hair fell over, covering his eyes, so Li Wei Yang were unable to see the mood in his eyes.
San Furen¡¯s illness was bing worse. There was not a moment of improvement. She had already taken all kinds of rare medicines, but in the end, all were like water flowing into the river, not even the slightest response. Tonight, San Furen¡¯s state of mind was absent-minded. Li Min De spoke to her, she was already unresponsive. He could not take it anymore, therefore sneaking out.
Li Wei Yang was silent for a long while, then hesitatingly ced her hand on top of his head, then caressed him. His young body trembled slightly. It was obvious that he was desperately trying to suppress his sorrow.
Li Wei Yang was worried about his future. This Li house, on the surface, was like bouquets of flowers and piles of brocades, people with warm hearts. But the reality was that it was a cold and cruel ce. She also knew, if something happened to San Furen, then the third branch would not have any suppor. Although Lao Furen had always taken care of San Furen, but that was because her youngest son had passed away, so she felt sorry for the widow. As for the the adopted grandson Li Min De, in fact there wasn¡¯t much affection for him. As for Da Furen and Er Furen, perhaps the grudge towards San Furen was too deep, or they had long coveted third branch¡¯s property and San Furen¡¯s wealth, that they would be anxious to get rid of San Shaoye.
Although she promised to take care of him, but all this time, Da Furen¡¯s every defeats, it was because she could risk her own life to fight. But if she had to protect a child, it was bound to be hard to move from now on. In this case, what should be done with Min De in the future?
¡°It¡¯s Da Furen...¡± Li Min De¡¯s clear eyes, unknowingly developed resentment. He bit his own lips, a bright bead of blood welling up, ¡°If it was not for her, Mother would not have contracted the epidemic....¡±
Li Wei Yang was shocked, she felt that there were meanings within his words. But this thought was gone in a sh, her breathing bing slightly urgent: ¡°Min De, do you know what you are saying?¡±
Li Min De¡¯s voice choked up, his head buried in the palms of his hands, hoarse from grief and anger. Li Wei Yang, from the tone of his voice, for the first time could not hear the inherent naive and timidity of a youth, but felt the cold hatred: ¡°Half a month ago, Mother saved a young woman on her way back from praying to Buddha. She gave her food and water. That woman was grateful to mother, butter Mother found out that she was from an epidemic-stricken area. At first we did not think too much of it, but after Mother became sick, I thought back on that incident. I felt something was not right. That road is the passageway for female officials to go to the mountains for prayers. Even if ordinary people are fleeing from cmity, instead of heading towards prosperous towns, why would they go to the remote mountains? Along the way she would have came across countless carriages, yet she remained silent. Why would she suddenly faint in front of Mother¡¯s carriage? Obviously she was given water and food, but why did she still want to express thanks face to face? She even gave a string of Buddha beads to Mother as a thank you gift. Even though Mother did not ept it, she did touch that thing after all...¡±
Li Wei Yang was naturally astonished by what he said. Did that mean San Furen suddenly being infected by the epidemic had something to do with Da Furen? Min De would not have said this without reasons! Her eyes unconsciously fell on his hands, suddenly opening her eyes wide, she hurriedly pull opened his tightly clenched fist, to discover that his palms are already covered with blood from his torn flesh, Li Wei Yang whispered: ¡°You have be crazy!¡±
¡°I have been abandoned by my parents since I was young. I don¡¯t know who I am. I don¡¯t even know what my identity is. I was found by Mother at the entrance of a temple. When she found me, aside from the jade pendant, there was nothing on me. In order to prevent people from being suspicious of me, Mother has thought of ways to arrange for me to be with a family then formally adopt me, gave me a family. Even though aside from her in this family, no one else likes me, I didn¡¯t care. I only want a family. If I don¡¯t even have Mother, what should I do...¡± he whispered.
Heaven was ruthless. Heaven wanted to take away his only happiness. This Li house was not a safe haven. Everyone here was so dreadful, smiling gently and amicably on the surface, but on the inside, they were nauseatingly disgusting and bloody.
¡°I have nothing, only Mother...why, why would they not let her go...?¡± his young voice had already been gradually changing from the initial choked up sound to a bone chilling cold. He lowered his head, the clearness in his eyes bing deep and dark, like a luxurious gemstone, just darker than the night, so dark that a ray of light could not be seen.
Li Wei Yang was speechless for a moment, she didn¡¯t know how tofort this child who was full of resentment.
Abandoned by his own biological parents, having to face the hopeless situation of his adoptive mother... Li Wei Yang looked at him, there was a bit of a moment where it seemed as though she was looking at her past life, when she herself had stood uneasily at the entrance of the Li residence, unknowing if she could gain her father and Dimu¡¯s favour, to have path to walk on. Like Min De, she also wanted to have someone who cared, someone who loved, instead of moving carefully with each step, full of hatred.
She did not wish for the boy in front of her to be like her.
Li Wei Yang sighed again, gently raised his face, as expected the boy¡¯s eyes were overflowing with tears, heart slightly pumping, she smiled warmly at him, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, there is me here!¡±
Li Min De grasped her hands, ced it firmly on his cheek, as if he found his only support.
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Trantor: Ang
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 68 part1
Chapter 68: Meeting on a narrow path
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1ÌìÒÂÎÞ·ì: literal meaning is a heaven robe with no seams; used to describe something to be wless, with no trace of evidence
2Wu di: Fifth (younger) brother
3San ge: Third (older) brother
Chapter 68: Meeting on a narrow path
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At this moment, a desperate knocking sound was heard on the outside, Li Wei Yang frowned, ¡°Who is it?¡±
¡°Xiaojie, it is Mo Zhu.¡± Mo Zhu whispered, the desperateness in her voice made Li Wei Yang felt an inexpressible omen.
¡°Enter!¡±
Once Mo Zhu entered and saw Li Min De, her expression revealed surprise and tears immediately formed in her eyes as she said: ¡°Xiaojie, San furen ....... San Furen can¡¯t anymore ......¡±
A pain struck in Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart and she unconsciously looked towards him, this young boy¡¯s expression at this moment did not show a speck of abnormality, it was as if he didn¡¯t just heard news about the danger of his adopted mother¡¯s illness and instead it was matter that was none of his business. But his hands were actually shaking really hard, the movements within his eyes were indubitably the pain that was difficult to veil.
He was a child after all ...... Li Wei Yang tightly held onto his hand.
Li Min De looked towards her and immediately smiled, he said: ¡°I have to return now.¡±
¡°I will go with you.¡± Li Wei Yang sighed as she gently said.
In San furen¡¯s room, a piece of fine red thread was seen slipping out from the drapes; Lao furen specifically invited an imperial physician over to check her pulse. The old physician¡¯s beard had already passed his chest, his eyes were slightly closed, his mouth was quietly chanting something. Even though Li Wei Yang had saw San furen¡¯s ill countenance in the day but seeing her again she had feelings of palpitation. San furen, who was originally gentle and beautiful, had be emaciated like a thin shadow. She was lying in heavyyers of nket, her breathing extremely rapid, it seemed like if she missed a breath, her life would have ended.
At this point, Lao furen was not sitting far away as she anxiously looked towards the physician. Da furen and Er furen were both standing on the sides. Lao furen had already lost a son, she had experienced the pain of witnessing that, now her daughter inw was also leaving her, thinking of this made others felt uneasy. The servants by San furen¡¯s side all had the urge to cry but now none dared to cry since San furen didn¡¯t passed away yet after all. If they cried now, it meant they were anticipating her death.
Da furen¡¯splexion was normal yet Li Wei Yang was still able to decipher her true inner -emotions.
Seeing this, Li Wei Yang felt as if arge rock was crushing on her.
Once Da furen saw Li Min De, she frowned and said: ¡°Your mother¡¯s illness is very serious, how could you not be by her side?¡±
Everyone gazed at Li Min De with an unpredictable expression.
He, on the other hand, didn¡¯t look at others and walked towards the bedside.
Giving the person lying on the bed a glimpse, his heart was sinking very deep. Thinking of San furen¡¯s full and rounded figure and how she always had a gentle expression shining with splendor; he felt that this wasn¡¯t his mother in a trance. But this trance quickly vanished and it felt like a knife was piercing through his heart.
¡°Mother, your son is here.¡± Li Min De¡¯s lips pressed near her ears and then he gently cried. San furen¡¯s eyes swiftly opened and her eyes were no longer as turbid as it were few days ago. Not only were it clear and sparkling, but they were also sober.
Li Wei Yang watched on the side and she couldn¡¯t help but sighed.
¡°Wei Yang!¡± She suddenly heard San furen¡¯s faint voice calling her over. Li Wei Yang walked towards the drapes and San furen reached out all of a sudden and held onto her wrist.
Her hand was thin and cold, Li Wei Yang was slightly startled but a short while after, she could feel a calming force transferred from her palm. When lowering her head to look at her face, she realized her eyes released a never before seen sparkling radiance. This was a form of despair or even an appeal for sympathy.
¡°Wei Yang.¡± Her throat was hoarse and her voice was trembling: ¡°You are a child who regard promises highly ......¡± Speaking up to here, she paused and her gaze seemed to show that she had thousands of words to say but in the end, she didn¡¯t say a single word. She only revealed a bitter smile with a speck of mercy and love and her voice was fragile like silk.
Li Wei Yang looked at her, she nodded and said: ¡°I swear to the Heavens, what I promised you, I will never go back on my words.¡±
In the end, San furen gave Li Min De a glimpse, smiled, her hand slid off from Li Wei Yang¡¯s wrist, and lightlynded on top of the satin nket.
Lao furen closed her eyes and silently cried. The yatous and mamas that held back their grief finally mournfully cried out. Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t let out a drop of tear. It wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t feel distressed enough but she just couldn¡¯t cry out. It felt like something was stuffed in her chest that it made it difficult for her to breath. Besides the pain of losing an important friend, it felt as if something within her heart had copsed. It seemed like her spirit lost its pir. She realized now that San furen to her wasn¡¯t merely an ally friend.
Da furen greatly sighed, her sad gesture of wiping her tears couldn¡¯t conceal the upward movements of the corners of her mouth. She was crying freely when she felt pain stabbing at her like needles. Looking to her side, she found Li Min De furiously staring at her. Besides rage, his eyes were filled with vengeance.
Da furen immediately became aware that her misdeeds were all known to this child. She coldly smiled and paid no notice as she moved her head to one side and continued to feign wiping her tears with her handkerchief. Even though it seemed like she didn¡¯t care but in her heart, she felt increasing palpitations and because of this she felt anxious: This n was arranged wlessly1, how could a child know? This was endless trouble toe!
At this point, the people outside had already started moving; news of San furen¡¯s death had awakened everyone all at once.
San furen kept things simple before her death so for her funeral ceremony Lao furenplied with her decision to not make it too extravagant. Therefore, the length of the funeral service wasn¡¯t long yet many nobilities and officials came to pay theirst respects to her because of her status. Da furen took up the matter of managing the funeral arrangements; everything was well-organized, dignified, which made everyone thought of her as virtuous and generous as well as fair yet they didn¡¯t know she was the mastermind behind San furen¡¯s death.
The people who suspected this was only Li Wei Yang and Li Min De. After this, Li Wei Yang intentionally sent people to investigate into this matter but time had passed so she could only get only a word or two out of it. Thinking about this, she knew since Da furen dared to do this, she must have all the evidence eradicated.
Li Wei Yang felt remorseful, if it wasn¡¯t because San furen helped her out continuously, Da furen perhaps wouldn¡¯t have acted this quickly. Now, she was clear that the next person Da furen wanted to plot against was herself. However, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t bepared to San furen; her experience from her previous lifetime made her saw through these schemes used to harm others in addition to her being particrly cautious, Da furen couldn¡¯t find the appropriate time to act.
Because San furen had passed away, everyone wascking excitement in the uing new year and not much joy could be seen on everyone¡¯s faces. Moreover, Da Xiaojie was still not summoned by Lao Ye because of what happenedst time and she had been hiding in her room everyday without stepping out. Da furen felt depressed and had been severely punishing yatous for demerits.
Along with the passing of the natural disaster, the Emperor pacified chaos within the disaster-stricken areas and calmed his people. A bunch of officials were executed, and as the new year passed by, more people began to visit the Li family. Prime Minister Li held the power of filling vacant positions and so his family¡¯s doors were often visited that it seemed like they would break.
Under the Crowned Prince¡¯s implies, Tuoba Zhen personally went to visit the Li family but he didn¡¯t expect to bump into Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui¡¯s pavilion.
Ayer of calm smile floated on Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face: ¡°Wu di2how do you have the time to visit today?¡±
Tuoba Rui¡¯s eyes circled over Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face, he learnedly smiled: ¡°San ge3, you came for the Crowned Prince, I came for Li family¡¯s Da Xiaojie, we are not of the same path.¡±
For Li Chang Le? It seemed like the Fifth Prince had his mind on Da Xiaojie. Tuoba Zhen stealthily thought about what happenedst time; the Crowned Prince and both of them were heavily scolded by the Emperor and that was because they all fell for Li Wei Yang¡¯s scheme. Moreover, this time Li Chang Le was in huge trouble, causing everyone to know, from high officials tomoners, none held any pleasant feelings towards her. If it wasn¡¯t for her father who held a well-dignified position, she would had been paraded across the streets. As for himself seeking her hand in marriage, he was already hesitant but this Fifth Prince still rushed forth; it seemed like he was under the obsession of lust and beauty.
Tuoba Zhen coldly smiled, nothing was as important as the throne: ¡°Wu di, please, you first.¡±
The two walked in together and was directed into the garden. Da gongzi Li Min Feng¡¯s face was filled withughter as he went forth to wee them, he said: ¡°Today, both actually came, this is a rare view.¡±
He and Tuoba Zhen exchanged a nce, Tuoba Zhen then smilingly said: ¡°Isn¡¯t it, this is really a coincidence.¡±
Li Min Feng gently smiled: ¡°It isn¡¯t only you two, today there are other guests, please follow me.¡±
In the garden, there was a pavilion and in it was a padded mattress with two burners ced on top of it as the coal was burning hotly. In the pavilion, Gao Jin rocked in his chair with a hand holding onto a peach while he ate it soundly.
Gao Min, garbed by splendor, was sitting, her brows were long and fine, herplexion was creamy, and her wide forehead showed her beauty. Seeing Tuoba Zhen, bliss immediately appeared on her face. She realized because of her status, she couldn¡¯t be too eager and walked up to bow. She turned and saw Gao Jin still rocking in his chair, she quickly reminded him: ¡°Er ge!¡±
Gao Jin looked and saw that the two princes had both came. He wasn¡¯t fearful at all and happily greeted them as his hands still held onto a peach that he hadn¡¯t finish eating yet.
Even though Fifth Prince had epted her greetings, his nces had already flew towards the girl sitting in the pavilion.
Li Chang Le was wearing clean white-colored garbs, her long brows seemed to have been formed by the meeting of mountains, her gentle eyes like water, her petal-like lips ...... all simply appeared in front of his eyes. Fifth Prince waspletely astonished, he didn¡¯t know where he was but only felt his endless charm and admiration was provoked just because of a woman¡¯s beauty. He subconsciously asked: ¡°Long time no see, Da Xiaojie had be rather thin.¡±
Li Chang Le lightly shook and hershes were soaked with dews; her face of unspeakable words made it seem like she suffered endlessly.
After Li Min Feng arranged the seats for everyone in the pavilion, he sighed and said: ¡°A demoness appeared in our family, causing my sister to be treated unfairly. It had been difficult for us to sleep and eat, it is very depressing.¡±
Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui frowned: ¡°The demoness you are talking about ---¡°
Tuoba Zhen looked down to sip his tea as if he didn¡¯t hear anything.
Gao Min coldly humphed: ¡°Isn¡¯t it that little ---¡° Without finishing her words, she suddenly was aware that her tone was too crude. She gently coughed and said, ¡°That Li Wei Yang.¡±
Tuoba Rui arched his brows: ¡°You are referring to Anping Xianzhu?¡±
Gao Jin, who was eating a peach on the side,ughed: ¡°What Anping Xianzhu, she is only an unfledged yatou who dared to interfere in the affairs of state with only a few words.¡± After being beatenedst time, he had to stay in for a whole two months, he felt a bit of dread and a bit of resentment towards Li Wei Yang in his heart.
Hearing them talk about the past matter, Tuoba Zhen looked at Li Chang Le and he couldn¡¯t help but shook his head. She had beauty yet she wascking brains, it seemed like he had to take more time to consider the matter of seeking her hand in marriage.
Li Min Feng sighed: ¡°Now we have a disaster, Lao furen doesn¡¯t even pay attention to us, even Father became angry recently, he doesn¡¯t even want to see Sister, causing her to wash her face in tears, how could she not be slim?¡±
Seeing the beauty had gotten into trouble, he said: ¡°How can we me Da Xiaojie for this, it¡¯s the fault of the people who implemented the n, they ruined such a wonderful n.¡±
Li Chang Le used her handkerchief to hide the corners of her eyes as she whispered: ¡°Da ge, there¡¯s no need to expose our family mischief in front of the two princes, no matter how ridiculous Mei mei is, we are still a family, she is young so she doesn¡¯t understand ......¡±
Fifth Prince sighed and said: ¡°Anping Xianzhu in the end has grown up in the vige so she doesn¡¯t understand rtionships and etiquettes, Da Xiaojie has been treated unfairly, don¡¯t worry, I will let Mother put in a good word for you in front of the Empress and the Emperor, don¡¯t be affected because of this.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s beautiful eyes gazed at Fifth Prince and then lowered her eyes, she said: ¡°Thank you Fifth Prince.¡±
Right at this moment, Gao Jin, who was focusing on eating his peach, coldly coughed: ¡°Look, look, who¡¯sing.¡±
Everyone looked up, the distantke was cold, red plums blossomed on the opposite bank as they met with the iced grounds, causing them to be absent-minded.
¡°How could this little bitch remain in the Li family?¡± Gao Jin asked with surprise.
¡°Humph, that young boy, he has started acting weird......¡± Li Min Feng coldly smiled and said: ¡°After San shen died, he became San meimei¡¯s follow bug, wherever she goes, he will be there. If I had a say, Father shouldn¡¯t let that thing stay, he is not rted to the Li family, how could he continue San shu¡¯s generation line?¡±
¡°Da ge, San di was added in the family book after all.¡± Li Chang Le calmly reminded.
Li Min Feng didn¡¯t like the young boy who was even prettier than girls since he was young, he coldly smiled: ¡°Even if he was added to the family book, we can still remove him, our family can¡¯t ept someone with an unidentified background and disrupt our bloodlines.¡±
Tuoba Zhen lightly smiled: ¡°Under Anping Xianzhu¡¯s protection, I¡¯m afraid if Li Xiong wants to kick him out, it wouldn¡¯t be easy.¡±
Gao Jinughed: ¡°Force him to cause trouble, wouldn¡¯t that be easy?¡±
Li Chang Le calmly smiled and said: ¡°I don¡¯t understand what Biao ge means.¡±
Gao Jin¡¯s smile had a trace of sinister: ¡°You will understand soon.¡± Saying this, he rocked back and forth in his chair and threw his half-eaten peach out and faraway it pounced on Li Min De¡¯s head, ¡°Hey, you,e here!¡±
Landing on Li Min De¡¯s body, the peach then rolled down andnded on the ground. Li Min De¡¯s beautiful white face momentarily had a dirty market left behind.
He greatly turned his head and then stared at the people in the pavilion.
¡°Hey, pick up that peach ......¡± Gao Jin was rocking in his chair, ¡°This is
All the yatous and mama dropped their heads as they hid their smiles in taking pleasures on other people¡¯s misfortunes.
Li Min De stared at the peach, he dropped his head, light shed across his eyes but soon vanished afterwards.
He promised his mother that no matter what happened, he would hold it in. It was only then could he continue to stay in the Li family.
He reached out to pick up the mashed peach. Li Min Feng¡¯s lips exposed trace of a cold smile. It seemed like he didn¡¯t notice the peach was dirty, he used his hand to wipe it and then opened his mouth to give it a bite.
Everyone was shocked, even Third Prince Tuoba Zhen. He squinted, was it because this child was too long that he didn¡¯t understand these mockeries or was it because he was able to tolerate things that many couldn¡¯t?
¡°Is it tasty?¡±
¡°It is delicious, thank you Biao ge.¡± Li Min De¡¯s long hair on his forehead covered his crystal-lit eyes, he lifted his head and exposed a warm smile.
The sunlight drew out the outline of his body, which was slim and small.
Some astonishingly exhaled while others uttered shock and was quickly muffled by others ......¡± San Shaoye actually ate it! Oh my, it was very disgusting! He was very low; how could he eat this! He was simply a stray dog, his master was gone, so he naturally wagged his tails at others!¡±
¡°Xiaojie ---¡° Bai Zhi worriedly watched this scene, she couldn¡¯t people these people actually bullied a young boy like this. San Shaoye had always been arrogant, how could he hold back against this torment?
Li Wei Yang was watching from afar and frowned. Once she saw Li Min De¡¯s behavior, she was stunned and soon she felt pity increasing in her heart.
The young boy that was standing there was still handsome yet had be more and more thin that he could no longer return to his past arrogance.
Min De ......
Losing his only guardian all of a sudden, he had lost his position in the Li family. He had nowhere to go so he couldn¡¯t not withstand these humiliations and feigned a smile.
A pair of shimmering eyes, because of societal cruelties, was covered with dust and refrains.
Gao Min humphed and said: ¡°You¡¯ve grown up in the Li family and had been taught proper etiquettes ...... pah, how could you act in such a degrading manner, this really make us lose face!¡±
¡°Ha, he¡¯s only a dog.¡± Gao Jinughed out loudly, he jumped down and within a step or two reached Li Min De. He looked down at him with a face filled with disdain and defiance.
Li Min De¡¯s expression was extremely tranquil.
Gao Jin deliberately wanted to provoke his anger, he coldly said: ¡°What? Do you not agree with what I said?¡±
Gao Min couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing.
Tuoba Zhen gently smiled, this youngster was interesting.
Li Wei Yang looked from afar, her eyes carried a trace of acid, she couldn¡¯t help but think: What is Min De thinking about now? When he decided to use this attitude to confront those who bully him, humiliate him, and torment him, how could he refrain himself from all of this?
She didn¡¯t know why but she felt upset over what this young boy had to endure.
Good heavens, why did a youngster have to endure such humiliation? Why did you have to crush his prideplete? Such a bloody pain even she couldn¡¯t had endure, so how could a youngster like him.
Li Min De suddenly smiled, his pitch dark eyes looked like a puddle of dead water and now his smile made others couldn¡¯t look away. He raised his brows and he leisurely said: ¡°I, of course, agree.¡±
Gao Jin was astounded that he stood still: ¡°What did you say?¡±
Li Min De respectfully said: ¡°What Biao ge did was right, I have nothing to say.¡±
Gao Jin touched his nose and was suddenly angry, he stared at him: ¡°You better not y any tricks.¡±
Li Min De couldn¡¯t help but clenched his hand within his sleeves yet the smile on his face stayed: ¡°Biao ge, I am a person of low status, I can never bepared with you, how would I dare to y any tricks.¡±
Seeing him act like this, Gao Jin coldlyughed and then suddenly grabbed a pitch of wine from a yatou¡¯s hand and poured it straight onto Li Min De¡¯s head.
The wine drenched the youngster¡¯s hair, his eyes were also soaked with wine as he became unrestrainedly cold. Within a moment, his expression returned back to normal and Gao Jin lifted the pitcher high to smash it on Li Min De¡¯s head.
-------------------------------------------------
Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
-------------------------------------------------
Chapter 68 part2
Chapter 68: Meeting on a narrow path
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4µÃ´ç½ø³ß: literal meaning is to give an inch but take a yard; used to describe someone who is insatiable
5¸²³²Ö®ÏÂÑÉÓÐÍêÂÑ: literal meaning is describing how eggs are broken when the nest is ruined; used to describe how once a family is destroyed, how would its members survive
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The expression on everyone¡¯s face showed it was heartbreaking to watch; Li Chang Le raised the corners of her lips.
In the end, Tuoba Zhen lowered his head and continued to sip his tea. He said nothing since the inner struggles within the Li family were unrted to him.
¡°Stop!¡± Suddenly, Gao Jin¡¯s hand was held up by someone.
Gao Jin furiously shouted: ¡°Li Wei Yang, how dare you?!¡±
¡°Biao ge, what are you trying to do to San di in broad daylight?¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was smooth.
Gao Jin coldly smiled and said: ¡°How is it your business?!¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°Lao furen said to invite San di to He Xiang Yuan. What is Biao ge displeased about?¡±
Gao Jin¡¯s expression turned stiff and at one point didn¡¯t know what to say. After getting beaten upst time, he feared Li Wei Yang deep in his bones. If there weren¡¯t this many people today, he was afraid his legs would have softened.
Gao Min suddenly walked over and stared sternly at Li Wei Yang, she said: ¡°How dare you, to speak to my Er ge like that?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s rightful eyes blinked and she smilingly said: ¡°I dare ask Biao jie, what rank is your Er ge?¡±
Gao Min was stunned. Gao Jin was a profligate, what rank did he have? On the side, Li Min Feng and his sister¡¯s expression changed. Li Chang Le subconsciously touched her hair. Last time, in order to stay in the residence, she had to use extreme measures and therefore, had left behind a scar. Everytime she saw Li Wei Yang, it always reminded her where her scar came from and it made her resentful, she calmly said: ¡°Biao jie, San mei¡¯s meaning is that she is the great Anping Xianzhu, Biao ge is unqualified to speak to her.¡±
Saying this, it implied how domineering Li Wei Yang was. Fifth Prince frowned and said: ¡°Merely a second-ranked Anping Xianzhu, how dare you utter those words?!¡±
Fifth Prince¡¯s eyes kept focusing on Li Chang Le. Li Wei Yang never expected him to say something good. Listening up to here, she lightly smiled: ¡°Fifth Prince, how could you think second rank is too low? Oh, to Wei Yang, the Emperor¡¯s reward is already sufficient. Deep inside, I never yearned for first rank. No matter what rank, all are conferred by the Emperor, don¡¯t you agree with this?¡±
Tuoba Rui was displeased, ¡°Li Wei Yang, don¡¯t take a yard when given an inch.¡±
¡°Fifth Prince is saying Wei Yang is taking a yard when given an inch, I am very terrified.¡± Li Wei Yang leisurely said, a slight mockery flowed out from her pitch ck eyes.
Tuoba Rui, you probably had forgotten where the entrance to the imperial pce was with your infatuation with Li Chang Le. No matter how worthless the title of Anping Xianzhu was, it was still conferred by the Emperor. To be conferred the title of Xianzhu, as an official¡¯s daughter, she was perhaps the only one in the world. The authority of the Emperor, even the prince couldn¡¯t act arrogance towards it.
Of course, Tuoba Zhen coughed: ¡°Wu di, Anping Xianzhu is right. Her position as Xianzhu was conferred by our imperial Father. Gao Gongzi should definitely not have shouted in front of her.¡± As he spoke, his vision couldn¡¯t help but fall onto Li Wei Yang, his voice lowered: ¡°Wu di was impulsive, I hope Xianzhu wouldn¡¯t me him.¡±
¡°What are you saying?¡± Li Wei Yangughingly said, ¡°How would I dare to offend the prince?¡±
¡°Gao Gongzi was making a joke with San Gongzi just now.¡± Speaking up to here, Tuoba Zhen stopped and Gao Jin intuitively shouted: ¡°I was not joking!¡±
Tuoba Zhen gently made a humph sound.
Gao Jin shrunk his neck yet saw everyone staring at him and he felt a bit intolerable: ¡°San dianxia, this yatou ---¡°
He still didn¡¯t when to retreat! Tuoba Zhen sank his face and lightly scolded: ¡°Shut your mouth.¡±
Frightened, Gao Jin froze and Gao Min¡¯s expression became more and more envious as she looked at Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang only smilingly looked towards Li Chang Le and unsurprisingly, a trace of unconstrained enmity flowed from her eyes.
Tuoba Zhen now felt that Li Wei Yang¡¯s intelligence was above average. It was a pity that she was born from a concubine. In Prime Minister Li¡¯s heart, she could never exceed Li Chang Le. Watching the distant Li Min De, he had a degree of mockery in his eyes: ¡°San Gongzi, Gao Gongzi was simply looking after you so he gave you a peach, please don¡¯t mind.¡±
Everyone¡¯s eyes were directed towards the victim, Li Min De.
Li Wei Yang unconsciously clenched her fists. If she could, she would have battered Tuoba Zhen¡¯s handsome face.
She discovered humans could actually be this despicable.
Li Min De didn¡¯t speak a word at all. After a long while did he gradually lift his head and his eyes sink.
He said: ¡°Yes, it is my fault. It has nothing to do with Gao Jin Biao ge.¡±
His face had on a dazzling smile and he gently spoke: ¡°San jie, don¡¯t be angry.¡±
Tuoba Zhen, smiling, returned to a normal countenance: ¡°If it is such, then Xianzhu please bring him away.¡±
Responding him was a deep frowning of Li Wei Yang¡¯s brows and her eyes of justice; emotions shed across her face. It looked like sadness ......
She, Li Wei Yang, was actually feeling upset over him. Li Min De was shocked and suddenly the enmity and rage lying within his heart actually leveled out.
Li Wei Yang gently voiced: ¡°Min De, let¡¯s leave.¡±
Li Chang Le coldly watched as she suddenly blinked her eyes at Gao Min. Gao Min immediately moved forward and furtively gave Gao Jin a push.
In the next moment, Gao Jin stepped onto the lower hem of Li Min De¡¯s robe.
Li Wei Yang suddenly turned her head and witnessed this scene.
Nobilities maintained their conduct especially in front of females so they were often well-mannered yet there were always obscenely wretched people like Gao Jin whose status was not low! She finally understood why the Marquis of Bo Chang didn¡¯t like this son; he was very abominable.
What exactly he did want to do?
Li Wei Yang lowered her voice to hide her rage yet she determinedly said: ¡°What else does Biao ge wants to say?!¡± Her facial features were defined, her usual smile made her warm and peaceful but at this moment, she looked more like a tigress that had its tail stepped on. Enmity lingered between her brows as she red at Gao Jin like a serpent looking closely at its prey.
Gao Jin was fearful for a second but thinking of his beautiful Biao jie who promised to send him one of her yatous, he immediately acted boldly.
¡°I rewarded him a peach yet he didn¡¯t finish eating it!¡± Gao Jin coldly smiled.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s brows arched up highly. Her eyes were piercing like knives. Gao Jin was so terrified that he stepped back.
¡°You!¡±
¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Biao ge, why are you that afraid ......¡± Li Wei Wang spoke as she reached out and picked up the peach on the ground. She stuffed it into Gao Jin¡¯s mouth and sweetly smiled: ¡°Such a good peach, how can it be given to San di? You should save it for yourself.¡±
Gao Jin didn¡¯t expect this. He held the dirty peach in his mouth and then immediately spit it back out onto the ground. He greatly shouted: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you uneducated thing!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, her eyes meandered the pavilion: ¡°Biao ge, the Emperor has praised that I was respectful and decorous, demure and distinguished, you aren¡¯t questioning the Emperor? Oh, you dare say these words in front of the two princes, you are offending the royalty¡¯s authority right in front of their faces!¡±
Everyone¡¯splexions suddenly changed drastically.
Gao Jin was very furious yet he didn¡¯t dare strike Li Wei Yang. He rushed forward to drag Li Min De out but Li Wei Yang obstructed his attempt. He wasn¡¯t able to reach for Li Min De but his finger idently touched Li Wei Yang¡¯s hair and a hair sp slipped off. Only a plop sound was heard as the sp dropped into theke.
Gao Jinughed out loudly.
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t mind him and walked forth a few steps as she looked into theke.
Gao Jin spoke: ¡°San Biaojie, I didn¡¯t do it deliberately, oh, such a nice hair sp, what a pity. You seem really concerned, was it something gifted by your lover? It looked worthless, Biao ge will gift you a better one in the future.¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her brows.
Gao Jin smiled delightfully: ¡°What? Did you really like the jade hair sp? Then jump in to look for it. I heard you grew up in the countryside and you know how to swim. I¡¯m not surprised if you can actually find it, hahahaha ......¡±
He knew she wouldn¡¯t actually jump in and so heughed out loudly. Hisughter suddenly stopped and his countenance changed ---
Everyone couldn¡¯t even see clearly how Li Wei Yang acted and saw only her hand giving Gao Jin a huge p on his face. Gao Jin staggered and actually fell backward from the p; heid there and stared at the person in front of him with disbelief.
The people who was watching from the pavilion suddenly all stood up at once. Gao Min sharply yelled: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you are insane!¡± She ran forth afterwards to examine Gao Jin: ¡°Er ge, are you okay?¡±
Gao Jin¡¯s tooth was pped out and half his face swelled up. At this moment, he was staring in bewilderment and hadn¡¯t have the chance to react.
Li Min Feng quickly paced over and loudly said: ¡°Wei Yang, you are being too impudent! Even if you are a Xianzhu, how could you strike someone unreasonably?!¡±
Third Prince Tuoba Zhen coldly stared at Li Wei Yang as he felt that she had gone overboard. Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui directly censured her: ¡°Li Wei Yang, I will surely report this to Father and let him know your misdeeds!¡±
Li Wei Yang suddenly smiled, her smile carried a hint of cruelty: ¡°Fifth Prince, please don¡¯t forget to tell the Emperor that what he gifted me --- that eight-jaded hair sp fell into theke because of Biao ge. He dared damage an imperial gift, I wonder if the Emperor would deal with him leniently?¡±
Everyone was stunned. Li Chang Le then said: ¡°Is it really gifted by the Emperor?¡±
Li Wei Yang walked towards her a step and swayed the essories on her head as well as the jaded bangle and ring on her hand: ¡°Yes, these are all gifted to me by the Emperor.¡±
¡°Are you insane? How can you casually wear these imperial gifts and show them around?!¡± Gao Min couldn¡¯t believe her words.
Li Wei Yang twitched her mouth and said: ¡°It was personally gifted by the Emperor, of course, I would be more at ease if I had worn it! Who would have known Biao ge had the audacity to damage gifts conferred by the Emperor? This is a punishable offense that can wipe out an entire n. Oh, it seems like this time we are all incriminated by Biao ge. I don¡¯t know if the Emperor would keep our bodies intact ---¡°
Gao Jin was frightened to the point that he climbed over to the bridge and looked into theke of endless ripples as he becamepletely terrified.
Jade sp!
An imperial gift!
The wipeout of a n for damaging an imperial gift?
What to do? What to do? What to do?
Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes circled, she was about to speak when she heard Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice: ¡°Da jie, this imperial gift was conferred to me, now that something has happened, I can¡¯t escape responsibility. Execution can¡¯t be avoided. It doesn¡¯t matter to me but you have such a beautiful appearance. This time you have to be beheaded with me.¡±
Li Chang Le originally wanted to me Li Wei Yang for losing her own sp but now she couldn¡¯t say a word. Her beautiful face turned partially green and white, her teeth started trembling.
¡°Why should we?! Why should we be executed with you when you lost your thing?!¡± Gao Min¡¯s voice was keen.
Li Wei Yang sighed and said: ¡°I don¡¯t want to but damaging an imperial gift is the execution of an entire n. Don¡¯t say that I can¡¯t escape, Da jie also can¡¯t escape. Everyone has to die! Oh yes, Fifth Prince, when you report this to the Emperor, don¡¯t forget to ce all the me on me. This way, the Emperor perhaps will change Da jie¡¯s dismemberment punishment to a cup of poisonous wine?¡±
Once she finished speaking, she happily looked towards Tuoba Rui. At this point, her hair was like dark clouds, her face like icy snow, her extremely graceful figure seemed like it could be blown away yet she was able to carry an inexplicable strength.
Tuoba Rui waspletely speechless. He couldn¡¯t have thought that Li Wei Yang was such a cunning woman, especially when she didn¡¯t care about her life.
¡°In the past, Crown Prince¡¯s mentor Official Wang identally broke a jade ring gifted by the Former Emperor into pieces. The Former Emperor was furious and immediately executed him even with the pleadings from his officials. He wiped out the Wang family. Both princes, Wei Yang didn¡¯t remember wrongly, right?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled as she asked.
When Wang Yun was killed, there were other reasons but what directly detonated the fuse was indubitably the incident of breaking the ring ......
Tuoba Zhen looked at Li Wei Yang, his eyes seemed to have formed faint ripples, the winds blowing above theke moved towards his hair and robe. He usually carried a smile on his face but this time, he couldn¡¯t smile.
Li Min De watched as Li Wei Yang stood in front of him, using her power to protect him. Something dissolved within his eyes, then something would gradually condensed.
He didn¡¯t move, didn¡¯t smile, and didn¡¯t speak.
He only continued to watch.
Li Chang Le suddenly came to realize the truth. She lived in the Li family, grew up in the Li Family, and was favored by the n. Even if she married in the future, she still had to rely on her family¡¯s reputation and her father¡¯s authority. But for Li Wei Yang, it seemed like she didn¡¯t care a bit about this. Moreover, it seemed like she wanted to drag every member of the Li family to hell with her. So even when it was the severe punishment for damaging an imperial gift, she unconcernedly spoke of it.
How could the eggs remain unbroken when the nest was ruined?5 For Li Wei Yang, she didn¡¯t care from the start. She wasn¡¯t afraid of death, a person who was seeking death!
Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t help but felt dread.
¡°You ---¡° Gao Min wanted to immediately rush forth to give Li Wei Yang a p.
Li Wei Yang actually smiled as if she harbored malicious intentions. She swayed the jade jewelry on her hand: ¡°Biao jie, you should be cautious!¡±
Gao Min held back and forcefully braked in her path as her eyes reddened with rage.
Li Wei Yang did it on purpose. She deliberately kept the imperial gifts on her so whoever identally bump into her, then it would be damaging the imperial gift, which was a crime punishable by death!
Li Min Feng reacted quickly and said: ¡°San mei, don¡¯t be angry. I will send people to find the jade sp. Thiske has mud in it, so it probably wouldn¡¯t be broken. We will definitely find it and return it to you.¡±
Li Wei Yang gently smiled and said: ¡°Da ge, I want Biao ge to look for it.¡±
Such a light phrase yet Gao Jin¡¯s expressions changed. Gao Min¡¯s face was filled with rage. Her almond-shaped eyes widened: ¡°Li Wei Yang, don¡¯t go too far!¡±
Going too far? So only you could bully others, how could it be that easy?! Li Wei Yang clear, cold eyes red at Gao Jin: ¡°Biao ge, I am giving you a chance to make up for your misdeed. If you aren¡¯t willing to ---¡°
She delightfully looked towards Fifth Prince: ¡°Fifth Prince should go report this to the Emperor then.¡±
¡°You ---¡° Gao Jin¡¯s countenance turned grey white. He almost couldn¡¯t say a word when he eventually uttered: ¡°Fine, I will scoop it out.¡±
After he finished speaking, he rolled up his clothes and actually jumped into theke.
Gao Min¡¯s fists clenched tightly: ¡°Er ge, don¡¯t mind her,e up ---¡°
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled and said: ¡°Oh, does Min Biaojie want to apany him?¡±
Gao Min stayed silent, her eyes were about to eat someone as she stared at Li Wei Yang. She stomped her foot, turned her head and said: ¡°Third Prince, what are your thoughts?¡±
Tuoba Zhen shook his head furtively. Li Wei Yang was being domineering yet her words were all rational. He couldn¡¯t think of a counter argument so he shook his head.
Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes shimmered with tears: ¡°Third Prince, Biao ge is too pitiful, the weather is cold, what if ---¡°
Li Wei Yang arched her brows and coldly smiled: ¡°Da jie, hurry and send some people to help Biao ge look. Before the night settles, the jade sp might be found, or else ---¡°
She didn¡¯t say another word, her pair of pitch ck eyes fell onto Li Chang Le.
Gao Jin, who was in the water, had on a face filled with dread, he used all his effort to look for the sp in the water.
Li Wei Yang gently smiled, she told Li Min De: ¡°Let¡¯s go, Lao Furen is waiting for us.¡± She pulled Li Min De and after two steps, she turned around and shot a charming smile at them: ¡°Remember, after you find it, send the sp over.¡±
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 69 part1
Chapter 69: Demonstrate one¡¯s talent in court
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1»ÉßÌí×ã: paint a snake with legs = take unnecessary measures/steps
2Ó뻢ıƤ: asking for the skin of a tiger = acting against own interests
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Leaving the garden, Li Min De suddenly stood still: ¡°San jie, you shouldn¡¯t have risk being in danger for me, imperial gifts shouldn¡¯t be yed with.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and didn¡¯t say anything.
Bai Zhi suddenly opened her mouth to speak: ¡°That sp wasn¡¯t an imperial gift, Xiaojie was simply intimidating them.¡±
Li Min De raised the corners of his lips and smiled.
Li Wei Yang stared at him and only calmly said: ¡°Min De, in situation like this today, there is no need to have acted like this.¡±
Li Min De looked down: ¡°Never again.¡±
Li Wei Yang was confused, she was unsure whether he was answering to not being bullied again or not swallowing insults.
About to speak, she heard Bai Zhi said: ¡°Xiao jie, Third Prince came out.¡±
Turning around, she expectedly saw two maidservants leading him the way. The young man dressed in beautiful clothing and a magnificent crown slowly walked over. It was indeed Tuoba Zhen who was at the pavilion --- he was leaving now.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes narrowed, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s luxurious marten felt on his body was gifted by the Emperor. There were no more than five in the whole Da Li, it seemed like this lowly born prince had conspicuously entered into the center of power.
Seeing him walk over, Bai Zhi and other servants busily stooped and open a path yet Tuoba Zhen stopped right in front of Li Wei Yang.
¡°Xianzhu ......¡± He turned to look at Li Wei Yang and then calmly spoke: ¡°Today you yed us like monkeys.¡±
Bai Zhi and others were frightened speechless, Li Min De clenched his fists.
¡°You were very reckless.¡± Tuoba Zhen sighed.
¡°Yes, I have always been daring.¡± Li Wei Yang showed off an unexpectedly calm demeanor.
In her past life, she had always admired her husband and sympathize him for having the determination to work hard due to his humble background. In the eyes of her then, this person was her perfect spouse, someone heaven-like that she could rely on. In this lifetime, the person standing in front of her hadn¡¯t change, he was still resolute and daring and had a firm disposition. He had schemes, charms, and knowledge, he was indubitably the dragon amongst people. If she could, in this life, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t want to have any sorts of interactions with this person because she knew this man too well. He had deep schemes, he took ruthless measures, he would use every means to reach his goal, and he only knew how to control others within his palm. This type of person, no one could ever guess what he wanted and even more, if he was treating you wholeheartedly or insincerely.
The two faced each other and it seemed like for a while, a silent interaction urred.
¡°Don¡¯t know whether San Gongzi can let me pass,¡± Tuoba Zhen took back his stares and smilingly spoke.
Li Min De watched Li Wei Yang and she nodded. Li Min De¡¯s pupils contracted, he then retreated a few steps back to leave a space between them.
¡°Third Prince has other words to say?¡± Li Wei Yang arched her brows.
¡°Red plums amidst snow, what a beautiful scenery ......¡± Tuoba Zhen didn¡¯t answer as he smiled and looked afar.
¡°Third Prince surely has a leisure and carefree attitude ......¡± Li Wei Yang smiled.
Tuoba Zhen waved his hand behind him and all the maidservants stepped backwards, even Bai Zhi had to retreat away from the corridor.
¡°I simply want to say a few words and see what are you actually thinking inside your head.¡± Tuoba Zhen¡¯s slight smile carried a hint of coldness.
¡°What does this have to do with you.¡± Li Wei Yang asked.
Tuoba Zhen chuckled aloud, hisughter crisp and cold couldn¡¯t fly far from the finches foraging the snowy grounds: ¡°Today was an eye-opener for me, San Xiaojie is certainly sharp-tongued, no matter what you are able to extricate yourself. Gao Jin jumped into the chillingke today, even if it doesn¡¯t kill him, it would have split his skin ...... you have such a relentless heart, which makes one admire.¡±
This time it was Li Wei Yang¡¯s turn to smile.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was much more resplendent then the red plums: ¡°He bought it upon himself.¡±
¡°As a matter of fact, you didn¡¯t really have to do this ......¡± Tuoba Zhen stopped smiling and spoke in a normal tone.
Li Wei Yang raised her brows: ¡°Oh, I would like to hear more.¡±
¡°Observing your behavior, it seems like you didn¡¯t care about the Li family. You live a good life now, you would live an even better life in the future, but you must know, if the Li family is gone, you, Li Wei Yang, will be nothing, so next time ......¡± Tuoba Zhen said as it was ought to be.
Without being able to finish, he was cut off by Li Wei Yang.
¡°Dian xia, there is no one here, you don¡¯t have to talk about your principles.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled, ¡°Moreover, do you think I would listen to your words?¡±
¡°Li Wei Yang, to vent your own anger and gamble your own life, is it worth it£¿¡± Tuoba Zhen suddenly asked£º ¡°Although those people have tramples on your dignity, but human nature is like this, they worship the highs and step on the lows, if you have the time to resent others, why not spend your time in standing at a position where they couldn¡¯t reach you and let them look up to you eternally ......¡± Unconsciously, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s tone changed, for seconds, Li Wei Yang thought he was no longer talking about her but talking about himself.
Due to Tuoba Zhen¡¯s low birth, he had always been looked down upon by others. It wasrgely because of this that he had hidden ambitions more than others. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t hold any grudges, it was only that he used his hatred as a power to move up, one step at a time. From a ridiculed prince to an emperor above millions, it seemed like he was attempting to use this logic to sway Li Wei Yang, no, or to make Li Wei Yang to stand on his side.
¡°Wei Yang, the you now had achieved fame and position that an average person can ever attain, Father and Grand Empress Dowager both favor you, you have already achieved this, why do you still have to paint a snake with legs1?¡±
He guided her thoughts step by step as Li Wei Yang looked at him and suddenly revealed a smile.
¡°Dian xia, you suddenly have the patience towards me ......¡± She lifted her head to glimpse at him, ¡°It makes me feel overwhelming ttered. Then, from what you are saying, what should I do?¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s handsome face developed a hint of carefree expression. He thought Li Wei Yang had been swayed by him, or in other words, he was a step towards sess.
¡°If I were you, I would find a way to be on friendly terms with everyone and then take the opportunity to climb up, make the Emperor and Grand Empress Dowager to like you more, favor you, so that you can seek a better prospect. Wei Yang, if you agree, I can also ask my Father to let you be my concubine ---¡°
Concubine?
Hahahaha, he had been waiting for her here. Li Wei Yang coldly smiled, it was the same previous lifetime and this lifetime. Previous life, in order to gain Li Xiao Ran¡¯s support and military power, this man seek Li Chang Le¡¯s hand in marriage but who would have known that he married the concubine-born daughter instead. He was very displeased yet he pretended nothing had happened. He used her and her connection to the Li family to feigned bnce and sessfully acquired the Emperor¡¯s favors as he framed other princes and eventually ascended the throne. After ascending the throne, due to his previous humiliation, he banished her to the cold pce without any hesitation and made Li Chang Le his empress.
Concubine? She was not at all interested in bing a stepping stone once again. In his heart, Tuoba Zhen looked down on her status as a concubine-born daughter. The one he wanted to marry was the Li family¡¯s pearl in the palm, the beautiful Li Chang Le.
On Tuoba Zhen¡¯s handsome face appeared a trace of tenderness: ¡°From ancient times to now, men had many ways in gaining power yet women could only rely on their husbands. You should know, I am of low birth, I could even say that you and I are suffering from the same fate. I have people that I abhor but I would not abandon myself like you are doing and make enemies out of everyone. If you do believe me, I could at least be of your assistance.¡±
¡°Third Prince, have you ever been beaten.¡±
Tuoba Zhen was slightly stunned.
¡°Have you ever been hungry to the point of fighting for food with pigs in the pigsty?¡±
¡°Have you ever been ridden on like a dog that crawl because othersck things to y ......¡±
¡°Third Prince, do you know what is hatred and what is pain?¡±
Li Wei Yang suddenly sneered.
Tuoba Zhen nced at her and didn¡¯t say a word.
¡°You say you understand the feeling of hatred? What do you have to resent? You grew up with luxurious finery, you have escorts front and back, your so-called injustice stemmed from your status not being high enough so you have to endure contempt and humiliation, we are not the same type of people.¡± Li Wei Yang coldly smiled, ¡°I have already said before, we will never be the same. So these words, Third Prince, there is no need for you to say again.¡±
Impervious to reason, Tuoba Zhen chillingly smiled but said nothing.
He had already given her a chance, if it wasn¡¯t because she still had her use, he wouldn¡¯t even converse with her in this weather of winds and chills for this long. Tuoba Zhen¡¯s corners of his rosy lips curved up to form a callous grim as he said: ¡°Even so, it is up to you.¡± Speaking up to here, his face carried a hint of oddity and even added emphasis on hisst words.
After he finished, he tossed his sleeves as he strode away. Li Wei Yang looked at his silhouette and coldlyughed.
Not afar, Li Min De was watching this scene, he clenched his fist tightly. If it wasn¡¯t for him, his San jie wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this person, it was obviously asking a tiger for its skin2.
In his eyes, radiance as sharp as icicles appeared, making them like a polished de.
In this world, where he couldn¡¯t go, even if he couldn¡¯t, Wei Yang probably couldn¡¯t either, which gave him a huge stimtion.
San jie had many people by her side, although he knew that she and this person didn¡¯t have any connection or love, he sensed an uncontroble link between these two. If San jie really didn¡¯t take notice of Tuoba Zhen, why did she keep revealing slight abhorrence and enmity ......
He lowered his head, perhaps he was too selfish, San jie and him weren¡¯t blood rted. Besides the promise she made to San furen, she didn¡¯t have to protect him and care for him like that. But for him --- he actually selfish and stubbornly want to possess Li Wei Yang¡¯s concern and notice.
No one had cared for him like that, standing in front of him to protect him.
San jie¡¯s world merely had too much qualms, too much unimportant people. What did he had to do to make Li Wei Yang have only him in her heart.
Ever since the incident in the garden, Li Chang Le and others avoided Li Wei Yang whenever they saw her. It was like they were afraid that they would identally knock off hairpin on her head or the jade bangle and ring on her hand, which made the scene amusing. Li Wei Yang took note and didn¡¯t paid much attention, she knew very well that Da furen who wanted to topple her still didn¡¯t make a move yet.
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 69 part2
Chapter 69: Demonstrate one¡¯s talent in court
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3Ñ©ÉϼÓ˪:add frost to snow, to the misfortunes of a man who is already unfortunate
4ÇÙ: a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family
5óíóó: ancient plucked string instrument
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The spring festival hadn¡¯t passed for long; it was the third month of the year already.
When the spring flowers blossomed, it was the time when there were countless banquets and when many families sent out invitations. Lao furen had deliberated for a while before she finally decided to bring Li Wei Yang with her to visit others.
Lao furen usually didn¡¯t leave the residence, so an invitation that was able to move her was certainly from the imperial family. This time the invitation came from the Emperor¡¯s Princess Yongning. Speaking of this Princess Yongning, she was born from low-ranked Consort Hui. Because Consort Hui passed away from miscarriage, Princess Yongning was given to be raised by the Empress. The Empress only had the Crown Prince so she sincerely raised Princess Yongning by her side, in fact, this princess was four years older than the prince. Once she reached fifteen years of age, the Emperor ordered the ministry of rites to select a husband. But ever since the incident of the prince consort¡¯s rebellion had happened in the previous dynasty, all princesses of this dynasty who marry had to follow aw and that was any imperial prince consorts could not be officials in the court and the so-called prince consort held a position in name only. In addition to the princess being of noble birth, no one dared to offend her, thus, the true aristocratic family who had sons who were skilled in both literary studies and military arts, none wanted to be inws with the imperial family.But whoever the Emperor decided to choose, that person must be the future prince consort, with no other choice.
When it was Princess Yongning¡¯s turn, the pce spread the news. Every noble family immediately found ways to ensure that their sons who are of marriageable age had wed a wife, especially Duke Ying of the Zhou family. All of his four sons at once became engaged, which made the Emperor furious since he initially wanted to select a son from the Zhou family. The Empress personally summoned Duke Ying¡¯s wife into the pce and forced her to select a son skilled in literary studies and military arts for the marriage. Duke Ying¡¯s family didn¡¯t dare defy yet they truly didn¡¯t want to send one of their four talented sons. So theyplied but covertly oppose by rmending Zhou Ming Chang, who was the eldest son of the second household in Duke Ying¡¯s family. The Emperor summoned Zhou Ming Chang and seeing that he was a strikingly talented man, he expressed satisfaction and sent his most trusted head of eunuch to investigate Zhou Gongzi. This head of eunuch was a greedy person; after being bribed off, he naturally sang praises to the Emperor about Zhou.
Princess Yongning was morously sent off to marry, it was originally a joyful matter but Zhou Ming Chang wasn¡¯t as great as he seemed to be. He was narrow-minded since he was young and he also suffered from tuberculosis. Because he became the prince consort and he had no hope on a career, he was depressed from the start; he was also mocked by his cousins, who added frost to snow3. At the wedding, the agitated and overly tired Zhou Ming Chang vomited blood in front of the crowd. Not long after the wedding, Princess Yongning discovered the truth and became extremely angry. Zhou Ming Chang felt guilty and had been bed-ridden ever since. Not even six months, he passed away. Having reached this point, the truth could no longer be concealed. The Emperor banished the entire Duke Ying¡¯s family, executed the corrupted head of eunuch, and also renovated the princess¡¯ residence in the pce so that Princess Yongning could reside in it.
The noble princess, who was of royal blood, though didn¡¯t have to keep vigil but she still had married so she could only spend her life in the princess residence of Fu Li Tang. After a while, she would definitely feel bored and frequently held banquets and invited nobilities in the capital to lessen the loneliness.
In the carriage, Lao furen narrated this old story. On the surface, it seemed like Li Wei Yang was listening attentively, in actuality, her mind had already flew afar.
Others knew that everything wasn¡¯t as it seemed. The imperial family would nevermit such foolish behavior. Back then, Duke Ying was a contributor to the founding of the country. Moreover, his four sons held important positions in the court, and one even held authority to an army of twenty-thousand, so he gradually became arrogant and wasn¡¯t as respectful and loyal to the Emperor anymore. The Emperor wanted to get rid of the Zhou family but after waiting for two years, he couldn¡¯t find a good enough reason, so what reason was justifiable than deceiving the emperor? Princess Yongning was perhaps a pawn for the imperial family. Due to this marriage, she ruined her life yet she made great contribution to the imperial family.
¡°Princess Yongning is very pitiful, how could she marry such a man.¡± Lao furen shook her head and let out a sigh.
Li Wei Yang smiled and didn¡¯t say a word. She knew that actually Princess Yongning and her former prince consort were very in love. Even though the prince consort wasn¡¯t well but he was poetic and romantic and skilled in the various arts. Moreover, with his tender and gentle personality, he and the princess were an inseparable couple. The so-called narrow-mindedness and envy were all unreal. After the prince consort had passed away, Li Wei Yang heard from the Empress¡¯ slip of tongue that in actuality it wasn¡¯t tuberculosis......
¡°Yes, the princess is very pitiful.¡± Li Wei Yang nodded as a form of response to Lao furen.
¡°Mainly because of this, the Emperor treats the princess like this. Two days ago, five thousand acre of the bureau of agriculture was used to build the princess a residence. Once we arriveter, you have to speak with the princess and let her like you in order to be a frequent guest so you can be epted by others.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded but she was actually thinking of something else.
¡°Lao furen, this time the invitation ---¡°
Lao furen slowly smiled: ¡°Your Da jie is currently reflecting on her faults and so I couldn¡¯t bring her.¡±
Li Wei Yang also smiled, her beautiful eyes carried a light trace of sarcasm. Li Chang Le, because of the Disaster-Relief Five-Steps Policy, was suffering from countless censures. Now the thing she had to do the most was to appear in an appropriate asion and wash away the bad impression of her in front of them. Today was the princess¡¯ banquet, everyone who came were nobility and officials, how would Da furen let this precious opportunity go.
The mother-daughter was not willing to let others obstruct them, so Lao furen had possibly miscalcted.
Li Min De silently stared at them and didn¡¯t say a word. Today, Lao furen originally didn¡¯t want to bring him but his San jie said that after San furen passed away, he had been depressing and unhappy. She asked Lao furen to bring him out to rx but he knew very well that the truth was San jie was worried to leave him alone in the Li family.
Surely he wasn¡¯t weak to the point of needing San jie to protect him like this? Li Min De drooped his longshes, his expressionplicated. Perhaps, he should let San jie know, he wasn¡¯t as weak as she thought of him, when he put up with the humiliation, it was because he didn¡¯t want to show too much of his ability.
The Princess¡¯ residence was situated south the capital and stretched across acres. As the horse carriage entered, Li Wei Yang opened the curtain and saw the path was densely wooded and luxuriant with flowers; the multi-story pavilions were uneven and set each other off, the princess¡¯ residence seemed amodated the entire spring.
In front of the first door, the horse carriage finally stopped. Li Wei Yang helped Lao furen off the carriage and then immediately spotted Da furen¡¯s carriage. And Li Chang Le who was supposed to stay home and reflect, was actually gorgeously dressed and stood by Da furen as she made small talks with the other nobledies.
Lao furen¡¯s smile momentarily froze on her face.
She actually came! Li Wei Yang¡¯s clenched her fist in her sleeve and tried really hard to prevent her emotions from revealing. She gently tugged on Lao furen¡¯s arm, which made Lao furen finally react and then darkened her face: ¡°Isn¡¯t Chang Le still sick, how could shee out.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Looking at Da jie¡¯s behavior, she must have gotten permission from Father.¡±
Lao furen¡¯splexion worsened, Li Xiao Ran usually acted meticulously and cleverly yet only towards this daughter, he overly doted, men and women avoiding one another wasn¡¯t a huge topic, especially in these types of situation, this was a matchmaking banquet, it seemed like this matter --- he still hadn¡¯t give up on the idea.
Li Chang Le noticed something and lifted her eyes to look over and right at this moment, she and Li Wei Yang looked at each other.
The dim sunlight shone onto Li Wei Yang, she was dressed in in and white clothes as usual, her brows curled, she released nd coldness as she held up her arm. Whenever she saw her, she always had on this carefree expression yet she was ingenious and scheming, Li Chang Le unwillingly clenched her fists and her face revealed a delighted smile: ¡°San mei.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Da jie.¡±
Lao furen coldly coughed and said: ¡°Really shameless.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s facial countenance changed, her smile was like a mask, from her forehead revealed a crevice and in the end it crashed open.
She couldn¡¯t believe that after the voodoo incident, Lao furen loathed her to this point.
Lao furen looked at her abruptly changing expression, she coldly smiled yet didn¡¯t say much. She waved her hand to signal Da furen and everyone to follow behind her. Since they came, she can¡¯t tell them to leave in front of everyone, it was just that she didn¡¯t feel at ease in her heart.
Da furen calmly sighed, she knew even though Lao furen really didn¡¯t like Chang Le, but they are all part of the Li family in the end. In front of others, Lao furen won¡¯t make them look bad. She gently smiled at Li Chang Le and said: ¡°Let¡¯s enter.¡±
Li Chang Le became delighted and swiftly followed by Da furen¡¯s side. Of course, along the way, she still attracted countless stares. Li Chang Le¡¯s name had already spread throughout the pce and among the people. Countless people had seen her before but each time they saw her, they would still react to her stunning beauty. Now that she was just leisurely standing there, she lit up the entire garden. It was just that the people also noticed the Prime Minister¡¯s San Xiaojie, she, as a concubine-born daughter was actually conferred the title of Anping Xianzhu, it was a matter that was sufficient to amazed the people. Now that Lao furen also bought her along to this banquet, this meant that it was obvious that they thought highly of her.
Wei Guo furen and Gao Min had already arrived earlier; seeing Da furen, they hurriedly went over to greet them but they paid no attention to Li Wei Yang. Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t care, her gaze looked towards the entire banquet. This time the banquet was located in the open-air garden, the fresh flowers in the garden were each captivating and vibrant as if they had on blush and took advantage of the spring winds. In the middle of the gardenid a huge carpet and on top was embroidered hibiscus vines and marks of glorious clouds. Besides the table for the host in the north, things were ced in each table as they were obviously left for the guests. Looking on the west side, the tables were fully seated with noble furens and xiaojies; on the east side, Third Prince Tuoba Zhen, Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui, Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu, and Eighth Prince Tuoba Cong who just turned eleven were seated in order.
Tuoba Zhen was sitting on the east side in the first guest seat; he was wearing a green jinxiu robe, his smile handsome, attracting others¡¯ notice. As for Tuoba Yu, he sat on the east side in the third guest seat; he had on a high jaded crown and was wearing a silver-threaded white robe that emitted luster like jade, which made his entire person extremely dazzling. The two didn¡¯t sit far from each other andughingly conversed a few words. They seemed like brothers among themoners, they smiled and sat together as they drank and chatted, Li Wei Yang thought she was dreaming.
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s gaze suddenly looked over and saw the splendid Li Chang Le. Then, his eyes unconsciously fell onto Li Wei Yang who was dressed in dim colors with a blue skirt.
The Prime Minister¡¯s San furen had just passed away. Even though she was an aunt, to show respect, Li Chang Le shouldn¡¯t have dressed up in such bright colors. Inparison, Li Wei Yang was much more intelligent and prudent. The truth was Tuoba Zhen was very disappointed with Li Chang Le now. She always tried to show off and wasn¡¯t clever enough, moreover, she couldn¡¯t endure humiliation, this type of woman, was she even worth staying by his side? How much help would she be to him?
Once Fifth Prince who was by his side saw Li Chang Le, his eyes could no longer be moved elsewhere. He originally nned on finding the right time to tell his imperial mother his desire and then let his imperial father bestowed Li Chang Le to him. But his imperial mother instead told him that his father was recently infuriated by Li Chang Le, this wasn¡¯t the right time and thus, he had topel himself to hold back.
Tuoba Yu noticed Li Wei Yang, originally in his eyes, she was a clever yatou but now she was also cunning like a fox. This time, her makeup was neat, her face had on a smile, which made her hair looked more like ink, herplexion more like jade. She was unlike otherdies of an eminent family, he almost suspect that the countryside girl he saw and her weren¡¯t the same person.
Li Wei Yang stood by Lao furen¡¯s side, hershes drooping down, creating a shadow on her face. Her smilepared to the high key Li Chang Le, she seemed much more gentle and easier to approach.
¡°San jie, I will go to the seats for male guests.¡± Li Min De glimpsed from afar and saw that his cousin Li Min Feng had arrived earlier and was having small talks with others. Although he was extremely detestable, he knew he had to sit with him.
Li Wei Yang smiled at him and said: ¡°Go.¡±
To not allow Min De to stay in the Li family alone wasn¡¯t simply to protect him but also to prevent his mind from wandering.
Pondering up until here, she only heard a maidservant said faraway: ¡°Herees Princess Yongning ---¡°
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, turned her head to look and only saw the head of a woman served by a group of maidservants slowly approaching from the long corridor. Shebed a very tall hairstyle with a crossed rainbow hairpin, her facial countenance elegant and emitting authority, it was Princess Yongning. However, Li Wei Yang gently sighed at the bottom of her heart. Princess Yongning was only twenty years old yet she looked very haggard. Her face should had been rosy and red but underyers of rouge, it looked a bit grey white with skin that was loose and signs of tiredness at the corners of her eyes. Of course, the worst was her pair of eyes. Dark and deep, like they were two holes carved in wood, if it wasn¡¯t for her pupils that moved around a few times, she wouldn¡¯t had looked alive. Although she had lots of essories and jade on her head, it wasn¡¯t able to veil her declining aura, giving off a feeling that she had no life in her.
The princess was exactly the same as the impression Li Wei Yang had of her.
Princess Yongning was escorted by a tall, beautiful female official into her seat. The princes in their seats all rose to greet, this imperial sister, had always been their imperial father and mother¡¯s beloved pearl, to her, they were especially loving, none of them dared to slight her.
Li Wei Yang watched as the princess gently smiled and nodded towards everyone; she felt sympathetic towards her. This banquet, she didn¡¯t want to organize this in the start but it was the Emperor and Empress¡¯ idea. They¡¯ve used their daughter so they had extreme guilt in their heart and wanted to give her enough honor through another method. Every three months, a banquet was organized to let others know of their kindness and respect towards Princess Yongning. But because of this, it had stabbed Yongning in the heart once again.
The banquet was held as usual.
In the middle of the feast, Princess Yongning said: ¡°Today¡¯s banquet, I thank everyone foring, Imperial Father had gifted me a musician who is highly skilled in qin4, I asked her to y a score for everyone.
At this moment, everyone noticed a youngdy dressed in pink and with a snowy whiteplexion, slowly approached forth. She bowed with respects in front of all officials and nobles and then began to y her qin. The sound from her qin was very melodic, like a hovering dragon, gradually flowing and coiling out, it was as if it turned into lingering musical notes, dancing in circles and then plunged into everyone¡¯s bodies, making everyone change their countenance.
After the music ended for a long while, everyone had finally awaken from a dreamlike state; they recollected and thought that it was like they just had a dream.
¡°Imperial sister, this musician definitely has superb qin skills!¡± Tuoba Zhen apuded as he praised.
Princess Yongning smiled yet her smile carried a trace of indifference.
The na?ve Eighth Prince Tuoba Zhen was born with a face carved from jade, making him very adorable: ¡°Huang Jie, allow her to y another song!¡±
Princess Yongning nodded, the musician ced her fingers to the side of the qin and soon beautiful sound flowed out from the qin. This time the qin sounds were extremely melodic, gentle, and changing, making everyone unable to withhold, as they hovered in midair and hung onto each person¡¯s ears, allowing them to touch their hearts.
Li Wei Yang noticed that from the start, Princess Yongning¡¯s face didn¡¯t have an expression, moreover, there were no traces of ease or joy in her expression.
After the song ended, the crowded apuded.
Tuoba Rui curled his lips and said: ¡°Today¡¯s sunlight is just right, the Xiaojies who are here are all skilled in musical instruments, why don¡¯t we ask them to y a song or two for everyone?¡±
Princess Yongnng¡¯s expression was dull: ¡°Really, I don¡¯t know if the Xiaojies agree with this?¡±
All the seated noble qianjins nced at each other and thought that this was a great opportunity. If a daughter from an eminent family show herself too much, it was certainly not good, but in this type of scene --- a matchmaking banquet, let¡¯s not only mention sons of eminent families, even the seated princes, if they were to capture their attention, then they would be able rise in status, even more, this rare opportunity, if they missed it, then they wouldn¡¯t have another chance!
Only Li Wei Yang showed a disinterested smile as she looked at the Tuoba Rui whose smile revealed a hint of malice. He knew Li Chang Le was skilled in literature and poetry and would definitely show extraordinary talents and reverse her reputation in front of the princess. As for herself who grew up in the countryside,pared to the other xiaojies, her talent was definitely inferior and couldn¡¯t be shown to others or else she would beughed at. It must be known that these qianjin xiaojies¡¯ skills had been learned for years. She, herself, had only been in the capital for a few months, how could she leap above them?
These words --- were not wrong at all. Whether it was previous life or this life, Li Wei Yang was never skilled in this area. Perhaps it was because of this, she was rejected by Tuoba Zhen, she lowered her head and gently smiled.
Seeing this scene, Tuoba Yu¡¯s lips curled into a curious smile. He was aware that this time Tuoba Rui obviously wanted this newly appointed Xianzhu look bad; he didn¡¯t know how this young woman will handle this.
Not far away, Li Min De watched and he furrowed his brows tightly.
These people, obviously no one provoked them yet they continuously seek trouble.
Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui looked at Li Chang Le and gave her smile to please her. Li Chang Le reciprocated with an appreciative slight smile and Tuoba Rui immediately felt that his brilliance was iparable to others.
Li Chang Le was, of course, delighted, or even excited. Today, her mother wanted to let her shine at the banquet, how could she let this opportunity slip! As for Li Wei Yang, today she would definitely be theughingstock, as a Xianzhu, she actually couldn¡¯t perform a decent talent, she would make a fool out of herself! Thinking about this, her smiled became morecent.
Wei Guo furen¡¯s daughter Gao Min yed a song with a bamboo flute, the minister of the ministry of rites¡¯ daughter Wang Xiaojie¡¯s beautiful flute music attracted butterflies, the official of the ministry of affairs¡¯ daughter Li Xiaojie¡¯s long-sleeved dance attracted others¡¯ fixed gazes, Admiral Zhou¡¯s granddaughter¡¯s sword dance was valiant; performances followed one after another, everyone had their own talents and equally shone. These Xiaojies usually wouldn¡¯t have easily reveal themselves in public, this kind of opportunity was definitely rare, everyone excitedly pped.
Fifth Prince¡¯ gaze fell on the gorgeous Li Chang Le: ¡°It is Prime Minister¡¯s Da Xiaojie¡¯s turn, please.¡±
Li Chang Le actually unconsciously gave Tuoba Zhen a glimpse and discovered that he was gently looking at her; her heart suddenly jumped and she couldn¡¯t help but smile. She stood up and said: ¡°Please do notugh at Xiao Nv¡¯s performance.¡±
Everyone couldn¡¯t refrain from being curious, all eighteen types of instruments had been performed, they wondered what this beautiful Li Chang Le had that made her special.
Li Chang Le pped her hands, a maidservant from the side carried out an item covered with a red silk cloth.
Surprise revealed on everyone¡¯s face, what was this? Why was it covered by a red cloth?
Da furen¡¯s face exposed a slight smile, themon things that the Xiaojies used to perform, how could Chang Le use them!
Li Wei Yang watched and suddenly lowered her head to hide her smile of malice. Dajie, this time, you brought upon your own destruction.
Li Chang Le lightly stepped forward, her slim fingers lifted the red silk and revealed what was originally covered.
Everyone was stunned and saw something that was simr to a harp yet different instrument revealed in front of their eyes. This qin was made with walnut wood sheet and the case itself had butterflies embroidered on it. It had 13 strings evenly spread out and on the it, a phoenix was carved; looking at it, it seemed sophisticated and magnificent.
¡°Is that a konghou5?¡± Gao Min astonishingly raised his brows.
Li Chang Le smiled and said: ¡°No, this is a crested harp, it was passed here from the faraway Western Regions.¡±
Everyone was shocked except for Princess Yongning whoseplexion was turning white. The female official by her side looked at Li Chang Le as if she wanted to speak to warn her of something yet Li Chang Le was immersed in her delight of the anticipated limelight so she didn¡¯t notice.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile, Li Min De saw clearly, his gaze drifted to the instrument and then he suddenly brightened up.
Li Chang Le sat down, her left hand holding it, her right hand yed a string. The instrument immediately released a deep, low sound like ringing from a guqin. Soon after, her five fingers sprang up and continued to y the strings. The sound was like high mountains and flowing water, her white fingers slowly quickened its speed. The crisp and clear sound was like the guzheng was singing and at times released sound of water from the qin.
Everyone thought that the crested harp¡¯s sounds were emitted from like transparent water, even the water was gently shaking, clear and bright, floating and fleeting.
Fifth Prince sighed: ¡°This instrument is very rare,pared to the guzheng, it is more clear and ethereal, a sound like the night water of the lotus pond and the cold and snowy mountains!¡± As he continued to listen, he became enchanted, his expression was much more energetic, his brows thoughtlessly moved, his eyes were also shimmering, he held out his hands as he soundlessly pped and then suddenly took out a jaded flute and then yed along with the crested harp.
Li Wei Yang held up a cup of tea and slowly took a sip. She saw Tuoba Yu who was sitting on the opposite side looking over with a curious gaze and gave him a slight smile.
Tuoba Zhen listened to Li Chang Le¡¯s song earnestly, he only thought that the sound from the two types of instruments blended together had reached perfection, the two sounds mildly entangled and relying on each other, bing one and turned into a graceful dancing fairy, dancing in each person¡¯s mind. Li Chang Le gently sang.
Her voice was moving and the song she sang was a trending song, a beautiful woman with a beautiful song yed with a beautiful instrument, this scene was definitely stunning.
Da furencently watched this scene, she knew, from this day on, Li Chang Le would be wiping away her bad reputation and once again gaining everyone¡¯s praises. As for Li Wei Yang, she would certainly be ashamed of herck of talent and have no ce to hide her face.
After, Tuoba Yu who was on the side was greatly curious, he didn¡¯t know why Li Wei Yang would reveal such an odd smile. He had a premonition that Li Chang Le who was currently enjoying the limelight would perhaps be out of luck!
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 70 part1
Chapter 70: Enjoying the limelight
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1ÕзäÒýµû : means to attract bees and butterflies, to flirt with men
»Ê½ã: a way to address an older sister for children of the emperor
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At the end of the song, everyone was still enchanted, it was as if the beautiful music was still lingering next to their ears. Li Chang Le smiled and stood up to give a bow to everyone. Everyone finally reacted and all stood up to praise her and looked at her with admiration and worship.
Li Chang Le smilingly said: ¡°I still have to thank Fifth Prince for ying along with his flute.¡±
Tuoba Rui watched Li Chang Le, his facial expression carried a trace of enchantment: ¡°I was only doing my humble best.¡±
¡°Both don¡¯t have to be modest, this kind of music, only the heavens has it, it¡¯s rare to hear it in the human world! Today we all seen an eye-opening scene.¡±
¡°Yes, yes, the music from the crested harp is pleasing to listen, and Li Xiaojie¡¯s voice is amazing, very beautiful!¡±
Everyone spoke at once, there were even young gongzis that wanted to chant poetry to praise Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty. Li Chang Le smiled as she looked towards Li Wei Yang, her eyes were filled withcence. Every family¡¯s qianjins was skilled in ordinary arts so there were nothing fancy with those. For the past six months, she spent her time learning from their in-residence artisan Lin Gu how to y the crested harp. To learn the instrument, shecked sleep and food in order to stun everyone in a situation like this.
The second Li Wei Yang and Li Chang Le nced at each other, Li Wei Yang¡¯s mouth turned into an adorable smile.
Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t spot the exasperation and shamefulness, she unconsciously frowned and was about to speak when Princess Yongning¡¯s cold voice like freezing knives spoke: ¡°I was wondering who it is, it is the Prime Minister¡¯s daughter who the emperor forgave, shouldn¡¯t a daughter of sin be reflecting at home, but you showing yourself in public, how shameful!¡±
After those words were spoken, everyone¡¯s expression changed. Although Princess Yongning went through the pain of losing her husband but her personality had always been harmonious and no one had ever heard her speak in such a harsh tone.
Princess Yongning made a humph sound: ¡°Li family¡¯s Da Xiaojie is that skillful in ying songs, must have spent a long time practicing it. Spending all your time in this area instead of spending it learning etiquettes, no wonder you came up with an idea that caused chaos for the country and for the people.¡±
Everyone was frightened speechless; it was as if Li Chang Le had just been dumped cold water on and her face suddenly turned green.
Fifth Prince, seeing the beauty was being berated, he helped and said: ¡°Li Xiaojie is merely ady of an eminent family, to be able to think of a n for the people is already rare, Imperial Father had promised to pardon her.¡±
Princess Yongning coldlyughed: ¡°Imperial Father had always been generous and forgave her but it doesn¡¯t mean she is really innocent, Li Xiaojie, at such a young age, she doesn¡¯t understand the rules, that is fine, but how could Li furen not teach her decorum and propriety.¡±
Li Xiao Ran as the Prime Minister and Da furen were both shining no matter where they went. She had never endure this kind of humiliation, she stood speechless and almost couldn¡¯t speak a word.
Tuoba Rui was displeased: ¡°Huang Jie, it was only singing and ying music, how could it be rted to propriety!¡±
Princess Yongning¡¯s eyes showed a trace of rage: ¡°What eternal yearning, couldn¡¯t forget! These obscene lyrics, how could a Prime Minister¡¯s qianjin dare sing this! You are obviously attracting bees and butterflies1, what a disgrace!¡±
Li Chang Le busily said: ¡°Princess, this song was used to describe the atmosphere, other xiaojies just now also sang songs that were simr......¡±
Yongning¡¯s expression was bing more and more cold: ¡°You dare debate with me!¡±
Li Chang Le feel really wronged, Yan Xiaojie who also sang a song was also frightened, she clearly sang a song not simr, although this dynasty encouraged decorum between men and women but in this type of situation, it was difficult to avoid. Back then, Princess Yongning¡¯s fourth sister Princess Rouxin actually wrote a pair of couplets for her future prince consort to express her love. If ording to the princess¡¯ statement, wouldn¡¯t that be obscene? Yan Xiaojie stealthily glimpsed at the princess and discovered that her rage was directed towards Li Chang Le and couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised.
Li Chang Le wrongfully said: ¡°Don¡¯t dare.¡±
Da furen busily spoke: ¡°Chang Le didn¡¯t mean to offend the princess, hope the princess will pardon her!¡±
Tuoba Yu sighed, Li Chang Le was very careless. His mother Concubine Zhangde had once mentioned to him that Princess Yongning and the prince consort were very in love; the two listened to a musician y on a crested harp from the Western Regions and fell in love so they summoned the musician to teach them. But after the prince consort died, the princess was upset at the sight of the harp so she smashed it into pieces and didn¡¯t want to see this type of instrument ever again. It was just that this was a secret within the pce so only two to three people knew of this and no one dared to spread it. Who would had known that Li Chang Le actually yed this instrument, which was like stabbing knives into the princess¡¯ heart?
Tuoba Yu¡¯s eyes circled around Li Chang Le¡¯s face and he suddenly smiled. This beautiful woman didn¡¯t know the inside story but --- he looked towards Li Wei Yang and felt that she definitely knew something or, all of this was nned by her.
Lao furen saw the princess¡¯ countenance changing. Even though she thought the princess¡¯ words went too far but she didn¡¯t intend to speak for Li Chang Le --- she stood up and said: ¡°Did you not hear the princess¡¯ words! Leave!¡±
Li Chang Le was angry to the point of bing crazy, she didn¡¯t know what she did wrong that made the princess this furious, it was still fine a moment ago --- Da furen watching this, secretlyined, and busily approached to pull her in.
Princess Yongning¡¯s cold eyes fell onto Li Chang Le and followed her like a shadow.
Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui wanted to help speak for Li Chang Le but seeing that his Huang Jie had fury in her expression and that he shouldn¡¯t make the situation even worse, he lowered his head.
Li Min Feng anxiously watched and was on the urge of running out to defend his sister but in the end, he didn¡¯t had the audacity.
Li Min De wanted to smile yet he only curled his lips into a shallow smile. He was the person that clearly knew about this. San jie deliberately gave the artisan a hundred pieces of gold to expose himself in front of Li Chang Le. San jie calcted that Li Chang Le would definitely ask to learn the skill so that she could shine in front of the public. Since Princess Yongning held many banquets, this fire would eventually burn on Li Chang Le¡¯s body. But --- how did San jie know the princess¡¯ secret?
After this incident, no one dared to praise Li Chang Le. First, she pissed off the emperor and now she infuriated the princess, this beautiful woman¡¯s future was over. Who would dare marry a woman that offended the imperial family? Although she had a solid background and an exceptional appearance but if they married her and when the emperor thought of her wrongs, the person who married her would also be doomed.
Da furen almost crumbled the teacup in her hands, thinking over this, she still couldn¡¯t pinpoint what was wrong, everything was perfect --- how did it turn into this!
Li Chang Le drastically turned around and stared at Li Wei Yang like a venomous snake. She felt that this incident had something to do with Li Wei Yang, must be! But what connection, she, herself didn¡¯t know!
Li Wei Yang leisurely smiled, she couldn¡¯t me Da furen and her daughter¡¯s resentment. Princess Yongning¡¯s couple pleasure, how could be told to an outsider? Not only these outsiders but even the Emperor didn¡¯t know about this. And for her to know of this, she had to thank Tuoba Zhen. He racked his brains to inquire about each person¡¯s secrets for his own use, and thanked to him, Li Wei Yang knew everything that she wasn¡¯t allow to know.
Tuoba Zhen saw this scene and couldn¡¯t help but shook his head, this Li Chang Le was on a track of bad luck. She actually chose the crested harp, this was Huang Jie¡¯s injury, she actually dared use it, really didn¡¯t want her life! Of course, at that moment, he didn¡¯t link this incident with Li Wei Yang.
The whole scene froze, after Princess Yongning was done being angry, seeing the scene, she frowned.
Tuoba Rui grinned and said: ¡°Huang Jie, there is one more Xiaojie that hasn¡¯t performed yet.¡± He had already decided, since Da Xiaojie was scolded, then why not pull Li Wei Yang into the waters too!
Da furen coldly looked at Li Wei Yang: ¡°Yes, Wei Yang should also perform for everyone.¡±
Just now, the princess was infuriated, who dared go up! Everyone used an expression of delight in light of one¡¯s misfortune to look at Li Wei Yang.
Lao furen frowned, even though Wei Yang was clever, but with after what the others performed, what else could she put forth? Moreover, the princess was upset, if --- she began to speak: ¡°Princess, Wei Yang grew up in the countryside, she is not skilled in literature and arts, it would only dirty your eyes.¡±
Princess Yongning had just scolded the Li family¡¯s Da Xiaojie, she felt apologetic towards Lao furen since in the end, Lao furen was noble and respectful. The words she just spoke didn¡¯t really consider Lao furen¡¯s reputation, she said: ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, no one will me her, let her perform in front of everybody.¡±
Yongning had thought it over, although she heard Li Wei Yang grew up in the countryside, they had a momo there that taught etiquettes, even ordinary qianjin still had to learn something, how could they not learn anything, however, she didn¡¯t think about Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t even fill her stomach, how could you even learn literature and arts?
Li Wei Yang blinked and then stood up: ¡°Wei Yang obey.¡±
Being skilled in literature and arts had to be nurtured at a young age. Every qianjin that was seated here, not one, was not an expert in this area. Because of this shoring, the Li Wei Yang in the previous life was mocked by countless people. It was only that it was toote for her, to learn these skills would had been too difficult for her to perfect. So she chose to learn dancing; within the three years that she was married to Tuoba Zhen, she actually learned many dance moves to make him happy. Of course ---pared to qianjins that learned how to dance at a young age, she was still not as good. Even if she put in more efforts, it was impossible to make up for those years she lost.
So, she couldn¡¯t take an ordinary path, she must be creative, Li Wei Yang smiled.
Princess Yongning looked at Li Wei Yang and only thought that this girl was different from the other girls. She was like the water in the well under the moon, clear yet deep. Her eyes had something cold in them that made others unable to understand her.
¡°I have to borrow two things from you, hope the princess will allow.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was very gentle and proper, giving off a normal vibe.
Princess Yongning nodded and said: ¡°Go ahead.¡±
Listening to the princess¡¯ order, the female official followed Li Wei Yang to prepare. Passing by the corridor until everyone couldn¡¯t see anything, Li Wei Yang lightly smiled and said: ¡°I ask that gugu would help me prepare these things.¡±
Hearing her words, the female official revealed an uncertain expression but she immediately ordered people to prepare them.
At the banquet
Gao Min coldlyughed: ¡°Humph, deliberately making things mysterious, it¡¯s simply a dance, what kind of tricks can she y.¡±
Li Chang Le had on a livid face, she wanted to tore Li Wei Yang into pieces, she couldn¡¯t wait to see her humiliate herself.
Tuoba Zhen raised his wine cup, he said: ¡°Seventh brother, cheers.¡±
Tuoba Yu lightly smiled: ¡°Thank you.¡±
Fifth Prince who was sitting on the side was looking at Li Chang Le whose countenance was pale, even when Eighth Prince was speaking to him, he couldn¡¯t hear anything. The mischievous Eighth Prince seeing that his brother didn¡¯t pay attention to him, he became restless and wanted to jump up to find others to y with. His eyes suddenly saw Li Min De, a young boy simr to his age and he hurriedly rush over to speak with him. However, whatever he said, Li Min De showed a respectful expression, which made him enraged.
After a while, seeing Li Min De¡¯s beautiful appearance, Eighth Prince stared at him and couldn¡¯t help but said: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are a young girl.¡±
Li Min De calmly looked down: ¡°Eighth Prince, Min De is a man.¡±
Eighth Prince raised his face, his face filled with suspicions.
At this moment in front of the crowd, servants carried in a four-sided screen with white paper, Wei Guo furenughed: ¡°What kind of trick is she ying, isn¡¯t she going to dance? She wants to draw in front of the crowd?¡±
In Princess Yongning¡¯s eyes, curiosity shed across.
Everyone was in discussion.
It was as if Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t hear anything, she changed into the white dancing clothes that the princess prepared for her and walked into the screen. Because the screen was very big, everyone could only see her slender shadow but couldn¡¯t see her face, making them very curious.
The entire garden was quiet, quiet to the point that it seemed like there was not one person there.
With the start of the music, she flung her sleeves and started moving, following the music. Her body turned, her sleeves flew up, the hairpin on her head swung back and forth.The flower moved as the wind blew, following her movements as she continued to dance. The crowd was unable to see her face and was only able to see her slender shadow like rosy clouds that were broken apart that fell onto the grounds.
Everyone was surprised since they had never seen this type of dance. They actually thought the dances that they had seen clearly were average but watching just the beautiful shadow from the screen, they found it very fascinating.
The princess smiled: ¡°What a clever child.¡±
Li Chang Le lightly chuckled, humph, Li Wei Yang really had tricks, she knew her dance moves were average and even used shadow dance as a way to perform, using novelty to wash away her ordinary dance skills.
Right at this moment, Eighth Prince suddenly jumped up and widened his eyes and said: ¡°Look!¡±
Everyone watched with curiosity and realized the white screen had a mark on it. Then, three blooming flowers appeared, following the music. What made the people surprised was following Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand movements, the flowers drawn looked like they had just awoken from a slumber.
She danced like the clouds in the sky, like fog turning into teardrops.
She danced like birds flying from a huge forest,like escaping from imprisonment.
Eighth Prince slowly stood up, his small face was filled with excitement, he crazily apuded: ¡°Good, good! This is really good! Aiya, it¡¯s better than those who performed earlier!¡±
Everyone was shocked, they couldn¡¯t describe this performance. It wasn¡¯t unrivaled and her drawing skills weren¡¯t exquisite but it wasbining the two together that made it enchanting. Each dance movement coordinated with the blossoming of a flower, each rhythm matched with the drawing perfectly, flowers bloomed and danced, Li Wei Yang, what an ingenious thought!
Princess Yongning was fixed her eyes on her, even though she smiled in the end, she lightly nodded and said: ¡°This child, is very smart.¡±
After the music ended, the four-sided screen had blossomed fresh flowers drawn on it to recreate the current scene of fresh flowers. Li Wei Yang lightly breathed out and slowly walked out from the screen. Everyone, at this time, finally noticed that her sleeves were soaked with ink but she acted as if it wasn¡¯t so andughingly bowed in front of the princess.
Princess Yongning lightly smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re able to have this thought, no wonder Imperial Father likes you. What kind of dance is this?¡±
Li Wei Yang righteous eyes blinked and smiled: ¡°Reporting to the princess, this is ink water dance.¡±
Ink water dance, Princess Yongning nodded: ¡°Very appropriate.¡± Saying this, she waved her hand to signal the female official to carry the tray over. Li Wei Yang took ahold of it and it was a tray of jewelry and purses. Li Wei Yang thanked her with a face of smiles and returned to her seat. She saw Li Chang Le¡¯s face filled with resentment looking at her, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t care at all and sweetly smiled at her and sat down.
Fifth Prince was tongue-tied and almost couldn¡¯t utter a word.
Third Prince Tuoba Zhen actually smiled, he knew Li Wei Yang would definitely not disappoint, this person was no doubt smarter than Li Chang Le. Speaking of dance moves, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t rival ministry of affairs¡¯ daughter Li Xiaojie; speaking of calligraphy, she couldn¡¯t bepared to female schr Xue Ningyan. Since she couldn¡¯tpete with them directly, she could only use her wits. Her performance todaybined an ordinary dance with painting, which certainly shocked everyone and exceeded what Li Chang Le performed before, Li Wei Yang could be considered famous overnight!
Tuoba Yu continued to toast with the people by his side, the smile on his face deepened.
Da furen made a pattered sound, the nail on her left pinky finger split in half, this light sound, no one was able to notice. Because of this moment, Da furen face was full of reliefs and acted as if she felt honored as she received other furens¡¯ congrattions.
¡°Aiya, your family¡¯s Xianzhu, not only is she adorable and smart, her dance moves are great, her calligraphy is great, this type of exquisite dance, I have never seen this before!¡±
¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s all owing to Li furen¡¯s proper guidance!¡±
¡°How extraordinary, such a young age, not even a slight bit stage fright, really an eye-opening dance!¡±
Da furen¡¯s smile froze on her face, her hand in her sleeve made a blood mark, Li Wei Yang, this little bitch, you actually shone in the limelight, really make others couldn¡¯t bear it!
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 70 part2
This part is sponsored by Kris P. :)
Chapter 70: Enjoying the limelight
__________________________________________________________
Since this day on, the new skill of dancing behind the screen would be popr. Even many imperial concubines dirtied their sleeves to dance behind the screen in order to gain the emperor¡¯s favors. Since it was like that in the pce, then it would also be ubiquitous amongst themoners; people found out that wherever there was a well, then there would be ink water dance. Soon Li Wei Yang¡¯s name and the dance had spread to every corners in Da Li. But all these happened after, this was something Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t expect. She only thought about wanting to sessfully pass this obstacle and let others deeply remember her. It wasn¡¯t that Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t have any talent but she just didn¡¯t want to show off in front of others.
The young girls all revealed their talents, someone stood up and said: ¡°Princess, it shouldn¡¯t just be us performing.¡±
Princess Yongning knew very well that everyone came to this banquet to find a husband or select a wife, this was a match-making banquet, so she smilingly said: ¡°Wu di, I heard Imperial Father bestowed you a bow, how about you bring it out for us to observe?¡±
Tuoba Rui felt sympathetic towards Li Chang Le, he was eager to help rescue her and not let others¡¯ attention focus on her. So he quickly stood up and said: ¡°A person shooting by himself is too boring, how about we hold a match, but Huang Jie, if you want us topete, is there a prize?¡±
Princess Yongning smiled and ordered her female official to retrieve a magnificently made bronze mirror with red-colored gemstones on it: ¡°This mirror was gifted to me by Imperial Mother, whoever wins today can take it.¡±
Fifth Prince showed a hint of joy on his face, with this bronze mirror, he could gift this to Li Chang Le. That way, he could rescue her from the awkward scene, which was a great constion. Thinking up until here, he gently smiled at Li Chang Le and then spoke: ¡°That¡¯s fine, bring my bow over.¡±
After those words were spoken, other gongzis rubbed their fists and wiped their palms to express that they wanted topete too.
In an ordinary banquet, there would also be games like shooting arrows and throwing kettles, so they had bows and whips prepared.
Third Prince Tuoba Zhen lightly smiled and looked towards Tuoba Yu, he said: ¡°Qi di, are you interested to give it a try?¡±
At this point, the candlelights were lit, Tuoba Yu¡¯s whole body bathed in light, he gently raised his brows and calmly smiled: ¡°Third brother¡¯s invitation, how could I reject?¡±
The guards soon prepared the shooting targets, each target was an additional ten meters away from one other, all ten targets together stretched out to a hundred meters, the princess slowly said: ¡°Today, let¡¯splete and see who can shoot far and precisely.¡±
Li Min Feng, due to Li Chang Le losing her face earlier, wanted to win. He smiled and received the bow; he grabbed an arrow and shot right in the middle of the fifth target, everyone apuded! The other gongzis eagerly joined in. For the four to five people that went, none were able to reach the sixth target.
Tuoba Rui confidently smiled and receive his own shooting bow; this bow was almost half as big as a person and the bow body was painted ck. Something that looked like a tooth or gem was carved onto it. Tuoba Rui used his shoulder to support it, reached for an arrow, and shot at the seventh target, hitting the red center.
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled, speaking of this, the talented Fifth Prince was actually a man skilled in literature and martial arts. However, he was deeply poisoned by Li Chang Le and didn¡¯t understand that he would die in the hands of the beauty sooner orter. On this point, she actually admired Tuoba Zhen, his entire life, he hadn¡¯t been impacted by anyone as he smoothly followed his goal with persistence.
Fifth Prince smiled and then passed the bow to Tuoba Zhen: ¡°Third brother, please.¡± He was very confident that Tuoba Zhen couldn¡¯t surpass him because usually, his shooting skills were only average.
The females were all concerned and asked: ¡°Aiya, how is Third Prince¡¯s shooting skills? We rarely see him practice his shooting!¡±
¡°Afraid it can¡¯t match Fifth Prince¡¯s ...... I heard Fifth Prince¡¯s shooting skills were personally taught by the Emperor!¡±
¡°I have also heard; Fifth Prince¡¯s shooting skills are able to hit the target at every shot!¡±
The moment Tuoba Zhen caught ahold of the bow, he unconsciously gave Li Wei Yang a glimpse, back in the days --- he would definitely hand over this chance to shine to Tuoba Rui but he didn¡¯t know why but in front of the remarkable yatou, he didn¡¯t want to lose.
Gao Min nervously clenched onto the handkerchief in her hand, she lightly gave Li Chang Le a push: ¡°Chang Le, do you think Third Prince will be able to win?¡±
Li Chang Le still hadn¡¯t been able to recover, she heard the words yet didn¡¯t respond.
Li Wei Yang curled her lips up, she knew Tuoba Zhen really well. His shooting skills had always been stronger than Tuoba Rui but he wasn¡¯t willing to reveal himself so no one actually knew. Today, if he acted as expected, he would definitely lose. Always hiding, he wouldn¡¯t dare to openly win, this type of man, how could she had thought that he was the one she could rely on? In Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, she couldn¡¯t help but expressed contempt.
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s pupils dted and was stabbed painfully by Li Wei Yang¡¯s mocking smile. He understood Li Wei Yang all of a sudden, she thought that he would lose, this yatou! Tuoba Zhen lightly smiled, he hooked his thumb on the bowstring and used his index and middle finger to support his thumb. He exerted force, creating a shape of the full moon. Before the people shouted wonders, only a sound was heard, the arrow like a shooting star shot past andnded on the tenth target, right in the middle!
Everyone was stunned besides LI Wei Yang, her face revealed an expression of a smile that didn¡¯t look like one.
Princess Yongning was taken aback, she thought this Third Brother¡¯s martial art skills were average ...... thinking about this, she smiled curiously: ¡°Third Brother¡¯s shooting skills really surprised everyone. Seventh Brother, your turn.¡±
Tuoba Yu rose up and received the shooting bow. Hispared to other magnificent bows was extremely ordinary and had no other embellishments. He smiled and didn¡¯t really care about the appearance, it was as if he didn¡¯te for shooting but just for the sake of it. But everyone never thought that he could gently pulled back and the arrownded on the tenth target.
Princess Yongning was astonished as well as others. After a while, apuse erupted.
¡°Two princes actually both shot at the tenth target, what a rare sight!¡±
¡°Yes, certainly rare to see!¡±
¡°Very extraordinary!¡±
Within the marvels, Li Wei Yang smiled, these two were always well-matched in strength, it was only that --- Tuoba Yu couldn¡¯t be as ruthless as Tuoba Zhen, as a result, he suffered a disastrous defeat and lost the throne. Winner became the king, the loser became the bandit, it had always been like this.
Fifth Prince¡¯s countenance was terrible, he couldn¡¯t believe it, he originally wanted to be in the limelight but in the end, let these two steal it from him. It was just that Tuoba Zhen never revealed his shooting skills and Tuoba Yu had been travelling, when did they learn such skills and why didn¡¯t they let him know? Towards these two, he began to think he needed to guard against them, especially Tuoba Zhen, he thought that he couldn¡¯t let himself see him merely as the Crowned Prince¡¯s follower.
Princess Yongningughed: ¡°Not good, this target is too big, let¡¯s change it.¡± Her nce circled around and discovered that didn¡¯t know when Li Wei Yang dropped her head and was eating an apple. She smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s use the apple as a target, someonee.¡±
Immediately, a guard approached a faraway tree and used a ribbon to mark five apples. Each tree was about thirty meters away.
Everyone was shocked: ¡°How could this be possible, it¡¯s too far away!¡±
¡°This is a difficult challenge, no matter what, it couldn¡¯t be hit!¡±
¡°Yes, yes, today the winds are strong, the apples are swinging, there is no way one can shoot precisely.¡±
Amidst the buzzing noises, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s openlyughed and said: ¡°Bring my bow over!¡±
He reached out his arm to receive the bow, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, five arrows were sent off. The crowd didn¡¯t get to see clearly how he shot his first arrow by the time he had already shot his fifth one. They couldn¡¯t react in time but saw that these five arrows each dropped off an apple.
The guards ran over and bought the apples over. Princess Yongning looked at them and saw that each apple had a shining arrow on it; the other parts of the apples were not ruined at all.
Gao Min eximed: ¡°My goodness, that was very fast, it felt like a dream, at the blink of an eye, all arrows have been shot!¡±
¡°Third Prince¡¯s shooting skills are very magnificent, I haven¡¯t seen it before.¡± Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes shimmered as she couldn¡¯t help but speak.
All the xiaojies also started to discuss.
¡°Can¡¯t believe Third Prince¡¯s shooting skills are that great!¡± ¡°Yes, haven¡¯t seen him reveal them in the usual days!¡±
Even Wei Guo furen couldn¡¯t hold back and told Da furen: ¡°Third Prince really made us look at him in a different light.¡±
Da furen coldly watched and whispered: ¡°Humph, I don¡¯t think so yet. He had been hiding such great shooting skills, I¡¯m afraid he has other motives!¡± After all, she didn¡¯t like the Third Prince of humble background, no matter what he did, she still thought that he wasn¡¯t good enough. However, Li Chang Le who was by her side, had already swept away her dispirited feelings and her eyes were glittering.
Li Wei Yang noticed, coldly smiled, and continued to bite on her apple.
At this time, Tuoba Zhen turned around at smilingly said to Tuoba Yu: ¡°Seventh Brother, your turn.¡±
The target on the apples were right in front of his eyes yet Tuoba Yu slowly looked at them and smiled: ¡°Third Brother have really great shooting skills.¡±
Tuoba Yu lifted his bow, everyone didn¡¯t get the chance to react, an arrow pierced through the first apple; when everyone was clutching their hearts, they suddenly stopped. They heard a sound all of a sudden and the whole apple exploded open, the cold arrow flew forward and shot into the second apple. Another bursting sound was heard, the arrow continued to fly towards the third arrow, the fourth one ...... and without stopping, the fifth one broke into bits and pieces.
No one had seen this scene before, everyone was temporarily stunned. The whole scene was silent, it was as if everyone forgot to apud and praise.
Tuoba Yu smiled: ¡°Please don¡¯tugh at my performance.¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s smiled sluggishly but soon pped his hands: ¡°Very remarkable!¡± Everyone was reminded and began to apud.
¡°Seventh Prince is very remarkable!¡± ¡°Yes, can¡¯t believe I witness such extraordinary skills!¡± ¡°Seventh Prince is very special!¡±
Li Wei Yang stopped in her movements and couldn¡¯t help but look at this jade-like face gongzi. She felt a bit curious and inquisitive and right after, anticipation began to grow. Tuoba Yu, you are an interesting person, I hope you continue to be stronger and give Tuoba Zhen a p on the face!
From afar, Li Min De watched the scene and lightly smiled. Eighth Prince meticulously observed Li Min De, he saw that he was dressed in a light purple robe, his sleeves tinted with gold, giving off a noble aire. Although he was at a very young age, it was difficult to see the splendid radiance in his eyes. He was casually sitting there yet the whole scene had conspicuously became the background of his imagery. A boy that looked like this really made people felt uneasy. Eighth Prince became absent-minded as he continued to look........ by his side, Fifth Prince said: ¡°Lan Er, don¡¯t stare at someone like that and be careful not to expose yourself, if Imperial Father finds out that you stole Eighth Brother¡¯s clothes and posed as him, he would be very angry.¡±
Eighth Prince Tuoba Cong and Ninth Princess were a pair of twins, both looked exactly identical. The only difference was that in the middle of Ninth Princess¡¯ brow, she had a red mole and normal people wouldn¡¯t had been able to differentiate them apart. Who would had thought, the mischievous youngster sitting here was actually an adorable young girl? Princess Xiang Lan didn¡¯t pay attention to Fifth Prince and only watched Li Min De and discovered that he had been ncing towards Li Wei Yang¡¯s direction. She felt a bit disheartened, thought about it for a second and then became happy again. Li Min De and his cousin¡¯s rtionship was very good, if she became friends with Li Wei Yang, then wouldn¡¯t she be able to see Li Min De more often?
Fifth Prince gave Li Wei Yang a glimpse and suddenly a smile formed, he said: ¡°Let me take a look at Seventh Brother¡¯s arrow, it actually went that far.¡± Saying this, he sprinted out to the farthest apple and loudly said: ¡°All five apples were actually broken into pieces.¡±
Seeming unwilling to ept the result, he said: ¡°In terms of shooting the farthest, I can¡¯t rival Seventh Brother.¡± As he spoke, he raised he bow and drastically shot an arrow.
The direction was actually towards the female seating. All females shockingly shouted, jumped up, and then realized the arrow was flying towards Li Wei Yang.
At this moment, the whole crowd was quiet! Li Min De could only feel his own heartbeats stopping for a second!
Nheless, the arrow shot past her eyes and a ding sound was heard. It shot into a tree nearby and shaking sound was emitted.
Li Wei Yang smilingly looked towards Fifth Prince, her expression didn¡¯t hold any signs of change.
Tuoba Rui couldn¡¯t believe Li Wei Yang actually didn¡¯t avoid it, in the moment, his face turned white. He didn¡¯t intend to kill her, he simply wanted to intimidate this cunning young yatou yet he didn¡¯t expect her to stay seated and quietly watch him, she wasn¡¯t afraid at all.
This way, it made him look rash and rude ---
Princess Yongning abruptly raged: ¡°Rui Er, what are you doing!¡±
Tuoba Zhen unconsciously stepped forth, when he saw Tuoba Rui raised his bow, his heart dted until he saw that Li Wei Yang was safe and sound, that was when he breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he didn¡¯t know why he felt this way but he knew that Li Wei Yang, this person had unknowingly captivated his intrigue. Before his intrigue vanished, of course, Li Wei Yang had to continue to live. At the very least, he wanted her to know that rejecting him is an extremely foolish action. ¡°Fifth Brother, you are too impudent, how could you shoot carelessly? You¡¯ve frightened Anping Xianzhu, hurry and apologize!¡±
He gave Tuoba Rui an eye signal, Tuoba Rui understood and busily went forth and said: ¡°I simply wanted to try and see how far I can shoot, Xianzhu, please don¡¯t be mad.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and calmly said: ¡°Fifth Prince¡¯s vision is not that good, this is not a big deal. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not seated far away from the princess, injuring me does not matter at all but if you injure the princess, then it won¡¯t be good.¡±
Tuoba Rui¡¯s face turned green, he originally wanted to frighten Li Wei Yang to the point of peeing and humiliating herself, he never thought that he would be scolded by her. And especially Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, it made him feel like he was a jumping clown!
This child, not only did he not have any manners but also didn¡¯t have a sense of propriety ...... the princess¡¯ countenance didn¡¯t look too good. Yes, if the arrow nted, then wouldn¡¯t she suffer injuries, she earnestly said: ¡°Rui Er, your shooting skills are really taught by Imperial Father? If he sees how you are messing around, he will be very disappointed.¡±
Tuoba Rui knew the princess was favored by the Emperor, he was frightened and hurriedly admitted his fault: ¡°Huang Jie, please forgive me, I won¡¯t dare to act this rashly anymore.¡±
Princess Yongning¡¯s expression was cold and heard someone trying to mediate the dispute: ¡°Ai-ya, thus, the person who shot the farthest is the Fifth Prince!¡±
Everyone looked over, and by no mistake, Fifth Prince¡¯s arrow shot over two hundred meters. Speaking of shooting distance, Fifth Prince could certainly receive the reward.
At this moment, another clear voice spoke up: ¡°Wait a moment!¡±
Everyone looked back and was greatly astonished ---
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 71 part1
Chapter 71: To Save A Life
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Hai Dong Qing ? a Chinese bird species, also known as a gyrfalcon
Zheng fei - official wife of princes, main consort
Bi nu - maidservant
Jiugong array - lit. Nine Pces, still notpletely sure what it is. Although in context, it seems to be scriptures containing military strategies like Art of War.
The person who had spoken those words was a young boy. If someone were to say the handsome Qi Huangzi over there was no different from a painting and extraordinary when he revealed his talent, then this youth was a stark contrast. Earlier, he quietly sat there, not drawing any attention to himself. But once he spoke, others could not help but turn their attention to him. Even when he did not smile, he was already the most beautiful painting. Now that he was clearly smiling, others recognized that in this world, there was no artist who could have painted such magnificence.
As it turned out, this was the shaoye of San fang of Prime Minister Li¡¯s residence.
Li Min De smiled. The intellect reflected in his eyes was beyond his years but there was still liveliness in them: ¡°Gongzhu Dianxia, is it true that the person who sends the arrow furthest will be the victor? Is that right?¡±
Sun Xiaojie next to Yan Xiaojie murmured: ¡°That¡¯s the shaoye of San fang of the Li family, isn¡¯t it? He seems to be a good person, and handsome too!¡±
¡°I heard he isn¡¯t of the Li bloodline though! Which family does such a beautiful child belong to?¡±
¡°Indeed. Let¡¯s see what he has to say.¡±
The Princess saw a youth about Ba Huangzi¡¯s age andughed as she said: ¡°That is right.¡±
¡°Oh?¡± A bright gleam shed across Li Min De¡¯s eyes, ¡°Min De wishes to try.¡±
The moment he finished,ughter rose from every direction.
How could that be? Li Min De was rather young and perhaps could not even draw the bow back at all. Yongning Gongzhu had thought about this too and gently said: ¡°You can draw a bow?¡±
Li Min De smiled with a springlike liveliness in his eyes: ¡°Gongzhu, if it is like you say, the person who sends the arrow furthest will be the victor, then Min De certainly can.¡±
¡°Has he lost his mind?¡± Yan Xiaojie blurted out, ¡°How can he do that?¡±
¡°That is true. Fifth Prince shot his arrow that far. How can he have the strength to shoot the arrow even further?¡±
¡°Impossible...¡±
Beside him, Li Wei Yang looked at Li Min De, not knowing why he was suddenly doing this.
¡°Xiao gongzi truly wishes to try it? If you cannot do it, then do not cryter.¡± Tuoba Zhen finished what he was saying and nced at Li Wei Yang as a warning to not tamper with the arrow.
Tuoba Yu shook his head, ¡°There is no way. You cannot do it!¡± If he was given a second attempt, perhaps he could find a way to shoot further, but a child this young simply did not have the strength to do so.
¡°I will show everyone. However...¡± Li Min De¡¯s smile widened as he said: ¡°When that happens, the prize will belong to me.¡±
Wu Huangzi Tuoba Rui frowned and said: ¡°San gongzi is that confident?¡± He carefully looked at Min De from head to toe. He smiled but there was no mirth in it, and atst, discreetly coughed once: ¡°Do not regret it when you cannot do so.¡±
Li Min De ignored Tuoba Rui and stood up. He went to the center of the stage to take the bow and arrow offered to him. Everyone curiously looked on to see how he would draw back the bow. Before taking the bow, he raised his head and asked: ¡°Is it only a contest of distance?¡±
Gongzhu nodded: ¡°That is right. The farthest arrow wins.¡±
¡°Are there any other conditions?¡±
Li Wei Yang had a strange look, but her eyes quickly brightened. Atst, Gongzhu nodded: ¡°No, that is all.¡±
¡°Alright then.¡± Everyone saw Li Min De approached a bird cage hanging from a nearby tree with a Hai Dong Qing inside.
After that, he tied the arrow to its body and gently patted its wings. He unexpectedly threw the gyrfalcon up into the sky, sending it off. And a whileter, it was no longer in sight.
Li Min De turned around, still standing in the center of the stage, his gaze bright as if he were taking the light of the world, stirring others¡¯ hearts, smiling brightly: ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±
He did not rely on his strength, nor a clever, underhanded scheme of any sort. He only freed a bird, and the arrow was now thousands of miles away...
Such a simple method.
But at that moment, everyone was shocked.
Yongning Gongzhu suddenlyughed aloud. Wu Huangzi was furious: ¡°What kind of tactic is this?! You did not even use the bow!¡±
Li Min De looked at Wu Huangzi and only smiled.
Suddenly Tuoba Rui realized, Gongzhu only said she wanted to see how far the arrow would go but did not say one had to use a bow. The first strategy toe to mind would be to use a bow to shoot the arrow. Everyone had forgotten that the task could still bepleted even without the bow. This xiaozi was rather clever!
Li Wei Yang smiled clearly. This child, she had not expected him to use such an effective tactic simr to her own.
Yongning Gongzhu¡¯s gaze was rarely as gentle as it was now: ¡°Alright, this method of yours, although it was a bit underhanded, it is still within the rules, not to mention original. This bronze mirror belongs to you.¡±
Li Min De took the bronze mirror and smiled.
Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on this youth. Just earlier, he was an unknown guest, yet now everyone knew his name. Although they felt his method was a bit unfair, they had to admit that this youth was far more interesting than anyone else. Archery prowess was not as important as understanding Gongzhu¡¯s thoughts and making her happy was the most important thing.
Ninth Princess was no longer frightened and suddenly felt her face redden without knowing why.
Li Min De, it seemed this was the kind of person he was...
She quietly approached and told Li Min De: ¡°I like this bronze mirror.¡±
Li Min De looked at her, smiling softly as if he had not heard anything. This made Jiu Gongzhu, who was masquerading as Ba Huangzi, somewhat lost interest. But she still could not move her eyes. She continued to stare intently at Li Min De.
Gao Min scoffed coldly: ¡°Well, as you can see, it is better if less time is spent with people like that. Their minds are too different from normal people.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes were downcast, making it unclear of what she was thinking.
At that moment, Gongzhu decided to change her attire. The guests were left to freely wander in the flower gardens. The influential women with status decided to go in groups of three to five to admire the flowers while the men took a leisurely stroll or yed a game of tossing items into a bottle of wine or chess.
In the Pavilion, Tuoba Zhen ordered the servants to clear the area. Someone had already brought fragrant tea and after that a chessboard. He smiled and said to Qi Huangzi, ¡°Qi di, let us y a game of chess?¡±
Tuoba Yu sat down. Tuoba Rui and Jiu Gongzhu sat on the sidelines to watch them y.
This chessboard was one of the treasures of Gongzhu¡¯s residence, the board was a single piece of white jade with engravings. The color was wless. The radiance of the pale jade made it difficult for others to turn their eyes away from it. On its surface, gold wire outlined the squares of the chessboard, which was undoubtedly refined imperial gold. The chess pieces were made of gold and ced on the white jade chessboard, enthralling like a small sun. The presence of this treasure in Gongzhu¡¯s residence was enough to see the Emperor¡¯s favor for the Princess. Tuoba Yu smiled, such love and favor, perhaps conflicted with an even greater guilt.
Jiu Gongzhu blinked, looking towards Li Min De¡¯s direction to see him giving the bronze mirror to Li Wei Yang. She drummed her fingers against her cheek, having lost interest. Beside her, Tuoba Rui asked: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu thought about it for a bit and said: ¡°I once asked Fu Huang for this chessboard, but he would not give it to me. I didn¡¯t think he would give it to Huang jie!¡±
Tuoba Rui smiled: ¡°Fu Huang has always treated Huang jie a little differently.¡±
Then, Jiu Gongzhu waved her hand and called: ¡°Qing Lan, bring appetizers for me.¡±
A maidservant nimbly brought appetizers to her, gently swaying like a tent in the wind. Tuoba Rui was focused on the chess game, but suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a hand, pale as jade, gracefully setting the dish on the table. Stunned, his gaze trailed up that arm... As if momentarily struck by lightning, half of his body was unmoving, his soul had already risen to the Heavens.
This maidservant was truly beautiful!
The maid saw Tuoba Rui unblinkingly staring at her and only smiled softly, her face radiant as a flower in bloom, truly beautiful. It was then Tuoba Rui realized he was holding his breath and forced a cough, intending to say something to cover it up, but he could not utter a word.
He excelled in literature and martial arts, but his w was that he was easily drawn to beauty. He was enchanted by Li Chang Le¡¯s refined beauty, but now, looking at this yatou, she had an allure, a charm that was different from that of xiao jia jade.
Seeing Wu Huangzi¡¯s gaze lost in her, the binu¡¯s smile grew even more charming, her waist slightly swaying as she withdrew.
Tuoba Rui was intrigued: ¡°Xiao Jiu, that yatou has a good appearance. Where did you find her? I have never seen her before in the pce.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu nced over the chessboard and boredly said: ¡°Thest time I left the pce, I met her and brought her back with me. Back then, she was a street vendor selling almond cakes. Some terrible youngsters were about to rob her, so I intervened in the Heavens¡¯ stead!¡±
Surprised, Tuoba Rui said: ¡°Mei? Intervened in the Heavens¡¯ stead?¡±
Tuoba Zhen set his chess piece down, looked up and said: ¡°I¡¯m afraid mei deliberately caused trouble here.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu giggled and said: ¡°That¡¯s not wrong either, I can¡¯t stand seeing the weak and helpless being pushed around like that. They have no shame! So I used force to beat the gongzi Jingzhao Yin once¡ª¡ª¡±
Having said that, she suddenly realized she had overstepped the bounds and fell silent.
The three brothers briefly looked up and stared at her. Her face immediately reddened: ¡°Why are you all looking at me? I only witnessed injustice and sympathized! After Fu Huang found out, he did not me me either, and even told that Jingzhao Yin to apologize to me!¡±
A Gongzhu ran to save someone, iming to intervene in ce of the Heavens. The three brothers all shook their heads.
¡°You are too much!¡± Tuoba Rui tapped her forehead.
Jiu Gongzhu pouted. Her cheeks flushed, bright red like an apple: ¡°Mei is not the kind of person who would do something just because I can and feel like it. I heard that yatou¡¯s grandfather was an official that followed Lao Luo Guogong. It¡¯s a pity that after her grandfather died in battle, her father gambled away all of their wealth and even their home.¡±
Lao Luo Guogong? Qi Huangzi suddenly raised his head, the nk stare on his face had now disappeared altogether. Lao Luo Guogong - this was his mu fei, Zhang Defei¡¯s father, and his grandfather, who died seven years ago. The Luo Guogong now was his uncle.
If so, that yatou had a special connection to his grandfather.
The chess piece in Qi Huangzi¡¯s hand froze.
¡°Why? Wu ge likes her? Compared to Da Xiaojie of the Li family, her beauty is only average, if not a bit crude.¡± Jiu Gongzhu did not notice Qi Huangzi¡¯s expressions, she was focused on Tuoba Rui.
¡°You see, Mei, I was only asking.¡± Tuoba Rui continued to shake his head, his face reddening a bit more. Li Chang Le, he had intended to marry her as zheng fei, but why did that lovely yatou¡ª¡ª
Tuoba Zhen quietly listened. When it seemed like an appropriate time, heughed aloud and added: ¡°Jiu mei, it seems Wu di really likes that yatou, why don¡¯t you give her to him?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu did not think much of that yatou, nor did she care, so she did not hesitate. She was direct in saying: ¡°If Wu ge likes her, I will give her to Wu ge. But next time, Wu ge has to apany me when I leave the pce!¡±
Tuoba Rui was overjoyed but outwardly, he declined: ¡°How can I ept this?¡±
¡°You can just y with her.¡± Jiu Gongzhu seemed serious: ¡°Wu ge does not need to overthink!¡±
¡°Just to y with,¡± Tuoba Rui firmly set his resolve: ¡°Since it is this way¡ª¡ª¡±
The Emperor always favored Tuoba Rui the most, but he had a terrible habit, unable to look away from beautiful women, even from a young age. The Emperor realized this, as this was a concerning sign. A hint of a subtle, cold smile appeared on Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face.
Suddenly, Qi Huangzi asserted: ¡°Since Wu ge is so humble, I will take that yatou then.¡±
Everyone was taken aback. A hidden satisfactory light appeared in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes.
From afar, Li Wei Yang saw everything as it unfolded. Her gaze shifted to the yatou that had withdrawn from the table. She could not help but scoff coldly. Tuoba Zhen, ah Tuoba Zhen, your schemes have always been as borate as this.
The memory of one night, half a year after she was married, reappeared before her.
Back then, Tuoba Zhen was considerate and looked after her, but he was sometimes close yet sometimes distant, as if taking precautions against her. It was because at the time, Li Chang Le was to be married to Qi Huangzi, and Li Chang Xi would be married off to Wu Huangzi. He feared she was a spy sent to him and was always concerned she would betray him one day. For that reason, he maintained appearances and treated her well, but he did not tell her anything.
Li Wei Yang was deeply conflicted from the bottom of her heart. She was already married to him and was certainly willing to shoulder every burden with him. That night, Tuoba Zhen returned, wounded, but he silently headed to his study. Li Wei Yang followed him to his study and saw Tuoba Zhen applying medicinal ointment. She was heartbroken by the sight and could not help but say: ¡°Dianxia, allow me to serve you as your wife, will you? I am willing to do anything for you... Let me remain by your side, will you?¡±
¡°What are you saying? Have you not been with me all this time?¡± Tuoba Zhen reluctantly smiled.
¡°No, you¡¯re clearly hiding something from me!¡± Li Wei Yang stared at him with a hint of defiance.
¡°Haizz...¡± Tuoba Zhen had a strained smile, outwardly indifferent. He pulled her close until her head rested on his shoulder. He gently stroked her hair, and his expressions suddenly became solemn: ¡°I knew you would understand me... The Heavens are rather unfair. Taizi and I are both Fu Huang¡¯s sons, yet in the future, he will be the Emperor, and I can only be one of his subjects. When he bes Emperor, I must kneel down and offer my well wishes to him, to live a thousand years. This is nothing, you see, my injury, this was a warning from him, only because he suspected I was not loyal to him. Wei Yang, in the future, living under his wing, it only takes a slight offense for him to take my life. In this life, I can only shy away in fear and tter him, tell me, what should I do now? Can I continue to follow Crown Prince?¡±
Back then, Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart ached painfully, so she did not think much of the sly gleam in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes: ¡°You have devoted your mind, body, and soul to Taizi, and have done countless things for him. I did not expect him to be such a cold, heartless bastard!¡±
A subtle hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Tuoba Zhen¡¯s mouth as he tightly embraced her: ¡°That is why he can be the Crown Prince. Not only is he the eldest son, but he is also the son of the Empress. Fu Huang always respects and loves Imperial Mother, but with her health, who knows how much longer she can live? She cannot always shield Taizi. Wei Yang, now, I need you to help me with something, are you willing?¡±
Li Wei Yang did not need to think about it. She immediately nodded.
Tuoba Zhen smiled and gently touched her face: ¡°There is still one person, whose influence on Fu Huang surpasses that of the Empress, and that is the Empress Dowager. I have tried my best to express my filial piety before the Empress Dowager, not only to make the Empress Dowager support me, but also to influence Fu Huang through her. Of course, to please the Empress Dowager, taking the time and care to grow close to her is necessary. But as a man, it would not be appropriate for me to remain by her side, so I need your help.¡±
Tuoba Zhen pretended as if nothing was wrong when he tasked her with that. He even let Li Wei Yang willingly fulfill filial duties in his ce, winning the Empress Dowager¡¯s favor for him. From the very beginning, his malicious scheme was certainly praiseworthy.
Li Wei Yang simply did not recognize his motives. She justified them as a way to save her husband, so he would not be the target of Taizi or anyone¡¯s schemes. She only felt his position and status was jeopardized, and as a woman, she could not protect him, so it was the least she could do.
After that, in their hearts, they understood and did not have to say anything as they took action. Tuoba Zhen secretly borrowed Taizi¡¯s hand to influence his own authority and forces, pitting one against another, but in front of the Emperor, he always expressed his loyalty to Taizi with every ounce of filial piety. Li Wei Yang came to visit the Empress Dowager everyday, pleasing the Huang Zhu Mu for him. Everything would be useful in the future.
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 71 part2
Chapter 71: To Save A Life
__________________________________________________________
Hai Dong Qing ? a Chinese bird species, also known as a gyrfalcon
Zheng fei - official wife of princes, main consort
Bi nu - maidservant
Jiugong array - lit. Nine Pces, still notpletely sure what it is. Although in context, it seems to be scriptures containing military strategies like Art of War.
Li Wei Yang averted her gaze from the Pavilion not too far from there, a cold sneer appearing on her lips. Tuoba Zhen was always hiding something, pretending to be devoted to aiding Taizi, a good son of the Emperor. Even before the Emperor passed away, sick and tired of every one of his son, he only trusted the loyalty and filial piety of this third son. No one would have thought that Tuoba Zhen had schemed ceaselessly behind his back. In the thirty-eighth year of the current dynasty, Tuoba Zhen was targeted in an assassination! The forty-first year, Qi Huangzi had arranged an ambush against Tuoba Zhen! That year, Li Wei Yang felt that every xiong di of Tuoba Zhen wanted his life, and now looking back, these people had seen Tuoba Zhen¡¯s true face and wanted to get rid of him! With such malicious calctions, perhaps that year, Tuoba Zhen had used false crimes to use and wrong others. Ha, if so, then back then, she was truly ignorant! She thought she had sacrificed out of love, but in truth, she was only being used!
¡°Sanjie, are you okay?¡± Li Min De curiously asked.
¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Li Wei Yang broke away from her trance, her voice had grown rather quiet.
Li Min De looked to her worriedly. He was about to say something, but then saw a silhouette streak past, and his face grew solemn. He nodded: ¡°Sanjie, I have something to do, so I¡¯m leaving for a bit.¡±
Not waiting for her to respond, Li Min De hastily left. Bai Zhi said: ¡°Xiaojie, do you feel that San shaoye has been a bit strangetely?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked after Li Min De¡¯s retreating figure, solemn as she said: ¡°Certainly strange indeed.¡± However, he had just lost his mother. This was inevitable. She sighed deeply.
Half a shichen passed, the game in the Pavilion had not finished, Tuoba Zhen and Tuoba Rui were invited to tea by Gongzhu¡¯s attendants, leaving Qi Huangzi to speak with that yatou.
Li Wei Yang smiled and slowly went over.
¡°Your grandfather was Liu Xiao Wei? When I was younger, I had learned sword techniques from him.¡± Tuoba Yu¡¯s face was wless, and his voice was surprisingly soft and warm.
If someone else saw Tuoba Yu now, they would be stunned, but Li Wei Yang knew, this was nothing unexpected. Tuoba Yu was human and had weaknesses too, but his grandfather, Lao Luo Guogong was his greatest weakness. From a young age, he had followed Luo Guogong and learned all the arts of literature and martial arts from him, so they had strong emotional ties. It could be said that Tuoba Yu was emotionless and heartless, but everything concerning his waigong would make his calm evaporate any day.
Hearing Qi Huangzi¡¯s words, the young woman¡¯s skin immediately had a flush of pink: ¡°Qi Dianxia, my grandfather had once mentioned Dianxia, he said when Dianxia was young¡ª¡ª¡±
¡°Your grandfather said that, as a child, Qi Dianxia was highly intelligent but also rebellious, is that right?¡± Suddenly, a clear voice rang out in the Pavilion. Tuoba Yu looked up to see Li Wei Yang smiling as she stood on the steps.
Tuoba Yu raised his eyebrows. He had not expected this yatou toe here. What a surprise.
Because she was attending the banquet, Li Wei Yang wore a skirt with the design of a hundred butterflies encircling flowers. She had intentionally chosen simple colors, but even so, the healthy rosy glow of her face was stirring others¡¯ hearts. At that moment, her bright eyes were fixated on him.
Tuoba Yu saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s sudden smile, bright and lovely, and was startled. A sh of intrigue crossed his eyes.
There is no such thing as someone approaching you without reason), he did not believe this xiao yatou had good intentions to simplye and talk to him.
The young woman beside him was named Yue er seemed to be only 15-16, with a slender, willowy face and gentle eyes, wearing a pale gold attire with silver embroidered lotuses on the cor and cuffs. Her attire was appropriate, she did not use powder or lipstick either, nor hairpins or jewelry, and seemed to be rather confident in her looks to bare her face without a trace of makeup. Seeing Li Wei Yang, Yue er straightened up and knelt, the fabric of her skirt fluttering like flower petals falling into a pond: ¡°Greeting Xianzhu.¡±
Li Wei Yang slightly smiled at her, Tuoba Yu said: ¡°If you do not mind, sit down and rest.¡±
Yue er heard this and only wished Li Wei Yang would just leave, but she smiled brightly and respectfully poured tea. Li Wei Yang did not decline and sat down.
¡°Qi Dianxia knows this guniang?¡± Li Wei Yang nced at Yue er.
Tuoba Yu idly ran his finger across the jade in his hand, smiling as he said: ¡°That is right. She is the granddaughter of an old friend. In the past, my grandfather had ordered me to look for Liu Xiao Wei. I did not think I would meet his granddaughter today.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, a mirthless light appearing in her eyes: ¡°Indeed, truly clever.¡±
Tuoba Yu paused for a moment, beingughed at by her made him a bit uneasy. He could not help but pay closer attention to her, but he did not say anything.
Hearing this, Yue er felt a bit anxious. She always felt that this San Xiaojie of the Li family hade to cause trouble, but those words could not be spoken aloud, so she had to say: ¡°Nubi is rather fortunate, first Gongzhu saved Nubi when Nubi was being harassed by others, and today, met Qi Dianxia¡ª¡ª¡±
She had not finished speaking when Li Wei Yang blinked and outwardly acknowledged: ¡°It is fortunate you are clever enough to ask for help from the right person, but I¡¯m a bit curious. As many people as there were on the road, you did not look to anyone else but pleaded for help from a xiao guniang, what was your reason for this?¡±
Yue er was somewhat taken aback and said: ¡°That is because Gongzhu was wearing such extravagant clothes. She seemed influential and just. So that is why Nubi had done so...¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly at Qi Huangzi, her bright smile harboring unclear intentions, ¡°Indeed, influential and fair¡ª¡ª¡±
When in danger, she did not call for help from anyone else but decided to rely on a xiao guniang, was this not strange? Li Wei Yang blinked. Tuoba Yu perhaps had yet to understand.
Tuoba Yu heard this, and the smile on his face stiffened. He looked at Li Wei Yang thoughtfully, as if debating something, his expressions were a bit strange.
Li Wei Yang recognized the vague suspicion in his eyes, but there was also reluctance to believe that this was true, so she decided to intervene once again. Her gaze fell on Yue er¡¯s wrist and saw a strand of Buddhist prayer beads made of sandalwood: ¡°These beads are exquisite, could I take a look?¡±
Unease shed across Yue er¡¯s eyes, she subconsciously grasped the prayer beads on her wrist.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Why, you cannot bear to part with it? I am only taking a look, I will not damage it.¡±
Yue er looked towards Tuoba Yu to see him also staring at her Buddhist prayer beads, his eyes detached like cold water. Her heart tightened, but a bright smile remained on her face: ¡°If Xianzhu wishes to take a look, then of course, that will not be a problem. Only - these prayer beads have great sentimental value to Yue er.¡±
Her gaze was clear and undeterred. Li Wei Yang asked, ¡°It is only a Buddhist prayer bracelet, is there a particr reason?¡±
Yue er bit her lip, a flicker of hesitation appeared on her face. These prayer beads, she originally intended to wait a few more days until Qi Huangzi hadpletely trusted her before giving them to him. Now it was not possible to wait for that moment anymore. She smiled and took off the prayer beads but did not give them to Li Wei Yang, instead, carefully presented them to Tuoba Yu: ¡°These prayer beads contain hidden inscriptions, grandfather had left them for Nubi. It¡¯s a family heirloom. Grandfathered had ordered that it cannot be revealed to any outsiders. Grandfather had passed it onto my father, but it is a pity my Father was not worthy. Grandfather did not hope for much and recorded every secret on these prayer beads.
Tuoba Yu was stunned and immediately asked: ¡°The Jiugong Array?¡±
Yue er slightly smiled: ¡°Yes.¡±
Li Wei Yang lightly said: ¡°It sounds a lot like Qi Dianxia¡¯s style, this Jiugong Array must be rather valuable.¡±
Tuoba Yu nodded and said: ¡°The Jiugong Array is designed ording to the Jiugong azimuth. I heard that 20 years ago, Liu Xiao Wei used it in one of his achievements. These nine pces, the first pce North, second pce Southwest, third pce East, fourth Southeast, fifth in the center, sixth pce Northwest, seventh West, eighth Northeast, and the ninth pce South. Waigong did not mention it in detail, but after Liu Xiao Wei died, the Jiugong Array¡¯s whereabouts became unknown.¡± His gaze emanated like intense, burning mes, clearly intrigued by the Jiugong Array.
Tuoba Yu had heard Lao Luo Guogong mention, decades before, foreign merchants brought a copy to Da Li. After passing through many hands, it was not known where it was lost. This was the scriptures anyone whomanded armies dreamed of. To find these scriptures, every year Luo Guogong sent countless people to search, only toter discovered that the copy of the scriptures had been divided into ten volumes, inside were 49 types of military strategies that were lost into the hands of many. Among them was the Jiugong Array that belonged to Liu Xiao Wei. That year, although Luo Guogong could guess that it was the Jiugong Array, Liu Xiao Wei was a loyal official, so he did not force him to give it up. This matter was what Lao Luo Guogong regretted in his lifetime. Tuoba Yu had once promised he would find the 49 types of military strategies to honor the spirit of his grandfather in the Heavens.
One could see how happy he was now that the Jiugong array had appeared.
Tuoba Yu suppressed his stirring emotions and carefully epted the prayer beads. After closely examining them, he then saw the unfamiliar ancient words etched onto the prayer beads. He sighed for a bit and eximed: ¡°This text is in Miao, I can only understand one or two parts. This is quite a pity!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and nced over at Yue er: ¡°Although that is the case, why would it be engraved in Miao?¡±
Yue er¡¯s lovely eyes were wide open and innocent: ¡°Xianzhu, Nubi¡¯s grandmother is from southern Xinjiang. For that reason, Grandfather is familiar with the Xinjiangnguage. Moreover, the Jiugong Array is priceless. Grandfather did not want outsiders to learn about it, that is why he used Miao characters.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were as dark as ink, flickering like onyx pearls, but at that moment, a sly gleam shed cross her eyes. Not only did she know Yue er¡¯s grandmother was Miao, she also knew Yue er herself was well versed in Miaojiang poison techniques. In her previous life, she initially approached Tuoba Yu and gifted him the valuable Jiugong Array he wished to cherish. Then with a hundred ways and through a thousand schemes [one way or another], found the remaining scriptures for him. After that Liu Yue became a trusted confidant.
However, this Liu Yue was not a simple person.
At the moment, Liu Yue was not aware that she was under someone¡¯s scrutiny. She cautiously sought to please Tuoba Yu: ¡°Qi Dianxia, Nubi knows Miao and can trante this for you.¡±
Tuoba Yu arched his eyebrows and nced at Liu Yue. Her bright smile was a beautiful, radiant one, and no one could not find the slightest hint that something was wrong. But he knew, Li Wei Yang would not mention these things for no reason, she was not someone who had nothing to do with her time.
¡°Oh? Trante it for me? You truly are thoughtful.¡± Tuoba Yu¡¯s amiable smile had a hint of coldness to it.
Liu Yue recognized something in his tone of voice was not right and became ssy-eyed with tears, forming willowy-like vapor, revealing a hazy beauty that made others¡¯ heartbeats quicken: ¡°Qi Dianxia, has Nubi done something wrong?¡±
Tuoba Yu touched the prayer beads: ¡°This is a family heirloom, why are you giving it to me?¡±
Frightened, Liu Yue said: ¡°It was Grandfather¡¯s possession. Although our family situation was dire, he still could not bear to part with it. But Yue er is a nuhai and has no use for such things, whereas it may be better off with Dianxia. Nubi pleads that Dianxia keeps Yue er, so Nubi will not be without a ce of proper support anymore. However, Yue er wants to ask Dianxia something. Nubi¡¯s grandfather died on the battlefield. It is a pity that Father is useless, even using emergency funds for gambling, so a proper funeral cannot be provided for grandfather. If Dianxia epts, Nubi asks that Dianxia provides Grandfather a ce to rest in peace.¡±
These words were reasonable, coupled with a face as lovely as a flower in the rain, the extraordinary sight was enough to stir one¡¯s heart.
In Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind, she offered a nod of approval and inwardly praised: Iparable! This was truly second to none! This performance, these emotions, how could they be conveyed even with a praise of ¡°wless¡±? To helplessly say that she could not provide a proper funeral for her grandfather vividly painted the impression of a suffering young woman! Tuoba Yu had strong ties to his grandfather Lao Luo Guogong, Liu Yue only needed to say two or three words to evoke these emotions. Moreover, one person¡¯s kindness without the need for anything in return would make anyone suspicious. However, if she asked for too much, Tuoba Yu would have an unpleasant impression of her. For that reason, to request something that was a small task would be the most appropriate. To Qi Huangzi, a final resting ce could be conveniently arranged, but it would also reassure him and allow him to slowly trust Liu Yue. With a young woman with filial piety, gentleness, beauty, and passion by Tuoba Yu¡¯s side, even if it did not melt his frozen heart, she could at least gain his trust, which would be of greater use in the future. Having carefully reviewed the situation, if she did not already know of Liu Yue¡¯s true identity, Li Wei Yang would believe her too because her emotions and words made perfect sense!
Tuoba Zhen. Ah, Tuoba Zhen, you truly are sly and cunning, not to be underestimated. Li Wei Yang shook her head. That year, the majority of Tuoba Zhen¡¯s news hade from this beautiful youngdy Liu Yue. Who would have thought the real Liu Yue had actually been killed a while ago and was reced by Tuoba Zhen¡¯s spy?
A pawn, Tuoba Zhen could have it hidden away for five years, ten years, as long as it was remotely useful. He was truly wicked at heart.
Li Wei Yang harbored such a deep resentment in her heart, but there was not a single trace of it on her face. She was still smiling as usual. There were many things she clearly knew but could not say it in front of anyone else. If she told Tuoba Yu this young woman was a spy someone had sent, Tuoba Yu not believing her was one thing, and even if he did believe her, it would bring her a lot of trouble. However, Li Wei Yang could not sit idle to see Tuoba Zhen get what he wanted.
Liu Yue inwardly stirred uneasily, these prayer beads were originally intended to be brought out when the time was right. But just now, if Anping Xianzhu had not meddled and discovered something, it had yet to be failure, for that reason, she had no choice but to take a step back.
Tuoba Yu contemted over it, the prayer beads in hand, slightly smiling as he said: ¡°I like these prayer beads and can sympathize with your filial piety. As for your grandfather, I will take care of it. First, go.¡±
Liu Yue quietly looked at him. After sensing nothing out of the ordinary in his expressions, she was satisfied. Her facial expressions bore immense gratitude: ¡°Yes, Nubi withdraws.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her as she left and suddenly broke into a smile.
Tuoba Yu slightly narrowed his eyes, smiling as he nced at her, his gaze astute: ¡°Tell me, when did you discover something wrong with her?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes that were dark as ink faintly shone: ¡°Dianxia, Wei Yang never said there was something wrong with her.¡±
Tuoba Yu¡¯s eyshes quivered, his phoenix eyes fixated on her, strikingly handsome: ¡°Stop pretending. What you expressed earlier, I know all about it.¡±
Hearing this, Li Wei Yang felt a chill like ice creep up from her feet and envelop her entire being. In the blink of an eye, she thought the young man in front of her had seen through her, could it be that he knew that she -- No! Impossible! Who would think such a ridiculous thing?
Her face was exquisite like ink on a painting, her eyes bright as burning mes: ¡°Oh, I wonder where I slipped up.¡±
¡°Earlier, you said Gongzhu, not Ba Huangzi.¡± Earlier, Li Wei Yang should have seen ¡°Ba Huangzi¡± gifted Liu Yue to him, but when Liu Yue said Gongzhu saved her, Li Wei Yang did not find this strange, but proceeded, calm as usual. He could only think of one possibility: she had already recognized Jiu Gongzhu. ¡°In the Imperial pce, even the pce maids have yet to be able to differentiate Jiu mei and Ba di, I wonder how Anping Xianzhu knows?¡±
Tuoba Yu¡¯s insight had exceeded Li Wei Yang¡¯s expectations. It seems that if Tuoba Zhen had not recognized Luo Guogong as his weakness, then Tuoba Yu perhaps would not have fallen in this trap. Moreover, Liu Yue was a carefully chosen expert who would certainly create many dangerous situations for Qi Huangzi in order to gain his trust. Li Wei Yang breathed out a sigh of relief, still smiling: ¡°I have been to the pce once, recognizing Jiu Gongzhu is nothing strange. Moreover --¡± Her bright smile broadened, ¡°If it was Ba Huangzi, how could he look at my San di with such admiration in his eyes?¡±
Tuoba Yu was taken aback. In the blink of an eye, he almost apuded Li Wei Yang for her ability to think on the spot, but he clearly felt that the young woman before him was lying. Although there was no evidence, she could still deceive so many people and could not be a simple person. Tuoba Yu decided to ask to be sure: ¡°Even so, how did you discover that something was off with Liu Yue?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled gently: ¡°Qi Dianxia has been searching for so long, but all of the sudden, it effortlessly appears, how could Dianxia not be suspicious? As I said, if I am in danger, I would certainly not ask a xiao guniang for help, is that not true?¡±
¡°But Jiumei, why would she plot against me?¡± Tuoba Yu suddenly smiled.
Li Wei Yang broke into softughter, the hairpin in her hair slightly trembling, seemingly illuminating the Pavilion altogether. She slowly said: ¡°I only fear it is not Jiu Gongzhu.¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled: ¡°That is also true. There are many people who want me dead.¡±
Liu Wei Yang did not intend to tell him who Liu Yue¡¯s true master was, just enough would be for the best. Tuoba Yu was not ignorant, on the contrary, it was better to let him personally investigate rather than have her take the initiative to tell him and try to convince him. The only thing was, seeing that the prayer beads were not leaving his hand, Li Wei Yang suddenly took the prayer beads from his hand, smiling as she said: ¡°As for these things, Dianxia should not touch them for the best.¡±
Tuoba Yu¡¯s cold, detached stare bore into Li Wei Yang. There was a hint of suspicion that could not be suppressed in his eyes.
She did not mind, her gaze fell on a guard that seemed to have been paying close attention to the situation over here: ¡°Dianxia, that guard is...?¡±
Tuoba Yu turned and saw the guard she had mentioned and offhandedly said: ¡°That person has followed me for ten years.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled thinly, this guard was a familiar face She had met him in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s study in her past lifetime. She lowered her head, pouring tea from the teapot onto the prayer beads. After that, she motioned to the guard. Confused, the guard nced at Tuoba Yu. Tuoba Yu nodded, and the guard immediately stepped up.
Li Wei Yang suddenly threw the prayer beads at his face.
The guard saw everything before him turn to pitch ck. There was something cold and moist on his face, frightened by the darkness, he staggered a couple steps back. His mouth was open, about to call for help, but just as he was about to, something soft and slippery crawled into his mouth. He was horrified, both hands outstretched in front of him, swatting at his face. That thing flew away, letting out a screeching cry.
¡°What is this?¡± Tuoba Yu suddenly stood up.
-------------------------------------------------
Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 72 part1
Chapter 72: Midnight Ambush
__________________________________________________________
The guard was about to call for help when he felt everything from his mouth to his face burning and throbbing painfully as if mes had spread to the rest of him, unable to make a sound.
¡°Li Wei Yang, what have you done?¡± Tuoba Yu suddenly turned to her.
Li Wei Yang smiled, revealing her dimples. However, at the same time, she had a cold, unforgiving air that did not suit someone her age: ¡°Qi Dianxia, you have seen for yourself, this poisonous caterpir crawled out of the prayer beads!¡±
Tuoba Yu was stunned. After that, as if realizing something, he quickly waved his hand, signaling the guards from afar toe: ¡°He was not careful and was bitten by a poisonous caterpir, help him out.¡±
Earlier, the guards had stood quite far away, so they did not see what happened exactly. Now, seeing Qi Huangzi¡¯s unpleasant expressions, they quickly understood and carried the guard away.
¡°The prayer beads are toxic.¡± Tuoba Yu¡¯s words were those of confirmation.
Li Wei Yang did not respond, she held a cup full of flower petals, slowly took two sips, she could taste a clear, crisp and fragrant aftertaste of the tea, which also had sweet, honey tones. After that, she indifferently said: ¡°This is a Miao Jiang poisonous caterpir. Normally, it would note out. It is a pity that it is fond of sweets, and for that reason, luring it out is not difficult.¡±
¡°Just that and it is lured out, the enemy is as simple as that?¡±
The corners of Li Wei Yang¡¯s mouth lifted slightly: ¡°The lifespan of the poisonous caterpir inside the prayer beads is rather short, so when it reaches adulthood, there is no way to lead it out. The opposition had not intended to use the prayer beads at this moment because it is not the right time and ce yet. However, since I intervened in others¡¯ affairs, they had no choice and could not wait until it matures. When I put it like this, Dianxia should understand.¡±
Crashing waves and strong winds stirred within Tuoba Yu¡¯s heart, unable to keep his calm. It was dusk now. The faded light streaked through the clouds and shone against his face, revealing a handsome, graceful face like that of one in a painting: ¡°Hearing you say this, you seem to have a good understanding of this type of poison.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyebrows rose as she smiled coldly: ¡°I cannot say it is much, but I know enough to understand that if Dianxia had held onto the prayer beads for a year, then your lifespan would have been shortened by 10-20 years.¡±
Li Wei Yang did not want to know this much. It was a pity that she had been with Tuoba Zhen, pitted in the center of Da Li¡¯s power struggle. Naturally, she had the opportunity toe across some of the most critical information. Moreover, these news were in details. It had been more or less out of Tuoba Zhen¡¯s respect for her... Even so, he was still an individual, although he was cautious with her, when dealing with the enemy, he still had to reveal quite a bit in order to gain her support.
If he had kept the prayer beads with him... The thought of it made Tuoba Yu pale as cold sweat ran down his back. He thought about it, then suddenly smiled. Earlier, Li Wei Yang felt his smile had a spring breeze, warm and stirring others¡¯ hearts. Now, it waspletely different. She felt rather ufortable and furrowed her brows together: ¡°If Dianxia is grieving for the guard, then think of it as that I was out-of-line.¡±
Having said so, she was about to turn and leave.
Suddenly, Tuoba Yu stood in front of her, stopping her, his eyes clear: ¡°No, I want to thank you. If you had not intervened today, I would have been fooled by this scheme.¡±
¡°Dianxia does not me me for harming that guard?¡± Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows.
Tuoba Yu smiled slightly: ¡°He may have been by my side for many years, but there is no guarantee that he was someone trustworthy.¡±
Then that would have to do for now. Li Wei Yang nodded. Perhaps her efforts were not wasted after all.
¡°The person behind this, could it be someone who was in this hall?¡± Tuoba Yu suddenly spoke up.
Li Wei Yang blinked and said: ¡°What does Dianxia think?¡±
Tuoba Yu had a forced smile: ¡°That Taizi wants me dead?¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head. She had on a nk smile and mirthless expressions: ¡°You see, I only fear that if something were to happen, Dianxia will certainly me the innocent Taizi.¡±
The corners of Tuoba Yu¡¯s mouth shifted into a subtle sneer: ¡°Tuoba Zhen.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled distantly, like the jujube in full bloom at the end of autumn, making others be soft-hearted: ¡°Qi Dianxia has yet to reach the point of naivety.¡±
Tuoba Yu¡¯s expressions grew solemn: ¡°He must be full of wishful thinking!¡± Everything, from taking Taizi¡¯s name and authority, had been done to make others think that it was Taizi¡¯s doing. Tuoba Zhen was certainly someone who was difficult to oppose!
The corners of Li Wei Yang¡¯s mouth lifted, her smile growing evident: ¡°Since Dianxia is aware, then one should be cautious for the best.¡±
The side of Tuoba Yu¡¯s face reflected his kempt appearance, but his words vaguely held a dry humor: ¡°Actually, I want to know how you know all these things and why you are helping me.¡±
Li Wei Yang could not tell him the truth, but she did not want to deceive him either, so she remained silent.
¡°Li Wei Yang,¡± Tuoba Yu understood and knew she did not want to say, so he did not pry. His lips curved into a faint smile: ¡°On a normal day, do you often smile at others like this?¡±
¡°Ha?¡± Li Wei Yang was slightly stunned. Recognizing the ridicule in his words, her face became stony, ¡°Dianxia, do not misunderstand my good intentions.¡±
She was not a young, naive girl. No one should ever think they could say as they please, and still think that they would be able to choose her response.
Tuoba Yuughed and said: ¡°Fortunately, I met you today, if not, something would have happened this time.¡± He turned away, suddenly changing the topic, ¡°Have you familiarized yourself with this ce yet?¡±
Li Wei Yang felt strange and continued to stare at him without saying anything.
¡°Life in the countryside is tedious, butpared to the Capital, it is much more peaceful. This ce has many struggles within one another, but you still have to get used to it,¡± He said lightly.
Li Wei Yang was surprised, but Tuoba Yu only smiled wryly as if he had not spoken those words.
Li Wei Yang subconsciously nced off into the distance. People had gathered along the flower bushes, looking over in this direction. Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart grew cold again. There were many eyes in this ce, it would be troublesome if others were to think that she and Qi Dianxia were discussing something in secret.
As if reading her mind, Tuoba Yu suddenly spoke up.
¡°Li Wei Yang,¡± He looked to her, dark as a shadow at night, like an obsidian crystal: ¡°As for Liu Yue, I will find a way to resolve this, and the guards will not utter a word.¡±
Li Wei Yang adjusted her clothes and performed a ceremonial greeting: ¡°I thank Dianxia.¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled thinly and suddenly took a step closer before Li Wei Yang could react.
¡°Conflict in the Capital is not what you would imagine,¡± Tuoba Yu softly whispered into her ear, ¡°Do not be as reckless as you were today.¡±
Li Wei Yang subconsciously trembled, her gaze downcast and focused on the green grass: ¡°Yes. I thank Dianxia.¡± She turned around, recollecting her disarrayed state of mind and quickly left.
Once she left the Pavilion and was out of sight, Li Wei Yang let out a sigh of relief.
Bai Zhi was surprised to see her: ¡°Xiaojie, Nubi thought Xiaojie was not worried at all!¡±
Li Wei Yang broke into a smile: ¡°How could I not be worried, my heart is still racing! You see how cold he is, no different from a cier, speaking with him is like wasting my breath.¡±
Mo Zhu came closer and said: ¡°Xiaojie, when Nubi stood watch outside, not long after Xiaojie went in, two Yatous came and said they wanted to invite Xiaojie to the front. Nubi said Xiaojie had been walking for a while and felt tired, so Xiaojie had stopped here to rest for a bit...¡±
¡°Did they take your word for it?¡± Li Wei Yang asked.
¡°It seemed like it,¡± Mo Zhuughed, ¡°They pestered Nubi with just about everything, but in the end, they could not approach the Pavilion. Even if they suspected something, they could not hear what Xiaojie and Qi Dianxia were saying, so Xiaojie, you can rest assured.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°I did not think you could also be as clever.¡±
Mo Zhu replied: ¡°Having followed Xiaojie for so long, even a blockhead would be clever.¡±
Li Wei Yang suddenlyughed aloud as she said: ¡°Is that San Gongzi?¡±
Bai Zhi¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at where Li Wei Yang was pointing at. She saw Li Min De¡¯s silhouette briefly streak past the flower bush.
Stunned, Bai Zhi eximed: ¡°It seems to be!¡±
Something urred to Li Wei Yang as she hurriedly asked Bai Zhi: ¡°Aside from Min De, did you see a servant in gray garments?¡±
Bai Zhi was startled and said: ¡°No, Nubi only saw San Gongzi.¡±
So Bai Zhi did not see that tall person wearing gray. Beside her, Mo Zhu said: ¡°Just now, Nubi saw San Gongzi standing with someone in gray.¡±
Li Wei Yang pressed Mo Zhu for details: ¡°Did you recognize that person?¡±
Mo Zhu shook her head: ¡°At the moment, Nubi was still worrying about Xiaojie¡¯s orders and did not notice at all. Besides, that person¡¯s clothes were those of amon guard, so Nubi did not pay special attention to him.¡±
Bai Zhu frowned: ¡°What Xiaojie is saying is¡ª¡ª ¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled as she said: ¡°Recently, I felt that Min De has been a bit strange, but I could not figure out why. Now, it seems I have a couple clues, but I should not be hasty.¡±
Li Wei Yang had intended to go over when she heard a voice behind her: ¡°Xianzhu, wait.¡±
She looked back and saw Tuoba Zhen standing behind the artificial rock, smiling as he walked out. Beside him was also ¡°Ba Huangzi¡±, or rather, Jiu Gongzhu, examining her surroundings.
Jiu Gongzhu smiled and said: ¡°Earlier, Xianzhu was speaking with Qi ge for some time, what were you discussing?¡±
This ce was over a hundred meters away from the Pavilion, not to mention, surrounded by Tuoba Yu¡¯s guards. Li Wei Yang was not worried they might hear something and smiled clearly: ¡°Qi Dianxia told me a secret.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu smiled brightly and ran over: ¡°Tell me, I like hearing secrets the most.¡±
Li Wei Yang gently coughed and said: ¡°Qi Dianxia said Jiu Gongzhu secretly snuck of out the pce, masquerading as Ba Huangzi and going everywhere, giving Qi Dianxia quite a headache. Dianxia does not know how to answer to Bixia. Truthfully speaking, Dianxia fears Jiu Gongzhu will be punished, but if he were to lie to Bixia, he would feel guilty¡ª¡ª¡±
¡°What? Qi ge even told Xianzhu about this? Qi ge is too much! I have to find Qi ge!¡± Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s small face was flushed red. Furious, she momentarily forgot to ask Li Wei Yang for details, and ran over to the Pavilion.
Tuoba Zhen smiled clearly: ¡°Xianzhu is truly clever, grasping Jiumei¡¯s weakness, you were able to send her away with a couple words.¡±
Earlier, Yongning Gongzhu invited him over for tea. Tuoba Yu had kept that Yatou here to press for details, so they had gone ahead. However, Tuoba Yu did note, leading him to grow suspicious. Right when Jiu Gongzhu demanded to go outside, he immediately used it as an excuse to lead Jiu Gongzhu here. Who would have thought he would see Li Wei Yang and Tuoba Yu in the Pavilion, conversing with each other almost happily. The sight made his heart clench, making him ufortable, very ufortable!
Li Wei Yang kept declining his proposals, yet she smiled brightly at Qi Huangzi, making him feel as if she held him in contempt, and in this lifetime, he resented that feeling the most!
His gaze fell on Li Wei Yang¡¯s unfazed expression. Tuoba Zhen coldly said: ¡°Li Wei Yang, it seems you have ced your hopes in the wrong ce!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled in response: ¡°San Dianxia, Wei Yang believes in her own eyes.¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s expressions suddenly became hostile, cold and detached, as he stood before her, staring intently at Li Wei Yang, whose face had yet to change. Behind her, however, Bai Zhi felt a strange coldness grappled her heart. On any other days, she followed Xiaojie and came across quite a few people, such as Da Xiaojie and her superficial goodwill or Da Furen and her cruelty and wickedness, but this was the first time she felt fear from the bottom of her heart.
Just when Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu felt as if they were faced with great animosity, Tuoba Zhen let out a smile, his smile was amiable and warm but it had ulterior motives. Li Wei Yang nkly stared at him. Compared to the frightening side of him that he did not bother to hide, this unpredictability was like the deep, dark forest that inspired fear in others, because one could never guess what he wanted, like they would never know what good fortune they would receive from this monster!
Tuoba Zhen did not say a word, firmly holding onto Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand as he pulled her along. Furious, Li Wei Yang said: ¡°What are you doing?¡±
Tuoba Zhen smiled indifferently: ¡°Come to watch the chess game where this victory or defeat of ours will be decided.¡±
Who would have expected Li Wei Yang to coldly brush his hand away: ¡°No need to drag me, I can go myself!¡±
Tuoba Zhen narrowed his eyes as Li Wei Yang walked past him and scoffed coldly before following after her.
Li Wei Yang returned to the Pavilion and saw Jiu Gongzhu holding onto Tuoba Yu¡¯s arm, going back and forth, pestering him to talk to her. Tuoba Yu was surprised to see Li Wei Yang return.
Li Wei Yang grimaced as she sat down: ¡°I was invited to watch a chess game.¡±
Tuoba Yu nced at the chess pieces on the table, he did not think Tuoba Zhen would still care about their unfinished game. ¡°Since that is the case, please make your move, San ge.¡±
Tuoba Zhen smiled vaguely and sat down, continuing to pick up the chess pieces. Li Wei Yang promptly ignored him, eying the ck and white pieces killing ceaselessly in a restless struggle. Neither side had a clear advantage, as of now, it was difficult to determine who the victor would be.
Li Wei Yang did not excel in the arts women were expected to like painting, poetry, dance, and music -- except chess -- Tuoba Zhen liked chess the most. To win his favor, she had spent a lot of time and effort. Just to keep him happy, she spent most of her time and effort on how to let him win while losing in a perfectly usible way. Now, sitting here and seeing him y with someone else, she truly did not know if she wanted tough or cry. Ah, the irony...
Tuoba Zhenmanded the white pieces and Tuoba Yu the ck pieces, spread out on the chessboard like a battlefield, like two armies locked in fiercebat.
Li Wei Yang clearly recognized that their strategies were almost equal to one another. For that reason, they battled fiercely, epting sacrifices as something that was necessary for triump, like that the proxy battle continued, but they still kept the endgame in mind.
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s gaze seemed to be frozen on the board, the piece between his fingers had yet to be lowered.
Jiu Gongzhu leaned towards Li Wei Yang, tilting her head: ¡°Xianzhu, who do you think will win?¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly responded: ¡°The chances are about the same, both y excellently. There is still a long battle left before the victor can be determined.¡±
She may have said this, but in her heart, she understood these chess pieces reflected one¡¯s true character when ying. Tuoba Zhen excelled at scheming, taking care of things quietly in the background, and was cautious in every aspect. His only w was perhaps over-thinking,bined with paranoia and caution. And Tuoba Yu, he was apathetic and certainly intelligent, but others could easily take advantage of his carelessness. If he were to meet an opponent like Tuoba Zhen, then the slightest mistake could cost him everything.
Like Li Wei Yang had predicted, the two struggled for quite a while. Even when Jiu Gongzhu hadid down on the sleeping tform, a victor had yet to emerge. Half a shichen had passed.
A bitter, Lao Furen sent someone over: ¡°Xianzhu, it is time to return.¡±
Tuoba Zhen calmly said: ¡°Tell Lao Furen of your household that Xianzhu is here to oversee the game for Qidi and me. Once it is over, I will personally escort her home!¡±
He had no intention of letting her go! Li Wei Yang frowned: ¡°Jiu Gongzhu here can take over!¡±
Tuoba Yu looked up and nced over at Li Wei Yang: ¡°Jiumei is only a xiao haizi. She is also sleeping rather soundly, we should not disturb her. We will have to trouble Xianzhu this time.¡±
Li Wei Yang stood and took the chess piece in Tuoba Yu¡¯s hand and firmly nted it on the chessboard.
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face was quickly drained of color. Li Wei Yang turned to look at him with a cheerful smile. She was radiant and amiable, but her smile had a different type of allure that made Tuoba Zhen¡¯s heart stir and race.
Amongst the ck and white pieces on the chessboard, a victor had been decided.
Because someone had nudged her, Jiu Gongzhu suddenly sat up, saw the chessboard and immediately shouted: ¡°Ah, Qi ge won!¡±
Tuoba Zhen coldly stared at LI Wei Yang. Li Wei Yang could not hide the impatience in her eyes: ¡°The game has ended. At this time, I must return.¡±
Tuoba Yu turned and peered past the flower gardens. Indeed, most of the guests had left. Heughed softly: ¡°Thank you Xianzhu for your assistance today, so I could win against San ge. We will meet again.¡±
LI Wei Yang nodded and led Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu away, departing immediately.
She found only Li Min De waiting for her in front of the horse carriage: ¡°Earlier, someone had informed us that Nan An Hou Furen has paid a visit to the residence. Lao Furen could not wait any longer and left beforehand. Da Furen and Da Xiaojie have also returned. I heard Wu Huangzi noticed that it waste and feared the roads would be difficult to travel and personally escorted them home.¡±
Li Chang Le was the one at a loss and certainly did not have the face to stay around and wait. Wu Huangzi liked to y the role of the messenger, so this was nothing out of the ordinary. Li Wei Yang nodded: ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±
-------------------------------------------------
Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 72 part2
Chapter 72: Midnight Ambush
__________________________________________________________
Aboard the carriage, they headed directly to the Prime Minister¡¯s Residence. Having arrived at the West crossing, they suddenly heard someone outside say: ¡°Xianzhu, Liu Yu shi¡¯s carriage had overturned, we have to take a detour.¡±
Bai Zhi lifted the curtain and saw the chaos outside with the said horse carriage in the middle of the road and frowned: ¡°Xiaojie, we should take a different road.¡±
Gongzhu¡¯s residence was in the outskirts of the Capital. The sky had turned pitch ck. They must quickly return to the residence. Li Wei Yang nced up at the sky and said: ¡°Then take the detour route.¡±
Li Min De had never been so solemn. His appearance was exceptional. At the moment, the carriage was only illuminated with a single candle. Under the flickering light, his extraordinary appearance seemed wless as his shadow swayed.
It urred to Li Wei Yang that the youth before her seemed a bit distant, if not unfamiliar.
The first time they met, he was only a small, weak child, but now she had a strange premonition. It was like the Li Min De before her was only a shadow of his true self, something she had yet to understand as well.
Li Min De looked up to see Li Wei Yang staring at him and was startled.
Li Wei Yang saw his surprise and smiled.
Li Wei Yang¡¯splexion was delicate, and the emotions flitting across her face had a trace of the springlike rity of the Jiangnanndscape. Although it could not match Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty, when Wei Yang smiled, her dimples appeared and made her smile even lovelier. She had clearly experienced many hardships, but her smile was clear as the blue sky after the rain, as if the unpleasant times had never existed. Suddenly, Li Min De was left speechless.
Li Wei Yang asked: ¡°Who did you meet today?¡±
Li Min De was taken aback. He immediately asked: ¡°Meet who?¡±
Li Wei Yang did not pursue the question. She paused in thought before taking a jade hair piece from inside her sleeve. She removed the ornamental piece from Li Min De¡¯s head and gently reced with the jade piece for him.
¡°It¡¯s your birthday today, have you forgotten already?¡±
Li Min De was momentarily surprised before cherishing the jade piece on his head, his fingers grazing past the jade as he asked: ¡°Is it really?!¡± He had an impable memory, once he had seen something, he would not forget it, yet he could not remember his own birthday.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze was unclear. A whileter, she began to say: ¡°You see, time passes in the blink of an eye. You are a year older now.¡± She thought he was wholeheartedly dependent on her and believed every word she said, but she did not know when he began to keep many more secrets than she did.
One could hear a secondary meaning in her words. Li Min De was conflicted on whether or not he could tell her and trembled as he said: ¡°If I could, I¡¯d be willing to go back to the way things used to be.¡± Those words were sincere and from the bottom of his heart. He did not want Li Wei Yang to misunderstand, but the way things were now, he did not want her to worry either.
Seeing his reluctance to tell the truth, Li Wei Yang softly sighed: ¡°You must be tired. Close your eyes and rest. I will wake you up when we arrive.¡±
Li Min De trembled. Li Wei Yang was always close to him and had never been so indifferent with him. The tone of her voice was reserved and solemn. He took a deep breath and bit his lip as he turned away, quietly saying: ¡°I know you me me.¡± There was a trace of loneliness on his face.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze softened, she suppressed the worry from the bottom of her heart and gently replied: ¡°I don¡¯t me you.¡±
Li Min De curled up, shifting away from her, his expressions pale as a corpse. Li Wei Yang saw that his jade hair piece was crooked and instinctively reached out to fix it for him like she would in the past. Li Min De abruptly raised his head, his eyes bright red and determined: ¡°There¡¯s something I want to tell you!¡±
Seeing him so serious, Li Wei Yang wondered if she had been too harsh!
Suddenly, Bai Zhi heard a sound behind them. She peered out of the window and saw several silhouettes rushing towards them like the roaring winds. She shouted, ¡°Xiaojie!¡±
The carriage was suddenly overturned, causing Li Wei Yang and the others to fall out from the carriage. LI Wei Yang was momentarily stunned before she pulled Li Min De behind the guards that had apanied them. They had barely gone a couple steps before the dark figures had sprung out of nowhere, blocking their path.
It was difficult to say how many there were, perhaps about twenty or thirty people, all dressed in ck garments. They advanced quickly, fighting the ten guards that were protecting the carriage of the Prime Minister¡¯s residence. Travelers on the road chaotically dispersed, even if they did not run, they would find a ce to hide far away.
Li Min De frowned deeply. Li Wei Yang took his hand. Their hands were already sweaty and mmy when they came in contact.
¡°Xiaojie, what do we do now?¡± Bai Zhi was drained of color, fearful as she held onto Mo Zhu. The two were holding onto one another, trembling.
¡°You people...¡± Their objective was Li Min De and her. Wei Yang turned around and whispered, ¡°Do not panic. Find somewhere to hide far away from here, the farther the better!¡±
Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu tentatively nodded. Bai Zhi murmured: ¡°Xiaojie, you must be careful!¡± She knew she would only be a burden to Xiaojie if she stayed whereas she could run to find help instead! For that reason, she pulled Mo Zhu along and ran.
The dark figures saw Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu leaving, but those two were not their targets, so they did not pursue. They spread out into a semi-circle, surrounding the guards. The guards disregarded their lives and surged forward to protect them. But in the end, there were too many assants. They had strength in numbers.
A breeze gently blew past, raising the stench of blood into one¡¯s face. A coldness sprung forth. Li Wei Yang discovered something was not right and quickly shielded Li Min De. It was a good thing because in the blink of an eye, the gleam of a sword red. Two guards risked their lives,bining their strengths to protect Li Wei Yang and Li Min De in the center.
Li Min De raised his voice: ¡°What kind of people are you?!¡±
The dark-garbed assants did not waste their breath and advanced. The two guards were cut down. Li Wei Yang pulled Li Min De back as they retreated. The assassins raised their bloodstained pointing at them! At that moment, a brilliant gleam of a broadsword intercepted the assassin at the lead. Li Wei Yang was stunned to see Tuoba Yu on horseback, quickly approaching with at least ten guards behind him.
They entered the fray and immediately turned the tides. The dark-garbed assassin saw this and smiled coldly, suddenly raised his head up and whistled loudly. Roughly another ten assassins emerged from the shadows. It seemed as if they had already been there, waiting.
Their objective was Li Wei Yang and the others, and more importantly, it was to kill. They did not hesitate to cut down the guards by Tuoba Yu¡¯s side, intending to force them out. Two weapons shed against one another. Li Wei Yang heard a ¡°kacha¡± sound by her ear and spun around to see Tuoba Yu split the de of his opponent¡¯s dagger with his sword. As if struck by a fierce blow, fresh blood spewed from the assant¡¯s mouth, and he fell backwards.
Li Wei Yang knew Tuoba Yu had trained in martial arts for many years and excelled in other matters, but she did not think he would be this skilled!
Tuoba Yu threw his hand up, sending the signal res within his sleeve flying straight up into the sky. Above, the signal res illuminated the sky!
Li Wei Yang understood. Tuoba Yu was gathering his forces. Her fiercely pounding heart could not begin to feel at peace.
The dark-garbed assassins saw the situation and became even more ruthless.
Li Wei Yang heard footsteps behind her and had thought that Tuoba Yu¡¯s reinforcements had arrived. She turned to look and saw individuals in the same dark uniforms as the assassins in front of her that surged forward with murderous intent.
Tuoba Yu had not expected his reinforcements to be dyed, not to mention more assassins had arrived. His face grew solemn as he blocked the swords in front of them. Countless gleaming des lunged at them. The sound of the des upon contact were deafening.
Li Wei Yang pulled Li Min De closer. Caught in the center of the fray of the battle, the killing intent and stench of blood were almost suffocating. It was the first time she felt deathe as close to her as this. She saw a guard in front of her being beheaded, blood overflowing from his body. Her body became numb, but her mind stirred with countless possibilities.
Was it Da furen? Had Da Furen sent people to kill her?!
No, that wasn¡¯t it. This was within proximity of the Capital. Da Furen would not attempt something as daring here! Moreover, she had attended Gongzhu¡¯s banquet. There were countless influential nobles and officials on the roads. If the assassins had mistakenly targeted anyone else, it would be traced back to her. Da Furen was not that foolish! If so, then who was it, who else would want her life?
Tuoba Yu struggled to fend off the assassins on his own. More than half of his guards were dead. Raw blood ceaselessly darkened the ground beneath them, inspiring fear in others at the sight of it. The road ahead and the one behind them had been blocked off. Even if Li Wei Yang wanted to find somece to hide, she could not.
A whileter, a guard fell down. The protective circle suddenly had been broken. Seeing the gap, the assants rushed at them with their swords.
In a fleeting moment, Li Wei Yang felt a numbing chill from within her, leaving her rooted to the spot in the most urgent moment. Li Min De suddenly pushed her aside and shielded her. Li Wei Yang was horrified and was about to call him back because the gleaming sword was about to touch Li Min De¡¯s hair. Li Wei Yang was drenched in sweat and unnerved by each gust of cold wind that blew against her.
However, Li Min De saw the assants copse to the ground, blood running freely.
¡°Reinforcements have arrived!¡± Li Min De saw about ten masked individuals in blue garments rush forward, shing and stabbing amongst the assassins. Relief surfaced in his eyes.
However, Tuoba Yu fearfully called out: ¡°No, these are not my reinforcements!¡± He did not stop swinging his sword, taking advantage of the confusion, the assassins scattered.
Seeing as they were not his own, Tuoba Yu¡¯s thinking shifted. He whistled once and a white steed came. He shouted: ¡°Onto the horse!¡± He cut down an assassin and waved her over. He helped Li Wei Yang up onto the horse. Naturally, he had no intention of saving Li Min De.
Li Wei Yang firmly pulled the reins and stared meaningfully at Tuoba Yu. Tuoba Yu was startled, then he frowned and pushed Li Min De forward, allowing him to get onto the horse: ¡°Quickly, go!¡± After that he sent the horse off, spiriting away from the circle.
Li Wei Yang only registered the shrieking winds in her ears as if there was a sharp arrow piercing through the air, pursuing them. She held her breath and held onto Li Min De¡¯s hand. Two arrows streaked past her hair. Li Wei Yang lowered her voice: ¡°Min De! Crouch down!¡± After that, she raised the reins and urged the horse forward, leaving the assassins behind.
Her surroundings flew past as if she were flying. She did not know how much time had passed. The horse was still racing ahead, the farther they went, the quicker everything disappeared.
Once she saw that there were no more pursuers, her heart began to calm down. The evening wind had its familiar chill, as scathing as a knife across her face. She slightly bowed her head, ¡°Min De...¡± Li Wei Yang paused for a breath, only to take in the cold wind and a chill that seeped into her very bones.
She called Li Min De¡¯s name twice, but he didn¡¯t respond, as if he didn¡¯t hear anything. Li Wei Yang thought he hadn¡¯t heard her and called two or three more times, but he still didn¡¯t respond.
Terrified, Li Wei Yang turned around and examined his face. His face was ashen, his eyes closed shut with sweat pouring from his forehead as if he were trying to suppress something.
Li Wei Yang immediately sensed that something was wrong and could not help but murmur: ¡°Min De, what¡¯s happening to you?¡±
¡°San jie...¡± Even Li Min De¡¯s voice was trembling. He only managed to utter two words, but it was as if he was using all of the strength he had, ¡°I... I...¡±
Li Wei Yang felt her heart drop.
Seeing Li Wei Yang and Li Min De had fled, the assassins and the individuals in blue uniforms wanted to chase after them. However, Tuoba Yu¡¯s reinforcements had arrived, the military official leading the guards rushed over: ¡°Dianxia!¡±
Tuoba Yu threw out his arm: ¡°Capture them alive!¡±
The individuals in blue were very perceptive. They whistled once and quickly retreated like the receding tide. The remaining assassins had yet to react before they were surrounded by Tuoba Yu¡¯s guards.
In the woods, Li Wei Yang pulled the reins back. The horse neighed and stopped.
Li Wei Yang wanted to examine Li Min De¡¯s condition more closely, but the horse had just stopped. Behind her, Li Min De, who had always been holding onto her waist, not uttering a word, fell straight to the ground! Li Wei Yang panicked and quickly pulled him back, but she did not have enough strength, so they both fell off the horse. Frightened, the horse bolted away as if driven mad, Li Wei Yang let it go and rushed to examine Li Min De.
¡°Min De!¡± She called out his name, but his eyes were still tightly closed, not responding to her words. Li Wei Yang saw that something was off and checked his back, only to discover a strange dampness. She could faintly make out what it was under the moonlight; it was damp, fresh blood. Eyes brimming with fear, Li Wei Yang looked closer and discovered a short arrow protruding from Li Min De¡¯s back - he must have been struck by the arrow earlier!
She clearly remembered telling him to crouch down, how could he not listen to her? In a heartbeat, she understood. If Li Min De had crouched down, then her back would have been exposed to the enemy, and the person wounded would certainly have been her! As the thought crossed her mind, she felt her heart ache, constricting and making it hurt to breathe.
¡°Min De! Min De!¡± Li Wei Yang could not think anymore. She looked around. Earlier, in their flight of panic, she did not have the chance to examine her surroundings closely. Now, she did not see the assassins, much less a single person¡¯s silhouette around.
What to do now? Was she to watch Li Min De die?!
No! She couldn¡¯t! Absolutely not! She had promised San Furen, and she must keep Li Min De alive, regardless.
Li Wei Yang helped Min De up and tore his clothes. She began to carefully examine the short arrow behind his back - the wound was notrge, but the blood flowing from it had turned ck. Naturally, the arrow must had poison!
Li Wei Yang did not need to think. She firmly pulled the arrow out, and then ced her mouth over the mouth of the wound, using her strength to suck out the poisonous blood. Taking the blood in and spitting it out, fearing that she may be unable to save Li Min De¡¯s life! She lost track of how much time had passed before she discovered the ck blood on Li Min De¡¯s back had slowly turned red again. She breathed a sigh of relief and ripped a piece of fabric from her skirt to use to bandage his wound with.
Suddenly, a rapid burst of footfalls thundered against the small road, rming Li Wei Yang.
What happened?
She had barely turned around. The cold de of a dagger was already against her throat.
¡°Xianzhu, as long as you don¡¯t do anything, we will not harm you.¡± The voice that rang out was cold but sensible and reasonable.
Li Wei Yang ran through countless possibilities in her head. The assassins had charged at them with swords, clearly after their lives, but this person had not taken action immediately, so they must not have been with the assassins. In any case, he had a sword against her throat, which proved that he was not part of the reinforcements Tuoba Yu sent. Only three different groups had been present, and given process of elimination, that left the individuals in blue.
Li Wei Yang suddenly recollected herself.
She was someone who had died once. Living once more was the Heavens¡¯ grace. From the moment she returned to the Capital, she had always kept her calm. Now, even if she was going down a dark, obscure road, she would not allow herself to panic! She had yet to reach a dead end, there was still a chance!
¡°Who are you?¡± Her gaze fell on the person in gray in front of her
Although the individual in gray wore a mask, there were noticeable gray hairs on his head. One could tell that he was no longer young, but his eyes were bright and piercing, with a coldness of its own. When he looked over Li Wei Yang¡¯s calm, collected face, unspoken praise crossed his eyes. It could be said a person¡¯s true nature could be revealed in desperate times. This xiao guniang was only thirteen or fourteen years old, yet she could remain calm in the face of life and death. Others could not help but look at her differently.
Li Wei Yang nced at his gray uniform. A number of possibilities raced through her head, but they quickly disappeared before she could determine the most likely reason. The person in gray noticed Li Min De lying on the ground and suddenly panicked. He withdrew his sword in order to check on Li Min De¡¯s condition!
¡°You know Min De?¡± She asked.
He paid no mind to her. After checking, he saw that Li Min De was still breathing, and the poison in his blood had been removed. He then breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Wei Yang coldly looked at him. Under the moonlight, her youthful face resembled that of a statue¡¯s, only her eyes were bright and clear. Her eyes trained on the person in gray and his every action.
He calmly returned Li Wei Yang¡¯s stare: ¡°Xianzhu, we don¡¯t have any ill intentions.¡±
We? Li Wei Yang scanned her surroundings and noticed numerous silhouettes in the shadows, all in blue uniforms, their presence like that of ghosts.
These people had soundlessly surrounded them in the blink of an eye, and she had not sensed anything at all. Li Wei Yang could not say a word.
The situation settled into a strange calm.
¡°You were the individuals in blue that saved us earlier,¡± Judging from his facial expressions, Li Wei Yang knew she was right.
Even if she was brilliant, she could not exin why a group of assassins suddenly appeared, intent on taking their lives. As for why Tuoba Yu intervened, it could be said that it was a matter of returning a favor. If so, then, these individuals in blue, what were their intentions?
Li Wei Yang recalled the worried look the person in gray had when he saw Li Min De and thought of one possibility.
¡°If you truly are honorable and righteous, you would not mind taking off your mask.¡± Li Wei Yang coldly continued, ¡°If you do not, there is nothing more that needs to be said.
The person in gray paused for a moment before taking off his mask. He came closer, revealing his face. Unlike most, he had a tall, dignified form, perhaps around forty years of age.
¡°We do not have any intentions to harm you two at all. Xianzhu, please do not misunderstand. If we had such intentions, we would not have saved you earlier.¡±
Even if they weren¡¯t assassins, they had yet revealed their intentions. Li Wei Yang inwardly scoffed coldly: ¡°You still refuse to state your objective?¡±
Once the words left her, a sword was suddenly up against her throat. It seemed as if she could hear the sound of the de, slicing through her skin. Then, there was blood, flowing and burning against her skin.
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 73 part1
Chapter 73: Secret Identity
__________________________________________________________
Li Wei Yang did not show any expression of pain on her face, but instead she rose her brows and stared at the other party: "This is what you mean when you had no malicious intentions?¡±
The man in gray voiced: ¡°Leave!¡±
The man in green behind Li Wei Yang immediately stepped back, but still vigntly holding the sword standing not too far away.
Li Wei Yang discovered that the other party seemed to be only concerned with Li Min De¡¯s life and death. In his eyes, she was unimportant like ants......but for some reason, the other party did not want to take her life. Her eyes fell on Li Min De, who had already been unconscious.
¡°What do you want to do to Min De!¡± Li Wei Yang slowly said.
Everyone¡¯s face once again discolored and this time, the man in gray were also surprised. In front of their eyes was a little yatou, that even encountering danger and was threatened by a sword, she was still calm and was able to make judgments. Even when she knew they came for Li Min De. This was not something a youngdy could do; thus, this made them really shocked!
At this time, the man in green suddenly said: ¡°His breathing is getting weaker!¡±
The expression of the man in gray changed and he quickly squatted to pick up Li Min De. Li Wei Yang stopped in front of him, pointed a finger at Li Min De, and word by word, said: ¡°You cannot take him away!¡±
The man gray for the first time expressed hesitation and then he decisively acted: ¡°Youe with us!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face slightly changed and then she quickly made a decision.
The man in gray instructed to cover Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes and then it seemed like she entered the carriage. Li Wei Yang suddenly said: ¡°There are also my two maidservants.¡±
The man in gray took a deep breath and said: ¡°I will send people to look.¡±
The carriage traveled far until they arrived in front of a house did they remove the cloth on Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes.
¡°Official, the physician is ready ......¡± a maidservant greeted, saluted and spoke but her eyes did not look towards Li Wei Yang.
¡°Good, let¡¯s start the treatment immediately,¡± The man in gray said.
Li Wei Yang observed the scene and became more doubtful at the true identity of these people.
¡°Wee Xianzhu to stay here for a while,¡± The man in gray¡¯s faintly voiced over.
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Min De in his arms and frowned: ¡°I want to be ensured that he will be safe and sound.¡±
The man in gray no longer insisted, carried Li Min De into the room. He walked in and suddenly looked back at Li Wei Yang, ¡°Come in.¡±
Li Wei Yang walked in and the door closed behind.
This person allowed her to enter, indicating that the situation was not as bad as it seemed. At least, they didn¡¯t want to take their lives. Li Wei Yang lightly exhaled, lifted her head up, and looked at the entire room. Inside the room, there was a folding screen of mountains and rivers and from the burner, a delicate fragrance curled up. Calligraphy brushes and ink were readily avable, but everything were new ......besides the luxurious furnishings, it was difficult to see the master¡¯s likings and guess the master¡¯s identity.
A white-haired man carried a medicinal chest, stood trembling with fear in the room. The man in gray gently ced Li Min De on the couch and then whispered: ¡°Treat him.¡±
The physician nodded, lowered his head and saw Li Min De¡¯s wound.
Li Min De was still sleeping, his smooth jade skin showed no signs of life. She didn¡¯t know when he lost his jaded crown. His ck hair was scattered on his body like brocades.
¡°Min De ---¡° Li Wei Yang suddenly tensed up and couldn¡¯t help but whispered again.
¡°Nothing will happen ......¡± The man in gray¡¯s voice sounded, ¡°Nothing can happen to him!¡± After those words, he clenched his fist and his voice was hoarse. In order to find him, he spent years of effort and escaped dangers, and now that his person was in front of his eyes ......
The physician turned his head and his expression was heavy.
¡°Is he alright?¡± The man in gray was agitated. He quickly stepped forward and forcefully stared at the physician.
¡°Even though I have already removed most of the toxins but there are some toxins that had already infused with the blood, now, the situation is very dangerous......¡± The physician tremblingly spoke.
¡°You can¡¯t cure him?¡± Trace of anger appeared on the man in gray¡¯s face as he caught onto the physician¡¯s cor.
The physician¡¯s entire expression changed and was frightened to the point of being speechless.
Seeing this scene, Li Wei Yang felt anxious and angrily said: ¡°Let go of the physician, do you really want to watch Min De die?¡±
The man in gray was surprised for a moment.
The maidservants in the room were also astonished and their faces turned green. They couldn¡¯t believe that Li Wei Yang dared talk to the man in gray like that.
¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± A voice suddenly sounded.
Everyone looked towards the bed at the same time.
¡°You finally woke up ......¡± The man in gray was excited. He dropped the physician and took a few steps forward.
Li Min De¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t looking good and his eyes didn¡¯t show joy and gratitude for being saved. Rather, there were only feelings of being fed up.
Li Wei Yang was convinced that she wasn¡¯t mistaken. Once Li Min De spotted the man in gray, tiredness shed across his eyes.
¡°I didn¡¯t say anything ......¡± The man in gray busily said. Speaking half of his sentence, he thought of something and his eyes fell onto Li Wei Yang who was standing quietly as ruthlessness shed across his eyes.
Li Wei Yang secretly sighed, it seemed like the other party didn¡¯t want her to know the truth. She gave Li Min De a glimpse and felt traces of sadness in her heart. Even though she was surprised that she was capable of feeling upset, but she knew Min De obviously knew something. What she was concerned about was what he was hiding from her earlier.
Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°Min De, since you both know each other, you should stay here to recuperate.¡± Then, she turned towards the man in gray and said, ¡°Seeing that I was innocently brought into this, I hope that you will send me back.¡±
Li Min De¡¯s face turned white, even thest trace of life vanished from his lips. He struggled to sit up: ¡°No! I don¡¯t want to stay here!¡±
His tone was determined. To him, this ce was like there were great scourges here.
¡°No, you can¡¯t leave......¡± The nce of the man in gray swept across Li Wei Yang. Without a trace of emotion, he slowly said, ¡°Before we can ensure his safety, no one can leave.¡±
Li Wei Yang sneered and slowly said: ¡°Oh, you are going to house arrest me?¡±
The man in gray didn¡¯t speak again and there was a silence lingering in the room.
Li Min De struggled up: ¡°I want to go with her.¡±
The man in gray immediately changed his tone and looked towards Li Wei Yang. He tried hard to use a moderated tone: ¡°Xianzhu, he is in danger now, so we can¡¯t act rashly. Let that I beg you ---¡°
Li Wei Yang slightly frowned and her gaze fell onto Li Min De¡¯s pale face. In his eyes, there was fear, fear of her abandoning him. Li Wei Yang unnoticeably shook her head. She promised San furen that at any time, she would not abandon him regardless. But what was it that he had to hide it from her? Could it be that these people were threatening him? No, not right, the man in gray¡¯s attitude towards him was very respectful as if Min De was his master.
Li Wei Yang became more suspicious while the man in gray watched her with caution.
In the end, Li Wei Yang nodded: ¡°Well, I will have to leave once it¡¯s morning.¡± Now, she didn¡¯t have time to ponder upon other issues because she must keep the promise she made with San furen.
Li Min De sighed with relief and the hand on his knee gradually stiffened and he suddenly fell. The man in gray¡¯s cold face cracked open as he quickly told the maidservants to bring water over.
The maidservants fearfully warmed the teacup and then poured water. They then held it with both hands as they walked towards the bed and kneeled.
Li Wei Yang watched as she sank deep in her thoughts. She vaguely felt that these people had known Min De earlier, no, perhaps, all of this had something to do with Min De¡¯s identity.
But he had once told her that he was an abandoned baby that no one wanted.
Then how about all these people, where did theye from?
After drinking water, Li Min De suddenly fainted. The physician on the side quickly went up to take his pulse.
The man in gray suddenly turned towards Li Wei Yang and expressed cold resentment. Since interacting with her once, he subconsciously couldn¡¯t treat her like a young girl and she probably knew the situation she was in right now.
He suddenly stood up and walked step by step towards her. He suddenly pulled out his sword and pointed it at Li Wei Yang¡¯s throat.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression changed.
¡°It¡¯s not like you are not afraid of anything! I was saying, how could there be people not afraid of death in this world?!¡± He spoke with mockery.
Li Wei Yang took a deep breath and a smile appeared on her face: ¡°In this world, there is no one who is not afraid of death but you¡¯ll have to see if it¡¯s worth it! If I die, he will die frompunction.¡± She spoke disdainfully, ¡°Then isn¡¯t it meaningless for you to use all your efforts to save him.¡±
The man in gray¡¯s face turned stiff. He was reluctant yet he helplessly spitted out ¡°You have guts¡±, those three words through his teeth.
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°You just want me to keep your secret but what this secret is, I don¡¯t even know, how could I say it?¡±
The man in gray stared at her and slowly put his sword down. He did this not because he didn¡¯t feel threatened by Li Wei Yang¡¯s ignorance. On the contrary, he thought that this smart little girl guessed something. But she was right, if he killed Li Wei Yang, his master wouldn¡¯t spare him.
The physician¡¯s face became more anxious. He solemnly turned his head and said: ¡°He is in much more danger than before......¡±
Li Wei Yang was stunned, she couldn¡¯t help but walked over: ¡°Impossible, he was still speaking just now.¡±
¡°He was anxious just now so his blood flow bes faster......¡± The physician slowly spoke, ¡°This type of poison, I have no way to cure and I have never seen it before ......¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart slowly sank down a bit......
¡°This poison is called Zhu Hong ......¡± The man in gray slowly spoke. He looked at Li Min De and showed slight agitation in his expression: ¡°It¡¯s colorless and tasteless so it can¡¯t be easily discovered. Just a little, it would spread into the inner organs, suffocating the victim until death.¡± If Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t help Li Min De remove most of the toxins, he would have be a corpse by now.
¡°How do you know?¡± Li Wei Yang stared at him.
The man in gray¡¯s expression turned ugly yet he didn¡¯t answer.
¡°If there is nothing we can do, then we can only use poison to attack poison.¡± Sweat perspired from the physician¡¯s inner palm.
Attack poison with poison?
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression froze. She felt a bad premonition in her heart and couldn¡¯t help say: ¡°What kind of medicine do you want to use?¡±
The physician thought about it and slowly replied: ¡°Arsenic, cinnabar, white stone, nine needle, scorpion tail, snake¡¯s venom.¡±
Li Wei Yang and the man in gray gave each other a nce and their expressions turned pale. All of these were highly toxic items.
In the entire room, a solidified atmosphere set in, making it seemed like it was easier to breathe clearly.
The man in gray looked more agitated and he took a deep breath. He suppressed his strong emotions: ¡°He must live, or I will kill you.¡±
On the physician¡¯s head, arge bead of sweat immediately rolled down.
Li Wei Yang raised her hand and interrupted him: ¡°If you want the physician to stay focus, then you shouldn¡¯t always talk about beating and killing.¡±
The man in gray was furious, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to teach me!¡±
Li Wei Yang watched him patiently, expression unchanged.
The man in gray¡¯s chest rose and fell and it wasn¡¯t for a while until he suppressed his mood. He didn¡¯t know why but he was aware that the young girl in front of him had the power and influence of an authority. How could this be? A mere prime minister¡¯s daughter who was conferred the title of Xianzhu, he didn¡¯t even care about. But in front of her, his boldness seemed to have lost its usefulness.
¡°If you don¡¯t want to cause his death, then shut your mouth.¡± Li Wei Yang faintly spoke, then, she asked the physicians: ¡°Do you have other ways?¡±
The physician carefully considered for a moment and solemnly shook his head.
Li Wei Yang stayed silent for a moment, then lifted her head up and said to him: ¡°You were invited here to treat someone, this person ---¡° She readily pointed towards the man in gray, ¡°He will kill you. But if you can sessfully cure him, I promise you, you will be able to walk out here alive.¡±
The physician looked at Li Wei Yang and he didn¡¯t know why but felt that the young girl¡¯splicated mind made people feel afraid.
¡°Who gave you the power to decide?!¡± The man in gray couldn¡¯t hold back and scold.
LWY stared at him and calmly repeated: ¡°I have the final say!¡±
¡°Are you tired of living?¡± The man in gray coldly smiled.
Li Wei Yang answered with calmness: ¡°Unless you are prepared to do nothing and watch him die.¡±
The man in gray couldn¡¯t speak. He stared at the young girl in front of his eyes and felt that he was seeing ghosts! Because Li Wei Yang acted overly calm, she had already left a very deep impression in this man¡¯s heart. Even though he repeatedly told himself not to believe it but he subconsciously felt a sense of eptance towards her and this girl made himpletely stunned.
His eyes flickered and fiercely struggled as he for the first time looked directly at Li Wei Yang. He became solemn, ¡°I think you know what you are doing, but you don¡¯t know his real identity ......¡±
Li Wei Yang stared at him and didn¡¯t speak.
The man in gray finally nodded, ¡°Fine, I will temporarily listen to you. If something happens to him, you have to pay with your life.¡±
The first person that discovered Li Wei Yang was missing was Tuoba Zhen. The other guests all thought that Li Wei Yang followed the Li family¡¯s carriage back together. While the Li family thought that Li Wei Yang remained at the Princess¡¯ residence for the evening banquet. Only Tuoba Zhen felt unreconciled and sent people to monitor Li Wei Yang that he discovered something was wrong.
¡°The carriage was gone?¡± He heard his servant reported as he felt this urrence was unexpected.
¡°It seemed like they suddenly changed their itinerary, then entered a small road and disappeared.¡±
¡°How could it be like this?¡± Even if it was a small road but it was an official road. There wouldn¡¯t be much danger so he didn¡¯t think that someone would attempt to kill Li Wei Yang. But he frowned and his knuckle lightly tapped the tabletop.
Impossible, it couldn¡¯t be! Did this young girl run away? She wanted to break away from the Li family? This was a possibility because after all, he felt that Li Wei Yang had always harbored deep resentment towards the Li family.
¡°There seemed to be trace of blood on the ground, but there was not one person.¡± The servant busily said.
Traces of blood? Was this young girl trying to trick others? Or did she really encounter danger? Tuoba Zhen nodded, casually waved his hand and the servant knowingly retreated. He reached out and raised the teacup as Li Wei Yang¡¯s face floated in front of his eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but held deep doubts towards the situation. The trace of blood on the ground, if she was really attacked --- Li Wei Yang was a clever person, who dared make a move on an official road? Li family¡¯s Da furen? No, she hadn¡¯t reached the point of being able to cover up everything. If she really wanted to get rid of Li Wei Yang, she would have done it unnoticeably. If the Xianzhu, titled by the Emperor, was killed on the way back from the Princess¡¯ residence, it would definitely cause an uproar, so Da furen wouldn¡¯t be this foolish. Then, who could it be?
¡°Your highness ......¡± Someone came in to report. Tuoba Zhen¡¯s thoughts were suddenly interrupted and he involuntarily frowned.
The servants brought out a letter and respectfully handed it over: ¡°This was a report we just received.¡±
Tuoba Zhen took it and swept across the lines of words, his expression unchanged.
Seventh Prince was injured and returned to his residence. After being hastily wrapped up, he left again, got rid of his guards, and disappeared.
What was going on?
At this time, the window suddenly sounded with rain, the night sky was dark.
Tuoba Zhen stood up, walked to the window and pushed it open. The cold wind outside the window carried a slight chill as it blew forth.
The whole yard was covered with rain and fog. In the silent night, the trees in the garden became vast and misty to the point of bing frightening.
Tuoba Zhen suddenly sneered and what he had to think about was whether Li Wei Yang and Tuoba Yu hadbined forces. Tuoba Yu was obviously injured yet he still went out to search, who was he searching for?!
He suddenly frowned and seemed like he was dissatisfied with the time he spent pondering upon this. He didn¡¯t know why but no matter what, his thoughts were all of this girl.
-------------------------------------------------
Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 73 part2
Chapter 73: Secret Identity
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At this time, Li Wei Yang was very nervous.
The sound of rain pattered through the window, making the atmosphere of the room more imposing.
After feeding a bowl of meticulously prescribed medicine, the physician¡¯s coat had been soaked with sweat. He took a dangerous step today; if this beautiful boy didn¡¯t survive, then he would also lose his life.
Li Wei Yang took the nket on the side and gently ced it onto Li Min De¡¯s waist. The boy had his eyes closed, his brows continued to wrinkle, and his forehead drenched with sweat.
It must be very painful. Li Wei Yang felt sad and took the initiative to reach for the handkerchief in the maidservant¡¯s hand to gently wipe his face. She was already careful yet each time she touched him, Li Min De¡¯s body would tremble.
The man in gray whispered: ¡°How is it?¡±
¡°If he can live until dawn, then he will survive.¡± The physician wiped his sweat and replied, ¡°Sess or failure, it depends all on this ......¡±
¡°What is the probability?¡± The man in gray couldn¡¯t help but ask again.
Every half an hour, this person would ask again. The physician became more and more anxious as he was asked again and again. In his mind, he wasn¡¯t confident at all but he didn¡¯t dare to say it and could only reply with yeses.
At this time, Li Min De¡¯s eyes suddenly opened. He looked at Li Wei Yang, his eyes carried momentary pain then vanished, and spoke to the man in gray instead: ¡°Leave us.¡±
This was the tone ofmand.
The man in gray was surprised and blurted: ¡°Your Highness ---¡°
Li Min De¡¯s face suddenly changed and the man in gray immediately understood. He ferociously stared at Li Wei Yang and unwillingly left.
It was obvious that Li Wei Yang heard everything yet her usual smile still appeared on her face as if she didn¡¯t notice Li Min De tightly clenching his fist. She sat down beside him and whispered: ¡°Are you alright now?¡±
Li Min De¡¯s pair of beautiful eyes were like peach flowers that still showed affections. At this moment, his head of ck hair fell scattered down with a few strands sticking to his face. His expression showed panic and he suddenly embraced Li Wei Yang¡¯s waist tightly.
Li Wei Yang was conflicted for a second. The hand on her waist was obviously shaking, making her slowly rx her stiff back and warmly said to him in a low voice:
¡°What happened?¡±
At this time, a ray of light shone through the window and coldly sketched the delicate features of Li Min De¡¯s face. His fine eyshes were still trembling and infected with sporadic tears like broken jade. Often witnessing these situations, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but be absent-minded and asked: ¡°What exactly happened?¡±
¡°Do not leave me......¡±
¡°I lied, they came to find me, and said my birth father put in a lot of effort in the past years to search for me. They want me to go with them but I was unwilling ......¡±
Li Min Deid on her knees. His whole body was trembling to the point that Li Wei Yang almost followed along with his trembling. She had guessed correctly; this matter was really rted to Min De¡¯s identity.
She only let out a long sigh and gently patted his back. The Min De in her arms didn¡¯t notice her thoughts. He paused for a moment and said: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make you angry nor to hide it from you.¡±
But in his heart, he was still deep in fear. There was one thing, there was one thing about his identity that he absolutely couldn¡¯t tell Li Wei Yang or else she would certainly hate him and think that he was dirty! He didn¡¯t want that, he never wanted that! Even if he were to die, he would still keep this secret! He absolutely couldn¡¯t let his San jie find out! His hands and feet were cold; his heart was like it had been soaked in iced cold water, cold to the point without any trace of warmth. The darkness between heaven and earthying on the roof crumbled onto his heart.
Li Wei Yang saw that he was this worried. She couldn¡¯t help but smile and said: ¡°I don¡¯t me you.¡±
Everyone had their own secret. She had her own too. It was like her who would not tell anyone about her rebirth; Li Min De would also have his own secrets. He was willing to tell her this much and it already showed his trust and dependence towards her: ¡°No matter when, I won¡¯t me you nor will I ever leave you.¡±
She answered like this.
Li Min De looked up and earnestly stared at Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes. Seeing no trace of alienation in her eyes, his body, which looked like it had been burned to ashes, gentlyid on herp: ¡°Okay, I will also never leave you.¡±
This child, was he too dependent on her. For a moment, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t know how to react. After she thought, if he was unable to survive past tonight, then it wouldn¡¯t be eternal. At this time, Li Min De said: ¡°I am really tired, I want to sleep for a bit.¡±
Li Wei Yang understood very well that if he fell into a deep slumber at this time, he might not be able to wake up anymore in this lifetime. So she took his hand and said: ¡°Don¡¯t sleep, you just dropped your jade crown. Tomorrow, I will gift you a new one, what do you like?¡±
Li Min De¡¯s body moved a bit and then opened his eyes.
He slowly spoke: ¡°One year, my mother made me a bowl of longevity noodles for my birthday, she made it personally ......¡± Li Wei Yang carefully helped him sat up and lean on the soft pillow.
¡°So you want longevity noodle?¡± Li Wei Yang said as the smile spread across her face.
¡°Yes.¡± He nodded softly.
¡°My cooking is not very good, it¡¯s not as good as the Li family¡¯s cook. But making longevity noodles is not an issue. After we return, I will make it for you.¡±
Li Min De smiled yet his face became paler. Li Wei Yang knew in her heart that it was not good but she didn¡¯t show any changes on her face.
¡°Now I can¡¯t fall asleep. You should talk to me, don¡¯t go to sleep,¡± She said.
Li Min De managed to open his eyes and nodded.
¡°How about we y a game.¡± Li Wei Yang ingeniously lifted her head and said.
Li Min De earnestly looked at her and said: ¡°I am not a child.¡±
¡°No matter how old you are, you will definitely like this game.¡± Li Wei Yang chuckled as confidence shed across her eyes, ¡°I¡¯ll show you, it is a show ......¡±
¡°A show?¡± Li Min De repeated.
Li Wei Yang smiled and gently shook her empty hand in front of Li Min De. Then she went around his neck and a misty peony flower suddenly appeared in her hand. Li Min De¡¯s eyes suddenly opened wide as he continued to watch with astonishment. Li Wei Yang shook her hand and peony in her hand disappeared. Li Min De was about to ask how she did it when Li Wei Yang raised her hand and the peony in her sleeves turned into a pigeon and flew twops around the room before it flew into the rain.
¡°When did you learn this?¡± Li Min De was surprised.
¡°I will tell you tomorrow ......¡± Li Wei Yang looked at him with a smile.
Li Min De wanted to ask more when the man in gray unknowingly entered and said: ¡°Only small tricks. If Young Master wants to see, your servant can perform for you whenever you want.¡±
He knew Li Min De didn¡¯t enjoy being referred to Your Highness so he decisively changed it to another word but Li Min De still frowned: ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to go out?¡±
The man in gray sighed: ¡°Young Master, if your servant does not stay on guard, I won¡¯t be able to rest assured.¡± He felt that Li Wei Yang, this young girl was too powerful and was afraid that his Young Master would be bewitched by her.
Li Min De straightened his face: ¡°Leave.¡±
Even though he was young but his warm expression had already vanished and faintly revealed coldness.
Li Wei Yang conspicuously sighed. Even though San furen¡¯s personality was cold but she cared a lot about Li Min De so his life in the Li family was very stable. Unfortunately, with San furen¡¯s death, he lost the only person he could rely on and it was difficult to take each step in the dog-eat-dog Li family. Also, he was smart and persevering; he appeared innocent and weak on the surface to deceive his enemies. Perhaps tonight, she actually saw another side of him.
Suddenly, a jaded snake slipped through the window as it climbed in from the outside.
Li Wei Yang saw it first and her expression changed.
However, the man in gray was not a bit surprised and went forward. He reached out and actually let the snake climb onto the palm of his hand. Li Wei Yang watched him suspiciously and felt shock in her heart. She had heard of the superstition of people training snakes as messengers but had never seen it with her eyes. Because snakes were extremely difficult to control and would easily bite, one could even lose their life.
On the snake¡¯s neck, there was ribbon and two lines were written on it. The man in gray took it out and carefully read it. Then, he went to the candlestick to burn it and carefully took out a ribbon. No one knew what he wrote and then he tied it back onto the snake¡¯s neck.
Li Wei Yang watched as this little snake, which was thinner than bamboo chopsticks, disappeared in the window and interest surfaced on her face.
Li Min De wasn¡¯t interested in the snake but seeing Li Wei Yang seemed interested, he softly said: ¡°This snake --- how do you raise it?¡±
The man in gray was surprised and revealed an overwhelmed expression. This was the first time Li Min De spoke to him in a benign tone, which made him unsure in how to react, he quickly said: ¡°That was Bi Yang, which I had been raising. Young Master, look.¡± He untied the pouch on his waist and carefully passed it over, ¡°There is a secret medicine in this pouch, humans can¡¯t detect this scent, but only Bi Yang can detect it.¡±
So this was how it worked, Li Wei Yang revealed delight and Li Min De immediately said: ¡°Can other people order this snake?¡±
The man in gray was surprised and shook his head. He put in a lot of effort to train this snake and it is the messenger between him and his subordinates in dire circumstances. Let¡¯s not say others touching it, going close to it would also mean getting bitten to death.
Bi Yang was small in size but he was highly toxic.
Li Wei Yang suddenly felt disappointed since she was very interested in this little snake.
Of course, Li Min De saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s subtle expression and softly voiced: ¡°Are there other ways?¡±
The man in gray thought that he liked it and was overjoyed, ¡°If Young Master likes it, your servant can help you raise two that will only listen to yourmands and would definitely not harm you.¡±
Li Min De nodded.
Subsequently, the man in gray revealed a look of hesitation. Li Wei Yang noticed and knew he wanted to say something so she stood up and said: ¡°I¡¯ve been in the room for too long, I want to take a walk outside.¡±
The man in gray coldly made a humph. He wasn¡¯t afraid that Li Wei Yang would run away since his people were stationed outside. Without his consent, not even a fly could leave this ce.
After Li Wei Yang left, Li Min De weakly leaned against the cushion. It was obvious that he was feigning calmness when in fact, he felt pain throughout his body. There was a fire burning from his throat to his internal organs as if it would tear his whole body apart. This kind of pain, he had never experienced before.
The man in gray stepped forward and whispered: ¡°Young Master, the girl outside, your servant had been thinking, we cannot keep her. Think about it. If she finds out about your identity ---¡°
¡°If you dare hurt her, then step over my dead body first!¡± Li Min De anxiously sat up from the bed. After positioning himself, he felt as if someone ced a pot of me on his chest and continued to ignite it; it felt like cottons were stuffed in his mouth and nose, blocking his inhtion. He fought with all his might to inhale in air and immediately fell down!
The man in gray never expected the weak Li Min De to say such piercingly cold words so it shocked him. He originally thought that his Young Master was beautiful but since he grew up in the Li family, he wouldn¡¯t be simr to Master. But looking at him now, he felt that ruthlessness and perseverance could be seen from this young boy, which was quite impressive. If he wanted to protect someone, he would sacrifice his life, this was extremely simr to Master!
Even though he had the thought but he didn¡¯t dare to act without permission so he immediately kneeled: ¡°Young Master, don¡¯t get angry, your servant would never again!¡±
Li Min De wanted to speak but couldn¡¯t utter a word. It felt like the blood in his vessels were hitting left and right as it slowly rushed to the top as if it would spray out. His whole body felt like millions of ants biting him, his limbs were in extreme pain, lights shed across his eyes, and dizziness settled in as it became harder and harder to breathe. It was like he was about to explode.
He suddenly felt fearful and desperately reached out to grab something. Subconsciously, he called Li Wei Yang¡¯s name. The man in gray noticed something was wrong so he immediately ran out to summon people.
Li Min De felt that he couldn¡¯t survive this but at this time, a pair of burning hot yet gentle hands held him. He desperately opened his eyes and saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s face. At this point, the usual calmness and gentleness on her face could no longer be seen and instead it was slowly bing panic.
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t imagine that she would see this after returning and felt very anxious.
She didn¡¯t know when but this young boy had be someone important to her. She originally thought that he would be her baggage and responsibility but it seemed like now she saw him as her own family!
¡°Min De, you have to hang on! I¡¯ve promised your mother, don¡¯t let me let her down! Min De! Listen to me!¡± Li Wei Yang kept talking to Li Min De until he was able to regain consciousness.
Seeing Li Wei Yang in front of his eyes, Li Min De bit his lips and forcefully made it through the pain. He managed to bear the pain and smiled: ¡°I¡¯m fine ---¡°
His lips were dry and showed traces of blood.
Li Wei Yang recovered and took the teacup handed to her from a maidservant. She dipped some water and lightly dabbed his lips, ¡°You will survive this, I still have to teach you how to do the magic trick ......¡±
Li Min De couldn¡¯t help but smiled and slightly closed his eyes. At least, he used his pain in exchange for her sympathy. This was great, she didn¡¯t leave him like his mother did.
Mother had promised him before that she would stay by his side but her life was still taken away by death. Now, he only had her left, in this world, the only person he trusted, was her.
The physician came again to deliver medicine. Li Min De¡¯s spirit was burning out and he seemed to be sleeping rather than awake as heid on the pillow. The candlelight emitted yellow light. Besides Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, nothing appeared to be real in his eyes. Drinking the bitter medicine, because he was in a half-conscious state, his suppressed tiredness had made him subconsciously feel resistant.
¡°Min De, this is the second dose.¡±
¡°......Take this once more, you will get well ......¡±
The soft and gentle voice swinging near his ear made him drink the bitter medicine one sip at a time.
¡°You¡¯ve promised me, you will also be my by side, did you forget?¡±
Li Min De almost didn¡¯t respond, the man in gray looked back: ¡°Didn¡¯t you say once we get rid of the toxins, then we can save him?¡±
The physician¡¯s forehead was drenched in sweat. He had already tried his best to decrease the toxicity of the poison. He deliberately cooked it three times and then grinded into powder. He also added many rare medicinal ingredients but toxins were toxins. It wouldn¡¯tpletely be removed because of this, in other words, if there were no toxins at all, then the medicine wouldn¡¯t be effective. The toxins must be kept in order to cancel each other out in the young boy¡¯s body.
¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Li Wei Yang frowned. What time was it now? How could he still be furious?
The man in gray was very gloomy. He was already this age, besides the Master, no one dared speak to him like this.
The atmosphere in the room became heavy.
Li Min De felt that he had walked into darkness and was fluttering until a fire emerged by his side. Although small but it was able to make himpletely unconscious.
He knew, Li Wei Yang had been speaking to him. She didn¡¯t abandon him front the start. Pain slowly became warmth and the pain from his body little by little vanished, but he realized he was unable to speak out. He struggled and suddenly shouted and then opened his eyes.
Li Wei Yang, who wasying by the bed, was awaken. She saw Li Min De opened his eyes and could finally rx.
¡°San jie?¡± Li Min De astonishingly watched her, sheid here throughout the night?
Li Wei Yang held his hand, ¡°You¡¯re alright.¡±
Li Min De was surprised, he had always felt that his San jie¡¯s eyes were beautiful. Her ck eyshes grew orderly and slightly curled, her eyes had a righteous expression and her ck pupils were like ck crystal, clear like the springke. At this moment, thiske was covered with traces of blood, indicating the owner¡¯s fatigue. Li Min De struggled to sit up: ¡°We must return!¡±
Li Wei Yang was surprised and immediately understood his meaning. A qianjin of the Prime Minister¡¯s residence stayed out overnight, this would definitely be today¡¯s headlines! Thinking of this, how would Da furen and others defame her! Even if she endured captivity, no one would offer their sympathy. In their eyes, she would be a girl who had lost her innocence and would be cast aside forever!
As early asst night, she had already thought of this. But even so, she couldn¡¯t leave Li Min De behind regardless.
The man in gray quickly stopped: ¡°Young Master, you can¡¯t leave here!¡±
Li Min De coldly nced at him and said: ¡°Prepare a carriage!¡±
¡°They already know you are in the Li family, there will be endless troubles in the future! Perhaps, this might happen again!¡± The man in gray couldn¡¯t help but say.
Li Wei Yang looked at the light outside, the sky would soon be lit, she couldn¡¯t dy.
Li Min De repeated again: ¡°Prepare a carriage, immediately!¡±
The man in gray bit his teeth as he stared at Li Wei Yang. Then, he shifted his sight and said: ¡°Yes.¡±
The carriage ride would be bumpy throughout and was not suitable for a patient. Li Min De¡¯s expression turned white yet insisted to go with Li Wei Yang. The man in gray was furious but helplessly ordered people to choose the best furnishings and the softest mat. Li Min De was carried into the carriage and seeing his face, Li Wei Yang knew it would bring trouble and subconsciously looked out.
The man in gray still stood in front of the carriage.
¡°Once you make a turn, you will see your maidservants, but --- you better not speak a word about what happenedst night ......¡± He coldly whispered.
¡°Foolish ......¡± Li Wei Yang nced at him as she coldly uttered those four words. Why would she tell others what happened? Was her brain broken?
Living to this age, he was always well-respected. It was the first time the man in gray heard someone called him foolish and his face suddenly turned livid, ¡°How dare you!¡±
¡°Thank you for the praise, I will leave now.¡± Li Wei Yang swept him a nce and ordered the driver to quickly go.
The carriage shook a few times and then came a muffle that quickly walked away.
In front of the door, the man in gray spit a breath and whispered to the person that came over: ¡°Tell Master, Young Master has been injured.¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 74 part1
Chapter 74: Freezing cold like knives
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ÔƼ§¨C yun ji, yun is the surname, which means cloud, and ji is a title for a mistress
Prime Minister¡¯s Residence
Da furen quickly rushed back to the prime minister¡¯s residence and couldn¡¯t even be concerned with monitoring Li Wei Yang. This was because Li Xiao Ran left for three days and actually bought back a new concubine. What was different was that this time, Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t let Da furen know beforehand.
This meant that Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t respect her as he used to. Thinking about this, since the voodoo incident, he hadn¡¯t visited her once. Usually, Da furen was able to bear with it but this time, she couldn¡¯t withstand anymore. She hurriedly returned with Li Chang Le and found out Li Xiao Ran bought his new beauty out to a banquet and wasn¡¯t home. Anger turned into repression to the point of Anger turned into repression to the point of grittingher teeth until blood could be tasted. She tossed and turned throughout thenight and even forgot to ask about Li Wei Yang¡¯s whereabouts. The next morning,she was still feeling restless and immediately sent people to summon the newlyarrived beauty Yun Ji.
Da furen held the teacup in her hands and stared at Concubine Yun who was in front of her.
This woman had a snow whiteplexion and the shape of her nose and face looked like they were attentively carved from a jade stone. Standing here, she was young like flowers and trees amidst a blizzard. Even though her beauty couldn¡¯t rival against her beautiful daughter but she was absolutely a beauty that makes it difficult for people to direct their attention elsewhere. She strolled forth like a light breeze and elegantly greeted.
Seeing her youthful face, Da furen lost her mind for a moment, it was as if that woman then had returned. Soon, a me began to form in her heart, so Lao Ye had never forgotten that woman! But since she had been in the residence long enough, even though she despised Yun Ji, she didn¡¯t express. She smiled slightly as she walked forth and called her to hold out her hand and took a look. Yun Ji¡¯s fingers were like spring onions, fine and long, her palm was also beautiful. Da furen also asked for her age and where was her home.
Yun Ji said: ¡°Nubi is called Yun Mei, sixteen years old, Changzhou native.¡±
Her voice was as melodious as orioles, her teeth was fine like jade. Da furen angrily hated: This was a face of pity, no wonder even though Li Xiao Ran had countless new concubines, he still took her in.
Yun Ji didn¡¯t dare to look at Da furen¡¯s stare because even though this mistress of the house had on a face of smile, her gaze was deep; it seemed like she would swallow her or take something out from her body.
¡°Oh.¡± Da furen realized she was not acting properly and put on a more gentle and elegant smile: ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid. It¡¯s just that seeing how beautiful you look, I feel happy for Lao ye.¡± She slightly set her gaze and thought: ¡°It¡¯s just that the name Mei er is too vulgar. I will give you a new name, how about simply be called Yun Ruo. It shows that you¡¯re elegant and generous, what do you think?¡±
Yun Ji lowered her head, her lips curved down, she was obviously unhappy.
Da furen couldn¡¯t believe that this girl seemed young but was actually very stubborn deep down. She was a bit annoyed but didn¡¯t know why, after being disfavored, she was easily irritated but she didn¡¯t express it. To deal with this bitch, there were many ways. Her eyes looked around and then astonishingly changed her idea: ¡°Scrap that, it seems like this name is not as good. You should temporarily be called Yun Mei. Let¡¯s wait until Lao ye is free, then we¡¯ll give you a new name!¡±
Yun Ji saluted again and she became alerted that Da furen was very good at observing others.
Right at this time, a maidservant came to report the arrival of Lao ye.
Da furen slowly lifted her head, her gaze staring at Li Xiao Ran as he strolled in --- although she didn¡¯t want to reveal a bitter expression but she couldn¡¯t help it.
This time, he didn¡¯t consult with her and bought someone home, it was just too humiliating to her.
Li Xiao Ran saw Yun Ji and her face seemed to show she was being wronged. His face immediately showed unpleasantness. But he after all had a sense of propriety so he only calmly said: ¡°You should leave first, I have something to speak with Furen.¡±
Just in the middle of this conversation, Lin Mama suddenly walked in abruptly and whispered a few words to Da furen. Da furen¡¯s expression changed and asked: ¡°Is it true?¡±
Lin Mama smilingly said: ¡°Yes, your old maidservant had verified.¡±
Da furen was stunned, her eyes showed an undetectable bliss. Originally, she wanted to say something to Li Xiao Ran about Yun Ji. Now that she heard about Li Wei Yang¡¯s disappearance and didn¡¯t return to the residence. She was very happy and was determined to put aside Yun Ji and finish off Li Wei Yang.
After Yun Ji retreated, Da furen suddenly showed a positive expression: ¡°Lin Mama, let others leave us, I have to speak to Lao ye.¡± She felt this sentence was like a de slowly removing from her mouth yet her tone was surprisingly happy.
Li Xiao Ran thought she was going to me him for not telling her in advance about Yun Ji, a fleeting thunder shed across his face.
Da furen knew Li Xiao Ran really well but at this moment, her face was expressionless. Her eyes hid an undetectable cunningness: ¡°Lao ye, it is another important thing that I want to speak with you about.¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face rxed and he waved his hands to ask others to retreat.
Thinking about getting rid of Li Wei Yang, Da furen felt a surge of blood flowing to her throat, making it difficult to swallow. She walked to him and raised her head, her face revealed an expression of anxiousness: ¡°This situation is also my responsibility, this makes me feel very guilty, but now that it has happened, I have to tell Lao ye the truth.¡±
Her voice was light yet each word was spoken like ice.
Li Xiao Ran frowned: ¡°Don¡¯t be mysterious, quickly say it.¡±
Da furen felt proud yet her face showed hesitant: ¡°Yesterday, we went to Princess Yongning¡¯s residence for her banquet. Lao furen¡¯s friend suddenly came so she immediately returned. Coincidentally, I didn¡¯t feel well so I returned with her. Since we were all leaving and it was difficult to justify this to the princess, we let Wei Yang and Min De stay behind at the banquet.¡±
In fact, Lao furen was thinking at that time to test whether Li Wei Yang was able to handle the situation alone; Da furen didn¡¯t take her seriously.
¡°Afterwards?¡± Li Xiao Ran sensed something was wrong.
Da furen showed a guilty expression: ¡°Afterwards, I had a very bad headache so Iid down to rest. I thought Wei Yang and Min De wouldn¡¯te back by themselves. Who would have known that just now someone informed me that our Li family¡¯s carriage was discovered on the official road. There were also our guards by the side and all these people were dead. Even worse was Wei Yang and Min De disappeared......¡±
The carriage was attacked!
Li Xiao Ran felt a string of ice piercing into his brain and all the pores tightened. His body was motionless, his lips were stiff like wood and didn¡¯t make any noise. He was most afraid that something would happen in the family and was even worried that this matter had more to it!
¡°Who has the audacity!¡± After that, he was greatly angered, he was like a ruthless wolf staring hard at Da furen. He grinded his teeth and fury continued to emerge, he squeezed out a few words through his teeth: ¡°Dare to touch our family¡¯s carriage!¡±
Da furen had never seen such an assertive gesture from Li Xiao Ran. She was surprised for a moment and then said: ¡°Yes, these people are very bold, not only did they attach the carriage, but they also captured Wei Yang and Min De! What we fear now ---¡°
¡°What do you mean!¡± Li Xiao Ran roared, his eyes almost spitted out me. He couldn¡¯t believe that someone dared to touch the Li family¡¯s carriage in the capital and even kidnapped his daughter. Even though he didn¡¯t have deep feelings towards Li Wei Yang but he felt that this vited his authority, ¡°Send people to look for them, immediately send people to bring Wei Yang and Min De back!¡±
San furen had just passed away and now they lost her adopted son. If others knew of this, they might think he coveted the third household¡¯s assets! They had to find Min De immediately!
¡°Lao ye, the most important thing is not this, they had disappeared for a night!¡± Da furen confronted his gaze fearlessly, needle-like light had emerged from her eyes, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Wei Yang had already lost her chastity!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was stabbed by those needle-like eyes --- no, it should be said he waspletely shocked. For a moment, he was just standing still, the muscles on his face began to writhed violently as if they were squeezed by an invisible hand.
Da furen noticed that the blue veins on Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face were about to explode and was writhing like earthworms. Monstrous anger gradually shed from his eyes, showing how furious he was, her face seemed to be more uneasy: ¡°Lao ye, if we bring Wei Yang back, the Li family¡¯s reputation and face would all be gone!¡±
A noble daughter had disappeared overnight, Li Xiao Ran couldn¡¯t help but imagine how much humiliation would be bought upon to the Li family, how would his colleagues think of him, how would the Emperor think of him! He suddenly became calm, his face looked like it had be covered by ayer of fuzzy steeled mask, ¡°Your words, what do they actually mean?¡±
This sentence touched Da furen¡¯s deepest secretive thoughts. Usually, she would y the generous mother and wait until Lao ye thought about the consequences of the incident. Then, she would be the good person and send Li Wei Yang to the temple to spend the rest of her life. This way, it wouldn¡¯t make Li Xiao Ran doubt her intentions and she could also maintain her usual image in front of everyone. But this time, she didn¡¯t continue to hold back and mentioned it first. Yes, she wanted to grab ahold of this opportunity and put Li Wei Yang to death! Even though Da furen was thinking about this, but when Li Xiao Ran was doubtful, there was a trace of fear in her heart. So she immediately adjusted her emotions and her color of her face turned mournful: ¡°Lao ye, I don¡¯t have a shred of selfishness, I am really worried about Wei Yang, she is such a good girl and she hadn¡¯t been engaged to someone yet. In the future, if others know of this, who would marry her?¡± Saying this, she took her handkerchief to hid her eyes as if to show she was speaking with sincerity.
Li Xiao Ran coldly sneered yet didn¡¯t smile, his mouth was partly opened. Even though he thought Da furen was acting, but he couldn¡¯t not admit what she was saying was right! He stared at her bitterly and immediately said: ¡°Then how should we handle this matter?¡±
Da furen pretended to be surprised and said: ¡°Yes, I am also concerned over this, let¡¯s send people to bring her back, then we will discuss what we should do! I just want Lao ye to be prepared!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was startled, a hint of coldness shed across his eyes. He waved his hand and loudly said: ¡°Summon the steward!¡±
Footsteps were immediately heard as they left quickly.
Li Xiao Ran sat down and drank a sip of tea. He felt uneasy and he sighed: ¡°If shee home alive, it would be huge trouble!¡±
Da furen slightly smiled and then hid her smile, she walked forth and said: ¡°Lao ye, don¡¯t worry, Wei Yang mighte home alive!¡±
Li Xiao Ran suddenly didn¡¯t know what to say as he sat nkly for a while. Just when he was about to stand out to think of countermeasures, someone came in to report: ¡°San Xiaojie returned!¡±
Li Xiao Ran watched Li Wei Yang slowly approached and suddenly felt surprised.
Before Li Wei Yang came back, she carefully dressed herself up. A hibiscus picked from the garden was inserted into her hair. She used an eyebrow pencil to lightly draw her brows in a very light color that it was difficult for one to see. There was also a lightyer of powder on her face with rouge spread across her cheeks and lip. It seemed like she had makeup yet no makeup as well, making her look fresh and beautiful. This was because if she didn¡¯t apply makeup today, it couldn¡¯t conceal her exhaustion from a sleepless night. However, in the eyes of others, Li Wei Yang who never applied powder on her face, was filled with youthful vitality throughout her body. Not one spot of her was not fresh or pure, like flowers that blossomed in the morning, carrying a never before seen vivacity.
Li Xiao Ran keenly noticed that Li Wei Yang had a silver hairpin on her hair. Usually, he wouldn¡¯t notice but he didn¡¯t know why he noticed today. This was made of the purest silver, the middle of the hairpin was cut hollow, the shape was like lifelike flowers. On it were silver flowers and buds, the heart of flowers wasid with colorful gemstones that emitted seven-colored light when shone by sunshine. Worn on the head, it was burning with beauty and added to Li Wei Yang¡¯s beauty.
¡°Wei Yang, you are finally back!¡± Da furen eagerly greeted her yet venomous things loomed in her eyes.
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 74 part2
Chapter 74: Freezing cold like knives
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Li Wei Yang noticed but acted like she wasmoved and hurriedly replied: ¡°Mother, Wei Yang made you worried.¡±
¡°Wei Yang ah, not only was I worried, Mother wasdying with fear, afraid that you would encounter danger!¡± Da furen¡¯s mouthshowed a trace of coldness and the venom from her eyes gradually vanished. Itwas fine if Li Wei Yang came back alive or without harm, it was inevitable toescape death for staying out overnight!
Li Wei Yang was startled and she slightlyfrowned. With her cleverness, she had already sensed the implied meaning fromher words. But she actually stayed na?ve and said without any defense: ¡°Motheris so nice to me, Wei Yang thinking about me, feels sleepless at nights!¡±
She originally thought she would panic butdidn¡¯t think she wouldn¡¯t reveal a trace! Da furen bit her teeth and sneered:¡°Servants said the guards that were with you all died, you were also capturedby someone,e let Mother see if you¡¯ve been injured?¡±
Li Wei Yang gently smiled and said: ¡°Mother,Wei Yang was not injured, look.¡± After she finished speaking, she turned aroundand smilingly said to Li Xiao Ran, ¡°Father, Wei Yang is impious, for making youworried too.¡±
Da furen thought she was pretending to staycalm so she coldly continued to rub salt on her wounds: ¡°Wei Yang, if you haveany grievances, don¡¯t endure them by yourself, tell Mother, Mother willdefinitely do something for you.¡±
Grievances? Li Wei Yang coldly smiled. Shestared at Da furen¡¯s repulsive face and felt that there was nothing much to sayto this beastly woman. She spat out coldly: ¡°Mother¡¯s anxiousness is unfounded;Wei Yang was not injured.¡±
Da furen peered into her eyes and wanted to continueto attack but she realized her eyes were coldly staring at her. It felt like aninvisible chill as if a figure being worshipped in a temple of the wilderness,making one terrified. At this moment, Li Wei Yang suddenly smiled, making Dafuren feel that herughter was flowing towards her heart like icy water. Sheinvoluntarily hit back and the momentum weakened.
¡°Wei Yang, are you really okay? Then, how did yoe back?¡± It couldn¡¯t be that the kidnappers let youe back, Li Xiao Rancouldn¡¯t help but ask. He didn¡¯t want to hear Da furen continuously say thosewords, he must know the ins and outs of this matter so that he could make themost appropriate arrangements!
Li Wei Yang understood Li Xiao Ran¡¯s meaningbut she didn¡¯t immediately respond. She only lightly smiled and suddenly actedas if she thought of something: ¡°Oh yes, Father, today, I have to trouble youto prepare a gift on behalf of Wei Yang to greatly thank Seventh Prince andPrincess Yongning. If it weren¡¯t for both of their Highnesses, Wei Yangwouldn¡¯t be able to return!¡±
Da furen¡¯s expression changed and she quicklysaid: ¡°What did you say?¡±
Li Xiao Ran also suddenly stood up, his facerevealed astonishment.
Li Wei Yang raised her brows and innocentlysaid: ¡°How does Father not know? Ai-ya, look at me who only talked with Motherafter surviving from an attack, I actually forgot to talk about the importantmatters. Yesterday, we didn¡¯t know where this group of people came from thatcame to snatch our carriage. The guards desperately protected Min De and me butwe were outnumbered. Seventh Prince coincidentally passed by and lend us ahand, he was very heroic! After forcing the criminals to retreat, SeventhPrince seeing that Min De was injured, he deliberately sent us back to PrincessYongning¡¯s residence to tend to his injury. The princess allowed us to stayovernight and even sent a physician to Min De. I was fortunate to encounter mylucky stars, if it weren¡¯t for both of their help, Wei Yang wouldn¡¯t be able toreturn home safe and sound!¡±
Hearing this, Li Xiao Ran was suddenlyoverjoyed: ¡°Seventh Prince saved you?¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded.
¡°And Princess Yongning took you in?¡±
Li Wei Yang continued to nod.
¡°All of this is true?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Father, what is wrong, Icame home in Princess Yongning¡¯s carriage!¡± Speaking this, she sweetly smiledat Da furen: ¡°Luckily I survived, if I was really captured by bandits, howwould Wei Yang dare toe back, I would have ended my life to keep myinnocence, Mother, I¡¯ve came home safe and sound, why is it that you don¡¯t looktoo happy?¡±
¡°No, this is impossible! You must be lying, howcould it be that you disappear for a night yet nothing happened!¡± Da furensaid, losing her demeanor.
People often say, the greater the hope is, thegreater the disappointment will be. Da furen thought that she could take thisopportunity to get rid of Li Wei Yangpletely yet she didn¡¯t think she wasstill able to return with any harm. She was too lucky that it was difficult forpeople to ept!
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face suddenly changed color:¡°What are you saying! Shut up!¡±
Da furen was stunned and her expression turnedwhite. She realized she had lost her demeanor.
Li Xiao Ran was anxious after he became furious butnow it had all turned to joy. Seventh Prince saved Li Wei Yang and she stayedat the princess¡¯ residence overnight, the impact of these two pieces of newsgreatly exceeded the news of Li Wei Yang¡¯s disappearance.
But he still had his doubts because everythingchanged too quickly, making others not know what to do.
Li Wei Yang seemed to know what he was thinking andsmilingly said: ¡°Yes, the princess said it was because of the banquet that Iencountered such frightful event so she gifted be this silver hairpinspecifically to console me.¡± Saying this, she pointed to the valuable hairpin.
This time, Li Xiao Ran gave a long sigh of relief.This was real --- it was very astonishing! Afterwards, he red at Da furen.
Da furen was surprised and the mysterious foghad disappeared from her eyes, she forcefully smiled: ¡°Wei Yang, you are really--- fortunate.¡±
Li Xiao Ran also smiled and tranquilly said:¡°Wei Yang, your Mother was just too happy.¡±
Da furen must be very disappointed that she wouldn¡¯tlet go of any opportunities to send her to her death. Her heart was as venomousas snakes, she was very vicious! However, Li Wei Yang smiled, wasn¡¯t she alsolike that?
¡°Yes, Wei Yang, Mother was too happy, forgive me.¡±It was as if cotton were stuffed into Da furen¡¯s throat, her words wereunnatural.
¡°Mother, you don¡¯t have to be like this, this wasluck bestowed to me by the old Heavens, no one can stop this.¡± Although Li WeiYang was saying it modestly, her words still carried thorns.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were as dark as the water in thewell as she looked at Da furen. It was like the ghost stream of the DeathValley haunted by blue mes.
¡°Of course, this matter, I was fortunate tolive. If Seventh Prince didn¡¯t pass byst night ---¡° Li Wei Yang calmly said:¡°I¡¯m afraid I would have died in the wild and feasted upon by dogs.¡±
Hearing Li Wei Yang¡¯s words, Li Xiao Ran felt thatthis was the truth. To be honest, he originally felt that Li Wei Yang¡¯s deathwould affect the family¡¯s reputation and felt that she was bad luck. But now,she was simply very lucky. Pondering upon this, his facial expressions changedand this was all noticed by Li Wei Yang.
Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t forget to ask: ¡°Where isLao furen?¡±
¡°Father, rest assure, Wei Yang will report toLao furen immediately.¡±
Li Xiao Ran nodded his head as he watched Li WeiYang leave. Afterwards, he turned his body and red at his wife. He couldn¡¯tbelieve that she was this intolerant and was being a vicious woman. She wasobviously the mother of the residence yet she always seeked ways to trouble thechildren of his concubines. Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t demand her to treat his otherchildren as if her own but at least pretend to on the outside. Seeing herexpress her resentment made him felt chills down his back. No matter how Li WeiYang was, she was still his very own flesh. Da furen actually wished thatsomething would happen to her and tried to use this opportunity to get rid ofher, this absolutely made one felt bitterly disappointed. He cudgeled his ownbrains in the court so that he wouldn¡¯t reveal his true intentions yet he wouldhave never thought that his virtuous wife was secretly wrecking his reputationbehind his back, it was utterly disappointing!
He coldly made a humph and without waiting forDa furen to exin, he pped his sleeves and directly left! Walking up tothe door, he suddenly stopped: ¡°Don¡¯t forget to prepare a gift!¡±
Da furen was stunned and her face was filledwith resentment yet she helplessly said: ¡°Yes.¡±
Li Wei Yang first went over to Lao furen¡¯sresidence to pay her respects and told her what had happened. After, shereturned to her own residence and Bai Zhi finally rxed: ¡°Xiao jie, luckilyyou are clever, you first went to Seventh Prince¡¯s residence and asked for hishelp in arranging everything.¡±
¡°Da furen would certainly not let go of thisopportunity, so how could I let her get her way.¡± Now Li Wei Yang had confirmedthat helping Tuoba Yu out earlier was the right move. He was one who wouldreturn favors to those who helped him and additionally, the results wereinstantaneous. Before returning, she washed and dressed herself and eventhoroughly prepared so it was difficult to spot anything unusual.
¡°Da furen was basically trying to rob during afire ......¡±
¡°She was always this kind of person ......¡±
At this time, Mo Zhe suddenly reported: ¡°Xiaojie, Qi Yiniang came!¡±
Li Wei Yang was stunned.
¡°Mother ......¡±
¡°Wei Yang ......¡± Qi Yiniang rushed over, tightlyembraced Li Wei Yang and burst into tear.
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t cry norugh as shewatched her weak mother. She didn¡¯t know what to do for a moment. Bai Zhi whowas on the side busily rushed over to hold onto Qi Yiniang and carefully said:¡°Yiniang, don¡¯t worry, didn¡¯t Xiao jie returned safe and sound?¡±
Qi Yiniang¡¯s eyes were swollen, revealing howworried she was. Once she heard of this, she immediately rushed over.
Li Wei Yang gently exined to her of what happenedand the version she told her was simr to the version she told Li Xiao Ransince she didn¡¯t want her very own mother to worry.
¡°So that¡¯s what happened......¡± Hearing that it wasbecause she stayed overnight at the princess¡¯ residence, Qi Yiniang let out asigh of relief.
She originally thought Li Wei Yang wassuffering from grievances......
¡°Originally, Xiao jie was determined to return ......¡±Bai Zhi smilingly said.
¡°But it was difficult to turn down such generosityfrom the princess......¡± Mo Zhu added.
Li Wei Yang onlyughed: ¡°It¡¯s actuallynothing much, it¡¯s just that the princess felt that it was because of attendingher banquet that I encountered a traumatizing experience, she felt bad......¡±
¡°I originally wanted to send someone home toreport this but it was already gettingte. Instead, I was afraid it wouldstartle Lao furen and others ......¡± Li Wei Yang said as she watched the sadnessthat still remained on Qi Yiniang¡¯s face and felt a bit guilty, ¡°It¡¯s my fault,I¡¯ve made mother worried.¡±
Qi Yiniang had tears in her eyes, she noddedand smiled. She let out a sigh after expressing joy. Watching the streaks ofblood in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, she felt uneasy: ¡°It¡¯s because Mother is useless,I¡¯m unable to protect you.¡±
A hint of warmth flow through Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart.
Frankly speaking, she always had this alienatedfeeling towards Qi Yiniang. Even though she was her birth mother, she passedaway early in her previous life. She was also not raised by her side so theiraffections weren¡¯t deep. In this lifetime, she actually didn¡¯t know howinteract with her so she didn¡¯t know what to do. But today, seeing that shesincerely cried for her, Li Wei Yang felt ashamed of her alienation towardsher.
Her expression was warm like jade yet it was brightlike stars.
¡°Mother, I¡¯ve told you this, I will protectyou from now on.¡±
Qi Yiniang watched her daughter, her emotionswere intensified: ¡°Wei Yang, don¡¯t go against Da furen, she will harm you.¡±
Tan shi was a weak woman, she wished for nothingmore now but for her daughter to stay safe and marry into a good family. Dafuren was ruthless and she didn¡¯t want anything to happen to Wei Yang.
¡°Mother, as long as one lives, one will encountercountless twists and turns. No one knows what would happen the next day. I¡¯vechosen this path, no matter what hardships I encounter, or even danger, I wouldnever step back. Since I¡¯ve already prepared thoroughly, you don¡¯t have toworry. Moreover, even if I want to retreat, others won¡¯t allow me to retreat!To live openly and heartily, there is nothing to be afraid of......¡± She wasn¡¯tafraid of living nor dying but Da furen was different, which was why she woulddefinitely be the winner.
Qi Yiniang was absent-minded and suddenly thoughtthat Wei Yang¡¯s stubbornness and determination exceeded what she thought ofher.
¡°Wei Yang......¡± She had decided, ¡°Mother woulddefinitely support you.¡±
To hear such wordsing from the weak Qi Yiniang......Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but smile and felt delighted, this feeling of havingfamily by the side was wonderful.
The news of Li Wei Yang encountering an attack andwas saved by Seventh Prince was spread throughout the capital, making thearistocraticdies jealous. Everyone was saying Anping Xianzhu was very lucky;a carriage being attacked was very rare, she was even saved by the Emperor¡¯sbeloved prince. Of course, there were other rumors, even to the point wherepeople felt suspicious about the unexined appearance of the bandits. Evenmore, all of the bandits died so they thought Li Wei Yang deliberately plottedthis to get closer to Seventh Princess. These rumors spread everywhere yet theLi family wasn¡¯t too concerned about them because after all,pared to awoman losing her chastity, this was simple matter. No matter how violent thestorm was, the involved parties, Tuoba Yu and Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t respond. Thetwo didn¡¯t even interact since that day, this matter was popr for a whilebefore it became old news.
After hearing about this, Li Chang Le originallythought Li Wei Yang was doomed yet she never imagined that she was able to turncmities into blessings. She was very furious yet was helpless and couldn¡¯thelp but feel unhappy.
Tan Xiang noticed her paleplexion andurged her: ¡°Xiao jie, since all the flowers in the garden have bloomed, whydon¡¯t we go out and take a look?¡±
Li Chang Le coldly looked at her, making Tan Xiang frightened:¡°Your maidservant is ---¡° She had good intentions.
Li Chang Le saw lights of the spring season.Recently, her headaches became more and more painful especially when Li WeiYang was strolling past her, making her even more infuriated, ¡°Whatever, let¡¯sgo.¡±
Li Chang Le bought Tan Xiang and others to thegarden and saw a beauty sitting at the distant octagonal pavilion. She couldn¡¯thelp but frowned: ¡°Who is that?¡±
Tan Xiang took a look and carefully replied:¡°That is Lao Ye¡¯s newly married Jiu Yiniang.¡±
Jiu Yiniang? This was Yun Ji, the woman Fatherbought back without telling Mother beforehand? Li Chang Le watched from afarand frowned. Yun Ji was a Changzhou native and she heard she was in Chineseopera. Father actually bought back such a lowly woman, was he insane?
Li Chang Le bought Tan Xiang as she unnoticeablywalked towards Yun Ji. The maidservants on the side wanted to alert theirmaster but was frightened by Li Chang Le¡¯s cold expression.
Yun Ji lifted her head and realized Da Xiaojie hadcame, she quickly stood up.
Li Chang Le lightly smiled, squinted her eyes,and smilingly looked at the thing in her hand.
In Yun Ji¡¯s snow white hand was a small brocadepouch. On it, a pair of twin lotus flowers were embroidered and on the side wasalso small jades. Although workmanship was exquisite but from one glimpse, thematerials were cheap and it was also old.
¡°This small pouch is very beautiful.¡± Li Chang Lelightly smiled yet she didn¡¯t show change of emotion since she started bingsuspicious.
Yun Ji was actually very rmed since shesimply wanted to enjoy the scenery. Who would have known that the sceneryevoked old memories that she unconsciously took out a small pouch that shealways had with her. She thought her own maidservant would alert her but no old her about Da Xiao jie¡¯s arrival! She didn¡¯t know what Li Chang Le had seenbut ----- a small pouch didn¡¯t mean anything! She tried her best to smile andfeigned calmness: ¡°Yes, this is sewed by my mother, I¡¯ve always had it with melike a protective talisman.¡±
Li Chang Le was a very sensitive person, shestill felt that it was a token of love gifted by a man ----- this hypothesissuddenly made her feel excited. She then inhibited this excitement and lightlysmiled: ¡°You¡¯ve already married into our family, we are family now, there is noneed to be restrained.¡±
Yun Ji, seeing that she wasn¡¯t going to furtherquestion her, quickly hid her small pouch from sight.
Li Chang Le deliberately pretended to notnotice and actually harmoniously smiled: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, the distance fromChangzhou to here is very far, do you think of home?¡±
At the very young age of ten, Yun Ji had left homeand traveled around with the drama troupe. Her impression of her parents wasblurred so it was difficult for her to miss her home. As an actor, she hadalways been looked down on by others. Then, she was sent to Minister Lou¡¯sbanquet to perform and Li Xiao Ran took a fancy to her and bought her back. Butaftering to the Li residence, not one person thought highly of her; everyonecalled her a lowly actor behind her back. But this Da Xiaojie was different,she actually smiled sincerely at her. So for a second, she was amazed and didn¡¯tknow how to respond to her.
Li Chang Le switched the topic: ¡°But you are verybeautiful, Father would love you dearly, you will never have to sell yourperformance and live scantily.¡±
Hearing those words, Yun Ji onlybitterly smiled, which meant she didn¡¯t really ept her supposedly goodintentions.
Li Chang Le lightly smiled and then they continuedto converse about other topics, diverting Yun Ji¡¯s attention.
After half an hour of conversation, Yun Ji began havinga good impression of this Da Xiaojie. When she was departing, she even set up atime to talk with her again next time.
Watching all this, Tan Xiang felt the situation wasweird. Da Xiaojie seemed to be an amiable and easily approachable person but inactuality, she was an arrogant person. Jiu Yiniang was of a lowly background,Da Xiaojie actually happily chatted with her? This was really weird!
Watching Yun Ji¡¯s silhouette disappear fromthe garden, Li Chang Le lightly smiled, stood up and said: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
Tan Xiang, seeing Li Chang Le smiling, couldn¡¯t helpbut lowered her head.
Li Chang Le entered Da furen¡¯s residence and spokewith her for half an hour. When she came out, her face was full of smiles. AsTan Xiang watched, she felt more terrified. Each time Da Xiaojie showed thissmile, it always meant someone was out of luck. It was just that --- who wouldit be? If it was just Jiu Yiniang, it was not enough to make Da Xiaojie thishappy......
Half a monthter, Da furen sent someone tosummon Li Xiao Ran over. Li Xiao Ran just returned to the residence and said hehad something urgent to do in the book room. Da furen had been waiting untilthe night settled and she still hadn¡¯t seen him yet. Da furen ordered someo summon again. After waiting for him for a while longer, she finally saw himenter through the door. She personally walked forth to help him take off hisjacket. She watched his expression and smilingly said: ¡°In two days, it will beJiu Yiniang¡¯s birthday, I was thinking we should liven up things for her.¡±
Li Xiao Ran looked up and coldly glimpsed into Dafuren¡¯s eyes.
Da furen felt anxious inside yet her face still hadon a delightful smile.
Li Xiao Ran couldn¡¯t spot anything odd,rejected Da furen¡¯s hand, and calmly answered: ¡°I understand, I have otherbusiness, you should rest early.¡±
¡°Lao Ye, I¡¯ve prepared sweets, you should try some.¡±Da furen eagerly said.
Li Xiao Ran shook his head: ¡°No.¡± After he was donespeaking, he turned to leave and went to Jiu Yiniang¡¯s residence.
Lin Mama felt uneasy as she looked at Da furen. Dafuren coldlyughed and revealed a sharp smile. The goods on the table hadbeen left untouched for a while, now the sweetness had mixed with the air andbe cold.
On the other side, Bai Zhi whispered to Li Wei Yangabout everything that happened in the Li family in the past few days. Followingher Xiaojie¡¯s orders, she reported matters big and small, including Da Xiaojieand Jiu Yiniang¡¯s friendly conversation and news that Da furen will be preparingfor Jiu Yiniang¡¯s birthday celebration.
After Bai Zhi was done reporting, shecontinued: ¡°Xiao jie, with what¡¯s happening, it seemed like Da furen isstarting to draw Jiu Yiniang over to her side.¡±
Li Wei Yang gently smiled and shook her head: ¡°Asthe family¡¯s mother figure, if she can¡¯t take control of her husband¡¯sconcubines, then she would think of ways to get rid of them. Si Yiniang and LiuYiniang were already difficult to deal with, now that Father is favoring JiuYiniang and doesn¡¯t even care about giving her face, do you think Da furenwould let Jiu Yiniang continue to live?¡±
Bai Zhi was stunned and then said: ¡°Xiaojie¡¯smeaning ---¡°
¡°Simply a Jiu Yiniang is certainly insufficient tosatisfy their appetite. If they were able to implicate a thorn in their flesh,then it would be perfect.¡± The candlelight shown on the blossoming crabappleson the wooden window, creating a shadow on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, making it seemlike a veil on her face.
Lin Mama solemnly walked past the corridor assunlight shone on the courtyard¡¯s walls, making them gleamed. She couldn¡¯t helpbut frowned. The maidservants on the side watch her hurried past with a fewstrong Mama following behind her.
¡°Where did Lin Mama go? Why was she in a hurry toleave?¡± The young maidservants whispered to one another.
¡°Don¡¯t you know, Jiu Yiniang is celebratingher birthday, Da furen wants to personally n her celebration! All theantique tes, fabric and silk ..... everything are bought out, Furen treats JiuYiniang very good!¡±
¡°Yes, Si Yiniang¡¯s face turned green, LiuYiniang also left her doors closed and didn¡¯t step out! Jiu Yiniang¡¯s treatmenthad never before been seen in the Li family.¡±
¡°Who told Lao ye to favor Jiu Yiniang! You alldidn¡¯t see but she is dearly favored, she rested in her residence for almosthalf a month. After Jiu Yiniang married into the family, she is like half amaster and hasn¡¯t touched her Chinese opera clothing. But because Lao Ye favorsher, he made a new set of opera clothing for her and she sang for Lao Ye behindclosed doors!¡±
¡°What! You didn¡¯t know!¡± Another youngmaidservant quietly said, ¡°I heard from Zhou Mama from next door that JiuYiniang wasn¡¯t someone ordinary. She is young and beautiful and even know howto pleasure men, how would you all understand!¡±
As Li Wei Yang walked past the garden, all the youngmaidservants shut their mouths and stood there gazing at one another.
Li Wei Yang lightly smiled and said: ¡°Dispersethis, be careful of Lin Mama hearing this and punishing you all.¡±
The young maidservants became joyful and quicklydispersed. San Xiaojie was a good person, she usually wouldn¡¯t berate themaidservants, unlike Wu Xiaojie, who would snitch behind their backs.
Li Wei Yang watched as Lin Mama¡¯s silhouette disappearedfrom the corridor. She couldn¡¯t help but frowned, she didn¡¯t know this time whatDa furen was nning for organizing arge-scale celebration for Jiu Yiniang.
Perhaps,she was thinking too much ......
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa
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Chapter 75
Chapter 75: Ulterior motives
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On the day of Jiu Yiniang¡¯s birthday, the Li family specially set up a stage. The furens and xiaojies thought this was such a rare opportunity to liven up so all of them set up a shed outside to watch the show.
Da furen sent someone to invite Er furen, but Er furen didn¡¯t participate since she was not feeling well. Da furen smiled lightly and didn¡¯t force her.
It was well known that Er furen was a pretentious person so how could she give face to a concubine and attend her birthday banquet.
In the past few days, Lao furen had been taking spring naps; she rested in the afternoon and didn¡¯te out. Everyone else had arrived and sat below the stage and looked joyful.
Li Chang Le had a beautiful fan in her hand as she looked at the stage from afar, showing a trace of thoughtful smile. While on the other side, Jiu Yiniang was surrounded by a crowd but she was restless and had on a fearful expression.
Da furen watched all of this and showed an amiable smile on her face.
Li Wei Yang was thest to arrive. After she arrived, all those with ranks lower than hers had to stand up and greet her. Of course, Da furen was the matriarch and ady of first rank, so she was still sitting as if she was already.
Li Wei Yang smiled: "No need to be this polite, let¡¯s sit down and watch the show."
Li Chang Le looked at Li Wei Yang and saw that she was wearing a rose dress; her thick ck hair was like stack of clouds and the jaded green hairpin of single-stringed tassel was dotted around by iid precious gems of various sizes, making it look obviously valuable and causing her not jealously unable to fixate her gaze elsewhere.
At this moment, the pper on the stage was sounded loudly and a handsome performer came out from behind the stage. Seeing this man, Jiu Yiniang¡¯s eyes seemed to be moving uncontrobly.
Li Wei Yang traced her vision and saw that the martial arts performer on the stage had a thin body garbed in a costume with red darted sleeve sprinkled with gold. Around his waist was a five-colored silk belt and his hair was brushed up highly and was held up by a golden ring. His flying phoenix eyes were gently rising and proudly looking around, all the essence were being fired off from his long eyshes, his aura alone was enough to make people¡¯s hearts melt. He jumped up in the air after a turning point, one foot gentlynded down, the multicolored belt around his waist spread open like a bird as he loudly sang. It was just a single phrase, he held two swords in his right hand, his left hands pinched, he turned his hips and posed.
With this figure, this singing, he must be a famous performer. Li Wei Yang took a look and made a judgment.
Although the martial arts performer was singing yet he noticed the movement amongst the audience. When he saw that person, he was excited at first, then after a long while did his joy turned into disheartenment. He was just a performer and even though he used to be a son of a wealthy family, dabbled in poetry and was born with a handsome, dignified appearance, he was well-liked in the troupe, but now, and he and that person were of different social standing.
At this moment, he suddenly saw the face of a young girl in the audience. Although her face wasn¡¯t as beautiful as the Xiaojie by her side, but her clear eyes were like a quiet well and at right at this moment, those eyes locked with his, as if she saw through him. Ming Jie¡¯s whole body trembled a bit and when he regained consciousness, her eyes had gently focused elsewhere.
The performer desperately pulled his attention back together and continued to sing, luckily no one was able to detect the oddity.
Li Changleughed: "This martial arts performer really sings well, Jiu Yiniang, what do you think?"
Jiu Yiniang did not answer but Si Yiniang had already bitterly said: "Yes, Jiu Yiniang is an expert in this field, yourment carries weight.¡±
However, singing drama was a lowly activity and these performers had bad reputation so she was basically ridiculing Jiu Yiniang. Li Chang Xi loudlyughed out, while Li Chang Xiao shook her head with sympathy.
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s snow white face turned red and she couldn¡¯t say a word.
Li Changle smirked and said: "Si Yiniang, don¡¯t use Jiu Yiniang to makeughters, her face is thin."
Si Yiniang sneered. Ever since the voodoo incident, Da furen had been casually jumping at her and came up with ways to embarrass her. She was not afraid, because Lao Ye had promised her that he would have a say in the marriage of her two daughters and would definitely not let Da furen marry them off at her will.
This way, let alone Da furen¡¯s jealousy, even if she wanted her lift, she felt it was worth it!
Li Chang Xiaoughed: "The beads in Jiu Yiniang¡¯s hands are very beautiful."
After she said that, everyone saw the emerald beads in the hands of Jiu Yiniang, each bead was green and clear and of great size. Da furen¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but slightly changed, and thenughed: "This is also the gift from Lao Ye.¡±
She was obviously jealous but she still feigned magnanimity. If the matriarch wasn¡¯t able to endure this, it was absolutely ineptable in the household. Li Wei Yang faintly smiled, sat on the sidelines, and did not speak.
Just then, a girl was suddenly heard to have eximed: "Oh, the stage copsed!"
Everyone was taken aback and saw that the stage copsed in half. The performer who was originally singing unexpectedly fell from the stage dropping two meters. He fell softly onto the ground and almost at the same moment, blood scattered on the ground, making Li Wei Yang feel slightly dizzy.
Jiu Yiniang uttered an "Ah!" and cried as she quickly stood up.
Li Weiyang keenly noticed this and she clearly saw Da furen¡¯s eyes, showing a hint of cold smile.
As for others, they only noticed the incident on the stage and didn¡¯t notice Jiu Yiniang at all.
Li Wei Yang coughed gently, Jiu Yiniang immediately reacted and dared not speak and only drooped her head.
"What is going on! Call the steward to find out!" Da furen frowned, the tone of her words weren¡¯t high yet it was severe.
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s face already turned pale, her eyes were drooping yet her ears have been listening to themotion over there.
A few momentster, the steward quickly came to report: "The stage fell down and went over to check and the performer¡¯s injury is quite severe, I¡¯m afraid he will not be able to perform today."
At this time, everyone saw that the body of the performer was bloody and was being lifted.
Li Chang Le sighed, waved the regal fan very gently and looked down. A shallow smile appeared on her shadowed face: "Such a pity."
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s face was transparent like snow. It wasn¡¯t after a long pause did she responded: "Yes, really pitiful." And then she shut her mouth and didn¡¯t utter a single more word.
Li Chang Le gently pursed her pink-colored lips and smiled brightly.
At this point, the performer had fallen off and it was bloody everywhere that no one could continue to watch the show. Da furen stood up and ordered: "Give more money to the performer, tell him to take good care of himself."
The steward said: "Yes, Da furen is merciful, your servant will go immediately."
Li Chang Le also stood up with Da furen and the golden hairpin on her head was fluttering. Her stunning beauty made people couldn¡¯t help but think of peonies, such a splendid beauty. She looked at Jiu Yiniang, smiled and then held onto Da furen as they left.
Li Chang Xi coldly made a humph: "What a bad luck charm, how can celebrating a birthday be so unlucky!" After she finished speaking, she held onto Li Chang Xi and left with Si Yiniang.
Originally there were crowds of people but now Li Wei Yang and Jiu Yiniang were the only two people left.
In Jiu Yiniang¡¯s eyes, there were hazy strips of affections; she couldn¡¯t help but think of the times when she started singing and was often scolded and stroke by her master because of not singing well, it was only that person whoforted her. At that time, she felt his breath gently spilled over her eyes and she couldn¡¯t help but shuddered slightly. And while, he was holding her in his arms tightly until the heat of his body warmed her thin body, she slowly softened in his arms, and he buried into her face and ced his lips on her lips ... She thought she would marry him, but then, why did Prime Minister Li took a fancy in her? From Jiu Yiniang¡¯s expression, she was in a trance.
Li Wei Yang saw that Jiu Yiniang was still deep in a trance and couldn¡¯t help and sighed: "The performer¡¯s injury is not light, but it¡¯s external injuries so it¡¯s not as serious."
Jiu Yiniang heard her voice, her heart jumped and she turned around. Li Wei Yang¡¯s bright clothes and white skin made her eyebrows seemed much more green, lips red, teeth white, and her long pair of eyshes were as deep as a well, shimmering off cold light.
It was San Xiaojie, Li Wei Yang, Jiu Yiniang saluted and said: "Yes."
Li Wei Yang smiled: "Jiu Yiniang, Mother specifically organized the banquet for you today and she put in lots of effort, I hope you understand her painstaking solitude.
Jiu Yiniang was startled, and she didn¡¯t dare to look at Li Wei Yang.
San Xiaojie was born from a concubine, but she was personally conferred the title of Xianzhu by the Emperor and her status in the family was steadily rising up that she even outshone the alluring Da Xiaojie. However, her rtionship with Da furen was getting worse and worse. In fact, it seemed like harmony and calm were ipatible like water and fire. Jiu Yiniang already knew that she must stay far away from the struggle between the two but she didn¡¯t expect Li Wei Yang¡¯s remark, what did she mean?
Li Wei Yang faintly looked at Jiu Yiniang¡¯s face, which was full of doubts. She didn¡¯t specifically exin the problem but slowly said: "The stage was fine, how could it fall?" After saying that, she slowly walked down from the stands.
Jiu Yiniang seemed to have listened to an injection but her entire body turned icy cold as if she was falling through an ice cave.
Martial arts performer Ming Jie¡¯s whole body was covered in injuries and he was taken back to the troupe to recuperate. Soon after the doctor had left, a group of strangers rushed in without any exnation and began rummaging everywhere. They searched repeatedly but didn¡¯t find what they wanted. Then, they held Ming Jie even with his disciple trying to prevent them and hurriedly tied him up and rushed off.
Another hourter, Jiu Yiniang was summoned into Da furen¡¯s residence.
"What a disgrace to the family¡¯s reputation, in the end you¡¯re a performer after all, you don¡¯t know shame and humiliation, you actually did such a shameless thing!¡±
Jiu Yiniang had just entered the room, after hearing those words, the face of the color suddenly subsidedpletely. She strongly suppressed the fear in her heart and greeted her in the room: "Furen."
Da furen raised her eyes and stared at her.
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s eyes turned teary and she suddenly kneeled in front of where Da furen was sitting, she choked: "Furen, I did not ......¡±
Da furen slightly raised her slender, sharp jaw and gentlyughed aloud. Immediately, she gently and warmly said: "Jiu Yiniang, what happened?"
"I ...... I ......¡± Nine Auntie bent over on the ground, she was unable to suppress the horror on her face and she bit her teeth to hold back the tears in her eyes. Everything happening now was putting her life on the line, her whole body involuntarily turned cold and spread to the exterior, she couldn¡¯t hide her trembles.
Da furen¡¯s sharp eyes were like a sword, bottomless. She continued to look at her for a long time, and then she gently tilted her lips: "Well, it¡¯s not a big deal, you may rise!"
Lin Mama smiled and helped Jiu Yiniang up but she couldn¡¯t be even more confused by Da furen¡¯s intentions and couldn¡¯t help but feel horror forming. She blushed, kept her head down, pouted her lips, fastened her belt as her pair of sympathetic eyes pitifully looked at Da furen, like a trembling pearl.
Such an innocent look.
It was exactly like the face of that bitch back then!
Da furen couldn¡¯t stand the sight of her face bearing resemnce but she finally managed to hold back her anger and kindly offered her a seat.
Jiu Yiniang slightly raised her body and sat down. Even when she was sitting down, she didn¡¯t dare to put all the weight of her body on the chair, her body was slightly held up.
"What did Da furen just say?" Jiu Yiniang¡¯s hands unconsciously clenched her skirt, her voice was trembling.
Da furen smiled: "Oh, this is what happened. Lin Mama just came and mentioned to me that the one named Ming Jie was caught having an affair with a concubine of an aristocrat so he was captured and tied up.¡±
"Ah ......" Jiu Yiniang felt guilty from the start, and so after listening to those words, she suddenly felt suffocated and couldn¡¯t utter a single word. Then, extreme embarrassment appeared on her face and tears began to form in her spinning eyes.
It was as if Da furen didn¡¯t see the fear in her eyes, she justughed: "It is really a pity that there was such amotion at your banquet today, but this is so good, what a filthy performer, our family absolutely cannot tolerate this. Jiu Yiniang, do you agree?!¡±
Nine Aunt mouthed words but could only say: "Yes."
Da furen sneered: "I have not asked, I heard you have seen Lao Ye before you were at the minister¡¯s residence?¡±
Jiu Yiniang was surprised for a moment, she said: "In the past, I have sung in the Auspicious Garden Court. At that time, a dignitary wanted me to be his concubine, I was reluctant, and by chance, Lao Ye passed by coincidentally and helped me out of the situation."
As Da furen listened to this, it seemed to her that it was a heroing to the rescue for the beauty situation, how romantic, she couldn¡¯t help but felt more disgusted and her brow slightly rose. She suddenly wanted to mock her, but remembered she summoned her for another matter so she had to suppress her hostility towards her.
Noticing the expression on her face changing uncertainly, Jiu Yiniang was scared and didn¡¯t dare to speak. Da furen said lightly: "Then you met Lao Ye once again in the minister¡¯s residence and you deliberately seduced him and wanted to climb up, is not it?"
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s cheeks turned red and suddenly felt abnormally distressed. The truth was she only saw Li Xiao Ran once and didn¡¯t had any other intentions towards him, butter ......ter, Li Xiao Ran actually sent arge box of gold and silver to the troupe leader, the troupe leader tried hard to persuade her that marrying the prime minister is such an honor, she was reluctant so the leader was going to sell Ming Jie and that was when she was forcefully epted.
Da furen saw her expression and had guessed bits and pieces, not only were her eyes burning with fury, her reluctant kindness from earlier had alreadypletely vanished, she coldly sneered: "Since Lao Ye have such deep affections towards you, how could you do this kind of thing?¡±
Da furen eximed loudly, her voice was already fierce and vigorous.
Jiu Yiniang didn¡¯t know what to say, she looked up and had on a look of ignorance: "Furen, I do not know what you are talking about."
"You do not have to deny, that performer is already in my hands." Da furen¡¯s smile was cold, her teeth grinded hard, squeezing out these few words from her teeth.
Jiu Yiniang noticed that Da furen¡¯s words were very vicious that she couldn¡¯t help but panic. Yet amidst a state of panic, she was still sane that she knew no matter what she couldn¡¯t admit it, she then tly said: "Furen, what are you talking about, I do not understand! If you want to wrong me, why don¡¯t we straighten this out in front of Lao Ye!¡±
Da furen didn¡¯t allow her to say more, she snapped and interrupted her: "Lao Ye? You and the actor were intimate in the past but you pretended like weren¡¯t and even dared marry Lao Ye. If you are really innocent, let¡¯s confront this in front of Lao Ye! If this is spread off, Lao Ye is bound to be ridiculed by the entire world! Of course, the ridiculing is light, perhaps there would be some opponents who would be able to use this to harm Lao Ye! All of these things, do you not understand?¡±
Da furen¡¯s words were like strings of lightning striking towards Jiu Yiniang one by one as they shocked her, making her stiff and unable to move in her chair. Her face was liking falling tide, it turned green all of a sudden that it looked transparent.
Da furen saw her sat there motionless and knew that her words had worked, she chillingly said, "I believe you are an understanding person and already know what to do. If you have the brains, you should know who can save you! And who can help you! And from now on you should listen to whom!"
Jiu Yiniang waspletely dumbfounded.
When Li Wei Yang passed through the corridor, she noticed Jiu Yiniang sitting idly by a stone table full of petals, and her flower-like face was frowning.
The young girl on the side warned: "Jiu Yiniang, Xianzhu came."
Once Jiu Yiniang looked up, she suddenly saw Li Wei Yang, at that moment she even expressed fear as she hurriedly bowed: ¡°Greetings to Xianzhu!"
"Since you are married to my father, you are a part of the family, you do not have to be this courteous." Li Wei Yang was weighing her expression.
After listening to this, Jiu Yiniang not only did not look happy at all, her face quickly burst into fear.
Li Wei Yang saw that she didn¡¯t seem well and couldn¡¯t help but felt very strange and asked: "I just noticed Jiu Yiniang¡¯s worried frown, is there something bothering you?¡±
"No ... no ..." Jiu Yiniang slightly panic, "It was seeing a gust of wind blowing and the flowers falling all over that it made me feel sad inside."
Li Wei Yang noticed the sad look on Jiu Yiniang¡¯s face, prating into her bones, it was not merely sadness sprung from the surroundings.
After Jiu Yiniang finished saying those words, she stared at Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, afraid that she didn¡¯t believe her. See her actually showing a look of doubt, the expression on her face turned ugly. In fact, the thousands of mncholy in her heart were all because of Da furen. The words Da furen said today lingered in her heart. Until now she felt that she might as well escape from the residence. But she also understood that she couldn¡¯t escape at all, so she felt contradiction in every moment of her life and suffered all the time. More importantly, with Li Xiao Ran favoring her now, she was already this upset, if one day she was no longer favored, she didn¡¯t know how miserable she would end up.
Li Wei Yang saw that Jiu Yiniang¡¯s expression was ugly, andughingly ordered Bai Zhi to take a teacup, poured some tea and offer it to Jiu Yiniang. She smiled and said: "Jiu Yiniang, the new tea hasn¡¯t arrived yet, this isst year¡¯s chen tea, try it out. "
Jiu Yiniang tasted the so-called "just decent quality" tea and it was a little better than the tea she used to have. She carefully looked at Li Wei Yang.
Everything Li Wei Yang wore and ate nowadays wre far more superior than everyone in this household. A daughter of a concubine was living such a good life, no wonder Da furen loathed Li Wei Yang that much and must force her to destruction ...... Jiu Yiniang thought about Da furen¡¯s severity of her speech at that time and she couldn¡¯t help but look down. Then she raised her head suddenly: "Xianzhu, I have something to ask for your help!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her and involuntarily raised her brows: "If Jiu Yiniang has something to say, you can tell me directly."
Jiu Yiniang barely smiled and said: "This is not a convenient ce, can we switch to another ce."
Li Wei Yang smiled and straightforwardly replied: "No need, there is nothing to hide from others, I believe Jiu Yiniang has nothing bad to say that would be heard by others."
Jiu Yiniang didn¡¯t think she would refused this fast, for a time she didn¡¯t know what to say before she said: "People say that Xianzhu is kind-hearted and like to help others, how is it that you wouldn¡¯t even listen to a few words from me -"
Li Wei Yangughed, this Jiu Yiniang, although iparable to Si Yiniang¡¯s bootlicking skills but she was learning quite fast.
Jiu Yiniang saw Li Wei Yangughed and thought she was relieved so she quickly said: "I really have something urgent to ask you, if you are willing to help me, I will do ve and die for you ---"
Li Wei Yang frowned, Jiu Yiniang immediately held her hands: "Xianzhu, a life is on the line, can you not help me once!"
She wasn¡¯t one who would do good things without reason! Li Wei Yang stood still and said: "Jiu Yiniang, Lao furen is still waiting for me, I have to go."
Jiu Yiniang became anxious and busily said: "Xianzhu, please stay, I will say it here --- I beg you to let me go."
Li Wei Yang had a moment of surprise, she said: "What did you say?!?"
Jiu Yiniang bit her teeth and said: "I beg you to let me go!"
Just now, she had gone a few steps away, and now besides Li Wei Yang¡¯s personal maids, no one heard their dialogue, but Li Wei Yang tilted her head and saw a few girls walking past the corridor.
Even though they couldn¡¯t hear but they could see Jiu Yiniang and her rambling, what was the meaning of this? Li Wei Yang wasn¡¯t angry but actually smiled: "You are now father¡¯s favorite concubine, you have eternal prosperity and wealth, you are telling me to let you go, where do you n to go?"
Jiu Yiniang was stunned, she then said: "Although it is great here, but the environment isplex, I am favored, but for how many years? It¡¯s iparable to have some money and leave here!"
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face sank, she silently turned to leave. Jiu Yiniang was originally putting it well but she didn¡¯t know why she suddenly changed the expression on her face. She busily pulled her sleeve and said: "Xianzhu! I just begged you to save me a life, if I continue to stay here, I would definitely die an ignominious death!"
Li Wei Yang coldly looked at her, Jiu Yiniang hurriedly said: "Da furen just called me over again to scold at me, she even brought up past old things, I ...... I really can¡¯t stand it anymore!"
Li Wei Yang forcefully broke free from her hand, and coldly said: "You want to leave, then go seek out Father or Mother, why should youe to me." After she finished, without listening to Jiu Yiniang¡¯s exnation, she walked away, only to hear a thump from Jiu Yiniang as she kneeled in front of Li Wei Yang and said: "To save a life is better than to build a seven-storied pagoda for the gods, I ask that Xianzhu be kind, let me go! Otherwise, if Da furen gets ahold of evidence, she will definitely beat me to death! "
With her kneeling here suddenly, she didn¡¯t know what others thought, on a good note, others would think that Li Wei Yang was bullying Jiu Yiniang, on a bad note, others would think they had some illicit deal between them! This Jiu Yiniang was really ignorant and didn¡¯t know the rules of arge aristocratic family or she just deliberately let people see!¡±
Li Wei Yang nced at Bai Zhi, Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu understood and the two went to help Jiu Yiniang up, Li Wei Yang coldly said: "If you like freedom, then shouldn¡¯t have returned with Father, since you have be his concubine, then you should be act dutifully and serve Father well. "
Jiu Yiniang tearfully cried: "Xianzhu grew up with prosperity and riches, how would you understand the hardships of people like me. I originally came from Changzhou, although I¡¯m not wealthy, but I was a Xiaojie from a good family, who knew that after my mother died, my unvirtuous stepmother, lied to my father and sold me to the troupe. I grew up singing in the troupe, I don¡¯t know how much sweats and pains I¡¯ve suffered but these I wasn¡¯t afraid of, I¡¯ve been dreaming that just one day I would save enough money to purchase my freedom, and seek refuge with some poor rtives and then purchase some properties and find a good family to marry into. Who would have known that the minister took a fancy in me and gave me to Lao Ye, I had thought that even as a concubine, as long as Lao Ye doted on me, I would live a good life. Who would have known that today Da furen suddenly called me in, forced me to admit I had an affair with the performer, and also threatened to to tell Lao Ye, Xianzhu, if she really grasped ahold of evidence, I really nowhere to go!¡±
Li Wei Yang was silent; it was as if she pondering the credibility of Jiu Yiniang¡¯s words.
Jiu Yiniang looked at her expression and guessed the she was hesitant and quickly said: "I know Xianzhu is the rare kind-hearted person in the family, or you wouldn¡¯t take care of San Shaoye who isn¡¯t entrusted to anyone. Furthermore, you aren¡¯t willing to see Da furen be ted? Please help me this time it!¡±
Li Wei Yang secretly thought, to help Li Min De, it is because of her promise to San furen, it was definitely wasn¡¯t because she had a great heart, in this life, she wouldn¡¯t be a kindhearted person.
Jiu Yiniang noticed that she was still quiet and thought that she still wasn¡¯t willing to help her out, she quickly said: "Xianzhu, I will not let you help me without benefits, if you have anything you want me to do, I will not refuse!" At this moment, Jiu Yiniang suddenly saw Lin Mama appeared on the cobblestone path as she walked towards them, she urgently said: "Xianzhu, I will take it as a yes, I will discuss more details with youter." Once she finished speaking, she left immediately as if she had just seen ghosts.
Li Wei Yang thoughtfully looked at Jiu Yiniang¡¯s crisp departure, Bai Zhi whispered: "Xiaojie, how credible do you find her words?"
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "The part about herself, those were not lies."
Bai Zhi guessed: "Did Da furen find out about something, Jiu Yiniang is afraid, so she has no choice but leave.¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head: "This, I do not know." The stage just fell on the performer, he was probably Jiu Yiniang¡¯s past lover, Da furen may be aware of this but she couldn¡¯t find solid evidence, She wanted to use this opportunity to verify and seeing how Jiu Yiniang¡¯s face paled, she figured she had guessed correctly, so that was why she called her in.
From Jiu Yiniang¡¯s appearance, it seemed like she had resisted, and temporarily didn¡¯t admit it, but she may be scared enough already, and thus came to seek out help from her who she wasn¡¯t acquainted with. Jiu Yiniang knew she would be able to help, she was right, to be able to create trouble for Da furen, Li Wei Yang wouldn¡¯t miss out, the entire household knew that this concubine-born daughter and the matriarch were at discord, it was not strange at all that Jiu Yiniang woulde to seek help from her.
However, Li Wei Yang thought that although all seemed reasonable and logical, there was still something odd that couldn¡¯t be exined. ording to Da furen¡¯s ways, she wouldn¡¯t strike if it wasn¡¯t a certain hit, would she easily let Jiu Yiniang off? And even let here and ask for her help?! Li Wei Yang thought more and more about this and felt more suspicious, she whispered: "In these two days, pay more attention to the movements within the family."
"Yes," Bai Zhi answered.
Li Wei Yang thought and then said to Mo Zhu: "Qiu Ju of Jiu Yiniang¡¯s, are you familiar with her?"
Mo Zhu paused and then whispered: "We¡¯ve spoken together in the past and have taken care of each other."
Li Wei Yang nodded, called her to ce her ear closer and whispered a few words. A smile appeared on Mo Zhu¡¯s face, she said: "Yes."
At night, Mo Zhu quietly looked for a chance to call Qiu Ju out and said: "In the past few days, was there anything wrong with Jiu Yiniang?"
Qiu Ju¡¯s heart suddenly jumped yet sheughed: "Yiniang¡¯s daily routines are normal, where would there be anything wrong."
Mo Zhu smiled and pulled her hand over. She ced a white shimmering silver tael in her hand, Qiu Ju was surprised for a moment and then she said: "Ever since Yiniang left from Da furen¡¯s residence, she had been acting strangely, I don¡¯t know what Da furen said but Yiniang had been having nightmares at night!¡±
Mo Zhu stayed silent, then spoke a few words by her ear. Qiu Ju hesitated and then said: "I am Yiniang¡¯s maidservant, this wouldn¡¯t be too good?"
Mo Zhuughed but didn¡¯t speak, she looked at the silvers in Qiu Ju¡¯s hands.
Qiu Ju quickly hid the silvers, she was struggling to decide as she stayed silent.
Mo Zhu smiled and promised: "An ingot of gold."
Qiu Ju was surprised and then said: "Monitoring the master, this is disrespectful."
Mo Zhu nodded: "Two ingots."
Qiu Ju took her monthly allowance andpared it with this unexpected ie and whispered ¡°I¡¯ll go all out¡±, she nodded: "Okay, every move Jiu Yiniang makes, I will report them to Xianzhu."
Li Wei Yangzily lied on a couch, holding a book in her hand. She was almost asleep as the sunlightfortably shone on her face. At this moment, an unfamiliar girl walked in from outside and said loudly: "Bai Zhi jiejie, your maidservant took a look outside the door and saw a flowerpot just now, I don¡¯t know who sent it to Xiaojie!"
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes slightly and looked at the girl. She was sitting in her residence, this girl¡¯s voice was neither high nor low, it neither disturbed her yet it was noticeable.
Bai Zhi quickly walked over and reproachfully whispered: "Xiaojie is still here, do you not understand the rules here!¡±
The girl showed innocence on her face as she panicked and ced her head down.
Mo Zhu whispered in Li Wei Yang¡¯s ears and exined: "Xiaojie, that is the girl who sweeps outside."
Sweeping outside? Howe she was here now? Li Weiyang¡¯s lips spread open and showed a trace of subtle imperceptible sneer. If she really didn¡¯t know who sent the flowerpot, she could¡¯ve directly taken it away, she wouldn¡¯t personally bring it in, it seemed like this girl knew something.
The young girl happily bought the flowerpot in, Li Wei Yang took a look, this was a pot of Begonia flowers.
Li Wei Yang readily picked a begonia, sniffed it and found that it had an unusual floral scent, but scent of a very special powder. Looking closely, this Begonia was actually cut with satin, tied with golden and silver wire, tied to the tree. Each flower branches and leaves were actually silver beads wrapped around the crystal beads, or yellow, or verdant, or pink, hidden in the bouquet. It was not easy to discover, but it made the bouquet¡¯s magnificence iparable.
Li Wei Yang gently twisted a flower, ced it gently under the sun as she turned it. The pink crystals attached to the flowering branches shed in the sunshine.
Bai Zhi was surprised: ¡°Xiaojie, it¡¯s really beautiful, wow!"
Indeed, this Begonia looked more beautiful and precious than the real flowers. Li Wei Yang sneered and then a handsome face immediately emerged in her vision. There was a pair of burning ambitious eyes on that face.
Tuoba Zhen.
Until she saw his flower pot, did Li Wei Yang thought of this person again. The intention of his gift was clearly to be on her good side.
This man, was unwilling to be neglected, while he was proactively expressing his affections towards Li Chang Le, he was not willing to give her up, he was clearly thinking of killing two birds with one stone. He had the Jiang family¡¯s military power and still wanted to put everything to its fullest use. Li Wei Yang sneered loudly.
At this moment, Li Min De suddenly walked into the yard. When he saw Li Wei Yang standing in front of the flowers, he smiled, and then waved his sleeves. A bird flew out of his sleeve and Li Wei Yang and suddenly she heard the fine sound of bells flustering past her ears. She couldn¡¯t help but look up.
Li Min De smiled softly and whistled a little, the bird circled ap and stopped at his finger. He gave it to Li Wei Yang as he said, "For you."
Li Wei Yang carefully looked at the bird and saw its small and brilliant feathers, from one glimpse, it was obvious that this was bought at a high price. On the bird¡¯s paw, there was even a bell tied to it; the bell was created with the highest quality of silver and tied with a thin red ribbon. Paired together with the ocher yellow bird, it was bright and beautiful.
"What is this?" He wasn¡¯t going to gift her a bird to raise.
"It¡¯s safer than Bi Si, but it¡¯s much more reliable than Bi Si in sending messages," Li Min De smiled, his eyes gazing at her.
Li Wei Yang was greatly shocked inside: "This --- is for me?"
Li Min De nodded.
Li Wei Yang looked down at the bird, smiled and said: "So lovely."
Li Min De¡¯s face flushed, then said: "Thank you for making me longevity noodles."
After that incident, Li Wei Yang had personally made Li Minde a bowl of noodles, she kept her promise, at the same time, she didn¡¯t mention to anyone what happened that night and didn¡¯t further ask Li Min De about his identity.
"Yes, there are two more people!" Li Min De looked back and said to the outside, "Both of youe in!¡±
A pair of young man and woman came in and stood by his side.
"San jie, these two children are a pair of siblings, wandering from outside, yesterday I saw the two of them hungry on the roadside, so I bought the two of them, they turned out to be street performers and know some martial arts, from today on, let them follow you. "
Li Wei Yang heard this remark and felt very surprised. Eyes fell onto the bodies of the two people. The pair of siblings looked about 13 years of age, of which, the girl was born with an exquisite face, her facial features were gentle, even though not extremely exquisite. But in her eyes, her face only made her felt good, she wasn¡¯t too beautiful that she would attract attention yet she wouldn¡¯t be ignored within a crowd of people. As for the other juvenile, he had thick eyebrows and a great appearance, his stature was very tall, at such a young age, his authoritative demeanor could already be noticed.
No matter what these two people were not like street wandering urchins.
Li Min De said: "The brother is called Zhao Nan, the sister is Zhao Yue, they are very smart and sensible. Usually, Zhao Nan will stay outside the residence and will only follow when Jiejie goes out, as for the younger sister, she will stay with you and serve you like a normal maidservant, what do you say?"
Li Wei Yang looked at these two individuals and slowly shook his head.
Li Min De frowned, and softly said: "You --- do not like it?"
Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes and said: "I don¡¯t like it, these are people gifted to you, why are you giving them to me?"
Li Min De was surprised for a moment, then his face reddened, he didn¡¯t think she would look past his ploys this quickly. However, he did not panic because he was doing it entirely for her safety: "Those people are not easy to deal with, Jiejie should be prepared for self-defense."
Li Wei Yang still refused: "If I have the need, I would personally seek it out myself."
"No, this pair of siblings are not ordinary people, Jiejie will like them, and I have already arranged guards around me, you don¡¯t have to worry about me, please let them stay. If you do not want them, I will send them away."
The siblings looked at each other, while kneeling on the ground, "We beg Xianzhu to let us stay."
"If you serve Jiejie, then you must call her Master." Li Min De suddenly said, the ink color in his pitch ck pupils surged with unexpected fainted fierce colors.
"Yes, we beg Xianzhu to take us in." The two unanimously said.
Li Wei Yang looked at the situation, understood Li Min De¡¯s persistence and involuntary sighed: "Fine, if you both want to stay, then stay."
Li Min De waved his hand and the two retreated.
"That man in gray --- in fact, he is my biological father¡¯s subordinate, he is called Jiang Lei." Li Min De suddenly said.
Li Wei Yang was surprised and thenughed: "I thought, you don¡¯t intend to say to me."
"If it wasn¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have been attacked. But I still hid it from you, I¡¯m sorry." Li Min De said softly, apparently ming himself.
He was born with an outstanding appearance, although still young, his skin was as transparent as white jade, his eyebrows youthful, his body seemed to contain the brilliance of the sun and moon, as if he was born to this world to use his shimmering brilliance to conquer darkness. No one would dare to condemn this young boy. So Li Wei Yang gently touched his head: "It¡¯s nothing, I am still living well, right?"
¡°Jiang Lei said that if I want you to be safe, then I should distance myself from you --- " Li Min De suddenly blurted out as blood surged upwards.
Li Wei Yang slightly flickered hershes, the pupil emitted soft light, she couldn¡¯t help but reach out and touch his head, Li Min De¡¯s eyes glimmered, but after a moment she didn¡¯t know what to think, he tilted his head sideways, Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands touched emptiness and smashed downwards.
He gave her a furtive nce and awkwardly. "I, I, I am already an adult!"
Li Wei Yangughed, in her eyes, he was still a child, but he mored that he had grown up.
Li Min De¡¯s fairplexion was like he had on a rouge.
Li Wei Yangughed but seriously said: "Yes, Min De is already an adult, so you can protect yourself, but also can protect me, is not it?"
Li Min De was astonished, then he realized something, his eyes were suddenly dull, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t urge him until he figured it out, raised his head and looked at her: "Yes!¡±
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 76 part1
This chapter is sponsored by Amy N., Christiine G., Nagy S.
Chapter 76: Reversed Fate Part 1
1ÅÊÁú¸½·ï: p¨¡nl¨®ngf¨´f¨¨ng : mber over the dragon and follow the phoenix- meaning to be a social climber
2͵¼¦²»³ÉÊ´°ÑÃ×- unable to steal the chicken, instead lose the rice- meaning originally want to gain something but instead you lost
3ÈËÑöÂí·- r¨¦ny¨£ngm¨£f¨¡n :men and horses thrown off their feet: meaning thrown into confusion.
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Jiu Yiniang¡¯s incident was not yet finished and Lao Furen became ill.
Da Furen wait attentively by the bed, serving tea, pouring water, making a big fuss, that even if Lao Furen gives her a cold face, she acted appropriately and generously, utmostly attentive, but in the eyes of others, it is another feeling.
Da Furen personally supervised the person boiling the medicine, Lao Furen called Li Wei Yang to her side and asked ¡°Which y is she singing now?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, ¡°Rest easy, Lao Furen, perhaps Mother has seen that Dage and Dajie are grown ups, became more open-minded and should not always be at odds with you.¡±
Ever since the witchcraft incident, Lao Furen is very clear that her eldest daughter-inw doesn¡¯t say it, but in her heart, she hates her. Although she is still smiling normally, behind her, she is cursing her to an early death. Now with her being so attentive, it cause involuntary tingling on the scalp. Listening to Li Wei Yang, she thought about it carefully, then reacted: ¡°I really love those two children, but they are too disappointing. Min Feng¡¯s not much, in the future he can be taught well and then marry a good wife, but Chang Le is just inexcusable! She is always finding faults with everything, thinking that I am creating obstacles along the way, but she didn¡¯t even think about what Chang Le has done, if it was not for me helping her cover it up, it would have already became a storm in the city!¡±
After saying these words, Lao Furen suddenly coughed.
Li Wei Yang hurried over to pat her, said calmly: ¡°Mother is anxious, Dajie is fifteen this year, at the age to get married. In the future if they want to climb into the royal family, they cannot do without Lao Furen socializing amongst them.¡±
The ruckus that Li Chang Le made, her reputation is long ruined, Lao Furen¡¯s suggestion is that they should find an ordinary official family to marry her into, with due respect to the Prime Minister¡¯s n, no one will give her the cold shoulder, in the future there will be good days, but this mother and daughter pair want to climb into the royal family. Li family¡¯s wealth and rank are enough, is there any need to mber over the dragon and follow the phoenix1, if not done right, you will lose the rice when you fail to steal the chicken2, this mother and daughter are still inconsiderate and short-sighted. Lao Furen is unhappy and said to Luo Mama: ¡°In a moment, you should think of a way to take her away, I don¡¯t want to see her.¡±
Luo Mama smiled and said: ¡°Lao Furen, calm down, in a moment Lao Ye ising to see you.¡±
Lao Furen hmphed coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what evil spirit did our Li family offended, ai, a femme fatale,tely as long as it involves that girl, something uneasy is always happening!¡± She suddenly stopped rmingly and looked at Li Wei Yang with a bit of embarrassment: ¡°Oh, what I have said, you probably find it annoying, forget it, I shouldn¡¯t chatter on about these with a child like you.¡±
Li Wei Yang took a bowl of porridge from the exquisite tray beside her, smiled and said: ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, as long as you want to say it, I will listen obediently. You can push all of your heart¡¯s troubles to me, like a big cleanup, after saying it, you will feel better and a lot lighter with no loads.¡±
Lao Furen couldn¡¯t help butughed: ¡°It would be good if it was really this simple!¡± Thinking about it, she once again felt emotional. ¡°I am quite old now, the numbers of storms I¡¯ve faced are not few, just this matter involving my grandchildren make me feel inadequate, ai!¡±
Li Wei Yang blew gently on the porridge, her words also cautious: ¡°Lao Furen, you are the highest position in the family, the most important person, nothing is more important than your health, as long as you are hale and hearty, then your blessings will naturally protect your grandchildren, like a lucky star shining on the high, why do you still need to worry?¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s heart is full of blooming flowers, she looked at Li Wei Yang and smiled: ¡°Look at your mouth, really sweet.¡±
As they get old, they need coaxing, in the first ce, the Empress Dowager is not much of a task, let alone Li family¡¯s Lao Furen? Li Wei Yang passed the bowl in her hand over to Lao Furen,ughingly coaxed: ¡°Speaking of sweet, my mouth cannotpare to this bowl of red date, osmanthus soup, you should try it.¡±
The soup is sweet and delicious as expected, Lao Furen ate whileughing.
At this time, the curtain lifted and Li Xiao Ran entered. Li Wei Yang quickly stood up and greet him, Li Xiao Ran nodded and then turned to Lao Furen and asked: ¡°Is Lao Furen feeling better?¡±
¡°Your wife stop being disgusting in front of me, I will be better.¡± Lao Furen¡¯s face sank, immediately pushing aside the bowl, no good sounding out of her mouth, then she remembered Li Wei Yang is in front, feeling embarrassed for saying it too explicit, coughed and not say another word.
Although Li Xiao Ran is embarrassed, he is also disgusted with Da Furen in his heart, but he cannot show it, smiled and said: ¡°Lao Furen should concentrate on recuperating, as for everything else, there is Er Zi (son).¡±
Lao Furen sighed, but did not say anything in the end, at this time, Da Furen personally brought a bowl of medicine in, her face amicable, straight to Lao Furen¡¯s bedside, Luo Mama knowing that Lao Furen doesn¡¯t want to see her, hurried over to take it and said: ¡°I cannot trouble Furen.¡±
¡°As a daughter-inw, I should be taking care of Lao Furen.¡± Da Furen smiled, then looking at Li Xiao Ran, said: ¡°Lao Ye, you have returned.¡±
Li Xiao Ran looks calm, anger not seen: ¡°Furen has worked hard.¡±
Da Furen smiled and said: ¡°These are what I should do, Lao Ye does not need to stand on ceremony.¡±
This couple look no different from normal days, but Li Wei Yang knows, Li Xiao Ran have not entered Da Furen¡¯s courtyard for two months already, in this kind of powerful family and honourable n, Lao Ye can have three wives, four concubines, group of beautiful women, but cannot not pacify his principal wife for 10 days or half a month, this is a great disrespect. Li Xiao Ran in the past ten years like a day, persistently visiting Da Furen¡¯s room for five to six days every month, now this custom has been changed, on the surface it seems like nothing much, but in fact....it is a very dangerous signal.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lowered her long eyshes, as if she knows nothing.
Da Furen continued: ¡°Lao Ye, the day after tomorrow, I will go to Puji Temple to petition for Lao Furen, I am prepared to bring the daughters along for rxation.¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes, nced at Da Furen but discovered that the other party looks calm, unable to see through her mind.
Petition on behalf of Lao Furen, naturally it is to pray for blessings, Da Furen¡¯s words are reasonable, Li Xiao Ran has no intention of stopping her: ¡°Who are you prepared to take?¡±
Da Furen smiled: ¡°Chang Le, Wei Yang, Chang Xi¡¯s sisters both, if Er Furen is willing, then I will also take her along, although Puji Temple is not far, it still requires a lot of people to take care of.¡±
Under normal circumstances, even though wealthy aristocratic women are not imprisoned to the point that they cannot go out, the chance to go out is very few, their opportunities to shine are limited as well. The so-called ¡°not leaving the main door, not passing the side door¡±, although not all a reality, it is not far off. But going to the temple to pray is the only exception, not only is this just and honourable, it is also routine, therefore with Da Furen suggesting that the daughterse along, there is nothing strange about that.
However, Li Wei Yang still feels that something is strange about it. If Da Furen want to take this opportunity to go out to rx, taking Chang Le is enough, how could she suddenly turn so kind, even bringing herself along? Is she not afraid of her increasing her vexation? Or maybe, she has another motive for this trip? No, that¡¯s not right, Puji Temple is a praying temple built from the previous dynasty,ter left to decay from disuse, now it has been rebuilt by the current emperor. Since the reconstruction, the incenses are prosperous. Not to mention, schrly poets, travelling merchants, candidates for the examinations, even the capital¡¯s royal family, aristocracies, a lot of them also go to burn incense and pray, if Da Furen really want to do something, she couldn¡¯t possibly do anything in front of so many eyes.
Could it be, she is really just saying it, or she has suddenly developed a conscience and decided to be kinder to her?
Li Wei Yang, thinking upon here, she herself felt it is ridiculous.
Dogs cannot change from eating shit, Da Duren definitely does not have any good intention, thinking of this, she smiled and said: ¡°Mother, Lao Furen should have someone besides her to take care of her, I will remains behind.¡±
Da Furen looked at Li Wei Yang, smiled and said: ¡°Such a filial child, very well.¡±
No intention to keep her? Li Wei Yang was a bit surprised. If Da Furen is prepared to do something to her during the trip, then she would have insisted on hering along.
Li Xiao Ran listened and felt that it is a bit improper. If the daughters of Li family went to burn incenses and the only one missing is Li Wei Yang, what would others think? Would it bring truth to their reputation that they are unkind to illegitimate daughters, ruining the family¡¯s name? He thought about it and said: ¡°Lao Furen has other people around, Wei Yang, you should go with your mother to rx.¡±
Li Wei Yang said quietly: ¡°Yes.¡±
Da Furen smiled slightly, covering her lips to hide how pleased she is. Li family naturally not would leave Li Wei Yang along behind, it is not good if this spreads out.
Lao Furen looked at them lightly and said: ¡°Send more hands along, do not let anything happen.¡±
¡°Yes, Puji Temple is flourishing, lot of womenfolks go to burn incenses, I will also send along more bodyguards, to stop any irrelevant people from disturbing, Lao Furen rest assured.¡±
Lao Furen nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else.
In the evening, Li Wei Yang has heard that Er Furen declined toe along, saying that she has to go back and see her father. Then Si (fourth) Yiniang, feeling worried, went to Da Furen and begged to be allowed toe along on the trip, so naturally she was allowed. Si Yiniang is going as well, Li Xiao Ran of course feel that he cannot mistreat the beautiful as flower, Jiu (ninth) Yiniang, therefore letting her go along as well, with the exception of Liu (sixth) Yiniang who previously caught a flu, Qi (seventh) Yiniang who is not favoured, therefore those two could not join the trip.
Before the departure, Jiu Yiniang has behaved properly and did not mentioned that matter to Li Wei Yang again, instead she is constantly going to Qi Yiniang¡¯s courtyard to visit, sometimes even deliberately creating encounters with Li Wei Yang, each time someone is present, Li Wei Yang remains calm, secretly having Qiu Ju watch Jiu Yiniang¡¯s actions.
On the fifteenth, in front of the Prime Minister¡¯s house, horse carriages are grouped, people are crowding around, servants are preparing the things their masters wanted, so busy that men and horses are thrown off their feet3. The day is not bright yet, yet everything are ready. Not long after, Da Furen came out and sat with Chang Le in a green cover, pearl tassel eight treasure carriage, Li Wei Yang, Li Chang Xi, Li Chang Xiao three people sat together in a red and ornated carriage. Then Si Yiniang, Jiu Yiniang sat behind in a green felt carriage, behind them, the Yatous and Mamas are either following the carriages or walking, with the dense crowd taking up a carriage in the street...
People watch on from afar and couldn¡¯t help but be surprised: ¡°Whose family¡¯s carriages are these, so impressive!¡±
¡°It is the Prime Minister¡¯s wife taking the Xiaojies to burn incenses!¡±
¡°Ah? Xiaojie? Could it be possible that we get to see that stunningly beautiful Da Xiaojie?¡±
¡°What stunningly beautiful, she is nothing but a giant disaster! Last time she carelessly thought up a bad idea, causing riots among victims, she is simply a disaster!¡±
¡°Exactly, where are they going?¡±
¡°Looking at the direction, it is towards Puji Temple!¡±
Among the crowds, there are a couple of spies, listening to the people talking, observing the direction of the carriages, then quickly disappearing in the crowd, each rushing back to send messages to their masters.
Inside the carriage, Li Chang Xi look at Li Wei Yang coldly and did not said a word.
Li Chang Xiao was the first to speak, saying weakly: ¡°San Jie, I haven¡¯t seen you for several days.¡±
Although they live in the same courtyard, but Li Chang Xi has issues towards Li Wei Yang, causing Li Chang Xiao to be afraid to get close to Li Wei Yang, in her heart, she actually like this third sister who looks weak on the outside but very strong on the inside. In this world, there is a rule that is more or less the same, as long it is a person, all are disgusted by those who are like herself, preferring what she doesn¡¯t have. Because Li Chang Xiao is mild tempered, anyone would walk right over her, while Li Wei Yang would rather break than bend, very tough, therefore Li Chang Xiao has been very envious of her, she has bore Da Furen¡¯s anger for all of these years, only Li Wei Yang dare to challenge Da Furen and is able to live to this day, this she can¡¯t help but admire her.
¡°Yes, Si Meimei is normally in the garden embroidering, in the future if you have time, you might as welle visit me.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said.
Li Chang Xi smiled coldly and said: ¡°Forget about it, we don¡¯t want to be implicated by you.¡±
Her meaning is very clear, when Da Furen punish Li Wei Yang in the future, they don¡¯t want to be mistaken as being of the same party.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Implicated or not, I do not know,st time if it was not for Si Yiniang doing her best, Wu Meimei would have been married to Rong Guo Gong house (Guo Gong is duke rank), I originally thought that you are grateful to your mother and I, seeing you talk like this, clearly you do not appreciate the kindness,could it be that you has really fallen for that Cheng Lin?¡±
Li Chang Xi¡¯s face became white, she already found out the truth when she went back that time, knowing why Si Yiniang would n that human centophagy incident, risking the danger of offending Da Furen to help Li Wei Yang, in the end, it is only because it is mutually beneficial, more importantly, she is spared from the fate of marrying a dandy, but what of it, her own looks now has be so revolting, even though Father has already promised to not marry her off randomly, which wealthy and influential n would look upon her? Thinking of this, as if her throat is stuffed with cotton wadding, not a single word came out.
Not that Li Wei Yang doesn¡¯t know what she is thinking of, yet she did not say anything more. Some people, are forever confused, no what matter what she say, they will turn a deaf ear.
Li Chang Xiao looked at the calm Li Wei Yang, she could not help but ask a question that she has been wanting to ask all this time but had no opportunity to: ¡°I heard thatst time, it was Qi Dianxia who saved Jiejie.¡±
This is the official version, Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Yes indeed,¡±
Li Chang Xi raised her eyes, obviously envious. She really doesn¡¯t understand, why does Li Wei Yang has such luck!
Li Chang Xiao nodded and said: ¡°I heard that Yong Ning Gongzhu Dianxia is sympathetic about the shock that Jiejie has received, not only did she let you stay for the night, she have even specially dispatched people to send you home, afterward sending gifts that help you get over a shock, Jiejie, this can be considered a blessing in disguise. People always say, one who survives a great disaster is destined to good fortune for ever after, in the future, Jiejie would definitely have luck.¡±
Li Chang Xi hmphed through her nose and said: ¡°What extreme luck! Si (fourth) Jie, don¡¯t you find it odd, how could there be so much luck for someone to squander, maybe it is because other was born with witchcraft!¡±
Li Wei Yangughed, herughter is tranquil like a pearl¡¯s shine, gentle and warm hiding an edge: ¡°Wu Meimei, I really admire you, since I have witchcraft, you stille to cause trouble, you really are not afraid of death!¡±
Li Chang Xi was enraged into choking and reprimand: ¡°If not for you having witchcraft, how would you trick Qi Dianxia into saving you!¡±
Li Chang Xiao hurriedly scolded: ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡±
Li Wei Yang did not take it to heart the slightest, just lightly smiled and said: ¡°This, you need to go and ask Qi Dianxia.¡± Then she closed her eyes to rest and no matter how much Li Chang Xi provoke her, she did not engage in verbal banter with her.
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Trantor: Ang
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 76 part2
Chapter 76: Reversed Fate Part 2
1Monk clothings are made of patches because ording to their doctrine, the clothing must be patched together from recycled pieces of cloth to show disregard for materialfort.
*old sleeves- I think this is a various of how one refer to themselves. I could not find any other exnation
2®ɽÕæÃæÄ¿: l¨²sh¨¡nzh¨¥nmi¨¤nm¨´: the true face of Lu Shan (mountain): meaning the true character of someone
**the original one say inconvenient San Xiaojie and Si Xiaojie to stay in one. I think it was a typo and meant that number 4 and 5 were to stay in one room (since they are full-blood sisters) and Si Yiniang has responded about the inconvenience.
3¹ÛÒô: Gu¨¡ny¨©n- Goddess of Mercy
4³ß: ch¨«: a unit of length which is equivalent to a third of a metre.
5ͶÌÒ±¨Àî: t¨®ut¨¢ob¨¤ol¨«: give a plum in return for a peach: means return a favour with a favour.
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The current Puji Temple¡¯s abbot, already over 80 years old and prior to bing a monk, was a schrly man; full of knowledge, talent but has however experienced many mishaps, his life full of bumps, in the end became cynical, shaved his head and became a monk. Now he take care of the this temple, wholeheartedly study Buddhism, and became a prestigious and respected senior monk.
Knowing that the Li house hase to pray to Buddha, the old abbot, along the monk in charge of monastery reception, personally went to the monastery gate to wee them.
Da Furen alight from the carriage, with a Yatou assisting her, raised her eyes towards the monastery gate and saw only the abbot wearing a red embroidered monk¡¯s ragged robe1, leading the monks standing in front of the monastery gate, that way, it can be considered enough disy of splendour, attracting a crowd of people around Puji Temple.
The abbot saw Da Furening, take a step forward, both hands sped in a praying gesture, said: ¡°Merciful Buddha! Prime Minister Furen¡¯s esteemed presence in the temple is a great honour! These old sleeves* camete in wee, I hope that Furen would forgive!¡±
Da Furen immediately returned the gesture and said: ¡°Please forgive me! Master is a senior monk, I have troubled you intoing out to wee, I do not deserve such honour.¡±
The abbot said: ¡°Furen had a tough journey, please enter the temple for tea!¡±
Da Furen nodded and ordered: ¡°The Xiaojies at the back please alight from the carriages.¡±
Ya Huans immediately followed, letting down the steps and stood waiting in front of the carriages. Li Chang Le wore a veil, first to exit the carriage, she moved with light footsteps, slender figure moving, delicately and gracefully walked closer. The crowd only felt it was bright in front of their eyes, couldn¡¯t help but suspect that a fairy from heavens had descend to the lotus throne, here to help people in distress, a divine intervention. Even though they could not see what Lu Shan really look like2, with just this outfit, this figure, it also drew sighs from the crowd. They originally thought it was just this one Xiaojie, who knew that at the back was one more carriage, three more veiled, slender girls alighted, for the moment the people watching were huddled together, each fighting to see with their own eyes, the elegances of the Prime Minister¡¯s daughters, there was nocking of loitering Gongzis from wealthy and influential ns among them, who made special trips to seek novelty, but regrettably, all of the Xiaojies¡¯ faces are covered by veils, shadowy shapes, they just know that they are beauties, but not know what they look like.
Along the way into the temple, the noises from outside were cut off. The abbot said: ¡°A courtyard has already been prepared for Furens and Xiaojies, the courtyard is rather spacious, the area is peaceful and quiet, separated from the small temple by an enclosing wall, there would not be anyone disturbing you.¡±
Da Furen smiled and said: ¡°I appreciate the trouble Master has gone through.¡±
The petition this time, require staying at the temple for three days, therefore Li Xiao Ran has sent a lot of bodyguards, especially surrounding the courtyard that the womenfolks are staying in, to ensure their safety. The reality is this is worrying too much, because Puji Temple, every time valuable womenfolks came to pray, would be closed up, normally outsiders cannot enter, impossible to even speak of trouble.
Da Furen wanted to use the room specially for meditation to read scriptures, therefore ordering everyone else to go to the courtyard and rest.
Li Chang Le looked at Li Wei Yang: ¡°San Mei, should we go and see the courtyard?¡±
Li Wei Yang really admire this Dajie, during this time can still be outwardly friendly and kind, however, this also shows that her enemy¡¯s steps have be more powerful. She nodded smilingly and said: ¡°Dajie first please.¡±
Seeing a smile on both of their faces, Li Chang Xi could only feel a chill on her body, she hurriedly pulled Li Chang Xiao and left.
The courtyard is situated behind the scriptures depository, facing south, a tall gray brick wall surrounding it on all four sides, keeping out the noises and disturbances from outside. Outside of the courtyard, there is arge garden, surrounded by green cedar. Lush flowers and grasses, rockeries made of rare stones, winding paths that lead to secluded spots, it offer rxation for the mind. Lin Mama is instructing the Yatous to move all of the Xiaojies¡¯ luggages for the stay into the courtyard, a bustling activity.
Seeing the Xiaojies entering, Lin Mama hurried over to bow: ¡°Da Xiaojie, this courtyard has one principal room, four wings, and seven to eight smaller rooms. You see, this principal room is naturally for Da Furen to stay in, as for the four wings, Da Xiaojie you will stay in one, San Xiaojie in one, we can only inconvenient Si Xiaojie, Wu Xiaojie in one**, Si Yiniang and Jiu Yiniang in one.¡± Saying that, she turned her eyes to nce at Si Yiniang.
Si Yiniang smiled and said: ¡°What inconvenience is this, when going out, we cannot always trouble the abbot for something small because we don¡¯t like it.¡±
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s face remain calm, having no objections.
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes to look over, this courtyard is for entertaining guests who came to the temple to pray, the old abbot send someone to clean every day, therefore looking at it, it is refined and spotless. There is a small gravel path in the courtyard¡¯s yard, the surface paved with coloured stones. In front of the hall are two pine trees, dark green that twist tall and straight, full of vitality. In front is the principal room, from outside of the door, you can see the incense burner table facing the door, in the middle of the incense burner table hung an image of Guan Yin3 wearing white, ced beside it was an incense rosewood burner, a pair of white brass candlesticks on either side, a three-coloured zed vase, a white jade horsetail whisk inserted in it, a red carpet in front, with a futon on top of it, probably it is prepared for the guests who are here for prayers.
The Yatous are being inside and out, tidying up everything, Li Chang Le smiled and said: ¡°Then I will go to the room, everyone else please do as you please.¡± After saying it, she chose the best wing with sunny exposure to stay in.
Li Chang Xi coldly hmphed and said: ¡°Si Jie, let¡¯s go stay in that one!¡± After saying that, without waiting for Li Wei Yang¡¯s response, she pulled Li Chang Xiao to choose another one.
Si Yiniang smiled: ¡°There are two wings remaining, one north and one south, Xianzhu should choose first.¡±
Li Wei Yang nced at Jiu Yiniang who has not made a sound, said indifferently: ¡°Both Yiniangs choose, the one left behind will be mine.¡± After saying that, she turned to a Yatou and said: ¡°Mo Zhu, you should wait until Yiniangs finished choosing then go tidy up the room, Bai Zhi, you can apany me for a walk.¡±
Li Wei Yang brought Bai Zhi away from the busy courtyard, Bai Zhi said defiantly: ¡°The best wings have been taken by them!¡±
Li Wei Yang lost her smile: ¡°All of the wings are set up simrly, there is nothing good or bad, why should you care about the little things?¡±
Until now, she still doesn¡¯t know the reason Da Furen insist oning for a petition, and what motive has she brought along, therefore she is not in the mood to entangle with those narrow-minded people.
Li Wei Yang took off her veil, unlike other people, she is not gaudily dressed, instead she is dressed as she would normally at home, the ck hair on her head in a spiral bun, held up by an emerald jade hairpin, cosmetics thinly applied, lightly swept eyebrows, wearing a pale green dress, appearing even more elegant and delicate.
While thinking about the entire incident, she walked out of the courtyard, along the broken stone trail, twisting and turning, seeing only the spring airing to an end, fallen flowers are numerous, pieces of peach blossoms, falling on the ground, it is certainly an unspeakable beautiful scenery. It is just at this moment that Bai Zhi said: ¡°Xiao Jie, that Yatou has followed us.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked back, and saw Zhao Yue in a normal Yatou attire, standing not far away with a frown on her face.
Li Wei Yang smiled, this Yatou, is quite interesting, Li Min De want her to take care of her, she refused to budge, everyday watching her in the courtyard, afraid that she would have an ident. However, Li Wei Yang would purposely ordered her to serve tea, and saw that her palm is full of callouses, obviously, this Yatou is knows how to handle weapon, it¡¯s only unclear, just how high is her martial arts.
Li Wei Yang was just thinking of finding an opportunity to test this Yatou¡¯s martial arts, when she suddenly heard Zhao Yue shouted: ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡±
It is only but a moment to speak, in a sh of lightning, Zhao Yue has already pulled a soft sword from her waist. Her sword is usually tied around her waist, appearing no different from a belt, taking it out now, it¡¯s like a cold gleam. Without waiting for Li Wei Yang¡¯smand, she is already running towards the person heading there.
The young man who appeared in the pathway obviously did not think that this Yatou would know martial arts, his movements are also oddly fast, that using a folding fan, has already avoided the swift and forceful sword. Bai Zhi eximed, Li Wei Yang made a gesture towards her, motioning her to not make a sound.
As it happens, taking this chance, to check out Zhao Yue¡¯s martial arts.
Li Wei Yang watched from afar, seeing only the sword light flying, numerous swishing sounds, Zhao Yue has already made seven strikes. These seven strikes are swift and rapid, the point of each strike, are vital points to cause harm to the human body, the other person actually used a fan to fight. The shing sword, the fanning,ing and going like lightning, hearing not the slightest sound of shing, it is a fierce silent battle. If the young man¡¯s body move just a slight half a step slower, then he would certainly take a heavy hit, but his dodging be faster and faster, he saidughingly: ¡°The people around Xianzhu are really strong!¡±
Bai Zhi watched the battle between the two, severely on the edge: ¡°Xiaojie, are you really not going to stop them?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly: ¡°It¡¯s all right, just watch.¡±
Zhao Yue is a thin girl, the speed of her swordsmanship far exceed what people normally think, just one move is overwhelming. A quick strike of the sword, swift and agile, self-contained, once the sword start moving, swift as the wind, fierce like thunder, each strikes are like a storm that disregard lives, a momentum of fierce force. But the opponent, under her waves of offense, disy a calm that handle her attacks with ease. Li Wei Yang can see clearly, her sword was aimed repeatedly towards the young man¡¯s vulnerable spot, each was deflected by the fan, with each attack and defend, both are at a deadlock!
¡°Xianzhu, you really do return kindness with ingratitude!¡± The young man put a smile on his mouth, waved his sleeve, made a few wrong steps, his figure like floating clouds and flowing water, avoided Zhao Yue¡¯s fierce and swift attack with quick dodges, when both resumed standing, he was already behind Zhao Yue.
There was no expression on Zhao Yue¡¯s face, she turned to continue her attacks, the young man did not panic, his footsteps graceful, in an instant, his body has already retreated a chi4, only hearing a ¡°ng¡± sound, somehow Zhao Yue¡¯s long sword, was taken away by a fluttering fan. Zhao Yue turned pale, she learned martial arts from a young age and was always proud, having never received such a setback, was stunned, but still wanted to fight, Li Wei Yang already said loudly: ¡°Yue Er, do not be rude, this is Qi Dianxia!¡±
Zhao Yue was surprised, hurriedly stop her steps, looked hesitantly at the handsome young man.
This person was dressed in blue clothes, jet-ck hair was tied up with a purple and gold double dragon beaded cor, a very rare Nanhai (South China Sea) pearl adorning the center. His face is handsome, nevertheless his pair of eyes exudes light like the bright and peaceful moonlight, far deep down revealing a chill, isting him from this mortal world, so bright and brilliant that people almost could not open their eyes. However at this moment, he is wearing a smile, while it was never therefore, as if outsiders who see it would be very surprised, that Qi Dianxia would actually expose such smile.
¡°Xianzhu, by saying this, are you not ming me?¡± A shadow of a smile on Tuoba Yu¡¯s face, whether it is joy or anger, it cannot be distinguished
If it was any other person, they would have already been kneeling in fear, begging for mercy, but Li Wei Yang wouldn¡¯t have it: ¡°Dianxia, you are a prince, naturally you can tolerate a lot of things that are hard to tolerate, how would you me us for unintentional fault? Would you not say so?¡±
Tuoba Yu looked at her pair of eyes that are deep as a well, even though there are some bad ideas, he couldn¡¯t help but said mockingly: ¡°Originally I was came with good intention to see if Xianzhu is safe and sound, it seems like I was being a busybody.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Speaking of this incident, I still haven¡¯t thanked you face to face.¡±
It is clear that Tuoba Yu didn¡¯t care, he said: ¡°It¡¯s just giving a plum in return for a peach5, if it was not for Xianzhu helping me, I would not have extended a hand to help.¡± Then he moved closer, said with his eyes fixed on her face, ¡°Did you find out just who is it that ambushed you that day?¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head and said: ¡°All of those caught by Dianxia hasmitted suicide by poison, after Min De and I have escaped by horse, we got lost in the forest in the end, until we found the way out in the morning and because it is too embarrassing, I was forced to ask you for help.¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled and spoke straight to the point: ¡°Xianzhu, I thought we have already became friends, why are you still not telling me the truth?¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows: ¡°How did you know that I was not telling the truth?¡±
Tuoba Yu couldn¡¯t help but clenched his hands, the pain from his nails biting into flesh has calmed him down slightly. Without knowing when it started, perhaps it was from the first meeting, this superficially docile but privately cunning girl has entered his eye sight, then after meeting again in the capital, maybe it is curiosity, maybe it is like, or perhaps, he feels that life is too calm and boring, that his eyes could not help but start to pursue that touch of colour, but now he knows, she actually did not even noticed him, what more, she is only see him as an object that can be used.
He can imagine, when she helped him that time, it is only because it is useful mutually. These are of course are facts that are alreadyid out in front of him, but Tuoba Yu is still a bit unhappy. Perhaps he has been ttered by people for too long, that suddenlyes this girl who does not care about him the slightest, even going as far as hiding the truth from him, that he could not be not amazed.
On the other side, Tuoba Zhen has also reached the temple. The old abbot hurried out to greet, Tuoba Zhenughed and said: ¡°Do not stand on ceremony, I am only here to pray, no need to disturb too many people.¡±
He is after all still a prince, the old abbot did not want to slight him, hurriedly instruct someone to take him on a tour.
Tuoba Zhen then headed towards the inner temple, the novice monk who is guiding him said: ¡°Dianxia, this is the Heavenly King Hall.¡±
Tuoba Zhen looked up and saw the Four Great Heavenly Kings, with frowning brows and angry eyes, looking frighteningly ferocious. A couplet hung on a pir in the hall, the first line reads ¡°timely wind and rain¡±, the second line reads ¡°the country is prosperous and the people are at peace¡±.
He smiled faintly, then continued to stroll forward, the novice monk said: ¡°In front is the Luo Han Tang.¡±
Tuoba Zhen did not pray nor did he light an incense, as if unintentional, said: ¡°I heard that the Prime Minister¡¯s family are also at the temple?¡±
The novice monk was surprised, then observed his expression, said respectfully: ¡°Yes, Li Furen along with a few Xiaojies, are at the temple.¡±
¡°Oh? Which Xiaojies?¡± Tuoba Zhen, ying with the jade thumb ring on his hand, asked.
The novice monk did not expect him to ask so thoroughly, carefully said: ¡°This... pardon this monk for not knowing.¡±
Tuoba Zhen saw his face was wary, he could not help but smiled: ¡°Shifu, rest assured, I am old acquaintance with Prime Minister Li, there is absolutely no reason for me to not enter the temple to greet them, you lead the way, I am going to see Li Furen.¡±
The novice monk was originally concerned that he has some strange moves, now seeing that he just want to see Li Furen, calmed down and said: ¡°Dianxia, please.¡± While walking, he thought, what¡¯s going on today, first is Qi Dianxiaing inplete secrecy, now came a San Dianxia, these princes are gathering together or what? Then suddenly thinking of the Li n Xiaojies, like flowers and pearls, at the monastery gate earlier, the novice monk sighed involuntarily, women are dangerous ah!
Tuoba Zhen, unaware of his thoughts, with a smile on his face, followed the path led by the novice monk.
At this time, Li Wei Yang and Tuoba Yu has already left the garden and were heading towards Luo Han Tang. On both side of the entrance at Luo Han Tang, also hung a couplet, the first line reads ¡°Five hundred arhats, counting carefully, is it ominous or it is auspicious?¡± The second line reads ¡°Three thousand world, seen clearly, it is an image or it is truth¡±. A nce upon entry, five hundred arhats are arranged neatly, some fierce, some kind, the expressions and postures, each are different. Li Wei Yang looked at the these arhats raptly, as if she is interested.
¡°Xianzhu, the gold, silvers and jewellery bestowed to you by Fu Huang, aside from the things that cannot be moved, you must have used up quite a bit of the others.¡± Tuoba Yu said suddenly.
Li Wei Yang did not think that he would suddenly talk about this, she couldn¡¯t help but turn around, a trace of surprise in her ck eyes.
Tuoba Yu smiled: ¡°You are rivaling against your Di Mu, the most important is thework of contacts, whereas these contacts, mostly rely on money to get through, for you to be able to be established in Li household so quickly, you must have spent a lot of your wealth.¡±
Li Wei Yang, with raised eyebrows, saidughingly: ¡°You are correct, what Bi Xia has given me, a lot are tributes that cannot be sold, those useful golds, a lot has already been spent.¡±
¡°Frittering away a fortune, be it a gold or silver mountain, can be destroyed in one day.¡± Tuoba Yu said lightly, ¡°You could send a reliable person to the city of Xiao to get some more goods, especially superior fine silks, in the south, recently there are a lot of buyers for silks, this is a profitable business.¡±
What Tuoba Yu let out is a very important business opportunity, in his household, the ie from the silk is over a few million gold. But it is hard for Li Wei Yang to be happy, the people around her who she can trust, in fact are not much.
Tuoba Yu, seeing her mind, smiled and said: ¡°If you can trust me, I could help you make the purchase.¡±
Li Wei Yang was puzzled: ¡°Why would you help me like this?¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled: ¡°Take it as I am thanking you for your helpst time.¡±
Her help thest time, he has already paid it off, Li Wei Yang thought privately, just as she opened her mouth to refuse, who knew that Tuoba Yu would say: ¡°In front is the main hall, let¡¯s go in and see.¡±
The appearance of the main hall is extraordinary, white jade steps, coloured zed tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, gold and jade vied with each other, it is a solemn atmosphere. There are many couplets on both side, but unable to see much, only the pair on the main entrance was interesting. The pair near the door, the first line reads ¡°Do no evil, do only good, there will be retribution for good and evil in the end.¡±
And here Tuoba Yu with Li Wei Yang, as luck would have it, came face to face with Tuoba Zhen.
At this moment, both sides were surprised...
In fact, much before Li Wei Yang saw Tuoba Zhen, he already noticed her. Except he saw that Li Wei Yang was talking in whispers with Tuoba Yu, it seems as if they are interested in each other. From time to time, a smile would bloom, reveal white like shell teeth, voice cool, very pleasant to the ear.
When facing him, her expression is an unapproachable one. Tuoba Zhen seems like an open-minded person but really he is a narrow-minded person, seeing the ¡°affectionate¡± appearance of these two, smiles with traces of crack, only he can turn his nose up on Li Wei Yang, but now it is the other side who dismissed him first, while climbing a high branch! If Li Wei Yang has taken a fancy to anyone else, it¡¯s fine, but the one she took a fancy to is the one Tuoba Yu whom Tuoba Zhen has always seen as a sworn enemy, Tuoba Zhen could not help but secretly hate her. But he is, after all, very shrewd, clearly he loathe Tuoba Yu, yet he still brought out his soul, his personality splitting into two. One full of envy, the other one is full of surprise, went up to say: ¡°Howe Qi Di (seventh brother) is here?¡±
After thest incident, Tuoba Yu has already seen through Tuoba Zhen¡¯s ambition clearly, no longer faltered by that amicable look, immediately smiled and said: ¡°I am here pray on behalf of Mu Fei, and coincidently met Xianzhu.¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes, naturally fall on Li Wei Yang, Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Could it be possible that San Dianxia is here for meditation?¡±
Of course Tuoba Zhen is not here for meditation, he only heard that Li family has came, therefore he followed them, except when he reached here, he suddenly discovered, he himself doesn¡¯t know whether he is here to look for Li Chang Le, or taking the chance to see Li Wei Yang.
Li Chang Le is beautiful like a bright moon, suppressing a group of flowers, but in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s heart, the one he is constantly worried about is another person. That person¡¯s looks is not as good as her older sister, her temperament cruel like a wolf, there is no moral character, quickly pretending and deceiving in front of him as if drinking water. Normally whatever Tuoba Zhen do is measured and proper, with only this person can effortlessly make him confused.
The reality is, if Li Wei Yang still see Tuoba Zhen as important as she did in her past life, putting him first above everything else, Tuoba Zhen would not have think highly of her, but because she is now always opposing him, even turning from him to help other, it can¡¯t be helped that he would notice, but seeing that there is a fickle hand in the unseen world, who knows which way their own fate would go.
However, why is Li Wei Yang together with Tuoba Yu! Tuoba Zhen couldn¡¯t help it, he clenched his fists tightly!
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Trantor: Ang
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 77 part1
Chapter 77: Massive Fire in the Middle of the Night
ñºñ»ÊçÅ®£¬¾ý×ÓºÃåÏ - My fairdy, the gentleman is good
ɳÃÖ Sh¨¡m¨ª - a young, Buddhist monk
Ö÷×Ó Zhuzi - how servants refer to their master
ƽÆÞ p¨ªng q¨©- ping qi are recognized with the same social and legal status and the first wife, even though they may not be the legal wife
1Ë«ËÞË«·É - lit. stay together and fly together, a metaphor for an inseparable couple, like mandarin ducks
Yan Wangye - refers to Yama who judges the dead and presides over Hell, also known as King Yan or the King of Hell
Tuoba Zhen smiled faintly: ¡°I happened to be passing through, so I decided to stop by and pay my respects to Buddha.¡±
The corner of Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips inched up, she had a nk smile: ¡°Oh? San Dianxia believes in Buddha as well?¡±
Tuoba Zhen found her question a bit strange and asked: ¡°Why would I not be?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled at the Bodhisattva in the atrium, her lips curving into a detached smile, not giving him a clear exnation.
Tuoba Zhen was frustrated but did not express any of this frustration, continuing to smile as he asked Tuoba Yu beside him: ¡°Do you understand any of Xianzhu¡¯s words?¡±
In truth, Tuoba Yu was puzzled by them as well. He did not know why he always felt that Li Wei Yang had some animosity against Tuoba Zhen. Perhaps this was the reason why she was helping him. Although between the San Dianxia of the Imperial family and a Xiaojie of the Prime Minister¡¯s household, what kind of enmity would they have with one another? He could not understand any of it.
Li Wei Yang had told herself that in this lifetime, she would not allow Tuoba Zhen to get what he wanted. As for everything else, she could care less, but every time she saw him, the contempt she held for him quickly resurfaced. She did not provoke him, but he himself was always condescending, looking down at her, promising that he could bring her to such glorious heights. It was rather ironic. In the past lifetime, she had fallen to such a miserable state, how could she repeat the same mistakes? Just the thought of it made her turn around and say: ¡°My family must be looking for me, I must return soon. Please, continue...¡± She performed a ceremonial greeting and led Bai Zhi and Zhao Yue away.
Tuoba Zhen wanted to stop her, but Tuoba Yu was a step ahead of him, blocking his way.
A cold light crossed Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes as he slowly said: ¡°What is Qi Di trying to do?¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled wryly: ¡°Has San ge not realized that Xianzhu doesn¡¯t want to speak with you?¡±
Tuoba Zhen scoffed and said: ¡°When did you be her messenger?¡±
Tuoba Yu did not retaliate at the slightest: ¡°Yaotiao shunu, junzi hao qiu, San ge has never heard of this before?¡±
Tuoba Zhen found this ironic, his eyes darkened: ¡°Qi di, do not hold it against San ge for reminding you, although Li Wei Yang may be Xianzhu, it is only a title in name. There is no respect or power associated with that title, if you wish to marry her, I only fear De Fei niang niang would be the first to object.¡±
Tuoba Yu did not pay his words any mind, he remained unfazed: ¡°San ge does not need to be concerned with this, I will say this again, San ge has asked to marry Da Xiaojie of the Prime Minister¡¯s residence, if San ge has that much time, San ge should spend some time thinking about how to make good impressions first.¡±
Each person had something to quip, their responses equally scathing. The shami in the other room began to sweat profusely after hearing this. He didn¡¯t know what was between these two Huangzi Dianxia, why were they so tense with one another, could it be because of that xiao guniang?! That was strange, what part of her did they find so charming...
Tuoba Yu smiled, turned and walked away.
Shami smiled and said: ¡°San Dianxia, Li Furen¡¯s courtyard is up ahead, pleasee this way.¡±
Tuoba Zhen coldly scoffed and said: ¡°Let Li Furen know that I have important matters to attend to, farewell.¡± He then headed towards the gates.
Shami simply stood there, not a shichen had passed since he arrived, and San Dianxia had left, what was the meaning of this?
Li Wei Yang had returned to her room. Mo Zhu had someone clean up the room in the meantime. It was already evening, the Yatous serving her came with meals. Li Wei Yang took a couple bites before lowering her chopsticks and summoned Zhao Yue to the room.
Zhao Yue walked into the room, somewhat tense and uneasy.
Li Wei Yang did not go straight into the matter at hand, she asked: ¡°Where is your brother?¡±
Zhao Yue was taken back for a moment, then replied: ¡°My gege secretly came with the guards of the Li residence to watch over Zhuzi.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°The two of you should return tonight. Tell Min De I do not need someone like you by my side.¡±
Zhao Yue was frightened to the point where her face was pale as a sheet. She fell to her knees, her voice trembling as she said: ¡°Zhuzi, Nubi does not know what Nubi has done to anger Zhuzi, but please do not send Nubi away.¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head: ¡°I did not give you an order, yet you decided to take things into your own hands. This can only mean two things, one, you do not understand the rules, secondly, you do not see me as your Zhuzi. I do not need people like you, you should return to Min De¡¯s side.¡±
Return to shaoye¡¯s side? Shaoye had said that if they could not take good care of Li Wei Yang, he would send the two of them back, then how could the general let go of them that easily? It would be thousands of times worse than the present! Zhao Yue hastily interjected: ¡°Nubi understands now, Nubi did not understand the rules, in the future, if Zhuzi gives the order, Nubi will immediately do so! If Zhuzi does not give an order, Nubi must not intervene! Nubi begs Zhuzi to not send Nubi away, otherwise, Nubi and Nubi¡¯s brother will certainly be driven out to the streets!¡±
Li Wei Yang lightly said: ¡°You two have kept this up for so long, how much longer will you keep this act up? Driven out to the streets, these words could only fool the spirits. Tuoba Yu is known for his swordsmanship and as a rare martial arts prodigy, how could a girl once wandering the streets exchange five or ten blows with him? If you are this good, then your dage¡¯s martial arts must be far superior, yet you refuse to speak truthfully?!¡±
These words echoed clearly in Zhao Yue¡¯s mind. She repeatedly kowtowed: ¡°Zhuzi, Nubi speaks the truth, Nubi received the order to protect San shaoye, but Nubi cannot say who ordered us xiong mei toe, if Nubi does, Nubi will not be able to keep Nubi¡¯s life. There are ten people in total, San shaoye had chosen us xiong mei and send us to protect Zhuzi, Nubi would not dare to tell half a lie.¡±
Before, Zhao Yue had not thought much of Li Wei Yang. She thought that she was only a Xiaojie that did not step foot outside her courtyard. Now it seems she was foolish to have underestimated her, and her identity had also been discovered so quickly. In truth, Zhao Yue was not at fault at all, from a young age, she had grown up in the military and had undergone strict training to understand signals and advance quickly with her sword in hand. She had discovered Tuoba Yu¡¯s soft breathing from his hiding ce and had initiated and engaged inbat but only out of reflex.
Li Wei Yang understood this, so she did not me Zhao Yue: ¡°Leave now.¡±
Zhao Yue did not understand her intentions and became more fearful after seeing that she was being sent away. She clenched her teeth and continued to plead, ¡°Zhuzi, if you are unsatisfied with Nubi, then Nubi begs that Zhuzi keeps dage here! Dage didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± If she was sent away, she would be marked as a traitor and would inevitably be executed. She did not hope for mercy for herself, she only hoped to save her eldest brother: ¡°Dage¡¯s martial arts are far superior to Nubi¡¯s and will be able to protect Zhuzi in the future!¡±
¡°Who said I wanted to send you away?¡± Li Wei Yang smiled coldly.
¡°Zhuzi, please spare dage! As for Nubi...¡± Zhao Yue raised her head, her voice full of conviction as she said: ¡°Zhuzi can personally have Nubi killed!¡±
¡°Alright!¡± Li Wei Yang cut her off. She lifted a cup of tea, her eyes misted over like the Jiangnan rain, gentle and indifferent, ¡°So be it, we must establish an order, for every day that you are still with me, you must follow my orders without question. If there is a day when your former Zhuzi calls you back, or if you have other intentions, you may tell me, and I will allow you xiong mei to leave.¡±
Zhao Yue was in a state of shock, unable to believe it, they were being pardoned?
Bai Zhiughed gently: ¡°You still haven¡¯t thanked Zhuzi?¡±
Zhao Yue hastily kowtowed, immensely grateful: ¡°Thank you Zhuzi! Thank you Zhuzi!¡± After that, Bai Zhi led her outside.
The sky had darkened outside. Mo Zhu brought antern inside and lit a candle. Li Wei Yang had all the Yatous withdraw, leaving only her and Mo Zhu.
Li Wei Yang asked: ¡°What is everyone else doing?¡±
Mo Zhu replied: ¡°Xiaojie, Da Furen is still in her living quarters, the other Xiaojies are having a meal, Si Yiniang is copying Buddhist scriptures, and Jiu Yiniang said she had a headache and has gone to sleep.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded and said: ¡°What did Qiu Ju say?¡±
Mo Zhu softly said: ¡°Earlier, Qiu Ju came with some newsst night, Jiu Yiniang had changed into Yatou¡¯s clothing and secretly went to Da Furen¡¯s courtyard. She did not know what they spoke about, but a shichenter, Jiu Yiniang came out. Xiaojie, are these news reliable? Nubi does not think Qiu Ju is wholeheartedly helping us, Xiaojie had given her so much money, yet she has yet to bring any useful news!¡±
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°Raise an army in a thousand days, only to use them in a fleeting moment, as for useful news, one will be enough.¡±
Mo Zhu did not understand Xiaojie¡¯s intentions and pondered over it, her face growing even more concerned.
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Have Zhao Yue stay up tonight and guard the corridor as a precaution.¡±
In the middle of the night, a deafening scream suddenly rang out, a woman¡¯s scream.
Outside, the courtyard was chaotic, at first, a room in the South wing burned, and for some reason, the mes quickly spread, and the entire courtyard was engulfed in mes. Li Wei Yang suddenly sat up and ran out, but the bed curtains and wardrobe were on fire, her sleeves had just grazed past the window before it caught on fire. Li Wei Yang rolled on the ground, barely extinguishing the mes on her sleeve, she could still run out, but who would have thought a wooden beam would fall, cutting off her only exit, and at that moment, Zhao Yue burst in....
Outside, panicked cries rang out everywhere, everyone ran to put out the mes. Fierce winds further fanned the mes, not much water could be thrown into the fire before the mes defiantly rose several feet, devouring everything, seeing this, no one dared toe near the mes anymore. They could only helplessly watch the brilliantly burning mes like a fiery dragon, madly dancing, circling to the direction of the wind, soon enough, the courtyard had be a sea of mes. The mes had rose to the eaves nearby, burning it as well, violent, crackling explosions could be heard, ash falling like hail raining down from the sky, injuring countless Yatous in the blink of an eye. The explosions, wretched cries, people desperately ran away from the fire, no one daring toe near.
Li Chang Le helped Da Furen stand, her expressions a bit unpleasant. There were burn scars on Da Furen¡¯s wrist. Si Yiniang frantically looked for her two daughters, Li Chang Xi¡¯s face was darkened by ck ash, Li Chang Xiao¡¯s entire being as well, her face pale white. Jiu Yiniang stood in the courtyard in a daze as if she could not believe what she was seeing. The Yatous and mamas desperately cried out, stumbling as they ran out, Lin mama snapped: ¡°Why are you running! See if there are any valuables that can still be saved!¡±
Bai Zhi had gone outside to get water because Li Wei Yang had been thirsty and returned to see the massive fire burning brightly, spreading to every room in the wing, growing stronger and fiercer by the moment. The teapot in her hands suddenly fell to the ground, and she ran, seizing Mo Zhu by the shoulders, shaking her urgently: ¡°Where is Xiaojie? Where is Xiaojie at?¡±
Mo Zhu fearfully nced at Bai Zhi, still in a state of shock, it was not her turn to stand watch tonight. She was preparing to head back to her room when she discovered the fire and ran outside like everyone else. There were so many people that she had not realized that Li Wei Yang was not here!
¡°Xiaojie is still in the room!¡± Mo Zhu cried out, horrified.
Bai Zhi eximed: ¡°Xiaojie is still in inside... ¡± Pushing Mo Zhu aside, she ran towards the fire.
Mo Zhu saw the relentless mes and the entire room swallowed by the sea of mes and firmly held Bai Zhi back: ¡°Have you lost your mind? How can you run inside when it¡¯s burning!¡±
¡°Xiaojie is still inside!¡± Bai Zhi seized Mo Zhu¡¯s sleeves.
Mo Zhu¡¯s face was also pale white, frightened, she frantically ran over to beg Da Furen: ¡°Furen, San Xiaojie is still inside! Nubi asks that Da Furen send someone to save Xiaojie!¡±
A small, subtle smile appeared on Da Furen¡¯s face, but in front of everyone else, she expressed her concern, urging: ¡°All of you, why have you not saved Xiaojie!¡±
Whether it was the shami who came to put out the fire, or the Yatous and mamas, they could only helplessly look at one another.
Such a massive fire, if they were to go back inside, they would surely die.
Bai Zhi clenched her teeth, turned and ran towards the fire. Those beside her caught her and held her back: ¡°Don¡¯t run inside! Can¡¯t you see the building is about to copse?¡±
Everyone had fallen silent, watching the fire. The Yatous stared at the raging fire, frightened and their faces drained of color. They did not cry, nor did they scream or cry out, they only watched the mes burn, wide-eyed.
It seemed like the burning mes were reflected in Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes. The intentions behind her smile were unclear, but it made her face, that of a beauty that could make empires and cities fall, be demonic with a faint trace of sinister aura.
The mes kept burning, crackling, and thundering, the roof copsed, the mes rose into the air, the mes spewed out like fireworks. The firelight cast onto the frightened faces of Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu.
Li Chang Le almost could not suppress her overwhelming joy. From here on out, she would not have to see Li Wei Yang¡¯s face again and would never be provoked by her again!
Suddenly, from within the sea of mes, Zhao Yue ran out, her entire being cloaked in mes, with Li Wei Yang on her back.
Everyone had fallen silent until a Yatou cried out: ¡°San Xiaojie! San Xiaojie is out now!¡±
To save a life was more than building seven pagodas. The shami who came to put out the fire quickly threw water onto Zhao Yue. Zhao Yue fell to the ground to roll, soon the mes were extinguished, her hair and clothes soaked and slightly smoking, her face covered in ash as sheid on the ground, breathing heavily. Li Wei Yang was not injured at all, she examined Zhao Yue¡¯s body. Seeing that she was not wounded aside from slight scratches, Li Wei Yang could rest assured.
Da Furen¡¯s expressions were warm and weing: ¡°Wei Yang, are you alright? You have made Muqin worry to death!¡±
Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu dropped everything and ran over, circling Li Wei Yang, crying and smiling at the same time.
Li Wei Yang looked at Da Furen¡¯s hypocritical face and inwardly sneered, but her face did not betray a single emotion: ¡°Nu er has made Muqin worry, Nu er is still safe and sound.¡±
Li Chang Le was disappointed to see this, then bowed her head, ring at Zhao Yue. It was that Yatou who intervened, if not, Li Wei Yang would have perished in the sea of mes.
There was not a hint of disappointment on Da Furen¡¯s face, it was as usual, almost kind and gentle: ¡°That is good to hear, otherwise, I would not know how to exin this to Lao Furen.¡±
The fire was still burning, Li Wei Yang nced over her shoulder at the fierce mes, her expressions growing solemn.
If she had died in this unexpected fire, then whether it was Lao Furen or Li Xiao Ran, no would could say anything. After all, everyone saw Da Furen order everyone to risk their lives and put out the fire, but they had all ran outside, and only she was unfortunate enough to be burnt to death, who was there to me? She could not help but think, had focusing on Jiu Yiniang a mistake on her part?
Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze gradually shifted to Jiu Yiniang.
Jiu Yiniang was frightened when she looked over and suddenly saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s cold stare and could not help but lower her head.
No, there must be something she was overlooking! Li Wei Yang thought of every possibility as her gaze swept over everyone. Da Furen was calm, Li Chang Le was disappointed, Si Yiniang was only concerned about bandaging the burns on Li Chang Xi¡¯s arms, ncing at the unfinished dressing, one could see her skin had concerning burns, Li Chang Xiao worriedly looked on, and Jiu Yiniang did not dare to look directly at her - everything must be connected in some way! The whole world seemed to be spinning around her, everyone was a suspect!
At this time, the abbot rushed towards them, although the fire had been contained and extinguished, more than half the courtyard had been burnt down, the suffocating, pungent smell was in the air along with traces of ashes and water.
The abbot was anxious but also frustrated, motioning to those standing behind: ¡°Why have you not quickly brought water to put out the fire?¡±
A monk hastily ran over to report: ¡°Abbot, those inside the courtyard were all noblewomen, we could not simply burst in. We truly don¡¯t know how the fire started either, perhaps the Yatous fanning the mes in the kitchen were not careful or a candle in the room had been knocked over ---¡±
Li Wei Yang nced over, signaling to Zhao Yue. Zhao Yue immediately understood and took advantage of the fact that everyone was restless and distracted to quietly go back to the ashen remains. After a while, Zhao Yue returned and whispered: ¡°Zhuzi, the mes from your room burnt the fiercest, it seems someone hadpletely covered the door in oil.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s facial expressions changed, and she said: ¡°Speak up!¡±
Zhao said: ¡°Yes, Zhuzi, this fire was intentionally started, Nubi discovered mmable oil behind the room!¡±
Stunned, Da Furen¡¯s piercing stare shot over to Zhao Yue. After that, she said: ¡°What is going on here? Could it be that we have offended someone and this was their revenge? It¡¯s fortunate that no one was hurt, if not, we would have lost our lives on this pilgrimage!¡±
The abbot apologized continuously. Now that the fire had incinerated everything, including any evidence, even if they wanted to investigate, they would not find much. He said: ¡°This matter will be brought to Jingdu Yin¡¯s attention tomorrow morning, and it will be taken care of.¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 77 part2
Chapter 77: Massive Fire in the Middle of the Night
ñºñ»ÊçÅ®£¬¾ý×ÓºÃåÏ - My fairdy, the gentleman is good
ɳÃÖ Sh¨¡m¨ª - a young, Buddhist monk
Ö÷×Ó Zhuzi - how servants refer to their master
ƽÆÞ p¨ªng q¨©- ping qi are recognized with the same social and legal status and the first wife, even though they may not be the legal wife
1Ë«ËÞË«·É - lit. stay together and fly together, a metaphor for an inseparable couple, like mandarin ducks
Yan Wangye - refers to Yama who judges the dead and presides over Hell, also known as King Yan or the King of Hell
Da Furen nodded, solemnly looking to Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips had frozen into a cold smile, a genuine one from the bottom of her heart.
Lin mama urgently asked: ¡°The rooms have all been burnt down, what will we do tonight?¡±
The abbot pondered over it for a moment before saying: ¡°There is a small courtyard behind this, it is small and humble, I fear Furen and Xiaojies will feel wronged.¡±
Da Furen shook her head: ¡°No one wanted this to happen. Having a ce to stay is already more than enough, otherwise, everyone would have to go down from the mountain the middle of the night. However, quite a few Yatous are injured, I hope Abbot will quickly invite a physician.¡±
¡°There is a physician in the temple. I have already sent word for him. Li Furen, please rest assured.¡± The abbot sped his hands, nced over the remains of the courtyard and sighed.
However, when arrangements were made, there was a pressing issue.
¡°What? Now three people must share a room?¡± Li Chang Xi stuttered.
¡°Yes, Furen and Da Xiaojie are in one room, and Si Yiniang and Jiu Yiniang are in another, Wu Xiaojie, Si Xiaojie and San Xiaojie can at least try to spend the night in a room.¡± Lin mama coldly smiled as she said so.
¡°How can this be, I don¡¯t want to be in the same room as her! Absolutely not!¡± Li Chang Xi could not forget her pain as she angrily protested.
Lin mama had foreseen this situation and persuaded her: ¡°Wu Xiaojie, this happened unexpectedly, no one can be med, Furen is already exhausted, Xiaojie, please do not cause more trouble.¡±
Of course Li Chang Xi did not want to raise more trouble, but even so, she refused to stay in the same room as Li Wei Yang.
Moreover, that room was small and cramped. Two people were already enough, how could there be a third person?!
Li Wei Yang coldly looked one as if none of it had anything to do with her.
Si Yiniang lowered her voice, coaxing Li Chang Xi, but she would not listen. Li Chang Xiao looked to Li Wei Yang with an unspoken apology.
Wasn¡¯t that implying that San Xiaojie would be left without a ce to stay? Lin mama was rather conflicted: ¡°Si Yiniang, what do you think?¡±
What can still be done now? Li Chang Xi, that Yatou had been provoked, she would not even listen to her birth mother.
In a moment, unrest began to stir amongst everyone.
Jiu Yiniang suddenly spoke up: ¡°How about this, Si Yiniang can stay with the two Xiaojies, I fear San Xiaojie will have to suffer and stay in the same room with me.¡±
¡°This ---¡± Lin mama looked to Li Wei Yang.
Bai Zhi blurted out: ¡°How can that be? Who heard of a Xiaojie sharing a room with a Yiniang?¡±
¡°Bai Zhi guniang, keep in mind that Yiniangs cannot share a room with Da Furen.¡± Lin mama reminded her.
Bai Zhi was at a loss for words. Mother and daughter could not be separated, jiemei Li Chang Xiao could not be separated either, and refused to be in the same room as Li Wei Yang, the situation ying out before their eyes, it seemed Li Wei Yang had to stay with Jiu Yiniang.
Jiu Yiniang smiled: ¡°It is a minor issue. I will not overstep my bounds, I will sleep on a mattress instead, and I will not trouble Xiaojie.¡±
Since it has reached this point, if Li Wei Yang still refused, she did not have much of a choice.
Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu were frustrated, Bai Zhi wanted to add something when Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Alright then. It is no longer early, everyone should go and rest.¡±
Compared to the first room, this room was narrower and simpler. However, with the current situation, a ce to stay for the night was not easy to find. Although frustrated, Bai Zhi reluctantly helped with sleeping arrangements, she turned coldly to ask Jiu Yiniang: ¡°Where will Yiniang sleep tonight?¡±
Given her status, no matter what, Jiu Yiniang could not sleep on the bed with Xiaojie, so she said: ¡°On the lounge in the other room.¡± After that, she ordered Qiu Ju to clean up a bit.
Li Wei Yang sat beside the bed, wiping away from the ash from her face. Moonlight shone into the room. Her hair was rather long, and now that it was let down, it resembled a roll of exquisite ck silk under the moonlight. As she was cleaning her face, she felt a pair of eyes on her and turned around to find Jiu Yiniang staring intently at her, she frowned.
Jiu Yiniang looked at Li Wei Yang, slightly frightened. Li Wei Yang¡¯splexion was a bit ashen, and the red haze of the candlelight made her skin seem translucent, subtle as an orchid fragrance under the moon. It urred to her that others usually noticed Da Xiaojie, the beauty of the capital, and not San Xiaojie¡¯s beauty and the different air to her.
Li Wei Yang nced at Jiu Yiniang and gave Bai Zhi an order: ¡°There is a clean mattress in the horse carriage, bring it for Jiu Yiniang to sleep on.¡±
Jiu Yiniang was taken aback, although hesitant, she was quick to decline: ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was low but her words were gentle and warm: ¡°Although it¡¯s spring, the winds at night in the mountains are strong, Yiniang does not have to decline.¡±
Once the Yatous finished with arrangements and retreated, Jiu Yiniang softly said: ¡°San Xiaojie, you are a good person.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, not saying anything, still in her day clothes as sheid down on the bed.
Jiu Yiniang looked at her and walked over to the table, using her fingernail to prod at the me of the candle. Unknowingly, a subtle scent began to gather, one that was not easily discovered.
Li Wei Yang suddenly smiled: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, your ne is beautiful.¡±
Jiu Yiniang began to panic and quickly turned around but saw nothing out of the ordinary on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face. She suppressed her unease and said: ¡°This a Qibao chain made of pure gold that Laoye gave me.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded, pretending to worry as she said: ¡°This ne is worth a hundred liang of gold, not only that, Fuqin truly dotes on Yiniang.¡±
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s heart wavered, she asked: ¡°Is it truly that valuable?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and nodded. This ne was adorned with a pure gold lotus flower and precious cat¡¯s eye stones. Of course it was valuable. Not only that, Jiu Yiniang also had a goldb in her hair with a strand of bright pearls hanging from it. The jewelry on her ears and wrists were adorned with precious stones and even more dazzling under the candlelight. Now, Jiu Yiniang, her slightly flushed face could bepared to blurred shadows in the water, like something from a dream, stirring others¡¯ hearts, only - her face, she seemed to be panicking.
It seems she was not used to harming others.
Li Wei Yang looked at the candle, smiled and said: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, do you know why Fuqin dotes on Yiniang so much?¡±
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s heartbeat began to race, she pursed her lips.
Li Wei Yang sighed andmented: ¡°Many years ago, Father went afar for business and met a beautiful Xiaojie, his admiration was reciprocated. Moreover, he agreed to make her ping qi, allowing her to share the status and position as Da Furen, but... At the time, Father was not the Prime Minister yet, Da Furen¡¯s maternal family was not to be taken lightly. Da Furen refused to let her enter the household, so she came as a concubine, not as ping qi. Da Furen treated her as a lowly concubine. When she was pregnant, Father was overjoyed, but he had to leave for business soon. Da Furen would not allow her to go with him, iming that she needed to nurture her pregnancy. Who would have thought on the day she was to give birth, her old fiance came to cause trouble, leaving her in a state of shock. She had difficulty giving birth and died. When Father returned, he mourned her passing, but after all, he had taken away someone¡¯s fiance first, so he kept this matter hidden away.¡±
Jiu Yiniang became fearful, naturally, she had not expected such things.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°After that, whether it was Si Yiniang, Liu Yiniang, even my own birth mother, they bore some kind of resemnce of her. I heard that Father fell for Jiu Yiniang at first sight, perhaps Yiniang reminds him of the woman in his heart.¡±
Jiu Yiniang recalled the day Li Xiao Ran saw her and his astonishment, she would not dare to believe it. Li Wei Yang did not notice any of it and continued, ¡°They said she had difficulty with childbirth and died, but in truth, the person who came to cause trouble was sent by Da Furen.¡±
¡°How can that be?¡± Jiu Yiniang pped a hand over her mouth, stunned.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°What is not possible? This Li family has a Si Yiniang, Liu Yiniang, and even an unfavored Qi Yiniang, they can live peacefully. None of them are a threat to Da Furen, and in terms of schemes, has Yiniang ever asked about Da Yiniang, Er Yiniang, San Yiniang, Ba Yiniang and where they have all gone? I won¡¯t hesitate to tell you, Da Yiniang was a Yatou who was a part of Da Furen¡¯s dowry and had carried out countless schemes for Da Furen, but Da Yiniang¡¯s fate was an ill-fated one. Da Furen heard that she was pregnant with a male child, and for that reason, she did not live past three years here! Yiniang should think about it, Da Furen has grasped your weaknesses, does you think Da Furen will let you go once she no longer has a use for you?¡±
Frightened, Jiu Yiniang began to panic: ¡°I... I don¡¯t...¡±
Li Wei Yang waved her hand. Suddenly, a young woman leapt down from the wooden beams, her face cold as frost, her sword against Jiu Yiniang¡¯s neck. Jiu Yiniang nearly screamed, Zhao Yue coldly warned, ¡°Silence!¡±
Jiu Yiniang took two steps back, stumbled and fell on the ground.
Li Wei Yang came closer, gently snuffling the candle between her fingers.
¡°This candle releases a hypnotic incense. Did Da Furen tell you to take advantage of when I am asleep to take action or has she thought of something else?¡± Li Wei Yang prompted.
Jiu Yiniang nced at the cold, gleaming sword in front of her, her face drained of color and hastily said: ¡°San Xiaojie, spare my life! I had no choice! Da Furen has me cornered, I was forced to do this!¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed and said: ¡°So, back in the garden, you had pleaded me to help you flee, was also something Da Furen had arranged?¡±
Jiu Yiniang began to sweat profusely, unable to find her voice.
Li Wei Yang shot Zhao Yue a meaningful nce and her sword immediately left a small cut against her neck. Jiu Yiniang had grown pale, frightened by the pain and fearfully looked to Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang smiled gently: ¡°Yiniang, you know, I am a good person, but if I became a wicked person, I¡¯m afraid you would not be able to bear it.¡±
Different emotions crossed Jiu Yiniang¡¯s face before she resolved to admit: ¡°That is right, everything I have done, including starting that fire, was arranged by Da Furen. If San Xiaojie had died in the fire, everything would have ended, but if San Xiaojie had survived, I would stay in the same room as Xiaojie. She gave me this - ¡° She revealed the powder underneath her fingernail: ¡°It can make people fall into a deep sleep, when I burn this, Xiaojie will hallucinate, and she will have someone help me escape, allow me to go with ---¡±
¡°And your inseparable lover.¡±1 Li Wei Yang did not need her to finish what she was saying.
Jiu Yiniang looked to her, stunned.
Li Wei Yang had a wry smile: ¡°It¡¯s not the first time she has done this. San Yiniang had a biaoge she was very close to since childhood. There was nothing between them, but Da Furen had used them of eloping. They were ultimately beaten to death before San Yiniang could exin herself. Jiu Yiniang, I am willing to say that before you can descend from the mountain, you will be caught and sent on your way to meet Yan Wangye.¡±
Jiu Yiniang could not help but cry out: ¡°How can that be?!¡±
Li Wei Yang chuckled softly: ¡°Da Furen has yet to leave anyone a road to live. Since she has let you go, Father will not easily forgive this betrayal and will find you, one way or another. Father is the Prime Minister, many local officials wish to curry favor with him. As long as he gives the word, even if you run to the ends of the Earth, you would be caught and brought back. If you are brought back, you will reveal everything about Da Furen, wouldn¡¯t she be caught in an unfavorable position? Think about it, how could she let you live?¡±
¡°No! She won¡¯t! Furen had clearly said --- ¡± Jiu Yiniang still could not believe it.
¡°Zhao Yue, tell her the current situation, so she can hear it for herself,¡± Li Wei Yang scoffed, not wanting to say anymore.
¡°Yes!¡± Zhao Yue said, ¡°Nubi told xiong zhang to take note of any movement below the mountain. Earlier, he sent news that there are thirty eight people waiting there, patrolling the three roads down the mountain.¡±
Even if Jiu Yiniang did not want to believe it, she had to. Her eyes were wide open, brimming with tears that could not fall.
Zhao Yue suddenly said: ¡°Xiaojie, someone¡¯sing!
Li Wei Yang motioned for them to stay quiet. Jiu Yiniang fearfully looked outside the window.
Three sounds rang out beyond the window, clearly a signal.
Zhao Yue¡¯s sword was level against Jiu Yiniang¡¯s neck, so she did not dare to make a move.
The window suddenly flew open, Jiu Yiniang was about to move when a young man jumped in, with Lin mama in tow, tied up and gagged, Zhao Nan grinned: ¡°Zhuzi, Nucai saw this person sneaking around and knocking against the window and immediately tied her up.¡±
They had clearly heard the knocking moments ago, Bai Zhi had to admit his abilities were rather frightening.
Li Wei Yang smiled thinly and stopped before Lin mama: ¡°Lin mama, you came to my room thiste at night, did you have something to do?¡±
Lin mama noticed Li Wei Yang¡¯s clear, piercing stare and began to panic.
¡°I did not think Lin mama and Jiu Yiniang were on such good terms.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s mouth slightly curved up, she then said: ¡°I was wondering, even if Da Furen wanted to harm Jiu Yiniang, then she would have taken advantage of the fire and chaos to let you go, why would she arrange for youto be in the same room with me, but now, I finally understand.¡±
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s shoulders trembled as if she were sobbing. Hearing Li Wei Yang¡¯s words, she immediately looked up, stunned.
The next morning, someone was already at the door, knocking urgently: ¡°San Xiaojie, Furen has arrived, Xiaojie and Jiu Yiniang should quickly wake up!¡±
Then the exchange was followed by Mo Zhu¡¯s voice: ¡°Please have Furen wait a bit, Nubi will immediately call Xiaojie and Yiniang.¡±
Li Wei Yang sat up. It was still dark out, and Da Furen had sent someone over? She changed her clothes, washed her face and brushed her hair in a simpler manner than usual before she heard the urgent knocking again.
Li Wei Yang frowned, and Bai Zhi went to open the door: ¡°Xiaojie is still washing her face and brushing her hair!¡±
Du mama, a trusted confidant by Da Furen¡¯s side, stood outside. She was not looking at Bai Zhi, or rather, looking past her, scanning the room as she asked: ¡°Where is Jiu Yiniang? Furen wants to know why Yiniang has not arrived!¡±
Restless and impatient! However, on the outside, Bai Zhi remained calm and responded, ¡°Jiu Yiniang woke up before us.¡±
Du mama¡¯s voice rose sharply: ¡°She woke up early? It¡¯s still dark out, where did she go?¡±
Bai Zhi indifferently said: ¡°Nubi does not know, Nubi does not look after Jiu Yiniang.¡± Having said that, she turned around to find Qiu Ju, but Qiu Ju was gone.
Du mama smiled coldly, turned and shouted: ¡°This is not good! Jiu Yiniang is nowhere to be found!¡±
Her voice alerted everyone in the small courtyard. Da Furen had been drinking tea in her room and walked out, scolding: ¡°What nonsense!¡±
Du mama rushed over and fell to her knees: ¡°Furen, this is not good, Jiu Yiniang is missing!¡±
Da Furen¡¯s face changed at once, her expressions grave as she loudly asked: ¡°Where is the Yatou looking after Jiu Yiniang? Where is she?¡±
Du mama¡¯s expressions were innocent: ¡°Nubi has searched but has not found any trace of her!¡±
Li Wei Yang had just stepped outside, modestly dressed, with a faint smile on her face: ¡°Mother, what can be this urgent this early in the morning?¡±
¡°That is not important, where is Jiu Yiniang? Was Jiu Yiniang not in the room with youst night?¡± Da Furen¡¯s expressions seemed to be out of genuine concern.
Li Wei Yang was about to say something when she heard someone report: ¡°Furen! Furen! Laoye came up the mountain!¡±
Da Furen feigned surprise and quickly saw Li Xiao Ran enter the courtyard, at the same time, everyone else had also arrived and were all stunned to see Li Xiao Ran.
¡°Father, why did youe here?¡± Li Chang Xi asked.
Li Xiao Ran looked to her and said: ¡°Last night, your mother sent word of the fire. Although no one was severely injured, Lao Furen was rather worried and told me toe and see.¡± After that, his gaze swept over Li Wei Yang and Li Chang Le: ¡°Everyone is fine?¡±
Li Xiao Ran was concerned for his daughters, after all, they were his flesh and blood.
Because of the previous incident, Li Chang Le did not try to curry favor with him, so she only smiled and said: ¡°Yes, Father, we are alright, except - Jiu Yiniang is nowhere to be found!¡±
Panic shed across Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face: ¡°What did you say?¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 78 part1
Chapter 078: Urging the Evil Spirits
1½ðÎݲؽ¿¨C literally to hide a beauty in a golden house. Used to denote meeting a lover secretly
2Ò»±Ê»²»³öÁ½¸öÀî×Ö¨C a way of saying two hands cannot p; Li Changle is trying to say that the Li Residence cannot beplete without either of them
¡°Jiu Yiniang was sharing a room with San Xiaojiest night, but she went missing early this morning!¡± Du Mama hurriedly reported.
Li Xiaoran immediately looked at Li Weiyang, as if to seek her confirmation on this matter.
Li Weiyang nodded: ¡°I did not see Jiu Yiniang when I woke up in the morning.¡±
¡°Where could she have gone?¡± Li Xiaoran couldn¡¯t believe his ears.
Da Furen nced at everyone present: ¡°Who saw where Jiu Yiniang went? Out with it!¡±
The servants looked at each other, when out of a sudden, someone stepped out from amongst the crowd and pointed at Li Weiyang. ¡°Furen, Nu Bi had ever seen with my own eyes that Jiu Yiniang was kneeling on the floor begging San Xiaojie. They had talked for very long, and I faintly heard something like ¡®please let me go¡¯!¡±
Da Furen angrily retorted: ¡°What nonsense! Are you saying that San Xiaojie let Jiu Yiniang go?¡±
Li Weiyang watched her acting, smiling coldly and never uttering a word.
The Yatou hesitatingly replied: ¡°During then.. I was not the only one who saw it, Hong¡¯er, L¨¹ Luo and Mingxia.. we clearly saw it! Furen, please ask them if you don¡¯t believe me!¡±
¡°The three of you, speak up!¡± Du Mama snapped.
The three Yatous who were named were obviously very passive; they looked at Li Weiyang with much fear as they stepped up. ¡°Laoye, Nu Bi had indeed witnessed Jiu Yiniang kneeling on the floor begging San Xiaojie, but we do not know what they had said!¡±
Li Changle seemed to have been waiting for this moment. She questioned Li Weiyang angrily: ¡°Weiyang, what is the meaning of this? Why did you help Jiu Yiniang escape?¡±
¡°We haven¡¯t conducted a thorough search of the surroundings, perhaps it might not have really been an escape?¡± Li Xiaoran could not believe it was possible.
Da Furen smiled coldly. ¡°Let them search and see!¡±
A few servants went outside of the living quarters to search for Jiu Yiniang, but returned with nothing even after checking the prayer hall.
Li Weiyang lowered her eyes, with a fleeting cold sneer at the edge of her lips. This is all a trap ¨C the previous time when Jiu Yiniang was sobbing and begging for her help, yesterday night¡¯s arrangement for them to share the same room; everything had been nned nicely from the start.
¡°What do you have to say for yourself, San Mei!¡± Li Changle scolded.
Li Weiyang replied calmly: ¡°The Li Household has provided Jiu Yiniang with good food andfortable clothing, why would she want to run away?¡±
Li Xiaoran frowned in deep thought. Why would his beloved concubine, whom he doted on, run away without a care for anything else?
Li Changle revealed an expression of shock, then changed quickly into realization ¨C ¡°Might she have... I remember thest time Muqin invited a performance troupe, one of the yatous was gossiping about how Jiu Yiniang had a lover with her troupe, perhaps..¡±
Jiu Yiniang had eloped with someone else! Everyone was stunned.
Li Xiaoran¡¯s face was filled with speechless indignation and awkwardness; his beloved concubine had actually run away with an actor ¨C which goes to show that in Jiu Yiniang¡¯s heart, he couldn¡¯t even hold up against such a lowly person! In an instant, a curl of hot anger red up in his heart and he loudly demanded an exnation: ¡°Weiyang, what actually happened!¡± He was extremely angry; why would Li Weiyang have to help Jiu Yiniang!
Li Weiyang ndly took in Li Xiaoran¡¯s anger. She did not me him because she could empathize; however, at the same time, she looked down on him for losing his cool just for a woman and his insecurity! It goes to show that no matter how smart a person can be, his thoughts could still be muddled in the time of crisis. Da Furen understands her husband perfectly in this!
¡°San Mei, you might hate Fuqin for abandoning you in the countryside for so many years, but you shouldn¡¯t be doing this. Fuqin has been treating you well ever since you came back, so how could you repay his kindness with evil!¡± Li Changle said.
Li Weiyang suddenly smiled but maintained her silence, as if she was unwilling to exin.
Li Xiaoran was so angry that even his eyes were flushed red, and Da Furen quickly tried to appease him: ¡°She is still a young child, Laoye please don¡¯t let anger affect your health!¡±
Si Yiniang did not believe for a moment that the usually bright Li Weiyang would stand by idly for her death; she observed her facial expressions carefully and detected that she had something up her sleeves. She gave a small smile: ¡°Laoye, I believe San Xiaojie will not do such a thing, do not just blindly believe in the one sided story the yatous say!¡±
¡°What has happened has already happened, Si Yiniang you shouldn¡¯t try to quibble!¡± Li Changle retorted coldly.
Si Yiniang harrumphed and looked away quietly.
Da Furen wanted to finish the matter before any changes could take ce; she hurriedly asked: ¡°Laoye, how should we deal with this?¡± Releasing her father¡¯s concubine privately was a condemnable act against filial piety, and the lightest punishment he could mete was to chase Li Weiyang out of the Li Residence. Since the fire couldn¡¯t burn her alive, she would force her into a corner, with nowhere to run!
Li Xiaoran was about to speak, when he saw a beautiful woman and her servant gracefully walk in through the door.
Everybody was stunned. ¡°Laoye? Why are you here?¡± Jiu Yiniang had a surprised expression on her face.
Da Furen looked like she¡¯d just seen a ghost. Li Changle could only stammer: ¡°You.. How could you be here?¡±
Taking big steps down the tform, Li Xiaoran rushed up to Jiu Yiniang and held her arms tightly: ¡°Where have you been?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve only been to the toilet ¨C because I was scared that I¡¯d disturb San Xiaojie in her room.¡± Jiu Yiniang blushed, embarrassed.
Li Xiaoran stilled, then nced towards Da Furen with a weird look on his face.
Li Weiyang had maintained her silence throughout, but she now sighed. ¡°Fuqin, now do you know why they say a crowd can smelt gold ¨C and the pointlessness of speaking against a hundred mouths?¡±
The yatous who had been speaking out about Jiu Yiniang¡¯s escape now had fear and surprise written all over their faces. If Jiu Yiniang didn¡¯t flee, then those who had used her would be setting her up..
Li Xiaoran¡¯s eyes were scrutinizing those involved ¨C Da Furen, Li Changle, Du Mama and the yatous who ¡®exposed¡¯ Jiu Yiniang and Li Weiyang. There was a long silence in the room.
For the first time, fear was revealed on Da Furen¡¯s face, but she quickly calmed herself down.
¡°Fuqin, please follow me into the house. I have somebody I would like you to meet.¡± Li Weiyang smiled and said.
In a snap, Da Furen suddenly understood, and took a step down the tform. ¡°Laoye!¡± She called out, and weakly dropped down to the ground as if she had no strength to stand.
Du Mama quickly stepped forward to help Da Furen up, summoning the servants who were standing around as well. ¡°What are you all waiting for! Help bring Furen back to her room to rest!¡± She understood Furen¡¯s meaning; they could not let Li Weiyang reveal anything to the crowd, if not, everything would be over for them!
Li Changle flew over to her mother and cried out pleadingly: ¡°Fuqin, take a look at Muqin!¡±
Li Xiaoran had a moment¡¯s hesitation, and at this juncture, Jiu Yiniang took a step forward with tears brimming in her eyes. ¡°Laoye, I have something to say!¡±
Looking into those familiar and beautiful eyes, Li Xiaoran was moved. He nodded and quickly walked towards Li Weiyang¡¯s house.
Once they were in the house, Li Weiyang instructed Zhaoyue to carry out Lin Mama, who had been tied up for the whole night and hidden behind the bed.
Li Xiaoran did not understand what had happened. He nced at Jiu Yiniang. Her eyes, brightened by the moist tears, resembled a pair of deep and clearkes. However, waves of resentment and unwillingness suddenly surged in thesekes, and Jiu Yiniang suddenly dropped to her knees. ¡°Laoye, please spare my life, let me go!¡±
He was shocked. ¡°What do you mean by spare your life? What happened?¡± Li Xiaoran asked uprehendingly.
Jiu Yiniang remained on the floor. Her voice was shaking, but her determination was clear: ¡°I beg of you Laoye, to let me go, let me end my wretched life quietly and peacefully!¡±
Li Xiaoran grew even more shocked and confused: ¡°What nonsense are you saying? Isn¡¯t everything fine, why..¡± He suddenly understood and said angrily: ¡°Did Da Furen create problems for you?¡±
Li Weiyang gave a small smile: ¡°Fuqin, Muqin is not creating problems for Jiu Yiniang. She wants to force her to die.¡±
¡°What is this?!¡± Li Xiaoran was stunned.
¡°Fuqin, yesterday night¡¯s fire was purposely started by someone, and it was directed at Jiu Yiniang.¡± In truth, the arsonist was targeting only Li Weiyang, but Jiu Yiniang has now been dragged in. ¡°Luckily Jiu Yiniang is blessed and survived. Hence, the mastermind had to n another show to force Jiu Yiniang away and pin the me on me. This Lin Mama was here to spy on us, but my yatou discovered her and we tied her up.¡±
¡°Force you away?¡± Li Xiaoran said angrily. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of that?¡±
¡°Laoye, you know that I am a woman of low birth, and I was originally performing with the troupe. It is unavoidable that there would be some gossips spreading around; Da Furen actually used me ofmitting adultery with an actor. She had him beat up and tried to coerce me into admitting it. My status might be lowly, but I am innocent, so how could I admit to being guilty? I had no choice but to beg Da Furen to spare me. Furen said she¡¯d give me a chance; during this pilgrimage to the mountains, I could leave, but I had to first help her aplish a task; I needed to make San Xiaojie take the me. I know that there has always been bad blood between San Xiaojie and Furen..¡±
Li Xiaoran¡¯s expression was beyond shock.
Jiu Yiniang clutched at his sleeve desperately: ¡°I have Laoye¡¯s attention and love, Da Furen naturally cannot condone it. Actually forcing me to leave is no big matter, but I really couldn¡¯t bear to push all the me on the innocent San Xiaojie, because she is a generous person..¡±
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaoran¡¯s face went purplish with anger and he almost roared out: ¡°That slut, she actually dares to do this!¡±
¡°Laoye, I am so afraid! With my refusal to leave this time, Da Furen will definitely not let me off!¡± Jiu Yiniang continued clinging on, crying out as if her heart was tearing apart.
Li Xiaoran was stunned and did not move after hearing her pleas.
Li Weiyang exhibited a sympathetic expression: ¡°Fuqin, maybe you could build a mansion outside to let Jiu Yiniang stay?¡±
A cruel expression shed on Li Xiaoran¡¯s face; one that had never been seen before. ¡°Do not worry, so what if she is the female head of the household, I naturally will have my ways to stop her!¡±
¡°But.. For causing Laoye such difficult problems, I feel as if life is pointless. If I had left of my own ord, Laoye wouldn¡¯t have been in such a difficult position..¡± Jiu Yiniang¡¯s voice was very soft and wavering, as if she would die of depression if he did not allow her to leave. In actual truth, she was simply scared that she would lose her life at the hands of Da Furen after this.
Hearing her pitiful tone, Li Xiaoran felt heartache for her: ¡°Since you do not wish to stay here, I shall build a mansion outside for you.¡±
¡°Thank you Laoye.¡± In the end, Li Xiaoran had to agree to hide his beautiful Jiu Yiniang away1. She let out a sigh of relief.
Li Weiyang watched this scene with a smile, and Li Xiaoran strode out quickly with great pacing. She had never before seen him walk so swiftly, as if he had wings on his feet.
Jiu Yiniang carefully asked: ¡°San Xiaojie, have I done well?¡±
¡°Of course. Jiu Yiniang¡¯s acting skills are improving.¡± Li Weiyang smiled amicably.
Bai Zhi looked at Lin Mama. ¡°Xiaojie, how about this old woman?¡±
¡°Throw her to the mountains to feed the wolves.¡± Li Weiyang ordered Zhao Yue, without any change in expression.
Lin Mama was aghast and tried to speak, but was hauled out of the window by an expressionless Zhao Yue.
Bai Zhi thought to herself: These martial art practitioners, how could they be so rough, couldn¡¯t she have left through the door?
___________________________________________________________________________
Li Xiaoran emitted a murderous intent, and when Li Changle tried to stop him, she was kicked to the floor with a sweep of his leg.
He went straight up to Da Furen and sshed a cup of cold tea directly onto her face, causing her to jump up from her seat and look at him nkly. It was as if the tea had put out the fire in her eyes; she looked as if she did not understand what was going on. Li Xiaoran did not beat around the bush, he stepped up and grabbed her Da Furen¡¯s long hair: ¡°Slut, what have you done!¡±
Da Furen purposely twitched, and she lifted her chin with some difficulty. It felt as if her whole body was immersed in cold, cold water. She knew that Li Xiaoran had found out everything: ¡°Laoye, I do not know anything!¡±
Li Xiaoran stared at her coldly, like a poisonous snake would view a frog ¨C its prey.
Da Furen twitched again. She no longer felt like she was only in cold water; it was ice cold, and rapidly freezing into solid ice. With such bone-chilling coldness, her tongue was slightly numb and she had difficulty speaking: ¡°I really do not know why Laoye is like this, I did not do anything!¡± Without a care for her image, she was on the verge of tears at thest sentence.
¡°From today onwards, if any harmes to Jiu Yiniang, even if she falls, you will pay the exact same price!¡± Li Xiaoran spit out, with each word as cold as ice.
Da Furen was shocked. From the day she had married into the Li Residence, she had never ever met with such treatment; now, she not only felt pain, but could almost taste a dead desperation.
She knew Li Xiaoran would definitely do what he says!
Li Changle¡¯s piercing scream broke the silence in the hall: ¡°Fuqin, how could you treat Muqin in this manner!¡±
¡°Is that so?¡± Li Xiaoran turned around and looked at Li Changle. ¡°And how did she treat others? Weiyang might be a concubine¡¯s daughter, but she has my blood in her veins, and she is still your own sister. You and your mother have tried to harm her time and time again, and I have mercifully let you both go unpunished. Yet your grasp has extended till Jiu Yiniang; both of you want to chase her away, do you mean to let me go lonely? Or are the both of you forcing me to fall out?!¡±
Li Changle had never seen her Fuqin like this, and her face filled up with fear. She leapt to his feet: ¡°Fuqin, Muqin and I have only ever wanted the best for you, it must be San Mei who has been speaking ill of us behind our backs; she has always been jealous of me. Fuqin, you must not believe her!¡±
Li Xiaoran flung her hands away: ¡°Your younger sister is jealous of you? Do you mean to say that Jiu Yiniang is also speaking nonsense? Changle, you have disappointed me, how could you have be like this! Forget it, since Ci Du Hall is right out front, from today onwards, you stay in there and repent. As long as I do not give my consent, do note back home!¡± He turned and left without a second nce back at them.
When he reached the courtyard, he saw a silent Li Weiyang, and involuntarily walked over to stand next to her. With a sigh, he looked directly into her eyes and said: ¡°Weiyang, you are my daughter, if anyone ever bullies you, I will stand up for you.¡±
Li Weiyang smiled: ¡°Thank you, Fuqin.¡±
After Li Xiaoran left, Li Changle suddenly rushed out, her eyes locking onto Li Weiyang.
Li Weiyang arched her brows and nced at Li Changle with a small smile on her lips, waiting for her to either vent her anger or lose poise.
Although her heart felt cold and her throat was stiff, Li Changle hardened her resolve and unashamedly spoke with a trembling voice: ¡°Meimei.. I know I am being thick-skinned now, but as your elder sister, I am telling you.. stop creating problems. No matter what, we are blood sisters; if you chase me out, your heart will not feel good either. Our fighting will only be seen as a joke to others. The word ¡®Li¡¯ cannot be written with only one stroke2, and you know that life in that temple hall is so hard, could you bear to see me suffer, eating such poor and in meals?¡±
Li Weiyang did not reply; she only gazed back steadily, with a weird light glinting in her eyes.
Li Changle hated Li Weiyang to the core, as well as looked down on her. Not only was she of lower birth, most importantly, be it looks or poise, the other party obviously could not even hold a candle to her. But why, why did she stand out more, why was she so lucky; how could she tolerate such a yatou being on top of her head. She could not even keep calm while looking at Li Weiyang; if only she had died in yesterday¡¯s fire, she would not be in this awkward situation. But with the memory of Li Xiaoran¡¯s anger, Li Changle felt as if her throat was painfully dry, yet she had to soldier on: ¡°Weiyang, you know that yesterday¡¯s fire was merely an ident, Muqin did order people to go in and save you. As for Jiu Yiniang¡¯s incident, I definitely had nothing to do with it, Fuqin was just venting it on me...¡±
Li Weiyang remained calm, still looking at her with nary a smile.
Li Changle felt like her heart was cold and heavy as if it was filled with lead, but still she continued with a frozen throat and voice that was shaking uncontrobly: ¡°Yes, perhaps your heart is still full of hate for me and Muqin, but we share the same blood. If you would be willing to plead for me in front of Fuqin, I am willing to forget everything that has happened in the past and be a good sister to you. I can even tell Muqin to allow you to attend more events. You are thirteen now and will be engaged in two years¡¯ time, you¡¯ll need us then right? Go to Fuqin now, and tell him that everything was a misunderstanding, that this is all Jiu Yiniang¡¯s n to sow discord between us sisters!¡±
Li Weiyang suddenly burst outughing: ¡°Dajie, you are indeed too shameless, I have never seen anyone as shameless as you.¡±
Li Changle shook as if she had been burned by a spark of fire, and her expression immediately changed. She widened her eyes, ring with a scary light and shouted: ¡°Li Weiyang, I am giving you a chance right now, if you would help plead for me, I will not hold anything against you, otherwise¡ª¡°
¡°Otherwise what? Are you going to set fire to burn me alive again?¡± Li Weiyang faintly smiled, her calm and deep eyes bringing forth a chilling look.
¡°You bitch...¡± Li Changle could hardly form a word in her anxiety and anger.
¡°I never thought that Dajie woulde and beg me; I had thought that you were cruel, but at least you¡¯d have some self-esteem. But now, you would rather throw away your pride, just to remain here. Dajie, to be honest, the decision to send you away to repent is by Fuqin, I am powerless to stop him. If you do not wish to go, beg Fuqin, and do not hope that I would ever help you. I do want to advise you though; he is extremely angry now, you are better off listening to him, if not it might not be just sending you away to repent, but to be a nun!¡±
¡°Bitch! I will never forgive you!¡± Li Changle screamed and twisted away, running out of the courtyard.
Bai Zhi had never seen the gorgeous Da Xiaojie behaving in such a manner before; utterly losing her graceful poise. ¡°By the heavens, so Da Xiaojie is this kind of person.¡± She said in shock.
Li Weiyang smiled: ¡°Dogs will jump over walls when forced to, but this time, no matter how hard she tries, she will not jump out of this.¡±
True to his words, Li Xiaoran sent Li Changle to the temple hall that very afternoon, on the pretext that she was ill and had to remain in the mountains to recuperate. This news spread like wildfire in Jingdu and caused much gossip. Da Furen was sick for a whole three months as well; this trip to the mountains reaped no fruitful rewards as she¡¯d hoped, and instead lost her beloved daughter as a result.
In the middle of the night, Yatou Yin Xing was walking along the corridor, with a bowl of medicine on her serving tray. Da Furen¡¯s anger had caused this bout of illness, so the physician had specially prescribed a calming draught which has to be consumed every 4 hours; these poor servants had to forgo their sleep to serve their mistress.
At this moment, Yin Xing suddenly paused and looked around, alert.
¡°Wuuwuuwuuu... Wuuwuuwuuu...¡±
A pitiful crying sound weaved throughout the surroundings; it was filled with immeasurable sadness and anger at the same time, as if the person had some unspoken wrongs.
Yin Xing was frightened, and she fearfully nced towards the bushes. All of a sudden, the bushes started rustling, and orbs of jade green ghost fire floated out. They hovered in the air, floating towards the corridor.
Surrounded by the ghost fire, Yin Xing dropped the medicine in fright and screamed aloud: ¡°Ghosts! There are ghosts!¡± She turned and ran backwards, scrambling and scrabbling along the corridor.
From that day on, Da Furen¡¯s courtyard became haunted; every night, countless orbs of ghost fire would appear from nowhere, flying and circling about, with no fear of humans. There was much heated discussion and spection about this; San Furen¡¯s sudden death must be linked to Da Furen, this haunting must be San Furen¡¯s soul returning to seek revenge on Da Furen. With such gossip getting worse by the day, all the servants had more and more theories; someone even said that she saw the ghost fire take on the silhouette of San Furen.
Naturally, Da Furen was furious upon hearing such gossip, as it seriously damaged her reputation and she felt that someone was spreading these rumors on purpose. She stoically dragged herself from bed, got dressed, and issued orders to all servants to assemble in the courtyard. She would let them witness with their own eyes if there was any ghosts or not!
Midnight came and there were no creepy urrences. Da Furenughed coldly: ¡°Hmph, these were all just rumors, do you believe what your own eyes see now?¡±
The Yatous and Mamas nced at each other, not daring to speak, even though most of them had actually seen the supernatural.
Just as Da Furen had finished her sentence, Du Mama suddenly shouted: ¡°Ah! Ghost!¡±
Da Furen sucked in a deep breath and turned around frantically. She saw two orbs of ghost fire floating from afar, right outside her courtyard. ¡°Quick, quickly go and investigate!¡± Da Furen, said, despite her own panic.
A brave Mama walked over withntern in hand, but upon rushing to the spot which Da Furen had seen it, there was nothing around but a patch of dead grass, not even a shadow.
Da Furen heard a piercing scream from a distance away, and with a lift of her head, she spotted another orb floating near the corridor. ¡°There! There!¡±
Everyone rushed over, but as before, there was nothing. Amidst the confusion, Da Furen yet again saw an orb of ghost fire elsewhere.
Da Furen originally thought of it as a rumor, but did not expect herself to really see it. With her body weak from the current illness, she broke out in cold sweat and called out in fright: ¡°Quickly, let¡¯s go back inside!¡±
The servants hurriedly helped her back in. Da Furen ordered them to light as much candles as they could. Seated in her hall, she muttered and cursed under her breath: ¡°Don¡¯t look for me, I am not afraid of you, I am not afraid!¡± As she spoke, she continued scanning around the room.
There were ten over yatous in the house, but all of them were as frightened as Da Furen. A gloomy silence descended upon them; except for the asional sparks from the candles, no other sounds could be heard.
Da Furen had never felt fear like this before. She straightened her ears, nervously listening for any sounds inside or outside of the house. Any weird sounds would make her extremely scared ¨C the moment she thought about San Furen¡¯s death, Da Furen would shudder. She had purposely nned it, but it has never urred to her that this woman would turn into a ghost to haunt her! All these years, countless people have lost their lives at her hands, but not one of them had made her this fearful. Could it be because San Furen was her close enemy? Or maybe, maybe her own death was near, that¡¯s why San Furen has returned to demand it from her! Da Furen¡¯s fear deepened, and at this moment, there was a sh of blue light outside her window, almost like a bunch of ghost fires. With such a horrific image appearing just as she was feeling guilty, Da Furen felt as if her blood had turned to ice. She screamed and ran forward, behaving like a possessed woman: ¡°I¡¯m not scared of you, I¡¯m not scared of you, get lost! Quickly get lost!¡±
A strange gust of wind blew through a crack in the door, causing her clothes to ripple eerily. The servants saw Da Furen¡¯s crazy behavior and suspected that she was possessed; hence they froze there in fear, not daring to move.
Da Furen leaped towards the window, and a sh of blue light slid across. Beneath the ghost fire, it vaguely seemed like there was a ferocious face.
¡°Ah!¡± Da Furen screamed horribly, swaying and falling backwards. She felt as if a powerful force had exploded from within herself, almost as if it had emptied her entire body.
¡°Furen!¡± Du Mama rushed forwards, catching Da Furen.
The ghostly image below the window was gone in a moment, never leaving a single trace.
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 78 part2
Chapter 78: Urging the Evil Spirits
1Íâ×æĸ ¨C maternal grandmother
2¹ú¹« - An important minister credited with assistance in establishing the country, therefore the word ¡®¹ú¡¯ in the title; simr to a duke.
Li Xue Hall
¡°Min De¡¯s handwriting has surpassed mine.¡± Li Weiyang said, her lips quirking up at the corners slightly; a smile like spring¡¯s breeze.
Li Min De did not take herment to heart: ¡°Sanjie likes calligraphy? If you like it, I can always invite Laoshi¡ª¡±
There were increasingly more people at Li Min De¡¯s side now; without even asking, Li Weiyang naturally knew that his status was extremely special, to have attracted individuals who shouldn¡¯t have reason to appear in Da Li. He never spoke about it, and she did not pry. However, there was indeed something that she had been very curious about. She set down the Xuan calligraphy paper in her hands, and softly uttered: ¡°Da Furen¡¯s courtyard..¡±
Li Min De paused slightly. He replied casually: ¡°Oh, Sanjie is referring to the news about Aunt¡¯s serious illness.¡±
Li Weiyang nced at him. She had no idea when it began; when Weiyang was not looking, Li Min De¡¯s eyes changed. It held a glint of frost, his cold gaze resembling ice frozen for eternity, the corners of his gently curving eyes carrying a horrible loneliness. The androgynous beauty of his childhood years was long gone, leaving him with icy attractiveness.
The sun was shining directly at him, so he had to narrow his eyes and peer at her under hisshes; this angle was extremely ttering with his features. People ncing at him from nearby could not help but feel their hearts beat faster.
¡°Sanjie, why are you looking at me like this?¡±
¡°I just have a feeling that this matter is linked to you.¡± Li Weiyang replied smilingly.
A sh of hostility appeared in Li Min De¡¯s eyes, which quickly transformed into an innocent expression: ¡°Sanjie, I am but a person without any support, how can I have such power to disturb Da Furen?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t pretend anymore, I can guess.¡± Li Weiyang smiled and replied softly.
Li Min De returned the smile, but did not say a word.
Li Weiyang knew that he was unwilling to give any details but did not try to force him; she already has the answer that she had hoped for. She smiled and walked out.
The moment Li Weiyang was gone, Li Min De immediately questioned a man behind him: ¡°How did she discover it, what have you done?¡±
That person knelt down fearfully: ¡°Young Master, this matter was extremely discreet, Xianzhu will not be able to find out anything.¡±
¡°Sanjie is a smart person.¡± Li Min De¡¯s expression was gentle and focused when describing Li Weiyang, but as he suddenly twisted around, his words were filled with an intent to kill: ¡°Make my orders known; make a temporary stop to it.¡±
¡°But..¡±
Li Min De tilted his head and stared at him with a frosty expression. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± He softly demanded.
Under the scrutiny of that pair of hostile eyes, that person fearfully lowered his head.
Ever since San Furen had passed away, Li Min De had utterly changed. Other than Li Weiyang, there was almost nothing that he cared about. The mysterious person sighed inwardly; he knew that he could not convince Li Min De, but after much hesitation he still decided to try: ¡°Actually, Young Master does not need to make the problem soplicated, we could just kill her off..¡±
Li Min De¡¯s face did not show any change: ¡°Kill her? Then it would be easy to discover my truth identity. Morever, she does not deserve a quick and merciful death.¡±
¡°Young Master, after the previous attempt at assassination, it is no longer safe here. Perhaps you should return back to our country..¡±
¡°Do not mention this matter anymore.¡± Li Min De softly touched the Xuan calligraphy paper that Li Weiyang had been holding, and dismissed that person without even turning his head.
I cannot, and will not, be separated from her.
I really want to stay.
Stay by her side..
_____________________________________________________________
Da Furen¡¯s illness was worsening, and it was only right that Li Weiyang should personally pay her a visit.
However, the moment she stepped into the house, Du Mama looked at her with extreme caution in her eyes. Li Weiyang looked around; everywhere was wallpapered with paper amulets, and a bowl of blessed water was on the table. Da Furen was pale as a sheet, lying on her bed, wearing a headband across her forehead.
¡°Why has San Xiaojiee here?¡± Du Mama hurriedly came forward to greet her.
Li Weiyang smiled gently: ¡°I went to Lao Furen in the morning to pay my respects, and she mentioned that Muqin is sick. As her daughter, it is only natural that I visit her.¡±
From the bed, Da Furen suddenly forced her eyes open. Although she had lost much weight, her eyes remained infinitely sharp, never losing her aura of power.
Li Weiyang nced at her and smiled: ¡°Muqin, are you feeling better?¡±
As if! Firstly, Da Xiaojie was forced to stay up in the mountains to repent, then Da Furen fell sick due to anger, and now the hauntings in the courtyard; her sickness had aggravated. Worst of all, Laoye knew of her illness, but did not even pay her a visit! Now, seeing that a healthy and glowing Li Weiyang, it was as if Da Furen¡¯s heart had been pierced by a sharp knife, with blood still dripping fresh.
¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Da Furen suppressed the fiery hate in her gut, and smiled forcibly. ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡±
Li Weiyang could detect her insincerity. ¡°I heard that Dajie has been reflecting and improving herself in the temple hall; she¡¯s be wiser than before.¡±
Da Furen¡¯s face turned a shade of green; Li Changle had written countless letters, begging and crying to return to the Li Residence, but no matter how much she pleaded, Li Xiaoran refused to give in. Her gorgeous daughter, forced to stay in the dested mountains for three months..
¡°Your Dajie is sincerely regretful, she says she was only young and innocent, and did not know how to weigh the severity of her mistakes. Owing to the fact that you both are sisters, I hope you would help her beg for mercy from Lao Furen, and let here back sooner.¡±
¡°Aiya, Muqin you must understand, Fuqin let Dajie reflect and repent there. If her actions are unable to please Fuqin, even Lao Furen would not be able to promise anything. Muqin should advise Dajie to change for the better.¡± Li Weiyang stood up after finishing. ¡°Please rest well Muqin, I wille back more frequently during the day to visit you.¡±
Da Furen did not understand what she meant by this.
Li Weiyang sighed: ¡°Weiyang does not dare toe to Muqin¡¯s residence at night.¡±
¡°Why?¡± Da Furen was puzzled.
Li Weiyang looked around as if she was searching for something, and smiled as she faced her: ¡°I heard that this house is unclean, Muqin has been frightened till she became ill. I am timid by nature, so how would I dare toe?¡±
¡°Li Weiyang!¡± Da Furen shouted, staring at her angrily, as if she would mber up from her sickbed. She took a breath and said coldly: ¡°I¡¯m blessed with a long life, things like ghosts and monsters would not be able to harm me. Do not speak of such nonsense again! It is unbing of you!¡±
¡°Muqin is right; so long as one does not do bad deeds, he will not fear a knock on the door in the dead of the night. Muqin is kind andpassionate, those ghosts will definitely have no reason to haunt you.¡± Li Weiyang smiled.
Da Furen watched her leave, and with all the anger that she had been trying to suppress for so long, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
¡°Furen! Furen ah!¡± Du Mama shouted.
There was a flurry of action in Fu Duan Court; Du Mama hurriedly ran for the physician, and invited Da Shaoye Li Min Feng. As Li Min Feng entered, he saw Da Furen lying weakly on her bed.
¡°Muqin!¡± He walked quickly towards the bed and saw Da Furen¡¯s eyelids slowly fluttering open. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±
¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± Da Furen said with much struggle, and sighed heavily.
Li Min Feng was frustrated and angry: ¡°Did that little slut visit you?¡±
¡°Yes Da Shaoye, today San Xiaojie said some things that were quite eerie in nature, which caused Furen to faint in anger.¡± Du Mama said softly.
A hot fury filled Li Min Feng: ¡°That little slut!¡± He lowered his head: ¡°Muqin, please have some medicine first. You must get well soon, and not fall prey to her tricks! She caused Meimei to be sent away, and now she¡¯s angering you; I¡¯ll definitely find ways to defeat her!¡±
Upon hearing this, Da Furen¡¯s face changed: ¡°What are you up to this time! I have long told you, this yatou is evil to the core! I previously tried to burn her alive, but she actually had a yatou from nowhere with strong martial arts skills. The issue with Jiu Yiniang also backfired on me, causing me to lose your father¡¯s love and harmed your Meimei instead. If I cannot deal with her, you are all the more not her match. Stay far far away from her, did you hear me! I cannot drag you into this!¡±
Li Min Feng was rendered speechless. He hated Li Weiyang to the core, but with her current status as a second grade Xianzhu, aided by a highly skilled guard, he had no way to deal with her.
¡°This cannot continue!¡± Da Furen huffed. ¡°Bring me my brush and paper!¡±
Li Min Feng was baffled: ¡°Muqin, you¡¯re feeling unwell, why would you want to write at this moment?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t say another word, bring it to me!¡±
An uprehending Li Min Feng ordered a servant to fetch the brush and paper. He watched as Da Furen wrote down a few words carefully with shaking hands.
¡°Muqin is writing to Wai Zumu1 now?¡± Li Min Feng said, stunned.
Li Min Feng¡¯s Wai Zumu is the Lao Furen in Jiang Guo Gong2¡¯s household.
Da Furen nodded: ¡°I am requesting for Muqin¡¯s help to inform Father and my brothers of my problems and invite them back to the capital.¡± Jiang Lao Furen is the daughter of Da Li¡¯s great general Lin Xin; she is not only knowledgeable and smart, but has a strong personality and is able to make quick decisions. Standing out three times as good as the average man, she yed an important role in assisting Jiang Guo Gong¡¯s career. Jiang Guo Gong has the important task of guarding the South Border; due to her old age, Jiang Lao Furen did not follow him there, and remained in Duke¡¯s household. Under normal circumstances, Da Furen would not want to disturb her Muqin, because Jiang Lao Furen¡¯s health has not been ideal recently.. But right now, Da Furen felt that without her family¡¯s support, Li Changle would have to stay in such poor and lonely conditions for all her life.
Li Min Feng¡¯s heart was secretly panicking when he saw Da Furen shaking uncontrobly after writing just a few words; since when did Muqin be so seriously ill? ¡°Muqin, do whatever you have to do tomorrow, just rest for today.¡± He said in a low tone.
Da Furen knew she could not continue writing any longer. She threw down her brush and instructed Du Mama: ¡°Order servants toe in and help me change.¡±
¡°What?¡± Li Min Feng was stunned. ¡°Where are you going now?¡±
¡°Rather than send a letter, it¡¯ll be more effective if I make a trip down personally.¡± Da Furen replied coldly.
Visit Jiang Guo Gong¡¯s mansion now? Li Min Feng was shocked. Da Furen was already so weak, yet she still wanted to ride in the carriage, isn¡¯t that seeking her own grave?
He hurriedly tried to dissuade her, but no matter what he said, Da Furen refused to give in. If Li Weiyang had not shown up, she might have been able to tolerate it, but Li Weiyang¡¯s words that clearly hinted that Li Xiaoran may never intend to allow Li Changle to return! How can she let this happen! She must definitely find a way to let Changlee back to the Li Residence!
Despite her best struggle to get up on her feet, Da Furen suddenly spit out a mouthful of bright red blood..
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 79 part1
Chapter 79: Meeting by chance
Du Mama was ovee with fear, Li Min Feng hurriedly steady her, loudly calling for a Daifu (doctor). The Daifu just happened to came with his medicine case, immediately hurrying over when he saw the situation and took Da Furen¡¯s pulse. Then his expression became iparably imposing. Li Min Feng demanded: ¡°Daifu, is my mother well?¡±
Daifu¡¯s expression does not look good: ¡°This...¡±
Li Min Feng said: ¡°Stop mumbling!¡±
Daifu said: ¡°Da Furen originally caught a normal chill, but now she has received a shock, today she is spitting blood due to heart attack anxiety, I have observed from her pulse, her body is in poor health, her heart pulse is weak, if she doesn¡¯t nurse her health, I¡¯m afraid...¡±
Li Min Feng¡¯s face changed, Da Furen¡¯s health was always good, yet this time she has a weak heart pulse.
¡°I will prescribe something that help the heart, have her take the medicine, keep an eye on her rest, she must stop taxing her brain, not have too much troubled thoughts, otherwise, even Buddha cannot save her.¡± Daifu sighed and shook his head.
When Daifu was led out to write his prescription, Du Mama wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes and said: ¡°It is all because San Xiaojie angered Da Furen!¡±
Li Min Feng gnashed: ¡°This little wretch, today she is clearly taking advantage!¡± He never even thought, it was them that went too far first, Li Wei Yang is only returning some interest today.
Li Min Feng¡¯s face is full of anger: ¡°I am going to look for Father!¡± He want to put Li Wei Yang in a fix!
¡°Stop!¡± Da Furen¡¯s face was deadly pale, struggling to shout: ¡°You must not let anyone know that my illness is serious, absolutely cannot disturb anyone! Do you hear that!¡±
Li Min Feng looked at Da Furen in shock.
Du Mama was afraid to say anything more, she hurriedly gave the pill for the heart that was left by the Daifu to Da Furen, Da Furen then was able to catch her breath: ¡°Go prepare the horse carriage, I will be better after resting for half a sichen.¡±
¡°Mother, Daifu want you to recuperate!¡±
¡°Shut up! Do you want me to sit by idly and watch your sister suffer in that awful ce?!¡± Da Furen¡¯s anger surged, she felt extreme pain in her heart again.
In the afternoon, a green bird flow in,nding on Li Wei Yang¡¯s shoulder.
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly, retrieving the strip of paper on the bird¡¯s w.
Bai Zhi asked: ¡°Xiaojie, what is it?¡±
Li Wei Yang said lightly: ¡°Zhao Nan has sent a message, Da Furen has just went out on a horse carriage.¡±
Bai Zhi was surprised: ¡°Isn¡¯t Da Furen ill?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly, a hint of chill streaking in her eyes: ¡°She is going to get help.¡±
Bai Zhi asked: ¡°You¡¯re saying... she went to Jiang Guo Gong residence. But, Jiang Guo Gong father and sons are not in the capital, distance water cannot quench immediate thirst, Da Furen definitely know this.¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes and said: ¡°Bai Zhi is now bing more and more clever.¡±
Bai Zhi turned red and couldn¡¯t help replying: ¡°In following Xiaojie, Nubi has also became more capable.¡±
Li Wei Yang could not helpughing and said: ¡°Although Jiang Guo Gong is not there, he still has a Furen that like to meddle into others¡¯ business, with that Lao Furen around, Da Furen would naturally go there to ask.¡±
Bai Zhi asked worriedly: ¡°Then... if Jiang Lao Furen intercede--¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled mysteriously and didn¡¯t say anything.
If she predicted correctly, even if Jiang Lao Furen take action, Da Furen is destined to be disappointed...
When Da Furen returned from Jiang Guo Gong residence, Du Mama supported Da Furen to alight from the carriage, Da Furen saw that Li Wei Yang was waiting for her at the entrance with a face full of smiles, although she has told herself to not get mad, there is still a strong resentment in her heart, especially when she sees the slight smile on Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips, she hate it even more when she can¡¯t just point at her nose and give a good scolding, then kick her out of the house, it¡¯s a pity, she can only think about it but dare not to do it.
This Yatou, lowly Shu Nu, nowadays she is the Xianzhu that is rather liked by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager! Thinking of her own daughter, painstakingly brought up like a flower, just a bit more and she would have a wonderful future, now she can only guard the unpainted y figure of Buddha, eats only green vegetables and turnips to pass the days, how can Da Furen swallow this breath!
¡°Wei Yang, where are you going?!¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her head slightly to check the time of the day, with an indifference that caused Da Furen to gnashed her teeth with hatred when she saw it, swearing in her heart, this wretch borned in second month of the lunar year, is borned a curse!
¡°Turns out Mother has returned, today is the Lantern Festival, Lao Furen, fearing that I am bored staying at home, has specially granted San Di and I permission to go out and see thenterns, does Mother want toe along? Oh, I forgot, you are not well, I¡¯m afraid you cannot handle the night wind, you should not go and recuperate at home.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s face revealed a regretful expression. Just at this time, she saw the fury on Da Furen¡¯s face, immediately her heart felt carefree.
Li Min De came outside, dressed in beautiful attire, in high spirits, carrying a brilliant and colourful horsewhip in his hand, when he sees Da Furen, he couldn¡¯t refrain from smiling slightly, ¡°Da Bomu is also here.¡± Then he said as if no one else is present: ¡°San Jie, the Lantern Fair will start soon, let¡¯s go.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly, entered the horse carriage, Li Min Di did not sit in the horse carriage, instead he is riding a snow white horse, he looked down at Da Furen from atop the horse, revealing a strange smile.
Da Furen saw that smile, as if evil spirits have their eyes on her, a chill crept up her back.
This child, since when did he has such chilly look in his eyes, he is clearly...Da Furen momentarily felt endless fear surging up in her heart, she stepped back involuntarily, Du Mama hurriedly support her.
Da Furen watched the carriage leave, the expression on her face unsightly, upon returning to her room, she was not in the mood to sleep, sheid on the bed twisting and turning.
Today on going to the Jiang Guo Gong residence, it did not go as well as she thought, her mother has scolded her.
¡°You are really foolish, in any case, it¡¯s just a Yatou, just give a bit of dowry, marry her off and that would be it, but you had to go and fight with her for superiority! I have told you many times, yet you wouldn¡¯t change your habit of seeking prevalence over others, you didn¡¯t even think that you are the Li house¡¯s principal mother, no matter what happened, as long as Guo Gong house is behind you, Li family would not do anything to you, instead, they still have to be good to you, but you have to have everything within your grasp, and now, you got everyone in the Li family hating you, letting that shu chu drill loopholes.¡±
Thinking of this, Da Furen couldn¡¯t help but was pissed off into feeling sorry for herself.
Even though Jiang Lao Furen still promised her, that she will personally visit Li residence for her, to ce pressure on Li Xiao Ran, to bring back Li Chang Le sooner,
Mother, in the end, still love her dearly! As long as Jiang family is there, no matter how many wrongs shemitted, Li Xiao Ran cannot do anything to her!
In the city at this time, naturally it is a festive scene. Along the way in the horse carriage, you can see the city arranged in a neat formation, grand atmosphere, magnificent architectures, wide roads, green pagoda trees and young willows that are nted on roadsides are seen everywhere. Beautifully decoratednterns have been lit, musics andughters can be heard from the restaurants beside the streets, high officials and merchants, schrs and poets; andmon people all gathered together here, mixed with wagers, guessing games, singing and drunkenness. Under verandas and above bridges, all that the eyes can see, beautifulnterns of all shapes and sizes are everywhere, all kinds of goods disying its own beauty among the wane lights.
Li Wei Yang ordered the horse carriage to stop, then along with Li Min De, made their way on foot to the market, Li Min De specially retrieve the veil for her to wear.
Li Wei Yang could not helpughing: ¡°So young, how are you so old-fashioned.¡±
Li Min De looked everywhere, because it is the Lantern Festival, a lot of Xiaojies have also came to watch, every one of them are gaudily dressed but only a few wore veils. Come to think of it, if it is ady of a wealthy household, naturally there are numerous attendants, misceneous people and others cannot get close, not wearing a veil is not a big deal. Except-- those are after all normal daughters of wealthy households, if people know that Prime Minister Li¡¯s daughter also did this, gossips will probably rise everywhere.
Li Min De frowned and frowned.
Li Wei Yang did not want to be covered by the unbreathable veil, she moved quickly to a stall in front, the stall is full of decoratednterns, undoubtedly of poorer qualitypared to the ones made the famous craftsmen hired by the Li household, but it became ayer of opaque halo under the cover of the dim light, like the smiling face of a cute child, an unspeakable cuteness.
Li Wei Yang, with her head lowered, picked up a rabbitntern and stared at the rabbit¡¯s red eyes, lost in thought.
In the most difficult time, she has lined papernterns and used them to exchange for money like these ordinarymoners. At that time, even if it was just a copper, she was happy. Li Wei Yang could not help but smiled, but thinking of all that was long gone, she turned around to look at the dim light, like the arrayed stars in the blurred night sky, suddenly as if she reincarnated once again.
Li Min De watched her from afar, he felt that Li Wei Yang in this moment looks like she has a lot of sorrows, but he knows that she would not talk about it when anyone. He watched unblinkingly, in her heart, just what secrets are hidden?
At this time, Li Wei Yang was disturbed by some riotous noise, she looked around, a crowd gathered just ahead of her, it seems like sounds of bawling and whipping areing from within, awfully grating on the ears even in the boisterous night market.
They went over and discovered a splendidly dressed man currently whipping a weak woman.
That woman¡¯s head was lowered, her frail figure has been whipped to the ground by the man, traces of blood oozing from weals on her body, however she threw back her head as if she was arguing with the man, mumbling ceaselessly, it is unknown what was said.
Li Min De asked an old man beside him: ¡°Who are these people?¡±
¡°Oh, this woman is the wife of a wealthy merchant,¡± the old man shook his head, ¡°Seems like she has bore three girls in session and was unable to bear a boy at all, this man just reduce her from wife to concubine, then he married a new person, this woman went and caused trouble at the wedding hall and was kicked out in the end, now it seems like they have run into each other in the market.¡±
Li Wei Yang heard these words, took a look and saw that there was really a young and beautiful girl standing beside the man, looking at the woman on the ground with a sneering expression.
¡°This woman is already crazy, look, she can¡¯t even speak properly!¡±
¡°Yes, crazy and not honest, should just find a ce to die alone!¡±
¡°Cannot give bear sons and still me other, he didn¡¯t even cast her off and still gave her a concubine position, it¡¯s already generous!¡±
¡°Exactly, bothersome, very shameless!¡±
The men around mocked, all talking at once, as if they are watching some kind of novelty.
Li Wei Yang watched the woman.
That woman was curled into a ball, the clothes on her body that have been stretched to cover her body have already been torn, that you can see the ck and blue scars within, some still bleeding continuously. As if aware of someone staring at her, that woman suddenly raised her face, on her face, one eyelid was drooping, the bridge of her nose was stumped, cheekspletely bruised, her mouth still bleeding that you simply cannot see her original appearance. Anyone who sees such terrifying face would immediately run away. Li Wei Yang did not move, she look fixedly at the wounds on the woman¡¯s face, the anger in her heart slowly umting.
Li Min De looked at that man coldly, asked quietly: ¡°Do you want to stop him?¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head, everyone has to pay the price of their own behaviour, she has sworn that she will no longer be a good samaritan.
Just at this time, suddenly someone ran in front of the man and grabbed his whip with one hand: ¡°Stop!¡±
That man raised his head to look, a tall man was standing in front of him, his face dark, a look in his eyes.
¡°What are you!¡± The man said angrily.
¡°My Xiaojie has said, should you whip this woman once, she will return it to you ten times after!¡±
The man was surprised, he could not help but be angrier. Then he saw from the crowd, a young girl beautifully decked in silk came out, he could not help but restrain himself: ¡°This Xiaojie, I am whipping my own concubine, why are you poking your nose in?¡±
Li Wei Yang nced at the girl and immediately recognized who she is--, no one than the Emperor¡¯s beloved daughter Jiu Gongzhu.
Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s face is full of anger: ¡°She is your concubine, but you cannot just whip her as you wish, she is a person!¡±
¡°Ha!¡± The manughed exaggeratedly and kicked the woman in disdain: ¡°This kind of useless woman, can also be considered a person?¡±
Li Wei Yang watched quietly, Jiu Gongzhu has now jumped up: ¡°I¡¯ve just heard, it is only because she was unable to bear you a son, but she is, after all, your legally recognized wife, are you really treating her like this? Just now someone has even said that you have demoted your wife to a concubine, in ordance to the statutes of our imperial court, you can only divorce her if there were no birth for seven years, let alone she has bore you daughters! On what basis are you demoting wife to concubine! You don¡¯t know your limits just because you have some money, that you dare to show contempt to thews issued by the emperor, do you not want your life?¡±
The man was speechless. Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s words have brought indignation from the crowd, some of them beginning to condemn the man--- in fact they were not really indignant on behalf of the woman, it isrgely because they saw this matter involves contempts for the nation¡¯sws, they cannot stand by a fool¡¯s side and speak on his behalf!
The man saw that it was dangerous to incur the anger of the masses, he can only let that woman stand up and left with her with his head hanging in shame.
Jiu Gongzhu felt that she has upheld justice, her face revealing a satisfied look and naturally ept the praise of all, Li Wei Yang has saw the show ended and said to Min De: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
From start to finish, she did not have the intention to say a word.
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 79 part2
** There was a mistake on the trantor for Part 1 of chapter 79
Previous part of Chapter 79 was also tranted by Ang
Chapter 79: Meeting by chance Part 2
Just at this time, an elegantly dressed young man blocked her way, he wore the finest materials, with little essories, a lot more simplepared to the rich people dressed in gold and silver, but his entire body emit an invisible cold jade-like radiance, catching attention in a crowd.
This person is Tuoba Yu, he was pestered by Jiu Gongzhu to see thenterns but he never thought that he would run into Li Wei Yang here. Countless beautiful people on the street areing and going, only this figure is particrly dazzling. But under a closer scan, even though her posture is beautiful, there is also nothing for people to distinguish as a strange characteristic from a single nce, why would he feel that Li Wei Yang is especially dazzling, this is a question that probably Tuoba Yu himself has no answer.
Both sides suddenly meeting face to face, Tuoba Yu smiled as if nothing has happened: ¡°Xianzhu, what a coincidence.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly, her face was calm, not showing any surprise: ¡°Yes, turns out Qi Dianxia is also here.¡±
In fact, she has already seen Tuoba Yu in the crowd earlier, she just didn¡¯t have the intention to say hello.
In her view, the one reason she helped Tuoba Yu was she did not want to see Tuoba Zhen being pleased, not because she felt interest in their struggle for power.
However, she was now stopped by Tuoba Yu.
Jiu Gongzhu jumped out and scowled at her: ¡°You obviously saw it, why did you help?¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows: ¡°Help what?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu said in astonishment: ¡°Of course helping that woman earlier, she is so pitiful, you should have helped her! How could you stand in the crowd and watch!¡±
Li Wei Yang asked faintly: ¡°Did Gongzhu thought that you just helped out?¡±
Gongzhu was wearing a satin skirt with silver white beads, two long pearl pendant hairpins, appearing more mature than her actual age, more wealthy and powerful, hearing this, with a frown, said loudly: ¡°Of course!¡±
Li Wei Yangughed, a sh of fleer in her eyes: ¡°You have just harmed that woman severely!¡±
¡°How can that be?! Obviously I have saved her!¡± Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s face was flushed, trying hard to prove her.
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Gongzhu, if you did not interfere with that woman, that man would just hit her a bit, let out some steam and not bother with her again, but you just had to meddle into their business, and even publicly announced that the man has vited thews, think about it, because he is afraid that the woman would do something bad, how would he deal with her?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu was shocked, her face turning pale¡± ¡°How...how could it be?¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed and said: ¡°Gongzhu, think about it carefully and you will know, he is a hard-hearted person, how would he change because of a few words from you, clearly he could have left on his own, why did he take the woman along? Now... I¡¯m afraid it bode ill rather than well for her. Although you didn¡¯t kill Boren, Boren has died because of you1, Gongzhu, would you say that you should not have meddle in this matter?¡±
(1A Chinese idiom originating from a famous quote by Wang Dao, chief advisor to Emperor Yuan of the Jin Dynasty. It means even though you did not personally kill a person, you have caused the death of that person)
¡°I...I will send someone immediately to bring them back!¡± Jiu Gongzhu was just about to wave but was held by Qi Huang Zi, he smiled and said: ¡°No need, I have just sent someone to follow them.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu breathe a sigh of relief, Li Wei Yang just looked at Tuoba Yu.
Tuoba Yu¡¯s face is cold, but at this moment he gently touched Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s head: ¡°Jiu Mei, in the future you must not be rash like this! Otherwise next time, I will not help you deal with the aftermath!¡±
Jiu Gongzhu pouted, obviously unhappy, then recalling something, she started at Li Wei Yang and said: ¡°I am a child, therefore I don¡¯t know anything, you obviously knew, why didn¡¯t you remind me?!¡±
Li Wei Yangughed silently, Jiu Gongzhu has made a mistake yet felt that it was someone else¡¯s mistake, ha ha, this is sheer nonsense. She pondered for a moment, her lips curving, a smile of indifference in her eyes: ¡°Gongzhu, even though that man is heartless, what became of that woman, did she not have any responsibility in it? Having being divorced by someone, she continued to be foolish, acting like a lunatic while pestering persistently, falling to this point, who¡¯s to me? In my opinion, she should have thanked that man, if she can wake it from this now on and know that the other party¡¯s indifference and cannot be relied on, at least she can live a clean life in the second half of her life, otherwise, if she is dependent on such man, it would be better for her to be a nun.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu did not thought that she would say these kinds of words and was taken aback temporarily.
For some unknown reason, it is as if he can feel the intense resentments and angers in the other party¡¯s heart, Li Min De¡¯s heart moved, his footsteps following, and said: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu saw Li Min De and was immediately stunned, then she can clearly hear the sounds of her own heartbeats, going on as if there is a hammer pounding on her heart. She subconsciously pressed her own chest, confusion in her mind. She never has this kind of feelings before, at the first nce, she is at a loss. She breathed deeply, dispelled the blush that was steadily rising on her face and said: ¡°You were also here!¡±
Last time Jiu Gongzhu was ¡°Ba Huangzi¡±, today she is a pretty little girl, Li Min De did not pay the slightest attention to her, only said slightly: ¡°Excuse me.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu has never received such treatment before and immediately exploded: ¡°How could you speak to me like that, do you not recognize me?¡±
Li Min De looked at her face, finding himself at aplete nk.
Earlier he heard them calling her Gongzhu, Li Min De searched his knowledge, most of the present emperor¡¯s daughters are already married, the only one who is of the same age as himself is the ninth child, Xiang Lan Gongzhu. Without saying who this person in front of him is, he would also know who it is, only....what does it have to do with him.
Jiu Gongzhu stood in front of him stubbornly, waiting resolutely for him to remember who she is, in her mind, there is absolutely no one who dare to treat her this way.
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help butugh, this Jiu Gongzhu is really interesting, innocent, capricious, but kind-hearted, curious, stubborn, she couldn¡¯t help but think of past life Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s matter in her mind, she couldn¡¯t refrain from letting out a sigh. This kind of child born into the royal family, you don¡¯t know if it is her good fortune or misfortune.
Tuoba Yu¡¯s figure stood under the cold and white moonlight, his tall silhouette instead reducing the cold, giving a touch of warm peace, to save her from embarrassment, said: ¡°Since we have met up, we might as well stop by Cai Yue Lou.¡±
Cai Yue Lou is the capital¡¯srgest restaurant, facing the wind and admiring the moon, splendid scenery, many people want to go but they have used a lot of money and still unable to get a seat.
Jiu Gongzhu can see that Li Min De would do whatever Li Wei Yang say, immediately forgetting her earlier unhappiness, rushed up to grab Li Wei Yang¡¯s arm: ¡°Let¡¯s go together! Let¡¯s go together!¡± She spoke while her charming eyes lit up, half trying to butter up, the small beads on the gold earning swinging madly, the bracelet on her wrist also ringing, a pleasant jingle.
Li Wei Yang actually like Jiu Gongzhu, this kind of soft spot, perhaps it began from when she treated her well in her past life, perhaps it is because she already knew the other party¡¯s ending, for some unknown reason, she did not want to refuse this child¡¯s request.
Because she knows, Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s naivety, will notst past a few years.
Without knowing why, there is water on Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes but she quickly blinked, as if she never had tears, at this moment, her eyes were very bright, as if the stars in the dark sky fell into her eyes: ¡°Very well, let¡¯s go together.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu smiled and jumped up, in her pure but small heart, she simply cannot store that much unhappiness, now she has already forgotten all about it, she ran quickly, pulling Li Wei Yang along, Li Min De and Tuoba Yu followed behind, walking slowly, not in any hurry.
¡°San Gongzi.¡± Tuoba Yu suddenly said.
Li Min De raised his eyes and looked at the other party, Tuoba Yu smiled and said: ¡°Nothing.¡±
Li Min De did not ask further and quickly catched to the people in front. Tuoba Yu quietly asked the guards behind him: ¡°Did you find anything off?¡±
The leader of the guards whispered: ¡°Dianxia, Li Wei Yang¡¯s Yatou, her martial arts skill is very high, while there is a master hidden among the guards, not only this, I feel that the surroundings seems to hide a lot of top-level people, but--Master please forgive me, my martial arts are low, I am unable to find where they are hiding.¡±
Tuoba Yu was certain of his guess, he could not help but frown. He has exchanged fight with Zhao Yue, that Yatou is certainly a strong character, that Li Wei Yang already has two skilled persons, this is nothing out of the ordinary, but those hiding in the darkness, who exactly are they here to protect? For some unknown reason, this time seeing Li Min De, he felt that this youth has be more calm, no, he should say he has be deeper. He has a feeling, the other party¡¯s change, definitely has something to do with these mysterious people hiding in the darkness.
To be able to mobilize and use these highly skilled people, Li Min De¡¯s identity, is definitely not simple. Tuoba Yu thought of this while quickly catching up with them.
Cai Yue Lou is really as the rumours say, built facing the river, moon on the west floor, the outside an appearance of luxury, the inside elegant and delicate, no one knows how much effort was put in by the owner to achieve such scene. It is known to all that inside Cai Yue Lou, there are many fun things, high stake gambling and smiling alluring beauties, therefore in the capital, Cai Yue Lou¡¯s reputation is already widespread, a ce where heroes achieve sess, reasons for celebrities to be proud. Li Wei Yang look out the window and saw the dark sky and the dark river has became one, a vast ckness in this world. Only the Cai Yue Lou in this darkness was lit up at lights as if it was daytime, the shiny lights spilling onto the wavy wave, as if the wavy water has spill out countless gold pieces. No wonder so many people flocked here, it is indeed an outstanding ce.
Inside Cai Yue Lou, a private room was already arranged, Li Wei Yang looked at the calligraphy painting on the walls, couldn¡¯t help smiling and said: ¡°This owner here is willing to spend his capital, this painting is an authentic work of Master Liu of the previous dynasty, to actually be able to see it in a restaurant and is hung so carelessly on the wall for people to admire.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu chuckled and said: ¡°This, you need to ask Qi Ge!¡±
Li Wei Yang, hearing this, couldn¡¯t help raising her eyebrows to look at Tuoba Yu: ¡°That is to say, this Cai Yue Lou belongs to you?¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled and said: ¡°This is originally my uncle¡¯s property, then he didn¡¯t want to run it anymore, so he gave it to me.¡±
This is the great advantage of his maternal family, Li Wei Yang smiled faintly, seems like Cai Yue Lou is not just a restaurant, it is a ce to collect news, but-- Tuoba Yu has the emperor¡¯s favour and an advantageous maternal family, in the end he still lose to Tuoba Zhen, it is really too glum...
To speak of this, Li Wei Yang knows how long Tuoba Zhen has waited for this, how much efforts ere spent, in this manner of speaking, Tuoba Yu is not vicious enough.
Li Min De lowered his head and looked at the river downstair; he suddenly said: ¡°We have a guest.¡±
Li Wei Yang turned towards the river and saw that atop of a magnificent boat, person dded in in clothes was looking at them, tall and elegant, appearance clear, his brows raised in good spirits and a pair of eyes burning with ambitions.
Tuoba Yuughed and said: ¡°Howe San Ge arrived?¡± He thought, Tuoba Zhen, do you have nothing to do that you came here?
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s smile was full of sincerity: ¡°I am only out to admire the moon, that I actually bump into you all, such a coincidence.¡±
Coincidence? Where in the world is there such thing as coincidence, Li Min De¡¯s eyes turn cold, probably not only Tuoba Zhen, even this Qi Huangzi Tuoba Yu, is not a chance meeting. A lot of chance meetings are deliberate, except, if they were really interested, they should beunching their offense towards Li Chang Le, why did they run in front of Sanjie? Sanjie is Shu-born, is of absolute no help to them!
¡°Refreshing breeze and white moonlight are elegant and interesting, I don¡¯t know if I am wee for a drink?¡± Tuoba Zhenughed loudly.
Tuoba Yu nced at Li Wei Yang and saw that her eyes are bing even colder, just as he was about to refuse, the ignorant and childish Jiu Gongzhu smiled and said: ¡°Come up quickly Sange!¡±
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but shake her head, in Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s eye, there is probably no evil in this world, where would she have thought that her Sange that loves and dotes on her, is a demon that eat people for lunch.
In the past life, after Tuoba Zhen eliminated Crown Prince, Wu Huangzi and Qi Huangzi these opponents in session, he also used these means to kill the other non-threatening princes, because of this, Jiu Gongzhu has came to the pce, crying and pleading numerous times, in her naive eyes, she simply could not understand how the Sange who was always warm and close to her could change like this. Not only this, when the previous emperor was alive, he once married Jiu Gongzhu to Qi Huangzi¡¯s mufei¡¯s parents¡¯ family, Luo Guo Gong house¡¯s legitimate grandson, Zhang Feng, however Tuoba Zhen was not satisfied with this marriage. Later when he ascended to the throne, he couldn¡¯t wait to take Zhang Feng into custody, banished him to the border, then issued an edict to force Jiu Gongzhu to remarry. Not expecting that Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s disposition was simple and frank, her rtionship with her husband was not bad, due to this, she was strongly unwilling to part with her husband, even applying to remove her title of princess, pleading Tuoba Zhen to allow her to be with Zhang Feng at the border.
Li Wei Yang look at Tuoba Zhen¡¯s smile in front of her, clearly recalling the sneer on Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face that time, he did not allow Jiu Gongzhu to go together with Zhang Feng to the border. First he imprisoned her, temporarily not mentioning the issue of remarrying and changed the ce where Zhang Feng was banished to the barren hills and treacherous rapids of the west border, the living conditions there are extremely bad--- he is deliberately torturing to death this brother-inw of his that he loathes. Jiu Gongzhu knew about this news in the capital, as if knives were piercing her heart, repeatedly pleaded for permission for her to go to the west border, to be ¡°punished¡± together with her husband, Tuoba Zhen rashly turned his back. Later Jiu Gongzhu fell ill suddenly because of hidden resentment, soon after was on the verge of death. Before her death, she has pleaded Tuoba Zhen to have a heart and bury her with Zhang Feng together. But Tuoba Zhen buried them in tombs that are thousands of miles apart, the standards of the burial were low, not at all a princess¡¯ treatment. Li Wei Yang at that time has felt sadness for her, even more shocked by Tuoba Zhen suddenly so cruel.
In the past, she has always thought that whatever Tuoba Zhen do is right, even if it is against Crown Prince, against Qi Huangzi, because it concern life and death, but that time, she discovered that perhaps she has never knew her own husband, she did not understand why could he be so vicious towards his sister who never threatened him.
Afterwards, when she was in the cold pce for those years, she finally figured it out, it¡¯s because Tuoba Zhen¡¯s heart is dark, on the surface he loves his sister, but in fact, he has always detested and loathed that she receive favours and honours, when he has ascended high, he relentlessly put those who originally look down at him under his feet, manipting their fate at will, in hope of gaining a bnce of mind.
Tuoba Zhen smiled slightly and ordered someone to anchor the boat, then lifting his long gown, jumped down from the boat, his poise natural and elegant, soon came up to the floor.
Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s face is full of happiness: ¡°How did Sangee here, aren¡¯t you always obedient, howe you also snuck out.¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled and said: ¡°Do you think your Sange is like you, himing, naturally it is because there is something important to do.¡± Then he spoke to those outside, ¡°Please bring Miss Zhi Yan.¡±
Since this Cai Yue Lou is a restaurant, naturally there are people who can y musical instruments, but it is different from the ordinary vulgar restaurant, not only are the women here excellent, they are also highly paid teachers, all are aplished in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but if a guest like one of these women and want to approach them, unless they have received consent, they absolutely cannot touch them, it is because this Cai Yue Lou has already stated, this is a prestigious ce where wealthy aristocracy gather not some nefarious ce, who dare to create trouble here will not have a good end. Therefore, not only influential men, even a lot of daughters of wealthy households hold dinner parties here.
As for Miss Zhi Yan that Qi Huangzi spoke of, she is the most outstanding among teachers who was luckily sent for.
In the process of waiting, Jiu Gongzhu suddenly looked at Li Wei Yang: ¡°Wei Yang Jiejie, did you know, you are now also on Da Li¡¯s beauty ranking.¡±
¡°Da Li¡¯s beauty ranking?¡± Li Wei Yang felt quite novel, she has never heard of this before.
Tuoba Yuughed and said: ¡°The first rank on the beauty ranking, is your sister, Li Chang Le. Whereas you currently ranked ninth.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, she is clear on her own looks, that she is able to get on the beauty ranking is already surprising.
¡°Sanjie normally doesn¡¯t appear in public, how did she get on the ranking?¡± Li Min De asked, his eyebrows raised.
Tuoba Yu nced over at Tuoba Zhen and answered: ¡°What San Gongzi said is correct, most of the beauties on the beauty ranking are girls from genteel families, their statuses are not low, only a few can have the luck to witness these beautiful jades, however there are always some people, who has personally seen their looks would order artists to paint them to spread them around, therefore they get into the ranking because of this, your Dajie is one, Xianzhu is also one.¡± The reason Li Wei Yang got into the ranking, is not because her looks is outstanding but because she is the initiator of the water painting dance.
Li Wei Yang noticed Tuoba Yu¡¯s expression, she realized that this matter probably has something to with Tuoba Zhen, the other party seems to want to push her from behind the crowd to the front, this is not a good thing.
¡°Beauties like flowers and clouds, to those prestigious misses, most people only know them by names but hard to meet them. But this Miss Zhi Yan is different, not only is she a gentle and charming gorgeous beauty, she also y a tune on the pipa that struck everyone with admiration. She is from a poor family and has performed all over, she arrived in the capital three years ago, rose to fame in a short while and was sealed into the beauty ranking.¡±
Li Wei Yang usually stay at home and obviously do not know these things every well.
Tuoba Zhen spoke tirelessly: ¡°From the moment Miss Zhi Yan started to perform, among those seeking permission for marriage to her are important peerages, schrly people, even outstanding talents, all were sent away with a polite refusal. Therefore, this year she is already twenty five, ordinary women have already married and have children, whereas she is still wandering around outside, it really cause people to sigh.¡±
Look at him, as if he is really feeling sorry. Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but sneer, men are a very strange thing, they always think that the fate of women is to get married and have children, to continue to bloodline, but they are also a person, men can make contributions and have achievements, woman must earnestlyplete her so-called fate? Just like that woman in the market earlier, because she can¡¯t bear sons, she must be treated like a pig and dog, this is ridiculous.
Tuoba Yu was looking at Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression and could not helpughing. He can see that Sange find Li Wei Yang interesting, but--- whether this interest came out of a man¡¯s appreciation of a woman or from the value of using Li Wei Yang, it is unknown.
Miss Zhi Yan pushed open the door and entered, her hair ck, rolled into floating cloud like buns, a jade flower hairpin in the buns, crystal tassels hanging above, her face fair, lips thin, the corners of her lips slightly lifted, bringing a thin smile. The entire face is meticulously beautiful, without that feistiness of a human. Standing there looking dignified, quiet and elegant.
¡°Miss Zhi Yan, please y a song for us.¡± Tuoba Yu smiled and said.
Zhi Yan lowered her head, sang while ying the instrument, her singing melodious, her enunciation clear, like a stream slowly streaming through rocks, like light rain tapping on the roof tiles, like jade beads falling on gold tes, or Jiangnan¡¯s in moon, or the wind and frost north of the Great Wall, under her slim fingers,each wisp and strand entangle the heart, pores all over the body hot like afortable fit.
¡°Such qin skill, it is indeed rarely seen in the world.¡± Li Wei Yang thought, if Li Chang Le saw that outside there are such beautiful and romantic woman, wouldn¡¯t her nose be put out of joint.
¡°What is Xianzhu thinking of?¡± Tuoba Yu suddenly asked.
Li Wei Yang gazed at Zhi Yan and couldn¡¯t help saying: ¡°I was just thinking, such beauty and beautiful song, Dianxia really knows how to enjoy.¡±
Tuoba Yu wouldn¡¯t helpughing.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes fell on Li Min De who hasn¡¯t made a sound and saw that his eyes are vaguely different, staring at that Zhi Yan. Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but find it strange, could it be that they knew each other? No, even though Li Min De goes out every day, but that it due to studies, he could not have met a woman of such birth. But seeing his look, it doesn¡¯t seems like she is aplete stranger. Li Wei Yang asked quietly: ¡°Dianxia, this Miss Zhi Yan, where is she front?¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled and said: ¡°She is from Cang Zhou.¡± Each person in this restaurant, he has already investigate carefully, there wouldn¡¯t be any mistake, Only, why did Li Wei Yang suddenly ask this?
Li Wei Yang nced at Li Min De again, the other person has already lowered his head, who knows what he is thinking.
Jiu Gongzhu became intoxicated from listening, but on one side Tuoba Zhen saw Li Wei Yang and Tuoba Yu talking privately, thinking that they have intimate words to say, he couldn¡¯t help but frowned: ¡°What the two of you have to say, there¡¯s no harm in letting us hear as well.¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes to look at him: ¡°San Dianxia is not listening to a good song, paying attention to what we are doing?¡±
Tuoba Zhen couldn¡¯t help but be knotted up in anger because of this.
He acknowledge that he is not worse than Tuoba Yu, but his birth is not as good as the other person, in the past, no one dare to show contempt so obviously, Li Wei Yang, you are good, you are really good!
Your guts isrge enough!
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Trantor: Ang
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 80 part1
Chapter 80 Part 1: Tit for Tat
Thebeautiful melody ended; Yan Zhi stood up, bowed and left silently.
Li Min Desuddenly stood up: ¡°Sanjie, I have forgotten my cloak, I¡¯ll go out and get it.¡±
His cloakwas obviously in the carriage, so how could he have forgotten? Li Weiyang wascurious; she wanted to know who Yan Zhi was, and why did she attract Li Min De¡¯sattention?
She did notreveal any change in expression in front of the two princes, but gently smiled:¡°Go ahead.¡±
Jiu Gongzhujumped up: ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡±
Unexpectedly,she gave out a shrill scream at the next moment. Li Weiyang saidapologetically: ¡°I am so sorry Princess, I did not do it on purpose.¡±
Li Weiyanghad spilt her teacup onto Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s beautiful skirts.
Jiu Gongzhu poutedher lips; her lips were so pouted that one could bnce an oilmp from it.¡°You are so clumsy!¡± She was oblivious to the fact that Li Weiyang did this onpurpose to prevent her from following Li Min De.
She left theroom to change into new attire. Aside from the servants, the only three left inthe room had weird expressions on their faces.
Tuoba Zhensuddenlyughed and said: ¡°The three of us seem to have a special affinity.¡±
Indeed, itwas affinity, but an ursed affinity. LiWeiyangughed coldly and turned to look at the river. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± shesuddenly asked.
Tuoba Yufollowed the direction of her gaze: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Jade Peak Pagoda, built on anind at the heart of the river. It is especially beautiful at night. If you¡¯dlike, we could visit the ind another day to take a look.¡±
Li Weiyanghad a small smile on her lips, and muttered in thought: ¡°It is a goodlocation.¡± Her words had another hidden meaning in it.
Tuoba Zhen¡¯seyes shed and he stilled for a moment in surprise. He asked ndly: ¡°Whatdo you mean by that?¡±
She lookedat him and replied with a smile: ¡°The terrain is good. This river is formed bythe merging of the mountain stream and Hu Po Lake. If one were to cut a longcanal at lowest point the watershed where the two meet, he could split theriver into two and obtain easy control of ship navigation and irrigation ofcrops. You see, isn¡¯t it a good ce?¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯sface changed. He did not know how Li Weiyang found out, but this was hisoriginal n, which he did not get the chance to start yet. If he executed it,he would gainplete control over the two rivers¡¯ transportation; his wealthwould increase immeasurably, far better than Tuoba Yu and the others. He washowever, unable to think of a n to obtain thisnd without alerting othersof his scheme. He definitely could not allow anyone else to make the firstmove. In shock, he immediately replied: ¡°If this idea could work, why hadn¡¯tanyone done it so many years past?¡± Xianzhu shouldn¡¯t think unrealistically, thisis merely empty talk.¡±
Li Weiyanghad a small smile upon her lips: ¡°San Dianxia should know best if it is just mywishful thinking. In the past, there was the famous Xian Yuan Yan; the river wassplit into inner and outer sections, and the flow of the waters was controlled.For this river, splitting it could not only prevent floodings, enable tradesand irrigation, there is still the massive and gorgeous Dong Jiang Bridgespanning the banks. These should not have been possible by human hands and yetthey exist, so what else could be impossible!¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯ssmile, which was originally on his face, hadpletely disappeared.
He suddenlyfelt coldness all over.
Li Weiyangmet his eyes, and it was as if she understood what he was thinking, like sheeven knew of the next step in his n. Having seen a gaze like this, it was asif he was doused in a sheet of cold water.
Tuoba Yudeftly detected the tense atmosphere between the both of them, and just when hewas about to speak, someone outside spoke: ¡°Jiu Gongzhu says that her stomachhurt, and ran out from the window!¡±
This yfulgirl! Tuoba Yu didn¡¯t think of anything else; he stood up quickly and said:¡°Xianzhu, please remain here, I¡¯ll go out to look for her.¡±
Li Weiyanggave a small smile: ¡°Dianxia, Jiu Gongzhu must have gone to the carriage tolook for my San Di.¡±
Tuoba Yuhestitated; he was not worried that Tuoba Zhen would have the guts do anything,as this ce was his territory after all. Just... was it really safe to leave LiWeiyang here? ¡°Pay attention to any movement in the room!¡± he ordered theguards outside the door in a low voice.
Tuoba Yuquickly went downstairs, and it was only Li Weiyang and Tuoba Zhen in the roomnow. Li Weiyang stood up; she had no interest in sharing a table with such aperson.
Tuoba Zhensuddenly said: ¡°Xianzhu, have you ever heard of this story?¡±
Li Weiyangturned to face him, her eyebrows quirking up. Tuoba Zhen poured himself a cupof wine: ¡°In the previous dynasty, there was a strong ruler who led his armypersonally in the fight at the Southern Border. Sadly, after repeated attacksand struggling to maintain the rear, many of his people tried to convince him toretreat. Still, he insisted. The monarch paced up and down in front of histent, and wrote two words ¡°Ji Lei1¡± in the sand. No one understood what itmeant, except for a smart man who immediately packed up and wanted to leave.Hisrades asked him why, and he replied: ¡°The two words means that the foodis tasteless, but it seems like a pity to give up. Bixia is starting toconsider giving up, but he has yet to make a confirmed move. Since hedefinitely will retreat, we should start off early. The others realised that hehad a point, and so started preparations as well. The emperor found out and wasshocked. What do you think he did to the smart man?¡±
¼¦Àß1 ¨C Literally chicken ribs; used todescribe something as tasteless.
Li Weiyangsmiled: ¡°I do not know what the ruler would have done, but I do know if it wasyou, San Dianxia, you would definitely kill those people who are able tospecte your intentions.¡±
Tuoba Zhendid not even blink. ¡°You are right. On the battleground, even before an orderis issued by themander, the smart man tried to be clever and thus affectedthe morale of the army. As a leader of the troops, only by killing the manwould he be able to demonstrate an example. Therefore, one should be smart, butnot too smart. One should not try to disy her cleverness in front of others,to prevent herself from getting killed. It would not be worth it.¡±
Li Weiyangreplied coldly: ¡°Sorry, I do not have time to remain here to listen toDianxia¡¯s stories.¡±
Tuoba Zhen downeda cup of wine, a sh of coldness glinting in his eyes: ¡°Li Weiyang, I was nottelling a story, I am recounting an actual event in history. History does tend to repeat itself; if youwere the smart man, do you think I would kill you?¡±
In the moment,Li Weiyang saw the intention to kill in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes.
Tuoba Zhenwould definitely be panicking, because it was always his n to cut the canalin the future. Now that the Seventh Prince has found out, he would not be ableto carry it out. Li Weiyang knew of the huge impact her revtion would haveon Tuoba Zhen, but she did it anyway. Moreover, she did it right in his face,just to make him angry.
Li Weiyangfelt like she was grabbing the scruff of a tiger¡¯s neck ¨C filled with a senseof achievement. Of course, it was a dangerous thing to do; a single misstep andshe could end up hurting herself.
She smiledgently, her clear eyes dancing alight with sparks, and suddenly took two stepsforward. Her hands were folded on the table, and she faced Tuoba Zhen directly:¡°San Dianxia, I¡¯d advise you not to make any moves without carefulconsideration, especially if you are thinking of killing me or harming thepeople by my side. You definitely will regret making decision.¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯svoice froze like an iceberg: ¡°Li Weiyang! Do you really not care for anythingat all?!¡±
Li Weiyang¡¯slips curled: ¡°Wrong, I care about much things, especially my own life. Soplease do not scare me, San Dianxia, because I cannot stand to be frightened;if I were to identally blurt out things I shouldn¡¯t mention, I¡¯m afraid thatSan Dianxia would lose his head together with my own cheap existence!¡± Shereleased her grip, and turned around to leave.
Tuoba Zhentotally could not believe it, he could not believe that Li Weiyang actually hadanything on him. He felt that she was just threatening him, scaring him, orperhaps it was only a small spark of intelligence that just happened to let herguess his ns with the river. He therefore, did not take this threat to mind,and shot forward to block the door; her own exit route: ¡°Li Weiyang! Standthere!¡±
Tuoba Zhenstared at Li Weiyang intently, as if his gaze filled with hatred would tear herapart.
Bai Zhi, whowas in the room, was stunned with shock. Her far off position did not allow herto hear their exchange, but seeing San Dianxia¡¯s unusual behavior, an endlessfear surged in her heart. Zhao Yue, who was standing at the sidelines, had herhand ready on her sword¡¯s pommel.
Li Weiyanglooked back at him coldly. Tuoba Zhen did not know why, but her expressioncaused him to have a moment¡¯s difficulty in breathing.
He grittedhis teeth: ¡°You dare leave without my permission?!¡±
Li Weiyangsmiled and stretched out her slim fingers to brush off a spot of wine stain on TuobaZhen¡¯s chest: ¡°San Dianxia, you have your sunshine path, while I have my woodenbridge to cross. Remember to stay far away from me, don¡¯t follow me around allday like a lost puppy. I hated you ever since Day One. Remember that!¡± Shegently tapped his shoulder and sashayed out of the room, discarding him like apiece of smelly cloth.
Tuoba Zhenwas left standing there. A cold wind blew towards him, and he felt a shiverfrom his head to his feet. Just now, he clearly saw how bone chillingly cold LiWeiyang¡¯s gaze was; it did not seem human, but as if she was a wronged spiritwho had crawled out of hell to demand for his life!
As shewalked past a room, Li Weiyang did not go downstairs; she suddenly pushed open theadjoining door, smiling: ¡°Qi Xianxia, did it feel good to eavesdrop?¡±
The man whosaid that he was searching for Jiu Gongzhu was sitting there the whole time, smilingwithout a trace of guilt. He raised his cup in salute: ¡°Xianzhu has guts!¡±
Li Weiyanughed coolly: ¡°Zhao Yue, keep watch outside. Kill any busybodies who dare tostep in!¡±
¡°Understood.¡±Zhao Yue and Bai Zhi stepped back.
Li Weiyangand Tuoba Yu were the only ones in the room.
Tuoba Yuraised his eyebrows and gave a small smile: ¡°How did Xianzhu guess that I wasnext door?¡±
¡°The guardswill naturally be the ones looking for our runaway princess. Morever, since youknow that Tuoba Zhen is up to no good, you wouldn¡¯t simply leave me to dealwith him alone, isn¡¯t it?¡± Li Weiyang replied coldly.
¡°Xianzhuknows me well indeed.¡±
¡°Too badthat I was wrong about you!¡± Li Weiyang retorted. ¡°I had thought that after theprevious incident, even if we cannot not trust each other fully, at the veryleast we are still allies. Yet now you¡¯re doing such sneaky things!¡±
A flush ofred appeared on Tuoba Yu¡¯s cool face; he couldn¡¯t help but admit that he stillcould not believe in Li Weiyang with all his heart. ¡°I did not mean this.¡±
Li Weiyangsuppressed her anger. Actually, it was not unreasonable of Tuoba Yu to not trusther. In this fight between the princes, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible if Li Weiyangwas actually a supporter of Tuoba Zhen, and her actions towards Tuoba Yu wasall an act to gain his trust! From her previous life as his bitter rival, LiWeiyang knew that Tuoba Yu was not as naiive as that.
Hence, shesoftened her displeasure and said in a low voice: ¡°I know it will not be easyto gain Dianxia¡¯s trust, therefore I have already prepared a great number ofgifts to prove my sincerity to you.¡±
¡°Forexample?¡± Tuoba Yu was suddenly very interested in what she had to say.
¡°On thesurface, San Huangzi is loving towards his brothers and respectful of the Emperor,but in actual fact, he has an ambitious heart. He has not only secret ties withcourt officials, but connections with people from the underworld. From hirge web of elites serving in his household, there is an honorable mention ofhis four generals, three wise men, and twodies.
The fourgenerals are Li Jing, Mu Yang, Zhou Heng, and Lu Lu; they are knowledgeable inthe art of war, especially Li Jing, who has the title of ¡®Heavenly dragon abovethe skies¡¯ amongst the soldiers, after he fought and killed 506 men in a battleat the South border thirteen years ago. Once a grandmander who ledthousands of cavalry into battle, he was however, kicked out after causingdy in the army due to his drunken state eight years ago. Tuoba Zhenterhelped him to create a false identity to re-enter the army, where he is now ageneral.
Mu Yangappears to be a weak schr, with only a minor role as a censor in theImperial Pce, but at the young age of sixteen, he had already taken on therole of sub-leader in a secret society.
Zhou Hengwas originally a family of court officials who served the previous Emperor;however, his entire n of 109 members was beheaded due to a trap set by theirenemies. As a newborn, he managed toescape death and grew up in the wild. Tuoba Zhen took him in, and also under afalse name, inserted him into the royal guards, responsible for the personalsafety of the Emperor. He rose through the ranks and is now a submander ofthe Northern branch of the imperial guard.
Lu Luesfrom amoner background, but he has good connections due to his skills inmunication.He is also cruel without a doubt and loyal to the core; that is why he issituated in the spy camp, specializing in silent assassinations.¡±
Li Weiyanggave a small grin as she recounted. Tuoba Yu inhaled deeply, folding his handsbehind his back. He fidgeted, brought his hands to his sides, and changedposition yet again, bringing his hands into his sleeves. He was obviouslydiforted, as he did not know all the facts she had just said.
There were somesecrets that only Tuoba Zhen knew, that no one else should know about.
Yet LiWeiyang had all these information. She continued: ¡°The three wise men are GaoCheng, Jing Neng, and Sun Song. Gao Cheng excels at plotting, and is an aide inthe Crown Prince¡¯s household. Jing Neng is knowledgeable in the etiquette andpractices of emperors; he is the Crown Prince¡¯s teacher. Sun Song has the giftof the gab; at this moment, he might not seem like much use, but at the crucialmoment, his silver tongue is bound to help his master win the hearts of theofficials and people.
As for thetwodies, well... one has already won the heart of the Emperor as his newfavorite, while the other is now ced in Wu Huangzi¡¯s home...¡±
Tuoba Yustood up, with a face full of extreme shock. ¡°Do you know what you are saying?¡±
Li Weiyangsmiled: ¡°I know you do not believe that Tuoba Zhen has such power, but it istrue that over the years, he has been making use of the Crown Prince¡¯s wealth,the Empress¡¯ power, together with Wu Xianfei¡¯s family background, to do thingsfor his own benefit. His acting skills are definitely good, so good that theEmpress and her son have been deceived by him for so many years.¡±
Tuoba Yu¡¯sintuition told him strongly that everything she had said was true; these piecesof information would not havee out of thin air so easily. However, he stillfelt that she might have been reading too much into it ¨C after all, everysingle prince would definitely have their own spies installed in theirrespective rival¡¯s pce. Tuoba Zhen --- he did not think that he could reallybe this scary.
Li Weiyangknew that he would have doubts; that he would not realise how dangerous thisgroup of individuals could be. ¡°They are just the cornerstone of an iceberg.Those who can be bribed will be bribed, if not, he would try to convince them.If these two methods do not work, he¡¯d kill them off. I know that every huangzihas their own power and spies; those can simply be bought with money. However,loyalty cannot be measured with cold hard cash. I dare say that nobody else hasthe same amount of willpower and patience that Tuoba Zhen has. Not everyoneloves money; if you fail to buy someone over, would you be able to forgo yoursleep and ride for seven days straight to find your target¡¯s desired treasure asa gift it to him? Would you be willing to pay respects at someone else¡¯sancestral tomb on his behalf every Qing Ming festival without fail, just toconvince him to join you? Are you able to demonstrate your sincerity to thoseuncouth hooligans from the pugilistic world? To achieve his aim, he will stopat nothing and fear nothing. Qi Dianxia, you are unable to do this, because youare of high birth, you do not need to say anything and yet swarms of peoplewill offer their help to you. However, will they be unconditionally loyal, anddie for you if necessary? Just based on this alone, be it you, the CrownPrince, or Wu Huangzi, there is no way you all canpare with Tuoba Zhen.¡±
Tuoba Yufelt shiver down his spine, as if he was strung up from the roof. He originallythought that Tuoba Zhen could not resist the temptation of ambition during theprocess of assisting the Crown Prince. Who knew that he had plotted from thestart to use the Crown Prince and the Empress as his chess pieces? No wonder heis able to be perfectly filial to the Empress and obedient to the Crown Prince;he is utterly a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing.
Tuoba Yu satsilently. After a while, he spoke. ¡°I believe you. I would also like to know,how many people know about this?¡±
¡°Other thanthe enraged San Dianxia who left in a huff, no one else but me and you.¡± said LiWeiyang with a smile upon her face.
Some ofthese people have not been used to their full potential as of yet, but at themost crucial moment, these seemingly small characters would be the key to TuobaZhen¡¯s quest for the throne.
Tuoba Yutook a deep breath: ¡°Will you mention this to anyone else?¡±
Li Weiyangunderstood his underlying message, so she shook her head. ¡°Not a fourth personshall know about this.¡±
Upon hearingthis, Tuoba Yu let out a sigh of relief. He did not know how Li Weiyang managedto get the information. Everyone has their own secrets; so long as the contentis true, who cares how she found out? Most importantly, she could not revealthese gambling chips to others.
Hesubconsciously sighed again. ¡°Other than this ce, I have another eighteenestablishments to obtain news for me. Over the years, I have obtained a vastamount of detailed information. But based on what you have told me, out of theseventy scrolls of info regarding Tuoba Zhen, only two of them would bereliable. The rest would be misleading clues that Tuoba Zhen had purposelynted. This person, his motives are extremely frightening.¡±
Li Weiyangcould only smile. Tuoba Yu might be second to none based on his insight andpower of deduction, but in terms of patience in amassing information and payingattention to details in plots, he could not hold a candle to Tuoba Zhen. Thiswas nothing out of the ordinary; no one, including Tuoba Yu, would pay muchattention to a Huangzi who did not pose as a threat. He had wasted much efforton others and had neglected Tuoba Zhen. Tuoba Zhen, on the contrary, would notleave any stone unturned; however careful Tuoba Yu might be, however big orpowerful his backer Luo Guo Gong is, there was bound to be traceableinformation he could use against him.
¡°No one isinfallible; there must be someone who is bound to make you negligent. They aretoo cunning and cruel, like a snake hiding in the dark, taking a bite out ofyou when you¡¯re not alert. So long as you have a hold on him, you have nothingto fear.¡±
¡°I know allthese people you have mentioned, but I have taken them as figures who areunimportant, and some of them are even my good friends. I havee to realisethat I havemitted a grave mistake; much thanks to your advice. I willremember this debt; if you ever find yourself in need, I will do my utmost bestto help you.¡± Tuoba Yu said calmly, as if he was just having a casual andunimportant conversation.
Li Weiyang lookedinto those piercing eyes, and she knew that it was a solemn promise. She sankinto silence, smiled gently and said: ¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°What youhave said to Third Brother today..¡± he softened the hard look in his eyes, andslowly continued, ¡°It was not to agitate him, but to obtain my trust.¡±
Li Weiyang didnot give any reply in denial or confirmation, she just smiled, and nced athim after a long while. Suddenly, she realised that he was watching hersilently, with a hint of gentleness hidden in the depths of his eyes.
He did notknow since when did his interest in her transform into a strange sort ofliking. Tuoba Yu¡¯s eyes took her in deeply, and he sighed: ¡°You...¡± He seemed tohave wanted to say something, but from the corner of his eyes, he realised thatit was raining outside. ¡°I¡¯ll send you to your carriage.¡±
It was stillbright and sunny when they¡¯d left the mansion, and now the pitter patter ofheavy rain descended upon them. The people who had been admiring thenternswere all searching for cover. As Li Weiyang stood at the entrance of the inn,Bai Zhi spoke up: ¡°Xiaojie, there is an umbre in the carriage, Nubi will getit for you.¡±
¡°Here.¡± TuobaYu had already ordered someone to bring an umbre to him.
Bai Zhistepped forward to receive it, but Tuoba Yu smiled and stepped away. ¡°Allowme.¡±
The raintrickled from the umbre to his cheek; Tuoba Yu lowered his head, his voice,mixing with the raindrops, drifted to Li Weiyang¡¯s ears: ¡°Xianzhu should enjoya good rest tonight, after you¡¯ve reached home.¡±
His sideprofile appeared extra clear and handsome in the rain. Li Weiyang smiled. ¡°I dohope so.¡±
Li Min Dewas waiting in front of the carriage. It had been a full two hours since he hadleft, and he had not bothered to return. Li Weiyang did not question him, andboarded the carriage.
Tuoba Yugave Li Min De a smile, which he returned coldly, and quickly stepped into thecarriage.
The carriageheaded back towards the Li Residence. Through the curtains, Li Weiyang couldsee the tall silhouette still remaining in the rain. She did not understand whyhe did not use the umbre, and he seemed to be gazing at the carriage, deepin thought..
Li Weiyangpaused, and let the curtains fall. Beside her, Li Min De spoke: ¡°Sanjie --¡±
She turnedto look at him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±
¡°You¡¯re notgoing to ask me where I¡¯ve been?¡±
Li Weiyanglifted her hands to softly brush away the thinyer of rain on his shoulders.¡°You went to see Yan Zhi?¡±
Li Min Dewas stunned and could not utter a word in reply.
Li Weiyangsmiled: ¡°You did not eat anything during the feast just now. I¡¯ve orderedsomeone to bring food and wine here. Bai Zhi.¡±
Bai Zhiimmediately responded to her name. She opened the purple sandalwood lunchboxying out the dishes one by one. Li Weiyang took one look at Li Min De¡¯s paleface and said, ¡°It is cold at night when it rains, why didn¡¯t you at least puton anotheryer of clothes? Never mind, have some Osmanthus wine, it¡¯ll helpto get rid of the chills.¡±
Li Min Defroze. Li Weiyang observed him; this youth had a clear and defined facialstructure, blended with a soft beauty and strong willpower. Abination ofthese two should have been conflicting, yet on his face, it was enrapturing.Her eyes were filled with smiles: ¡°Come over, quickly!¡±
He came toher, but held on the chopsticks without touching the food.
¡°What areyou thinking of?¡± She reached over and flicked his forehead with her finger; LiMin De clutched his forehead at the sudden pain.
¡°Driftingoff again.. It looks like you are defying me on purpose!¡±
¡°I was not¨C¡± He opened his mouth to exin.
Li Weiyangsuddenlyughed, and although it was gone in a sh, he was captivated by it.
¡°Do not saythings like ¡®sorry I cannot tell you the truth¡¯, although I do not liketrickery...¡± She sighed. ¡°Whatever the case, you need only know one thing: I willnot me you, even though you refuse to tell me the truth...¡±
Li Min De¡¯spupils narrowed, and a sh of gratitude appeared in the depths of his eyes,only to be reced by sorrow.
Li Weiyangsaw the changes in his expression clearly, and involuntarily, a surge ofheartache welled up in her. She also felt a sense of distance, which made herfeel sad. This child who had depended on her, was he growing up? It was gettingharder and harder to understand his feelings now.
However, atthe next moment, Li Min De suddenlyid his head on her shoulders.
¡°What¡¯s thematter?¡± Li Weiyang wondered, surprised.
Li Min Dedid not reply her, and continued to rest on her shoulders. His eyes weresmarting on the verge of tears; every time he thought of the fact that he wouldhave to leave her in the end, his heart felt twisted up in pain.
¡°You saidthat you¡¯ve grown up, you¡¯ll definitely have your own secrets. You should behappy that I did not probe, because it means that I trust you.¡± Li Weiyangpulled him up and stuffed the chopsticks back into his hands, and personallyfed him a slice of sweet and sour fish: ¡°Eat.¡±
Theosmanthus wine did not have a high alcohol content, and Li Weiyang enjoyed itssweet taste. There were outsiders at dinner just now, and she did not think itwise to drink too much. Right now, with only Li Min De present, she couldslowly savour the wine. As she drank the osmanthus wine, she felt warmthfilling her entire body.
As she lookedat the thin ribbons of rain falling to the ground outside the window, LiWeiyang thought of Tuoba Zhen¡¯s furious state. She couldn¡¯t help butugh, anddowned her wine in one gulp.
Li Min Depaused and turned to look at her.
¡°Sanjie?¡± Hehad never seen her drink, let alone with such a strange expression at thistiming.
Li Weiyangpaused and recovered her senses. ¡°I won¡¯t get drunk, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just asmall cup.¡± she smiled and said.
Li Min Deeyed the cup in her hands. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already drink three cups?¡±
He took hercup from her hands and set it on the table, but as quick as lightning, shegrabbed his cup and drank it dry.
¡°Sanjie?!¡±
¡°Hmm?¡± LiWeiyang smiled gently, a lock of ck hair framing her clear face. Under thecandle lights in the carriage, her eyes were like smoke, clear and understated,and her expression had a hint of impatience. ¡°Since when did be so naggy,Mr Caretaker!¡±
Li Min De loweredhis head, embarrassed. He saw that she still held the wine cup in her slimfingers, and her eyes, though filled with a tipsiness like crushed jade,remained staring at him clearly.
Li Weiyangleaned back in her seat as if drunk, resting slightly on him.
The richfloral smell of osmanthus,bined with the clear scent on her body, made astrange fragrance that permeated from his nose, to his limbs, and to the bottomof his heart.
He suddenlywanted this moment tost forever, but a voice resonated in his head,reminding him not to be greedy, not to sink into this warmth... your existencewill only drag her down, and even cause her immeasurable dangers. This is not ace where you should remain, and you will never be able to pay the price ifyou lose herpletely...
Li Min Dedropped his head and suddenly reached out for the pitcher of osmanthus wine infront of him. Using the ss cup that Li Weiyang had just used, he downed acup, but to him, the taste waspletely different from what he had drankbeforehand.
Zhao Yue wasguarding the carriage outside, and within it, Bai Zhi was carefully selecting acandle wick. In truth, her heart had a strange feeling within it. San Shaoyeseemed to be different from the past. He was a smart and clever boy, full ofinnocence, but now, especially when he was silent, she did not dare to speak tohim. Somehow, he seemed to be radiating power and nobility, which was an aurahecked in the past. His eyes were also constantly darting about, showing alooming indifference and coldness that usually was present in adults. Did SanFuren¡¯s death really cause such a drastic change in him?
¡°Min De?¡± LiWeiyang sounded as she really was drunk; she tilted her head, like she waslooking at a stranger, and called his name. Her hands reached up and pinchedhis cheeks.
¡°Ah!¡±
¡°Smile, Ilike to see you smile!¡± She had regained her fierce demeanour.
Looking athis red stained cheeks and his eyes like summer waters, Li Weiyang could nothold herself back from squeezing his cheeks repeatedly.
¡°Sanjie, youare really drunk!¡± It was as if she had been swapped with someone else! Li MinDe was speechless, and his face resembled a bun after all that pinching.
Li Weiyangmurmured: ¡°Wine can make you forget your depression and drown your sorrows. MinDe, you should also have some. You¡¯re being so naggy at such a young age,imagine how horrible you¡¯d be when you grow older!¡±
She felt asif the whole world was shaking, and tried to open her eyes, only to see Li MinDe as red faced as a tomato. She released her hands and adjusted her body tofind a morefortable position to rest in.
Seeing hersleeping face, Li Min De suddenly broke into a smile. He lowered his voice:¡°This is good, so long as you are happy, anything goes.¡±
Tonight, hefelt that Li Weiyang¡¯s feelings were in a terrible turmoil. Although he did notknow why, he felt that he would be willing do anything, just to earn a smilefrom her.
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 80 part2
Chapter 80 Part 2: Tit for Tat
The next morning, LiWeiyang was invited to He Xiang Yuan by Lao Furen.
At any point of time,nobody can have everything going smoothly for them. Even though Li Weiyang hadthings under her control, there were also countless problems which weretargeted at her. Seeing Da Furen sitting upon the great hall despite herillness, Li Weiyang gave a respectful smile: ¡°Muqin is here too, are youfeeling better?¡±
Da Furen gave a smallsmile: ¡°I have taken Dai Fu¡¯s medicine, but there has been no improvement. Ah, mybody has always been weak, so it is inevitable.¡±
Li Weiyang found it strangethat Da Furen would be willing to let people see her weak side, when sheusually wanted to maintain her strong fa?ade.
In actual fact, JiangGuo Gong Furen had invited Li Xiaoran over yesterday evening for small talk. Itwas a perfectly normal thing for a mother-inw to invite her son-inw tocatch up; she had intended to use her status to pressurize him into letting LiChangle return. However, Li Xiaoran used state matters as an excuse to rejecther invitation. Guo Gong Furen could not do anything more; with her status andage, did they actually expect her toe personally to beg? This incident alsoallowed Da Furen to realise that Li Xiaoran was no longer the meek and lowranked officer 10 years ago; perhaps, he already had intentions against theJiangs long ago, but he is only showing his true colors now.
She had to think ofanother way; that is why, despite the fact that she could not walk withoutstumbling, she still had to grit her teeth and turn up.
¡°There is so manythings happening at home, and I¡¯m feeling frustrated. No matter how muchmedicine I take, it is not helping.¡±DaFuren was direct, telling Lao Furen about her illness. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I need alonger time to recuperate...¡±
Upon hearing this, ErFuren immediately responded: ¡°If Da Sao is unable to handle household matters,Di Mei is willing to share the burden with you...¡±
Er Furen was trying totake over the control of the household. Da Furen did not reveal any change inexpression, just calmly said: ¡°There is no need for that temporarily, as I havemy able assistants to aid me. I do require your help in serving and taking goodcare of Lao Furen though...¡±
Er Furen¡¯s face had anexpression of dislike. Forget the fact that she refused to hand over the power,she even tried to push her filial duties to Lao Furen to her; how sly of DaFuren.
Lao Furen continuedtouching the prayer beads in her hands, pretending as if she did not hearanything.
Da Furen thoughtfullyasked: ¡°How was yesterday¡¯sntern festival?¡±
¡°Naturally, it wasbeautiful. It was too bad that Muqin¡¯s ill health did not allow Muqin toealong.¡± Li Weiyang¡¯s smile was calm.
Da Furen couldn¡¯t helpbut sigh. ¡°Yes, during the pastntern festivals, I would bring you sisters toattend. Your Dajie loves the lotusnterns, and would not bear to let go ofit. We have our own craftsman at home to make fine trinkets, but she loves thestall at the Western Bridge instead, like such a small child...¡±
She sneaked a nce atLao Furen, who didn¡¯t even bat an eye.
Da Furen immediatelyfelt very much alone. She did not know since when her words had lost power athome, or perhaps, they were ignoring her on purpose.
These few months, Li Weiyangwas very prosperous in the Li Residence. Da Furen could not escape just byhiding in the room; she constantly heard Xianzhu receiving many invitations toevents, which enraged her. Just over a short period of three months, she was sotired out that many strands of white appeared in her hair, making her appearolder.
Da Furen took out asutra from her sleeves, flipping it open to show Lao Furen. ¡°That silly childheard that using one¡¯s blood to write sutras could show sincerity, so shereally pricked her finger to write a copy of Fa Hua Sutra for Lao Furen...¡±
Lao Furen did not eventake a single look. She had woken early today, and she could not stop hereyelids from closing. She interrupted: ¡°What is your purpose in visiting metoday?¡±
Da Furen went pale, andgritted her teeth. ¡°Lao Furen, Changle has written a letter. She has learnt hermistake and regrets what she has done. She begs Lao Furen to forgive her andlet here back. My health is not good, and I need someone by my side to takecare of me. Could you bear to see me frail with illness, with no one takingcare of me, feeding me medicine?¡± She wiped away her tears as she spoke.
Li Weiyang couldn¡¯thelp but smile at Da Furen¡¯s performance. There were at least twenty or thirtymaidservants in Fu Rui Court, how could it be possible that there is no one toserve Da Furen? She just wanted to borrow the chance to bring Li Changle back.
Lao Furen frowned. ¡°Shewas supposed to go there and reflect. It has just been three months, and shecan¡¯t take it anymore?¡±
Da Furen did not giveup. ¡°She has been doted on and spoilt since young, so she can¡¯t take anyhardship. Lao Furen, you¡¯repassionate, please let here back, I can haveone more person by my side.¡±
Er Furen coldlyreplied: ¡°Da Sao, what are you saying, don¡¯t you have more than one daughter?San Xiaojie Si Xiaojie Wu Xiaojie, aren¡¯t they able to take care of you too?You said it yourself that you would treat them as your own. Since you want tofind someone to take care of you, why didn¡¯t you give them the chance?¡±
Er Furen had alwaysloved to put Da Furen in a spot, so it wasn¡¯t unexpected that she woulde upwith this suggestion.
Da Furen smiledreluctantly: ¡°I did not want to make things hard on them.¡±
Si Yiniang quicklyreplied: ¡°No trouble at all, to be able to show filial piety for Da Furen iswhat they should do.¡± She eyed Li Weiyang as she spoke, ¡°I don¡¯t know aboutXianzhu, however--¡±
Of course Li Weiyangwould not reject it; going to Da Furen¡¯s house everyday would definitely aggravateher illness and cut her life by another ten years. Moreover, this was notsomething she could push away, because it was her duty as a daughter towards amother, even if she was another concubine¡¯s daughter. This request came quitesuddenly though...
A sh lit up in DaFuren¡¯s eyes, and her mouth quirked as if she was going to reject; but finally,she asked: ¡°What does Lao Furen think?¡±
It was a reasonablerequest which Lao Furen would naturally agree to, so she nodded her head andwaved as if swatting a fly. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll do it this way¡±
On the way back to hercourtyard, Li Weiyang was silent. When back in her own rooms, she selected abook and sat on her rocking chair to read.
Bai Zhi saw that shehad things on her mind, but she did not dare to stray too far away, so she juststood by at the side, with an embroidery frame in hand.
After a long time, LiWeiyang continued maintaining her silence, and the pages of her book hadremained unflipped.
2 hourster, shesuddenly put down the book. ¡°Bai Zhi,¡± There was a rare hesitation in her tone.
¡°Why do you think DaFuren allowed me to enter her house and attend to her?¡± Li Weiyang seemed likeshe was talking to herself, and yet also seemed like she was speaking to BaiZhi. Her fingers involuntarily touched the pages, curling and uncurling them.This hinted that her brain was quickly processing her thoughts.
¡°I fear that Da Furen isunwilling, she doesn¡¯t like to see Xiaojie. That day after Xiaojie visited her,Nubi heard that she started throwing and destroying things after we left.¡± BaiZhi quietly supplied.
Li Weiyang replied withan ¡®En¡¯, and continued her silence. If Da Furen wanted to get rid of her, sheneed not have done so much. If so, what was she nning?
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 81 part1
Chapter 81 Part 1: Swarm of Scorpions
¾ÅËÀÒ»Éú Ji¨³s¨«y¨©sh¨¥ng - lit: Nine dead one life, there is a highpossibility of death and slim chances of survival, but it also implies that ifone does survive, they are as good as dead
¡°If itwas me, I¡¯m afraid I wouldn¡¯t be able to eat nor sleep peacefully if the personI murdered reappeared before me everyday. It seems Da Furen must have a heartof steel to be able to stomach that.¡± Li Wei Yang said this with a slightsmile.
¡°Xiaojie,you should not believe Da Furen¡¯s words, Nubi feels they were notwell-intentioned.¡±
ThisYatou knows how to be cautious now, it seems she has made some progress. Li WeiYang looked at Bai Zhi.
On thesurface, Da Furen had declined Er Furen¡¯s housekeeper¡¯s request, but Li WeiYang took note of her expressions. She heard the words ¡®family matters¡¯, andthe corner of her mouth lifted, with not a trace of panic, as if it were along-awaited thing and it had finally happened.
However,Er Furen¡¯s suggestion that shu nu should apany and take care of Da Furenwas rather timely.
In fact,whether it was Da Furen or Er Furen, Li Wei Yang understood them well enough.
Er Furenwas clever and ambitious. She stayed by Lao Furen¡¯s side all day and visitedher birth family from time to time, and went on pilgrimages... It was typical fora Furen in the Capital to take participate in such social events. Although shewas considerate towards Lao Furen, it was a pity that Er Laoye was a shu zi, soLao Furen did not favor him.
Er Furenalways opposed Da Furen, but sometimes, for the sake of personal gain, theywould conspire with one another. Er Furen¡¯s attitude towards her was sincere atfirst, especially in supporting her efforts against Da Furen, but once Li WeiYang became Xianzhu, Er Furen¡¯s intentions became clear, she sometimes treatedher indifferently and even stood in Li Wei Yang¡¯s way. And Da Furen was agentle person on the surface, but her character was akin to needles, strong andstubborn, if she was gravely ill, she would not run to Lao Furen toment. Herexpressions today were strangely those of weakness and vulnerability, as if shewere begging Lao Furen, but she also agreed to allow shu nu to go to Fu RuiCourtyard look after her, but why?
DaFuren¡¯s expressions shed in her mind, and Li Wei Yang smiled softly.
Thatafternoon, Du mama led other servants to Li Wei Yang¡¯s ce: ¡°San Xiaojie hasdecided to look after Furen but going back and forth will not be convenient, DaFuren¡¯s idea was... Why not move to the De Dong wing of the Fu Rui Courtyard.¡±She looked over to Li Wei Yang, smiling as she said: ¡°Aside from Xiaojie, SiXiaojie and Wu Xiaojie have already moved over. In the future, Xiaojie will notneed to do anything at all aside froming to offer well-wishes, bringingmedicine and meals to Da Furen will be enough. Moreover, the responsibilitiescan be divided between three Xiaojies, so it will not be as tiring.¡±
Bai Zhiand Mo Zhu nced at each other and saw the sh of unease in the other¡¯seyes.
Everythingwas going well, and now they were unexpectedly moving to Fu Rui Courtyard,where everything will be under Da Furen¡¯s control. It was certainly not a goodthing.
Li WeiYang closed the book in her hand and looked to Du mama, surprisingly Du mama,who smiled and said: ¡°Nubi has already asked Laoye, and Laoye has agreed.¡±
In otherwords, she had no choice but to move. Li Wei Yang smiled, since Da Furen didnot mind going through such trouble, she must not mind if Li Wei Yang adding toher troubles, then? Although they must have something in store for her thistime, if they had that much time on their hands and were looking to die, sheshould grant them their wish, ¡°I have to trouble mama then.¡± She looked to BaiZhi, and Bai Zhi said: ¡°All of you, quickly follow me. Be mindful of Xiaojie¡¯svaluable possessions or you may lose your heads!¡±
Du mamacoldly looked on, wondering when San Xiaojie began to show off like this, butwhen she saw that each chest was overflowing with gold, silver, jade, andpearls, her eyes widened.
Mo Zhughed: ¡°This time, Xiaojie will not be away for too long, no need to bringthe bigger ones, the everyday essories Xiaojie likes will be enough, aiya,Yatou there, be careful! Gently, gently! This is made of white jade!¡±
Du mamastared intently at the jewelry inside the chests along with the exquisite rollsof silk and treasures, secretly shaking her head. How many shu nu er of ahousehold could possess these treasures? One could not me others for sayingthe one with the most treasures in the Capital is San Xiaojie of the PrimeMinister¡¯s residence. The Emperor had given her so many treasures, enough tst a lifetime.
Li WeiYang saw Du mama¡¯s expressions, smiled and said: ¡° Du mama, which type ofmedicine does Mother use these days?
Du mamawas startled, then she carefully answered: ¡°The kind to nurture her health.¡± DaFuren had said her heart conditions could not be revealed to San Xiaojie in anyway.
Li WeiYang smiled and waved at Du mama: ¡°Mama, sit down and talk.¡±
Du mamacautious sat down in a small, round chair nearby.
¡°I didnot grow up in this house, so I¡¯m not aware of the affairs in the courtyard,from Mother¡¯s interests and temperament, I don¡¯t know any of it, so I will needto rely on mama¡¯s advice to avoid making any mistakes.¡± Li Wei Yang signaled toBai Zhi, who immediately presented a red envelope to Du mama. Du mama felt theenvelope, noticed how heavy it was and immediately smiled: ¡°San Xiaojie, howcan you say that, it is Nubi¡¯s blessing to serve Xiaojie.¡±
Li WeiYang said it as if it suddenly urred to her: ¡°Lin mama used to be byMother¡¯s side, why have I not seen her recently?¡±
Dumama¡¯s face darkened, blood rushing to her ears.
¡°She--!¡±Du mama reluctantly smiled, ¡°Her illness kepting back, she told Furen andretired to her hometown.¡±
Lyingwithout batting an eye, Li Wei Yang actually had Lin mama thrown out to thewolves, Li Wei Yang only smiled faintly: ¡°So that is why, Mother must rely onDu mama then.¡±
Then,she pretended to have just remembered: ¡°On our way back from the temple, San ditold me something. A woman was found, torn apart by wolves behind the mountain,beyond recognition, I don¡¯t know who though. Has Du mama heard of this?¡±
SanXiaojie¡¯s voice was gentle like a meandering stream, clear as the chiming of asilver bell, pleasant to the ear, but after hearing it, Du mama was trembling,how could she not understand the meaning behind Li Wei Yang¡¯s words.
Backthen, Lin mama was sent to meet with Jiu Yiniang but did not return. Da Furenthought she was afraid of being implicated and ran away, but hearing what LiWei Yang said, it seems she was devoured by the wolves! Although the temple wasat the top of the mountain, there were wolves behind the mountain. Perhaps SanXiaojie had disposed of Lin mama!
Du mamafelt herself shaking and brought her hand up to her forehead, only to findherself sweating profusely.
¡°Xianzhu...¡±She unconsciously changed her manner of address.
It waslike a nail was growing out of the chair, Du mama could no longer sit still andstood up.
Apeaceful silence filled the room again.
Li WeiYang smiled: ¡°Du mama feels that it¡¯s hot and stuffy here? Bai Zhi, quicklybring a handkerchief here!¡±
Bai Zhiimmediately brought a handkerchief, Du mama epted it, not daring to say aword. She was terrified of San Xiaojie, in fact, she had always been afraid.Since she entered the residence, she had seen many things, a shu nu that no onepaid any mind to had be Lao Furen¡¯s confidant and could even approach theImperial family. Da Furen had put in so much effort into her schemes, yet theywere hardly effective! She brought the handkerchief up to wipe away her sweatwhen she suddenly felt something damp. The smell of blood was there too, shelooked up and was horrified to see the bloodstained handkerchief.
Li WeiYang smiled: ¡°Bai Zhi, what is this, daring to bring a dirty handkerchief to Dumama.¡±
Bai Zhigently said: ¡°Du mama, please forgive this, this is the handkerchief that Linmama had left behind, Du mama, please take this with you.¡±
Dumama¡¯s entire body seemed to be shaking, racked with fear, and she cried out.
SanXiaojie knows everything!
She tookin deep breaths and tried to recollect herself, but her voice was stilltrembling.
¡°Xianzhu,Nubi understands Xianzhu¡¯s intentions!¡± She raised her head and looked at LiWei Yang, earnestly saying: ¡°Furen, it¡¯s true Furen has wronged Xianzhu in thepast, but recently, Furen¡¯s health has not been good, Da Xiaojie is not by herside, she is all alone and truly pitiful, Nubi dares to ask for Xianzhu¡¯s graceto not continue to resent Da Furen...¡±
¡°Du mamais rather loyal to Da Furen.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was gentle. She was stillsmiling, ¡°I heard that year, the person who took me out of the residence, wasyou!¡±
Hearingthis, Du mama suddenly felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet to herchest, making her freeze up. It was springtime and warm, but every one of LiWei Yang¡¯s words made her involuntarily stiffen as if frozen.
She hadhelped Da Furen harm many people these years and had soon forgotten about whathappened that year, but every time she saw San Xiaojie, she still felt uneasy.She thought Li Wei Yang was too young to know the truth behind everything...
Shelooked up at Li Wei Yang.
Li WeiYang had a neutral smile. Her eyes dark as the water at the bottom of the well,her dimples showing, as if she was only talking to Du mama, there was not atrace of anger or frustration. If Li Wei Yang was furious, Du mama had a way topacify her, but she was calm, which made the situation more difficult tounderstand.
Shouldshe say something or not?
Du mamahesitated for a while. Li Wei Yang was still waiting. The footsteps of theYatous in the courtyard were more evident because of the silence that hadsettled over them. Li Wei Yang was to move to Furen¡¯s courtyard immediately! Dumama clenched her teeth and said: ¡°If Nubi speaks, then what will Xianzhu givein return?¡±
Li WeiYang smiled faintly, having lived here for many years, one knows how to choosethe most beneficial path for themselves.
¡°500liang.¡± She slowly proposed.
Du mamathought for a moment, five hundred liang, she could find a bride for her son,chase away the hens that could no longery eggs, renovate their home... Ofcourse, she could also use the Li family¡¯s name to buy a small piece offarnd in the countryside.
Except...She was still hesitant.
¡°Gold.¡±Li Wei Yang continued.
Du mamatrembled, this time, not out of fear but excitement, she had devoted half alifetime to Da Furen, and she had yet to see even a liang of gold.
Hervoice quivered slightly: ¡°Nubi understands.¡±
Li WeiYang told her: ¡°Sit down.¡±
Du mamaslowly began: ¡°That year when Qi Yiniang entered the residence, she was gentleand lovely, Laoye quickly took a liking to her, but this yiniang happened to beFuren¡¯s Yatou. If Furen did not agree, then Laoye could not take her. Furenrealized this and was not furious, she continued to keep Qi Yiniang by herside. Some timeter, Furen¡¯s meimei, ah, Xiaojie knows this person, Wei GuoFuren, there was a confrontation while she was traveling by horse carriage. Anold schr was killed in the process, and it was brought to Bixia¡¯s attention.Wei Guo Furen looked to Laoye, asking Laoye to intervene, but Laoye declined,saying that the Li family would not be involved in such matters. For thatreason, Da Furen prepared wine for Laoye and allowed him to take Qi Yiniang tohis chambers.¡±
Du mamalooked up at Li Wei Yang, her voice growing quieter: ¡°Drunk, Laoye epted QiYiniang and even dirtied Furen¡¯s chambers, leaving Furen no face. Laoye feltashamed, so he agreed to help. However, in truth, Furen was worried, SanYiniang was favored the moment she arrived and opposed Furen, Furen was nearlyinjured once, it was Qi Yiniang who selflessly rushed to save Furen. It wasthen that Furen promised her that she would let her go and find a household forher to marry into, but shortly after, she had given Yiniang to Laoye. QiYiniang not consenting was nothing out of the ordinary...¡±
Li WeiYang sneered, turning away. It was not something Da Furen did once or twice, itwas because Tan shi was too trusting of others.
¡°Backthen, Liu Yiniang was rather haughty, so Furen brought Qi Yiniang in to controlher. Qi Yiniang did not fall short, she quickly became pregnant with child.Laoye respected Qi Yiniang, and Qi Yiniang had a high status, moreover, afortune teller had said that Qi Yiniang¡¯s child would stand above others. Thismade Furen uneasy. She feared that she would lose control over Qi Yiniang andprepared drugs... so Qi Yiniang would give birth early in February...¡±
¡°Laoyeoriginally wanted to have Xiaojie suffocated, but it was Qi Yiniang who kneltin the cold, in the ice and snow, begging Laoye to let Xiaojie live...¡±
Du mamacautiously nced over at Li Wei Yang as she spoke.
Li WeiYang¡¯s face did not have a trace of emotion, even after hearing this. Du mamafelt a bit uneasy, and in hopes of pleasing her, continued to say: ¡°WithLaoye¡¯s grace, Xiaojie was sent to Pingcheng to be raised, Da Furen was not atease yet, so she often sent someone to check, after that, it seems they toldthat household something, and Xiaojie was taken to a rural household. BecauseDa furen held the word of life or death...¡±
Li WeiYang lightly said: ¡°Du mama, do not speak carelessly, if Mother had illintentions, she would have left me in the countryside for the rest of my life.¡±
Du mamafrowned: ¡°Xianzhu, let Nubi finish, at first, this was Furen¡¯s intention, buter on, she heard that Xiaojie¡¯s appearance was not bad, and Xiaojie had aweak personality, Furen thought perhaps San Xiaojie will be useful in thefuture, since there was only Da Xiaojie of Dafeng, so she had brought Xiaojieback - ¡± Who would have thought Furen brought back a feral wolf, Du mamathought to herself, continuing to smile kindly.
Li WeiYang stood up, ¡°Alright, Du mama has finished, I should go to Mother¡¯scourtyard to pay my respects.¡±
Not aword of resentment? Not even a hint of indignance, Du mama could not understandLi Wei Yang¡¯s thoughts. She stepped forward and said: ¡°Xianzhu, what you agreedto...¡±
Li WeiYang paused and nced at Du mama before telling Bai Zhi: ¡°Bring the banknotehere.¡±
Du mamasmiled widely: ¡°Thank you, Xianzhu.¡±
Once LiWei Yang had left, Du mama breathed a sigh of relief, gripped the banknote inher hand, hidden under her sleeve, and wiped away the sweat on her forehead.
Outside,Bai Zhi quietly said: ¡°Xiaojie, Xiaojie really believes thato dongxi? Shehas helped Furen carry out quite a few schemes!¡±
Li WeiYang smiled faintly as if she saw Du mama through the window: ¡°I do, whywouldn¡¯t I?¡±
¡°ButNubi still feels she is not truly helping Xiaojie.¡± Bai Zhi frowned. ¡°Nubicould follow Du mama for Xiaojie, if Da Furen makes a move, we will be able toguard against it in time.¡±
Li WeiYang shook her head, ¡°No need, do your job well and that will be enough.¡±
Bai Zhifelt that Li Wei Yang was underestimating her opponent, ¡°Xiaojie, Nubi is notoverthinking this, Nubi only fears ...¡±
Li WeiYang chuckled: ¡°You, you are still young yet worrying until your hair is allwhite.¡±
¡°Xiaojie!Nubi is only worried for Xiaojie!¡± Bai Zhi cried out indignantly.
Li WeiYang sighed, looking off into the distance: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything is stillin our hands.¡±
A whilter, Li Wei Yang saw Qi Yiniang running over with ragged breaths, who wasfrightened to see Du mama there. Du mama smiled: ¡°Qi Yiniang has arrived.¡± QiYiniang was now Shuren of the Third Rank, she was no longer the Yiniang theYatous once looked down on.
Dumama¡¯s greeting left Qi Yiniang somewhat stunned.
Li WeiYang nced at Du mama and said: ¡°You should return to Mother¡¯s courtyard,tell her I am preparing my belongings and that I wille over soon.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±Du mama respectfully replied, then she quickly left.
Onlywhen Du mama had left through the great doors did Qi Yiniang approach her: ¡°Youabsolutely must not go to Da Furen¡¯s courtyard!¡±
Seeingher worry-stricken expression, Li Wei Yang smiled and asked: ¡°Why?¡±
¡°Thismatter¡ª¡± Qi Yiniang wanted to say something but decided against it.
Bai Zhismiled as she took her leave: ¡°Nubi must prepare tea for Yiniang.¡±
Seeingthe others leave, Qi Yiniang hurriedly said: ¡°No one can guess what is on DaFuren¡¯s mind, you must know that!¡±
QiYiniang was a simple person, but she wasn¡¯t naive. Li Wei Yang could not helpbut smile.
QiYiniang saw her smile and indignantly continued: ¡°Foolish Yatou, you must bemore careful!¡± Her eyes became ssy, brimming with tears.
Li WeiYang smiled and offered a handkerchief: ¡°Niang, rest assured, I won¡¯t fall forher schemes.¡±
¡°Youdon¡¯t know how she schemed against me, I had just stepped foot into thecourtyard, yet I was already terrified!¡± Qi Yiniang said, growing pale. Li WeiYang reassured her: ¡°No, food and arrangements will be left to trusted Yatous,no one will be able to slip anything in.¡±
Hearingthis made Qi Yiniang feel more at ease, Li Wei Yang added a couple more wordsof constion, then had her escorted back.
-------------------------------------------------
Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 81 part2
Chapter 81 Part 2: Swarm of Scorpions
ÊôÏÂsh¨³ xi¨¤ - subordinates refer to themselves as shuxia
Da Furen had left the best room in Fu RuiCourtyard to Li Wei Yang. Li Chang Xi was rather unhappy and despite Li ChangXiao¡¯s attempts to stop her, she rushed over to voice herints. Then, shesaw Du mama reminding a group of Yatous: ¡°Si Xiaojie and Wu Xiaojie aside,Furen said to serve San Xiaojie with care!¡±
Li Chang Xi heard this, and she was furiousand fuming.
Hearing Du mama talk about how Li Wei Yang wasfavored by Lao Furen and given such luxuries, the mes of anger burnedbrighter for Li Chang Xi. In the past, she may not have been Li Chang Le¡¯sequal, but she still had greater status than Li Wei Yang, and yet, now Li WeiYang had stumbled across such luck and surpassed her in status.
Du mama continued: ¡°Of the unmarried shuXiaojies in the house, with a lovely face and grace, is there anyone who capare to San Xiaojie, noble and prestigious in everyone¡¯s eyes, with suchwealth and even more so in the future!¡±
These words made Li Chang Xi even moreufortable.
¡°Earlier, Furen had me prepare a newgold-embroidered quilt for San Xiaojie, yet she did not mention the other twoXiaojies, it seems San Xiaojie has the highest status in Furen¡¯s eyes.¡±
Everyone was listening closely when a voicesuddenly rang out behind the crowd: ¡°Du mama!¡±
Du mama turned, surprised: ¡°Ah, Wu Xiaojie!¡±She immediately fell silent.
Li Chang Xi¡¯s face was particrlyunpleasant, she scoffed coldly. Li Chang Xiao pulled at her sleeve, Li Chang Xitried to hold back her anger as she said: ¡°Du mama, I have moved my belongingsover, now I want to see Mother.¡±
Du mama smiled and said: ¡°Furen said to waitfor San Xiaojie first.¡±
Li Chang Xi¡¯s face grew even uglier.
Two Yatous dragged a small sack into thecourtyard. Du mama quickly stopped them: ¡°Have you brought the ingredients?¡±
One of them, a clever-looking Yatou responded:¡°Yes, they will be immediately sent to kitchen.¡±
Something rustled within the sack, makingothers nervous. Li Chang Xi furrowed her eyebrows: ¡°What is this?¡±
Du mama responded: ¡°The physician said Furen¡¯scondition is severe, so scorpion tail soup is necessary to nurse her back tohealth. These scorpions must be the most venomous kind and thoroughly cooked inorder to be most effective as a soup. Aiya, that¡¯s right, Wu Xiaojie, Xiaojieshould stay away, if they happen to sting you, it will be a matter ofji¨³s¨«y¨©sh¨¥ng.¡± She then ordered the two Yatous to take the sack to the kitchen.
Li Chang Xi stood rooted to the spot as shelistened until Li Chang Xi nudged her, breaking her out of her trance: ¡°Mei,what is wrong, why were you in a daze?¡±
Suddenly Li Chang Xiughed, Li Chang Xiaosaw this and felt that it was a bit strange. Li Chang Xi looked over at herjiejie and closed her mouth, refusing to say a word. Si jie was too weak ancking, telling her would not be a good thing. Once she had dealt with Li WeiYang, she would tell Si jie. Li Chang Xi felt a hint of rising anticipation.
Li Wei Yang had moved everything in when shesaw the two jiemei Li Chang Xi step into her room: ¡°Aiya, the lighting is Sanjie is so nice, Mother can be so unfair!¡± Li Chang Xi giggled as she said this,there was no other emotion that stood out on her face.
Li Wei Yang heard her words, which wereneither bitter nor lighthearted, and faintly smiled, ignoring her words.
¡°San jie, we should go see Mother.¡± Li ChangXi approached Li Wei Yang, intending to pull her along, not a trace of anger onher face.
Zhao Yue stopped her: ¡°Wu Xiaojie, our Xiaojiedoesn¡¯t like being pulled along.¡±
Li Chang Xi felt a cold hand on her shoulder,and as if struck by lightning, she quickly withdrew her hand. She was about torebuke at Zhao Yue when she remembered Si Yiniang had said that Li Wei Yang hada Yatou skilled in martial arts by her side and changed her attitude: ¡°SorrySan jie, mei is really happy to see jie these days, let¡¯s go, Mother must bewaiting!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked to Li Chang Xi. Somethingmust be wrong for Li Chang Xi to treat her so sincerely. Perhaps it was not agood thing, but she smiled: ¡°Wu mei, please, go ahead.¡±
The three of them went to Da Furen¡¯s ce topay their respects. Da Furen seemed to be in a good mood and arranged for themto dine together in the room. The atmosphere was surprisingly peaceful andharmonious, Li Chang Xi would recount gossip of other households to Da Furen,asionally making herugh and smile while the other two focused on theirfood, not joining the conversation as they listened and smiled.
Li Chang Xi suddenly looked up at Da Furen andsaid: ¡°Mother, after this, let nu er massage your shoulders, so to relieve anysore muscles. Nu er is familiar with acupuncture points, butnu er does not have enough strength and fearsit will not be as effective.¡±
Da Furen smiled and said: ¡°Then find a strongYatou, tell the Yatou, and the Yatou can follow your instructions, my legs aresore, you can help with that.¡±
Li Chang Xi looked around for a moment: ¡°Thenhave her do it!¡± She pointed directly at Zhao Yue, who was standing behind LiWei Yang.
Da Furen nced up and smiled: ¡°This is not agood idea, that is Wei Yang¡¯s Yatou.¡±
¡°But she knows martial arts, her strength willnot be as heavy-handed as the Yatous who do manualbor. Besides, she willonly be here for two shichen, it¡¯s not as if we won¡¯t return her to San jie.Jie certainly will not mind, this is filial piety!¡± Li Chang Xi raised hervoice, implying that if Li Wei Yang did not agree, she would be rejecting herfilial duties.
Everyone¡¯s eyes were on Li Wei Yang, in amoment, the room had be frighteningly tense.
Li Wei Yang took a sip of tea and slowly said:¡°Wu mei must be joking, if Mother wants a Yatou, then that is not an issue,only that Yatou is a bit heavy-handed, I¡¯m afraid she will hurt Mother, thenthat will not be good, it would be best if nu er attends to Mother!¡±
Li Chang Xi quickly said: ¡°No need, no need!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked to her and smiled thinly.
Li Chang Xi¡¯s heart raced but she continued toact natural and forced a smile: ¡°San jie must have been troubled enough today,Mother has mei, and that is enough!¡±
It was as if she was afraid someone wouldsteal her efforts. Li Wei Yang smiled, her acting was not that bad at all. Butthat Yatou wanted an excuse to keep Zhao Yue, what for?
Li Chang Xi quickly nced over at Li ChangXiao, although Li Chang Xiao did not understand what was going on, she gentlyadvised: ¡°Since it is this way, San jie should return and rest.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, as if she were agreeing,she looked over and saw Li Chang Xi sigh softly and smiled coldly. This Yatoudared to arrange such a performance in front of Da Furen?
Zhao Yue seemed reluctant. Li Wei Yang ncedat her, Zhao Yue immediately understood and gave a small nod.
Li Wei Yang had just left when Li Chang Xiaocaught up to her, smiled and said: ¡°San jie, Wu mei doesn¡¯t understand, pleasedon¡¯t take it to heart!¡±
Li Wei Yang saw Li Chang Xiao¡¯s unease andsmiled: ¡°Si mei should not worry, if Wu mei does not cause trouble, then Iwon¡¯t provoke her.¡± In other words, she was not promising anything.
Li Wei Yang left with Bai Zhi. Li Chang Xiaolooked after her retreating figure, not knowing why a bad feeling surfaced inher heart.
A shichenter, Bai Zhi said: ¡°Xiaojie, it¡¯stime to bathe, Nubi will prepare warm water.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded, turning a page in the bookin her hands: ¡°Go.¡±
A whileter, Bai Zhi returned, ¡°Nubiwent to the water room, saying Xiaojie neededwater. After that, a mama sent word that Furen said, three Xiaojies can use thefragrant hot spring in the courtyard, no need to go through the trouble ofgetting water.¡±
There was indeed a fragrant hot spring in DaFuren¡¯s courtyard, but very few could use it.
¡°Nubi already went ahead to inspect, SiXiaojie had just bathed, seems there is nothing wrong.¡±
Nothing wrong was, in fact, what was wrongwith it. Li Wei Yang nodded and thought about it as she slowly went over to thefragrant hot spring in the Fu Rui Courtyard. Unlike other hot springs, this onehad a variety of spices and herbs in the water. It was a pity that aside fromDa Furen and Li Chang Le, no one else had the right to use it. In the past, ErFuren had held a grudge against Da Furen, partly because of this courtyard andfragrant hot spring.
The fragrant hot spring was peaceful with onlythe sound of water and a gentle fragrance encircling them.
Li Wei Yang put her hand into the water. Steamslowly rose up and shrouded her in a thick, opaque mist.
Mo Zhu stood watch outside while Bai Zhi wentinside to serve her.
Li Wei Yang closed her eyes as if she wereexhausted.
At that moment, there was a small, distinctsound outside the window. Li Wei Yang opened her eyes and turned around to seesomething ck crawl into the window.
¡°What is that?¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was cold.
Bai Zhi looked over, and in the blink of aneye, her heart almost stopped!
When she nced over, she saw a scorpion witha red mark on its back, slowly crawling towards the hot spring!
¡°Scorpion! Scorpion!¡± Bai Zhi cried out infear, her face pale as a sheet, she reached for the clothes on the screenpartition, only to find another scorpion on them, unable to retrieve them, BaiZhi quickly withdrew her hands.
Outside the window, a Yatou opened up themouth of the sack, allowing the scorpions to crawl out. She took three stepsback to Li Chang Xi¡¯s side and quietly said: ¡°Wu Xiaojie, will this tactic besessful?¡±
Li Chang Xi scoffed: ¡°Hu, it¡¯d be best if thosevenomous scorpions killed her! Even if she doesn¡¯t die, I have other thingswaiting for her!¡± As long as Li Wei Yang cried out for help, the guards shestationed outside would burst in, then Li Wei Yang would be seen, in all herglory. Even if she could escape the scorpions, her reputation would be ruined!
Bai Zhi had just screamed when the scorpionscame at them, clearly moving faster than before. A terrifying sound grew louderin the peaceful chamber.
Bai Zhi fearfully asked: ¡°Xiaojie, what do wedo now?¡± Swallowing uneasily, Bai Zhi looked at the scorpions and said: ¡°Nubiwill hold them off, Xiaojie, quickly run away.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t.¡±
In a moment, Li Wei Yang had understood heropponent¡¯s intentions. Perhaps there were countless people already waiting,waiting to see lose face and lose everything, humiliated and her reputationdestroyed! ¡°Xiaojie! Nubi is afraid!¡± Bai Zhi blurted out.
Li Wei Yang lowered her voice: ¡°Take off yourouter robe and give it to me.¡±
Bai Zhi was surprised for a moment, then sheremembered LI Wei Yang was not wearing anything. She quickly took off her outerrobe. Li Wei Yang quickly climbed out of the hot spring and slipped into therobe. Bai Zhi was left in her white garments, panicking as she stared at thewindow: ¡°Xiaojie, there are too many! Too many!¡±
Four, five bigger scorpions climbed in throughthe window, Bai Zhi was too afraid, unable to speak clearly. She was about todrag Li Wei Yang to run outside when Li Wei Yang stopped her: ¡°With our stateof dress right now, we will not be able to exin ourselves if anythinghappens! Is this still not clear?¡±
Bai Zhi tightly gripped her sleeve, feargrappling her heart in a way that it never had before. At that moment, Li WeiYang gently grabbed her hand, ¡°Don¡¯t make a sound, I have a way!¡±
Bai Zhi did not know what Li Wei Yang had inmind, but to her, there seemed to be no way out of this situation.
Li Wei Yang had thought it through beforehandbecause she knew Zhao Nan was nearby, in the shadows somewhere, protecting her.She only needed to blow the golden whistle she always wore around her neck, andshe would be safe and sound. But doing so would quickly expose her strength,allowing Da Furen to grasp her strengths and weaknesses! Da Furen was a guardedindividual, she would not waste a single person!
Countless scorpions had closed in one them,holding onto the golden whistle, her mind racing, but Li Wei Yang¡¯s movementswere slow as if she were waiting for something! Then, someone burst in, holdinga torch in hand, and quickly warded the scorpions away. The scorpions recededat the sight of the torch, two, three fell into the hot spring, one afteranother, and resurfaced momentster, bloated as they floated on their backs.It was a disturbing sight.
The person holding the torch sincerely asked:¡°Xianzhu, are you alright?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her, clenching thegolden whistle in her hand before letting go: ¡°I am, thanks to you, Du mama.¡±
Du mama smiled clearly: ¡°Why would you saythat, Nubi has only fulfilled rightful responsibilities. Once Nubi heard thescorpions escaped, Nubi quickly realized that scorpions like ces with warmwater and quickly came to protect Xiaojie.¡±
Bai Zhi had not calmed down yet, she pattedher chest in relief: ¡°Thank you, Du mama!¡± She always suspected Du mama, butnow that her life was spared from the scorpions, she felt that Xiaojie wasright, in this world, there was not one person who could not be bribed. Oneonly needs money, and someone who was once an enemy would aid them.
Du mama smiled and said: ¡°Bai Zhi guniang,this is Nubi¡¯s responsibility!¡±
Mo Zhu had burst in at the same time as Dumama, frightened, she stood watch outside the entire time until Du mamasuddenly came with a torch in hand and told her the scorpions had escaped. Shethought it was just another scheme to harm Xiaojie somehow, but Du mama hadpushed her aside and rushed in. She ran in after Du mama only to see scorpionseverywhere on the ground.
Du mama seized the clothes full of scorpions,shook them off and handed them to Li Wei Yang: ¡°Xianzhu, quickly put these on,as not to catch a cold.¡±
Bai Zhi asked: ¡°Where did these scorpionsefrom then?¡±
Du mama said: ¡°All of them are for Furen¡¯smedication, aiya, Nubi remembered, earlier the Yatou in the kitchen said shesaw Wu Xiaojie¡¯s Yatouse¡ª¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Du mama: ¡°Mama thinks Wumei wants to harm me?¡±
Du mama sighed: ¡°It ¡®s possible to knowsomeone and their face but not know their heart, who would have thought WuXiaojie was this kind of person!¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°Du mama, do notspeak carelessly, earlier, Wu mei was still with Mother, how could she orderYatous to steal the scorpions and release them?¡±
Du mama said: ¡°Haiz, Nubi would not lie, WuXiaojie only gave instructions for acupuncture points and said she had aheadache and left. Furen is still frustrated, if it wasn¡¯t time to take hermedicine, Nubi would not have found out about this!¡±
Li Wei Yang saw her rambling and waved herhand: ¡°Alright Du mama, Mother is still waiting for you to serve her, if Motherdiscovers you here with me¡ª¡ª¡±
Du mama fell silent and lowered her voice:¡°Then Nubi will leave first, Xianzhu only needs to know that Nubi is dedicatedto serving Xianzhu! Everything else does not need to be rushed!¡± After that,she nced at Li Wei Yang, as if waiting to be rewarded.
There truly is no end to one¡¯s greed, Bai Zhithought to herself, although still smiling: ¡°Du mama should go ahead, Nubi willhelp Xiaojie change, then Nubi will send it over to Du mama.¡±
Du mama handed the torch to Mo Zhu, smiled andleft.
Li Wei Yang calmly changed into her clothes.Mo Zhu was still burning the remaining scorpions. Suddenly, Li Wei Yang tookout her golden whistle and gently blew it once, and it let out an unusualsound. Then, a tall, young man flew in through the window at an astonishingspeed.
Li Wei Yang asked: ¡°Did you seeclearly?¡±
¡°Yes, shu xia saw the peoplereleasing the scorpions outside.¡±
¡°Bring them here.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Zhao Nan solemnly said,then he quickly disappeared from sight.
Some timeter, Zhao Nan jumpedinto the room, dragging two people along.
His feet had just touched theground when he immediately threw them down like he would with a dead dog, thetwo rolled once before stopping.
¡°Xiaojie, Nucai has sealed theiracupuncture points.¡± Zhao Nan said.
Li Wei Yang nodded, she lifted aface with a hideous scar to further examine, a face full of fear and confusion.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s slender nailsgently grazed over Li Chang Xi¡¯s face, the tip of her nail sharp and cold,making Li Chang Xi tremble from head-to-toe. Li Wei Yang smiled nkly andsaid: ¡°Wu mei, are scorpions that fun to y with?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face was bright asmoonlight and clear as the river, yet there was a cold, cruel light in hereyes. Li Chang Xi suddenly realized how terrifying the person before her was.She didn¡¯t know why things turned out this way. She had just released thescorpions and quickly led the Yatou away, afraid someone would discover them.She had thought that no evidence was left behind... Who would have thought themoment she returned to her room, a man had stopped her and forcefully broughther here!
Li Wei Yangughed lightly asshe said: ¡°Wu mei has suffered quite a bit, yet Wu mei still has not learnedwhat to do and not do!¡±
Zhao Nan released theacupuncture points for Li Chang Xi and ced his sword on her neck, Li ChangXi¡¯s voice trembled: ¡°I... I really don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled dryly andcoldly said: ¡°Could this be a misunderstanding?¡±
Li Chang Xi hurriedly said: ¡°Ofcourse it¡¯s just a misunderstanding, I don¡¯t know anything!¡±
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Find a livescorpion and bring it here.¡± Since you did not spare me a second thought, Iwill not spare you this time!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 82 part1
Chapter82: Suddenly crazy Part 1
1ÌìÍø»Ö»ÖÊè¶ø²»Â©:ti¨¡nw¨£nghu¨©hu¨© sh¨± ¨¦r b¨´ l¨°ule : th of Heaven haverge meshes but it lets nothing through: meaning heaven¡¯svengeance is slow but sure.
BaiZhi was stunned for a moment, found two bamboo sticks, got hold of a livescorpion, Li Wei Yang said softly: ¡°Since you said that you are innocent, verywell, as long as you swallow this scorpion, I will believe in your innocenceand will surely get along with you in the future.¡±
LiChang Xi became pale, her whole body bing stiff like a puppet.
ZhaoNan¡¯s sword streak across her neck, no one spoke, all eyes are watching her,including Li Chang Xi¡¯s Yatou, currently watching with a face full of fear.
Inthe house full of silence, the scorpion writhed suddenly with a ¡°pada¡± sound,causing Li Chang Xi to jerk from the scare.
LiWei Yang smiled silently, Li Chang Xi¡¯s entire body was trembling and creepingon the floor.
LiWei Yang slowlyughed and said: ¡°Afraid? So it seems like the words you justsaid are insincere.¡±
LiChang Xi sobbed quietly, resentment shed in her eyes but she stronglysuppressed it: ¡°Sanjie, I know I am wrong, spare me!¡±
LiWei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Either prove it to me or--¡± her gaze fell on the topof the cold de.
LiChang Xi was shocked and said with gritting teeth: ¡°You do not dare to killme!¡±
LiWei Yang¡¯s expression was very strange: ¡°Yes, I am very afraid, therefore I amprepared to let him pick apart your arms and legs, cut your tongue so that youcannot speak for the rest of your life!¡±
LiChang Xi looked at Li Wei Yang with a look of stark terror, she suddenlyunderstood that the other party is serious, there is not a trace of room fornegotiation! Zhao Nan¡¯s sword moved, she said hurriedly: ¡°I will prove it toyou!¡± Saying this, she hesitated in catching that scorpion, who knew that thescorpion would gently sway it head, scaring her into retracting her fingersimmediately, more tears falling. Finally, she stretched out two fingers onceagain, closed her eyes to go hold the scorpion. When her finger touched thatthing, her entire body trembled violently and she flung the scorpion far away!Then clung sobbingly to Li Wei Yang¡¯s legs, crying out: ¡°Sanjie have mercy!¡±
LiWei Yang waspletely indifferent, there¡¯s even a cruel smile on her face.Zhao Nan quickly raised her up, she struggled desperately, then both eyesrolling, fainted suddenly, a peculiar smell spreading throughout the entireroom.
BaiZhi took a look at Li Chang Xi¡¯s skirt and then covered her nose, she hadthought that Wu Xiaojie had some courage! ¡°Just an easily scared person!¡±
¡°Frightened?¡±Offending her over and over again, thought that it would finished just likethis, Li Wei Yang smiled, pointed to the Yatou at the side looking foropportunity to escape and said: ¡°Where are you going!¡±
ThatYatou was shocked and tried to run for her life but was captured by Zhao Nan,unable to move, Zhao Nan pressed on her throat and raised her high, Li Wei Yangsmiled and said: ¡°Swallow it!¡±
BaiZhi immediately threw the scorpion towards the Yatou¡¯s mouth, her legs kickedstrongly in the air, trying to get rid of Zhao Nan¡¯s hands. But those hands arelike mp, unable to break free.The scorpion soon got into her mouth, stirringin between her lips and tongue, her hands waved furiously, gradually weakening,even the lips were turning into the same purple colour as the back of thescorpion. The poison entered and soon she stopped breathing.
ZhaoNan threw her aside, Li Wei Yang looked at her and said: ¡°Leave no wound.¡±
ZhaoNan lowered his head and said: ¡°Xiaojie rest assured.¡±
BaiZhi¡¯s face is still a bit pale but soon she thought that if this scorpion hasbitten them, the ones who are dying now would be Xiaojie and her! Therefore, WuXiaojie and this evildoer abetting Yatou is not worthy of the slightestsympathy!
MoZhu nced down at the unconscious Li Chang Xi on the floor and asked:¡°Xiaojie, what about her?¡±
LiWei Yang smiled slightly and said: ¡°Zhao Nan, you should leave first, we willleave shortly.¡±
ZhaoNan nodded and quickly disappeared.
LiWei Yang whispered: ¡°Strip off her clothes and let her soak half in the pool.¡±
BaiZhi and Mo Zhu nced at each other, both understanding at the same time,immediately did as Li Wei Yang instructed, stripping Li Chang Xi of her clothesand then moved her to the pool but exposing half of her shining white bodyabove the water, after adjusting her posture, Li Wei Yang crooked her finger:¡°Let¡¯s climb out through the window.¡±
BothYatous saw their Xiaojie gathered her skirt and quickly climbed out the window,then stood at the window looking at them: ¡°Why aren¡¯t youing!¡±
BaiZhi was surprised and immediately ran over, Mo Zhu is also following behind,both Yatous have never done physical exercise, with much difficulty andspending a lot of efforts in order to climb out: ¡°Xiaojie, what¡¯s next?¡±
LiWei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Let loose of your throat and scream! The louder thebetter!¡±
BaiZhi hasn¡¯t even react yet, Mo Zhu is already screaming, that voice suddenlypiercing through the roof, going very far!
Thisroom is built next to the hot spring, besides it is are lush and green trees,earlier Li Chang Xi was waiting outside the window to see Li Wei Yang bedisgraced in public, now the person watching and the unlucky person has beepletely switched!
Uponthe screams, immediately a lot of people rushed in from outside of thecourtyard.
¡°Runquickly! Something must have happened!¡±
¡°It¡¯sin the direction of the bath!¡±
¡°Quicklygo save people!¡±
Theanxious and rmed voices that sounded genuine got closer and closer. Li WeiYangughed coldly, sure enough, Li Chang Xi has arranged for a lot of peopletoe see a spectacle!
¡°XIaojie,Nucai ising to save you!¡±
Thevoice of a guard came through, from the sound, the person is already at the doorof the house. Then a loud noise can be heard as if the entire door was brokenopen.
Thesounds of footsteps from a lot of people came, they all rushed into the bath!Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes, looking in through the crack of the window thatwas just closed and saw that there were seven-eight guards that ran to thefront, and they have never imagined that inside there is a scorpion, the deadbody of a Yatou and an undressed Wu Xiaojie soaking in the pool.
Behindthe guards, are Da Furen and Li Chang Xiao who rushed over after receivingnews, Da Furen seeing the situation, flew into a rage: ¡°Who let you in?!¡±
Theguards then reacted and hastened to retreat.
LiChang Xiao couldn¡¯t help but fainted, over, it¡¯s all over!
LiWei Yang smiled slightly and said quietly: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
Thisgood show, presumably Da Furen will be satisfied with it.
DaFuren made every effort to suppress this incident and then sent people todetain the eight guards who rashly rushed in, saying that they need to wait forLaoye to return and deal with it, but one want to control, the rumours fly likethey sprout wings, soon, the scorpions that Da Furen uses a medical supplementshave been identally let loose by someone then they ran into the bath, WuXiaojie fainted from fright on the spot, scorpions have bit a Yatou to death,when the guards run into the bath, Wu Xiaojie did not dressed on time, the newsof the moment blow up has spreaded...
SiYiniang stormed angrily into Da Furen¡¯s courtyard, wailing loudly upon entry,causing Da Furen to frown: ¡°What are you howling about! me her for beingcareless! Why don¡¯t you go and see her!¡±
SiYiniang did not dare to say a word again and quickly pull Li Chang Xiao to gosee Li Chang Xi. Since fainting in the bath, she has not yet awaken.
LiWei Yang was walking in the corridor and saw Si Yiniang staggering forward,smiled slightly and said: ¡°Si Yiniang is going to see Wu Mei?¡±
SiYiniang nced at her, she couldn¡¯t help gnashed her teeth and said: ¡°Thiscourtyard has all kinds of snakes, worms, rats and ants, right now it is mydaughter, soon it will be you, San Xiaojie, you should be more careful!¡± LiChang Xi¡¯s n was not told to anyone, therefore Si Yiniang thought that itwas all nned by Da Furen, after all that scorpion is for Da Furen¡¯s medichus entered into the garden, how could it have ended up in the bath? Where inthe world is there such easy thing! Si Yiniang walked forward fuming, Li WeiYang smiled.
SiYiniang, seeming as if she has cried all the way, entered the room, uponentering, a Yatou said: ¡°Yiniang, Wu Xiaojie has just woke up! However, howevershe...¡±
¡°Awakeis good!¡± Si Yiniang was overjoyed. Even though she knows that Li Chang Xi¡¯sface and reputation has been ruined for the rest of her life, but she is stifter all her daughter, now she is not asking for anything else, just that herlife is safe that she forgot to pay attention to the Yatou who looks like shewant to say something but is having second thoughts.
Butthe weird thing happened just at this time, when Si Yiniang entered the room,she oddly discovered Li Chang Xi is actually sitting barefoot in front of thedresser, Si Yiniang immediately turned angry and turned to the Yatou, the Yatouflinched: ¡°Nubi simply cannot control Xiaojie, after putting on the shoes, shediscard them!¡±
Justafter she finished saying this, she was cut off by Li Chang Xi¡¯sclear voice: ¡°Mother, you came, take a lookto see if I am beautiful!¡±
Severalpeople heard these strange words and looked at each other.
LiChang Xi also refused to turn around, she faced the mirror carefully andthoroughly applying the duck egg powder on her face and neck, not daring to doit carelessly, after applying the powder, both hands groped about on the tablefor a bit, as if holding a precious treasure, picked up a dai (a ck pigment used by women to paint their eyebrows) marker,then carefully drew on her face.
¡°ChangXi, what is this?¡± Si Yiniang hurriedly grabbed her daughter, Li Chang Xisuddenly turned back, because of the unusually white makeup and thick ckeyebrows, her face looked particrly horrifying, Si Yiniang said unhappily:¡°Snap out of it!¡±
LiChang Xi ignored her, just giggled and turned around, ¡°Sijie,e and take alook for me, the hair on this side seems a bit crude, pour me some rose oil...¡±
¡°ChangXi, what is wrong with you!¡± Si Yiniang is getting nervous because she discoverthat Li Chang Xi¡¯s expression is serious, no, it¡¯s too serious! She clenchedher hands and forced herself to calm down, then trembling, raised her hand,pointing at Li Chang Xiao and said: ¡°Come, help your sister!¡±
LiChang Xiao immediately went and grabbed Li Chang Xi but she suddenly brokefree, Si Yiniang could no longer bear this strange incident and screamed: ¡°You,go catch Xioajie together!¡±
Afew Yatous, as ordered, went over to outnk her, grasping hands and feet, butat this time Li Chang Xi suddenly let out a strange howl that only beasts canmake and struggled.
Everyonebecame dumbfounded, Si Yiniang shouted: ¡°Hold her! Get a daifu quickly! Get adaifu immediately! Heavens!¡±
LiChang Xiao was terrified to find out, even though her sister is headstrongbefore, she would forget that she is ady and even more, would not revealsuch crazy look, she struggled desperately, even to the point of biting,headbutting, kicking, pulling; she frantically resist letting anyone get close,finally grinning with white teeth, bit fiercely into Li Chang Xiao¡¯s wrist, LiChang Xiao eximed in shock and retreat a couple of steps, looked at her leftwrist, dripping with blood, the bones are faintly visible, Si Yiniang screamed:¡°My daughter ah! How could you have be like this!¡±
LiChang Xi shrieked: ¡°Get lost! Get lost! Everyone get lost!¡±
Thosewaiting in attendance outside saw Si Yiniang stumbled out, half running, halfscreaming: ¡°Someone! Help! She¡¯s gone crazy, she¡¯s gone crazy ah---¡±
In aroom, Da Furen was talking to Li Wei Yang: ¡°Ai, I don¡¯t even know whatmisfortune we fell onst night, it was all fine but the scorpion escaped,even escaping into the bath, not mentioning it scaring Chang Xi, evenattracting so many guards, your sister¡¯s reputation, this time has beepletely destroyed!¡±
LiWei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Mother, this is the fate of people.¡±
DaFuren did not thought that she would say this, couldn¡¯t help but be speechlessfor a moment then said: ¡°Luckily it was not you in the bath.¡±
LiWei Yang smiled faintly, nced Du Mama with the lowered head not far away andsaid: ¡°Yes, this daughter is lucky, more importantly it is Mother protectingme.¡±
DaFuren hearing this, somehow felts that this is not a good meaning, changed thetopic and said: ¡°In your opinion, how should the guards fromst night bedealt with?¡±
LiWei Yang said lightly: ¡°All of this should naturally be reported to Father andsee how he deal with it.¡±
DaFuren sighed: ¡°Your father has been staying at another courtyard these past fewdays, I already send someone, not sure when he will return, just keep lockingup those people is not a good thing either.¡±
LiWei Yang took a sip of tea, then said leisurely: ¡°Hmm, Father is still at JiuYiniang¡¯s ce?¡±
DaFuren¡¯s face became livid, then strongly suppressed the sudden pain in herheart, smiled and said: ¡°Yes, I heard that your Jiu Yiniang is pregnant.¡±
¡°Oh,I hope so this time, it would be good if Jiu Yiniang gives birth to a littlebrother.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was very gentle.
DaFuren is so angry her nose is crooked, almost unable to speak. She didn¡¯t thinkthat Li Wei Yang would constantly blocked her, making her unhappy, she couldn¡¯twait to cast this girl out, but thinking of... she held back this attitude andsaid: ¡°Come to speak of it, our house is low on men, your father has alwaysbeen hoping for more sons. I have always been persuading him to go visit theother Yiniangs¡¯ room more but it¡¯s a pity that he only favour that one.¡±
LiWei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Who Father like is up to him, mother, you should bemore magnanimous.¡±
Hitby that wave of dull pain, Da Furen seems like she almost could not sit still,just as she was about to see her out, she suddenly saw Si Yiniang running indesperately: ¡°Help! She¡¯s gone crazy! She¡¯s gone crazy ah!¡±
DaFuren¡¯s face sank and wanted to bawl.
¡°Giveit back! Give it to me quickly!¡± Li Chang Xi suddenly hurled herself crazilyinto the room, howling madly, throwing off several Yatous behind her.
WhenLi Chang Xi entered, she immediately saw Li Wei Yang, then rushed over: ¡°It¡¯sbecause of you... it¡¯s because of you! It is irreconcble between you and I!¡±
ZhaoYue quickly guarded Li Wei Yang, Li Chang Xi was immediately pushed out by ap and suddenly fell on the ground, she looked at Zhao Yue and then at Li WeiYang, as if suddenly recalling something, an iparable horror appearing inher eyes.
Li WeiYang watched faintly, there are times when a crazy is clear-headed, at leastshe can recognize herself.
Thechasing Yatous did not dare to enter the house, standing helplessly at thedoor, a Mama turned her head: ¡°Quickly report to Laoye, Wu Xiaojie has reallybecame crazy!¡±
LiChang Xi climbed up from the ground, saw Da Furen and immediately rushed over:¡°Save me! Save me! Save me!¡±
DaFuren frowned and asked Si Yiniang: ¡°What is wrong with her?¡±
SiYiniang¡¯s face is full of fright, she is already unable to give considerationthat Li Chang Xi is her daughter, she just feels very afraid.
LiChang Xi shouted furiously: ¡°She, she want to kill me! She want to kill me!¡±
Sheis half saying this, half looking around at each person desperately, as if shecan¡¯t differentiate who is who.
DaFuren¡¯s face is not good: ¡°How did she bes this way!¡±
LiWei Yang said lightly: ¡°Mother, Wu Mei was first frightened by the scorpionthen by the group of heavily armed guards.¡±
Acouple of Yatous came to grab onto Li Chang Xi¡¯s arms...
LiChang Xi struggled desperately: ¡°No, no, I wouldn¡¯t leave!¡± Then she threwherself down at Da Furen¡¯s feet, clutching her skirt tightly.
SiYiniang is impatient.
LiChang Xi is mentally deranged then she suddenlyughed: ¡°I saw...guess what Isaw?¡±
Dafuren sneered and then ncing at Li Wei Yang, lowered her head and saidsoftly: ¡°Good child, tell me, what did you see?¡±
LiChang Xi opened her eyes wide, the white powder on her face falling, revealinga grisly scar: ¡°Scorpions, scorpions, lots of scorpions, lots and lots ofscorpions...very scary...she want me to eat it...eat all of it...hahahahahaha!¡±
Youcan¡¯t hear anything out of these crazy words and speech, Da Furen¡¯s eyebrowswrinkled tightly: ¡°You there, make haste and take her away!¡±
Justat this moment, Li Chang Xi suddenly jumped up: ¡°Scorpion, scorpion ah!¡± Thenher face showing a fierce look, her expression bing more savage, Da Furenoriginally hoped that she would be able to get something by asking but shenever thought that Li Chang Xi would suddenly go berserk, even letting out aloud shout and suddenly rushed at her.
DaFuren did not even have time to escape, howled shrilly, suddenly covering herleft ear then both of her eyes rolled and fainted away.
LiChang Xi actually bitten off Da Furen¡¯s ear!
Today,Da Furen was wearing a gold phoenix earring, Li Chang Xi has lost her mind, sheactually thought that the phoenix tail looks like a raised scorpion tail, shesuddenly rushed over and bit of Da Furen¡¯s left ear. Then she spat out the earand turned towards Si Yiniang! Si Yiniang screamed and fell on the ground,crawling outside: ¡°Catch her quickly! Catch her quickly!¡±
Theroom became chaotic, with only Li Wei Yang firmly standing in her originalspot, watching the y with a smile.
BaiZhi watched from the side, only finding it horrifying, but even though Li ChangXi is not crazy, she has thoroughly bring ruin upon herself, perhaps this is,the so-called of Heaven hasrge meshes but it lets nothing through1.
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Trantor: Ang
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 82 part2
Chapter 82 Suddenly crazy Part 2
1¿ìµ¶Õ¶ÂÒÂé- slice through a knot with a sharp knife-meaning making alightning decision
2Ñ۹۱DZǹÛÐÄ- eyes looking at the nose, the nose is looking at theheart- meaning to sit quietly without looking sideways
This chapter is sponsored by Christiine G. and Andrew T.
Li Xiao Ran walked quickly down the path, not seeing the people bowingto him. Up until now, he still can¡¯t believe it that overnight there isactually such a big change. He quickly entered the courtyard but found theYatous and Mamas are exchanging nces with each other carrying basins ofbloody water from the house, Li Xiao Ran turned pale, seeing Li Wei Yangstanding in the corridor, he took a few steps over: ¡°Just what¡¯s going on?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at him and whispered: ¡°Father lower your voice,daifu is inside treating mother.¡±
Li Xiao Ran frowned, he couldn¡¯t help sounding anxious: ¡°It was allwell, where did the scorpione from? ¡°
Li Wei Yang sighed: ¡°It¡¯s mother¡¯s medicinal supplement, they arevaluable poisonous scorpions specially transported from the south. I don¡¯t knowwho was careless, releasing the scorpion from the kitchen, perhaps the hotspring water has something attracts the scorpions, that all of the scorpionsclimbed into the hot spring pool. At the time, Wu Meimei was bathing, her Yatouwas loyally guarding here and was actually killed by the scorpion, Wu Meimeiwas probably shocked, didn¡¯t even think that she is not wearing clothes andscreamed out, and was heard by the Mama responsible for night patrol whoquickly reported to the guards outside the courtyard, they didn¡¯t even think,without any consideration rushed into the bath, a total of seven eight men,Father, think of it, Wu Meimei is a girl, how could she take this blow? Ofcourse she fainted!¡±
Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t even think and has already made a judgement, thescorpions were purposely released by someone. His eyes narrowed, a dangerousair exuded from his body. These women have be silly, nothing happening thatthey had to create a fuss, and each time it has something to do with this wifeof his!
¡°Hmph!¡± He hmphed coldly.
Li Wei Yang continued speaking: ¡°Meimei probably couldn¡¯t ept thisblow and somehow became crazy, Si Meimei went to stop her and was almostseverely bitten by her, then Si Yiniang ran to mother¡¯s house, after sayingjust a few words, Wu Meimei has rushed in, mother¡¯s left ear....was bitten off byWu Meimei.¡±
¡°What? Her ear was bitten off, what are the others doing!¡± Li Xiao Ranpaced back and forth in the corridor, all of the Yatous and Mamas of thecourtyard are currently kneeling on the ground, trembling, sweats pouring likerain!
Li Xiao Ran is fretful, every step that he takes, he would think of themoment this matter get spread out, how much damage it will make to the familyreputation, first is his own daughter taking a bath and was seen by a group ofmen, then his daughter bit of the ear of her Di Mu in her craziness, a joke!The biggest joke in the world! Li Chang Xi and Da Furen have certainly harmedhim into the world biggestughingstock!
¡°Father, those guards have already been locked up for a day, shoutingthat they want to see you, iming injustice!¡± Li Wei Yang reminded him.
Li Xiao Ran stopped his footsteps, injustice? Dogshit! How can he letthose people spread the matter out! They must die! He coldly ordered: ¡°Come,those guards..¡± he lightly made a gesture, cold and ruthless.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips lifted, since they dare to take Li Chang Xi¡¯s moneyto frame her, then none of them should even think of living, but... she ncedaround at the frightened Yatous and Mamas and said lightly: ¡°Father, you¡¯re...¡±Almost probing, as if she is uneasy.
Li Xiao Ran said faintly: ¡°Wei Yang, you must not learn to besoft-hearted, they saw what they should not have seen, naturally they have topay the price.¡±
Li Wei Yang did not speak further, she suddenly feels that in her ownblood flows the same kind of cold blood, watching those who harmed her pay apainful price, she can feel her blood boiling, because of excitement, becauseof cruelness. Perhaps, her bones is a person that is much crueler than Li XiaoRan!
All of the Yatous and Mamas lowered their heads, they realized that thedirection of the wind in this courtyard, has gradually changed...
Si Yiniang came out from the house, a pale look on her face, walkingunsteadily: ¡°Laoye! Laoye ah!¡± She rushed over and grabbed Li Xiao Ran¡¯ssleeve, ¡°Chang Xi....Chang Xi has gone crazy!¡±
¡°Enough! I already know everything!¡± Li Xiao Ran cut her offimpatiently, ¡°someone, go take Wu Xiaojie to the manor in Mountain Hui, send afew strong Mamas to guard her and not let her escape!¡±
Si Yiniang hearing this and was dumbfounded, she originally wanted tofind a daifu to treat Li Chang Xi, maybe she can still get well... but now withLi Xiao Ran¡¯s words, has given the other party a death sentence! She suddenlythought, Li Xiao Ran haspletely gave up on this daughter and will never lether return!
She pleaded: ¡°I know Wu Xiaojie has made a mistake, but it is underextenuating circumstances, Da Furen could have eaten anything she want but shehad to have scorpions, if eat then eat, she had to get the Xiaojies toelook after the sick, they themselves are still children, they don¡¯t understandanything, the scorpions suddenly escaping, this matter is too strange---¡±
All of this, definitely has something to do with Da Furen! Li Xiao Ransneered in his heart, covering the look in his eyes, he just hmm quietlywithout any answer.
Originally she wanted im injustice but did not expect that Li XiaoRan would have not response, Si Yiniang bit her lips.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s delicate face is will as cid as ever, not showing anyfalse concerns, not being unable to resist gloating at someone¡¯s misfortune.Her face is mostly calm, expressionless as normal, she said slowly: ¡°SiYinaing, Wu Meimei has bitten off Mother¡¯s ear, making a big mistake, youshould listen to father¡¯s advice. Don¡¯t forget, you still have Si Mei aroundyou, you wouldn¡¯t be lonely.¡±
Si Yiniang was stunned and then woke up to reality. She has always beena wise person, knowing when to take stock of the situation, she is still awoman, if she angers Laoye because of that crazy, then Si guniang would also befinished like Xiao Wu (little five)...slicing through a knot with a sharp knife1,she wiped her tears: ¡°Laoye, of course I would listen to you.¡±
Si Yiniang in the end knows what is call making a choice, Li Wei Yangthought of when she did not hesitate in offending Da Furen to frame Li ChangLe,her thin lips curved up cold-blooded, she originally thought that all hascame from Si Yiniang¡¯s maternal love, now thinking of it, there is perhapsanotheryer, as long as her daughter marries well, Si Yiniang in the futurecan continue to live safely in Li house. Now that Li Chang Xi is thoroughlyruined, Si Yiniang cannot waste the little patience that Li Xiao Ran hasbecause of her.
Li Xiao Ran went in to see Da Furen, even though he loathed the otherparty, he still have to show a good example.
Li Wei Yang looked at his back, her gaze very cold.
Si Yiniang could not stand still, was leaving with the help of a Yatou,just as Li Wei Yang was about to go down the stairs, she suddenly a voice said:¡°Sanjie?¡±
Li Wei Yang turned back, Li Chang Xiao appeared in the corridor, herhand wrapped in a white cloth by her side, very conspicuous.
She saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression, there is a bit of of a scary mood.
Li Wei Yang asked faintly: ¡°Yes?¡±
Li Chang Xiao¡¯s eyes rippled, her lips opening and closing, as if in avery difficult situation, after a long time then softly said: ¡°I...I¡¯ve beenwanting to ask... Sanjie, is it because Wu Meimei wanted to harm you, thereforebing like this?¡±
This Si Mei, usually seems like a wood, but is surprisingly sensitve.
Li Wei Yang looked away faintly: ¡°What do you say?¡±
A trace of distress shed in Li Chang Xiao¡¯s* (T/N: the author wrote Li Chang Xi but obviously this is a typo)eyes: ¡°How could she always be like this, I already advised her many times---¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows: ¡°Are you preparing to take revenge onme?¡± Before she would continued further, her hand was grasped tightly by theother party, ¡°Sanjie, Sanjie, she is just now understanding, I know there areall brought upon her by herself, therefore I don¡¯t dare me you, but---butplease spare her life.¡±
Seeing the other party looking at her with vapoury eyes, there was abit of an open gaze in Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression. Zhao Yue immediately moved toseparate the other party¡¯s hand, Li Wei Yang just shook her head gently, ZhaoYue hesitated for a moment and then stood unmoving at the side.
¡°Sijie, if you really care about Wujie¡¯s life, then go pray to Buddha,hope that she will not recover this lifetime!¡± Suddenly a cold voice intruded.
The two of them were surprised at the same time.
Li Min De¡¯s face is handsome but his thin lips show a slightly meansmile, the words he spoken are even mixed with a trace of cold and hostilitythat is not easily detected.
Li Chang Xiao was shocked and unknowingly released her hands.
Li Min De looked at her coldly, turned his head and said: ¡°Sanjie,let¡¯s go.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded and did not looked at Li Chang Xiao again. Thepeople behind are still crying nonstop, Li Wei Yang and Li Min De has alreadygone far.
¡°Sanjie, in the future you should respond to her less!¡± Li Min De said,puffing his face.
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t helpughing: ¡°She has nothing to do with thisincident.¡±
¡°I know that! But Li Chang Xi is her birth sister, I see her andbes unhappy!¡± A trace of cold light sh in Li Min De¡¯s eyes.
Li Wei Yang sighed: ¡°Who do you like in this family!¡±
Li Min De replied without hesitation: ¡°You!¡±
Behind them, Bai Zhiughed, Li Min De turned around, his beautifuleyes ring at the other party, Bai Zhiughed even harder, Zhao Yue battedat Bai Zhi¡¯s waist, Bai Zhi suddenly could notugh, even her entire face isstiffening, Li Min De smiled slightly and turned back.
Li Wei Yang did not have any reaction, just smiled, her mind drifted.
¡°San Jie, are you looking for an opportunity to move out?¡± Li Min De¡¯seyes shone with incisiveness, like a sharp sword.
Li Wei Yang looked at him and then shook her head: ¡°Da Furen isseriously injured, when she sees Father, she will definitely cry and forcemyself and Si Mei to remain.¡±
¡°Still have to stay in this house? Sanjie, you could also pretend youare sick!¡±
Li wei Yang smiled, her gaze falling at the not far away Du Mama who isin a rush, it is unknown what she is thinking of.
The incident of the poisonous scorpions at Fu Rui Yuan, ultimately cameto an end with the sudden death of several guards. Li Xiao Ran also punishedthe hot spring cleaning Yatou, thinking that because she did not clean thehouse properly and scorpions like shady and cool ces,swam into the baththerefore stirring up so many things.
Li Wei Yang has long predicted Li Xiao Ran¡¯s method of keeping thepeace, if it was her, she would also not want people to know such shamefulthing has happened in the Prime Minister house, can only say to those outsidethat Wu Xiaojie was bitten by a scorpion when bathing, thus with no alternativebut to send her to another ce to recuperate, of course this injury... cannotbe healed this lifetime.
When Li Chang Xi was forcefully sent away, Li Wei Yang was standing inthe corridor, she looked at Li Chang Xi who was wrapped like a sticky ricedumpling, looking very calm.
Li Chang Xiao¡¯s face is full of tears as she send her sister off to thecarriage, when she returned, she saw Li Wei Yang standing in the yard, her facesuddenly turning red, she lowered her head to leave.
¡°Stop!¡± Li Wei Yang suddenly said.
Li Chang Xiao raised her head, Li Wei Yang slowly said: ¡°Si Mei,yesterday you asked me to spare Wu Meimei;s life, I am telling you the truth,from now on, it is best if you send someone to watch her over twelve sichen,otherwise someone else will take her life.¡±
Li Chang Xiao looked at her in surprise: ¡°Someone else?¡±
Li Wei Yang nced faintly at Da Furen¡¯s house, Li Chang Xiaoinstantly reacted, yes! Wu Mei has bitten off Da Furen¡¯s left ear, Da Furenafter recovering, would definitely do something to Wu Mei, even though she hasalready gone crazy, she is still her own sister! She bit her lips, then quicklyran over to Li Wei Yang¡¯s side and stopped: ¡°Sanjie, I don¡¯t me you! Truly!¡±Then she lifted her skirt and ran down the corridor.
After this incident, Li Min De is worried about Li Wei Yang, frequentling to see check that she is safe and sound. In fact, Li Wei Yang has twohighly skilled people around her, Da Furen definitely will not be able to doanything to her, but Li Min De is still anxious.
¡°Youing here, it is just for writing?¡± Li Wei Yang looked at Li MinDe and said smilingly.
Li Min De focused on writing a full ¡°calm¡± word on the Xuan paper, thenraised his head and said: ¡°Didn¡¯t Sanjie always say that her words are not wellwritten, I have searched for famous teachers¡¯ copybook for you to copy, today Iam bringing the book.¡±
The day before yesterday was sending ink, yesterday was Xuan paper,today is copybook, does he think that Fu Rui Yuan iscking of clothings towear, Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes, smiled and said: ¡°You, really put me at aloss of words, I already promised to take care of you, how did it be youtaking care of me?¡±
The brush in Li Min De¡¯s hand paused, his long eyshes trembledlightly, then his brush started moving again, writing a ¡°heart¡± word.
¡°How is Da Bomu¡¯s condition?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled lightly: ¡°Has been in bed all this time.¡±
Li Min De was surprised: ¡°Da Bomu is such a strong person, she isunexpectedlyying in bed all the time?¡±
¡°Ten days ago, Father broke into a furious rage because of Wu Mei¡¯sincident, disposing of several Yatous and Mamas, now the people who havereced them in Da Furen¡¯s house are not up to her satisfaction, Si Mei wentto take care, did not get to rest day or night, now she is like a paper, a windblow and will fall.¡± Li Wei Yang said while tracing the words, she guess,probably Li Chang Xiao will fall....
¡°Sanjie, would Da Furen have you go to her house?¡± Li Min De couldn¡¯thelp worrying.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°It is not strange if she calls me over, after all,I also still have to call her ¡°mother¡±, is it not?¡±
Li Min De¡¯s breath was caught for a moment, then a trace of worry thatdoes not belong to his age shed in his eyes: ¡°I¡¯m afraid she would use thisopportunity to make you suffer.¡±
Li Wei picked a vividly beautiful peony from the window, gently strokethe dewdrops on the petals, turned back to smile and said: ¡°This depends onwhether she has this ability.¡±
That¡¯s true, if Da Furen let Li Wei Yang into the house, perhapsSanjie¡¯s sharp mouth might shorten Da Furen¡¯s lifespan by ten years from anger.
Li Min De gradually stopped worrying, just at this time, suddenly anoisy sound came from outside, during which a woman¡¯s shout were mixed in,¡°bang¡±, the door was pushed open, rushing into the yard, is a very young girl,on top of head is double cloud buns, wearing a silvery white embroidered dress,rosy cheeks, red lips, eyebrows raised in anger, a finger pointing at Li Min Dewho is inside the house, ¡°Li Min De! Don¡¯t you think that this princess caresabout you! There are many people in the world, also a lot chasing to curryfavour from this princess, this princess is willing to let you apany iny, it¡¯s only because you seems like a decent person, giving you a bit offace, you should not be ungrateful!¡±
Following behind the girl are the pce maids and eunuchs, theyfollowed in panic, ¡°Gongzhu, gongzhu, you can¡¯t be like this ah--¡±
There was already a Yatou that entered the small room to acknowledgeher mistake: ¡°Xianzhu, Nubi was unable to stop them.¡±
The neer is the ninth princess that they met before, but looking ather expression, it ispletely unlike the normal innocent and cute, like alit firecracker, Li Wei Yang nced at Li Min De with interest but saw that his eyes are looking at the nose, the noseis looking at the heart2,not at all any intention to acknowledge that person.
¡°Your admirer has pursued here, what to do now?¡± Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯thelp but find it funny, this princess is really interesting, it¡¯s fine if shelike Li Min De, that she actually pursued to here, this is the Prime Minister¡¯sresidence, not the pnce.
Li Min De did not answer, Bai Zhi and others just nce at each other.
¡°Forget it, let go and have a look.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled slightly andwalked out.
¡°Gongzhu Dianxia¡¯s graceful presence, has honoured our humble Liresidence.¡± Li Wei Yang has a polite smile on her face, but her face has lessof the expression that cause Jiu Gongzhu to be in fear and trepidation when shenormally see it.
Jiu Gongshu nced at her and immediately recognized who she is, thetruth is, Jiu Gongzhu still has some good feeling towards this Li family SanXiaojie, especially when they met by chance at the Lantern Festival, she feltthat the other party is a very interesting person. Only right now she isexasperated and did not care about anything else: ¡°Let Li Min Dee out, Iasked the Yatous from his courtyard, they said he was here!¡±
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t helpughing: ¡°For what reason is Jiu Gongzhulooking for Sandi?!¡±
Jiu Gongzhu goggled, mumbled for a while, finally her face turning red,stamped her foot: ¡°Tell hime out! Quickly!¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows, she doesn¡¯t take threats from anyone,therefore she only said faintly: ¡°Jiu Gongzhu, this is the Prime Minister¡¯sresidence, not the royal pce, Jiu Gongzhu suddenly grace us with herpresence, did Bixia allowed this?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu was stunned, although fuhuangloves her dearly, but he is very stern and requires her to know and keepetiquettes, normally he would never allow to have any excessive behaviour, ifhe knew that she has snuck out of the pce again, and has ran to Li residenceto make trouble, he would definitely lock her up for one hundred days!¡°I...I..¡± She haspletely forgotten how to speak, the eunuch beside herreminded her: ¡°Gongzhu, Li San Shaoye hase out.¡±
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Trantor: Ang
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 83 part1
Chapter 83 Aristocrat Part 1
[1] Seven inches from the head of the snake refers to the position of the snake¡¯s heart
[2] Shuanglong - twin dragon
Sure enough, Li Min De appeared in her line ofsight.
¡°Gongzhu is of royal birth, Min De do not dareto chase Gongzhu away. Gongzhu, please return to the pce as soon aspossible.¡± Li Min De said emotionlessly.
¡°Li Min De! You have quite the nerve. Iconsidered you a friend, so I came to find you to apany me out to y, butyou are avoiding me like the gue! Isn¡¯t that making a joke out of me?! Youdon¡¯t know how many sons of aristocrats begged and kneeled for me to spare thema nce, but I could care less. As for you, is apanying me to the gardensuch a grievance to you? Why are you making excuses, if you continue like this,do not me me for being rude!¡± Jiu Gongzhu said as she stamped her feet inanger, her face flushed.
Li Min De looked at her indifferently: ¡°DoesGongzhu have Bixia¡¯s imperial edict?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu was surprised for a moment: ¡°Whatimperial edict?¡±
Li Min De¡¯s lips raised coldly: ¡°The imperialedict that says Min De has to apany Gongzhu, if there isn¡¯t one, pleaseforgive Min De for being impolite.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu was taken aback and at a loss forword. Everyone else was stunned, who would dare to talk to Gongzhu like this,this youth is rather audacious!
Da Furen rushed outside after seeing thmotion in the courtyard and quickly greeted Gongzhu: ¡°I did not know Gongzhuhad arrived, please forgive this discourtesy.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu impatiently waved her hand: ¡°Justtell Li Min De toe here and apany me, I¡¯m leaving right away!¡±
Da Furen looked over at Li Min De, smiling asshe said: ¡°This... Hope Gongzhu will not take to heart, I cannot decide this.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu grew furious: ¡°Then find someonewho can and bring them here!¡±
Da Furen smiled in Li Wei Yang¡¯s direction:¡°Gongzhu, you see,if Xianzhu were togive the word, San shaoye will certainly go with you.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu looked over aLi Wei Yangresponded: ¡°Gongzhu, this is Min De¡¯s decision. Since Gongzhu does not have anImperial edict, he does not have to go. Gongzhu should still return soon.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu felt that Li Wei Yang¡¯s cheerfulsmile was a bit unnatural and began to feel that the entire household wasying with her. She did not understand any of it. In her mind, if she likedsomeone, then they must obediently follow and do as she wished! Last time, shecalled Li Wei Yang jiejie, but now Li Wei Yang was in her way. She could nothelp but be angry and decided to teach this ridiculous jiejie a lesson for onceand for all!
¡°Xianzhu, I met Qi ge earlier. Qi ge had mebring a gift to Xianzhu.¡± Gongzhu¡¯s eyes gleamed, defiance shing acrossthem.
Li Wei Yang looked over and knew what she wasthinking but pretended to curiously ask: ¡°Oh, I wonder what Qi Dianxia isgiving me?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu giggled and waved Li Wei Yangover. Li Wei Yang just stood there. Jiu Gongzhu had to walk over and presentthe golden gourd hidden in her sleeve to Li Wei Yang: ¡°For you! It¡¯s veryvaluable!¡±
Li Wei Yang took the golden gourd, eptingthe gift.
Jiu Gongzhu was a bit anxious, ¡°Why not take alook inside? It¡¯s a precious treasure!¡±
She was truly a child, her intentions writtenon her face. Li Wei Yang saw others reveal their surprise. She smiled and said:¡°Alright, I will take a look.¡±
Li Min De shook his head at Li Wei Yang. LiWei Yang blinked, shook the golden gourd, then opened the gourd, pouring itscontents out.
Jiu Gongzhu had a satisfied look on her face.
However, when Li Wei Yang held it up by thetail for everyone to see, she could not smile anymore.
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Ah, there is a cute snakeinside, why isn¡¯t it moving though?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu became afraid. Once sheencountered this snake in the Imperial Garden and immediately ordered theeunuchs to beat it to death. After that, whenever she met concubines shedisliked, she would bring out the dead snake to scare them. Although crude,this tactic had never failed!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face did not change: ¡°So, itseems Gongzhu is fond of snakes, Bai Zhi, have the kitchen prepare a livesnake.¡±
Bai Zhi smiled: ¡°Yes.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s little face was pale, nearlydrained of color: ¡°You... What are you trying to do?¡±
¡°Gongzhu, aren¡¯t you fond of snakes? I mustoffer a gift in return.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled.
Horrified, Gongzhu subconsciously took a fewsteps back.
Da Furen fiercely admonished her: ¡°Li WeiYang, are you insane?!¡±
Li Wei Yang turned around and looked at DaFuren before advising: ¡°Mother, the winds are strong out here. You shouldretire first and rest to avoid falling ill again.¡±
Da Furen suppressed her anger and sneered:¡°Wei Yang, do as you please, do not say I did not warn you, Gongzhu Dianxia isa highly noble¡ª¡ª¡±
She had not finished speaking when Bai Zhireturned with a bamboo container. Li Wei Yang removed the lid, arge, spottedsnake hissed ¡°si¡± and flicked its tongue as it eyed everyone.
Li Wei Yang smiled and reached for the seveninches of the snake. Thesnake refused to let her seize it, opening its mouth and rattling its tail.Unfazed, she picked it up and held it with its gaping mouth facing Jiu Gongzhu:¡°Gongzhu, isn¡¯t it just adorable?!¡±
¡°Ah! Ah! Ah!¡± Jiu Gongzhu screamed anddesperately ran outside. She ran into someone at the gates, then realized whoit was and cried aloud: ¡°Qi ge! Qi ge! She¡¯s terrifying, she¡¯s reallyterrifying!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled. In Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s mind, theimpression of a terrifying woman would be forever engraved beside Li Wei Yang¡¯sname.
Qi Huangzi Tuoba Yu wore a shuanglong cor,his face wless as jade, and silk garments with gold embroidery encircled bya jeweled belt.Looking at his relieved face, it seems he had been searching for Gongzhu for awhile. He pulled her into a hug: ¡°I told you not to run around, you disappearedin the blink of an eye! If I hadn¡¯t sent the guards out to search, how muchrgerof a mess did you intend to make?!¡±
Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s face was full of tears. She didnot holding back her grievances and pointed at Li Wei Yang: ¡°She... She... Snake...¡±
Da Furen was overjoyed when Tuoba Yu came,then she remembered Li Chang Le was not here and became angry again. She feltlightheaded. Unable to see clearly before her, she said: ¡°I hope both Dianxiawill forgive me, I am ill and cannot properly receive guests.¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled faintly: ¡°It was not right forus to enter without permission, Furen, do not mind us, please go ahead andrest.¡±
Da Furen nodded. After that, a servant helpedher go back inside.
Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang. She even shookthe snake she was holding with a good-natured smile: ¡°Dianxia has just arrived.I was about to invite Gongzhu to enjoy this snake soup.¡±
Gongzhu was scared speechless, tightlygripping Tuoba Yu¡¯s sleeves as if Li Wei Yang was an evil spirit.
¡°Gongzhu, the taste of snake is very pleasantand even better when eaten alive.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled faintly. She held out herhand. Beside her, Zhao Yue ced a knife in her hand. Li Wei Yang slightlyfrowned before bringing the knife down on the snake. The slicing sound could beheard as the snake¡¯s head fell to the ground without a single drop of blood.The thin de of the knife grated against the the snake¡¯s body, still notdrawing blood.
Everyone looked on in wide-eyed shock,including Tuoba Yu.
Li Wei Yang smiled, extending her hand andpeeled back the snake¡¯s skin, revealing its translucent, pale flesh. Li WeiYang ordered Bai Zhi to bring a porcin bowl, then cut the snake into pieces:¡°Gongzhu,e taste this, it¡¯s amazing.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu swayed, a bit unsteady on herfeet.
Li Min De covered his mouth with his sleeveand coughed discreetly. At times, Sanjie liked to scare children, but to seethe unruly Gongzhu this frightened was very entertaining.
¡°Come, taste it, it¡¯s really good. Back in thecountryside, I was even willing to eat mice when I was hungry, not justsnakes.¡± Li Wei Yang presented the bowl to Jiu Gongzhu.
Jiu Gongzhu wanted to retch and hid behindTuoba Yu¡¯s back, refusing toe out.
Tuoba Yu smiled at Jiu Gongzhu: ¡°Fu Huangoften says that you are bold and fearless, but it seems there is someone youare afraid of after all.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu seized Tuoba Yu¡¯s sleeve,trembling as she thought: aside from Li Wei Yang, who would dare to y withsnakes and even eat it raw. It was simply terrifying.
¡°Does Gongzhu not want to eat it?¡± Li Wei Yangsmiled. The spotted snake in her hand had no veom, but Gongzhu had been easilyfrightened. She was still a child, but she should still be taught a lesson, soshe would learn who to not provoke. She handed the bowl to Bai Zhi: ¡°Gongzhudoes not like to eat it raw, so have it made into soup.¡±
Bai Zhi struggled not tough, bowing as shereplied: ¡°Yes.¡±
Only until Bai Zhi had gone far away did JiuGongzhu begin to calm down, although she still held Tuoba Yu¡¯s hand, trembling.
Tuoba Yu smiled: ¡°I wonder if San Xiaojie hastime to sit down for tea with me.¡±
With only Jiu Gongzhu here, she did not needto avoid him. Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Please.¡±
The two sat down in the pavilion outside of FuRui courtyard. For some reason, Li Min De followed them, and even Jiu Gongzhu,who was about to vomit, came.
Tuoba Yu was about to discuss matters with LiWei Yang when he noticed two pair of eyes staring at them. He smiled helplesslyat Li Wei Yang: ¡°What do we do now?¡±
Li Wei Yang nced at Jiu Gongzhu, who wasstill avoiding her: ¡°Gongzhu, I will find Gongzhu something interesting to ywith.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu suddenly leapt back: ¡°Stay awayfrom me!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and called for Zhao Yue,Zhao Yue heeded her orders and and left. In a moment, she returned holding twosmall cages. Jiu Gongzhu suspiciously looked at Li Wei Yang, unsure of what shewas trying to do.
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Gongzhu¡¯s Qi ge is here,yet you are still afraid of me?¡±
Qi ge¡¯s soul had flown away the moment he sawyou, he¡¯s not reliable at all. Jiu Gongzhu swallowed her words. She wascurious, so she went over to see what it was...
A momentter, she eximed: ¡°Ah! I likethis!¡±
She pulled Li Min De along to y with her,¡°Mighty general, go on, go on...¡±
¡°Come on! Come on...¡±
¡°Bite it, bite down hard, kill!¡±
Inside therge mahogany box with clouddesigns were two crickets fiercely lunging at one another, fighting to thedeath.
Li Min De sat down with her, his eyesdowncast, but his attention had drifted over there.
Sanjie would always treat him as a child.
Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s face was flushed withexcitement, almost like a boy. From a young age, she had to abide by countlessrules and etiquettes. Mamas always told her not this, don¡¯t do that, even whenit came to smiling, her smile was a bit unnatural, if not forced. She rarelyhad a chance to let go and act freely. She quickly forgot about herunhappiness, cheerfully tugging at Li Min De¡¯s sleeve.
Li Min De hid the disdain in his eyes well,coldly staring at the fighting crickets. It was hard to tell what he wasthinking.
Over on this side, Tuoba Yu chuckled: ¡°Youhave scared children too much today.¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly said: ¡°I only did it forGongzhu¡¯s sake, if she were to continue like this, in the future, any mistakeswoulde with a high price.¡±
Tuoba Yu noticed Li Min De¡¯s gaze had neverleft them. He broke into a smile: ¡°Never mind,e walk with me along thke.¡±
There was a beautifulke in the Li residenceindeed.
Li Wei Yang looked at him, not sayinganything.
Tuoba Yu smiled: ¡°What? Are you worried aboutwhat others would say? You do not need to worry, I will not let you be thesubject of rumors.¡±
Li Wei Yang stood and walked over to thekewith him.
Tuoba Yu leisurely followed in silence as ifweighed down by an unspoken burden.
¡°After you brought it to my attention, I hadthose individuals investigated. You were right, they were really Tuoba Zhen¡¯speople.¡± Tuoba Yu¡¯s expressions were a bit off as he said this.
Li Wei Yang looked over at him and said:¡°Could it be... that one of them was someone close to Qi Dianxia?¡±
¡°You mentioned Mu Yang, a good friend andsworn brother. We even studied together. After three years, we became xiong diwith mutual interests and goals. He unofficially became my right hand.¡± TuobaYu felt his breaths grow short as if he were plunged into the cold waters of apond, ¡°And Jing Neng, he was Taizi¡¯s tutor but also someone I deeply respectedfor years, I thought he was righteous. I didn¡¯t think he had fallen into TuobaZhen¡¯s ranks.¡±
¡°Dianxia has killed them?¡± Her eyes widened,but it seemed she had expected no less, her face remaining emotionless yetdetermined.
Tuoba Yu slowly began: ¡°Mu Yang drank a bittoo bunch, slipped and fell from his horse, and Jing Neng angered Bixiayesterday and was cut in half.¡±
Qi Huangzi had quickly dealt with them. Asmall smile appeared on Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips.
Tuoba Yu did not feel this way. He did notregret killing Mu Yang or Jing Neng and felt his actions were justified, butone¡¯s heart is not made of iron. That was the case, but whenever he thought ofMu Yang, he felt saddened.
Tuoba Yu nced at Li Wei Yang, smiling: ¡°Doyou feel I have killed the right people?¡±
He seemed to receive no response regardingthis.
The smile on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face was distant.Her voice was low like a cold, biting wind: ¡°Dianxia,pared to Tuoba Zhen,there is something youcks. Do you know what that is?¡±
Tuoba Yu¡¯s expressions did not change but astorm swept over his heart.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°In the Imperial family,Dianxia still has a woman¡¯s reluctance and benevolence, an unfortunate traitthat should not exist. I am willing to say, if you continue like this, you willsuffer great losses! Whether they are good friends, xiong di, or even bloodsiblings, if they stand your way, they must dealt with! This is what it is tobe ruler! Dianxia, you studied philosophy beyond the Capital, yet you have forgottenthis simple logic!¡±
Tuoba Yu was taken aback. He staredincredulously at her, unable to believe that a xiao guniang could speak soruthlessly.
Li Wei Yang calmly continued: ¡°I am not urgingDianxia to deceive anyone, but I don¡¯t want to be involved if Dianxia isindecisive and allows both of us to be harmed!¡±
Tuoba Yu had still not said anything after awhile. Li Wei Yang¡¯s words were simple, perhaps a bit unclear, but heunderstood what she was trying to convey.
¡°You... If I were to blindly kill others toascend to the throne, how can the people sit idle?! How will I gain the trustand loyalty of my subjects and people?!¡± Tuoba Yu protested.
Li Wei Yang sighed. While Qi Huangzi wasintelligent, he was sometimes too benevolent,pared to Tuoba Zhen who killedwithout batting an eye. His character could be considered righteous, but it wasperhaps the most useless treasure Lao Luo Guogong had left him. As a courtofficial, one must be righteous and loyal to the Emperor, but as someone whowished to ascend to the throne, these sentiments were troublesome!
Li Wei Yang slowly began: ¡°If one day, QiDianxia became the ruler of this world, who would dare to judge whether youwere right or wrong? Whether you have in xiong di or executed courtofficials, what only matters are your achievements and what you have done forthe people. As long as you bestow your grace on the people, even if your handsare full of blood, history will not remember any of it! But if Dianxia was righteousyet did not do much for the people and caused a disaster or lost your life, whowill pity you!¡±
Zhang De Fei and Qi Huangzi¡¯s confidants havereminded him of these things time and time again but never in such astraightforward manner! Tuoba Yu stopped breathing for a moment. He felt Li WeiYang¡¯s words were very urate and reflected his ambitions and sentiments,pursuing power and the throne, but alongside Luo Guogong¡¯s teachings, they werenothing but contradictions. He felt this inner turmoil disappear, leaving hisheart lighter.
Li Wei Yang noticed his expression and sighedto herself.
Recently, she had been asking herself,reflecting and investigating. These words were not so much of a proposal but aconclusion.
She had kept a close eye on the Emperor¡¯schildren, Taizi, Tuoba Zhen, Tuoba Rui, Tuoba Yu, in order to find out howTuoba Zhen ascended to the throne.
Later on, she had to admit the other side ofthe phrase the victor celebrates whereas the defeated is resentful, was theundisguised bloodshed. To ascend over cold skeletons, no one could stand inTuoba Zhen¡¯s way. He would go kill as he go, if he met a deity, he would killthe deity, if he met Buddha, he would kill Buddha! Without this determination,one might as well stand on the side of the road and let others pass!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 83 part2
Chapter 83 Aristocrat Part 2
[1]æÉ p¨ªndenotes that Tuoba Zhen¡¯s mother was a low-ranking, imperial concubine
[2] Wangshu - Imperial uncle, the Emperor¡¯s brother
[3] A beauty, beautiful woman
[4] Yongping Marquis
[5] Zheng fei - Imperial Princess, the official wife of a prince, not a consort or a concubine
Tuoba Yu stared intently into her eyes: ¡°I didnot think you, a young girl, would be more decisive than myself.¡±
It urred to Tuoba Yu that Li Wei Yang waswilling to help him at any cost, perhaps she had feelings for him. Something inhis heart began to stir, like willow leaves brushing across the surface ofwater. He subconsciously wanted to touch her hand.
Li Wei Yang suddenly took a couple steps back,avoiding his hand.
Tuoba Yu was puzzled, unable to understand herreaction.
Li Wei Yang understood herself, the look inher eyes returning to normal, her expressions gentle: ¡°Qi Dianxia, I hope youunderstand that I may be helping you, but no such affections wille inbetween.¡±
Tuoba Yu waspletely speechless, theidealistic bubble from within had disappeared without a trace. Despite his coldexpressions, his astonishment was clear.
Behind the decorative mountain, Li Min Desmiled.
He knew Sanjie would not see Tuoba Yu thatway. Perhaps realizing that leaving Gongzhu to eavesdrop had been foolish, helooked down and wryly smiled. His lowered eyshes seemed to hide hisfeelings, the youthful lines of his eyebrows made his face seem warmer, thesadness and frustration had soon evaporated.
However, Li Wei Yang¡¯s attitude did not angerTuoba Yu. On the other hand, he felt that Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were consumed witha fiery passion that could burn others alive - only at this time, he had yet tounderstand that those were not feelings towards him but her hatred againstTuoba Zhen.
¡°If Qi Dianxia feels that I have spokenwisely, then you should quickly take action against Tuoba Zhen.¡± Li Wei Yangreminded him.
Tuoba Yu was still hesitant: ¡°San ge, I haveactually wronged him.¡± His eyes wavered, revealing his inner turmoil.
Li Wei Yang could not help but look to him: ¡°Idon¡¯t understand what you are trying to say.¡±
Tuoba Yu paused. He did not know why but inher presence, he was prepared to tell her everything: ¡°San ge¡¯s birth motherwas a low-born pce maid. This is something everyone knows, but there arecertain details outsiders do not know of.¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s mother, Liu pin was originally apce maid that caught the Emperor¡¯s attention and was suddenly elevated to ahigh status.After that, she gave birth to a lovely little huangzi. Those were happier days,unfortunately, she died not long after. Li Wei Yang knew this part of thestory, but Tuoba Zhen had never mentioned a word of it to her. Others did notdare to speak of it either, so when she heard this, she asked: ¡°Could therehave been a particr reason?¡±
Tuoba Yu had kept it in his heart for almostten years and did not even tell Zhang De Fei. He always felt that it was astone at the bottom of his heart, a burden he could not get rid of it. Now thewords were waiting on the tip of his tongue, eager to be heard.
¡°It had to do with me.¡± Tuoba Yu spokefrankly, unearthing the secrets hidden in his heart to Li Wei Yang. Heintuitively trusted her, ¡°That year, the Imperial guards discovered outsidershad entered the Forbidden Pce, so every ce was to be searched. I wasgoing home after ss. On my way back, I saw a silhouette with arge daggersh by. I was only six years old and scared. The dark garbed individualsleapt up and down, then disappeared over the pce walls. A whileter, thehead of the Imperial guards led pursuers over on horseback--¡± It was as if thepast appeared before his eyes. Tuoba Yu¡¯s voice grew hoarse and strangelyforeboding: ¡°The guards asked which direction they went off in, everyone elsewas terrified, unable to say a word, but I said they went northwest.¡±
Li Wei Yang slightly pursed her lips as hisintense gazended on her. She was afraid this had more to do with othersecrets in the pce than him.
¡°Liu pin¡¯s Fei Cui Pce was in thatdirection. The guards surrounded Fei Cui Pce, Fu Huang came as well, he hadnot expected the guards whom he personally sent out to search had found thesecret letter Liu pin had sent to Zhou Wangshu outside the Pce. Thatyear Zhou Wangshu battled against Fu Huang for the throne, his entire familywas imprisoned, and now a letter from the Emperor¡¯s concubine to Zhou Wangshuhad been found... How could Fu Huang spare her?¡±
Tuoba Yu finished his anecdote with a wearyexpression.
Li Wei Yang did not say anything. She alreadyknew the oue. The Emperor was furious and Liu pin was executed, then ZhouWangshu¡¯s entire family was eliminated. Later on, Tuoba Zhen was brought to WuXian Fei to raise, Wu Xian Fei was close to the Empress, so Tuoba Zhen andTaizi were close and deeply respected the Empress. However, this part of thestory was left out by Wu Xian Fei. Likewise, the Emperor announced that Liu pindied of an illness, leaving some face for Tuoba Zhen. Those who knew the truth,knew very clearly that despite her low-birth, Liu pin had given birth to aprince, and someone found her to be an eyesore and found a way to harm her.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°The person behind itseems to know Bixia¡¯s temperament well, understanding Bixia wanted to eliminateZhou Wangshu at the very roots, so they found a good excuse for him to do so.¡±
Tuoba Yu was taken aback.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was calm but emotionless:¡°Dianxia, is it still not clear? Many matters, Dianxia should not overthink,perhaps they have nothing to do with you. Dianxia saw the dark garbed intrudersand told the truth, there is nothing wrong with that. In the end, the personwho truly killed Liu pin, for one, is the person behind this, second would bethe Emperor Bixia himself. Whether Liu pin conspired with outsiders or not isnot important, the important thing is that the Emperor only needed to sacrificea meiren to uproot Zhou Wangshu.¡±
How could Tuoba Yu not understand this, but hefelt guilty because if it wasn¡¯t for him, perhaps Liu pin would not be dead. Hehad pointed the guards in that direction, helping the culprit use Liu pin ofthe crime. For that reason, Tuoba Yu still tolerated Tuoba Zhen out of guilt,moreover, he could sympathize as they were both sons of the Emperor, and wouldhave to face ughter and bloodshed.
¡°You are right, Fu Huang¡¯s reaction was thedeciding factor in this matter. If he had believed Liu pin, then he would notallow San ge to lose his mother at a young age.¡± Tuoba Yu murmured, hisexpressions growing bitter, unable to exin his conflict.
Li Wei Yangughed, and in this tense moment,her bright smile seemed even more brilliant. Tuoba Yu looked at her insurprise, Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions hardened like ice: ¡°Do not pity Tuoba Zhen,if anything, Tuoba Zhen had soon guessed who was behind it.¡±
Tuoba Yu frowned.
¡°Concerning this, who has the most to gainfrom it?¡± Li Wei Yang asked with a smile.
Behind the decorative mountain, Li Min Decould not help but frown. By saying this, Sanjie clearly meant...
¡°Wu Xian Fei.¡± Tuoba Yu answered.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile seemed warm and gentle:¡°Indeed, Wu Xian Fei, she has Yongping Hou supporting her and Bixia¡¯s favor,but her greatest w was being childless. Surely she must steal someone else¡¯schild, but she could not touch the others. Naturally, the most appropriatetarget was Liu pin without any support and had given birth to San Huangzi.¡±
Tuoba Yu did not say anything. Although hefelt Wu Xian Fei was not a cruel woman in those regards, his intuition told himLi Wei Yang was right.
¡°As for the person behind Liu pin¡¯s death,Bixia knows, the Empress knows, and Tuoba Zhen certainly knows. The importantthing is that he chose his enemy to be his adoptive mother. Even if he canfight back, he will still pretend to be a filial son. He has grown up and canavenge Liu pin, yet he remains Wu Xian Fei¡¯s good son and good grandson ofYongping Hou Ye, does Dianxia not understand? For the throne, he iswilling to do everything! Even if he was told to kneel down and kiss Wu XianFei¡¯s feet, he would solemnly do so, he has no fear or shame!¡± If anything,Tuoba Zhen had caught onto Tuoba Yu¡¯s hesitance and pressed every bit ofusefulness he could from this.
This person was far more terrifying than evilspirits and demons.
¡°You are saying San ge is ruthless.¡± Tuoba Yufrowned in disagreement.
Li Wei Yangughed aloud, thought to herself,you have no idea, he is far more ruthless than you could imagine, someone whocould cut off the legs and kill off the official wife who supported him throughdifficult times and was even prepared to die for him. This man, you still hopethat he will have a shred of conscience?
¡°This world has always been unfair, if onedoes not want to be the fish, then you can only be the fisherman¡¯s knife!¡± LiWei Yang coldly retorted.
She had said enough today and was notinterested in saying more. If one was toment injustice, then in this life,no one was as unjust as the Heavens were to her! She was born in aninauspicious month and driven out of the Li residence, if it wasn¡¯t for SanHuangzi¡¯s marriage prospects, then in this life, she would never be LiXiaojie. Later on in life, countless other miseries would keep herpany. Shewallowed in her resentment for a long time andmented to the almighty Heavensfor the ring injustices.
Although her fury burned vehemently that year,perhaps because she had soon destroyed this injustice. Li Wei Yangughedhoarsely, her voice brimming with confidence, arrogance, and even passion: ¡°Aslong as you are the ruler of this world, what you say is fair, and no one wouldsay half a word!¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s stare burned like a fiery cloud.
Tuoba Yu slightly shuddered, not out of fearbut the passion Li Wei Yang had ignited! She could express his aspirations sovividly, how could he not be moved? He wanted to be Emperor and truly standat the peak of the world!
Seeing the changes in his attitude, asatisfied smile appeared on her face: ¡°Dianxia, the pce struggles change inthe blink of an eye, both sides put in everyst bit of strength. Life anddeath are decided in a moment, has there been anyone destined for great thingswho could not be cut down by the enemy? Therefore, I hope that before TuobaZhen takes action, you must cut off his wings, so he would never dare to touchthe throne!¡±
Her breathing was overflowing with hatred andanger. Tuoba Yu did not notice this, he only felt she had taken someone bysurprise and evoked surging emotions.
Nearby, Li Min De listened, a smile appearingon his lips as if intrigued.
He did not think Li Wei Yang was merciless, heonly felt she was passionate. Daring to love, daring to hate, daring to thinkand even take action, while paying no mind to others¡¯ opinions, somethingstirred in his heart like warm wine sloshing in the wine pot. He quietlyretreated along the worn path. No one would have thought he was hiding behindthe artificial mountain, Tuoba Yu¡¯s guards stood outside, even the Li familywere not aware of a hiding ce within the decorative mountain.
Tuoba Yu sighed in relief: ¡°I understand now.I know what I must do now.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly.
Tuoba Yu caught onto her subtle expressions,his heart stirred - he felt a warm and tender stirring. In this conversation,the unease that had umted in his heart suddenly dissipated, as long as LiWei Yang supported and understood him, in the future, even if the world judgedhim, he would feel that he had acted righteously.
He realized his feelings towards Li Wei Yangwerepletely different from before.
She had evoked an intimacy that made him fes if they were old friends.
Tuoba Yu instinctively stepped forward andtightly held Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand. After speaking with her for so long, he feltthat she was a highly important person and would not let go.
Li Wei Yang furrowed her eyebrows, the silencethat had settled over the two of them slowly grew ambiguous.
On a moment of impulse, Tuoba Yu had decided.Holding her hand tightly, his voice was calm yet determined: ¡°I will make arequest to Fu Huang to make you Zheng fei.¡±
Tuoba Yu promised her the position of Zhengfei. Li Wei Yang understood his intentions but did not reveal her bashfulnessor panic. She was a determined, logical individual, not a xiao guniang thateasily became infatuated. Her eyes gleamed under the sunshine like warm water,but her eyes were cold: ¡°Dianxia, I have already said that such affections arenot reliable. I will help you but only as an associate and a friend. You need awife who can help you, not someone who holds the title of Xianzhu only in name.If you put this request forward again, forgive me for being impolite.¡± Shequickly withdrew her hand.
She understood herself. While she had theappearance of a xiao guniang, only remnants of her were left within, it wasdifficult for genuine feelings to arise. For that reason, she would not forgether vow in the previous life! She would not enter the pce or be TuobaYu¡¯s Zheng fei or anyone else¡¯s, she did not want to relive that experienceagain! Whether it was Tuoba Yu or anyone else, nothing would change herdecision!
She knew the more power a noble had, the morelikely they will act on their words. Turning down someone like that is nodifferent from skinning a tiger, but when she refused, she was not afraid atall because if Tuoba Yu was enraged by her refusal, then he would not be ableto pursue the ns they discussed. Least to say, she wanted to ally herselfwith Tuoba Yu, not as a loyal subordinate, nor as a woman he would love andcherish either, he must familiarize himself with her manner of conduct!
Tuoba Yu saw the cold, detached expression onher face felt a bit dejected and reluctantly let go of her hand.
Li Wei Yang immediately interjected: ¡°I haveto return. Forgive me.¡± She turned and left, curt and brief.
Tuoba Yu nkly looked after her as she left,feeling saddened, but he was not worried, there would be many opportunities towin her heart in the future, there must be!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind was racing, she had notexpected Tuoba Yu to bring up a request like that. She did not know if he hadgenuine feelings or if he simply felt they were aboard the same boat? Based onthis, when this situation arises, she should not continue to meet Tuoba Yu.
But the pce struggles have only begun. TheEmpress gave birth to Taizi, but over the years, the Emperor has been upiedwith court affairs, so he did not closely follow up on Taizi or the Empress¡¯sdeclining health, whose efforts were concentrated on helping the Emperor.Helping Taizi had its limit, leading Taizi to have a weak and mediocre resolve.If someone like that were to be Emperor, nothing good woulde from it.At least he was not a ruthless man, but the Emperor had more favorable sons.Others will notice Wu Huangzi Tuoba Rui and Qi Huangzi Tuoba Yu. Firstly, for aHuangzi to ascend to the throne, they must rely on the support of the maternaln and their own abilities. Without these two conditions, a Huangzi, while talented,can only gaze upon the throne from afar. No one had considered that there wasstill a venomous snake in the grasses, dreaming of bing Emperor... She wastemporarily helping Tuoba Yu until Tuoba Zhen was defeated.
In the pavilion, Jiu Gongzhu cried out infrustration: ¡°He tricked me, saying he needed to go to the bathroom, where didhe run off to!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled as she approached her,asking: ¡°Did Gongzhu lose Li Min De?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu was furious, but seeing Li WeiYang¡¯s smile, she instinctively took a few steps back: ¡°I... I...¡± She wasterrified of this young woman who simply smiled but feared neither the Heavensnor Earth.
Tuoba Yu came and picked Jiu Gongzhu up by thecor: ¡°Let¡¯s go. You still don¡¯t want to go back, your Mufei must be worried!¡±
Jiu Gongzhu was carried up. She defiantlyshook her fists: ¡°Qi ge, put me down! Qi ge, you are too much!¡±
Seeing a xiao guniang being carried away byTuoba Yu, the others quickly followed.
Li Wei Yang smiled and turned away: ¡°Alright,they¡¯ve left. You cane out now.¡±
Li Min De came out from the side, smiling:¡°How did Sanjie know I was here?¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 84
Chapter 84: Such Evil
1æâÂí ¨C title for a Princess¡¯ Husband
2ָɣÂî»± ¨C scold the locust while pointing at the mulberry tree. To scold someone indirectly.
LiWeiyang smiled: ¡°What is so bad about Jiu Gongzhu? It¡¯s just asking you to ywith her, why do you feel so indignant?¡±
LiMin De returned the smile ndly. ¡°Members of the royal family are soarrogant, it irritates me.¡±
¡°You¡¯rejust being biased, Gongzhu might be a bit proud, but she is innocent andhappy-go-lucky, plus she doesn¡¯t have any ill intentions. She likes you somuch, do you know how many cannot even dream to be in your ce?¡±
¡°Idon¡¯t want people to use me of aiming for power and position!¡± Li Min Defrowned.
LiWeiyang couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°You¡¯re so big already, but you¡¯re still sopedantic. What a silly child!¡±
¡°Tplete great things, one must of course pay attention to the small details.However, this matter is too trivial for us to give much thought to.¡± Li Min Desmiled back.
LiWeiyang was stunned, and curiously remarked: ¡°I am just concerned about you,because it seems like Gongzhu.. could she have the intentions to make you Fu Ma1?!¡±She meant it as a joke to tease Li Min De, but he was totally stunned. ¡°How didyou know?¡±
LiWeiyang¡¯s lips quirked into a smile, her eyes narrowing slightly. ¡°The momentGong Zhu saw you, her both eyes lit up. It seems that no matter how old youare, lust is always an issue.¡±
¡°What?¡±Li Min De was shocked.
¡°Whydo you think I¡¯d encourage you to y with her, Min De, you should actuallyconsider marrying Gongzhu ah!¡± In this way, not only could Jiu Gongzhu escapeher sad fate, Li Min De could also have a pir of support. However, it alsomeant that Min De could never have a chance to build a name for himself, andremain a mere Fu Ma with no real power.
¡°Idon¡¯t want that!¡± Li Min De replied directly.
¡°Ifyou don¡¯t want her, then who do you like?!¡±
¡°Idon¡¯t like anyone!¡± Li Min De retorted, but for unknown reasons, his facestarted to redden.
¡°Good,then Gongzhu it is.¡±
¡°Hey...You¡¯re making a joke out of me ba... Hey..¡±
Atthis moment, Li Min De suddenly went silent. His gazended somewhere not farfrom here; Li Weiyang followed his eyes and saw Li Chang Xiao crying andrunning towards them. She fell to the ground by ident and skinned her knees,which prompted the servants at the side to hurriedly help her up.
LiWeiyang and Li Min De exchanged a nce, and Li Weiyang spoke up: ¡°Si Mei,what happened to you?¡±
Witha face full of tears, Li Chang Xiao lifted her head. Upon seeing Li Weiyangstanding in front of her, she immediately used her sleeves to wipe away hertears. ¡°Nothing, nothing, some sand entered my eyes.¡±
Sandin her eyes? She was not a child, why would she think of lying to her? LiWeiyang did not want to meddle in others¡¯ affairs, but her instinct told herthat Li Chang Xiao was trying to hide something.
LiChang Xiao¡¯s Yatou Yin¡¯er said defeatedly: ¡°San Xiaojie doesn¡¯t not know this,but our Xiaojie here kindly served tea and medicine to Furen. Who knew that DaFuren scalded her tongue while drinking the medicine, and used Xiaojie ofharming her on purpose, and gave a her fierce scolding! Da Furen scoldedXiaojie, but she still said that her own Yatous are not dependable. She wantedXiaojie to serve her at night, which Xiaojie found it inappropriate. Da Furenthen used her of not respecting her as her mother, wanting to take it easyand refusing to sacrifice her own rest at night, and scolded Xiaojie forpurposely agitating her illness! San Xiaojie, you know that our Xiaojie ishonest by nature!¡±
LiChang Xiao heard this, but feared that it would make matters worse. ¡°Do notutter nonsense!¡± she hurriedly said, and left as quickly. Yin¡¯er saw herXiaojie¡¯s anxiety and had no choice but to chase after her, without furtherboration.
¡°Howcould Da Furen be so evil? She never used to show it on her face in the past.¡±Li Weiyang muttered to herself.
LiMin Deughed coldly. ¡°This might not be the end of it!¡± He crooked his fingeras a signal, and a guard dressed in ck actually emerged from the trees annded softly in front of him. ¡°Master.¡±
Havingused to seeing Li Min De¡¯s secret guards, Li Weiyang did not feel muchsurprise.
¡°Tellme what you¡¯ve discovered from your investigations.¡±
¡°Yes.Yesterday Si Yiniang advised Si Xiaojie, saying that Wu Xiaojie had just beentargeted by Da Furen, so she should try to save her younger sister¡¯s life; SiXiaojie took her bedding over to Da Furen¡¯s room in the middle of the night. DaFuren did order her servants to prepare a soft bed for her, but Si Xiaojie hadbarely slept when she was ordered to fetch tea, massage legs, etc. In a singlenight, she was summoned around seven to eight times; Si Xiaojie was beingtreated like a Yatou.
LiMin De sighed and said: ¡°Alright, you may leave us.¡±
LiWeiyang couldn¡¯t help but shake her head. ¡°Da Furen needs someone to take careof her, she could have asked her Yatous, why would she torture Si Mei like thatand take the risk of people using her of ill-treating her illegitimatedaughter? Isn¡¯t this strange?¡±
¡°Perhapsafter she fell ill, her personality be odd?¡± Li Min De thought.
Thisseemed like a far-fetched exnation, Li Weiyang thought it was more likelythat she was venting her rage and anger at Li Chang Xiao, in return for hersister biting off her ear.
Theythought that this matter was considered case closed, but who knew on the verysame night, something happened. It was unclear how, but Li Chang Xiao broke ajade pendant that Da Furen loved, causing her to get thrown out of her houseafter getting a fierce scolding.
Thenext day, Du Mama was all smiles when she came over to Li Weiyang¡¯s residence.¡°Xianzhu, originally Da Furen did not want to burden you, however, as you know,Si Xiaojie has fallen ill...¡±
Uponhearing the news, Li Weiyang smiled ndly. ¡°Oh, is it? I wonder whatinstructions Muqin has for me?¡±
¡°Furenwould like to request for Xianzhu to take care of her when she is sick.¡± DuMama lowered her eyes and said respectfully.
LiWeiyang simply nodded and agreed. ¡°It is only right, I will be there in amoment.¡±
Themoment Du Mama left, Li Min De exploded in anger. ¡°Sanjie, Da Furen is toomuch, you should show her what you¡¯re made of!¡±
Eversince San Furen passed away, Da Furen had constantly targeted Li Weiyang. LiMin De gritted his teeth in anger; if he had known this would happen, he shouldhave scared the life out of her thest time.
LiWeiyang could see the anger and unwillingness on his face, and let out augh.She lightly picked up the pot of tea in front of her, and slowly and steadilypoured out a cup. ¡°Why do you bother so much?¡±
Seeingher calm smile, Li Min De felt increasingly unhappy, and said anxiously: ¡°Sanjie, that witch will surely take the chance to torture you...¡±
¡°SanDi!¡±
LiMin De was like an ant hopping on a hot stove, almost as if he had words hecouldn¡¯t bring himself to say. Li Weiyang cleared her throat, breaking off hisoriginal speech. ¡°What you should say and shouldn¡¯t say, have you forgotten?¡±
LiMin De¡¯s eyes reddened, and he turned away.
LiWeiyang smiled. ¡°In this world, the person who has the ability to bully me doesnot exist. Since she wants me to serve her, I will do so, but I will not careabout the consequences of what happens next.¡±
Aftertwo hours, Li Weiyang was all smiles when she stepped into Da Furen¡¯s home. AYatou was massaging Da Furen¡¯s legs, and she had her eyes closed. Her left earwas covered by her high cor, partially hiding the wound. Du Mama softlyannounced: ¡°San Xiaojie has arrived.¡±
DaFuren slowly opened her eyes, studying Li Weiyang for a moment. She steadilysmiled: ¡°Weiyang is here.¡±
Thesmile Li Weiyang returned was bright. ¡°Yes Muqin, Weiyang hase to serveyou.¡±
¡°Iknow you are filial. It¡¯s time to have lunch.¡± Da Furen smiled and said.
DuMama had ordered servants to arrange the food earlier on, and as Da Furennced towards Li Weiyang, she warmly came forward with a smile to hold herup.
Infront of the Yatous and Mamas in the house, it was as if they were truly motherand daughter.
Ina blink, they were in the dining area.
DaFuren used to have her specific ce to enjoy her meal; the dining table wouldbe ced at the western side of the main hall, and other than mealtimes, thearea was unused. Because she was now sick and unwilling to walk, the diningtable was ced at the outer hall instead.
AsLi Weiyang helped Da Furen towards the table, Da Furen felt that she actuallyhad the strength to break her wrist bones, and could not help but attempt todistance herself from her grip.
¡°What¡¯swrong, Muqin?¡± Li Weiyang smiled.
DaFuren gritted her teeth: ¡°Nothing¡±
Atthis moment, Du Mama had already instructed the servants to carry out therosewood eight immortals¡¯ table, with three matching stools at the side. LiWeiyang took a look around the room, and her surveince told her that therewere countless priceless antiques here. She couldn¡¯t help but give a smallsmile.
DuMama spotted her smile, and asked: ¡°Xianzhu, what are you looking at?¡±
LiWeiyang slowly replied: ¡°I was thinking, Muqin is indeed grand, the decorationsin Lao Furen¡¯s house is definitely not as valuable as the ones here.¡±
DaFuren grew up in Guo Gong¡¯s Residence, and she had been in control of the LiResidence for so many years, of course she would be wealthy. And not justwealthy, but very much so. Du Mama smiled: ¡°What is Xianzhu saying, the itemsin Furen¡¯s home is merelymon; the real treasures are in Lao Furen¡¯s hall,but she finds it too dazzling and has ordered it to be kept aside.¡±
¡°Oh,I see.¡± Li Weiyang eyed the treasure shelf not far away, filled with countlesstypes of jade items, bonsai, and especially, a piece of suet jade carved into aMagnolia flower; the pure cream color was so beautiful, one¡¯s eyes could dropout just by admiring it.
DaFuren watched coldly, thinking that Li Weiyang was humbled by the sight of herwealth, and couldn¡¯t help but snigger. She knew that Li Weiyang had previouslyreceived many gifts from the Pce, but her own collection could be aparable! She wanted Li Weiyang to realise that with her own status andpower, she could not be so easily defeated. She lowered her eyes andinstructed: ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to eat.¡±
AYatou walked over, with a bronze teapot in hand. She poured half a pail of hotwater, while another Yatou helped Da Furen fold back her sleeves.
¡°Youmight not know, but your Sijie is really out of hand.¡± Da Fureninedcoldly as she washed her hands. ¡°She has to be instructed before she will doevery little thing. Just a few sentences from me and she will drop something,as if she has suffered great humiliation. That¡¯s not how ady from a greatfamily should behave, and those who don¡¯t know it might think I¡¯ve mistreatedher.¡±
LiWeiyang only gave a small smile, and appeared expressionless.
DaFuren continued: ¡°With her behavior, others will feel that a concubine¡¯sdaughter is after all still just an illegitimate daughter, and can never stepup to the asion!¡±
LiWeiyang just continued smiling, with no sign of acknowledgement, as if she didnot know that Da Furen was making veiled insults towards herself2.
DaFuren grew frustrated, and Du Mama quickly tried to soothe her. ¡°Furen, don¡¯thold it against Si Xiaojie, she was brought up by Si Yiniang afterall. She didnot have a chance to learn from Furen, so she¡¯d definitely make some mistakes.¡±Da Furen let out a sigh, and lifted her hands. A Yatou appeared by her side andcarefully dried her hands with a white towel.
¡°Weshould invite a Momo from the Pce to discipline her. Weiyang, don¡¯t youthink so?¡± Da Furen stated coldly.
LiWeiyang¡¯s expression was neutral. ¡°As Muqin says.¡±
TheLi Family had always been one of the schrly families, and their style ofdoing things greatly differed from those who unted their wealth. Their usualdinner did not exceed ten dishes and two soups, but of course, every dish wasdelicately and carefully prepared.
DuMama nced at Li Weiyang, as a signal for her to serve the dishes to Da Furenpersonally.
LiWeiyang acted as if she did not notice, and remained standing.
DaFuren was unhappy andined: ¡°Weiyang, when your Dajie was around, atmealtimes, she would be by my side to serve the dishes; that is filial piety.¡±
LiWeiyang batted her eyshes, and said: ¡°I am clumsy by nature, and I fear thatI might break something.¡±
¡°Ipromise that I won¡¯t hold it against you!¡± Da Furenughed coldly.
Shehad wanted to control her temper, but the longer she had to see Li Weiyang, theharder it became. She would use her position and power as Di Mu to act againsther, so as to get rid of the hatred in her heart.
LiWeiyang smiled. ¡°Since Muqin says she will not me me, I will try my verybest to serve Muqin.¡±
Shefloated over gracefully, selecting a piece of sweet and sour fish and cingit into Da Furen¡¯s bowl. Da Furen saw the fear and trepidation on her face, andimmediately felt better.
Nomatter how proud this concubine¡¯s daughter was, she was still expected to showfilial piety to her Di Mu in front of others. If not, Li Weiyang would nevermake her mark in Dali! Why did she not think of it earlier; she should haveordered this damn yatou toe before her every day to learn etiquette, anduse it as a chance to torture her to death! As Da Furen had these thoughts inhis mind, Li Weiyang smiled andmented: ¡°These fermented glutinous ricedumplings are very delicious, Muqin please try.¡±
Shepersonally scooped a piping hot bowl, and without even blowing on it to cool,dumped the entire contents towards Da Furen. Everyone was shocked, and Da Furenwas so stunned that she had no time to react; the boiling bowl of fermentedglutinous rice dumplings sshed onto her.
Itwas summer, and her clothes were thin. Da Furen let out a painful wail; shewished so much for a bolt of lightning to strike down Li Weiyang at this verymoment!
Anexpression of guilt appeared on Li Weiyang¡¯s face, and she hurriedly tried tohelp Da Furen clean up. Da Furen was thunderously angry and did not move, so LiWeiyang turned to the Yatou who had held the handwashing water and brought thepail over.
Itwas unclear if she was really flustered or she did it on purpose, but she fellforward while holding the pail of water. Du Mama quickly shielded Da Furen, andwith a quirk of her lips, Li Weiyang fell heavily on the ground. A knocked overstool crashed loudly, along with Li Weiyang, whonded onto Da Furen and pinnedher to the ground. Du Mama, who originally wanted to protect Da Furen, became ahuman cushion, which of course scattered her old bones.
DaFuren¡¯s scream became high pitched and pitiful; this knock from Li Weiyang hadcaused her to hurt her chest area from the impact, and the huge blow induced agenuine wail.
¡°Xianzhu!Get up, get up quickly!¡± Du Mama cried out. As Li Weiyang got up, she purposelyand cruelly pushed against Da Furen¡¯s ribcage, causing her to cry out again,and nearly fainting from the pain.
LiWeiyang behaved as if she had no strength, and a group of Yatous and Mamas wentforward to hold her up. Her hands slipped and grabbed onto the tablecloth, andin a sh, the dishes, utensils, crockery... everything on the tablendednoisily onto the floor, stunning everyone. Da Furen was entirely covered anddirtied by the dishes, making her look quite pathetic.
Oneof the Mamas gasped and went over to help Da Furen up, and Li Weiyang shot ZhaoYue a nce. Zhao Yue forcefully kicked the Mama just as she propped Da Furenup; this kick came out of the blue, and without knowing what had happened, theMama and Da Furen fell together towards the shelf of treasures. In a moment,the suet jade magnolia, sapphire iid enamel vase, plum blossom bonsai,precious rosewood and ivory screen; everything fell to the ground and shatteredinto pieces.
Amongstthe mess, Da Furen sat there,pletely stunned speechless after her head hadbeen knocked by these treasures.
Everyonelooked at each other over this scene with unbelieving eyes.
LiWeiyang wrung her hands, saying helplessly: ¡°Muqin, I¡¯ve said earlier that I amclumsy, but you insisted that I serve you... Ah, please get up, the floor is socold!¡± She made a move towards Da Furen to help her up.
¡°Don¡¯ttouch me! Don¡¯t touch me! Help!¡± Da Furen forgot about retaining any shred ofdignity and shouted as if in pain, her scream going through the roof and makingeveryone¡¯s hairs stand on end. Du Mama quickly went forward to push LiWeiyang¡¯s hands away; Da Furen¡¯s precious treasures were all broken in thatblink of an eye... destroyed! All destroyed! Da Furen¡¯s eyes dimmed and rolledback, fainting immediately.
DuMama shouted at the top of her lungs: ¡°What are you all waiting for, quicklyhelp Da Furen up and bring her to the bed. Get the physician, get thephysician!¡±
LiWeiyang gave a small smile. ¡°Du Mama, allow me.¡±
Fearblossomed on Du Mama¡¯s face. ¡°There¡¯s no need to bother Xianzhu, the Nubis herewill take care of it, please go and rest!¡±
LiWeiyang appeared embarrassed, ¡°How could I do just leave like that?¡±
¡°Ofcourse! Xianzhu please go ahead and rest!¡± Du Mama quickly said. This personwas a downright unlucky star.
Asall the servants were too busy attending to the unconscious Da Furen to see herout, Li Weiyang left by herself, smiling as she stepped out. The sun wasshining brightly and she was in good spirits. Bai Zhi worriedly spoke out.¡°Xiaojie...¡±
LiWeiyang turned to look at her. ¡°Why, are you scared?¡±
Afterthe murder that happened at the baths, there was very little that could scareher now, but Bai Zhi was simply worried that Da Furen would not give up soeasily.
¡°Evenif I had serve her properly, does it mean that she will let me off?¡± Li Weiyangsaid with a smile.
BaiZhi agreed after some thought, and decided not to worry further.
Afterteaching Da Furen such a lesson, she should have been humbled, but who knewthat Du Mama turned up the very next day. ¡°Furen has given instructions, sinceXianzhu is unsuited to performing such delicate tasks, it will be left to SiXiaojie. But considering that you came here especially to help Da Furen, itwon¡¯t be nice to disallow you from doing anything. In this case, the personalkitchen that Nubi is in charge of, Xianzhu could help to take care of Furen¡¯smeals and medicine.¡±
LiWeiyang raised an eyebrow, meals? Such an important ce... She smiled: ¡°Sorryto bother Du Mama, but please tell Da Furen that I cannot undertake such a hugeresponsibility! What if Muqin was to consume anything wrong, wouldn¡¯t I beunable to rest well at night?¡±
¡°Pleasedon¡¯t worry, there is still Nubi to help you. I will not allow anyone to tamperwith the food.¡± Du Mama returned with a smile.
LiWeiyang looked at her awkwardly. ¡°This... This isn¡¯t a good idea.¡±
¡°What¡¯sso bad about it? If Xianzhu will not agree, I¡¯m worried that Furen wille upwith some other idea. If you ept her suggestion, Nubi can guarantee that Iwill help you keep an eye on it, nothing will go wrong!¡±
LiWeiyang said nothing, but smiled.
Afterthe baths incident, Bai Zhi trusted Du Mama, so she lowered her voice andwhispered: ¡°Xiaojie, Du Mama is right.¡± Afterall, Da Furen was her legitimatemother, if she had thought of something else, they might face difficulty inprotecting themselves. Right now, with the easily bribed Du Mama, they did nothave to worry as much. Even if Da Furen wanted to target them, Du Mama woulddefinitely help them, out of her greed for money.
DuMama watched Li Weiyang cautiously. ¡°Nubi will try her utmost best.¡±
LiWeiyang continued smiling, without any hint of agreement or protest.
Takingher silence for consent, Du Mama let out her breath. If Xianzhu insisted onbeing stubborn, it would be hard for her to report back to Da Furen. ¡°Nubi willtake it that Xianzhu has agreed to this.¡±
LiWeiyang¡¯s smiling face had a trace of strangeness, which Du Mama could notread, but she could only awkwardly bow and leave.
LiWeiyang spoke to Bai Zhi. ¡°You see, isn¡¯t this interesting?¡±
BaiZhi did not know what Li Weiyang meant, but she felt worried. ¡°Xiaojie, Du Mamaprobably only wants us to increase the amount of bribes, Nubi will also keep aneye on the kitchen for you.¡±
What¡¯sthe point of watching? Li Weiyang kept quiet and stayed silent, standing upsuddenly. ¡°Yesterday night, Fuqin stayed overnight at Si Yiniang¡¯s manor, isit?¡±
BaiZhi and Mo Zhu were stunned, and Zhao Yue was confused as well.
LiWeiyang smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I haven¡¯t paid my respects to Fuqin for a few daysnow.¡±
BaiZhi thought to herself, Xianzhu is indeed weird; for a Yatou who has been byher side for so long, she could not even guess what she was thinking. Shouldn¡¯tshe be thinking of how to deal with Da Furen? Why would she choose to visitLaoye? Laoye had never bothered about what was going on in his household, andtowards Da Furen, he was especially tolerant.What was the use of Xiaojie going to see him? Despite this her doubts,all these thoughts remained in her heart, because she chose to believe in Xiaojie.
LiWeiyang remained in Li Xiaoran¡¯s study for an hour, and on her return, she sawthe physician from Fu Rui Hall entering and leaving. ¡°What has happened?¡±
DuMama saw that she could not keep it a secret. ¡°Da Furen¡¯s fall just now hadcaused her ribcage to fracture.¡±
LiWeiyang secretly smiled; that was her intention. On the outside, her facefilled with worry: ¡°Aiya, it¡¯s my fault for being so clumsy, I have alreadygone to Fuqin to admit my wrongdoings and he has scolded me for it. Seeing Muqinhurt like this, I feel very bad about it!¡±
Inother words, she has gained the upper hand. If Da Furen had gone toin,perhaps Li Xiaoran would punish Li Weiyang, but now that Li Weiyang hadadmitted to her own mistakes, any furtherments from Da Furen would be seenas adding fuel to the fire. Also, Laoye hasn¡¯t bothered visiting Da Furen in along while! Du Mama knew this, and couldn¡¯t do anything else but to smile.¡°What is Xianzhu saying, Furen has said earlier that this isn¡¯t your fault, youonly meant well.¡±
LiWeiyang¡¯s smile was full of kindness. ¡°Muqin is understanding and gracious. Ihad originally wanted to pay for some of the damages, since Muqin has said so,I shall not insist.¡±
DuMama¡¯s face twisted, but her smile was back in a sh. ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Her heartwas filled with regret; if only she omitted herst sentence, then at leastthere would be somepensation for their loss, but now, there was nothing tobe gained. ¡°Perhaps in your free time, Xianzhu could go around to the kitchens,even if it¡¯s just for show, do at least demonstrate your filial piety.Si Xiaojie is preparing braised pigeon soupfor Da Furen every day to improve her health, if you didn¡¯t do anything...¡±
LiWeiyang batted her eyshes, and grinned. ¡°Oh, braised pigeon soup, I know howto prepare that. But I¡¯m not very good at it...¡±
¡°Youdo not actually need to personally cook, just let me know and Nubi will preparethe ingredients. You will just have to serve it in person, and when Da Furensees how filial you are, she will definitely forgive you.¡±
¡°DuMama is so loyal to me.¡± Li Weiyang smiled.
DuMama continued her ttery: ¡°Xianzhu only needs to continue taking good careof Nubi, Nubi will of course think of you, and help you advise Da Furen. Ifthere is any movements, I¡¯ll warn you immediately.¡±
LiWeiyang nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± She waved her hands, instructing Bai Zhi to giftDu Mama a red packet.
DuMama received her red packet and retreated, grinning from ear to ear.
¡°Xiaojie,we have been giving her money every time, when is it going to stop? This oldservant is so ck-hearted, everything she does requires payment!¡± Bai Zhined.
LiWeiyang smiled. ¡°A heart that can be bought is definitely not real, but if evenmoney cannot move her, it will be a real problem for me.¡±
BaiZhi and Mo Zhu exchanged nces, but were unable to understand what it meant.
¡°ZhaoYue,e here. I have a task for you toplete.¡± Li Weiyang waved her over.
Uponhearing her order, Zhao Yue leaned over and Li Weiyang whispered lightly intoher ears. Zhao Yue¡¯s eyes brightened, and immediately responded: ¡°Yes, Nubiwill go right away!¡±
BaiZhi and Mo Zhu were extremely curious, what did Li Weiyang order Zhao Yue todo? But no matter how they pestered her, Li Weiyang refused to answer them.
LiWeiyang never appeared in the kitchens, and not only did she not go, even herpersonal Yatous were absent. Only Si Xiaojie Li Chang Xiao was truly dedicated,taking care of Da Furen day and night, preparing medicines and soupspersonally. After a while, rumors started spreading in Fu Rui Hall, saying thatSi Xiaojie behaved like how a real daughter should, while San Xiaojie LiWeiyang abused her status as a Xianzhu. She did not stay by Da Furen¡¯s side totake care of her, and neither did she even serve a single bowl of medicine. Ina society which ced a huge emphasis on filial piety, it was a powerful pieceof gossip; no matter how bad Da Furen was, she was still her legitimate motherand shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly. Li Weiyang¡¯s cold attitude would greatly affecther reputation.Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu wereanxious after hearing this, and tried to dissuade her.
¡°Xiaojie,you had better visit Da Furen for a while.¡±
¡°Yes,even if it is for a short while, it would be good if you went.¡±
¡°Also,for the kitchens, you should learn from Si Xiaojie how to prepare soups andmedicines. You don¡¯t have to do anything, Nubi will help you do it.¡±
¡°Yesyes, everyone is now saying that Si Xiaojie is filial, but you are...¡± Herlegitimate mother was ill, and yet she refused to serve her any medicine; suchan awful gossip to spread.
LiWeiyang was reading, and of course she understood that these two Yatous¡¯nagging was because they truly cared for her. However, she did not panic atall, and simply asked Zhao Yue: ¡°Have youpleted your task?¡±
¡°Yes,Xiaojie, it is done.¡±
LiWeiyang grinned and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
BaiZhi and Mo Zhu were surprised. ¡°Where is Xiaojie going?¡±
Inthe kitchens, there were seven to eight Yatous doing their chores inside, andthey quickly greeted Li Weiyang upon seeing her enter.
LiWeiyang was all smiles. ¡°I sent someone to pass on my instructions, are theingredients ready?¡±
Asmart and adroit Yatou replied: ¡°Yes Xianzhu, everything has been prepared,Nubi will get to work right now. It is smoky in the kitchens, Xianzhu please goback first. Nubi will send over the soup once it is ready.¡±
¡°There¡¯sno need, let my Yatous do it. Leave us.¡±
Afew Yatous nced at each other, revealing awkward expressions.
LiWeiyang lifted an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, are you disobeying my orders?¡±
Theydid not dare to say another word, leaving obediently. After the kitchen wasclear, Li Weiyang smiled and ordered: ¡°Bai Zhi, you¡¯ll boil the soup.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±Bai Zhi ced the cleaned pigeon into the pot, added water and ginseng andallowed it to boil. She fanned the fire, sighing as she did so: ¡°Xiaojie isright, if you allow those Yatous to do it, something bad will definitelyhappen. It is better that we do it ourselves.¡±
Li Weiyang did notreply her, she just smiled.
MoZhu stepped forward to help Bai Zhi, and with the two of them, it was all donevery quickly.
Aftertwo hours, the soup was ready. Bai Zhi used a deep white lotus bowl to servethe soup, and ced it on a tray. She smiled: ¡°Xiaojie, everything is ready.¡±
LiWeiyang turned to Zhao Yue, and upon meeting her nce, Zhao Yue nodded. LiWeiyang¡¯s smile deepened further.
DuMama had received news earlier on, and was waiting for Li Weiyang near thedoor. A few hours ago, a Yatou had informed her that Li Weiyang had entered thesmall kitchen, but she had yet to reappear. Du Mama sent someone to spy, butSan Xiaojie had a highly-trained Yatou, so her spy couldn¡¯t go near thekitchen. She was as anxious as an ant on a hot stove, but Li Weiyang took hertime and calmly came forward with her Yatous. She saw Du Mama standing by thedoor, and halted. ¡°Du Mama, why are you waiting outside?¡±
DuMama smiled widely. ¡°Xianzhu, Laoye is coincidentally paying Da Furen a visit,and he is staying for dinner. He¡¯s inside right now!¡±
LiXiaoran is here? Li Weiyang blinked, putting on a surprised expression. ¡°Whatspecial day is it---¡± In these past months, Fuqin had never stepped into DaFuren¡¯s hall.
DuMama only offered a smile. ¡°Please enter quickly, Xianzhu.¡±
LiWeiyang nced backwards to signal Bai Zhi, who was standing behind her. BaiZhi, carrying the food hamper, lowered her eyes and followed obediently overthe entryway.
Inside,Li Xiaoran was seated at the table, with a slightly pale Da Furen. Her eyeswere ringed in dark circles, but her lips were bright red; without even needingto think, it was obvious that her rouge was to hide the whiteness of her lips.Si Yiniang was dressed in a light green dress, standing behind Li Xiaoran withher eyes lowered in obeisance. Li Chang Xiao was on her feet, respectfullyserving the dishes for her Fuqin and Di Mu. By protocol, she had no need toperform these chores, but she had no choice as she had to consider for Li ChangXi. She had to show the highest respect and soldier on.
LiWeiyang showed a small smile and curtseyed in respect. ¡°Fuqin, Muqin.¡±
Uponseeing Li Weiyang, Da Furen¡¯s facial muscles could not help but twitch, but shetried her very best to control herself, and show a warm smile. However, she didnot realize that her seemingly weing smile actually appeared strained tooutsiders, and almost ferocious. ¡°Weiyang, weren¡¯t you having dinner in yourown rooms? Why have youe here?¡±
Shewas inly asking the obvious; wasn¡¯t it you who wanted me to deliver thebraised pigeon soup, Li Weiyang thought to herself, but her face betrayed notrace of her emotions. ¡°Weiyang has brought the braised pigeon soup for theboth of you. The soup has been boiling for very long, and in it, there arewolfberries, huangling, danggui, duzhong, and other Chinese herbs to boostone¡¯s health. Muqin, please enjoy it.¡±
DaFuren smiled and nodded. ¡°Hmn, you are indeed a filial child.¡±
LiWeiyang only smiled amicably. A Yatou appeared to take the food hamper from BaiZhi, and retrieved the bowl of soup from the box. Steam was rising out from thebowl, emanating a delicious fragrance. ¡°Come, let me taste it first, and seehow Weiyang¡¯s cooking skill is.¡±
LiChang Xiao hurriedly retrieved the soup bowl delicately carved with lotuses,scooped out a portion each for Da Furen and Li Xiaoran, and carefully broughtit in front of them. Li Xiaoran turned around to nce at Si Yiniang: ¡°It hasbeen hard on you these few days.¡±
¡°Furen¡¯sgood health is a blessing, there is nothing toin about.¡± Si Yiniangreplied.
LiChang Xiao¡¯s eyes reddened involuntarily, as she thought about how she wasbeing treated like a servant by Da Furen, and yet could not utter half a wordofint as it would be seen as disrespect. She felt extremely upsetand wronged, and lifted her eyes towards Li Weiyang to seek out some sce andmutualfort. However, Li Weiyang kept her eyes on the bowls of soup, notpaying her any attention at all.
LiWeiyang watched as Da Furen gently filled up a spoonful and slowly brought itto her lips. As she was about to swallow, Du Mama suddenly rushed up andgrabbed the bowl, flinging it away.
Everyonewas shocked and stunned at this scene.
DaFuren was in a rage, shouting with fury: ¡°Lao Nucai, have you gone mad!¡±
DuMama fell on her knees to the floor, crying out pitifully: ¡°Furen, Nucai hasdone wrong!¡±
Inher fit of anger, Da Furen¡¯s eyes concealed a sense of triumph, and the cornersof her lips were trembling with anticipation.
LiXiaoran¡¯s face had changed to a thunderous expression. ¡°Du Mama, what is wrongwith you! Have you lost your mind?!¡±
DuMama wailed loudly: ¡°Furen, Nubi originally did not want to say anything, but Ihave no choice now!¡±
Everyonewas bewildered, as they did not know why Du Mama suddenly had such an outburstof tears, as if she had suffered a lot of pain.
LiWeiyang spoke calmly. ¡°Du Mama, Fuqin Muqin are having their meal, even if youhad something to report, you shouldn¡¯t have disturbed them. Having followedMuqin for so many years, don¡¯t you know the rules by now?¡±
DuMama jerked back, lifting her head and staring at Li Weiyang with anger andhatred. This contrasted starkly with the usual respectful attitude shepresented. Bai Zhi was stunned, and felt a rush of difort, as if somethingbad was about to happen.
Shewas right. Du Mama shouted: ¡°Xianzhu, are you feeling guilty now? Are youafraid that I will reveal all the dirty deeds that you have done?! Nubi istelling you now, Nubi must have been blind and dumb to have listened to you toharm Da Furen. Now Nubi has realized my own mistake, and even if I have to die,I will not let your evil n seed!¡±
BaiZhi stepped forward quickly: ¡°Du Mama, what nonsense are you spouting!¡±
LiWeiyang waved her away,ughing coldly in front of everyone present. ¡°Let her continue.¡±
¡°Laoye,Furen, there is something in that braised pigeon soup, if Furen were to drinkit, I fear that she would copse immediately!¡±
Thosepresent in the hall gazed uprehendingly at Du Mama, even Li Xiaoran couldnot believe his ears!
DaFuren immediately followed up. ¡°Du Mama, do you know what you¡¯re saying?!¡±
DuMama went silent, keeping her head low and furiously kowtowing to Da Furen.¡°Nubi is wrong, Nubi is wrong! Furen please forgive me!¡±
DaFuren frowned: ¡°Since you have realized your mistake, you should tell us theentire truth. You¡¯ve only said half of the story, so how did you expect us tobelieve you! Do you want the real culprit to escape judgement?¡±
Uponwearing this, Du Mama could not stop trembling. She lifted her head slowly tonce at Da Furen, and looked around the room.
¡°Yes!Nubi will reveal everything, the medicine in the braised pigeon soup was addedin by Xianzhu¡¯s Yatou on her orders. Nubi knew about this, but Xianzhu offeredme with five hundred taels of gold and I was tempted in that moment ofweakness, so I agreed to keep quiet!¡± Du Mama burst out crying.
LiXiaoran¡¯s expression turned thunderous, he brought his fist down hard on thetable: ¡°Your mouth is spouting nonsense!¡±
DuMama¡¯s face was smeared with tears and snot. ¡°Nubi does not dare to lie, ifLaoye does not believe me, please test the soup!¡±
¡°Here,test the soup!¡± Li Xiaoran ordered his servants sternly.
LiWeiyang studied Du Mama, a cold smile hovering deep in her heart; everythinghase to this moment! She first brought up the past to make it seem like shehad been bought over, then made use of Wu Xiaojie and the scorpion incident togain trust, all to bring her down at this moment!
Oneof the Mamas took out a silver needle and dipped it into Li Xiaoran¡¯s soupbowl, and in an instant, the silver turned ck. Li Xiaoran¡¯s expressionbecame even cker, and behind him, Si Yiniang eximed: ¡°Oh god, it reallyis poisoned!¡±
LiWeiyang was deep in thought, along the way, there was no one else who touchedthe soup, unless... she nced at the bowl. That¡¯s right, Da Furen had sabotagedthe bowl itself. If anyone was to test for poison, they would definitely testsomething that had been brought from the outside, and not an item that Da Furenoriginally owned. Nobody would think that Da Furen would make use of this blindspot to use Li Weiyang.
DuMama shouted loudly, ¡°And the gold, the gold that Xianzhu had bribed Nubi with,I have not touched a single cent of it, and it is all hidden in a secrepartment under my bed! Laoye Furen can send someone to check, Nubi¡¯s sryis limited, unless it was given by Xianzhu, I could never have had thatamount!¡±
Uptill this point, everyone could believe Du Mama, as she had both witnesses andphysical proof!
Da Furen gritted her teeth: ¡°Li Weiyang! Howhave I mistreated you, why did you bribe this old servant into harming me!¡±
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 85 part1
Chapter 85 Part 1: Vice only rises one foot
The title inChinese ħ¸ßÒ»³ß is a y on thephrase µÀ¸ßÒ»³ß£¬Ä§¸ßÒ»ÕÉ. The original phrase means even though virtue (or the good) is strong,the vice (the bad is stronger). The title, on the other hand, is referring tothe downfall of vice.
Li Wei Yang coldly looked at Da furen: ¡°Mother, youalso believe the words of this old servant? She is framing me because there isabsolutely no poison in the soup ...¡±
Da furen stroke the table, then rose: ¡°You daree up with excuses!Someonee and tie up San Xiaojie! I have to interrogate you for good!¡±
Poisoning the matriarch, this was enough to employ the most austerefamily punishment. Even if they strike the person to death, outsiders wouldn¡¯tbe able to say much. So today, she will do whatever it takes to prevent Li WeiYang from leaving here alive.
Zhao Yue walked forth, she stepped in front of Li Wei Yang as herexpression turned cold. Everyone was stunned, yet no one dared to walk forward.
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Xiao Ran: ¡°Father, you¡¯vesaid you would believe me.¡±
Li Xiao Ran, of course, didn¡¯t think Li Wei Yangwouldmit such actions but now the evidence waspletely unfavorabletowards her so he said: ¡°Wei Yang, Father believe that you wouldn¡¯t do suchthings but you must prove your own innocence!¡±
Da furen coldly smiled, even if Li Wei Yang wanted to prove her owninnocence, it was harder than impossible. Du Mama is the witness, the money isthe evidence, what¡¯s even more important was that she didn¡¯t think Li Wei Yangwould be able to escape this. Once she is tied up and greatly beaten, who wouldbe able to endure this and admit their wrong?
Li Wei Yang retained Da furen¡¯s expressions in hereyes. Her eyes, from the start, seemed like she was watching a performance.Soon after, she loudly asked Du Mama: ¡°Du Mama, do you dare to swear thateverything you¡¯ve just said is true, I¡¯ve bribed you and even told you topoison Mother¡¯s soup!¡±
Du Mama lifted her body: ¡°Yes, your servant daresto admit whatever she¡¯smitted, I am willing to ept Lao Ye and Furen¡¯spunishments!¡±
¡°You¡¯ve been proiming that I¡¯ve bribed you, if you¡¯ve received money,why did you go back on your words?¡± Li Wei Yang forcefully asked.
Du Mama had already thought over this and so shequickly said: ¡°This is because in the morning, Furen mentioned times when shewas still ady, your servant was her apanying maid when she married.Listening to her speaking about the old days, your servant became extremelyashamed because your servant had failed to live up to what the Old Marquis andhis wife had entrusted me and done something to hurt Furen. Your servant hadpromised you in the past but I¡¯ve made a mistake. Now that I have beconscientious, I know if I continued with this, I wouldn¡¯t have the face tolive!¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly said: ¡°You didn¡¯t regret earlierbut right when you were about to kill someone, this is all rubbish! Du mama, Iwill give you one more chance, please think before you answer! Think about LinMama, don¡¯tmit the same mistake that she did!¡±
Hearing Lin Mama¡¯s name, Du Mama thought of Lin Mama¡¯s ending and couldn¡¯thelp but tremble to the point of not being to utter a word.
Da furen bellowed: ¡°Li Wei Yang! You dare tointimidate Du Mama! You are this arrogant in front of us, I wonder how you actbehind our back?! I¡¯ve been too benevolent towards you, you are a curse, weshouldn¡¯t have bought you back from the start. Now you¡¯ve caused chaos amongstthe residence, making it difficult for all of us to eat and rest peacefully!Kneel down!¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly smiled: ¡°Mother, it seems likeyou¡¯ve already believed the words of this shameless old servant!¡±
Da furen raged: ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe it! She hadalready repented, why are you still not admitting your wrong, do you reallywant me to use the family punishment? Or do you think you can depend on amaidservant who knows martial arts to protect you, so that is why you do as youplease?!¡±
Li Wei Yang just smiled, she didn¡¯t kneel norresponded, she only spoke to Li Xiao Ran: ¡°Father, now that things have reachedthis point, there are some words I couldn¡¯t withhold any longer.¡±
Li Xiao Ran frowned: ¡°Wei Yang, what do you want to say?¡± In his heart,he still believed Li Wei Yang wouldn¡¯t do such things.
Right at this moment, a shimmering beauty suddenly walked in. Noticingthe intense atmosphere inside, she became dumbfounded.
Da furen was shock, her mouth opened to the pointof being able to swallow an egg: ¡°Chang Le! How did you return!¡±
Li Xiao Ran spoke: ¡°I¡¯ve let her return, shearrived tonight.¡±
Li Chang Le blissfully threw herself onto Da furen¡¯sarms: ¡°Mother, your daughter misses you.¡± Da furen held onto her tightly andthen said: ¡°Wait here for a second, let me finish up this bitch then we¡¯lltalk.¡±
Li Chang Le turned her head to give Li Wei Yang a nce. She wasthinking about what was her mother doing this time to deal with Li Wei Yang.Sadly, she has just arrived, she wasn¡¯t able to watch the whole show. Based onher observations, stabbing Li Wei Yang to death wasn¡¯t a bad idea, thisdeathful yatou dared to go against them, she couldn¡¯t be let off that easily!
Li Wei Yang watched this mother and daughterreunion yet she calmly said: ¡°I originally wanted to give Mother a surprise soI begged Father to let Dajie return home. I¡¯ve never thought Mother¡¯smisunderstanding towards me is this deep, I feel absolutely upset about his.Under these circumstances, I have to rify something. This soup wasn¡¯t madeby me nor was it made by personal maidservant, the person who made this soupwas Dajie!¡±
Everyone in the household shockingly looked towardsLi Wei Yang and couldn¡¯t believe what they had just heard. Du Mama wapletely stunned and then loudly hollered: ¡°No, this is impossible!¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t allow her much time to react andonly coldly said: ¡°I originally wanted to give Mother a surprise so Ideliberately concealed news of Dajie¡¯s arrival. Dajie probably heard news ofMother¡¯s illness from Father so she said she wanted to personally make a bowlof soup for Mother. But just as the soup was almost done, she was called awayby Lao furen so I kindly bought the soup over.¡±
¡°Chang Le, what is going on!¡± Da furen waspletely astonished as shegreatly shouted.
Li Chang Le was also muddled, she didn¡¯t know what she did wrong. Fathersaid it was best to give Mother a surprise and suddenly appear at dinner time.After, Father¡¯s servant specifically told her about her Mother¡¯s recentillness. Si Xiaojie have been making pigeon soup for her so she purposely wentto the kitchen to make a bowl of pigeon soup to let everyone know she hadreturned so that fake concubine-born daughter didn¡¯t have to be by Mother¡¯sside anymore! But when the soup was just about to be done, she was summoned byLao furen. She handed the bowl of soup to a kitchen maidservant but she didn¡¯tknow how it ended up in Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands! How could this be!
Li Chang Le could have never thought that Li Wei Yang first used Dafuren¡¯s illness as an excuse to persuade Li Xiao Ran to bring her home. Thenshe arranged people to mislead Li Chang Le into the kitchen to make the soupand used Lao furen to call Li Chang Le away ...... linking the whole n together,even if there was one slip, the whole n would have failed. Li Wei Yangactually nned it very well which made others marveled admirably.
¡°This soup was definitely made by you! Your servant have already askaround ---¡° Du Mama couldn¡¯t hold back and said.
Li Wei Yang smiled like a blooming summer flower: ¡°DuMama, didn¡¯t you say you were in the kitchen for two hours? Aiya, I¡¯ve forgottento tell you, my cooking is really bad, I thought Mother would not like mycooking no matter what, so I poured the soup into water vat, if you don¡¯tbelieve me, everyone could go see!¡±
At this moment, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s people who were sentto search Du Mama¡¯s room have returned: ¡°Lao Ye, your maidservants haverummaged through the entire room but we didn¡¯t find the money Du Mama wastalking about.¡±
Du Mama screeched: ¡°It¡¯s impossible, yourmaidservant hid it really well, how could it be missing!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips curved upward: ¡°Du Mama, ifthere is, there is, if there isn¡¯t, there wouldn¡¯t be! I usually treat you withrespect seeing you have taken good care of Mother. But I would have never thinkthat she would say I¡¯ve bribed you to harm Mother! Even though I am born from aconcubine, I am still Li family¡¯s Xiaojie, Father¡¯s daughter, and all the morea Xianzhu conferred by the Emperor, you dare frame your master, do you knowwhat punishments you will face!¡±
Li Xiao Ran raged: ¡°Du Mama, since the soup wasmade by Chang Le, yet you med Wei Yang, what intentions do you have!¡±
After Da furen understood the whole situation, herexpression changed and then she suddenly smiled: ¡°A misunderstanding, it¡¯sactually a misunderstanding, Du Mama, hurry and apologize to San Xiaojie!¡±
Li Wei Yang coldlyughed and said: ¡°Mother, isthis a misunderstanding? The poison in the soup is real, since the soup was notmade by me, then the person who poisoned it must unmistakably be Dajie! Orperhaps, Du Mama lied! She was the one who poisoned it!¡±
Da furen¡¯s face suddenly turned ringly white, she couldn¡¯t have knownLi Chang Le was the one who made the soup and even more, she originally wantedto frame Li Wei Yang but ended up being counterattacked by her! Now, no matterhow she exined it, it would still be bad. If she confirmed what Du Mama saidto be true, then that means someone did poison the soup and this person wouldbe Li Chang Le. But if she imed these were false usations and that theperson behind the poisoning was Du Mama, then Li Chang Le can be freed fromusations! If she ced all the usations onto Du Mama, this old servantwill most certainly betray her and say she was the one who order her to frameLi Wei Yang! No matter what, it was impossible to go on or retreat!
Du Mama didn¡¯t understand the situation now, sheloudly said: ¡°Your servant didn¡¯t poison the soup! Lao Ye, your servant didn¡¯tadd poison!¡±
If it wasn¡¯t Du Mama, then it was Li Chang Le ---Li Xiao Ran¡¯s gaze fell onto his elder daughter.
Li Chang Le¡¯s voice was sharp: ¡°Ridiculous! Whywould I poison my very own mother?¡±
Li Wei Yang slightly smiled, she said: ¡°Who saidDajie poisoned Mother, it¡¯s not only Mother who ate dinner today.¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression suddenly changed, he hadalready understood that Du Mama was framing Li Wei Yang. She knew that the soupwas poisoned beforehand, or else she wouldn¡¯t have rushed forward to stop Dafuren. But how did Li Chang Le got dragged into this? His eyes strolled backand forth on his two daughters. He didn¡¯t think that Li Wei Yang was clever tothe point of knowing the soup had already been poisoned, then did Li Chang Lepoison the soup?! If it was her, then she wouldn¡¯t have harmed Da furen, thenit would be ......
People are like this, if it didn¡¯t involve himself, Li Xiao Ran wouldhave conscientiously seen that Li Chang Le was pulled into this matter by LiWei Yang as a shooting target. But now he was infuriated with the fact thatsomeone wanted to harm him, so he couldn¡¯t think of anything else and believethe person who poisoned the soup to be Li Chang Le! Li Wei Yang lightly smiled,this was a human¡¯s blind spot. Da furen originally invited Li Xiao Ran over towitness her being poisoned, who would have thought that she bought a rock overto squash her foot.
Li Wei Yang coldly gazed at Li Chang Le: ¡°Dajie,Father sent you to the nunnery to let you reflect yet you didn¡¯t repent a bitand dared to poison the soup. If Du Mama didn¡¯t stop them just in time, notonly would Father have died, Mother would have also been harmed! Du Mama musthave known the truth beforehand, she is Mother¡¯s favorite and she was by yourside as you were growing up. In order to not implicate you or Da furen, shetook the chance and ce the me on me! Because it happened all of a sudden,she couldn¡¯t think of a better idea so her lies were full of loopholes!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s words seemed rational and logical. Li Chang Le hated LiXiao Ran for sending her to the nunnery and wanted to poison her father todeath. Who would have guessed Du Mama would find out and seeing Da furen aboutto drink the soup, she quickly stopped it. Because everything happenedsuddenly, she didn¡¯t think it through thoroughly and made up the story of LiWei Yang bribing her. This also exined why when others were sent to searchher ce and found nothing; because the money was fake. If Li Chang Le didn¡¯tsuddenly appear and if Li Xiao Ran believed Du Mama¡¯s wordspletely, Li WeiYang would have already been dead, no one would investigate this further!
Du Mama¡¯s expression froze: ¡°No! This is not true!The person who poisoned the soup was Xianzhu, not Da Xiaojie!¡±
Still quibbling, she must not be afraid to die! Li Wei Yang greatlyturned her head and shouted: ¡°Du Mama, you¡¯ve been saying the person whopoisoned the soup was me, but this soup wasn¡¯t made by me. On our way here,even though it was my maidservant who carried the bowl of soup, but since weleft the kitchen, there were countless of maids by our side, how could we havepoisoned the soup in front of that many eyes? The only person who had thechance to add poison would be Dajie, the person who made the soup!¡±
¡°Also, you said I bribed you but why couldn¡¯t the money be found, itmust be a story made up by you to cover up for Dajie and mislead Father! Youmust have been afraid that once Father found out that it was Dajie who wantedto kill him, he would me Mother. Moreover, you were worried that Motherwould drink the soup ahead of time and die before Father! Think about this, howcould you cover up her blunders, she is foolish yet you¡¯re even more foolishthan she is. You think that putting the me on me would free Dajie fromimplications, Father is such an intelligent person, how could he be confused byyou all! You stupid old thing!¡± Saying this, she kicked towards Du Mama¡¯schest, Du Mama painfully cried out andid on the ground.
Li Chang Le screeched: ¡°Li Wei Yang, don¡¯t go toofar! There is no way I would add poison, I have never hated Father, and evenmore, I would never poison the soup to kill Father. Father, you have to believeme, I didn¡¯t! I really didn¡¯t, I only wanted Mother to be happy so I made abowl of pigeon soup for her, I didn¡¯t know the Father would be here beforehand!¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly said: ¡°Dajie, I really regret itnow, if I knew you would harm Father, I wouldn¡¯t have begged for your return. Iwould let you stay at the nunnery forever than to let you be used ofpatricide! You have hurt Father deeply!¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s face turned red all of a sudden andwanted to give Li Wei Yang a p on the face. But now she couldn¡¯te upwith excuses, whatever she says, it will be wrong! She turned her head to lookat Da furen: ¡°Mother, Mother! Put in a word for me, how would I harm Father!Why would I do that!¡±
Then, Da furen¡¯s expression greatly changed, she thought: Li Wei Yanghad already nned everything for them to step into! She nned her stepsordingly yet she had already been plotted against by her!
The maidservants on the side rushed over to help Da furen sit down. Shebreathed heavily as she sat down without saying a single word. Even if shecould speak, she couldn¡¯t utter it now because she had just spat blood justthen, her heart seemed as if it was molded together. Now her throat felt as ifsomeone stuffed it, she had to use all her strength to prevent her body fromtrembling! Her illness was breaking out again!
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression turned worse, he reallycouldn¡¯t believe that the daughter in his palm actually wanted to kill himbecause of this. Without thinking much longer, he strolled forward and angrilygave Li Chang Le two ps: ¡°Evil child!¡±
After the ps, Li Chang Le fell onto the ground and stared at Li XiaoRan with disbelief. How did this happen, she thought today was the day hermother would get rid of Li Wei Yang, how did it turn into this!
Da furen struggled to stand up, wanting to help LiChang Le up but Si Yiniang suddenly blocked her: ¡°Furen, Lao Ye is punishing DaXiaojie, you should watch from the side, or else others will talk about yourpartiality!¡±
Da furen viciously looked at Si Yiniang. She couldn¡¯t believe that SiYiniang, who had always acted like a dog, loyal to her, dared disrespect herafter Li Wei Yang¡¯s instigation.
Si Yiniang not only showed disrespect but her eyes also showed despiseand pleasure derived from her misfortune.
Da furen was running out of luck, she was happier than anyone. BecauseDa furen stood on her for years, if she didn¡¯t borrow Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands, shewouldn¡¯t have been able to see Da furen in a pathetic position. Thinking aboutthis, she must thank San Xiaojie!
Da furen breathed in and loudly bellowed: ¡°Getaway!¡±
Her voice carried a weak malevolence, she greatlygave Si Yiniang a p: ¡°What do you think you are, how dare you taunt and jeerat me!¡±
Si Yiniang covered her cheek and turned towards LiXiao Ran with a wronged expression: ¡°Lao Ye! I just didn¡¯t want Furen¡¯s illnessto worsen but she must misunderstand my good intention---¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s pair of cold eyes zed over at Dafuren. He still choked in rage over what happenedst time with Jiu Yiniangand now Da furen raised a daughter that wanted to kill him! How could this notmake him feel infuriated and actually had the thought of divorcing his wife.But he had already calmed down and at this critical moment, he thought of JiangGuogong Furen¡¯s face, that old thing still hasn¡¯t died yet, Jiang Guogong¡¯spower couldn¡¯t be ignored. Even though he was a prime minister and no longer aservile son-inw in front of his father-inw, he still couldn¡¯t act rashly.So, Da furen¡¯s position as the matriarch must remain! He coldly spoke: ¡°Furenwill forever be the furen, you can¡¯t be disrespectful!¡±
Trace of disappointment appeared on Si Yiniang¡¯s face yet Li Wei Yangstill smiled. She clearly understood that Li Xiao Ran would never divorce hiswife; no matter what Da furen did, her position as the matriarch will neverchange. But ...... even if he couldn¡¯t divorce her, this didn¡¯t mean Da furen¡¯ing days would be easy. Of course, she still felt she wasn¡¯t pitiful enoughand wanted to infuriate her more so she can go to heaven earlier!
Da furen coldly made a humph and walked forward a few steps. The personshe hated the most now was Li Wei Yang, if it wasn¡¯t for Li Wei Yang, shewouldn¡¯t have fallen to this state!
In Da furen¡¯s logic, her scheming against Li Wei Yang was right but LiWei Yang actually fought back and used her own n to scheme against her anddidn¡¯t obediently let her kill her, this was a great sin! She had to let outthis injustice so she went up towards Li Wei Yang and p her without muchthought!
¡°You little bitch, you¡¯ve caused all the chaos amongst our household!¡±Da furen greatly shouted, her hands were already shaking uncontrobly.
Li Wei Yang showed a slight smile and her body moved to avoid her p.Da furen was now a sick patient, her p couldn¡¯t carry much strength; sheonly put together all her strength to p Li Wei Yang, thinking she wouldn¡¯tdare to avoid it because she was the matriarch. But she underestimated Li WeiYang¡¯s audacity so not only did she p air but her whole body fell towardsthe red sandalwood chair nearby and lost her bnce as she drastically droppedonto the ground! The maids quickly went forward to help her up but the cornerof Da furen¡¯s lips already had blood flowing out. She was basicallyying onthe ground like a dead pig, she couldn¡¯t get up no matter how hard she tried.
Da furen¡¯s current countenance, even Li Xiao Ran hadn¡¯t even seenbefore, she was like a beast who hadpletely lost her mind!
Li Xiao Ran greatly frowned, no matter how hard he tried to conceal hisinner disgust, he couldn¡¯t do it.
Li Wei Yang showed a surprised expression: ¡°AiyaMother, how are you doing? Quickly get up, your daughter can¡¯t ept such ahuge honor!¡±
Bai Zhi and Zhao Yue, who were on the side, were stealthily smilingwhile their heads were lowered.
Si Yiniang, pretentiously went over to help Da furen but Da furen swungher hand away and Si Yiniang expressed being wronged.
Right at this moment, the curtains were lifted.
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 85 part2
Chapter 85: Vice only rises one foot
It was Li Min Feng who desperately came over. With one nce, he saw SiYiniang on the side and Da furen was on the ground catching her breath: ¡°Mother,what happened!¡±
Si Yiniang spoke: ¡°Da Shaoye, we all don¡¯t know what is wrong withFuren? She became this sick!¡± As she spoke, she went over to help Da furen up.
Waiting until Da furen couldn¡¯t even speak a wordbut only showed a pale green face, Li Min Feng was enraged and didn¡¯t considermuch when he kicked Si Yiniang: ¡°Don¡¯t touch my mother, leave!¡±
After being kicked, Si Yiniang¡¯s whole person waying on the ground, her face was pale white as cold sweats flowed down herforehead. Li Chang Xiao went over to assist her and seeing her severe injury,she turned to speak to Li Xiao Ran without much thought: ¡°Father, my mother isa concubine, but he is your concubine, Da ge is a junior, how could he injuremy mother in front of you?!¡±
This one kick didn¡¯t strike Si Yiniang but Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face. Li Wei Yangsaw from the corner of Si Yiniang¡¯s lips appeared an odd smile, it was obviousthat she deliberately schemed to instigate Li Min Feng and wanted to stir upmore trouble.
Of course, Li Xiao Ran was already enraged to thepoint his veins were jumping: ¡°Evil child, what are you doing!¡±
Li Chang Le immediately walked up to embrace Li MinFeng: ¡°Da ge, Da ge! They joined together to plot against me! Li Wei Yangframed me and imed I wanted to kill Father, please save me!¡±
Listening to her story, Li Min Feng unconsciously opened his eyes wide: ¡°Father,how could you listen to wordsing from this bitch!¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°Da ge, you can¡¯tdifferentiate right from wrong, you¡¯ve kicked Si Yiniang after arriving, nowyou don¡¯t ask for the whole story and called me a bitch, who taught you thesewords. I am your sister, if I were a bitch, then what are you, what do you seeour Father as?!¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s brows tightened.
Li Min Feng¡¯s nce was full of enmity, he said to Li Xiao Ran: ¡°Father,Chang Le must have been framed, she would never do such a thing to harm Father.Father should give her justice and in turn punish Li Wei Yang for disrespectingMother£¡¡± His hand pointedstraight at Li Wei Yang.
Da furen¡¯s phlegm was stuck in her throat, making it difficult for herto breath so it was impossible for her to prevent Li Min Feng from speaking.She didn¡¯t even send people to summon her son over and moreover, she didn¡¯twant her son to be implicated into this matter. But Min Feng appeared and thismeant someone purposely alerted him so that this matter would be evenbigger! She knew no matter what, she couldn¡¯t let Li Min Feng speak further orelse something worse would happen! So she used all her strength to shake herhead at Li Min Feng, greatly shook her head to signal that she didn¡¯t want himto speak any further.
However, Li Min Feng didn¡¯t understand Da furen¡¯sintentions and only knew that his Mother was enraged by Li Wei Yang and LiChang Le was framed by Li Wei Yang so he must let this bitch pay! ¡°Father, weare your official children yet you rather believe the words of a bitchingfrom a concubine than to believe us? I am telling you, whatever happened today,it was all nned by Li Wei Yang, everything is real! You are not punishingher and instead ming Mother and Sister, are you dotard?!¡±
Li Xiao Ran greatly raged: ¡°What did you say?!¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly smiled and said: ¡°Father, calm down, Da ge was justanxious, that was why he would scold Father. After all, this whole situationinvolves Da jie and Mother, the wordsing from his mouth are understandable--- well, but Da ge, you are going too far, how could you scold Father? This isimpiety! Surely you don¡¯t want Father to lock you up in the ancestral hagain?¡± Every word was indubitably spoken to infuriate Li Min Feng.
Once he heard the words, ancestralhall, Li Min Feng couldn¡¯t restrain his anger. He took out a dagger andwithout thinking: ¡°Father, since you are not punishing her, then I must killthis bitch before we continue this conversation!¡± Only killing Li Wei Yang, nomatter how angry Father will be, he wouldn¡¯t punish him because he was his onlyson after all! He raised his dagger and rushed over towards Li Wei Yang¡¯sdirection. He used all his strength with hopes of killing Li Wei Yang todissolve his enmity.
Li Wei Yang, seeing his expression, already knew he wanted to kill herand couldn¡¯t help but coldly smiled. At this moment, Zhao Yue appeared right infront of Li Wei Yang like a ghost; she raised her leg and kicked Li Min Fengonto the ground.
Li Min Feng couldn¡¯t believe that Li Wei Yang had a maidservant that hadsuch great martial art skills. But he still wasn¡¯t willing to give up and onceagain got up and aimed towards Li Wei Yang. This time, Li Wei Yang actuallylightly nodded at Zhao Yue and Zhao Yue understood her meaning under theglimmering light!
When Li Min Feng once again jumped towards her, LiWei Yang hid behind Li Xiao Ran¡¯s back: ¡°Father, daughter is afraid!¡±
Li Min Feng couldn¡¯t have guessed that Li Wei Yangwould have hid behind Li Xiao Ran¡¯s back. When he was about to brake, he didn¡¯tnotice someone¡¯s leg and rushed forth at once. Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face discolored;he didn¡¯t have enough time to avoid it and soon after, the dagger plunged intoLi Xiao Ran¡¯s left arm! Li Wei Yang hollered: ¡°Protect Father! Quick, sendpeople!¡±
Only maidservants were inside, all the guards were sent to stand guardon the outside. No one could have thought that this type of situation wouldhave happened all of a sudden; Li Min Feng actually stabbed Li Xiao Ran withhis dagger.
Da furen¡¯s rage anxiously plunged within her heart, she suddenly couldn¡¯tsay a word but spat out fresh blood from her mouth. She fainted but at thistime no one in the household noticed her because Li Xiao Ran had already beeninjured. Moreover, blood was oozing out from his wound and the dagger was stillin his arm.
Li Xiao Ran was already overly furious, Li Min Fengactually stabbed him! He pointed at Li Min Feng as guards piled in: ¡°Tie himup!¡±
Li Min Feng was alreadypletely stunned; heoriginally wanted to stab Li Wei Yang with the dagger, how did he lose contrnd injured Li Xiao Ran?! After hearing Li Xiao Ran¡¯s order, he unconsciouslysaid: ¡°Father, your son didn¡¯t do this on purpose! I wanted to kill that littlebitch!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was of course angry but at this momentof anger, he suddenly thought of himself having only one son so he didn¡¯t knowwhat to do out of the mist and thus only ordered guards to tie up Li Min Fengand didn¡¯t say the next order. Li Min Feng didn¡¯t notice his hesitation and wasmainly worried about being tied up so he used all his might to fight back: ¡°Whodares to touch me? I am Li family¡¯s eldest son!¡±
Guards nkly stared at one another, they didn¡¯t dare to offend Li MinFeng because he was the first household¡¯s eldest son and he will inherit thefamily¡¯s assets in the future. At the same time, they couldn¡¯t disobey Li XiaoRan because their real master was Lao Ye. As for Da Shaoye, this would be inthe future. But Li Men Feng kept on fighting back, they don¡¯t dare to force himso they were motionless all of a sudden.
Li Wei Yang coldly watched and didn¡¯t speak a word.She calcted the time, the person will soon be here. As she thought about it,people outside announced: ¡°Lao furen is here!¡±
Lao furen was held up by Luo Mama and behind herwere a number of maidservants. She quickly walked in and seeing the situationin the room, she shockingly said: ¡°What happened to your arm?¡±
As she spoke, she stepped forward with Luo Mama¡¯sassistance and checkout Li Xiao Ran¡¯s injury, she said afterward: ¡°Quick, callthe physician, are you all foolish!¡±
The maidservant that was absentminded finally woke up from her daze andflew off to seek the physician.
Li Xiao Ran busily consoled Lao furen: ¡°It¡¯snothing, just a small injury, Mother don¡¯t have to worry.¡±
Lao furen¡¯s face was filled with rage: ¡°What smallinjury, this much blood had already flown out! How could this be just a smallinjury! Who was it that injured you?!¡±
Li Xiao Ran became silent, he didn¡¯t want to say that his very own sonused a dagger to stab him.
Lao furen looked towards Li Wei Yang, Li Wei Yangsaid: ¡°Here¡¯s what happened, Lao furen, Father originally came today to Mother¡¯sce to eat dinner together. Right at this moment, Dajie returned and shepersonally made pigeon soup for Mother. Who would have known that the soup waspoisoned, Father became angry and Mother couldn¡¯t withstand the situation andshe fainted. Perhaps, Da ge became anxious after seeing this scene andfurthermore believed that it was us who framed Da jie. In a fit of rage, he kickedSi Yiniang and even wanted to kill me with his dagger but injured Fatherinstead ---¡°
She was simply stating what happened but sheactually clearly illustrated Li Min Feng¡¯s crime and also told Lao furen aboutLi Chang Le¡¯s poisoning incident. Li Chang Le sharply voiced: ¡°Lao furen, Ididn¡¯t! I really didn¡¯t!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her and said: ¡°Da jie, wasthis soup made by you?¡±
Li Chang Le didn¡¯t say anything and only crazily red at her.
Li Wei Yang continued: ¡°Unless there is no poisonin the soup!¡±
Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t answer, her eyes almost showed blood.
Li Wei Yang sighed: ¡°The witness and materialevidence are present, Da jie is still iming you are innocent. Even if youare innocent, Da ge shouldn¡¯t have injured Father to avenge injustice towardsyou, this is unprincipled.¡±
Li Min Feng couldn¡¯t control himself any longer andrushed forward and loudly spoke: ¡°Lao furen, don¡¯t fall into the trap! Who isthe one that poisoned the soup, that can¡¯t be figure out! Even if there ispoison in the soup, then it must be Li Wei Yang who framed it on my sister! Ididn¡¯t want to injure Father just now, everything was an ident, Lao furen ......¡±
Lao furen waspletely astonished, she couldn¡¯t believe that Da furen¡¯spair of children would do such things.
At this moment, Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Da ge, don¡¯tmake any more excuses, I heard you went to visit Da jie at the nunnery ......perhaps you thought if something happened to Father, you both would control theentire Li family? How could you be this foolish, if something happened toFather, the Li family will copse!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was stunned. Hearing Li Wei Yang¡¯swords, he suddenly envisioned a possibility. If Li Min Feng really went to thenunnery, what did he and Li Chang Le speak about. Was he angry that he threwhim into the ancestral hall to reflect on his actions so he ordered Li Chang Leto poison ......
This hypothesis only shed across his mind but it couldn¡¯t help butfeel the chills on his back.
Thinking about Li Min Feng¡¯s stares towards him ever since that incidentwere filled with indignation, Li Xiao Ran unwillingly felt dreadfulness.
His blood-rted son and daughter, because of such minor punishment, betrayedhim. Heavens know that he only wanted them to repent yet they joined forces totake his life.
Li Min Feng angrily shouted: ¡°You little bitch, youare full of rubbish, when did I ---¡°
Li Xiao Ran pointed at Li Min Feng and bellowed: ¡°Closeyour mouth! You and Chang Le colluded together, from the start, both of youwanted to harm me. Now that the conspiracy has unmasked, you are not ashamedand instead speak presumptuously! What Father, how could I have such a viciousson!¡±
Seeing this, Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t hold back andcried: ¡°Father, we are your children, how can you believe outsiders¡¯ defamation......¡±
¡°Enough! Don¡¯t act any longer!¡± Lao furen¡¯s facewas pale and she loudly voiced: ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough of your show! Patricide isalready an unforgivable crime, give him ps!¡±
Lao furen ordered but none of the guards moved. Luo Mama made a coldhumph and went forward to p Li Min Feng. Li Min Feng didn¡¯t have a chance toreact before his face was already swollen and red. Purple handprints appearedon his face and watching him, it was indubitably a pitiful scene.
He said with a sharp voice: ¡°Father, I am your onlyson!¡±
He was right, Li Xiao Ran had four daughters but hehad only one son. So even if Li Xiao Ran was extremely enraged, he had to holdit in and couldn¡¯t help but speak for him: ¡°Lao furen ---¡°
¡°Do you still have your mother in your heart?¡± Laofuren was very infuriated by Li Min Feng and became even more angry seeing herown son, ¡°Look at what an impious thing you¡¯ve fathered, he dared to strikeyour concubine and even dared to kill his sister. He didn¡¯t even consider yourreputation and injured you. If he really respected you as his father, how couldhe do such things? If they thought about the Li family at least once, theywouldn¡¯t have make both of us lose face like this!¡±
Seeing Lao furen raging, Li Xiao Ran immediately went to apologize: ¡°Yes,please calm down, it is your son¡¯s fault.¡± Lao furen was right, no matter howmuch he loved his son, he was already a useless person now! Who would believehis son now that he injured his own father? Such an impious thing, what use isthere to keep him!
Li Min Feng loudly eximed: ¡°Father, your son isnot wrong!¡±
Li Wei Yang reminded: ¡°Da ge, a wrong is a wrong,Father¡¯s arm is still bleeding. How can you say you are not wrong, if you¡¯renot wrong, perhaps it¡¯s Lao furen¡¯s fault, it¡¯s Father¡¯s fault? I urge you tostop refusing to admit you are wrong!¡±
Li Min Feng was even more infuriated: ¡°Li Wei Yang,you bitch! Father, Lao furen, don¡¯t be deceived by this treacherous yatou. Eversince she entered the Li residence, we haven¡¯t had a good day, look at whathappened to Mother! Look!¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly smiled, her face full of color: ¡°Dage, Mother fainted because of Da jie, it has nothing to do with me.¡±
At this moment, Li Chang Le cried: ¡°Mother, you¡¯reawake!¡±
Da furen¡¯s eyes slowly opened and realized that LiXiao Ran and Lao furen coldly looked at her like chilled fog. She then saw theinjury on Li Xiao Ran¡¯s arm and after a shock, she knew where did the injure from! Her mouth gaped open yet she couldn¡¯t speak a single word, Li ChangLe busily said: ¡°Mother, what happened?¡±
Da furen shook her head, Du Mama, who had been kneeling on the side,helped her: ¡°Furen is sick, your servant has medicine on me.¡± She immediatelytook out the medicine and climbed by Da furen¡¯s side to help her take themedicine. Letting out a breath, her gaze moved from Li Min Feng and hatefullytowards Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang calmly looked at her as her eyescarried a smile that was about to make her heart explode: ¡°Mother, you areawake, are you okay?¡±
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 86 part1
Chapter86: Constant Vignce
Da Furenughed coldly. ¡°If I hadknown this day woulde, I should have let Laoye drown you from the verystart, rather than allow you to y tricks like this!¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s reply was not anywarmer. ¡°You have the time to criticize others, but forget about teaching yourown daughter and son. One could add poison into her Fuqin¡¯s soup, and anotherdares to harm his own Fuqin; they should die a thousand times over for these sins!
Da Furen gritted her teeth andhardened her resolve; she must save her children, even if it meant sacrificingDu Mama! She raised her voice: ¡°Du Mama, do you know what you have donewrong?!¡±
Du Mama was shocked to the core, asshe did not understand why Da Furen suddenly said this.
Da Furen replied: ¡°Du Mama, Imerely wanted to betroth your youngest daughter to Housekeeper Zeng¡¯s son, thisis would benefit both parties. Housekeeper Zeng has done much for us; his sonhad his leg broken when he was younger while trying to protect Da Shaoye. Ionly wanted to find a good match for him, and I thought that your daughter hasa good character and was therefore suitable. Who knew that you¡¯d hate me forthis, and try to poison me!¡±
Du Mama looked at her own master inrm, for she did not think that the first thing that Da Furen would do uponwaking up would be to push all the me onto her! She gasped like a fish,unable to speak as if her tongue was tangled.
Li Weiyang was unsurprised, at thismoment, it was expected of Da Furen to protect her own children. However, shedefinitely wouldn¡¯t let her escape that easily. She calmly spoke: ¡°Muqin, Ithink you must be confused, if Du Mama had wanted to harm you, why would shetry to stop you just now? If you had drank the soup, wouldn¡¯t she have had herrevenge?¡±
Da Furen tried her best, but shecould not smother her heavy coughs, and she felt devastating pain in her chest.She tried to suppress it, forcefully saying: ¡°That was because she found herconscience, or perhaps she regretted her moment of folly now, or maybe.. coughcough.. she feared that her punishment would be greater if she got discovered! Sinceshe had already added the poison, she would definitely use you, Weiyang!¡±
Du Mama cried out. ¡°Furen, pleaseremember all my best efforts, for I have served you for twenty over years!¡± Eversince Furen married into the Li Residence, she had followed her over, doingeverything she had been asked withoutint. And this time, she even helpedher set the trap to frame San Xiaojie. Who knew that Da Furen would sacrificeher the moment something went wrong!
¡°Du Mama, since Muqin has said so,you had better admit your guilt.¡± Li Weiyang said slowly, and gave a sad sigh.This sigh seemed to be thest straw that broke Du Mama¡¯s back. She gave asudden wail: ¡°Lao Furen, Lao Furen! Nubi will say everything, Nubi will admiteverything!¡±
Da Furen fixed her gaze on her:¡°Confess! If you do not, spare a thought for your children!¡±
This was obviously an unveiledthreat!
Li Weiyang spoke calmly: ¡°Du Mama,if you were really guilty of harming your masters, not only you would die, butyour whole family would not be able to escape the punishment as well. Thinkclearly!¡±
Lao Furen nodded in agreement. ¡°Ifyou, this Nubi, would dare to harm Furen, I will not let you off!¡±
Du Mama trembled, she knew that LaoFuren was not just trying to frighten her. She gritted her teeth and startedrecounting everything that had happened. From today¡¯s events, she did not leaveout a single detail, describing everything she did, who she wanted to harm,very clearly.
Du Mama reported: ¡°Everything wasarrange by Da Furen.¡± She gritted her teeth in hatred; after all that she haddone for Da Furen, sometimes even risking her life, she was actually betrayedby her in the end. No one could escape this now! ¡°Not just this time, whathappened to Jiu Yiniang previously, the fire in the temple hall, it was allordered by Furen, and her purpose was to ----¡±
¡°Shut up!¡± Da Furen was furious.
¡°The one who should keep her mouthshut is you!¡± Lao Furen¡¯s face was like frost.
¡°You continue, if there is half ashred of untruth, I¡¯ll have you dragged out and beaten to death!¡± Li Xiaoranred at her angrily.
Li Weiyang stated slowly. ¡°Du Mama,if you tell the truth, I can ask for mercy from Lao Furen to spare yourfamily¡¯s lives.¡±
A shudder ran through Du Mama¡¯sbody, and she continued after lowering her head. ¡°Not only Jiu Yiniang, DaYiniang, Er Yiniang, San Yiniang, and Ba Yiniang, all their deaths are linkedto Da Furen. She also added medicine into Qi Yiniang¡¯s food, causing her togive birth to San Xiaojie half a month early, if not she would have been bornin March.. Furen hasmitted countless evil deeds after so many years, andNubi has kept all the evidence. Since I will not be able to escape death today,I might as well reveal it all!¡± She was someone who knew too much, and since DaFuren has decided to betray her, she would not care for her life either. Shemight as well spill all of her secrets, as long as her family would escape theme.
¡°Jiang Min!¡± Li Xiaoran couldbarely form the words through his gritted teeth. He never would have thoughtthe numerous deaths of his concubines would be due to all these!
But Du Mama wasn¡¯t done yet. Herface was as grim as death. ¡°That year.. Wu Yiniang was pregnant with a boy, andafter Furen heard about it, she immediately got someone to incite trouble withWuYiniang¡¯sformer betrothed¡¯s, causing her and her unborn child¡¯s death..¡±
Da Furen¡¯s face was corpse pale,but she had not a single sentence to rebut Du Mama, because these crimes wereindeedmitted by her. However, even at this moment of her exposure, she hadto protect her own children; since Li Xiaoran knew that the poison was to frameLi Weiyang, it would at least prove that it had nothing to do with Li Changle!
Li Xiaoran¡¯s face was filled with uncontroblerage. In the past few years, he had many women by his side, but Da Yiniang, Er Yiniangand San Yiniang were either Lao Furen¡¯s or Da Furen¡¯sdies, and meant to helphim expand his family tree. Wu Yiniang was the only one whom he shared mutuallove with. He could never forget Wu Yiniang, as he was but an ordinary manwithout power or wealth when they first met; it was purely love at first sight.She did not care much about his background either, eloping with him without amoment¡¯s hesitation. He would have granted her the title of legal wife*, but ashe had not ascended in status to prime minister yet, Li Xiaoran could notfulfill his promise. Not only she had to make do with her status as a Yiniang,she would unexpectedly die ofplications from childbirth. All the women hedesired for afterwards would have a certain degree of simrity with Wu Yiniang...However, Du Mama has now revealed that Wu Yiniang¡¯s death was caused byDa Furen, and he could have had another sonif not for her as well! He had his suspicions in the past, but had ack ofevidence to prove it. Nobody would have guessed that the beans would be spilledby a Nubi after all these years.
Li Weiyang sniggered coolly, thiswas the effect she intended. She purposely drove everyone into a corner today;be it pinning the me onto Li Changle, or dragging Li Min Feng in, her maintarget was to force Da Furen to make Du Mama the scapegoat, then with Du Mamaas the mouthpiece, announce all of the secrets she wanted Li Xiaoran to know!
She sighed softly, ¡°I pity thetragic loss of Wu Yiniang and Er Di.¡± By saying the words ¡®Er Di¡¯, she ordeda rank of seniority for Wu Yiniang¡¯s unborn son, knowing clearly that LiXiaoran would hate Da Furen to the core upon hearing it.
Indeed, Li Xiaoran was shaking withfury. Compared to framing Li Weiyang, he cared more about Wu Yiniang¡¯s death;he never would have thought that his official wife, who appeared gracious and magnanimous,wouldmit such a deed! He was sleeping next to such a devious woman for sucha long period of time!
Lao Furen was speechless; thoseconcubines were meant to expand his family, and some of them married in withthe permission of Da Furen. She wanted to live up to her reputation as arespectable wife, but it was just a tactic for her to be able to control herhusband. She even caused their deaths one by one, resulting in Li Xiaoranhaving only one living son now!
Adding fuel to the fire, Li Weiyanmented: ¡°Aye, no matter how you say it, Wu Yiniang died due to a difficultbirth, Muqin did not directly harm her...¡±
A sh of emotion darted across DuMama¡¯s eyes, and she gritted her teeth. ¡°No, Wu Yiniang did not die due tplications. She could have given birth to Er Shaoye, and she was willing ty down her life to do so. However, Furen spiked the medicine which the midwifebrought. The medicine was supposed to help with the childbirth, but it became aconflicting brew which would be fatal...¡±
Upon hearing it, Li Changle brokeout in cold sweat. Li Min Feng was simrly nervous, as he had never thoughtthat this would force Muqin to betray Du Mama, and for Du Mama to reveal allthe dirty work she had done for Muqin.
¡°Where¡¯s the evidence?¡±
¡°Nubi has always kept it; thespiked recipe for the medicine has been hidden in my home...¡± Du Mama loweredher head, she had always been prepared for the one day that Da Furen woulddecide to sell her out.
¡°Drag her out and give her 30strokes of the cane, heavy strokes!¡± Li Xiaoran was extremely furious, with hisface like thunder.
30 strokes of the cane; that wouldtake almost half of her life! Du Mama was rmed and cried out: ¡°Nubi hasadmitted to everything I know, Laoye please spare me, Laoye!¡±
A Yatou stuffed a handkerchief intoher mouth, effectively silencing her before dragging her out.
Li Weiyang observed coolly withoutanother word. Da Furen has chosen to push out Du Mama, which was equivalent tobreaking off all ties with her, so of course she would expose all of thosemisdeeds. Da Furen would definitely have expected this to happen, but made thischoice all the same; she was sacrificing herself to protect her children.
When faced with such a criticaldecision, Li Weiyang bet that Da Furen would still choose to jump into such anobvious trap!
Li Min Feng was still stunned inshock, and unable to respond to the events unfolding before him. How could itbe? How could it be that his Muqin was the perpetrator, and those damn Yiniangsand their illegitimate children became the victims; impossible! He fixed LiWeiyang with an evil re. ¡°Fuqin, this must be all an evil set-up by LiWeiyang, it must be! She must have bribed this old servant to say all these, itmust be! This is a plot to harm Muqin! Fuqin, Lao Furen, you have to see thetruth, do not be tricked by Li Weiyang!¡±
Li Xiaoran closed his eyes, thisugly incident, this trio of schemers; they should not be allowed to stay in theLi Residence. However, one of them is his official wife, and the other two hislegitimate children, how could and how should he punish them?! At the peak ofhis anger, he felt confused and did not know what to do next.
Lao Furen nodded: Da Furen¡¯sactions were indeed scary, and most importantly, she actually killed a few ofher grandchildren. From an outsider¡¯s point of view, conflicts between wife andconcubines are not major issues, but the use of such sly and evil methods toharm Li Family¡¯s descendants is definitely going overboard. If Da Furen hae from amoner¡¯s family, Lao Furen would advise Li Xiaoran to divorce herimmediately. However, she was Jiang Guo Gong¡¯s eldest daughter; if they were toget rid of her just like that, the Jiang Family definitely wouldn¡¯t let thematter rest.
Her brows knit in frustration: Howshould she be dealt with?
Li Weiyang sighed deeply: ¡°Nomatter what Muqin has done, she is Li Family¡¯s matriarch, and this is anirrevocable fact. Since she is ill, she should rest quietly at home, isn¡¯t it, LaoFuren?¡± She knew that the Jiangs would never allow Li Xiaoran a divorce.
Lao Furen lowered her head andthought for half a second. In the moment that she made her decision, shenced at Da Furen. Seeing the unwillingness and hate on her face, she was nowdoubly sure. ¡°Yes, she indeed requires time to recuperate. From today onwards,everything will be handed over to Er Furen to handle. We should get someone totake care of her too.¡±
In other words, she would begrounded. Announcing to society that she needed to rest, and keeping her in thegardens, would be effectively imprisoning her like the crazy Wu Xiaojie. Thiswould give the Jiang Residence a good exnation, as well as retain thereputation of the Li Residence. However, to Da Furen, it was a total removal ofher power as the matriarch of the family.
¡°As for Dajie.¡± Li Weiyang saidslowly, ¡°She was indeed framed in this incident, but since her emotions are ina whirl, perhaps she needs some peace and quiet for a period of time...¡±
Lao Furen gave it a thought. ¡°Lether return to the temple hall to reflect!¡±
Li Changle could not believe thatthese people were letting themselves get controlled by Li Weiyang. Her eyeswidened in shock, and she cried out hoarsely, ¡°No, I refuse, I don¡¯t want to goto that damnable ce! I won¡¯t go!¡±
Li Weiyang smiled. ¡°Dajie, wouldyou rather apany Wu Mei Mei?¡±
Li Changle quickly snapped hermouth shut, staring at Li Weiyang with hatred. She twisted about, pleading:¡°Muqin, say something!¡±
Da Furen had to grit her teeth todefend herself before, and she was now currently breathless. She widened hereyes as if to speak, but her vision reddened and her next breath hung as if bya thread; how could she have the strength to berate Li Weiyang?
That¡¯s two down, what about theother?
Li Xiaoran looked at Li Min Feng, amurderous intent in his eyes. If his surname was not Li, he wouldn¡¯t have toworry about how to deal with him; a rebellious son who dared to harm his fathershould be dealt with in the harshest way possible. However, he was a descendantof the Li Family, so he could not be killed.
¡°You had dared to harm your ownfather, you¡¯re not fit to remain at the Li Residence.¡± Lao Furen spoke slowly.¡°We¡¯ll send him to Lao Er, you can send him a letter; he should know what todo.¡±
As she spoke, Lao Furen did noteven nce at Li Min Feng. The little love she had felt for this grandson hadvanished the moment he directed the de at her son.
Standing by the side, Li Min Fengwas stunned speechless at these words. He totally did not expect himself to getsent to his second uncle, who was staying in a more run-down countryside.Moreover, Er Shu was old-fashioned and strict. He was fierce to even his ownsons; if he were to find out that he actually pointed a sword at his ownfather, he would be treated like a prisoner! No, he could not go, he definitelycould not! Did Fuqin and Lao Furen go mad, how could they decide on this?!
¡°Fuqin! Please think clearly, ifnot you¡¯ll regret it in the future! I¡¯m your own son, how could you treat me inthis way for an illegitimate child!¡±
Li Weiyang smiled coolly, Fuqin didnot make this decision because of her, but Li Min Feng totally could notunderstand his thoughts; no wonder he wound up in such a pathetic state. Whatforced Li Xiaoran to decide was the pain of losing the woman he loved, as wes the precious son she bore for him.
Li Min Feng was still foolishlyshouting. ¡°Li Weiyang, you will die a horrible death, just you wait! I will seeyou dead before my very eyes!¡±
Lao Furen frowned. ¡°Get him to shutup!¡± She waved her hands to get the guards to gag him and throw him out fromthe room.
Da Furen wed desperately toreach her own son, but returned nothing but air. She cried out pitifully: ¡°Nomatter what has happened, it is my fault, and it has nothing to do with my twochildren! Laoye, Laoye, please let them off, they are innocent!¡±
Li Xiaoran turned away, not evenncing at Da Furen. Looking at her made him feel a chill in his heart. Havinglived in a huge mansion when he was young, he of course knew and understoodabout the conflicts between his mother and the concubines. So when it came tohis turn to pick concubines, he usually followed the wishes of his Muqin andwife to satisfy their demands. Da Furen was strong-willed by nature, and heknew that she was no innocent soul; but he never expected such evil deeds byher hands. Today¡¯s events had greatly disappointed him.
Seated at the side, Lao Furen tooka sip of tea. Because Da Furen was from a well-established family, and the LiFamily¡¯swfully wedded daughter-inw, she naturally couldn¡¯t be scolded orbeaten up like the Yatous and Mamas, but it doesn¡¯t mean she had no way ofpunishing her. Grounding her within the Li Residence was already an act ofgenerosity.
Da Furen suppressed the sharp painin her chest and rushed forward, grabbing Li Xiaoran¡¯s sleeve and trembling asshe spoke. ¡°Laoye, Laoye! Min Feng is your only son! You¡¯ve said before thateverything would be handed over to him in the future, how could you allow himto be sent to a ce like Gun District?! It¡¯ll be akin to taking my life!¡±
¡°Let go!¡± Li Xiaoran flicked hissleeve, shoving Da Furen away with his wave. He retreated a step, ring ather chillingly, with not a trace of emotion on his face. With a cold andresolute voice, he chastised Da Furen. ¡°Jiang Shi, you have done whateveryou¡¯ve liked in the Li Residence, even ordering servants to harm my belovedconcubine... You think that just because you¡¯re from the Jiang Family means thatyou can do whatever you want! However, don¡¯t forget, you have married into theLi Residence and you¡¯re my wife now, and I can punish you ording to myfamily rules! From today onwards, you¡¯d better stay in your own courtyard,without my permission, no one is to visit her!¡±
Li Min Feng had already beendragged out by the servants, and at Lao Furen¡¯s signal earlier on, a Mama hadalready gone to bring Li Changle.
Li Changle took in the situation;if she got sent to the temple hall, she¡¯d probably have to stay there for therest of her life, so how would she give up without a fight? She quickly rushedover, kneeling before Li Xiaoran. ¡°Fuqin, I did not know anything about this,and you know I have done nothing wrong, you shouldn¡¯t me me for everythingthat Muqin has done... I don¡¯t want to go to the temple, I won¡¯t go, Fuqin, Idon¡¯t want to go...¡±
Li Xiaoran lifted his head and saidsternly, ¡°Bring her away!¡± Immediately, four Mamas came forward to carry LiChangle out. Li Changle was crying pitifully, messing up her hair and jewelry.She was indeed unlucky this time, and under very confusing circumstances.Actually, if not for Du Mama revealing all of Da Furen¡¯s past, she would nothave been dragged into this mess. But right now, Li Xiaoran and Lao Furen hadsuch deep hatred for Da Furen, so how would they let her off?
¡°Somebody, help!¡± Da Furen shouted,leaping forwards in panic and blocking those Mamas. ¡°If you want to bringChangle away, you¡¯d have to take me too!¡± She was breathless and clutchingtightly to her chest, on the brink of fainting.
¡°Do you want me embarrass you infront of everyone?¡± Li Xiaoran stared at her directly, his tone resolute.¡°Isn¡¯t the mess you¡¯ve created enough? Do you want to force me to divorce youbefore you¡¯re satisfied?¡±
¡°No! No! No!¡± Da Furen cried outheartrendingly, reaching out to grab Li Changle. She turned around to look at LiXiaoran, fear and chills in her eyes. ¡°It is my fault! Please? Don¡¯t send mydaughter away... I won¡¯t let you take my daughter away...¡±
However, at this point, the Mamasdid not dare to listen to her, prying her fingers away from Li Changle andpulling her out. Da Furen¡¯s soul shattered, as she saw that she couldn¡¯t keep LiChangle. In a fit of panic, she kneeled before Lao Furen, tears pouring like afountain. She clutched tight to Lao Furen¡¯s feet, pleading and wailing: ¡°No!Please don¡¯t! Lao Furen, I beg you, I¡¯ll kowtow to you, please let Changleoff... I¡¯ll kowtow to you!¡± Peng peng peng... went her forehead as it knockedagainst the floor.
Lao Furen turned away and frowned,but she still had no intention of letting Li Changle off the hook. From herpoint of view, this overly attractive granddaughter of hers would no doubtbring trouble, and even if they kept her, she would definitely hate and methem for treating her mother and brother like this... Might as well get her outof the way.
Upon seeing her pleas go to waste, DaFuren actually grabbed onto the hem of Li Weiyang¡¯s skirts. ¡°Weiyang! Weiyang,Muqin is in the wrong, Muqin shouldn¡¯t have tried to harm you, and everything happeneddue to me, it has nothing to do with your Dage and Dajie! Please let them off,help me to beg Lao Furen to forgive them! From today onwards, I will not goagainst you, never again!¡±
Li Weiyang looked upon her coolly;in her heart, she was supremely satisfied at the oue, but on the outside,she looked conflicted, reaching out to support Da Furen. ¡°Muqin, Weiyang isunable to ept this, please get up and speak!¡±
Da Furen refused to budge an inch,hanging on for dear life. Li Weiyang blinked at Zhaoyue, who immediately pulledDa Furen away by the wrist with a cking sound. A bolt of shock went through DaFuren, and she was lifted up by Zhaoyue like a wooden puppet.
It waspletely uneptable. LaoFuren knitted her brows, ¡°Quickly, bring her away from here!¡±
Nobody dared to dy any longer; LiChangle was forcibly dragged away despite her desperate struggles.
Losing her children one afteranother, Da Furen was utterly defeated. She kept muttering under her breath:¡°Changle, Min Feng, Changle, Min Feng, Muqin is useless...¡± A few Yatous andMamas carried her out of the hall.
In a few moments, the great hallquietened down.
Li Weiyang nced towards Lao Furen,sighing deeply. ¡°Lao Furen, about Jiang Guo Gong¡¯s Residence...¡±
Lao Furenughed coldly, eyeing LiXiaoran, who was getting his arm wound bandaged. ¡°Since she has married intothe family, she is our daughter inw, how we punish her is our own business,we won¡¯t need to give them an ount of it.¡±
By this, she meant to keep theentire incident a secret from the Jiang Residence. ¡°Then how should we exinwhy Muqin is staying behind closed doors, and the fact that Dage and Dajie arenot in the mansion?¡± Li Weiyang fluttered her eyshes wonderingly.
¡°This is not difficult, we¡¯ll justsay that your Muqin is resting and recuperating, that your Dajie is at thetemple praying for her health. Your Dage was sent to Gun District to help yoursecond uncle. I¡¯d like to see, what the Jiang family can do to us!¡± LiXiaoran stated angrily.
Li Weiyang lowered her eyes; shedoubted that the Jiang family would believe any of that.
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 86 part2
Chapter86: Constant Vignce Part 2
Li Xiaoran had ordered that no onespeak of that night¡¯s incident, but among the servants, a rumor startedspreading that Da Furen was seriously ill, due to fright from the spiritshaunting her courtyard. Originally, this type of supernatural exnation wouldbe fodder for much gossip, and would also be a perfect cover-up for the truth.With so many Yatous and Mamas around, those who knew the truth did not dare tospeak out, and those who didn¡¯t know had to make blind guesses, adding fuel tothe fire.
When Li Min De told Li Weiyangabout this, she was feeding her pet birds. She turned around to look at him.¡°What? They¡¯re saying that Da Furen has been possessed?¡±
¡°Yes, they¡¯re saying that Da Bomuis constantly paranoid, hiding in her rooms every day and refusing toeout.¡± Li Min De did not know tough or cry, returning Li Weiyang¡¯s gaze. ¡°Shehas been talking to herself, requesting for a priest to perform exorcism. Sherefused to see the physician when he came. I bet she¡¯s inches away frominsanity, and if she really is crazy, she¡¯ll be a perfectpanion for Wujie.But honestly, she is already considered blessed; with all that had happened,she still managed to escape death.¡±
Li Weiyang smiled. ¡°Fuqin and LaoFuren would not let her die just like that; if she suddenly died, how is Fuqinsupposed to deal with the Jiang Family when theye to our door, demandingfor an exination? So they¡¯ll hire a physician to take care of her; she¡¯lllive well, take her medications and rest, but when it¡¯s her turn to die, it¡¯llbe her release.¡±
Li Min De understood the hiddenmeaning in a sh, and he suppressed a smile. ¡°Sanjie, you understand Da BoFu¡¯s thinking the best.¡±
If you have spent half of your lifestudying someone, you would definitely understand, but Li Weiyang did not speakout her thoughts. She not only understood Li Xiaoran, but Da Furen as well. Shewas stubborn andpetitive, with an enormous w; she loved to be incontrol. Da Furen wanted to have everyone ying in the palm of her hand, andif anybody fought against her will, she would not hesitate to crush the person.Her overbearing nature was exactly why so many people had died in the LiResidence. In truth, Da Furen was of noble birth, with a strong family backingher up. If she had behaved like a proper matriarch should, she wouldn¡¯t have tosuffer as she did now; because the other sons any concubine would have hadcould not threaten her position in the family, but she chose to be such atyrant! Li Xiaoran was indeed hurt badly by Da Furen this time, and if not forthe Jiangs, she wouldn¡¯t have survived.
So Li Weiyang only smiled as a formof reply, not saying a word.
Li Min De just opened his mouth,but caught sight of Bai Zhi hurrying in. She curtseyed. ¡°Xiaojie, Wei Guo Furenis here for a visit.¡±
Wei Guo Furen? Li Weiyang archedher brows; she wouldn¡¯t have bothered to visit if she hadn¡¯t heard rumors. Shethought for a moment. ¡°Lao Furen will deal with her, no need to worry.¡±
The moment Wei Guo Furen arrived,she made for Da Furen¡¯s courtyard hurriedly, but was blocked by the guards atthe door. Furious, she rushed to He Xiang Yuan, where Lao Furen insisted thather daughter-inw was resting and recuperating. Wei Guo Furen refused to giveup, pestering Lao Furen to allow her to visit.
With Lao Furen ignoring her pleas, WeiGuo Furen was helpless and could only leave. However, she wasn¡¯t one to give upso easily. She returned every other day to kick up a fuss, demanding to see DaFuren.
Today, Li Weiyang was in He XiangYuan, serving Lao Furen her medicine when they heard Wei Guo Furen arriving.
Losing her appetite, Lao Furenmmed the bowl heavily on the table. ¡°Hng, why is she here again.¡±
¡°Lao Furen, don¡¯t worry. Since WeiGuo Furen wants to visit Muqin, we¡¯ll just have to allow her to. It¡¯ll befine.¡± Li Weiyang answered with a smile.
¡°If she sees how that woman is likenow, she¡¯ll definitely use the Li Family of mistreating her oldersister! Not only should we keep her from seeing her, but not a whisper ofgossip should escape!¡±
¡°We can¡¯t keep it a secret forlong, so rather than being so stubborn, we¡¯ll let her see for herself. However,we can decide what we want her to see.¡±
Lao Furen froze for a minute,lifting her head to study Li Weiyang. She thought deeply for moments andfinally smiled, praising Weiyang. ¡°Your mind is quick and sharp. Okay, you¡¯llmake the arrangements.¡±
Wei Guo Furen waited outside for afull 2 hours before she saw Li Weiyanging out with an apologetic smile. ¡°Yimu.¡±
¡°Who is your Yimu!¡± Wei Guo Furen¡¯sface darkened.
Not a trace of unhappiness showedon Li Weiyang¡¯s face; on the contrary, she smiled even more warmly. ¡°Yimu ishere to visit Muqin right? Aiya, what a bad timing. Muqin isn¡¯t feeling well,she hasn¡¯t been receiving visitors ofte.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t act in front of me, becareful of what I¡¯ll do if you try to stop me from seeing my Dajie...¡± Wei GuoFuren started to rage, but Li Weiyang stopped her mid-sentence with a smile.¡°Yimu, since you insist, we won¡¯t stop you, so please follow me.¡±
Wei Guo Furen was stunned,immediately assuming that she had scared Li Weiyang. She gave a cool hmph, andinstructed herpanions to follow.
Gao Min was extremely displeased.¡°Muqin, how could you listen to this Xiao Yatou?!¡±
Wei Guo Furen whispered back in alow voice. ¡°We¡¯ll see your Da Bomu first, at least we¡¯ll have some evidence tobring back to Guo Gong Residence.¡±
Gao Min nodded. ¡°Yes, Muqin.¡± Justby looking at Li Weiyang, she felt irritated, so much that even the entire LiResidence annoyed her.
As they stepped into Fu Rui Yuan, LiWeiyang paused. ¡°Yimu, please go in first.¡±
With a proud tilt of her head, WeiGuo Furen strode to the front as the Yatous opened the doors. She was the firstone through.
The moment she walked into thecourtyard, Wei Guo Furen did not even have a minute to take in hersurroundings. Two coils of rope flew towards her on the left and right sides,with a soft ¡®sou¡¯ sound, wrapping her. She saw two little priests chanting andwalking in a staggered formation in front of her; they were the ones whorendered her immobile.
Wei Guo Furen was furious. ¡°Youdamn dogs, what are you doing! Li Weiyang, what is going on here!¡±
Gao Min quickly ran over, seeingthat there was an altar set up in the middle of the courtyard, with an olderpriest behind it, eyes half-lidded and chanting loudly. He was waving a bell inone hand, and making strange gestures with another hand in front of his chest.
¡°What are you guys doing! Let go ofmy Muqin!¡± Gao Min screamed.
The priest mmed down the bell onthe altar and his eyes flew open. His two disciples gave the ropes a tugin the opposite direction, tightening the binds and leaving Wei Guo Furen withnowhere to hide, ufortably bound. Her voice was pierced with fear. ¡°Quick,somebody save me! Someone!¡±
However, Zhaoyue had blocked theway of the Yatous and Mamas, so other than Wei Guo Furen and her daughter, noone was able to enter the courtyard.
Li Weiyang stepped through the doorand gestured gently; the priest came forward, brandishing a wooden sword infront of Wei Guo Furen, chanting. ¡°Swift judgement from the heavens, TaishangLaojun knows my intent, all demons and spirits begone!¡± As he chanted, he pickedup the brazier on the altar and burnt the yellow talisman, afterwards swingingthe brazier in front of Wei Guo Furen. He shouted loudly, ¡°Demons and ghosts,dissipate!¡±
In a moment, a whole brazier fullof incense ash was hurled at Wei Guo Furen.
¡°Get away from me!¡± Wei Guo Furenscreamed ungracefully, but she was unable to avoid it. Ash covered her fromhead to toe.
Gao Min leaped over, smacking thelittle disciples. However, they were still men; she missed a step and fell ontothe floor, looking especially pathetic.
¡°All demons, reveal yourself!¡± Heshouted again, grabbing the bowl of chicken blood on the altar and sshing itacross.
Gao Min was caught unaware and gotdrenched in it. She had never been so humiliated before, and was hopping mad.She jumped up and gave one of the disciples a tight p. ¡°How dare you!¡±
Wei Guo Furen shouted, ¡°What areyou all doing? This is too much! The servants outside, are you all dead ordying, quicklye in and save me!¡±
In a moment, Wei Guo Furen and herdaughter were covered in chicken blood and incense ash, totally losing theirmour and poise as Furen and Xiaojie. In their current state, they were worseoff than crazy women in the streets. Wei Guo Furen¡¯s screams had alreadypierced through the roofs, alerting everyone else in the house. With a wave of LiWeiyang¡¯s hands, Zhaoyue deftly stepped aside, letting those Yatous and Mamasrush inside. Upon seeing such a scene, they wanted tough, but did not dareto; they could only rush forwards to push away the two disciples, saving WeiGuo Furen.
Gao Min broke into wailing sobs. ¡°LiWeiyang, you damnable slut, you¡¯vended us in this mess... how embarrassing!¡±
Li Weiyang walked in. ¡°Aiya, what¡¯sgoing on here?! Cui Mama, Cui Mama!¡±
Cui Mama was a servant sent by LaoFuren to watch over Da Furen, and she was strict beyond belief. She knewbeforehand about Wei Guo Furen¡¯s visit, and had arranged everything ordingto San Xiaojie¡¯s instructions. Hearing Li Weiyang call for her, she hurriedlyput on a panicked expression as she exited the house. ¡°Xianzhu.¡±
Li Weiyang pointed towards Wei GuoFuren. ¡°Yimu is here to visit Muqin. What are you all doing, why didn¡¯t youmention earlier that you¡¯ve invited priests to perform rites.¡±
Cui Mama quickly apologized. ¡°Ididn¡¯t know Wei Guo Furen was here, it is Laonu¡¯s fault. Just that... this priestwas invited over at Da Furen¡¯s instructions.¡±
¡°That is utter nonsense! My Dajiehas never believed in such hocus pocus!¡± Wei Guo Furen raged.
Li Weiyang sighed deeply. ¡°At thismoment, if you want to know how serious Muqin¡¯s illness is, seeing with yourown eyes and hearing with your own ears is the best. Yimu, please step in andtake a look at Muqin, and if you can, persuade her to recuperate properly.¡±
Wei Guo Furen was filled with fury,and couldn¡¯t care less about her appearance. She stormed into the house withoutany hesitation.
In the inner chambers, heavycurtains were hanging from the windows, letting only a little light into thedim room. Da Fureny on the bed, motionless. As Wei Guo Furen walked up, shesaw that Da Furen¡¯s cheeks were like sunken pits, her eyes bruised blue-ckwith fatigue, and her sculpted high cheekbones jutting sharply; she was plete shadow of her proud and wealthy self.
Wei Guo Furen knitted her browssecretly, how did she be like this.
Da Furen was in a deep sleep, so CuiMama hurried in in front of Wei Guo Furen to the foot of Da Furen¡¯s bed.¡°Furen, Wei Guo Furen is here, please wake up.¡±
As Lao Furen had rejected her somany times, Wei Guo Furen already had her doubts, suspecting that Da Furen hadbeen grounded by them. Seeing how Da Furen was sleeping in the middle of theday, and looking so sickly, she couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Dajie!¡±
Da Furen jolted awake, rubbing hereyes and sitting up suddenly. Her blurry eyes scanned Wei Guo Furen for amoment, as if not recognizing her.
¡°Dajie!¡± Wei Guo Furen steppedforward quickly.
Da Furen fixed her stare onto WeiGuo Furen, brushing her away and iling madly with both hands.
¡°Don¡¯t look for me, don¡¯t look forme, this is not my fault, I was forced to do it. It¡¯s all your own misfortune...Wu Yiniang please let me off, I had no other choice. I have regretted it, I¡¯ll performrites for you, I will make it up to you...¡±
Da Furen started off murmuring, butsuddenly kept pleading.
Wei Guo Furen waspletelyshocked that she did not recognize her.
She was covered in blood; ofcourse Da Furen couldn¡¯t recognize her. Cui Mama reminded her. ¡°Wei Guo Furen,perhaps you should clean up first, in case you rm Da Furen.¡±
¡°What do you mean rm her, areyou saying that I look scary?!¡± Wei Guo Furen was enraged.
Li Weiyang hid her smile, watchingfrom the sides.
Wei Guo Furen grabbed Da Furen¡¯sarm. ¡°Dajie, did you order those people to do rites just now?¡±
¡°Rites? Yes, yes it was me...¡± DaFuren seemed to have realized something, muttering under her breath. Shenervously clutched at Wei Guo Furen. ¡°Was the ghost caught?¡±
¡°What ghost?¡± Wei Guo Furen wasdisturbed and shocked.
¡°This courtyard is haunted! Youdon¡¯t know, but every night a ghoul will crawl out to haunt people; longtongue, blood red eyes, dark hair and wearing white, it is Wu Yiniang! She hae to demand my life! It must be her... or no, it might also be San Furen. Yes,it is them for sure!¡± Da Furen quipped mysteriously.
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Panisa (In Progress)
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Chapter 87 part1
Chapter 87: Jealousy Part 1
Õù·ç³Ô´×(zh¨¥ngf¨¥ngch¨©c¨´)- the original chapter title denotes the romantic context of this type ofjealousy
µÀÊ¿(d¨¤oshi) -Daoist or Taoist (Taoism), refers to a priest in Daoism, to which quite a fewxianxia novels are inspired by, it¡¯s difficult to exin...
Ïɳ¤xi¨¡n zh¨£ng-Immortal, used as form of respect towards Daoist priests
Å®¹ín¨· gu¨« - female ghost
Áé·ûl¨ªngf¨² - Daoist talisman, iconic yellowpaper to seal away evil spirits (in most cases)
Hearing this, Wei Guo Furen¡¯s eyes widened inconfusion: ¡°Dajie, how can you believe these rotten Taoists?!
Da Furen angrily retorted: ¡°What rottenTaoist! You are not to be disrespectful to xian zhang! He came to save me! Ifeel much better now, my chest is no longer hurting, and my head is not achinganymore either! A blessing from the deities! If he hadn¡¯t dispelled them, Imight have already taken myst breath!¡±
Wei Guo Furen could not believe it: ¡°Dajie,what is wrong with you, why are you saying such nonsense!¡±
¡°You are the one saying nonsense!¡± Da Furenfervently looked in all directions, tense, ¡°Do not nder xian zhang, if heleaves and that nu guies, what will I do!¡±
Wei Guo Furen did not know what to say:¡°Dajie, there is no nu gui. Those people are just swindlers! Earlier he said Iwas a nu gui then threw dog¡¯s blood in my face! Look at this!¡±
¡°Swindlers?¡± Taken aback, Da Furen shudderedand began to panic: ¡°Then, Wu Yiniang is still in the courtyard?! I invited aDaoist to exorcise her, won¡¯t that nu gui resent me even more now? I¡¯m afraidshe will resort to malicious schemes to take revenge, what to do now? What todo now?¡± She threw her quilt aside, shifted and got out of bed, barefooted, andwent around, searching for something.
¡°Dajie, what are you looking for?!¡± Wei GuoFuren did not know what to do anymore.
Da Furen cried out: ¡°Cui mama, my lingfu,quickly bring them here!¡±
Cui mama hurriedly brought a pile of lingfu:¡°Furen, here!¡±
¡°The door, windows, pirs, curtains,closets, screen divider... put these on all them! Quickly call others to help meput them up! Everywhere inside out! Do not leave a single spot untouched!¡± DaFuren cried out as if she had lost her senses.
Da Furen¡¯s eyes were wide in panic, her fearescting, face contorting, stumbling, her mouth moving, mumbling. Wei GuoFuren was terrified. She felt that Dajie was not under house arrest but wascursed: ¡°What ultimately happened?! Li Wei Yang, exin this!¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed: ¡°Yimu, throughout the day,Muqin insists that there are ghosts here, perhaps there are ghosts. You musthave heard, first, Lin mama got lost in the mountains and never returned. ThenDu mama was beaten to death by Muqin over a single mistake, and when Dajiemisspoke Muqin had confined her to closed-door reflection, and now Muqin evenforced Dage to leave. Everyone could not stand Muqin¡¯s antics and was afraid oing near her, so no one dares toe here recently. Ah, yes, our Wumei hasalso gone crazy, frightened to death in this very courtyard. Everyone thoughtMuqin should move out to recuperate, and then the courtyard was isted toavoid further incidents.¡±
Wei Guo Furen could not believe it. Eying thegloomy room, her back suddenly felt cold. She knew about jiejie¡¯s schemes. Whoknows how many have died at her hands, could it be that they returned to seekrevenge? Gao Min clung onto her arm: ¡°Mother, you have seen Da Yimu already. DaYimu is fine, we should quickly leave, this ce is haunting!¡±
Wei Guo Furen looked at her Dajie and saw thatshe did not seem to be under house arrest. Moreover, she too felt this cewas terrifying. She nodded and told Da Furen: ¡°Dajie, rest well, I willeback to visit another day.¡± Then, she led Gao Min away.
After she left, Cui mama sighed in relief andordered someone to help Da Furen back into bed. She walked Li Wei Yang to thedoor: ¡°San Xiaojie¡¯s n was well-put together.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°A bit of the incense canleave someone¡¯s mind muddled. Wei Guo Furen had the smell of dog¡¯s blood,otherwise, she would have been affected too.¡±
She ordered the attendant in Da Furen¡¯s roomto burn the hallucinatory incense. Da Furen was always afraid of ghosts, andnow it was even more serious, that way Wei Guo Furen would not besuspicious.
Li Wei Yang quietly began: ¡°Muqin, how is shethese days?¡±
Cui mama smiled and said: ¡°Sometimes good,sometimes bad. At times, she is conscious but also confused and disoriented. Whenshe is in her right mind, she will order Nubi to quickly find Da Xiaojie and DaShaoye, and when she is hallucinating, she will say there is a ghostand often wake up from nightmares. She cannotsleep during the day. She is not in her right mind, so her illness is worseningby the day. The physician said that if this were to continue, she would havehalf a year left at most.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded, the corner of her mouthcurving into a subtle smile. She wanted to make Da Furen feel uneasy andunsafe, day and night, tormenting her to the end.
Cui mama bowed her head, thinking to herself,San Xiaojie was so young yet had ruthlessly acted. She had only entered theresidence for half a year, but she could reduce Da Furen to this state and holdher own against an opponent like Wei Guo Furen, admirable. However, there wasstill the Jiang family behind Da Furen, how could things be resolved thiseasily? She did not dare to say this to Li Wei Yang, nor reveal her emotionseither.
Li Wei Yang knew what she was thinking bylooking at her expressions and smiled: ¡°In the future, I must trouble Cui mamato look after Muqin, but you should remember what Lao Furen sent you here todo, do not do as you please.¡±
Cui mama panicked and hurriedly said: ¡°Nubiwould not dare, Nubi will not let her out of sight!¡±
From Li Wei Yang¡¯s perspective, only cuttingthe grass leaves the roots and leaves the grass to grow back again in thespring. She wanted Da Furen¡¯s life, but Lao Furen and Li Xiao Ran had sentpeople to keep watch, clearly not determined to do so yet. If she rashly acted,they would lose interest in punishing her, and she provoke the Jiang family.Beating the fish until it died was not the result she wanted. However, Li WeiYang had other means, especially those that did not require her to do much! Shethought to herself and outwardly smiled sweetly: ¡°It is good that Cui mamaunderstands.¡±
Cui mama¡¯s heart raced, she reluctantlysmiled: ¡°Seeing Xianzhu off.¡±
Taizi¡¯s Study
Taizi and Tuoba Zhen were discussing courtaffairs, Taizi pped him on the shoulder: ¡°San di, you need to marry a Zhengfei already.¡±
Tuoba Zhen slightly smiled: ¡°I am preupiedwith important affairs now, how could I be thinking about that?¡±
Taizi shook his head: ¡°Muhou said Zhou Tai Fumentioned he wanted to marry his nu er to you, perhaps you have heard of thisguniang¡¯s reputation. She is beautiful and clever, gentle and virtuous, afamous and talenteddy in the Capital, verypatible with you...¡±
Of course, Tuoba Zhen knew of this ZhouXiaojie who excelled at calligraphy. She was once someone he considered forZheng fei, but now, he decided: ¡°This can be discussed at another time.¡±
Taizi shook his head: ¡°San di, you cannot belike Wu di, infatuated with that Li Chang Le. These past two days, Wu di toldFu Huang he wanted to make Li Chang Le his Zheng fei, the result was Fu Huangwas enraged and harshly scolded him. That guniang is beautiful, beautifulindeed, but unwanted, especially since Fu Huang and the Empress Dowager dislikeher, if you marry her, how could it end well? In fact, women are the same,perhaps she can be a bit more beautiful, butpatibility between husband andwife is most important.¡±
Taizi had never met Li Chang Le but had heardeveryone say she was a young beauty whose beauty could befall empires andcities. However, in his view, it was foolish to lose the Emperor¡¯s good gracefor a woman.
¡°Dage has been overthinking this.¡± Tuoba Zhenhad thought of marrying Li Chang Le, but since Fu Huang grew sick and tired ofher, he had cast these intentions aside.
¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, you have been collecting alot of books, antiques, qin music, certainly to win a woman¡¯s heart. Someonewho couldmand your respect, I fear it is that beauty, but San di, I mustremind you that: if Fu Huang did not have ill feelings towards Li Chang Le,then I would support you in marrying her because her grandfather is JiangGuogong and her father is Prime Minister Li, both of whom will be of great helpto us. However, Fu Huang is disgusted with her, so you must think carefully. Ifanything, women are not to be spoiled in such a manner, otherwise you will onlybring disaster upon yourself...¡±
Those things... He had a collection indeed, buthe had not given them away yet. Tuoba Zhen fell silent for a moment, not sayinganything.
Taizi was concerned: ¡°San di, are youinfatuated with her? This is uneptable.¡±
¡°Dage, rest assured, I am not a foolishperson.¡±
Taizi was still worried: ¡°No, I must find agood woman for you soon...¡±
¡°This matter... Hope Dage will let me personallyresolve this, if one were to take a wife, of course, I must marry someonevirtuous and can help our cause, wouldn¡¯t you say so, Dage?¡± Tuoba Zhen smiled.
Taizi sighed: ¡°San di...¡±
Tuoba Zhen saw he still wanted to persuade himandughed: ¡°Dage, pursuing a woman can be a pleasure, but I have been busywith court affairs. At times, I need to find a hobby. Dage, it is something Iwill take care of, I will not dy matters at hand, rest assured...¡±
¡°The one you have your eyes on is not Li ChangLe?¡± Taizi found this strange.
¡°No.¡± Tuoba Zhen was surprised to hear himselfconfirm this without hesitation. He originally nned to marry Li Chang Le.Least to say, he had been impressed by Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty, but for somereason, he had pushed this idea to the back of his mind.
¡°If not, then good.¡± Taizi breathed out a sighof relief, then felt curious: ¡°Seeing you spend so much time and effort, isthis woman very difficult to handle?¡±
Tuoba Zhenughed and said: ¡°Only a bitheadstrong...¡± He feared she was not only headstrong but also ruthlessly actingagainst him.
¡°San di, women must be gentle and attentive,if her personality is too headstrong, it will be troublesome.¡±
¡°Dage, think of it as taming, taming a womanis like a taming a wild horse. Of course, it will be dangerous, but isn¡¯t itmore interesting that way? Besides, I don¡¯t believe that there is a woman inthis world who cannot be tamed!¡± Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes lit up, then he smiled.
Ever since Li Wei Yang told him to keep hisdistance, he began to pay more attention to her. He could care less if he wereto lose to anyone else but losing to Tuoba Yu was uneptable! Since theirchildhood days, that person had always been in his way, even if their taste in womenwere simr, if he couldn¡¯t have Li Wei Yang, Tuoba Yu couldn¡¯t either!
Determined, Tuoba Zhen made his decision.
The next afternoon, Li Wei Yang came out of HeXiang Courtyard and had just reached the gardens when she saw Tuoba Zhenapproaching from afar.
Why was he here? Li Wei Yang thought for amoment then realized, now that Tuoba Zhen had lost many generals in session,he needed a way to offset his disadvantaged position, so he came looking for LiXiao Ran, perhaps with an ulterior motive.
It was toote to avoid him now. Li Wei Yangcalmly greeted him, then walked past him without a second look.
¡°Xianzhu, it has been a while, how have youbeen?¡± Tuoba Zhen began.
¡°Thank San Dianxia for your concern, I amwell.¡±
Tuoba Zhen smiled: ¡°Oh, you seem very well,but I have not seen your Dage for half a month, where did he go?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions did not change:¡°Dage has always liked to wander and establish connections. As far as I know hemight have gone out to find ancient artifacts in a celestial mountainsomewhere. Howe? Did he not tell you?¡±
Tuoba Zhen chuckled softly: ¡°I really didn¡¯tknow this time.¡±
Li Wei Yang did not want to talk to him. Everymoment beside him disgusted her. She coldly asserted: ¡°I should not dyDianxia, I will be on my way first.¡±
Tuobz Zhen suddenly closed the distancebetween them, stopping in front of her.
Li Wei Yang smiled nkly. She told him tostay away, why hadn¡¯t he given up! She raised her eyebrows: ¡°Is there somethingelse San Dianxia would like to advise?¡±
Tuoba Zhen slightly turned and told the personbeside him: ¡°All of you, leave us.¡±
¡°Yes, Dianxia.¡± Those who came with him allwithdrew, leaving Zhao Yue and Bai Zhi with Li Wei Yang.
Zhao Yue stood guard not far behind Li WeiYang. She was not from Da Li, so she did not revere Tuoba Zhen. If Li Wei Yanggave the order, even if it was to immediately draw her sword and charge, shewould not hesitate.
However, Li Wei Yang did not give the word, inthe presence of so many watchful eyes, the urge to taking action against TuobaZhen should be suppressed.
Tuoba Zhen slowly walked up to her, his faceseemed more profound and handsome under the sunshine. If anyone else saw him,they would be captivated by him.
Li Wei Yang did not react at the slightest,idly looking at him: ¡°Does Dianxia still have something to say?¡±
¡°Not only are your Dage¡¯s whereabouts unknown,but these days, it seems Da Xiaojie is no longer attending banquets either.¡±Tuoba Zhen said with a small smile.
It seems he had noticed and closely followedup on the changes within the Li family, Li Wei Yang smiled faintly: ¡°Muqin hasfallen ill, Dajie went to a temple to pray for her, was San Dianxia not awareof this?¡±
¡°Oh, if one¡¯s Muqin is ill, how could herchild bear to go afar?¡±
¡°It is nothing strange, Muqin has only fallenill recently. Fuqin has written Dage a letter, but I don¡¯t know what has beendying him.¡± Li Wei Yang responding in an orderly fashion, addressingunspoken questions while overlooking the details.
It may have sounded reasonable, butingfrom Li Wei Yang, Tuoba Zhen felt this was strange. He could recognize Li WeiYang¡¯s concealed hatred, which lessened her credibility, but he could notimagine what happened in the Li family. Of course, if his intelligenceworkhad not beenpromised, he would know the reason, but this was currently outof the question... He frowned: ¡°Da Furen not partaking in outside affairs, DaXiaojie went to a temple, and Da Shaoye disappeared, don¡¯t you feel this israther strange?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Whether it is strange ornot, San Dianxia can ask my Fuqin, I believe he will give Dianxia a reasonableexnation.¡±
No matter who he asked in the Li family, theyall gave the same exnation: Da Furen is sick, Li Chang Le went to pray, LiMin Feng was traveling, the Nubi in the residence held their tongues, unable tosay, and those who wanted to say something knew nothing. Outsiders could onlyept these exnations for now. In any case, Wei Guo Furen had visited DaFuren and found that aside from her paranoia and superstitions, Da Furen wasnot being confined... Even Wei Guo Furen said her jiejie was ill, how couldothers still not believe it?
¡°Does San Dianxia still have something to say?If not, I must go.¡± Li Wei Yang reminded him.
¡°Xianzhu, why are you in such a hurry?¡±
¡°Dianxia seems to have forgotten what I havesaid before, now, it is time to act on them.¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face grew solemn, scoffed andsneered: ¡°So you remember that, you treat me as if I were a dog, toe whencalled and obediently leave when chased away? You have no right to order mearound in that manner.¡±
¡°San Dianxia, while you are a Huangzi, you donot have the authority to do as you please.¡± Li Wei Yang stood there,unwavering, then looked up, her eyes meeting his in a cold, detached manner,¡°What does San Dianxia ultimately want, do you think you can do such things towomen? Are you not afraid of being caught and invite others to raise theirvoices against you?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were lovely, her eyes weredark and had hidden depths, like a bottomless well, able to draw others¡¯ soulsin. Tuoba Zhen found that his eyes could not leave her face. She did not haveLi Chang Le¡¯s breathtaking beauty, but she had an air of a refreshing spring,secluded and mysterious.
¡°Raise their voices against me?¡± Tuoba Zhenbroke out intoughter: ¡°If I mention it to your Fuqin, will he agree for meto marry you?¡±
Li Wei Yang could not help butugh: ¡°TuobaZhen, do you not have any self-respect?¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s stare quickly turned hostile: ¡°LiWei Yang, I only have so much patience, I cannot tolerate your attitude timeafter time.¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head as if in disbelief:¡°Even if I had a single pleasant thing to say, I would not say it to you,unless you want to beughingstock, why would you bring up marriage to myfather. There is no medicine that could cure you!¡±
¡°Li Wei Yang, you¡¯re more intriguing thanthose prestigious noble...¡± Tuoba Zhen stared at her, his lips curving into asmile: ¡°Dangerous, malicious, clever, cunning, you are a worthy match for me,don¡¯t you think so? We are perhaps the ideal match for one another.¡±
He thought he was a god in the heavens,manipting others¡¯ lives as he pleased. Li Wei Yang resented not being ableto tear him apart because of how he once treated her sincerity, tossing itaside, now seeing that she was different from other Xiaojies, he was wavering!
¡°Yes, I am a good match for you, but you see,you do not deserve me!¡± Li Wei Yang emphasized every word, sneering: ¡°Since youdon¡¯t remember my words at the restaurant, I will say it again. Tuoba Zhen, youare not worthy of me! So stay away!¡±
Tuoba Zhen felt his body grow cold: ¡°Li WeiYang! You truly value Tuoba Yu? Is he that great? Or are you just trying to getmy attention?! Well, you really are clever, you seeded, I have noticed, nowyou want to keep pretending because it won¡¯t be as fun if you give in!¡±
Li Wei Yang almost burst outughing, thisman must be crazy! Thinking she was ignoring him to get his attention, what wasthis twisted logic!
Someone like him truly left her speechless.
Li Wei Yang looked at him: ¡°I have neverdeceived you. I have never regarded you in that manner, much less ignore you toattract you. You have thought too much of it, not every woman in Da Li has highregards for you, do not think so highly of yourself.
Tuoba Zhen intently stared at her, his eyesburning, ¡°Li Wei Yang, there is no woman in this world who dared to talk to melike this, you dare to mock me? If I want you, you must be mine, whether I likeyou or not, whether you are willing or not, you must be like other women,always finding ways to please me, focusing on my attention, but you, you findways to make me dislike you, grow sick and tired of you, and avoid me at allcosts. The more you do so, the more I want you, let us see who will be thevictor!¡±
Tuoba Zhen had acted out of the self-respectof a Huangzi and a man. He would not forgive anyone who did not respect him,much less a young girl like Li Wei Yang!
Li Wei Yang scoffed: ¡°Then wait and see. Ifyou want me, someone stone-willed and headstrong, to agree, then wait until theriver runs dry and rocks have eroded!¡±
Having said this, she walked away withoutlooking back.
¡°Li Wei Yang, just wait and see.¡± He mutteredas he looked after her retreating figure.
She could understand him so clearly, yet stillwanted to rise to Tuoba Yu¡¯s position? Thinking back to that day, the image ofthe two smiling, talking, his hands clenched.
As Li Wei Yang left the garden, Bai Zhiworriedly began: ¡°Xiaojie...¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head, ¡°I am alright.¡±She solemnly ordered: ¡°This matter is to be kept silent, you are not to speakabout it with anyone, otherwise, I will not spare you.¡±
Zhao Yue and Bai Zhi looked at one another andquickly answered: ¡°Nubi understands.¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Jaslynn
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Chapter 87 part2
Chapter 87: Jealousy Part 2
²ÔËÉc¨¡ng s¨ng - known as the Armand pine or Chinese white pine tree
°Ùó¼Ö®³æËÀ¶ø²»½©b¨£i z¨² zh¨© ch¨®ng, s¨« ¨¦rb¨´ ji¨¡ng - insect with hundreds of legs, dead but not stiff, saying that evenwhen powerful people or groups fall, their power and influence still exist
After the New Year was hunting season.
Every year, during this time, the Emperor gave thedecree permitting members of the Imperial family and civil and militaryofficials to participate. Li Wei Yang had be Xianzhu, and with Li XiaoRan¡¯s intervention, her name was among those invited. A glorious honor, it wasthe first time two nu haizi of the Li family were invited. Such a great honor,making others curious and enthusiastic. However, Li Wei Yang seemed concernedand unhappy.
Li Min De curiously asked: ¡°San jie, why do you lookunhappy?¡±
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°What is there to be interested it?¡±After all, it was an opportunity for nobles to kill each other. It wasmeaningless and a waste of time, and she would also have to be in the presenceof undesiredpany like Tuoba Zhen or Wei Guo Furen.
Li Min De blinked and said: ¡°Think of it as going outto relieve your frustrations then. Since you will be going to the north thistime, there are great ins set aside for the Imperial family to hunt. It issaid to be wild grasnds, cao yuan (mountainous regions), and an endlessexpanse, the scenery will be a refreshing change from the Capital.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded, looking at the cang song tree inthe garden: ¡°I don¡¯t know why I always feel a bit uneasy.¡±
¡°Why? Da Bofu is taking you along, so you should takeyour mind off of things!¡±
¡°Take my mind off of things?¡± Li Wei Yang suspected LiXiao Ran had only begun to involve her in his schemes. Li Wei Yang shook herhead, then turned to Zhao Yue and asked: ¡°Has your Dage returned?¡±
Zhao Yue frowned: ¡°Dage has been gone for over half amonth this time but still no news from him.¡±
Zhao Nan¡¯s martial arts abilities were exceptional. LiWei Yang let him take care of Li Min Feng in the middle of the road. Find achance to fabricate an ident and eliminate him, this was not a difficulttask, so there was no need to worry, but - if he had taken precautions, then itwill not be easy. Da Furen, Li Chang Le, Li Min Feng, between the three, Li WeiYang had chosen to eliminate Li Min Feng first. Acting outside the residencewas much more convenient and will not be easily discovered by others.
¡°San jie worries that something happened to Zhao Nan?¡±A cold gleam shed across Li Min De¡¯s eyes, too quickly for anyone else tonotice.
Li Wei Yang nodded: ¡°Although Li Min Feng has beenabandoned by Fuqin, I still feel Da Furen has something up her sleeve.¡±
Li Min De tly said: ¡°An old woman frightened toinsanity still has means of doing so? Besides, she cannot even leave the Li residence-- ¡±
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°Bai du zhi chong si er bu jiang,you think she hasn¡¯t made preparations beforehand? Dage studied abroad for manyyears, if Da Furen had not arranged enough forces around him, how could she lethim go like that? We have only seen her struggle and underestimated hercautious nature. I¡¯m afraid Zhao Nan is in danger.¡±
Zhao Yue had strong confidence: ¡°Rest assured,Xiaojie, even if Dage is not sessful, he will not be reduced to alife-threatening state.¡±
Li Wei Yang turned back to look at her, seeing theconfidence on her face, she smiled and said: ¡°I hope that is the case.¡±
The day they were to embark from the Capital to thehunting grounds, the main road was to be sealed off tomoners, shops andstalls along the roads had to be closed. A great brocade was stretched above,from one side of the road of the Imperial capital to the other, vivid colors ofclothing signifying rank and region, the procession organized ording torank, banners flying everywhere.
This time, the Emperor brought many concubines withhim. The Empress stayed back at the pce because of her health while Mei GuiFei, Wu Xian Fei, Zhang De Fei, Rou Fei, and some other favored pin fei came.Among the Huangzi, aside from Taizi who stayed behind to manage court affairs,everyone else came.
The Imperial edict allowed some officials to bringtheir families, but he had personally selected who would be able to attend, forexample, Li Wei Yang, someone who had caught the Emperor¡¯s, a few officials forpolitical reasons, and families chosen with careful consideration. Li Wei Yangnoticed the Xiaojies that came along were the most outstanding of each family.There were also three thousand Imperial guards, five hundred regr guards,and physicians, pce servants, totaling to almost a thousand people.
Li Wei Yang sat in a horse-drawn carriage towards theend of the procession. Bored, she lifted the curtain to look outside. She saw ayoung man with a long cloak, the hood over his head hiding his face, the goldembroidery on the hem of his clothes signifying his noble status. He had beenpressing ahead, but then he pulled the reins and stopped in front of Li WeiYang¡¯s carriage and looked back, revealing a handsome face. Li Wei Yangrecognized it was Tuoba Yu. She felt generous and smiled at him, he politelyraised the riding crop and waved before pulling the reins and leading theguards behind him away, racing ahead.
Soon, thendscape around the Capital transformedinto fields. Rolling hills appeared beyond the window, both sides of the roadframed with farnds. Li Wei Yang gazed out for a while. Feeling even morebored, she opened up a book to read. She had lost track of time until Zhao Yuesaid: ¡°Xiaojie, we have arrived at the campgrounds.¡±
The procession had stopped, a chorus of neighinghorses rang out. Noblewomen stepped down from the carriages and stood off toone side. People began to set up tents and collect branches for a fire. Li WeiYang saw everyone bustling around and noticed that one tent had been set up.There were gold markings at the center, along with an emblem of a golden dragonwith its w bared, the Emperor¡¯s tent.
The noblewomen had gathered to socialize, moring inexcitement, especially when discussing which tents each Huangzi will be in. LiWei Yang had been to hunting grounds before, so there was nothing new to see.She left Bai Zhi to arrange their belongings and brought Zhao Yue with her asshe walked around. She wore cotton riding clothes and leather boots, walkingacross fresh grass, exuding a different air to her.
A piece of mud suddenly flew towards them, Zhao Yuedeflected it with her sword. The mud flew back from where it came from and axiao guniang jumped out of the bushes, her face sttered with mud: ¡°Li WeiYang!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked up, wasn¡¯t this Jiu Gongzhu?Although she looked furious, she was still adorable. Beside her, a young boystood, blinking as he curiously looked at Li Wei Yang, she could immediatelyguess who he was: ¡°Greeting Ba Huangzi, Jiu Gonzhu.¡±
Ba Huangzi cheerfully smiled and said: ¡°You are theXianzhu that infuriated Huang mei? Huang mei mentions you seven or eight timesa day ever since she returned to the pce!¡± Every time she had, it was withclenched teeth and fury.
Li Wei Yang walked over and pinched Jiu Gongzhu¡¯scheek: ¡°Gongzhu, it has been a while, had I known Gongzhu had missed me, Iwould havee to the pce to visit.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu suddenly leapt up, putting distancebetween them: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you are too much, don¡¯t think I won¡¯t do anythingto you, I will go and tell Fu Huang¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang gently reminded her: ¡°Indeed, Jiu Gongzhucan tell Fu Huang that I had bullied Jiu Gongzhu, so you ran to him to cry.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu wrinkled her little nose. She originallycame to find Li Min De, but when she saw Li Wei Yang, Li Min De was forgotten,reced by her anger. Ba Huangzi¡¯s manner of speaking was still childish:¡°Huang mei, do not tell the world you were scolded by a nobledy two yearsolder than you, wouldn¡¯t saying this implicate Mufei and make othersugh?¡±
Li Wei Yang noticed he had the mind of an old sage:¡°Ba Dianxia is right.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu scoffed, turned and walked away. BaHuangzi ran after her, not sparing Li Wei Yang a second nce. A suddenughrang out behind a tree beside her. Li Wei Yang turned around and saw Tuoba Yuemerge from behind the tree, brightly smiling: ¡°An adult picking on a child,you truly have no shame.¡±
Li Wei Yang arched her eyebrows: ¡°Qi Dianxia is olderthan me too, isn¡¯t Qi Dianxia also picking on the little ones because ofseniority? Not to mention, I am only fourteen years old, not considered anadult yet.¡± Not old enough for romance, she wanted to convey.
She could pretend to be a xiao haizi, but a woman, nomatter how old she was, still paid close attention to her age. Like manyothers, she did not want others to say she was old. Li Wei Yang had sufferedquite a bit before being reborn and was particrly concerned with her age.Considering her age in the past life, she had lived to be thirty six, and nowshe was fourteen years old, almost half a lifetime of difference. In any case,she was still an old woman, the thought was enough to make her shudder...
Hearing this, Tuoba Yuughed, although he wasn¡¯tsure why he wasughing. He came closer, eying the tents in the distance andsaid: ¡°Why are you not with the others?¡±
From a logical perspective, she should be with theother prestigious, nobledies.
Li Wei Yang indifferently said: ¡°I am not interestedin discussing what Qi Dianxia is wearing today, neither am I interested inlistening to them talk about a Xiaojie from some house that Wu Dianxia helpedthe other day.¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled. He discovered that around Li WeiYang, he would always be amused by the slightest things she said, while thiswas not her intention, she was quite an interesting person.
¡°Let¡¯s go and walk around then.¡± Tuoba Yu tentativelyproposed.
Li Wei Yang frowned: ¡°Right now?¡±
Tuoba Yu nodded, ¡°Yes, right now. Can you?¡±
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°I think you should be disyingyour hospitality to the Emperor.¡±
Tuoba Yu smiled: ¡°Hospitality and well wishes can beoffered any day, but having the opportunity to see Xianzhu are not many.¡±
He immediately went ahead, softly saying: ¡°There¡¯s abeautiful stream behind the forest. I used to fish there in the past, it¡¯sreally interesting.¡±
Li Wei Yang was somewhat intrigued hearing him saythis and took Zhao Yue with her and followed him. As it turned out, Tuoba Yuwas not exaggerating. Half a shichenter, a jade-like stream, shimmeringunder the sunlight, appeared before her eyes, gently trickling. In everydirection were native nts, even if some had no name, the bright dew drops onthe leaves and flowers made them even more captivating than precious gemstones.
Li Wei Yang looked for arge rock to sit down on,¡°The scenery here certainly makes one want to reminisce.¡±
Tuoba Yu was startled by her observation: ¡°Isn¡¯t thisthe first time you have been here?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, a wary light shing across hereyes: ¡°I have seen a painting of this stream here, did Qi Dianxia think youwere the only one to havee here?¡±
Tuoba Yu did not mind it: ¡°Whether this is your firsttime here or not, you must be careful, it seems calm and peaceful, but thereare many wild animals out here, you should let the Yatou by your side protectyou.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at the little fish swimming in thestream, bing morefortable and open: ¡°Of course I know this.¡±
Then, she suddenly remembered: ¡°Has Tuoba Zhen takenaction recently?¡±
Tuoba Yuughed aloud: ¡°Despite the fact that I¡¯veeliminated more than half of his people, he suspects it¡¯s Wu ge¡¯s doing. Now,he¡¯s always encouraging Taizi to put pressure on Wu ge. Wu ge asked Fu Huangfor permission to make your Dajie his Zheng fei. The result was the Empress hadsecretly intervened, emphasizing Li Chang Le¡¯s wrongdoings. It was even moreserious than the Empress Dowager, who called Wu ge over to scold him, saying hecould not marry a woman like that and would only bring havoc upon himself.However, I see Wu ge still has not given up that idea, he was searchingeverywhere for your Dajie earlier.¡±
Looking for Li Chang Le? She was still in themountains, abstaining from eating meat and praying to Buddha, Li Wei Yangsolemnly said: ¡°Wu Dianxia is genuinely lovesick, I hope he and Dajie, being inlove, will belong to one another.¡±
Tuoba Yu broke out intoughter: ¡°No need to pretend,why act as if I didn¡¯t know you despised Li Chang Le? But I can understand whyyou do, anyone who has a Dajie like that certainly would not be in goodspirits.¡±
Li Wei Yang realized that he had misunderstood herreason for despising Li Chang Le, but she only smiled. The young man beforeher, how could he understand her sentiments? Perhaps no one in this world couldpossibly understand.
Not far away, the sound of footsteps registered,causing the two to look up. Tuoba Zhen was walking over to them, leading twoguards behind him.
His face was calm and reserved, a frosty look in hiseyes and a vague smile on his lips. Li Wei Yang recognized this expression andknew he was not in a good mood.
¡°San Dianxia.¡± Li Wei Yang knelt and ceremoniallygreeted him.
Tuoba Zhen nodded as he would for formalities, thensaid: ¡°You two seem rather at ease, especially Qi di. Aren¡¯t you supposed to beby Fu Huang¡¯s side, protecting him, why did you run to this ce?¡±
Tuoba Yu naturally responded: ¡°San ge is worried overnothing. There are more than three thousand guards around Fu Huang, how couldhe be in danger?¡±
Li Wei Yang subconsciously broke into a cold smile.
Tuoba Zhen saw this and slightly narrowed his eyes.
Tuoba Yuughed and said: ¡°Besides, Xianzhu and Ihappened to run into each other, but San ge, did San ge know about this ce?¡±
Tuoba Zhen heard the four words ¡®run into each other¡¯and uneasy crept up in his mind, but he did not reveal any of his difort,faintly smiling: ¡°I only heard there is a stream here with beautiful scenery,so I came to see for myself.¡±
From the moment Tuoba Zhen appeared, Li Wei Yang hadgrown impatient. She coldly said: ¡°Qi Dianxia, my belongings have not beenunpacked, forgive me for being the first to retire.¡±
Tuoba Yu chuckled and said: ¡°Xianzhu go ahead.¡±
He had just arrived, but she wanted to leave. TuobaZhen noticed this and his face quickly became grim.
However, Li Wei Yang had not left the forest yet whensomeone stopped in her way.
Gao Min stood, blocking Li Wei Yang¡¯s path, angrilyring at her.
Li Wei Yang looked to her with raised eyebrows,feeling something was odd. Why did Gao Min look like she wanted to devour heralive?
Seeing Li Wei Yang made Gao Min even more furious,quivering as her eyes widened, you little, what is it exactly, what gives youthe right to do this!
Zhao Yue vigntly stood by Li Wei Yang¡¯s side, shesaw that Gao Min¡¯s face was particrly unnatural.
It seemed like half a day had passed before Gao Minwould say anything, Li Wei Yang ignored her, turned and walked off.
Gao Min saw this and was reminded of when Tuoba Zhenwas amiably talking to her, but then he saw Li Wei Yang walk by and immediatelyleft her. The mes of fury rushed up to her head, she could not stand itanymore and blurted: ¡°Li Wei Yang, why are you turning away?¡±
Li Wei Yang scoffed, paused and turned around to lookat her: ¡°What Biaojie is saying is really strange, why would I have to feelguilty?¡±
Normally, Gao Min prided herself in her status, andalthough she despised Li Wei Yang, she only threw a few scathing words, but atnow Gao Min looked as if she wanted to devour her, clearly provoked.
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Jaslynn
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Chapter 88 part1
Chapter 88:Startling With Each Step Part 1
Gao Min coldly smiled; ¡°First off, congrattionsto you. You are moving upwards, if you sessfully be the consort wife ofThird Prince, then that¡¯s something.¡±
Li Wei Yang watched her with a cold gaze: ¡°Biao jie,besides speaking rubbish, what else are you good at?¡±
Gao Min held back her smile, clenched her fists, and stared at her. Shegrinded her teeth and said: ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t understand your intentions,don¡¯t forget, you are merely a lowly-born daughter of a concubine. Don¡¯t dreamabout associating yourself with the princes and bing the main wife. Themost you can be is a concubine, by then ---¡±
Watching her domineering face, Li Wi Yang couldn¡¯thelp but feel disgusted: ¡°What do you mean associating with the princes, don¡¯tview everyone that way you see yourself.¡±
Gao Min angrily said: ¡°I obviously saw you andThird Prince together and you still dare speak with great confidence, you areshameless!¡±
¡°Gao Min, why should I even exin it to you, whatdo you think you are!¡± Li Wei Yang stared at her directly, one word at a time,she slowly spoke: ¡°Since you like Tuoba Zhen, go look for him, what is thepoint in bothering me, don¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡±
Gao Min couldn¡¯t believe her own ears, Li Wei Yangoutwardly pointed out that she liked Tuoba Zhen! Thinking about this, she hadbeen speaking about Third Prince, who wouldn¡¯t have been able to guess that sheliked Tuoba Zhen?! Li Wei Yang wasn¡¯t an idiot! But because now that her innersecret had been revealed, she became even more frustrated: ¡°Li Wei Yang, youdare to speak to me like this?! Aren¡¯t you afraid I tell the Third Prince?!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled sweetly: ¡°If you want to go,then go tell. I¡¯ve never hid my temper in front of him. Please remember to alsotell him that you like him and that you want to marry him and see if he iswilling to marry you as his main wife. But considering that we are cousins, Iwant to remind you that Tuoba Zhen is a man of judgment and ambition, so yourFather being a mere marquis wouldn¡¯t be something in his eyes!¡±
Gao Min bit her teeth: ¡°What did you say?!¡± Deepwithin her heart, she knew what Li Wei Yang just said was the truth. Wei Guofuren had once entered the pce to test the waters with Concubine Wu Xian.Concubine Wu Xian didn¡¯t say much but once she brought it up in front of TuobaZhen, he tactfully rejected her intentions. The Marquis of Bo Chang, uponhearing this, scolded Wei Guo furen that she was too overconfident and saidTuoba Zhen had great ambitions and wouldn¡¯t ce their declining family as achoice of ally. But as a youngdy in love, Gao Min didn¡¯t believe Tuoba Zhenwould fall for a low thing. She wholeheartedly thought that because they hadless interactions, it resulted in Tuoba Zhen giving her a cold treatment. As aresult, she fought for this chance to tag along and who would had known thatonce Tuoba Zhen saw Li Wei Yang, he would abandon her. She immediately assumedthat Li Wei Yang was a nine-tailed fox, who stole Tuoba Zhen¡¯s attention awayfrom her! ¡°Don¡¯t act like a savage, Third Prince is mine! No one can steal himaway from me!¡±
¡°I can¡¯t control who Tuoba Zhen belongs to nor do I care! What I had tosay, I¡¯ve already spoken it. I don¡¯t care about these metal scraps that youconsider treasure, if you like, take it away as you please. But onst word, take your Third Prince with you and run faraway, I don¡¯t want to seea group of crazy dogs barking in front of me!¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice steadilyrose, she approached her step by step as Gao Min retreated step by step. Thearrogance on Gao Min¡¯s face slowly vanished as whiteness appeared.
¡°Better work hard, I am giving you my blessings in bing the ThirdPrince¡¯s consort wife sooner orter!¡± Saying this, Li Wei Yang lightlysounded a humph, didn¡¯t give her another nce and turned to leave.
Gao Min was furious to the point of shaking. She quickly approached aplot of grass and pulled out the grass one by one and then brusquely stepped onit.
¡°Xiao jie, don¡¯t get angry!¡± Her maidservant, frightful as she watchedon the side, softly urged.
Gao Min, without much thought, abruptly gave her a p. The maidservantheld her cheek as she hid on one side.
Gao Min¡¯s face was warped; the enmity caused herwhole body to shake, she clenched her teeth and then word by word whispered: ¡°LiWei Yang, I will remember this!¡±
You¡¯ve stolen Third Prince away from me and now you are acting arrogant?I won¡¯t let this end! I won¡¯t just sit there without doing anything!
Giving it a thought, she suddenly smiled, her voice was sharp. That¡¯sright, as long as Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t exist, the Third Prince will eventuallynotice her.
If only she was dead!
Li Wei Yang had always been in the Li residence and rarely stepped outso there wasn¡¯t much a chance. But not that she is out, to eliminate her, therewere many ways!
The maidservant on the side watched her face showed deep intentions of acold war.
Gao Min circled around twice outside Concubine WuXian¡¯s tent. Now that the Third Prince had all his thoughts on this bitch,marrying her would be sooner orter. If she let her marry Third Prince first,then she will not have any hopes! She had both the looks and talent, how couldshe lose to a lowly thing! But now, how could she reverse her position? As shethought over this, she thought of Concubine Wu Xian. She is Tuoba Zhen¡¯sadopted mother, she raised him by her side and Tuoba Zhen had always listenedto her words. If she revealed everything in front of her, she will definitelystop Tuoba Zhen from marring such a lowly-born woman! After deciding, sheapproached the tent but once she arrived at the entrance, she was blocked by apce maid: ¡°Gao Xiaojie, Concubine Wu Xian had been summoned by the Emperor,she¡¯s not in the tent.¡± The pce maid said respectfully.
Gao Min¡¯splexion paled. Sheobviously heard sounds within the tent, why was Concubine Wu Xian not willingto see her?! How could she have known that the Marquis of Bo Chang¡¯s family, ifit wasn¡¯t for their marriage alliance with Prime Minister Li, wouldn¡¯t behighly respected? But it¡¯s only Wei Guo furen who doesn¡¯t understand this andas a result, the daughter she had raised also didn¡¯t understand theplexityof this nature.
Gao Min bit her tongue and a cool shimmer shed across her eyes.Concubine Wu Xian wasn¡¯t willing to see her, what should she do?
She angrily returned to her own tent and once she saw Wei Guo furen, sherushed over into her arms.
¡°Mother, you must help daughter this time. IfMother help daughter out this time, daughter will definitely seed!¡±
Wei Guo furen was frightened by her insaneexpression. She quickly signaled the maidservants to leave and helped her up: ¡°Miner, slowly tell me, what has happened!¡±
Gao Min bit her lips, her face was pale white, thelight in her pair of eyes were enough to frighten others: ¡°Mother, you musthelp kill Li Wei Yang!¡±
Speaking up to here, she told Wei Guo furen everything that transpiredtoday; as Wei Guo furen listened, her brows clenched tighter and tighter.
¡°You are saying, Li Wei Yang was with the Seventh Prince then?¡± Sheadeptly held onto this point.
¡°Yes, they were speaking and smiling, she is really shameless!¡± Gao Minbit her teeth together.
Wei Guo furen began to smile: ¡°If that¡¯s the case,Mother has an idea.¡±
¡°What idea do you have, I originally wanted Concubine Wu Xian to stopthe Third Prince and give Li Wei Yang a little punishment, but who would haveknown she was not willing to see me! She obviously looks down on our family!¡±Gao Min cried as expressed her grievances.
Wei Guo furen coldly made a humph: ¡°Ever since yourbrother died, who in the pce hasn¡¯t been pretending to be respectful towardsus but secretly looked down on us, oh, sadly, your second brother let us down,but, if we can¡¯t go to Concubine Wu Xian, we can go to Concubine Zhang De!¡±
The mother of the Seventh Prince? Gao Min frowned.
Wei Guo furen smiled: ¡°Concubine Zhang De has highhopes for the Seventh Prince, do you think she would let the Seventh Princelike Li Wei Yang without stepping in?¡±
¡°But ---¡±
¡°Foolish yatou, if we acted with our own hands, wewould inevitably seek trouble upon ourselves. But if the person who acted isConcubine Zhang De, no one can put the me on us!¡± Wei Guo furen reminded,then immediately rose and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go see Concubine Zhang Detogether.¡±
Two hourster, a small kitten jumped into the tent, giving Bai Zhi ascare. Zhao Yue was about to take out her sword when Li Wei Yang stopped her.
This cat¡¯s entire body was snow white, his eyeswere amber, one look, it could be deduced that this was an invaluable breed. LiWei Yang already guessed which noble family the cat belonged to; she was aboutto order the cat to be release outside, a young pce maid entered, ¡°Aiya,Zhui er, you¡¯re here! You¡¯ve troubled me to look everywhere!¡± She picked up thecat and then noticed Li Wei Yang and others, a smile appeared on her face: ¡°It¡¯sXianzhu, this is Concubine Zhang De¡¯s cat, she had been looking for it for a while,the cat actually came here.¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly smiled and said: ¡°It¡¯s actuallythe concubine¡¯s beloved pet, then quickly return it back.¡±
The pce maid didn¡¯t budge from her position: ¡°Thecat was found at Xianzhu¡¯s, then Xianzhu shoulde with your maidservant toreturn the cat.¡±
Li Wei Yang conspicuously wrinkled her brows; the cat was obviously letin by someone, how did she be the one to have found it ------ this meantConcubine Zhang De wanted to see her.
She pondered and said: ¡°Okay, let me preparemyself.¡±
The pce maid smiled: ¡°No need, Concubine ZhangDe is waiting.¡±
Li Wei Yang stood up and said: ¡°If that¡¯s the case,then please lead the way.¡±
Standing in front of Concubine Zhang De¡¯s tent, LiWei Yang paused her steps. A female official was standing at the door as shewatched Li Wei Yang entered. Her eyes coldly traveled on her and then stoppedand said: ¡°Concubine Zhang De is waiting, please enter.¡±
Her condescending tone made others felt unpleasant. Concubine Zhang Dehad always been known for her virtuous manner, how would she allow her femaleofficial to reveal such a haughty disposition? Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help butsuspect that they were disying their authority to her.
But why? Could it be because she and her son had spoken a few words?Then all these Xiaojies of Da Li who had gifted small purses, perfumed satchel,and even pillows would have been eaten alive by Concubine Zhang De? Li Wei Yangsuppressed herplex thoughts and continued to walk forward.
The decorations within the tent were elegantlyarranged; a female official lifted the beaded curtain. Li Wei Yang looked downand then slowly walked in. Lavender incense was lit inside making theatmosphere inside serious yet also sweet. Li Wei Yang actually didn¡¯t like anvender-scented smell so she stealthily held in her breath and then bowed withmanners: ¡°Greetings to Concubine Zhang De.¡±
Silence lingered for a long moment that when Li WeiYang almost believed there was no one there, a voice was heard: ¡°You are thethird daughter of the Li family?¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Li Wei Yang answered softly.
¡°Raise your head!¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her head steadily. Concubine Zhang De sat in her ownthrone. Her posture was graceful and her green-colored skirt beautifully flowedonto the ground. She was very beautiful, her brows were meticulously drawn withink, her eyes shone with brilliance, the sunlight shining into the tentsketched the contours of her side profile, and her eyshes were long.
She didn¡¯t know why her face seemed this crisp and cold, she runs in thesame groove with Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu.
While Li Wei Yang looked at her, she was also trying to read Li WeiYang.
Her eyes carried a trace of astonishment and a hint of probing, watchedher and then sighed.
¡°Born well, like a water lilies.¡± Merely onephrase, it seemed like she was speaking to herself. Soon after, Concubine ZhangDe smiled, the tassel on her dangling hair ornament sounded, ¡°I¡¯ve heard, youare a daughter of a concubine, your mother was a servant, is that true?¡±
Li Wei Yang answered with no change in expression: ¡°Yes.¡±
¡°To be able to reach your position today, you must havee up withmany ideas.¡± Concubine Zhang De raised her lower jaw and stared at Li Wei Yang,¡°What rtionship do you have with Yu er?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked up and directly into Concubine Zhang De¡¯s eyes: ¡°I haveno rtionship with the Seventh Prince, we are simply ordinary friends.¡±Perhaps, allies.
Concubine Zhang De originally thought she was dy that wanted to move upward but hearing her response and seeing the way sheced emphasis on the word ordinary, but now she didn¡¯t understand her.Confusedness appeared in her eyes yetmomentarily vanished, she calmly voiced: ¡°Your temperament, has it always beenthis direct?¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°Concubine wishes Wei Yangto speak the truth so Wei Yang is simply expressing her own heart. I know withmy background, the Seventh Prince and I are not the best match so I never daredto think more.¡±
Such firm determination! Concubine Zhang De wassuddenly amazed, she rose and slowly approached her. She lifted Li Wei Yang¡¯sface, meticulously observed and then said: ¡°Yu er really likes you, he wouldoften find himself mentioning you .¡±
He would bring up the Li family¡¯s third daughter with delight.
But seeing Li Wei Yang today, Concubine Zhang De was a bit disappointed;this yatou didn¡¯t have an alluring appearance yet how did his son who had highexpectations be infatuated with her?
Li Wei Yang was surprised and then looked intoConcubine Zhang De¡¯s eyes and answered: ¡°The prince only admires; love does notexist between us.¡±
Concubine Zhang De astonishingly gazed at her and then released hergrasp.
¡°Since you are this humble ...... haha ......¡± ConcubineZhang De continued as if she thought of something fascinating, she smilinglysaid, ¡°But, Yu er¡¯s future is limitless, he needs the support of many people.An arranged marriage is the best way, you are after all the daughter of thePrime Minister and also Yu er¡¯s true love, if you agree to bing aconcubine, then I can fulfill your wish.¡±
Listening, Li Wei Yang was shocked and said: ¡°Concubine,I don¡¯t ept!¡±
Concubine Zhang De gave her a nce: ¡°What? Do youdislike that the position as a concubine is too low? Don¡¯t tell me you want tobe the main wife?¡±
At this moment, the atmosphere in the tent was sluggish.
Li Wei Yang shook her head and said: ¡°No, I don¡¯twant to be the main wife neither. Concubine is right, the Seventh Prince is ofroyal blood, he will fall in love with many people in the future. In fact, hewill definitely love them and dote on them but Wei Yang¡¯s husband must loveonly Wei Yang this lifetime.¡±
Concubine Zhang De waspletely stunned and half of Li Wei Yang¡¯s facerested amidst the light. Her brows were delicate like a jaded sculpture. Hercrow ck eyes held the mour of the shed lights and then carried aninexpressible determination and persistence.
She was absolutely not joking.
Concubine Zhang De almost couldn¡¯t utter a word.
¡°You actually want one true pair of a lifetime and an eternity --- thisyatou!¡± Concubine Zhang De reacted and was almost enraged. Even though she didn¡¯tlike Li Wei Yang but for her son, she had truly consider letting her be theSeventh Prince¡¯s concubine, but she failed to appreciate!
¡°Concubine!¡± Li Wei Yang suddenly raised her voice,¡°It¡¯s absolutely not that I look down on the Seventh Prince, but it¡¯s theopposite. He is not just an ordinary offspring of the royal family. Concubinehas great hopes for him so Concubine should never allow an immature and selfisdy like me by his side! In Concubine¡¯s eyes, the Seventh Prince is invaluableand thus can only be matched with a rare jade. As for me, I am merely a rock onthe road. I beg Concubine to not go further, I would never dream of bing aphoenix! Instead of bing a concubine of Seventh Prince and embroil myselfin continuous schemes and plots, I can seek an ordinary family and find an ordinaryman that will cherish and love me to spend the rest of my life together!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s words were like needle poking into Concubine Zhang De¡¯sheart. She looked at her and felt terrified for a second. She slightly openedher mouth yet she didn¡¯t make a sound and instead, showed a furious gaze.
¡°You are very na?ve, which man doesn¡¯t have three wives and fourmistresses, who do you think you are?!¡± Concubine Zhang De had a hard timefinding her own voice.
Li Wei Yang wasn¡¯t na?ve, she had already walked through the pathConcubine Zhang De had selected, royal prince and grandchildren, climb up thdder quickly, but in the end, what did she get after a lifetime of fighting?A stretch of nothing, that¡¯s it. She originally didn¡¯t want to say it thisclearly but if she didn¡¯t, Concubine Zhang De might still keep the idea ofhaving her be Seventh Prince¡¯s concubine. Bing Tuoba Yu¡¯s concubine isno different than marrying Tuoba Zhen, it was nothing more than repeating thepath she had gone down in her past life. It was not wrong that Tuoba Yu holdsaffections towards her but there were times when Tuoba Zhen expressed lovetowards her in the past, everything was simply transient as a fleeting cloud.Who could guarantee that he will affectionately dote on her for a lifetime? So,she could never marry Tuoba Yu!
Speaking up until now, there was nothing more that could be discussedbetween the two.
Li Wei Yang thought of leaving but Concubine ZhangDe said: ¡°Do you know how to y a piece?¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly said: ¡°Not well-versed at it.¡±
¡°y a piece for me to listen.¡± Concubine Zhang De suddenly said.
Music can open one¡¯s heart, she wanted to know what type of person wasLi Wei Yang exactly.
Unlike the music yed by theaveragedies, Li Wei Yang¡¯s music was oddly cold. The music was like the seamelting into the skies, in a foggy night, a lonely boat flowing into the ocean.This was a piece that made one feel cold and hopeless. Just by listening tothis, one can feel the loneliness and coldness in this young girl¡¯s heart.
As Concubine Zhang De listened, she didn¡¯t utter a single sound.
A corner of tent was suddenly lifted by someone anda pce maid rushed over. A string suddenly broke and she busily stood up: ¡°WeiYang lost her etiquettes, please pardon me!¡±
It was as if Li Wei Yang had a mirror in her eyesthat separated her heart, coldly reflecting the outside world. But as she beganto y the qin, the mirror revealed a scar where Concubine Zhang De clearlycould clearly look into her eyes. The quiet and submerging ck bottomlessdouble well within her eyes were boiling, she wasn¡¯t lying. Concubine Zhang Desighed and soon her eyes revealed an uncertain expression of either sadness orsympathy: ¡°Your heart, is tougher than a rock, and colder than ice.¡±
It was as if Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t hear, she stood and then left like that.
Concubine Zhang De didn¡¯t block her.
Lifting the tent, Li Wei Yang walked out. She felt the sunlight andwarmth outside was stabbing her eyes, she gently squinted her eyes.
¡°What happened?¡±
She turned her head and looked over to see Tuoba Yu approaching from adistant.
Li Wei Yang coldly watched him, her eyes were like a piece of cool ice.
Even though she kept a distance away from trouble,Li Wei Yang still showed a smile: ¡°Your highness, please remind Concubine ZhangDe that not everyone in this world wants to be a phoenix.¡±
¡°You......¡± Tuoba Yu suddenly paused.
She had never thought about marrying the SeventhPrince and even thought about the misunderstanding this person bought forthupon her. Concubine Zhang De wasn¡¯t a rash person and wouldn¡¯t say such thingsbecause she and Tuoba Yu had been getting a little closetely unless Tuoba Yusaid something in front of her! Most likely in front of these aristocrats, shewas merely a thing and can casually be bestowed a fate; they want her togratefully thank them for their bestowal! Dream on! No matter how infuriatedshe was, Li Wei Yang just coldly said: ¡°Pardon.¡±
Tuoba Yu was slightly dumbfounded, the warmsmile he had slowly disappeared.
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 88 part2
Chapter 88: Startling With Each Step Part 1
During that evening, Zuo Yuan, the vicemanderof the army received an order, an order hard to believe: ¡°What, Concubine wantsto kill her?¡±
The female official whispered: ¡°Lower your voice,cautious that others will hear!¡±
Zuo Yuan held his hands behind his back as hesauntered back and forth for a while before he finally stopped. Watching thegorgeous face of the sitting Concubine Zhang De, he said: ¡°Concubine, AnpingXianzhu is someone well-liked by the Emperor. The Empress Dowager also favorsher, and much recently, the Seventh Prince and her......¡±
Concubine Zhang De¡¯s hairpin showed delicatesix-leaves flower and exquisite jade ornament and as she spoke, the longessory dropped and gently dangled: ¡°Precisely for Yu er, I can¡¯t let herlive.¡±
Zuo Yuan confusedly looked at Concubine Zhang Deand then this biao jie of his quietly smiled like silence dwelling on a sharpdragonfly. It was difficult for others to grasp the swift eloquence amidst hersilence as her voice aroused stacked waves: ¡°Yu-er mentioned to me that hewants to marry her as his main wife.¡±
Zuo Yuan was shocked and revealed an incredible expression. Even thoughLi Wei Yang was Anping Xianzhu, she is still of lower birth, so it¡¯s inevitablethat she would be not as highly regardedpared to other xiaojies. If he didmarry her, they¡¯re afraid others wouldugh at them. The Seventh Prince washigh privileged and so Concubine Zhang De wouldn¡¯t like her as herdaughter-inw. Although she didn¡¯t like her, rejection would have beensufficient, why resort to such violent treachery?
Concubine Zhang De sighed and said: ¡°If hethoughtlessly mentioned it, I perhaps would have granted it and let him takeher as his concubine. But he must act serious and assert that he must wed heras his main wife.¡±
Zuo Yuan still didn¡¯t understand since Concubine ZhangDe has always been benevolent so why would she give an order like this all of asudden---
The corners of Concubine Zhang De¡¯s lips rose toform a chilled smile: ¡°Yu er, this child, I understand him well. He seems easyto get along but he is very stubborn. If I tly rejected him, he definitelywouldn¡¯t give up and would stir up a lot of trouble. So, I promised him andtold him I would find a chance to ask the Emperor to bestow their marriage. Buthow could I let this kind of girl into my family? Li Wei Yang, I met her today.The Emperor had praised her for her intelligence and wits but I personallythink that her failure to show restraints and her domineering attitude aretroubles. Seeing how she just returned to the Li family, she had already stirredup this much trouble with the matriarch. Rumors had been spreading around abouttheir disharmony and how she can¡¯t get along with her seniors. In the future, Idon¡¯t know how many women will be in Yu er¡¯s residence, but think about it, howcould she help Yu er manage his residence in the future? I don¡¯t like her so Iwill definitely not allow Yu er to marry her but I can¡¯t directly reject, theonly option is to get rid of her.¡±
Zuo Yuan was still a little worried: ¡°Niang niang,there is no need to fuss about this over this yatou, a warning would besufficient.¡±
Warning? Even if she gave Li Wei Yang a warning, what would her own sondo? In Concubine Zhang De¡¯s heart, she also had another reason. Because it wasrare to see Tuoba Yu reveal such expressions, when he mentioned Li Wei Yang,his eyes would also be smiling. As his mother, Concubine Zhang De immediatelyknew her son was being serious, a never before seen seriousness, causing her tofeel sincerely dreadful. So, she specially summoned Li Wei Yang to see whatkind of girl she was. If she was gentle and considerate, then she would perhapsconsider keeping her. But she had to be this adamant and hoped for a one truepair of this lifetime for eternity. This kind of woman, what good will it do tomarry her home! If Li Wei Yang doesn¡¯t die, Tuoba Yu will indubitably marryher. Rather seeing this happen, why not make up one¡¯s mind and get rid of hepletely.
She lifted her head, looked at Zuo Yuan and coldlysaid: ¡°Hunting has always been a dangerous sport, every year, there are peoplethat died from shooting arrows or from wild beasts. This year, Li Wei Yang willbe on this list of idental deaths.¡±
Zuo Yuan¡¯s face turned stiff white. He had been assisting the SeventhPrince and know about his firm personality. If he finds out one day that hekilled the one he loved, how could he exin it to him? By then, he mostlikely wouldn¡¯t be able to keep his life. Moreover, he was already ahigh-ranked official, why would he risk it?
Concubine Zhang De was a prominent figure, how wouldn¡¯t she be able toguess his thoughts?
¡°Don¡¯t forget, many things are bounded together forgood or for ill.¡±
Zuo Yuan was astonished, he knew that someone with his background couldbe easily found in the pce. No matter how capable one is, without a backing,there was no way to rise above others. But a word from Concubine Zhang De, itcould easily be done. She was this powerful as a concubine so, if her sonbes the emperor, then days of wealth are in the near future. It wouldn¡¯tjust be his career now ...... for a man, what would be as tempting as high positionand wealth? No gentleman has a petty mind and no true man is without venom. Hefinally made a decision.
In the evening, Li Xiao Ran came over to visit LiWei Yang. Seeing that she was well, he rxed and advised: ¡°Don¡¯t run aroundduring the hunting games, it¡¯s very dangerous.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and nodded: ¡°Father should alsobe mindful.¡±
Li Xiao Ran watched and didn¡¯t know why but sighed and then walked out.
The next day, hunting games officially started.
The Emperor shot the first arrow as it loudly pierced through the quietcurtains. Afterward, countless sounds of sharp arrows were heard and many birdof prey flew out of the forest at the same time. The official of blessing sanga eulogy and the princes as well as officials attach their arrow to their bowwith Tuoba Yu amongst the group. The females were all watching from a tformfrom afar. Tuoba Yu suddenly turned over and gave Li Wei Yang a quick nce.His eyes traversed across her face and then to the side. It seemed like he waslooking at her but it also seemed like he wasn¡¯t.
Li Wei Yang sighed. Thinking back, Tuoba Yu wasn¡¯t wrong, her helpinghim out might have made him misunderstand that she has affections for him.
This was normal since no one would help someone out without any reason.Tuoba Yu didn¡¯t know about the past happenings so it¡¯s naturally that hewouldn¡¯t know the real reason behind her assistance.
However, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t have the nerve to tell him it was unrequitedlove. Since she had already made it clear to Concubine Zhang De, based on theirstatus and position, they wouldn¡¯t insist further. So yesterday she treatedTuoba coldly to more or less vent her anger. Perhaps when interacting with himafter all this, she will try to keep her distant. Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help butthink about her old age but others see her as a young yatou; this kind offeeling wasplex.
Right at this time, Gao Min who was sitting amongsta group of xiaojies coldly red at Li Wei Yang. Her smile was icy cold, sherose and said: ¡°Let¡¯s go to the race grounds too, who wants toe with me?¡±
All the xiaojies were eager to go since here in the race grounds were DaLi¡¯s best horses. To learn horse riding was a rare opportunity to thesexiaojies and they wouldn¡¯t be harshly scolded. So the tforms were almosthalf empty as many followed Gao Min into the race grounds.
Li Wei Yang stayed where she was, she didn¡¯t want to join in the funwith Gao Min.
Right at this moment, a beautiful, young brainsuddenly appeared in front of her. Zhao Yue¡¯s sword was ced on top of herhead, Li Wei Yang quickly said: ¡°Mustn¡¯t be rude!¡±
Zhao Yue ced her sword away, which made NinthPrincess even more excited: ¡°Wa, your sword is beautiful!¡±
It was obvious that she didn¡¯t realize that if she did something harmfultowards Li Wei Yang, blood would have been seen.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand swiped across her forehead and thought that she had frightenedNinth Princess to deathst time so she would never bother her again. Whowould have known that she would be this tenacious, maybe this child has atendency for torment? She didn¡¯t know, Ninth Princess was of high status so notmany people would dare speak the truth with her. Seeing Li Wei Yang, she feltfear yet when she didn¡¯t see her, she would automatically seek her out. Smanimal that is this spirited is an illness.
¡°Apany me to y outside.¡± The Ninth Princess secretly kicked thesmall rocks while she looked into Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes.
Not many people could reject such an expression. Li Wei Yang sighed andseeing the tform half empty, if she continued to remain here, she wouldattract even more attention. Since others left, should she act more like thecrowd?
Thinking up to this point, she stood up. NinthPrince gleefully ran in front and continuouslyined: ¡°You are too slow!¡±
Who would be like you and not care about etiquettes, Li Wei Yang smiled.Ninth Princess¡¯ animated and na?ve personality most definitely came from theEmperor¡¯s spoiling her. But with this personality, it might not be a good thingfor her.
Exiting the hunting camp grounds, she saw boundless acres of grass andfelt a never before felt freedom. And because of this feeling of freedom, shebegan to fall in love with this ce.
¡°Look! Look!¡± Ninth Princess suddenly ran over and held up her skirt toshow her something.
Li Wei Yang lowered her head to give a nce and saw a bunch of big andfirm-fleshed mushrooms like a group of chubby children bunched together,quietlyying within Ninth Princess¡¯ spacious skirt. ¡°There is a lot more overthere!¡± Ninth Princess tugged onto Li Wei Yang as she directed her gaze. Sheidentally dropped the mushrooms and she quickly bent over to pick up the mushroomsone by one. The pce maids that were following behind stared nkly at oneanother. Li Wei Yang was helping her pick up the mushrooms so when the otherssaw this, they also went up to help.
These pce maids weren¡¯t that old. Instead of calling themmaidservants, it¡¯s much more appropriate to call them the princess¡¯ ymates.It¡¯s just that there is a difference between their statuses and they don¡¯t dareto act impudently so they can¡¯t really consider the Princess as their friend.But seeing the Princess lifting her skirt to show off lifeless mushrooms,identally dropping them causing the mushrooms to be scattered, and then herface beginning to panic, Li Wei Yang wanted tough at her. Others who seethis would also feel uplifted from this simple atmosphere and the atmosphereitself became much merrier. A pce maid without much thought began singing afolk song from her hometown. As Li Wei Yang listened, she felt that this voicewas soothing to the ears and couldn¡¯t help but smiled.
At this moment, Ninth Princess suddenly threw awaythe mushroom and jumped out to say: ¡°Look!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked up into the skies, a goshawkflew across the pure white sky, Ninth Princess smiled: ¡°I want Seventh Brotherto capture one for me!¡±
Li Wei Yang felt sullen. Ninth Princess¡¯ neckcontracted: ¡°What happened?¡±
¡°If someone thinks you are cute and wants to capture and raise you, whatwould you do?¡± Li Wei Yang advised her.
Ninth Princess pouted her lips and unhappily said:¡°If you don¡¯t want me to capture it, then I won¡¯t capture it, why be mean! Youare scarier than Mother!¡±
Li Wei Yang smoothed her lips and didn¡¯t say anything.
Ninth Princess¡¯ attention was diverted elsewhere,she pointed at Gao Min who was close by and said: ¡°Her horseback riding skillsare really good!¡±
Li Wei Yang watched from afar and ndly said:¡°Average.¡±
Ninth Princess was surprised: ¡°But her horsebackriding skills is truly the best amongst the women in Da Li.¡±
Gao Min has always been thisarrogant but right at this moment, she raised her horse whip and rode freelyand unrestrainedly; she seemed like an entirely different person. Li Wei Yangthought this is perhaps the real Gao Min but sadly, she didn¡¯t know how toadmire her own beauty and wanted to learn Li Chang Le¡¯s etiquettes of ady.As a result, it made her look foolish trying to blindly copy another. Li WeiYang shook her head.
Ninth Princess became eager: ¡°I also want to learnhorseback riding!¡±
The pce maids were frightened; they awakenedthemselves and hurriedly rushed over to dissuade her: ¡°Princess, no, theEmperor had said he doesn¡¯t allow you to do such dangerous things!¡±
Ninth Princess was starting to throw a tantrum:¡°Aren¡¯t you all here?! Quickly go bring a horse over!¡±
Li Wei Yang frowned and said: ¡°If you want to learn horseback riding, Iwill tell your Seventh Brother to teach you.¡± Saying this, she gave a pcemaid an eye signal and this pce maid immediately flew off.
But now all the men are in the hunting grounds, she is afraid it wouldbe difficult to find Seventh Prince. If not, getting Concubine Ruo would begood too, Li Wei Yang thought.
The pce maids had no choice but to order someone to bring a horse ofthe smallest size over. Ninth Princess stood right in front of the horse anddoubts began to form on her face. Subsequently, Gao Min shed across from adistant and it seemed like Ninth Princess was provoked and she held onto thehorse as she was about to get on. Who would have known that even though thishorse was small and had always been gentle, this was only from an adult¡¯s pointof view; it is an entirely different story for Ninth Princess as a young girl.Not only did the horse not let her get on, but it also threw a tantrum and keptstomping its hooves. Ninth Princess suddenly jumped up: ¡°Ah, he actually daresto kick me!¡±
Li Wei Yangughed, such a small horse, there probably won¡¯t be aproblem. Even if the horse stood still without moving, it still wasn¡¯t an easytask to maintain bnce on the horse. She¡¯s afraid once Tuoba Yu arrives,Ninth Princess would still be struggling to get on the horse.
The pce maids on the side immediately stepped forward to help NinthPrincess up. But since she had be too nervous after trying to get on for awhile and because both of her legs mped onto the horse too tight afterfinally getting on, she suddenly fell off from the back of the horse. Thepce maids jumped beneath her to cushion her fall so she didn¡¯t get injured.
Ninth Princess determinedly stood back up and brushed the dust off her.She dramatically jumped onto the horse, making her feel wobbly on the horse¡¯sback. Even though a saddle was added, Ninth Princess still felt the swaying ofthe horse movements. She felt fear on the inside and thought that she wouldsoon fall off the horse. Thinking of this, she actually believed she was goingto fall so she embraced the horse¡¯s body and held tightly onto the reins. Butgiving Li Wei Yang a glimpse, she thought of her wayward behavior just now. Ifshe gave up now, others mightugh at her so she fearfully and boldlystraightened her back. Unexpectedly, after the horse took a few steps, itshooves stepped on a rock and its front leg suddenly kneeled forward. Her wholebody flew off the horse and since the pce maids couldn¡¯t rush forth in time,she cried aloud after falling onto the ground.
Right at this moment, someone extended a hand tohelp her up: ¡°If you want to learn how to ride a horse, then you must startfrom the basics and learn how to get on. The pose to get on a horse must becorrect.¡±
Li Wei Yang wiped away Ninth Princess¡¯ tears andafter she had finished speaking to her, she ordered someone to bring the horseover. Then she helped her onto the horse and patted her waist: ¡°You muststraighten your back, don¡¯t be afraid of it. If you are afraid of it, then hewill bully you.¡±
Ninth Princess could finally sit stably on thehorse¡¯s back. As she sat on the horse, Li Wei Yang held onto the reins and thehorse slowly trotted. Sitting on the horse, Ninth Princess stared admirably atthe blue sky and saw a goshawk pierced through a cloud, making her feel as ifshe wasying on a cloud. She couldn¡¯t help but smiled: ¡°This is really fun!¡±
After a while, Ninth Princess could finallynavigate the horse herself so Li Wei Yang loosen her hand and let her takecontrol. Ninth Princessughed as she held onto the reins; her cheeks wererosy red, making her seemed healthy and adorable. Li Wei Yang let out a breathand the pce maid on her side said: ¡°Aiya, Princess, don¡¯t go too far! It¡¯svery dangerous!¡±
Li Wei Yang ordered: ¡°Prepare a horse for me.¡±
A pce maid busily hurried over to bring back atall and healthy horse, ¡°Other horses have been taken by the other Xiaojies,this is the only one left.¡±
Li Wei Yang saw that this was a wild and intractable horse, she nodded:¡°Then it¡¯s him.¡±
Ninth Princess had already gone far so Li Wei Yangcleanly jumped onto the horse and immediately caught up to her. Without givingNinth Princess a chance to react, Li Wei Yang had already held onto her andforcefully stopped her horse: ¡°That¡¯s enough for today, if this continues, skinfrom the Princess¡¯ legs will be worn off.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want to! Let go!¡± Ninth Princess was addicted and obviouslydidn¡¯t want to stop.
Li Wei Yang became serious: ¡°You think it¡¯s fun but they will bepunished for acting against Concubine Ruo¡¯s order. Then no one will be willingto y with you in the future.¡± Saying this, she looked at the anxious pcemaids from a distant.
Ninth Princess, seeing Li Wei Yang be serious, was frightened andquickly said: ¡°Fine, fine, I will listen to what you say!¡±
And then right at this moment, it was unknown whythe goshawk that was flying in the sky suddenly began to swoop down. NinthPrincess was taken by surprise and began to unconsciously wriggle on the horse.She only saw the goshawknding right in front of her horse, near the grass asit captured a rabbit. The rabbit was struggling to be freed, causing a ruckusin the grass. The noise rmed Ninth Princess¡¯ horse and caused it to runabout wildly. She felt that she was about to be thrown off from the horse andwithout much choice, she held onto the horse¡¯s body and clenched onto thereins. Pulling the reins back, the horse jumped up as Ninth Princess was aboutto be thrown off. Li Wei Yang went forward to grab ahold of Ninth Princess¡¯wrist. Zhao Yue flew forward within a few steps and at this point, Li WeiYang¡¯s horse was alsopletely out of control as it ran wildly forward. LiWei Yang shouted: ¡°Catch the princess!¡±
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 89 part1
Chapter 89: Be Superior To Your Opponent
Íõåú1 ¨C Official title of a Prince¡¯s First Wife
ÈËÖÐÖ®Áú2 ¨C a phrase used to describe someone as being outstanding and a rare find
Zhaoyue had a moment of hesitation; her mission was to protect Li Weiyang, but if she issued her an order, she had to obey. In a sh, she grabbed on to Jiu Gongzhu.
Pce servants screamed and ran over, clustering around Gongzhu. However, Li Weiyang¡¯s horse continued running like a mad animal; Zhaoyue tried her best to catch up, but the beast sped up as it had lost all control of its senses. In a spark of desperation, Li Weiyang drew out a dagger from her sleeve and stabbed it into the horse¡¯s head. Its speed finally slowed and copsed on its four legs, throwing Li Weiyang off. Zhaoyue gasped and rushed over, but did not manage to catch Li Weiyang before she hit the ground.
If her master was dead, she would not live either. Zhaoyue¡¯s heart stopped for a moment.
Jiu Gongzhu stood up and saw the scene before her, crying out in rm and pushing away the others to get to Li Weiyang. Her servants could only follow after her, watching the strange situation. At this moment, the servant who had gone for help had returned with Tuoba Yu, who did not hesitate to gallop here as fast as he could, only stopping when he reached her side.
When he saw Li Weiyang lying there, still as a statue, his heart nearly stopped.
Something had actually happened to her! He had only stepped away for a moment, what could have happened!
At the next moment, Zhaoyue had helped Li Weiyang sit up. She cradled her head in her hands, nursing her injuries. Tuoba Yu rushed forward to hold her, his heart filled with immense shock and relief. ¡°Are you alright?!¡±
Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s face was streaming with tears and snot, obviously truly frightened. She was grabbing on to Li Weiyang¡¯s hand tightly, but unable say anything. It was her wilfulness that had caused Li Weiyang to fall from her horse; she had warned her against riding!
Li Weiyang rubbed her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine, there is no need for tears.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu stared at her nkly, lookingpletely dazed.
¡°I¡¯m not hurt anywhere, so don¡¯t cry. But if I had died today, it would have been you who caused my death. So in the future, don¡¯t be so wilful like this. I am here today to protect you, but if I were not around, others would not spare your life so easily. The heavens won¡¯t give you special treatment just because you are a princess.¡± She chastised her without any hint of courtesy.
With tears in her eyes, Jiu Gongzhu nodded obediently.
Li Weiyang moved her elbow and experienced a sharp pain. Zhaoyue carefully pried away her right hand which covered her injured left elbow and discovered a patch of broken skin. It wasn¡¯t very serious, thank goodness. ¡°Xiaojie, you¡¯ll have to quickly return to apply medicine.¡±
She couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly; she swore never to be a good person, but towards Jiu Gongzhu, she tended to be generous. Maybe because Jiu Gongzhu was the only one from her past who had given her a good impression, or perhaps she just had a momentary fit ofpassion.
Li Weiyang told herself once more, never to be a busybody again.
Tuoba Yu had originally thought that Li Weiyang would break out into tears in fright, even though she wasn¡¯t hurt, or even berate her servants for not taking good care of her. Who knew that she did not even take it to heart, and still had a smile on her face. He suddenly felt that her smile held inexplicable goodness, like a warm summer wind, and was drunk on the beauty of it. A small smile appeared on his lips as well.
The pce servants saw this scene and started giggling among themselves, exchanging looks.
Li Weiyang felt the mood of the crowd and stood up. ¡°I should go back, Qi Dianxia, please escort Gongzhu back as well.¡±
Her expression contained unfathomable distance and coolness. Tuoba Yu deftly detected this, and knitted his eyebrows together.
But Li Weiyang totally ignored him, turning to tell Jiu Gongzhu to return quickly.
Jiu Gongzhu nodded her head, like a well-trained kitten.
Zhaoyue supported Li Weiyang as she left, and as Tuoba Yu watched her walk away, he felt terrible; he wanted so much to ask her to stay with him, but he only swallowed his words and remained silent. Watching her retreating silhouette, he had manyplicated feelings rising in his heart.
Jiu Gongzhu tugged on his sleeves, bringing him back to his senses. ¡°Qi Ge, you like Weiyang Jiejie right?¡± Jiu Gongzhu whispered sneakily.
From the way she called her Weiyang jiejie instead of just Li Weiyang, it was obvious that her status in Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s heart had been elevated highly. Tuoba Yu onlyughed out loud but did not reply her question, but merely turned around and walked towards the horse¡¯s corpse. He examined the dagger that Li Weiyang had used just now.
Jiu Gongzhu attempted to cover her eyes. ¡°How cruel.¡±
Blood carpeted the entire ground. Such a healthy horse died in a single stab, and such a quick, fatal and urate stroke! Tuoba Yu could not believe that it came from ady of a noble family, who seldom left her house. If it was somebody else, she would have already been scared stiff and unable to react, but Li Weiyang could actually make this kind of swift decision to end the horse¡¯s life, albeit cruelly.
¡°If she had not carried this dagger, she would be the one who perished.¡± Tuoba Yu was certain that Li Weiyang had calcted carefully the angle and the timing of the stab ¨C her stubborn nature and quick decisiveness would put many a man to shame.
Watching from afar, Gao Min let out a cool hmph. This Li Weiyang was blessed with a long life; she had thought spooking the horse would be enough to cause her to fall to her death, but no one expected that she would not be harmed, how disappointing! She would have to think of another way!
This was a hunting retreat, and injuries would be amon urrence, so there were already royal physicians and medicines on standby. Li Weiyang had just reached the tent when the emperor¡¯s edict arrived as well, rewarding her with the best ointments and great praise. Rou Fei Niang Niang had also sent treasures especially for her, to thank her for saving Jiu Gongzhu.
The others looked at Li Weiyang with envy and jealousy, but only Zhaoyue understood what a close shave it had been. If Li Weiyang wasn¡¯t so decisive, she would have been severely injured; such a determination was notmon in normal people.
Upon entering the tent, Zhaoyue fell to her knees. ¡°Nubi did not do a good job of protecting you, Xiaojie, please punish me.¡±
Baizhi carefully applied ointment for Li Weiyang, who only blinked. It was definitely top grade medicine; she felt a cool sensation as it was spread on her skin, and the pain was gone in a sh. She nced at Zhaoyue. ¡°You did well today.¡±
Zhaoyue was shocked, and lifted her head to meet her eyes.
Li Weiyang smiled at her. ¡°The most important thing is that you should listen to my orders, instead of going against my will, understand?¡± If Zhaoyue had ignored Jiu Gongzhu and rushed to her aid, she would have been guilty of allowing Jiu Gongzhu to get hurt, and in front of so many witnesses. The Emperor and Rou Fei would be enraged, which would not be worth her own safety. Whilst doing a good deed, Li Weiyang still managed to plot to gain some benefit in return of her own injury. Even though Zhaoyue may not have thought of that, it was good enough that she had respected Li Weiyang¡¯s orders.
Baizhi walked over and helped Zhaoyue up. ¡°Since Xiaojie has already praised you, she meant it, so quickly get up.¡±
Zhaoyue rose to her feet, and said softly. ¡°Xiaojie, that eagle...¡±
Li Weiyang nodded. That eagle had been trained, and its trainer had purposely set it on the horse, but there was solid evidence, so it seemed like a random incident. However, who would have the capability and guts to make such a move at the hunting grounds? Li Weiyang closed her eyes and pondered for a moment. ¡°We have to be careful these few days.¡±
No matter who had wanted her life, she would definitely expose the person!
In the next two days that followed, no matter how lively and noisy it was outside, Li Weiyang remained in the tent, its entrance pinned shut. Her behaviour attracted many curious eyeballs, and most of them guessed that An Ping Xianzhu had suffered such a fright that she refused to appear in public. These rumours had even managed to worry Li Xiaoran, who especially came to visit her twice. Upon seeing that she was unharmed and still in good spirits, he was appeased and left her alone.
This incident had of course captured the attention of people who cared about her. Jiu Gongzhu was ovee with guilt and insisted on visiting her every day, dragging Qi Huangzi along ¡®conveniently¡¯. Li Weiyang¡¯s attitude was cool towards them, sending them off after a short exchange of words. However, she asionally had visitors whom she could not send away as easily, such as the thick skinned San Dianxia.
Upon knowing that Li Weiyang was injured, Tuoba Zhen had wanted to visit her immediately, but after hearing that she was together with Tuoba Yu at that time, he was filled with rage. Gao Min had added fuel to the fire, and though he acted disinterested, he actually had a gut of churning emotions inside. His multiple attempts to visit her discreetly was unsessful, as Li Weiyang had gotten Zhaoyue to bar him at the door.
However, Zhaoyue was still human afterall, and needed her rest. Tuoba Zhen got his underling to keep watch the whole day, and finally managed to sneak in when Zhaoyue was not around.
Li Weiyang was in the tent, and as she turned around to see him enter, she frowned automatically.
When Tuoba Zhen saw that she was unhurt and well, he couldn¡¯t help but feel as if a huge burden had been released from his heart. ¡°Your wounds are healed by now?¡±
He was really sincerely asking about her, but such assumed closeness only made Li Weiyang disgusted. She tossed her head and shouted for her handmaid. ¡°Baizhi! Baizhi!¡±
Tuoba Zhen had never been treated in such a manner before. He felt a spark of annoyance, and without a second thought he grabbed her shoulder and attempted to twist her around to face him. Li Weiyang didn¡¯t expect him to touch her, and instinctivelynded a p in self-defence. Both of them reeled from the impact and shock. Tuoba Zhen withdrew his hand, holding and rubbing it as if it was hurt badly. He was wordless with anger, explosive even. He knew that his resentment could only be limited to himself; he was very clear that raging on someone like Li Weiyang would just be futile.
Li Weiyang saw the weird expression on his face, but maintained her cool and rose from her seat. She finally faced him and curtseyed. ¡°San Dianxia, please forgive me for the offense. I am timid and did not know what to do at your sudden arrival, hence I identally knocked into you. However, it is inappropriate for you to be here at this hour, so please leave quickly.¡±
Her expression was t and her tone hadcked warmth, giving off a vibe that she wanted to put a thousand miles between them, which made Tuoba Zhen feel very vexed. He felt like he was asking for a beating; the more Li Weiyang hated him, he more he couldn¡¯t help but want her. ¡°I only meant to see how you were doing, I do not have any other intentions.¡±
A sh of cold steel danced in Li Weiyang¡¯s eyes, and the corner of her mouth quirked. ¡°Dianxia, please leave, this breaks the rules of propriety.¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s cool eyes were fixed on Li Weiyang, he clutched her arm and said in a low voice, ¡°Those rules mean nothing to me. Li Weiyang, don¡¯t force me to use my tactics to get you, you know that I never like people to go against me.¡±
In that instant, she clearly saw the wolfish wildness and cruelty in his eyes.
¡°Ahh!¡± A cry of fear startled them and they both turned towards the source. Jiu Gongzhu was standing before them. Tuoba Zhen might not have any scruples, but suddenly seeing his own little sister cause him to feel slightly embarrassed, so he loosened his grip and left the tent quickly.
Jiu Gongzhu stared dumbly as he stalked out, not knowing what had just happened. She rushed to Li Weiyang, anxiously asking, ¡°Weiyang Jiejie, did San Ge bully you?¡±
Li Weiyang¡¯s face was indifferent, and she remained silent. Jiu Gongzhu was obviously stunned. ¡°How could it be, San Ge is definitely not like this! He is usually very approachable.¡±
Li Weiyang lifted her head, meeting her eyes. ¡°Did you see the expression in his eyes just now, don¡¯t you think he was scary?¡±
Jiu Gongzhu was lost for words. She had seen clearly how San Ge was on the verge of an outrage, and his face was horribly twisted in anger. She had never seen him so mad before, or more urately, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s temper tantrums were never shown in public since young.
¡°Weiyang jiejie, San Ge... Is it possible that he likes you?¡± Jiu Gongzhu thought for quite some time, and she could only think of this as a reason. ¡°But you are friendly with Qi Ge and not him, is that why?¡±
Li Weiyang broke out into a smile; the originally sombre atmosphere was broken by this child. Although her words were simple and innocent, she was actually not far from the truth. She was helping Tuoba Yu defeat Tuoba Zhen, and Tuoba Zhen had never had a woman treat him as coldly as she had, which was why he sought her attention in the first ce. Such aughable and pathetic man.
Jiu Gongzhu tried to help her. ¡°Weiyang jiejie, my San Ge is a very stubborn person, if you try to fight fire with fire, it won¡¯t go well. You should try to avoid him. There are many women surrounding him, so maybe you are just one of his passing fancies... Perhaps I should find some beauties for him, so once his attentions are diverted, it would be easier for you.¡±
It was hard to imagine these wordsing out from a young girl¡¯s mouth, but Li Weiyang understood that Jiu Gongzhu had grown up in the pce, so despite her carefree spirit and innocence, she was notpletely na?ve.
ncing at Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s glimmering eyes, Li Weiyang sank into deep thoughts. She did not know why, but each time she looked upon Jiu Gongzhu, she would think of herself. They did not have much simrities, but her current existence was kind of an absurdity, and thinking of the past made her feel like she was in a separated world.
She blinked her eyes purposefully, afraid that tears would leak out.
No matter what, she was already in her thirties, so how could she cry in front of such a young girl.
Jiu Gongzhu continued on. ¡°Wait till you be my Qi Sao, San Ge will not dare to put you in a spot anymore.¡±
Li Weiyang heard her tone; it seems that she had already taken her as an object belonging to Qi Huangzi. She frowned and said: ¡°Although Gongzhu means well... but you have gotten on thing wrong; I will not be your Qi Ge¡¯s wife, and I mean it...¡±
Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s expression changed at once, as if she heard something unbelievable. ¡°You don¡¯t like Qi Ge?¡± she said hoarsely.
She couldn¡¯t believe it indeed, how could anyone in the world reject her two brothers, and her two of them were the most outstanding! Jiu Gongzhu had always thought to herself that the most handsome men in the pce were her suave and strong San Ge and elegant Qi Ge. Even the Crown Prince and Wu Ge were far fromparison, let alone the other royal princes. But Li Weiyang did not like either of them.
Jiu Gongzhu shook her head, obviously unable to ept the fact. ¡°You really... like neither of them?¡± She asked in a small and meek voice.
Li Weiyang firmly shook her head, with an extremely weird expression on her face.
Jiu Gongzhu was extremely puzzled, as she couldn¡¯t figure out why she would reject the idea of being Qi Huangzi¡¯s Wang Fei1. To mostdies from noble families, this would be an immeasurable honour. In her moment of doubt, she also felt a rush of anger; how could Li Weiyang be haughtier than a princess like her, rejecting her two brothers like that. But she also thought of how she saved her life that day; perhaps, she had some difficulty of her own. She suppressed her outburst and kneeled down to face her, saying softly: ¡°Forget it if you don¡¯t like San Ge. Qi Ge might look cold, but he has the kindest heart and dotes on me the most, so why don¡¯t you like him?¡±
Li Weiyang did not know how to exin such aplicated situation to a kid; she rubbed her forehead, as if she had a headache.
¡°Weiyang jiejie, think it through, my Qi Ge is really a good person! De Fei Niang Niang is very kind and peaceable as well, and she is good at making osmanthus glutinous cakes too.Every time I visit her pce, she¡¯ll greet me with a smile, not like the Fu Huang¡¯s other concubines, who only think of me as a hindrance.¡± Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s eyes were glistening with tears, looking at her pleadingly, but her words only left Li Weiyang confused; she did not know whether tough or cry.
Jiu Gongzhu left quite unwillingly, realising that she had no way of convincing Li Weiyang, and still not understanding what she was thinking. In her view, both her brothers were dragons among men2, if it were otherdies who attracted their affections, they would have been thrilled, but why doesn¡¯t Weiyang jiejie like either of them?
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 89 part2
Chapter 89: Be Superior To Your Opponent
ǧ½ð1 ¨C Anhonorific term for daughter, usually used for richer families.
ĸåú2 ¨Cdymother
ÎåÂí·Öʬ3 ¨C a death sentence whereby the offender¡¯s limbsand head would be tied using rope to five horses, and the horses would move inseparate directions to tear the offender apart.
ÊôÏÂ4 ¨C subordinate.
The next morning, someone discovered the tracksof the white wolf near the hunting grounds. The emperor was superbly excitedand brought out a huge regiment of cavalry to hunt it down.
Thdies were equally thrilled at the news.
¡°The white wolf is a sly animal, whoevercatches it each year is hailed as a hero!¡±
¡°Bi Xia had ever caught it alive before, butwhat a pity it died after a few days because it stopped eating and drinking!¡±
¡°I¡¯ve heard that its pelt is warm anfortable, so if you wear it in the winter, you won¡¯t have to wear anotherfur coat. If it is used to make a fur cor, it¡¯ll definitely be gorgeous andimpressive!¡±
¡°Yes yes, I wonder who will be the championthis year!¡±
Everyone was enthusiastically discussing aboutthe highlight of the hunt.
After staying in her tent for three days, sheattracted quite a lot of attention the moment Li Weiyang came out.
¡°Xianzhu, previously you fell from the horsewhile riding, are you feeling better now?¡±
¡°Yes I am, thank you, Liu Xiaojie, for yourconcern.¡± Li Weiyang smiled gently at the Qian Jin1 of the FinanceMinister.
¡°You¡¯re so brave, Rou Fei Niang Niang has beenpraising you; she has been telling everyone that if not for you, Jiu Gongzhuwould have been in danger!¡± quipped her neighbour Sun Xiaojie. Hailing from amilitary family, Sun Xiaojie admireddies who were valiant and graceful, soafter hearing how Li Weiyang rushed forward bravely to protect Jiu Gongzhu, sheinevitably had formed a good impression of her.
Li Weiyang smiled modestly. ¡°If Sun Xiaojie hadbeen around, I¡¯m sure you would have done the same, and possibly even betterthan me.¡±
Sun Xiaojie grinned back. That was true, herriding and shooting skills were one of the best.
¡°You¡¯ve missed quite a lot of thrilling actionin the two days that you were away! At the moment, San Dianxia and Wu Dianxiaare currently tied at second ce, and Qi Dianxia has the lead with mostquarry caught!¡± Lin Xiaojie was enraptured by the activities at the huntinggrounds.
Li Weiyang nced into the distance, hearingthe rumble of horse hooves, seeing the clouds of dust they kicked up. Countlessriders were storming the hunting grounds, capturing their prey. It was indeed,a magnificent sight.
¡°Hng, some people are obviously trying to usetheir wounds to gain attention, unting her prowess just because she saved JiuGongzhu. It was only a trivial matter after all!¡± A cold voice pierced throughthe ruckus.
Li Weiyang arched her brows towards the source,which turned out to be a cool and haughty Gao Min.
Gao Min met her eyes, and her heart skipped abeat. She continued her tirade. ¡°It was only an eagle which spooked the horse,what is there to show off!¡±
Li Weiyang lowered her gaze. Gao Min¡¯s presenceat the scene could not be just a random coincidence. It may be that she waswatching her, or she had something to do with the incident. Either way, she wasdefinitely up to no good.
Li Weiyang gave it some thought, then stood upwith a smile on her face. ¡°That day, I saw how Biao Jie was riding splendidly,I wonder if you would dare to pit your skills against mine?¡±
Gao Min hmphed coolly. ¡°Of course I¡¯m notafraid!¡± She saw how Li Weiyang fell from her horse, so naturally she felt thather riding skills were just so-so. She wanted to take this chance to squash LiWeiyang¡¯s pride and reputation; let everyone see for themselves who is the mostoutstandingdy!
Sun Xiaojie pped excitedly. ¡°Good, good! Ilove watching ridingpetitions! I¡¯ll be the judge!¡±
Gao Min leapt up onto her horse, smirking at LiWeiyang as if to goad her.
Li Weiyang only smiled. She made her way downand without anyone to help her, jumped onto her saddle. Seeing how nimble andgraceful she was while mounting her horse, Sun Mingyu knew at once what a goodrider she was. ¡°We¡¯ll take that red line as the boundary, I¡¯ll count to three,and whomever reaches first wins!¡±
¡°Li Weiyang, since you want to embarrassyourself so badly, I¡¯ll grant your wish!¡± Gao Min tilted her chin, as proud asa gorgeous peacock.
Li Weiyang¡¯s reply was a small smile, and sheexchanged a nce with Zhaoyue, who was on the stage.
Zhaoyue nodded, lightly gesturing to show thatshe understood.
In these three days past, Zuo Yuan had beenwaiting for a second chance, but Li Weiyang had stayed behind in her tent withthe entrance firmly shut, so he could not make his move. And just now, LiWeiyang was constantly surrounded by the other Xiaojies, hence he couldn¡¯mit any rash decisions either, lest he be exposed easily.
However, this foolish Li Weiyang suddenlydecided topete against Gao Min; what an extremely good chance! Zuo Yuan gotexcited just by thinking about it. He fixed his sights on the mounted LiWeiyang, his intent to kill getting sharper by the second. He stayed hidden,thinking hard of how to make her death look like an ident. Even if he killedher himself, they might not be able to discover that it was him; with so manypeople around, it couldn¡¯t be that easy to investigate, could it? However, hestill did not dare to take the risk.
At this moment, the ongoing hunt seemed to bedrawing to a close, and a huge group of cavalry and foot soldiers alike wereheading back with their prey. All of them were carrying bows and arrows; ZuoYuan revealed a sinister grin, wasn¡¯t this a chance granted by heaven itself?He just had to hide in the crowd and direct his arrow towards Li Weiyang, sothat witnesses would think that it was just a stray arrow. Hence no killercould be found, because how was that his fault!
He¡¯dbe promoted faster than he could imagine!
¡°Three,two, one!¡± Sun Xiaojie flourished her silk scarf, flushing red with excitement.
With a tight squeeze, Gao Min prompted thehorse into a gallop, flying ahead with the wind whistling freely in her ears.The speed brought to her a sense of pleasure and pride. Li Weiyang gave aslight smile, and brandishing her whip, she caught up with Gao Min¡¯s pace,leisurely just one step behind her. As Gao Min heard the tter of hooves, sheturned her head, only to catch sight of Li Weiyang right behind her. Enraged,she gave her horse another lick of the whip to get it to speed up.
Thedies on the viewing stage usually did notleave their mansions, so they had never seen such a presentation before.Everyone was thrilled, forgetting about their well-practiced manners andcheering loudly for Li Weiyang and Gao Min.
Wei Guo Furen was watching on with cold andunflinching eyes; in her heart, the winner would definitely be Gao Min. In herutter confidence, she sat chatting with the other Furens, not paying muchattention to the race.
The scarlet line was just before their eyes. Acold smile appeared on Li Weiyang¡¯s lips; she flicked her whip, sending her neckto neck with Gao Min.
It seemed like it was going to be a draw.
Amongst the crowd, shouts rang out from themounted archers, and someone with evil intentions was drawing his bow.
¡°Move away!¡±
¡°Danger!¡± From her viewpoint, Sun Xiaojie saw asharp sh of light streak towards Li Weiyang, and immediately shouted awarning.
In that critical moment, Li Weiyang felt thesamence of light rush past her eyes, and she smiled coldly. This is themoment!
Right now, Zuo Yuan, Li Weiyang, and Gao Min¡¯spositions had formed up a straight line. Rather than suggest that Gao Min wascoincidentally thest person at the end of the line, it would be moreappropriate to say that Li Weiyang had purposely positioned herself behind GaoMin, drawing the attention of the assassin.
The arrow had been loosened.
Li Weiyang kicked lightly with her toes,slowing her horse to a trot and arching her body away. The piercing arrow whichshould have ended her life missed her just like that. With a shrill whistle, itbrushed past the top of Li Weiyang¡¯s head and embedded itself deeply into GaoMin¡¯s shoulder; but that didn¡¯t stop its burst of energy. The force of theimpact sent Gao Min flying entirely out of her saddle, as if she was a kite.Shended heavily on the ground.
Tuoba Zhen, Tuoba Yu and the other princes werepart of the group that had finished the hunt, returning in time just to witnessthis horrible scene. Wu Huangzi burst out: ¡°It¡¯s that witch!¡±
The sharp arrow had zoomed past Li Weiyang¡¯shead, shattering only her hairpiece, so her dark tresses were suddenly flowingfreely in the wind, and then falling slowly and smoothly like an ebony streamof spring water, to her waist. The sight was so mesmerizing that it took thecrowd¡¯s breath away. As she lifted her face away from her cloud of unboundhair, her gaze was crystal cold and entrancing. Tuoba Yu gazed at her nkly,lost in the confusing beauty she had. It was like a reflection of the moon onwater; unrealistic, but impossibly attractive and hard to look away.
Everyoneforgot about Gao Min in that minute; they were dumbstruck by Li Weiyang.
Until Wei Guo Furen let out a heartrendingwail, screaming as if she was torn apart and rushing down from the viewingtform.
¡°Min Er!¡±
Many of them recovered their senses then,sprinting towards where Gao Miny; however, she had already lostconsciousness, her blood seeping and spreading onto the ground. She lookedbroken, like a ragdoll.
¡°Get the royal physician, quickly get himhere!¡± Tuoba Zhen roared.
LiWeiyang suddenly screamed out, ¡°Capture that man! This arrow came from him!¡±
Zuo Yuan had originally nned to make use ofthe chaos to escape the scene, but he froze on the spot as everybody¡¯s shockedgaze locked onto him. How could it be! In such a mere second, how did LiWeiyang manage to dodge the arrow, and how did she know it was him! His bloodturned to ice in his veins; it was impossible!
Tuoba Yu took a single nce at him. Anunexinable emotion flitted across his eyes, and he ordered coolly for him tobe tied up.
Completely stunned, Zuo Yuan was surrounded bysoldiers and pinned down to the ground!
The royal physician arrived swiftly, and afterchecking on Gao Min carefully, he announced: ¡°The arrow wound is not fatal, butas she was riding at such a fast speed, the impact of the fall has broken herspine. I¡¯m afraid that for the rest of her life...¡±
Wei Guo Furen screeched uncontrobly in ahigh pitch, rushing at Zuo Yuan like a mad woman and wing at his face withher sharp nails. Zuo Yuan was shouting in pain at her animalistic fury, but ashis hands and feet were bound tightly, he had no way to resist her. His facewas soon bloody and disfigured, but Wei Guo Furen did not stop her screams.¡°You return me my daughter! Return her to me!¡±
Only Tuoba Yu approached Li Weiyang. ¡°Are youalright?¡±
Li Weiyang watched the scene coolly. ¡°That man,who is he?¡±
Tuoba Yu did not know how to reply her. Hiswell sculpted face was lit up by the rays of the afternoon sun, giving off agolden glow. In the midst of his brilliant visage, he looked ufortable, asif he couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. ¡°He is one of mine.¡±
After saying that sentence, he felt extremelyrelieved. He could have chosen to lie to her, but such an untruth would onlylet him feel guilty, so he¡¯d rather be straightforward.
Li Weiyang¡¯s gaze suddenly chilled him to hisbones.
In that moment, Tuoba Yu felt like his heart hadbeen frozen by her frosty stare.
He had known that there were ice shards in herheart; doubt, indifference, distance. He had tried his best to understand her,but he could still feel that these feelings were stubbornly enrooted in her; abit of simple warmth couldn¡¯t melt her so easily. Especially now, the sharplook she gave him was freezing.
¡°I know that this incident had nothing to dowith you, but you have to give me an exnation. If anything like this happensagain, I cannot guarantee you that the arrow will not be targeted towards DeFei Niang Niang.¡± She might have sounded indifferent, but she made it extremelyclear that she would not grant any mercy on Tuoba Yu¡¯s behalf. If they made herangry, she could always give her information to others; Tuoba Yu need her helpmore than she needed him. Did this mother and son pair misunderstand thesituation?
¡°I will speak with Mu Fei2 and clearthings up. This will not happen again.¡± Tuoba Yu looked dejected.
Li Weiyang watched coolly as Zuo Yuan wasescorted away. ¡°I want him to pay with his life.¡±
Tuoba Yu could only nod. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you hishead.¡±
¡°For those who dare toy a finger on me, Iwon¡¯t care if they¡¯ll have to be torn apart.¡± Li Weiyang blinked calmly.
Tuoba Yu was speechless, but finally nodded.¡°Of course.¡±
From one point of view, Li Weiyang was muchcrueller than him, but she was also very decisive and ruthless towards enemieswho wished her harm.
¡°How did you discover him just now?¡± It musthave been hard to find him amongst the crowd.
¡°Zhaoyue, show Qi Dianxia your treasure.¡± LiWeiyang waved her forwards.
Zhaoyue had already rushed over to Li Weiyangearlier. As stony-faced as her mistress, she shed the bronze mirror hiddenin her sleeves, and Tuoba Yu understood at once.
¡°I had asked Zhaoyue to pay attention to oursurroundings, so when that person shot the arrow, she signalled me.¡± Li Weiyangonly gave him a simple exnation, but the details were much moreplicated.How did Zhaoyue discover Zuo Yuan, how to catch the best timing, and how topass on their pre-arranged signal; she did not bother with the specifics, but TuobaYu knew it all.
It was merely a show.
Li Weiyang¡¯s challenge to Gao Min was a sincereinvitation to her own death.
¡°Why did you choose Gao Min?¡± Tuoba Yu wantedto know; because he understood that athough Li Weiyang was ruthless, shewouldn¡¯t prey on the innocent.
Li Weiyang smiled. ¡°Somebody witnessed Wei GuoFuren and Gao Min constantly paying visits to De Fei Niang Niang¡¯s tent for thepast few days. Seeing how much they care for me, shouldn¡¯t I repay them thesame kindness? Imagine being bedridden for the rest of her life, such kind oftorture for Gao Min should be slightly better than death, isn¡¯t it? Wei GuoFuren would be pleased that she won¡¯t die, at least, and I doubt she would letthat man off easily too.¡±
Tuoba Zhen was watching them from afar,thinking that they were exchanging words of intimacy as he wasn¡¯t withinhearing range. He saw Li Weiyang¡¯s small smile, and even though it was a coldsmile, he couldn¡¯t bear the jealously. Wrenching his head away, he shouted out:¡°Quickly lift Gao Xiaojie up!¡±
Onlookers hurriedly went over to carry Gao Min,and some Xiaojies had fainted with fright, so others also helped them up. In adaze, Sun Xiaojie remained where she was, lowering her head down to look at herown hands. She had touched Gao Min just now, so her hands were filled withfresh blood. Li Weiyang went to her side, hearing Sun Xiaojie mutter. ¡°Blood,so much blood...¡±
¡°Biao Jie must be severely injured.¡± Li Weiyangsounded concerned.
As she wiped away the blood on her hands withher scarf, Sun Xiaojie sighed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that she will never be able to standfor the rest of her life. Aiya, what a close shave, if that arrow had hit you,it would have been fatal! I wonder who was such a blind fool, and to think thatidental injuries like this happens every year!¡±
¡°Yes, Biao Jie is so pitiful.¡± Li Weiyang¡¯ssmile was tinged with sympathy and regret.
Because such idents urred every year, noone paid any special attention to what had transpired in the day. Everyone justfelt that Gao Min was in unlucky. As for Zuo Yuan, his offence towardsMarquis Bo Chang caused him to be downgraded to amoner, but his life was tobe spared until investigations wereplete. However, it was as if he lost hismind; he escaped from his holding area and ran out of the hunting grounds. Thenext day, he was found torn to shreds by a ck bear.
¡°Xiaojie, I suppose this would count as beingdrawn and quartered3.¡± Zhaoyue said.
Li Weiyang smiled. ¡°It seems that Tuoba Yu is aman of his words.¡±
Zuo Yuan had attempted to kill her twice, sothis was what he deserved. As for De Fei... Li Weiyang had a small smile on herlips. She couldn¡¯t make her move at this time, plus she had to give in on TuobaYu¡¯s behalf for now. But it did not mean that De Fei would not meet with anytroubles, because that simply wasn¡¯t her style.
When Tuoba Zhen returned to his tent, it hadalready grown dark. Among the serving maids who brought him his dinner was agirl whom he did not recognize; she had a pair of bright and clear eyes.¡°Dianxia, please enjoy your meal.¡± She offered him dishes from a serving tray.
Tuoba Zhen nced at her, and his gaze wasfixed onto her beautiful eyes.
It was d¨¦j¨¤ vu; did he meet her before?
His eyes never left her face. ¡°What is yourname?¡±
A red flush crept up her pretty face, and shestammered. ¡°Dianxia, Nubi is called Zhuo Er.¡±
Tuoba Zhen continued studying her, wordless.
He had instructed his trusted men to check on LiWeiyang, but they had mistaken his purpose. They assumed that they had figuredout his intentions, and had tried ways and means to procure girls who hadfeatures resembling Li Weiyang to serve him.
Zhuo Er tried to please him; she put down thetray and demurely went to sit by Tuoba Zhen. ¡°Dianxia, please have yourdinner.¡± As she sat down, she kept her eyes on an expensive jade pendanthanging from his side. She was from the countryside, and did not know why shehad suddenly been brought here. Tuoba Zhen was handsome and admirable, plus,the way he looked at her was especially different. All of these led to Zhuo Erthinking that she was about to soar upward and onward to glory.
¡°You like me?¡± It was an out of characterquestion,ing from Tuoba Zhen, who still had his eyes fixed on her features.
Her blush deepened. ¡°Dianxia is esteemed andoutstanding, Nubi... admires you greatly.¡±
Such a simr face but spoutingpletelydifferent words. Tuoba Zhen felt absurd, and he didn¡¯t know whether tough orcry. He smiled warmly, taking off his jade pendant and throwing it to Zhuo Er.¡°A gift for you.¡±
Zhuo Er was delighted beyond words, thankinghim for his generosity.
¡°Dianxia, there are updates.¡± A man d inck stepped into the tent.
As Zhuo Er curtseyed and left, the smile on TuobaZhen¡¯s face faded and was reced by a killer¡¯s expression. ¡°We¡¯ve let someake the lead again.¡±
¡°Shu Xia4 is incapable.¡± He Tuolowered his head in an apology.
¡°I had thought he let Zuo Yuan go on purpose togive him a second chance, but I never knew that he would be so decisive. Heused this chance to demonstrate his feelings to Li Weiyang; exchanging a lifefor his own, how smart!¡± Tuoba Zhenughed coldly, then sighed. ¡°If only ZuoYuan had ended up in my clutches, I¡¯d definitely have a way to get him toexpose De Fei.¡± After a moment of silence, he resumed his tirade. ¡°Too bad wewere a step toote.¡± He could have had the chance to break apart Tuoba Yu andLi Weiyang¡¯s rtionship entirely; if Li Weiyang heard with her own ears from ZuoYuan, how he was instigated by De Fei, she would definitely fallout with TuobaYu.
¡°Ten of my important subordinates were removed,Tuoba Yu is not simple at all.¡±
He Tuo kept his head lowered. ¡°Dianxia, forgiveShu Xia exceeding my limits, but information has been leaked yet again; I amafraid that there are spies in our midst, we should get rid of them.¡±
¡°It seems like we have to investigatethoroughly.¡± Tuoba Zhen sighed deeply, frowning.
At this instant, He Tuo suddenly called out.¡°Who is it?!¡±
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 90 part1
This part is sponsored by Carrieann W. Thank you!
Chapter 90: PrayingMantisstalksthecicada
19-5 representstheemperor, sinceinancienttimes 9 representedhonor (beingthehighestodd, or ¡¯yang¡¯, number) while 5 signifiedmediationandharmonysinceitisinthemiddleamonythe ¡¯yang¡¯ numbers. Whenputtogether, 9 and 5 signify ¡¯harmonichonor¡¯.
2ÕÆÉÏÃ÷Öé: pearlinthepalm: simrmeaningto ¡°appleofsomeone¡¯seye¡±
3¸º¾£Çë×ï: bearingtherodandtakingpunishment: meanstoofferahumbleapology
Afterward, hesuddenlystoodup, aswordagainsttheneckofthepersonentering, ZhuoErpaled: ¡°Your Highness.... your maidservantonlyforgottotakeawaytheteatray...¡±
Shehas justreceivedTuobaZhen¡¯sjadependant, shewastooecstatic, thatsheforgottoremovethetray. Ifshereturned, ofcourse,there wasnowayforhertoexinthistothehousesteward. SeeingthatTuobaZhenhadrxed, ZhuoErbreathedasighofrelief, Dianxiaseemedto like her, thereforehewouldn¡¯tdoanythingtoher. However,inthenextmoment, withasweepofTuobaZhen¡¯shand, herheadhadfallenoff. Her expression still showed shock, making the scene extremely terrifying.
¡°Takeheraway,¡± TuobaZhenncedatthebloodyfloorandfeltonlydisgust.
Arecklesswoman, actuallywantedtpare herself toLiWeiYang. LiWeiYangdidnotattracthisattentionmerely becauseofherbeauty, whatheliked washerdistinctivepersonalityandcleverness;even for her domineeringfierceness, there was stidistinctvourtoit. Iparison, ZhouErjusthas theshapebut without her mindnor her personality; she was justlikeadoll. TuobaZhen¡¯sgazndedonthe facethat had alreadylostitsvitality. SheresembledLiWeiYang, hisgaze, liketheslowsharpeningtipofasword, graduallydevelopeda sharpedge. RightnowhehasastrangehatredtowardsLiWeiYang. Whathehatedhermost, wasthatshedaredtolookatothermen. Hebecamemore consciousoftheimportanceofpower. Hesecretlydecidedinhisheartthatwhenheascendedtothe 9-51, evenifhehastoturntheworldover, itmustbetohissatisfaction.
WhenLiWeiYangsawWeiGuoFuren, shewassittinginadazebeforeGaoMin¡¯sbed. Thenwhensheturnedaround, shecanseethatherusualdignified, domineering, imposingmannerhasdisappearepletely. Hercheekbones that appearedhighseemedgauntatthistime andbothcheeks also showed signs of slight sadness. That pair of eyes, that had alwaysmadeLiWeiYangfeelufortable with the arrogance in her eyes, wereswollenfromcrying and thechaosinherpupilmadeitseem everger. Unsureofwhetherit wasduetotoomuchenergybeingspentonhergrief, herhairseemedtohave grown morestrandsofwhitehair, and matched with her sullen face, itmadeherentirepersonseemevenmoredejected.
LiWeiYangsighed.
Thismotheranddaughterpaironlyhadthemselvestome. She hadalreadyverified thatitwasthetwoofthemwhosoweddiscordinfrontof Concubine Zhang De, whichstirred Concubine Zhang Deintotakingactionstogetridofher. Iftheydidnotusesuchdespicablemeanstoharmher, thentheywouldn¡¯thavefallentothispoint.
GaoMin¡¯sentirebackbonehadbeenbroken, evenifsheisforcedtosurvived, shecouldonlylivetherestofherlifeonabed for this lifetime. Abeautifulfuturehadbeenruinedlikethis, foraproudandarrogantGaoMin, it wasmoreunbearablethandeath.
SunYanJun, whocamewithLiWeiYang, pushedherslightly, indicatingthatsheshouldstandbehindherandthenfollowingSunYanJunin, she spoke words of constion: ¡°WeiGuoFuren, IknowthatyouareverysadoverMissGao¡¯sident, butyoumustalsocherishyourownbody!¡±
WeiGuoFurenwasinatrance. Hearinghersaythisshewipedatear;asifwakingupfromadream, she murmured: ¡°PoorMinEr.¡± Thensuddenlysheraisedherhead, staringfixedlyatLiWeiYang, shesaidangrily: ¡°Whyareyouhere!¡±
Inhereyes, LiWeiYangistheenemywhoharmedherdaughter, shecouldn¡¯twaittopounceandtearherup, butseeingZhaoYue with her cold expression, as she held her swordbehindLiWeiYang, WeiGuoFurensubconsciouslystopped in herpace.
LiWeiYangsaidlightly: ¡°Aunt, restrainyourgrief.¡±
Hearingthosewords, WeiGuoFuren¡¯simmediatelyshowedangerandsaidbitterly: ¡°LiWeiYang, ifitwasnotforyouwantingtpetewithMinEr, howcouldshehasfallentothispoint, allofthisisbecauseofyou...¡±
SunYanJunlookedatWeiGuoFurenwithsympathy, inheropinion, thisincidentreallydoesn¡¯thavemuchtodowithLiWeiYang, ifitwasn¡¯tforGaoMinbeingoverlyaggressive, LiWeiYangwouldnothavpetedwithher, besides, apersongettinginjuredisanident, justasshewasabouttosaysomething, LiWeiYangsaidgently: ¡°MissSun, IhaveafewwordsthatIwanttospeakwith Auntalone, wouldyoumindleavingusalone.¡±
SunYanJun isadecentandunderstandinggirl, shethoughtLiWeiYangwantedtoapologizetoWeiGuoFuren, thereforeshesmiledandsaid: ¡°Verywell, Iwillgooutfirst,terIwilllookforyou.¡± Having witnessed the plentiful facadesof officials¡¯ daughters, and being bornofmilitarylineage, she greatly admiresthefrankness, intelligenceandcourage ofLiWeiYang, andisdeterminedto befriendher.
Finishing, SunYanJunleftthetent.
WeiGuoFurensuddenlyfeltamomentofbleakness, heroldestson wasdead, heryoungersonisagood-for-nothing, herdaughterisleftwithonlyhalfalife, herhusbandmedherforincitingherdaughterintoalwaysseekingtoprevailoverothers, perhapsatthismoment,heevenhatesher. Hermethodsoftreatingtheservantsare meanevenundernormalcircumstances, asidefromherownoldersister, thereisnooneinthefamilythatshecanspeakto. Inthisnotverycoldnight, facing LiWeiYangwhoseface waslikewater, shesuddenlyfeltabonepiercingchill. Becauseshetrulyfeltthatshehasnowbealoner.
¡°Areyouheretughatme?¡± SeeingLiWeiYang, WeiGuoFuren¡¯sdismalmoodfeltlikefrostonsnow.
¡°Aunt, whywouldughatyou? Biaojie (olderfemalecousin)binglikethis, Iamalsosadforher.¡± NotonlyisLiWeiYangnotsadbutshealsofeltthatGaoMinhadbroughtituponherself, butnow, sheneededtocontinue: ¡°Iunderstand how you are feeling, butthereishingthatImusttellyou, theincidentthatdaywasnotanident.¡±
WeiGuoFurensuddenlyraisedherhead, herfacechangingdrastically: ¡°Whatdidyousay!¡±
LiWeiYangsighedandsaid: ¡°Ioriginallydidnotwanttomentionthisincident, becausesayingitwouldimplicatemanypeople, butifIdon¡¯tsayit, Iwouldfeeluneasyinmyheart.¡±
¡°Youhiditandnotmentionitisbecauseyoucannotsayit? OrdidyoufeelthatIamincapable, andcannotinquireaboutthisincident?¡± WeiGuoFurencouldfeelsomething wasoffandstaredfixedlyatLiWeiYang¡¯seyes, hergazegraduallysharpening.
LiWeiYangwithanhesitantlook, openedhermouthtospeak, butstillhesitatedforamoment: ¡°Ialsoknowthatthisincidentcannotbehiddenfromyou... butifItellthistoyou, I¡¯mafraidthatthiswiffectyourrtionshipwith Concubine Zhang De... since it caused thiskindofconsequences, evenifIdie, Icannotatoneforthatsin... butifIdon¡¯ttellyou, Iamalsoafraidthatyouwillbekeptinthedarkforever...¡±
Hearingthis, WeiGuoFuren¡¯sfacesuddenlychanged, hervoicealsotrembling, graspingthearmrestofthesandalwoodchairasifshewantedtostandup, hersleeveglidingacrossthetabletop, viciouslybringingdowntheteacups: ¡°Whatdidyousay? Havesomethingtodowith Concubine Zhang De? Whatareyou....tryingtosay?¡±
LiWeiYangsighedandsaid: ¡°Pce affairs arplicated, Concubine Zhang De seemskindandgenerousonthesurface, butinrealitysheisanarrow-mindedperson! Iheardthatyouhaveconstantlysaidbadthingsaboutmebeforeher, thereforeIwasafraid, Iasked Seventh Princetoexinonmybehalf, but Seventh Princecamebackonlytotellme, Concubine Zhang De feltthatyouaretryingtosowdiscordsintotheirmotherandsonrtionship, and thus bingangrywithyouractions. Aunt, youdoknow, JiangGuoGongResidence¡¯sErJiujiuhasanillegitimatedaughterthathasenteredtheCrownPrince¡¯sresidencetobeaCeFei(sideconsort), Concubine Zhang Dehaseasilyconnectedotherthoughts, shefeltthatthere wascollusionbetweenJiangGuoGongResidenceandBoChangHouResidence, whileyoumeantwell, toher, itappearedyouweretryingtodriveawedge, thereforeshewaspreparedtogiveusalesson! Thatday... justhappenedtobeBiaojie¡¯sbadluck!¡±
¡°Whatdidyousay!¡± Thisremark wasjustlikeathundershockthatshookapartWeiGuoFuren¡¯ssoul. Shewantedtostaggeredup, herbodyraisinghalfwaybeforefallingbackdowntothechair, herfacepalingevenmore, hereyesdulling, shakingnonstopallover, thatlookasifhersoulhadsuddenlydrainedaway.
Thesewords wereoriginallyfullofloopholes, butLiWeiYangknew, sayingthesewordsrightnow, WeiGuoFurenwoulddefinitelybelieveit, andwhatmore, shewilltrustipletely. Shecontinuedon: ¡°Auntcannotbelieveme, butIhopethatyouwillsendsomeoinvestigatethatZuoYuan¡¯sbackground, asthedeputmanderoftheImperialArmyformanyyears, outstandingmartirtsandexcellentarchery, howcouldhemissashotfornoreason, asithappensthatheshotinourdirection, thisisclearlysomeoneusinghishandstowarnus!¡±
¡°No! Thisisnotpossible!¡± WeiGuoFurendidnotbelieveLiWeiYang.
LiWeiYangsmiledandsaid: ¡°Aunt, nomatterhow we loathedeachother behind closed doors, intheeyesofoutsiders, JiangGuoResidence, BoChangResidence, areallonefamily. Eventhoughyouhavesaidalotofbadthingsaboutmeinfrontof Concubine Zhang De and itisnotharmoniousbetweenus, butthewayothersseeit, wearertedbymarriageafterall, no? Concubine Zhang De would have feel thatyouhaveotherintentionstobetraymeinordertogainhertrust, wantingtowarnyouabit, isthereanythingstrangeaboutthat?¡± Shepaused, thenncedattheunconsciousGaoMinandsaid: ¡°Whatmore, GaoBiaojiehasalwaysbeengettingcloseto Third Prince, otherpeoplefeelthatinthefuture, shewillbe the imperial consort of the Third Prince, ifanythinghappenedtoher, naturallyitisnotalightblowto Third Prince, Third PrinceistheCrownedPrince¡¯speople... naturallytherearealotoplexrtionshipsinthemistofthis, s, thebottomlineis, Biaojieisjustascapegoat.¡±
WeiGuoFurensatinherchairasifhersoulwaslost, herteethbitingherdeathlypalelipstightly: ¡°Whatareyoutellingmethese!¡±
LiWeiYangsmiled, she wasnotafraidofWeiGuoFurencheckingonthis, becausethis wasindeed doneby Concubine Zhang De. Rightnowallshe wasdoing wasjusttellingthisfacttoWeiGuoFuren, ¡°BecauseIamalsoavictim, thatdayIwaswalkingthehorsewith Ninth Princess, thensomeoneusedatamedeagletoscarethehorses, Ialmostdiedunderthehorse¡¯shoof. TheculpritbehindthisnotonlywantedtokillBiaojie, butalsowantedtoraiseinternalfightingamongstus, tellmeYimu, wouldmyhatebeanylessthanyours?¡±
¡°Whatraiseinternalfighting? Idon¡¯tunderstand!¡± WeiGuoFurenopenedhereyeswide.
yerofregretaroseonLiWeiYang¡¯sface: ¡°ThereasonwhyBiaojieraced her horsewithme merely stemmed from agirl¡¯sdesiretoexceloverothers, wedonothaveanydeep-rootedhatred, butintheeyesofother, IhavebecametheculpritwhocausedBiaojietobeinjured. Asaresult, Unclewouldnotsayit, butinhisheart, thereisalreadyagrudgeagainstFather, intheimperialcourt, ourfamilieshavealwaysbeensupportingeachother, nowifwehaveafallout, ourpowerwillbeweakened. Ifatthistime, someoneexploitsthesituation, itisnotimpossiblefor bothfamiliesbingopposingenemies, makingiteasiertotakeouttheenemiesonebyone.¡±
¡°Ah...¡± WeiGuoFurenawakenedasiffromadream, nowherangerhasgraduallycalmeddown, sheonlysigheddeeply, lookingdejectedasifherentirebodyisemptiedofstrength: ¡°Youshouldgoback, gobackanddonottalktoanyone.¡±
LiWeiYangsmiledlightlyandsaid: ¡°Aunt, youshouldtakearest, Iwillleavefirst.¡±
WeiGuoFurengrittedherteeth, lookingatherback, andspatheavilytowardstheground, besideWeiGuoFuren, herconfidanteLiuMama, said: ¡°Furen, Xianzhuistryingtosowdiscord.¡±
WeiGuoFurenslowlyleanedbackagainstthechair, hergazelikedyingembers, staringatthetopofthetent, holdingherhandinafistforcefully, hernailspiercingintoflesh: ¡°Sheistryingtosowdiscord, butwhatshesaidisafact, atleastinregardstotherealpersonwhoharmedmydaughter, shedidnotlied. Thatarrowisdefinitelyarrangedby Consort Wu Xian!¡±
There wasnoreasonforLiWeiYangtolieaboutthispoint, becauseifatthatmoment, itwouldbeabsolutelyimpossibleforhertoescapeifshedidnotdodgequickly. Whatmore, thesceneatthattime, bothofthegirls¡¯ horseswereracingnecktoneck, regardlessofwhethertheotherparty wastryingtokillLiWeiYangorGaoMin, bothofthemhaveenteredintodangertogether! WeiGuoFurenonlythoughtthatLiWeiYangwasluckybutneverthoughtthatshewasalreadypreparedforthis, afterall, whointhisworldwouldrisktheirownlife? Evenmoreimpossibletodevisesuchterrifyingtrap! SheresentedLiWeiYang, butloathed Concubine Zhang De evenmore, theyoriginallywantedtoborrowherhandtogetridofLiWeiYang, insteadwereharmedbythekillersentbyher!
LiWeiYangcameoutofWeiGuoFuren¡¯stent, lookedbackandcouldn¡¯thelp but smile slightly.
ZhaoYuefeltitwasweird: ¡°Xiaojie, whydidyoudothis?¡±
LiWeiYangsmiledanddidnotanswer.
Onthstdayofhunting, thewhitewolfwascapturedbySeventhPrince, theEmperorwashappyandheldabanquettocelebrate.
Thiswasoriginallyaharmoniousbanquet, butchaoscameoutofthebanquet. Apcemaidwasactuallyanassassinthatsnuckin, inattempttoassassinatetheEmperor, however, theroyalpcehadalreadyassignedexpertstopersonallyprotecttheEmperorandtheimportantconcubines. Thatpce maid had justpulledaknifefromthetrayandwas immediately discoveredbysomeonebeforeshehadthechancetotakeactionandwascapturedonthespot. TheEmperororderedaninterrogation, thatpcemaidslittedherownneckanddiedfromsuicide.
TheEmperorwasenragedandorderedsomeosearchthebody. Theresult wasthatan imperial pass wasdiscoveredonthepcemaid¡¯sbody. Uponcheckingthe imperial pass, itactuallycamefrom Concubine Zhang De¡¯spce.
Atthatmoment, everyone¡¯sfaceschanged.
Concubine Zhang De hadalwaysbeenfavouredbytheEmperor, stillstandingtothisday, butthistimetheEmperorwasfurious, takingtheimperialpassand threw it hard: ¡°Concubine Zhang De, youhavedoneagoodjob!¡±
Concubine Zhang De¡¯sfacesuddenlybecamepale, shehasbeeninthepceforalongtime, she wasalreadyusedtothesekindofmatters, butshehasneverseentheEmperorbeingthisfuriousbefore, thatshefellstraighttothegroundfromfrightofthissuddenmishap. She forgot her intelligence and quick wits and knowinghowtoexinherself, criedloudly: ¡°Your concubinehasbeenwronged! HisMajesty, your concubine hasbeenwronged!¡±
LiWeiYangwatchedfromafar, atraceofsmileappearedonherface.
Concubine Zhang De¡¯sface wasfulloftearsandkeptsaying: ¡°HisMajesty¡¯sgreatkindnessisdeep, howcould your concubineplotagainstHisMajesty?!¡±
TheEmperorhasexperiencedmanychangesinthepce, oftenfallingpreytoothers¡¯ machinationssincechildhood, that what heloathedandfearedmost weretheseunderhandmethods. Withoutthinkingcarefullyinhisfury, heshouted: ¡°Take Concubine Zhang Deaway, tobedealtwith.¡± Oncethewordscameout, everyonewasshocked.
¡°Imperial Father ---¡± TuobaYuquicklysteppedout, thensuddenlythought, nomatterwhat, nowisnottheceortimeforhimtoangertheEmperor. Evenifhewantedtoaddresstheinjusticeforhis Imperial Mother, hestillhastowaituntiltheEmperor¡¯sthunderousfurydisappeared, nomatterwhatissaidnow, hewouldnotlisten!
¡°Concubine Zhang Dehasdefinitelybeenwronged!¡± Inthemidstofthisdiscussion, suddenlyachildishvoicespoke.
Thecrowdwastakenaback, alllookingat Ninth Princess,
Originally Ninth PrincesshasdeliberatelywenttositwithLiWeiYang, nowsherosefromherseatandquicklysteppedout, kneeledontheground, bowedacoupleoftimeandsaid: ¡°Imperial Fathermustnotdecidethesinsof Concubine Zhang Debasedonasingleimperialpass.¡±
ConcubineRousuddenlystoodup: ¡°HisMajesty, Ninth Princessisstichild, shedoesnotunderstandanything!¡±
Ninth Princess saidcourageously: ¡°Imperial Father, therearealotofpeoplehere, howhardisittogetan imperialpass? Ifthisimperialpassisreallyfrom Concubine Zhang De¡¯spce, whywouldsheletthatpersonwearit, is she notafraidthatotherpeople would know? Thisisasetup!¡±
Everyoneloweredtheirhead, ofcoursetheycouldseethatthisisasetup, howeverinfrontoftheEmperor¡¯sfury, noonedaretosayawordofdefensefor Concubine Zhang De.
TheEmperorlookedathisfavouritelittledaughterinsurprise, she wasnotparticrlycloseto Concubine Zhang De, buttodayshesuddenlycameouttospeakupfor Concubine Zhang De. Thinkingaboutit, thertionshipbetween Concubine Rouand Concubine Zhang De wasnot on good terms, but Ninth Princess didnotavoidit, intheend she isstichild--- itisbecausesheisachild, thereforeshedaredtosaywhatothersdonotdareto, eventhefactthattheEmperordidnotthinkofinhis moments of fury, sheactuallydaredtosayitinpublic.
Thinkingofitcarefully, theevidence werehere;suchcleverandwiseEmperor, becauseConcubine Zhang Dewasrespectedanddeartohim, therefore he was unabletotakesuchblow, especiallywhenangered. Ifhewronged Concubine Zhang De duetosuchsimplesetup, evenifhemadeupforitinthefuture, ariftwillstillremain, especiallybetweenhusbandandwife, betweenfatherandson. Havingthought over this, helookedattheearnestgazeof Seventh Princewho iswatching Concubine Zhang Desilently, hisfacecalmingdown.
ConcubineWu Xianwhohasbeensilentthiswholetimesuddenlyopenedhermouth: ¡°Yes, HisMajesty, thisissomeonewhoisjealousthat Concubine Zhang Dehas receivedHisMajesty¡¯sfavor, thereforetheydeliberatelyframedher, youmustinvestigatecarefully, toensureyoudidnotwrong Concubine Zhang De.¡±
Concubine Zhang De chokedwithtears, shethrewherselfinfrontoftheemperorcrying, bothhandsseizingthebottomofhisgownandbeggedbitterly: ¡°HisMajesty, your concubinewouldneverdaretodoanythingthatwouldharmHisMajesty!¡±
Theemperorhasalreadyunderstoodeverything, butfeelingthatheisatanawkwardce, hewentwith Concubine Wu Xian¡¯swordstogetoutoftheawkwardsituation: ¡°Youshouldrise, zhen (emperor addressing himself in first person) knows. Youshouldreturnandrest, zhenwillgiveyoujustice.¡± Then, turningtofacethecrowd: ¡°Thebanquetcannotcontinueon, everyoneshoulddisperse.¡±
Seventh Prince, TuobaZhen wasreallydisappointed, hereallyhoped for Concubine Zhang De¡¯s downfall, althoughitseemedlikethispoorlythoughtoutncouldn¡¯tshake the concubine¡¯sposition, butaslongasaseedofsuspicion wasntedintheemperor¡¯sheartand and roots had formed, atacertainpointoftime, itwillyasignificantrole, onlyforittobedestroyedlikethistoday. Hencedat Ninth Princess grudgingly, onlytofindthatsheischattinghappilytoLiWeiYang.
ItwasLiWeiYangwhotaught Ninth Princesstosaythosewords! TuobaZhen wasthefirst one tounderstand! Hisfingers, unconsciouslytightenedevenmore, almostdrawingoutblood.
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Trantor: Ang
Editor: Erica
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Chapter 90 part2
This part is sponsored by Carrieann!
A note to readers: Wondering what trantions do you think would be better in terms of addressing one another. Examples: Jiu Gongzhu or Ninth Princess? Bi Xia or Your Majesty? Nubi or Your Maidservant? Ruo Fei Niang Niang or Concubine Ruo?
Chapter 90: Praying Mantis Stalk the Cicada
Ninth Princess whispered: ¡°Wei Yang Jiejie, who do you think has sent the assassin?¡±
Li Wei Yang just smiled without answering.
Just at this time, Tuoba Yu came over, he suddenly asked: ¡°Why?¡±
Li Wei Yang answered: ¡°Ninth Princess, I have something to say to your seventh brother.¡±
Ninth Princess blinked her eyes mischievously, ¡°Okay.¡± After saying this, she lifted her skirt and ran away.
Tuoba Yu¡¯s gaze contained a trace of disbelief: ¡°It was Wei Guo Furen, just now I saw her expression, that moment---¡± When Concubine Zhang De was pardoned by the emperor, Wei Guo Furen¡¯s disappointment, was all seen by Tuoba Yu.
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°Wei Guo Furen just knew the truth.¡±
¡°She originally did not know this, aside from you, aside from me---¡± Tuoba Yu clenched his teeth, ¡°How could you do this!¡± He almost could not hold back from shouting, but he did his utmost to restrain his emotions: ¡°She is my imperial mother! You are obviously on my side!¡±
Li Wei Yangughed, a trace of coldness shed across her eyes: ¡°What if I was really killed by her?! How would Seventh Princepensate this life of mine! Could it be that because she is your imperial mother, therefore I must be patient with her and let her kill me?!¡±
Tuoba Yu was aware that he was in the wrong, but still refused to give up: ¡°But I already said it, I will exin to mother---¡±
¡°Exin? Is exining any use?¡± Li Wei Yang said lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t want an exnation! I want justice!¡±
¡°I already told imperial mother, she promised not to harm you again!¡±
¡°Promise?!¡± Li Wei Yang sneered, ¡°Seventh Prince, your mother¡¯s promise, pardon me for not being able to believe it.¡± If promises are of use, why would Zhao Yue find there are still people monitoring around the outside of her tent or that even someone would let poisonous snakes into the tent.
This showed that the concubine never actually gave up! She didn¡¯t know how Tuoba Yu exined it, but Concubine Zhang De¡¯s stubbornness was definitely abnormal!
There was pain in Tuoba Yu¡¯s eyes, he felt like he was living between two cracks, this feeling caused him to not know how to exin to Li Wei Yang. Imperial Mother thought that Li Wei Yang was not suitable to be his main consort, thus doing such terrible things, he said lightly: ¡°Wei Yang, the things that my mother did cannot hurt you, you are smart and powerful---¡±
Li Wei Yang suddenlyughed continuously, unable to stop.
Because she is clever, because she is strong, other people can frame her to their heart¡¯s content? Take her for a fool?! Her face bing cold, her voice like ice: ¡°Seventh Prince, if I was not capable, then I deserve to die?!¡±
Tuoba Yu almost lost his voice, he knew that these things cannot hurt Li Wei Yang, therefore taking it lightly--- In the end, he was too confident in Li Wei Yang¡¯s strength and cleverness, that he had forgotten that she is also a person who can get hurt and bleed, and what¡¯s more, she is also a weak woman. For a moment, he felt an iparable regret, it was all due to her giving him such a strong impression of her before, therefore he was left with the wrong idea, thinking that she could handle everything, involuntarily he stepped up: ¡°Wei Yang, I¡¯m sorry, I promise you again---¡±
¡°No need to promise! If this happens again, I cannot guarantee that Concubine Zhang De can continue to sit safely in that position!¡± Li Wei Yang scoffed coldly, ¡°I am a soft stone, but my life is very hard, Concubine wants to kill me, she must be wary of having one¡¯s head bashed and battered!¡±
Tuoba Yu looked at her deeply: ¡°Even though you spoke so viciously, however I know that you are a kind-hearted person, you did not intend to kill my mother,otherwise you would not have let ninth sister say those words, Imperial Father will not believe any other words spoken by anyone else, you understand Imperial Father¡¯s thoughts more than I do.¡±
Only the words of a princess with no conflict of interest, a weak naive child, one who is favored by the Emperor like a pearl in his palm, the Emperor would believe2.
Emperors are suspicious. Therefore everything that happened today, are all calcted by Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang turned her face, the fire glimmering in the distance casting shadows on her face, her voice normal, so normal to the point that no one realized that she had a weariness that was never there before: ¡°What do I, it is also for Qi Dianxia, your own good.¡±
Tuoba Yu looked at her in surprise.
Li Wei Yang continued: ¡°Today¡¯s incident, on the surface, Concubine Zhang De appeared to have been reprimanded by His Majesty, but His Majesty already knows that he has wronged her, while thinking deeply about the assassination attempt, His Majesty would think that someone is envious of you, therefore would framed the always cid Concubine Zhang De, say, who would think of you as a threat and cannot help but reach out to exterminate you?¡±
¡°You purposely chose Wei Guo Furen??¡± Tuoba Yu looked at her in disbelief.
¡°Exactly, Wei Guo Furen¡¯s second brother, also my second maternal uncle in name, has an illegitimate daughter who had entered the Crown Prince¡¯s house.¡± Li Wei Yang said smilingly, ¡°Watch, His Majesty will definitely feel that the Crown Prince has the intention to frame you, from today onwards, not only will he be more wary of him, he will also protect and think highly of you, to make up for what he owes you and Concubine Zhang De.¡±
Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang, her every steps and move are very malicious, aplex feeling arising in his heart, for a moment, he felt a burst of cold.
The emperor ordered a thorough investigation of this matter, while there was no issue with the identity and origin of that pce maid, she had never interacted overly much with people in the pce for many years and it was apparent that she had been ced there for many years. To use this kind of person, it was obvious that they wanted to drive Concubine Zhang De to the brink of death. However, the order of the Emperor was not a joke, finally, someone had spoken the truth and revealed that Wei Guo Furen had been in secret contact with this maid. As a result, Wei Guo Furen became the most suspected person, but when the imperial guards arrived at Wei Guo Furen¡¯s tent, they discovered her fully dressed up and had swallowed gold tomit suicide. Marquis of Bo Chang was greatly shocked, thrice kneeling and bowing nine times to ask the Emperor for bearing the rod and taking the punishment3, but the Emperor still decided to execute the entire family, upon hearing this new, Li Xiao Ran immediately went to the Emperor to plead for leniency as well as trying to prove that this incident had nothing to do with Marquis of Bo Chang, but in the end the Emperor still took his rank, demoted him to amoner and exiled him to the dested He Zhou. When the news came out, the entire court was shaken.
When arriving, Wei Guo Furen was sitting high on a carriage, yet now she was dragged off by a broken mat. Gao Min¡¯s arrogant appearance on horse riding still seemed to be here, but now she could only lie in the carriage and leave for He Zhou with her father.
Li Wei Yang watched from afar, an unknown indifference flowing through her eyes.
¡°It¡¯s really such a pity, originally it was all fine.¡± Without knowing when, Sun Yan Jun hade over to her side, ¡°If it was known that it would lead to so many incidents, it would have been better to not participate in this hunt.¡±
First, it was the Ninth Princess receiving a fright while riding a horse, then it was Gao Min identally being injured, followed by Concubine Zhang De getting framed andter discovering that the culprit behind the plotting was Wei Guo furen, and finally ended with Wei Guo Furenmitting suicide. All of the entire events seemed to be interlocking, all closely linked, but Sun Yan Jun would have never thought that everything was closely tied to this seemingly ordinary girl in front of her.
Li Wei Yang answered: ¡°Sun Xiaojie really has a kind heart. But many things have already been destined to happen. Since Wei Guo furenmitted such a malevolent crime, then she must have foreseen her ending today.¡±
Sun Yan Jun nodded and said: ¡°Wei Guo furen definitely shouldn¡¯t have frame Concubine Zhang De. I¡¯ve heard from others that Wei Guo furen has a niece who is a side consort of the Crowned Prince. So everyone is saying Wei Guo furen was instructed by the Crowned Prince to frame Concubine Zhang De and the real purpose behind this is to make His Majesty estrange Seventh Princess!¡± She was whispering in a low voice as if she was afraid others would hear her.
Li Wei Yang calmly smiled: ¡°Oh, Sun Xiaojie believes in the rumors too?¡±
¡°This is not a rumor, everyone knows that Wei Guo furen¡¯s eldest son Gao Yuan, who was the Crowned Prince¡¯s study partner, had lost his life because of the Crowned Prince so she was conferred a title. Moreover, Duke Jiang¡¯s first and second household continuously birthed five sons without any daughters. In order to draw their alliance, the Crowned Prince married a girl born from a concubine and since her status wasn¡¯t high, she was only given the position of a side consort. If she didn¡¯t do this for the Crowned Prince, then why would Wei Guo furen want to harm Concubine Zhang De. One, there is no animosity and two, there is no sh of conflicts between them ---¡± Sun Yan Jun casually told Li Wei Yang the analysis of General Sun.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face exposed a slight astonishment: ¡°Is it really like this?¡±
Sun Yan Jun expressed sympathy: ¡°You should be wary of others, but you all don¡¯t have much to worry about. Your father does not participate in any of the power struggles between the princes. Let¡¯s consider this a fortunate misfortune.¡±
Did not participate? This was merely an impression; Li Xiao Ran was basically holding back and waiting for the right time to reap the most profits. The only problem was his dream of seeing her daughter be the queen had already been shattered so he didn¡¯t know what steps to take next.
¡°Because His Majesty had wronged Concubine Zhang De, he had been pacifying her! And I¡¯ve also heard that Seventh Prince captured a white wolf so he was rewarded heavily ....¡± Sun Yan Jun continued to speak as Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze followed the Marquis of Bo Chang¡¯s carriage, unsure of what she was thinking about.
This hunting event had finally ended. She gracefully declined Sun Yan Jun¡¯s invitation and Li Wei Yang returned back to the Prime Minister¡¯s residence.
After returning to her room, Li Wei Yang ordered everyone to leave. At this moment, seeing no one else here, she didn¡¯t have to work hard to be strong, she can be weak without worries, and she didn¡¯t have to be as courageous as she was.
Tuoba Yu said: ¡°I felt that you are strong enough to face everything.¡± At that point, how did she respond to him? Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t remember, she only felt extremely angry at that moment, very furious. Even if she saw him as an ally, she had at least invested a little of her feelings. She thought they could be soulmates and friends who would work together for the same goal. But with Tuoba Yu saying this to her, she couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed.
She was, of course, very strong, but she wasn¡¯t strong enough that she could dealt with all situations of danger. And especially when confronted by death, she was more frightened than anyone else. In her dreams day and night, she was always in the dested cold pce. At times, she would even dream of her body crawling with lice. This kind of terror, no one had experienced before so no one would be able to understand. Tuoba Yu thought she was strong and had nothing to fear. In actuality, it was the exact opposite; it was because she is afraid, frightened that if she became weaker, she would be toppled. That was the main reason why she would eliminate every obstacle at all costs.
She knew that sharp arrow would pierce through Gao Min but she still invited her.
She knew Wei Guo furen would do whatever she could to frame Concubine Zhang De but she still told her who was the mastermind behind the incident.
Li Wei Yang was a cold-hearted woman.
She was thinking of this as she buried her face in the pillow.
It had a scent of sunlight and fresh grass, which was entirely different from the scent of poison and blood in her dream.
¡°Open your mouth!¡±
Suddenly, a voice was heard from the side of the bed.
Li Wei Yang was startled. She lifted her gaze and saw Li Min De holding his head in one hand and pinching something in his other hand as he watched her.
Li Wei Yang let out a smile: ¡°What is that?¡±
¡°Lotus balls.¡± Li Min De answered directly, ¡°Don¡¯t you like to eat this?¡±
Li Wei Yang often ate the sweets from the Jade Pavilion but now she didn¡¯t really have an appetite.
Li Min De couldn¡¯t help but frown. He threw away the molded flour and said: ¡°Then what do you want to eat?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want to eat anything!¡± Li Wei Yang seldom feels impatient and she had instructed everyone to leave her and not let anyone enter. How could Zhao Yue let this youngstere in?
It was as if Min De had entered a room without the presence of anyone.
After a long while, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t hear him speak anyone. She opened her eyes and discovered that the young boy had drooped his head. She wasn¡¯t able to fully see his expression but could notice an aura of sadness lingering in the air. Instead of thinking he was upset to see Li Wei Yang who had always been gentle was able to be this annoyed, it was better to think that his feelings stemmed from her unexined reason of reprimanding him!
¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, Min De, I am just not feeling well.¡± Li Wei Yang sighed, she sat up and consoled him.
Li Min De nced up and blinked his eyes as if he was wronged. His gentle expressions made her involuntarily felt that she hadmitted a grave sin.
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t stand this innocent expression and said: ¡°Okay, okay, okay, I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°Did you encounter something unhappy during this trip?¡± Li Min De asked.
Li Wei Yang stopped for a moment to think and said: ¡°I¡¯ve caused the deaths of a few people, I feel a little discontent in the heart.¡±
¡°Survival of the fittest, the weak serves as the prey to the strong, these are the words you taught me.¡± The young boy lifted his head and locked his gaze with hers.
Li Wei Yang was stunned, all of her actions were exactly like this. If she didn¡¯t kill, she would be killed. She didn¡¯t want to spend time grieving but seeing Wei Guo furen¡¯s pain over her daughter¡¯s incident, she could imagine Qi Yiniang (her mother) ....... She dropped her nce, ¡°You are right ......¡±
He suddenly thought of something, his face sunk, ¡°Did someone anger you?¡± After saying this, he immediately became regretful. He tested the waters by reaching out his hand and when he was about to lift her face, a cold droplet of tear unexpectedlynded on his palm. It was indubitably icy cold, but the young boy¡¯s heart felt as if it had been burnt, causing a piercing pain.
Li Wei Yang lifted her head, her eyes didn¡¯t have any trace of tears, making it seem like the tear in his palm was a mere delusion. She smiled and at the young boy who didn¡¯t know what to do with his hands, she said: ¡°You .......¡±
Now, the person who she couldpletely trust only remains him.
If she could, she wished he would never change.
¡°I won¡¯t let anyone bully you.¡± He reached and caressed her soft hair.
Li Wei Yang was stunned and she smiled. At this moment, she thought he was simply joking, but she finds out afterward that she was wrong.
This day, Zhao Nan quickly rode his horse to the Li residence.
Zhao Nan rushed in front of Li Wei Yang and kneeled to report: ¡°Xiaojie, your servant has failed you and didn¡¯t seed.¡±
Li Wei Yang nced at him and saw the blood on his shoulder. She immediately understood what happened and softly said: ¡°Are your injuries severe?¡±
Zhao Nan lowered his head, he was very ashamed and self-condemned, ¡°Your servant is fine.¡±
Li Wei Yang told the astonished Zhao Yue: ¡°Go help your brother wrap up his wound.¡±
Zhao Nan injured his shoulder and a long sword had slit his chest, leaving a wound half a foot long. Terrified, Zhao Yue couldn¡¯t believe it: ¡°Brother, who has the capability to inflict such an injury on you.¡±
Zhao Nan shook his head; he almost could have bought back Li Min Feng¡¯s head. Unfortunately --- there had to be a group of people that appeared and the old leading them was a young man. Zhao Nan proudly deemed himself highly skilled in martial arts, so who would have expected him to suffer from such injuries. Those people wielded long swords, allowing them to easily triumph over him and in the end, took Li Min Feng away from his hands ....... He must also me himself, he didn¡¯t expect his opponents to be this powerful!
Li Wei Yang listened to his words and coldlyughed: ¡°They are no doubt people of the Jiang family.¡±
Li Min De had been listening on the side, he gently raised his brows and said: ¡°Jiang family?¡± He thought it was odd, why was Li Wei Yang this certain that the people who saved Li Min Feng were from the Jiang family?
Li Wei Yang nodded and smilingly said: ¡°Min De, Da furen¡¯s two older brothers have a total of five sons. Each has its own talent, unlike ordinary people!¡±
Li Min De smiled: ¡°This I¡¯ve actually heard of before, it¡¯s only that --- all of the Jiang¡¯s men are assigned to the borders, how could they appear here?¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°Yes, they should be protecting the borders, yet they¡¯ve left their posts. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have any evidence or else this would be a death penalty for the Jiangs.¡± She raised her teacup and gently took a sip: ¡°Zhao Nan, you¡¯ve lost to the Jiang¡¯s, that is not embarrassing at all. You must know that the Jiang¡¯s most important is not their family origin or their standing, but it is their five extremely talented sons. They won¡¯t watch Li Min Feng die and therefore would save him at all costs. I just didn¡¯t expect them to receive the news this quickly. But this means they will find out what I have done and very soon, they will seek me out to settle this.¡±
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Trantor: Ang
Editor: Erica
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Chapter 91 part1
Chapter 91: Life Lost
M¨¬ng s¨¤ng hu¨¢ngqu¨¢n (Life Lost in Yellow Spring) ¡ª Idiom for dying; Huang Quan is literally yellow spring, and is one of the rivers of the underworld, so it¡¯s a reference to losing your life.
Guogong ¡ª Title is the equivalent of a Grand Duke
Three parts ¡ª When asked for a vote of confidence, one responds with parts out of ten, so like on a scale from 1-10; three out of ten parts is not even half, so not very confident
W¨¤iz¨³m¨³ ¡ª maternal grandmother
G¨±m¨³ ¡ª refers to father¡¯s sister or paternal aunt, it is thetter in this case
ÓñÀ¼ y¨´l¨¢n ¡ª Michelia, part of the magnolia family and sometimes mistaken for the magnolia
¡°Not quite. Without the Emperor¡¯s Imperial edict, it¡¯s impossible for them to return to the Capital.¡± Li Min De smiled.
Li Wei Yang agreed: ¡°Indeed. Unless the Emperor gives the order, the members of the Jiang family cannot return. Otherwise, it would be considered treason.¡±
The Guogong of the Jiang family was perhaps their strongest support. The Emperor respected him and would not shake a pir of the kingdom unless evidence was uncovered. A ss that is already full will overflow. The Jiang family might be burning brightly now, but a fire with oil added to it bes rather vtile. Who is to say they will always enjoy evesting wealth and glory?
Li Min De nodded: ¡°But it isn¡¯t wise to provoke them. Sanjie, have you thought of a countermeasure yet?¡±
Li Wei Yang stood up and looked at the green banana leaves outside and murmured: ¡°Having stabbed the ho¡¯s nest, one must have made preparations.¡±
Zhao Nan groaned. Zhao Yue softly scolded him: ¡°Ge, you really were careless.¡±
Zhao Nanughed aloud.
Li Wei Yang turned back, saw the two siblings and smiled: ¡°Zhao Nan, if you fought one-on-one with that person, how confident would you be in your abilities?¡±
Zhao Nan pondered over it for a bit then said: ¡°Three parts.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded: ¡°Men of the Jiang family are truly extraordinary...¡±
Li Min De scoffed coldly: ¡°Unfortunately, their women are useless, like the narrow-minded Da Furen, and the foolish and selfish Wei Guo Furen. Look how they ended up.¡±
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°Every generation of the Jiang family is like that. Even if their son or the bride was exceptional, their daughters are spoiled and left undisciplined.¡±
The Jiang family sheltered and indulged their daughters in every way, and when they are of age, they are married into respectable households. On the other hand, they raised their sons under strict supervision. From a young age, they would be sent into the military then to the battlegrounds, where they obtained many medals of honors. It was their hard work that allowed the women of the Jiang family to bask in prestige and honor. For that reason, everyone wished to be a woman in the Jiang family.
Bai Zhi hastily came in to report: ¡°Xiaojie, Lao Furen of the Jiang family came.¡±
Oh? Li Wei Yang and Li Min De looked at one another. Wei Guo Furen had unexpectedly died, Jiang Guogong Furen had sent people to invite Da Furen over several times, but Da Furen was ill, unable toprehend anything. She could note over, and that made Jiang Furen suspicious.
That old woman was more capable than the average person. Li Wei Yang contemted over this before quietly saying: ¡°Does Lao Furen know?¡±
¡°Lao Furen has personally gone to greet her and ordered all the Xiaojies and Yiniangs to go to the main hall and wait.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded: ¡°Since Waizumu hase, this is to be expected.¡±
The way she said ¡°Waizumu¡± through clenched teeth caught Li Min De¡¯s attention.
Not long after, Jiang Guogong Furen Lin shi arrived. Despite her silver hair, she bore a great resemnce to Da Furen but with a higher forehead andrger eyes. One could vaguely tell that she used to be very beautiful. When she gently lifted the cup of tea, the refined and extravagant, floral designs on her sleeves were revealed.
A beautiful Furen about twenty five or twenty six years old with delicate eyebrows was by her side. Her hair was in a high updo with a hairpin adorned withrge pearls. She wore an embroidered, peacock blue brocade garment and a silk white skirt the color of snow. She seemed like a young beauty, clever and sharp. Li Wei Yang immediately recognized her. This woman was the zhang nu of the schr of the Han institution, Han shi, and also the wife of the eldest son of the Jiang family.
Han shi yed a part in helping Li Chang Le be Empress. To this day, Li Wei Yang still remembered the first thing Han shi said to her: ¡°Meimei, you are not gumu¡¯s flesh and blood, but I feel very close to you. From now on, think of me as your sister-inw, our families will be as close as hand and feet.¡± She felt that these words were somewhat sincere, butter on, she realized she had been too hopeful for affection, so she treasured others¡¯ pleasant but empty words.
In the end, faced a fate like that, she only had herself to me.
Li Wei Yang stood outside the door, smiling, then went in.
Guogong Furen Lin shi saw Li Wei Yang from afar and noticed her light-colored clothes, willowy silhouette and soft footsteps. Her eyes and lips were graced with a smile. She did not have an outstanding appearance, but her gentle smile and elegant eyebrows reflected her sincerity and innocence like a proud, white michelia branch.
Lin shi recognized Li Wei Yang¡¯s strengths. A woman like her did not have Li Chang Le¡¯s enthralling beauty, but she knew how to hide her abilities and cleverness, seemingly pure and in yet able to stand out and unexpectedly captivated the entire room.
Li Wei Yang met Lin shi¡¯s gaze, which had been appraising her, naturally smiled and sincerely said: ¡°Wei Yang greets Waizumu, Da Biao Sao.¡±
Li shi only looked at her. Han shi cleverly took initiative and approached her. She held onto Li Wei Yang¡¯s arm as she carefully eyed her from head to toe: ¡°San biaomei is lovely, pure and gentle, well-mannered indeed.¡± The first time she heard of her, Li Wei Yang was a girl who grew up in the countryside.
She quickly formed the impression of a girl with a crude appearance and mannerisms. Later on, she heard Li Wei Yang was awarded by the Emperor. She vaguely felt that this was a woman who had a crude exterior and behave no differently from a man. Who would have thought Li Wei Yang would have an unassuming, modest charm?
In typical aristocratic households, there are shu nu that do not marry yet do not change the dynamics of the family. It was all the same. Even if they had someone who loved them, there was not much that could be done without the status of zhang nu. Their future marriages boiled down to three choices. At the very worst, they would be married to a schr as the official wife. If they were more fortunate, they could marry a widowed eldest son of a prestigious noble family to be the second wife.
Of course, this was for shu nu in most noble households. Given the Li family¡¯s status, shu nu had better prospects and could at least be used to win over Huangzi. In the past, Lin shi had advised Da Furen on this, so she would not neglect to manage and discipline the shu nu. In the future, they could be used as stones to pave the way to the Imperial family. Da Furen heeded these words and carefully raised Si Xiaojie and Wu Xiaojie. Since she needed stones to pave the road, she also brought back San Xiaojie, who was said to be weak and ordinary. Lin shi did not think that this girl from Pingcheng would be a cmity.
Lin shi cast Li Wei Yang a cold nce and just nodded, not saying a word.
At this time, Lao Furen smiled and said: ¡°Inw Furen, it has been a while since you¡¯ve visited.¡±
Lin Furen heaved a long sigh: ¡°There is a funeral at home, so visiting is not convenient.¡±
There seemed to be some regret on Lao Furen¡¯s face, but her eyes were still kind: ¡°Ai, I am aware of Wei Guo Furen¡¯s matter, but my health has not been as good recently. I could not personallye and offer my condolences.¡±
A cold gleam crossed Lin shi¡¯s eyes, her lips were pursed as if she were smiling: ¡°That child was not very sensible and caused a great disaster. Thanks to son-inw, the Jiang family was not implicated. Thank you for concern, my old bones can still hold up.¡±
Li Wei Yang heard this and remained silent. It was true that if it weren¡¯t for Li Xiao Ran¡¯s plead, Bixia would have persecuted the Jiang family. Although it was just a front. The Jiang family had considerable military authority, would the Emperor truly create trouble for them? Wei Guo Furen had died, and everything had been made clear. Of course, there may be other details that no one was aware of.
Han shi quietly stood off to the side, looking at Li Wei Yang across from her. Behind Li Wei Yang, the faded gold of sunlight shone in through the window, Li Wei Yang still had a gentle smile, kind and amiable. Underneath it was a hidden hostility and vehemence that would terrify others, but it was as if she was carefully listening to the conversation over there, although her mind had soon drifted elsewhere.
Han shi was unhappy to find that she could not see through a xiao guniang¡¯s intentions. This had never happened before!
Lin shi looked around as if realizing something: ¡°Why don¡¯t I see Rou er?¡± She affectionately called Da Furen Rou er. Li Wei Yang faintly smiled. She obviously noticed Da Furen had note but only chose to mention it now. She was truly a sly old fox.
¡°Inw Furen, daughter-inw¡¯s health is not well. A few days ago, Wei Guo Furen was met with misfortune, and she struggled to get up and go visit. Unfortunately, she had not boarded the carriage before falling down and had to send a messenger to inform the Guogong residence. If you wish to visit, I will have here¡ª¡± Deep down, Lao Furen did not want mother and daughter to meet, but seeing Jiang Guogong Furen set aside her pride toe here, not letting them see each other was unreasonable.
¡°No need!¡± Lin shi said, stopping the Yatous who were about to go and get Da Furen, ¡°Let me finish my tea, then I will go and see her myself!¡± She lifted the white porcin cup of chrysanthemum tea and slowly sipped, not too quickly nor slowly. The porcin lid touched the cup, making a small sound, leaving everyone else in silence.
Er Furen sat beside her the whole time. She was left to manage household affairs and could gloat over Da Furen¡¯s misery, only - when she saw Jiang Guogong Furen, for some reason, her heart pounded with unease of a foreboding omen.
This Guogong Furen seemed more difficult to deal with that Da Furen herself!
Guogong Furen took her time finishing her tea. Everyone restlessly watched, especially Si Yiniang, who almost tore her handkerchief to pieces. She looked as if she would faint. Anyone could recognize her fear because she had been disrespectful towards Da Furen recently and seeing Guogong Furen made her realize the consequences of her actions. She took a few steps back. Li Chang Xiao rushed over to support her, and they quietly left.
Lao Furen shot a cold look in Si Yiniang¡¯s direction, displeased.
Amidst the silence, only Li Wei Yang was unfazed. It was as if she did not see or hear Guogong Furen and continued to stand there, lost in her thoughts, unaffected by her surroundings.
Atst, Lin shi sternly broke the silence: ¡°Alright, to Fu Rui Courtyard.¡±
As a result, they apanied her to Fu Rui Courtyard.
Cui mama had helped Da Furen wash her face and brush her hair, but it did not add much life to her current state. She was neatly dressed and waiting in the yard for Guogong Furen, happiness on her face as she spoke: ¡°Muqin, why did youe!¡±
Guogong Furen saw the dazed eyes, gaunt face and weary appearance of her daughter and was shocked. Compared to her unruly second daughter, she had always favored her zhang nu whose personality and appearance resembled her the most. Wei Guo Furen¡¯s death had struck a great blow to her, and now, seeing her zhang nu in this haggard state, Lin shi could barely contain her anger. Han shi hastily tugged at her arm. Lin shi thought that now was not the time to abandon the Li family and suppressed her anger: ¡°What are you ill with, why did you note when your meimei met misfortune!¡±
Da Furen only gave Lin shi a nk look after hearing this.
Li shi became even more furious, turned back and red at Lao Furen: ¡°What happened here?!¡± Her eyes gleamed like swords flying towards Lao Furen, causing Lao Furen to feel a slight prickling sensation on her skin.
Lao Furen was momentarily at a loss for words.
She could not just say... She had confined her daughter-inw for too long that she had be muddle-minded.
Li Wei Yang stepped forward and said: ¡°Responding to Waizumu, Muqin has a disease of the heart.¡± Her words had two meanings (heart disease or mental illness), after that, she scanned her surroundings.
Lin shi was disgusted by this shu Yatou, having heard this, also looked around, and her eyes widened in surprise. As it turned out, every flower and patch of grass, the doors, windows, pieces of furniture, even on the decorative mountain, in the dining hall, yellow talismans where put up everywhere.
The sight before her made Lin shi shudder.
Han shi was shocked: ¡°This is¡ª¡±
She quickly nced at Da Furen, intending to ask, but Da Furen was like a puppet made of wood, silent. Cui mama was relieved. Da Furen was confined in her room, and while she still had a three meals a day and her medicine, but San Xiaojie had secretly ordered that no one was to talk to her. After so long, it seemed Da Furen had forgotten how to speak. Left disoriented for days, her state of mind had grown abnormal. She even refused to take her medication for her illness and constantly demanded that they catch the ghosts, screaming every night, sometimes falling out bed, her breaths were weak, and she had be someone of the living dead.
Lin shi¡¯s expressions were grim, she hid her shock, ¡°What ultimately happened? What happened? What has left you in this state?!¡±
Da Furen¡¯s arm that she had been holding began to hurt, she tensed and looked around.
Lao Furen was a bit anxious, worried Da Furen would let something unpleasant slip.
Li Wei Yang faintly smiled, her lips curving up into a small smirk.
Da Furen¡¯s face fearful, her eyes bloodshot: ¡°Muqin... There is something in this courtyard!¡± She looked in every direction, frightened and helpless, a different person altogether, unlike the refined, dignified and independent Da Furen of the past.
Her sanity had beenpletely defeated by ghosts and confinement, but the person behind all of it stood before her, smiling.
¡°What thing!¡± Lin shi angrily demanded.
¡°Ghost!¡± Da Furen choked out as if there was cotton in her throat. Her eyes were possessed by fervor, ¡°But I¡¯ve put up countless talismans and spells in the courtyard. That thing must be afraid, she won¡¯t dare toe! Hmph, I know who she is, I¡¯m not afraid of her! When she was alive, she couldn¡¯t oppose me, what can she do when she¡¯s dead!¡± As she spoke, Da Furen nervously bit her lip, looking all around, searching, wanting to catch her!
Lin shi had never imagined her zhang nu would be reduced to this ghost-like state.
¡°Ghost?!¡± She intuitively felt that this matter was rted to Li Wei Yang, she could not help but turn and stare at her: ¡°How can a ghost appear in this courtyard?¡±
Li Wei Yang gently smiled and said: ¡°San Shen passed away, Muqin probably misses her a lot, so she always says she sees San Shen in this courtyard. Everyone has tried to persuade Muqin otherwise, but Muqin still persists, inviting monks and Daoists to examine the energy of the courtyard and is unable to sleep at night. These past two days, her condition has worsened, she even said she saw Wu Yiniang in the courtyard... Since Waizumu hase, hope Waizumu will help persuade Muqin.¡±
¡°Hmph, how can there be a ghost in broad daylight!¡± Lin shi red at Li Wei Yang, beginning to understand the situation: ¡°Don¡¯t try to be clever with your words!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Thank Waizumu for the praise.¡±
Lin shi sneered and said to Da Furen: ¡°Do not be afraid, I¡¯m here. Ghosts and demons will not harm you, much less those lowly things, no need to fear!¡±
Li Wei Yang blinked, Lin shi was talking about her. This Guogong Furen was not easy to target.
Lao Furen heard this and became indignant, who is she calling a ¡°lowly thing!¡±
Lin shi turned to face Lao Furen with a hostile stare: ¡°Inw Furen, this child is severely ill, why did you not inform me of this earlier.¡±
Lao Furen furrowed her eyebrows, conflicted: ¡°You know, daughter-inw has always had a strong, independent personality. Moreover, health is a treasure, and while you are strong, your age is not what it used to be, so I did not want to trouble you.¡±
A wind blew past, the golden flower hairpin on Lin shi¡¯s head touched her temple, making a chiming sound. The sun shone on her silver hair, making it even more eye-catching. Then her eyes slowly softened: ¡°I wish to take her home to recuperate.¡±
A daughter that had been married off needed her husband¡¯s family¡¯s permission to return home, much less go home to recuperate, unless Da Furen was abandoned by her husband. Lin shi¡¯s request was somewhat inappropriate, but her tone was did not leave room for negotiation.
Although Lao Furen was greatly displeased, she revealed none of this on her face. She smiled and looked to Lin shi: ¡°This... I¡¯m afraid won¡¯t be good. A residence thisrge still needs someone to manage it.¡±
Han shi smiled, her voice clear as a silver bell, pleasant to the ear: ¡°Da gumu is ill, household affairs must be handed over to someone else. If Lao Furen is reluctant to let Da gumu leave your side, thene to our residence, we will happily wee you.¡±
They did not hold the Li family on their eyes at all, Li Wei Yang only smiled: ¡°This matter should be discussed with Fuqin, but Fuqin is not home yet...¡±
Han shi smiled: ¡°No need to worry, the Jiang family will send word of it soon.¡±
Their intention was to inform, not ask Li Xiao Ran for permission. Li Wei Yang looked down as if she had not heard its secondary meaning.
Er Furen inhaled sharply, this Jiang family was not only unreasonable but overbearing! When she returned to her parents¡¯ home for a birthday asion, she still needed Lao Furen¡¯s permission, yet they could take someone away without having to say much.
Lao Furen was not happy at all. Even if her daughter-inw had fallen ill, she had to remain with the Li family to recuperate. If she allowed Jiang Guogong Furen to take her away, under so many watchful eyes, who knows what others would say. She was prepared to decline: ¡°Daughter-inw should stay here where everyone has always taken good care of her. Is there something inw Furen is dissatisfied with?¡±
However, Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Lao Furen, it is only because Waizumu misses Muqin. Having seen Muqin¡¯s current state, it is not suitable for her to remain this courtyard where she left to her thoughts all day as her condition worsens. That would not be for the best.¡±
Lao Furen looked to Li Wei Yang, puzzled. Da Furen returning home to recuperate was not a good thing, how could this child agree to it. Nevertheless, she trusted her granddaughter¡¯s judgment, so she pondered over it before calmly saying: ¡°In that case, inw Furen should take her home to rest and recuperate then.¡±
Lin shi eyed Li Wei Yang in disdain, regretting not being able to tear her apart and drink her blood. Hearing this, she did not say anything more and ordered people to gather Da Furen¡¯s belongings and quickly departed.
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 91 part2
Chapter 91: Life Lost
·ûË® F¨² shu¨« ¡ª Fu water is a Taoist practice of drinking water with a burnt talisman in it; drinking it is believed to increase internal energy or ward away spirits
In the distance, the morning bell faintly rang. The Yatous reported that Laoye had returned. Turning Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, Lao Furen sighed: ¡°Come in.¡±
Li Xiao Ran rushed in. He saw Li Wei Yang standing beside Lao Furen, preparing tea, and ignored her as he raised his voice: ¡°Lao Furen, how could you let Jiang Rou return? How will others act towards us in the future? Wouldn¡¯t they say the Li family could not look after a sick daughter-inw and was taken away by her birth family?¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s face was calm, yet a hint of displeasure crossed her face.
¡°Now you decide toe and ask me what to do? I told you thousands of times not to turn a blind eye to your Furen and Chang Le, but you? Did you heed my words? Now that is hase down to this, it¡¯s best to let the Jiang family take her away! Save me the trouble of having to see her face!¡±
¡°Lao Furen, there are rumors out there that say our family has mistreated our daughter-inw! This will bring down my official career!¡±
Lao Furen sighed and slowly nodded: ¡°I did not let them to take her away at first, but Wei Yang has told me that taking her away is better than keeping her here.¡±
Li Xiao Ran was stunned, speechless for a moment. He looked up at Li Wei Yang and saw her calm and unfazed as if she was only listening, he frowned: ¡°What did you mean by that?¡±
¡°Fuqin, the physician said Muqin only has three months to live.¡± Li Wei Yang stated. Those words struck a chord in Li Xiao Ran¡¯s heart. He cried out: ¡°What did you say?!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was emotionless: ¡°Fuqin, I said, Muqin only has three months to live.¡±
Li Xiao Ran felt his legs grow weak. He leaned against a chair and sat down, sweating profusely. They were married for so many years. He was sick and tired his wife now, but it wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t remember... Why was this suddenly the case? Recalling Jiang shi¡¯s weak and fragile state, Li Xiao Ran slowly came to terms with this reason.
Lao Furen began: ¡°It will be troublesome if she abruptly dies at the Li residence. The Jiang family is willing to ept this hot potato. Letting her go back is not an issue. Once they bring her back, what happens to her is no longer associated with our Li family.¡±
If Da Furen died at the Li residence, the Jiang Guogong residence woulde to their doors, demanding an exnation, but they have disregarded the Li family, fiercely determined to take her back. If anything happened, the Li residence would have the upper hand.
Li Wei Yang had predicted three months, but in reality, when the Jiang Guogong residence sent word of the funeral, only a month had passed.
The sky was not bright yet that day when the Jiang family steward¡¯s came knocking on the Li family¡¯s doors.
Zhao Yue received the news first and reported back: ¡°Da Furen has passed away!¡±
Although she was prepared, Li Wei Yang still felt surprised to hear these words spoken.
¡°That quickly?¡± Beside her, Mo Zhu suddenly asked.
There was a hint of ridicule on Zhao Yue¡¯s face: ¡°After the Jiang family brought her back, it turned out like Xiaojie had said. They invited an Imperial physician to examine her, but Furen was in critical condition and refused to take her medicine. The Jiang family was worried and willing to try anything, even inviting an Immortal physician from the South, but that person had yet to reach the Capital when Da Furen died,¡± She lowered her voice, ¡°It was when she was delirious and drank Fu water¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled. Da Furen¡¯s food, clothing, and everyday necessities were carefully prepared, so she did not have the opportunity. The best method was through Fu water. Fu water normally contained mercury, so she only added more mercury to it. Over time, it gradually took Da Furen¡¯s life! She had regarded everything with careful consideration and leaked the news to the Jiang family, so they woulde and take her away. The only thing was that she had given Da Furen at least three months, who would have thought she would be so careless with Fu water and had gone to the yellow spring!
¡°Now they are outside, raising trouble.¡± Zhao Yue continued.
¡°Oh, raising trouble over what?¡±
Zhao Yue smiled and said: ¡°The Jiang family insisted that Da Furen be returned to the residence to be enshrouded and buried, but Lao Furen said since she passed away at her parents¡¯ home, it is natural to set up the mourning tent outside. Once the funeral is over, she can then be buried on ancestral grounds.¡±
Li Wei Yang could not help but smile: ¡°Let¡¯s go and see.¡± A thought urred to her, and she changed into white clothes, then unhurriedly went to He Xiang Courtyard.
There was a stalemate outside He Xiang Courtyard.
The steward of Jiang family was stone-faced, when Li Wei Yang arrived, she heard him say: ¡°How can you leave Da Furen toy outside?!¡±
Lao Furen coldly responded: ¡°Outside? Those are the doors of our Li residence. The mourning tent has been set up, what else is wrong! If you had not insisted on taking her away, perhaps everything would still be fine, yet you people me our family ande knocking at our door?!¡±
The steward was visibly conflicted. Li Wei Yang gently began: ¡°Lao Furen.¡±
Lao Furen saw her and sighed: ¡°Come and see. Arranging a funeral ceremony is already difficult as it is. Your Muqin is gone, but the Jiang family insists on bringing her back here for a funeral. You know that if someone passes away in their birth home, they cannot return to their husband¡¯s family. The mourning tent can only be sent outside. This is to be expected, but Guogong Furen refuses and insists that she is brought inside.¡±
Li Xiao Ran stood beside her, frowning yet not saying a word.
The steward frowned: ¡°Lao Furen, Guogong Furen¡¯s intention is that it has been too hot outside these days if left outside, only fear¡ª¡±
Only fear the corpse will begin to reek, Li Wei Yang inwardly sneered, finishing his sentence for him. She nced at Si Yiniang nearby, unable to disguise her happiness, and Li Chang Xiao¡¯s nk face and simply said: ¡°Lao Furen, if you feel that bringing the coffin inside is an ill omen, then a sedan can be used to bring Muqin inside, where she can be enshrouded.¡±
Lao Furen was stunned, this suggestion would keep the coffin from touching the ground, avoiding the ill omen, and could also prevent rumors from breaking out, but doing so meant forgiving Jiang shi, which made her uneasy. How could Li Wei Yang not understand her concerns, she immediately added: ¡°Lao Furen, you see, if you do not allow Muqin to be brought inside, Fuqin will certainly be conflicted and sad.¡±
Li Xiao Ran had been frowning most of the time, not speaking. When he heard this, he was a bit touched and gratefully looked at Li Wei Yang.
Si Yiniang kept her cold smile to herself. San Xiaojie still pretends to be a good person. Clearly, the person who was waiting for Furen to die the most was her, yet she still appeared to be generous, forgiving and gentle such high-handed scheming!
Lao Furen could only sigh for a while before saying: ¡°Never mind, so be it. First, use a sedan to bring the coffin inside.¡±
Er Furen nodded and quickly ordered the servants to do so.
The Jiang family¡¯s steward sighed in relief, not seeing the ridicule on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face.
¡°Since there is a funeral at home, the word must be sent to Dage, but what about Dajie - Dajie must return as well.¡±
Li Xiao Ran heard this. His eyes became ssy with tears. He had not expected this, Da Furen always treated Li Wei Yang unfairly, yet to this moment, that child had been forgiving and kind. One must know how Li Chang Le had treated Li Wei Yang as well.
Si Yiniang and Li Chang Xiao looked over, finding her words difficult to understand. Si Yiniang felt rather strange and wondered what happened to Li Wei Yang today. Da Furen had died, she should be celebrating. Lao Furen would not allow Da Furen¡¯s body to be carried inside, this was a humiliating fact, yet Li Wei Yang, on the other hand, allowed for her to return and even brought back those two despite their punishments. Did she suddenly be altruistic or had she gone insane?
At the temple, Li Chang Le had almost lost her mind. When she was sent away this time, Li Xiao Ran sent people to keep watch on her. Even Da Furen¡¯s letters were kept from her, so she did not know what happened in the Li family. She was overjoyed when she heard the Li family had sent for her. Wanting everyone to see her unchanged beauty, she picked out her most prized jewelry and even chose a bright set of clothes with begonia designs. After two shichen, she finally boarded the carriage, determined to let Fuqin see her lovely, gentle and obedient self, as not to waste Muqin¡¯s efforts to bring her back.
She was overjoyed andpletely forgot to ask why she wasing back, the carriage driver outside only sneered.
The horse carriage returned to the Li residence. Everything was a vast expanse of white.
The doors were wide open with mourning silks and boards hung up. The stewards and servants wore mourning clothes and either stood there waiting or hurried about with their work.
Li Chang Le was startled by the sight before her.
She did not have the chance to ask when Cui mama ran out to receive her: ¡°Da Xiaojie, you have returned, go in.¡± She quickly ordered servants to lead her inside, as if she hadn¡¯t seen her extravagant clothes. She did not remind her to change her clothes either.
Li Chang Le did not understand. She asked the Yatous: ¡°Is it because Lao Furen died?¡±
The Yatous were stunned, looked up in fear, then bowed their heads: ¡°Da Xiaojie, go in and you will know.¡±
Li Chang Le coldly looked at her. The entire residence was in disarray, even a Yatou would dare to respond in that manner. Hu, wait until she tells Muqin, let¡¯s see their pretty faces then! Thinking about it that way made her happier, Lao furen had died, so the person in charge of the household would be her Muqin. Wouldn¡¯t Li Wei Yang, that lowly wretch, be left for her to deal with as she pleased?! The more she thought about it, the happier she felt. Her strides grew quicker, almost as if she wanted to see Lao Furen¡¯s corpse then congratte her Muqin! At this time, her head was in the clouds, forgetting that even if Lao Furen had died, she still needed to go and change her clothes. The Yatou Tan Xiang realized Xiaojie¡¯s clothes were inappropriate and was about to remind her, but seeing everyone around them stare and point, she felt cold inside and fell silent.
She had yet to walk into the courtyard when she heard many voices and loud sobbing.
¡°You came back!¡± The person weing her was Er Furen who seemed to be grieving.
Er Furen¡¯s eyes were swollen like peaches. Anyone who didn¡¯t know would have thought she was grief-stricken, only she knew how much time and effort to look like this, from the best fragrances and powder to make her face pale. She saw Li Chang Le in beautiful, floral clothes and was stunned at first, but then she smiled coldly. She decided not to give her time to change her clothes, pulling Li Chang Le inside: ¡°Quicklye, Lao Furen is waiting for you!¡±
Li Chang Le misunderstood her words and was even more certain that zumu had passed away. She was rejoicing and tried to hide the happiness on her face. She intended to shake off Er Furen¡¯s hand, but not in front of so many people, so she was pulled into the main hall. She had just stepped inside when Er Furen cried out: ¡°Lao Furen, Chang Le has returned!¡±
The entire room was full of noble Furen sitting and drinking tea, sighing andmenting to Lao Furen. Yu Shi Furen was saying that Da Furen was rather unfortunate and passed away at such a young age, unable to enjoy the Li family¡¯s wealth and glory... She had not finished her sentence when she saw Li Chang Le in her exquisite, red begonia clothes. Over a dozen people in the main hall suddenly fell silent.
It was as if everyone had turned into wood.
Her Muqin had passed away, yet she wore bright-colored clothes, had Da Xiaojie of the Li family gone insane?!
Yu Shi Furen¡¯s words were caught in her throat. She stared wide-eyed at Li Chang Le, not stunned by her beauty this time but stunned by her audacity and disrespect!
Lao Furen was shocked, consumed by anger: ¡°Chang Le, take a look at yourself!
Li Chang Le saw Lao Furen and looked like she had seen a ghost.
Li Wei Yang resembled a pure, white lotus in her mourning clothes, only blinking as she saw Li Chang Le¡¯s extravagant red dress. She feigned to be rather surprised: ¡°Dajie, how could youe back wearing something like this?¡±
Li Chang Le still could not believe her eyes and stared intently at Lao Furen. She didn¡¯t die, then who died¡ª
That moment, she heard Li Wei Yang softly say: ¡°Dajie, quickly change your clothes, then kowtow to Muqin.¡±
Muqin?! Muqin?! What was Li Wei Yang saying?!
As if she were struck in the head, Li Chang Le quickly stumbled forward, coldly saying: ¡°Li Wei Yang, what are you saying?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her with a sad look on her face, but her eyes were cold and indifferent: ¡°Dajie, perhaps the family has not told you that Muqin has passed away.¡±
It was as if Li Chang Le was struck by lightning! The person who died was not Lao Furen but her Muqin, Heavens!
Her first reaction was that of rage: ¡°Li Wei Yang, do not say such nonsense, Muqin was still alive when I left¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed and nodded: ¡°Indeed, back then Muqin was still well, but unfortunately after Dajie left, Muqin lost her appetite, constantly worrying. Then she fell ill and Waizumu insisted on bringing Muqin back to recuperate, everyone also... Ai, we thought Muqin would quickly recover, who knew... Had we known, Muqin should have stayed here in the residence to recover!¡±
Li Chang Le felt her anger boil over, incinerating her grief at the news. There was only one thought in her head: how could that be, if Muqin died, then her pir of strength had copsed. Wouldn¡¯t Li Chang Le be trampled under Li Wei Yang¡¯s feet in the future? She resentfully gritted her teeth, about to vomit blood, fiercely ring at Li Wei Yang and oblivious to the horrified looks of everyone around her.
Her Muqin suddenly passed away, but they did not see her shed a single tear. She even looked like she wanted to devour her own meimei, had Da Xiaojie gone insane? The aristocratic Furen began to criticize and debate amongst themselves.
Lao Furen pped her hand on the table: ¡°Chang Le! Hurry and change into mourning clothes!¡±
Li Chang Le suddenly broke out of her daze, she coldly stared at Li Wei Yang then turned and left. She lowered her voice, so only the two of them could hear: ¡°Li Wei Yang, I know you harmed Muqin. Just wait and see, I will make you pay the price for it!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her indifferently, not giving her opinion.
Li Chang Le changed into filial, mourning clothes. She angrily rushed to the mourning hall and loudly ordered Tan Xiang to find Li Xiao Ran. Tan Xiang fearfully looked on, her face pale white, as she stood there, not knowing what to do.
A voice suddenly rang out: ¡°Just do as your Zhuzi ordered.¡±
The moment Li Chang Le saw Li Wei Yang, she became furious: ¡°Why are you still showing your face here?!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Muqin passed away, and given Lao Furen¡¯s age, someone needs to help Er Shen look after household affairs. If I am not here, where else would I be?!¡±
¡°You little!¡± Li Chang Le lunged, intending to p her when she saw Zhao Yue standing not far away, watching. Stunned, she stepped back, not daring to continue.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions were neutral, neither happy nor angry: ¡°Fuqin said you can only stay for ten days. After those ten days, if something happens, he will immediately send you back to the temple. Muqin passed away when you were not by her side, so think carefully. Dajie should be more aware to avoid beingughed at by others!¡±
Beingughed at! Today, she arrived in extravagant clothes and was soon mocked throughout the Capital, what else was left to fear!
¡°Li Wei Yang, do not think that you are special because Fuqin offered you his support. Indeed, Muqin is gone, but I still have Waizumu, I still have two meritorious jiujiu in the military, and the entire Grand Duke Jiang family!¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 92 part1
Chapter 92: Weak and Pitiful
³¤×Ó zh¨£ng z¨« - eldest son of a family
²àåú C¨¨ f¨¥i - ¡°side¡± consort, a prince¡¯s concubine
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly: ¡°I don¡¯t understand whatDajie is saying. I only know that I am a daughter of the Li family, and Fuqinis who we rely on. If Dajie announces that Dajie is loyal to the Jiang familyin front of Fuqin, wouldn¡¯t this leave Fuqin conflicted? No matter how good theJiang family is, you are still surnamed Li. You should not forget this!¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s entire face had changed. Her eyes becamecruel, her beautiful face and facade reced with a terrifying sight: ¡°I willnever forgive you! Just you wait!¡±
¡°What did you say?!¡± A voice thundered behind them. LiChang Le turned around. Li Wei Yang greeted him: ¡°Fuqin.¡±
Li Chang Le saw Li Xiao Ran and his serious face andpaled. She realized Li Xiao Ran had overheard what she said to Li Wei Yang, astorm of unease stirred in her heart. She bit her lip and forced herself tocalm down. She did not know what to say, so she sincerely knelt down and said:¡°Fuqin, nu er has returned.¡±
Li Xiao Ran frowned: ¡°Stand up.¡±
Li Chang le stood, her lips drawn in a taut line. Sheslowly looked up, her gaze steadily meeting his - sharp and clear: ¡°Fuqin,Muqin was killed by Li Wei Yang.¡± These words sliced through the air like ade.
¡°What did you say?¡± Li Xiao Ran was momentarilyblinded by fury. A thundering storm swept over his expressions.
Li Chang Le resented Li Wei Yang. Seeing Li Wei Yangstanding there, she felt her blood, boiling and rushing up her throat. Sheforcefully swallowed it and snapped: ¡°Fuqin, I said Muqin was killed by Li WeiYang! Muqin was still fine when I left, how could she pass away in such a shorttime?! It¡¯s all part of Li Wei Yang¡¯s schemes. Fuqin, you and Muqin weremarried for decades, how could you be so indifferent to this?!¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face grew even more unpleasant. He wasfurious because he had been asked this question time after time by others andGuogong Furen in particr! He tightly clenched his fists!
Li Wei Yang let out a sigh: ¡°Dajie, Muqin unexpectedlydied because of her illness. Dajie, do not make things difficult for Fuqin, ithas been hard for him too.¡±
¡°Shut up!¡± Li Chang Le screamed, ¡°I want anexnation! I cannot let Muqin die for no reason like this!¡±
¡°You are the one who needs to shut up!¡± After shockcame anger, Li Xiao Ran fiercely eyed Li Chang Le like a merciless wolf,wishing he could tear her apart. He gritted his teeth, his anger ring. Everyword seemed to be spoken through clenched teeth: ¡°From here on how, don¡¯t evermention this again!¡±
Li Chang Le had not expected Li Xiao Ran to befurious. It was as if she had received a p to the face: ¡°Fuqin, you... I amyour favorite nu er, how could you treat Muqin and me like this?¡±¡±
¡°You want to be like your Muqin and oppose me?¡± LiXiao Ran suddenly regained his calm, his apathetic stare fixated on her,sneering. Li Chang Le had never seen his face like this before, not onlychilling but strange and ominous.
Li Wei Yang smiled. Li Xiao Ran had faced pressurefrom the Jiang family for a while now. He was still a proud and reservedindividual with a strong personality. He could tolerate Da Furen for so manyyears to save face for Jiang Guogong, not because he feared the Jiang family.Of course, Da Furen and Li Chang Le did not think of it that way. They alwaysbrought up the Jiang family to threaten him and finally exhausted thest ofhis patience.
The hostility in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes shone through. Sheslowly closed her eyes, suppressing her disdain. When she reopened her eyes,her face was calm and indifferent. She simply said: ¡°Fuqin, you should go backto the hall, many guests are still waiting.¡±
Speaking of guests, Li Xiao Ran quickly recollectedhimself as easily as putting on a mask. He smiled thinly, though he wassmiling, it was a mirthless smile: ¡°Chang Le, remember, this is myst chanceto you. There are many guests today, you must act like an aristocratic Xiaojiewho is mourning at her mother¡¯s funeral. Do not make the Li family lose face,if you dare to cause trouble, do not me your Fuqin for being heartless!¡±
Li Xiao Ran sneered and left, leaving a terrified LiChang Le in the courtyard.
Tan Xiang shot a fearful nce at Li Wei Yang andhurriedly whispered: ¡°Da Xiaojie, Laoye is right. Xiaojie should not causetrouble today and quickly go greet the guests.¡±
Li Chang Le red at her: ¡°Silence! No need toconcern yourself with my affairs!¡±
At a loss for words, Tan Xiang closed her mouth. LiWei Yang noticed and smiled wryly: ¡°Dajie, if you still have the time to arguewith me, why don¡¯t you take onest look at Muqin?¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s face changed from sickly green to white.She only remembered her anger and forgot about this. Li Wei Yang shook herhead. Da Furen dedicated everything to Li Chang Le, but Da Xiaojie had onlythought of her own future and had yet to think of Da Furen.
She always said she would avenge her, but she was onlyventing her anger. This so-called mother-daughter affection, seeing as DaXiaojie¡¯s sights had been set on personal interests, perhaps had drifted awaywith the clouds.
Li Chang Le finally came to Fu Rui Courtyard. When shewent in, she saw Da Furen resting on arge, sandalwood bed with intricatefloral designs with candles near her head. A few Furens and daughter-inws ofthe Jiang family were gathered around her, grieving and weeping. Guogong Furenemotionlessly sat in a chair by her side.
There was only the sound of crying in the room. LiChang Le suddenly recoiled at the sight.
Jiang Da Furen Liu shi looked up and saw her: ¡°Muqin,Chang Le hase.¡±
Everyone¡¯s eyes traveled over to Li Chang Le.
Guogong Furen Lin shi looked at Li Chang Le without ahint of a smile or warmth... The atmosphere had turned somewhat ominous.
Li Chang Le held her face and cried: ¡°Waizumu.¡± As shesaid this, she crumpled to her knees before Guogong Furen.
Lin shi looked at Li Chang Le whose tears fell likerain for a while then sighed. She personally helped Li Chang Le up: ¡°Child, youhave suffered.¡±
Hearing this only made Li Chang Le cry louder.
Da jiumu Liu shi and Er jiumu Wei shi nearby quicklforted her. The other Jiang Furens wiped away their tears, the entire familyburdened with sadness. The person who was most calm was Lin shi, who was pastthe age of weeping in grief. She waved her hand: ¡°Everyone step outside, I havesomething to say to Chang Le alone.¡±
Liu shi nced around and nodded, saying: ¡°Everyonego on ahead.¡± Soon, everyone in the room had left.
Only Liu shi and Wei shi stayed where they were. JiangDa Furen Liu shi had a long face, narrow phoenix eyes, and a tall silhouette.She was the wife of Jiang Guogong zhang zi Jiang Xu. Her birth familywas the noble and meritorious Liu family. She had four sons Jiang Hai, JiangYang, Jiang Hua, Jiang Nan, the four of them considered dragons among men,well-versed in schrly pursuits and martial arts. For that reason, Liu shi¡¯sposition in the Jiang family had been firmly established. The woman apaniedGuogong Furenst time was her eldest daughter-inw Han shi.
And Wei shi was a shu nu of Lao Wei Ge and the wife ofshu zi Jiang Li. She only had one son, Jiang Tian, a prodigy whose talents wereclear from an early age. Unlike his tang xiong who joined the military, he wasalways on the road, wandering, and rarely home. Compared to the rest of theJiang family, he was rather mysterious. Although Wei shi did not have adaughter, she personally raised Jiang Xin, who wouldter be Taizi¡¯sfavored Ce fei, so she had not fall short of Liu shi by much. Nowthat Lin shi had chased everyone out, Wei shi seemed a bit puzzled while Liushi remained quiet, her eyes calm and downcast.
¡°Your Muqin had a heart diesase and was frightened todeath.¡± Lin shi coldly said.
¡°Heart disease...¡± Li Chang Le felt her hands and feetgrow cold, ¡°Muqin¡¯s health has always been very good¡ª¡±
Lin shi sighed: ¡°I was too careless and did not thinkI would lose a nu er at her hands!¡± Lin shi was not aware that Wei Guo Furen¡¯sdeath also had something to do with Li Wei Yang. If she did, she would faintout of both rage and shock!
¡°Waizumu, you must avenge her!¡± Li Chang Le¡¯s eyeswere bloodshot, shaking with anger. she wanted Li Wei Yang to pay the price!She wanted to send her to the hell!
Incense drifted from a gold, intricate incense burner.Opaque wisps of smoke escaped. Amidst the smoke, Lin shi¡¯s face seemed grave,her face remained solemn as if she had not heard Li Chang Le.Li Chang Leapproached her: ¡°Waizumu, since I was a child, you have always loved me most,don¡¯t you want to take charge of this situation?¡±
Wei shi noticed and quickly helped Li Chang Le up as shewas about to kneel down: ¡°Good child! How could you say such a thing? You knowWaizumu loves you the most, how could your cousinspare...¡± These words weretrue. The Jiang family had many sons, so every time Li Chang Le visited, shewas like the radiant moon among stars.
Even her two jiumu who did not yield to anyone had toput on a smile in her presence, but things had changed. Da Furen had died,would the Jiang Guogong residence still care about her like they used to? Thiswas what Li Chang Le was most concerned about, so she wanted to use this matterof revenge to test Guogong Furen. She desperately looked at Lin shi: ¡°Waizumu,Chang Le waits for your response. If you do not care about me anymore, I willshave my head and go to the temple instead of staying here with the Li family,living no better than the dead!¡±
Lin shi was startled but continued to sit in silence.She still did not know, what made Li Wei Yang bold enough to challenge theentire Li family? The most ironic part was that she had actually seeded andtaken Lin shi¡¯s nu er!
A few tears escaped as Wei shi said: ¡°Silly child, youmust be grieving... You must live with the times... Everyone is mourning, ifsomething happens to you, what will we do!¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s tears fell faster. She was about to saysomething when Liu shi lightly coughed: ¡°Chang Le, revenge is certain, yet nowis not the best time.¡±
¡°Why?!¡± Li Chang Le could not believe it, how couldthe Jiang Guogong residence not deal with a measly Li Wei Yang?
Liu shi nced over at Guogong Furen and only said:¡°If you go against Li Wei Yang now, it is no different from going against theLi family, don¡¯t you see? The entire Li family leans towards Li Wei Yang. Thatday, Li Lao Furen¡¯s expressions changed with a couple words from her. She evensaid Li Wei Yang was clever and very understanding. She can understandpeople¡¯s¡¯ hearts and is filial to your Muqin. It was all your Muqin¡¯s doing, sowhy she - even your Fuqin, you are no longer in his favor. Everyone stillstands by you, but nevertheless, we are outsiders, so it is not convenient forus to intervene in the Li family¡¯s affairs.¡±
¡°Then when will it be possible? How much longer?¡± LiChang Le gritted her teeth.
Lin shi finally sighed. Regardless of Jiang Rou¡¯swrongdoings, the Jiang family would protect her, but acting at this time...Everyone seemed to be leaning towards one side, seeing this child washeartless, having mistreated shu nu er and even harmed concubines of the Lifamily several times, leaving Li Xiao Ran with one heir. Despite this, Li XiaoRan did not abandon his wife to save face for the Jiang family. If they were todemand that he deal with Li Wei Yang, this would be insulting the Li family. Ifit were anyone else, the Guogong residence could do so, but Li Xiao Ran was thePrime Minister of the reigning dynasty, a notable official who the Emperortrusted and respected. Inparison, these years the Jiang Guogong residencehad surpassed a greater authority and began to face pressure from the Emperor.Turning on Li Xiao Ran now would not be a wise move.
¡°Wait until your Waizufu and Da jiujiu return,everything will be different,¡± Liu shiforted her.
¡°But they¡¯re stationed at the border, when will theyreturn?! Da jiumu is lying to me!¡±
Lin shi angrily pped her hand on the table, sendingthe cup of tea to the floor. Everyone else was left in a stunned silence. LiChang Le immediately paled, destely murmured: ¡°Waizumu...¡±
Lin shi saw her current state, and her anger andresolve began to crumble: ¡°You do not have to intervene! I will have everythingarranged!¡±
¡°But Fuqin said that I will be sent back to the templeafter ten days. I don¡¯t want to go back, Waizumu, that ce is demonic¡ª¡± LiChang Le hastily said.
A hint of disdain appeared in Wei shi¡¯s eyes. HerMuqin died, yet she did not mourn for her, she was only worried about her owninterests. Da Xiaojie truly had a heart of gold.
¡°Rest assured, I have everything in hand.¡± Lin shi¡¯svoice hardened like steel. She turned back to look at Da Furen¡¯s body, her faceturning cold and cruel, ¡°Rou er, the Jiang family will avenge you!¡±
Liu shi and Wei shi were familiar with Lao Furen¡¯sstrong, stubborn personality. Hearing this, their hearts jumped and theyquickly bowed their heads. They realized that the me of resentment wasburied deep in Guogong Furen¡¯s heart. One day, it will be a raging fire,burning everything in its path...
After a busy day, Li Wei Yang returned to her roote at night. She removed her makeup, let her hair down, andid down on thedaybed, her long sleeve fanned out. Her face seemed even paler than usugainst her sleeve.
The window opened a bit. Li Wei Yang slightly tiltedher head and said: ¡°Why did you run over here in the middle of the night?¡±
A handsome face with a mischievous grin peeked in. Hequickly jumped in through the window, carrying a jade te in hand with manycolorful pastries. As if wanting to win her favor, he brought it before her:¡°Today must have been overwhelming, so you probably haven¡¯t eaten yet. I hadthe kitchen prepare this, try it.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at him then sat up and took apastry, smiling as she said: ¡°You must have been burdened with manyresponsibilities during the day too.¡±
Li Min De smiled and set the te down: ¡°Mostlytrivial, not worth worrying about.¡±
The guests today ounted for a couple hundredpeople. The aristocratic guests were personally received by the members of theLi family whereas ordinary guests were weed by someone else. Li Wei Yangwas willing to say Li Min De had a difficult time escaping, but she onlughed and did not remark on this.
Li Min De noticed she was preupied by her thoughtsand said: ¡°I heard Da Bofu knows Dage ran away and smashed many tes and cupson the spot.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Although he was secretly saved bythe Jiang family, but he still went against Fuqin¡¯s will. He could keep hislife for now, but he also lost Fuqin.¡±
Li Min De was still worried: ¡°But he¡¯s still the onlyheir.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips curved back: ¡°Fuqin is still in hisprime. He will naturally have more sons. You know, Jiu Yiniang is pregnant. Thephysician said they are twins. Fuqin was overjoyed. If not for Jiu Yiniang¡¯slow birth and status and the Capital did not have a rule against making aconcubine a wife, I¡¯m afraid Jiu Yiniang¡¯s status would be different now.¡±
Hearing this, Li Min De frowned: ¡°If she gives birthto a son, it will still be a shu zi.¡±
Li Wei Yang did not think of it that way: ¡°You thinkthe Jiang family will leave the position of zhu mu empty? Earlier, someonehinted to Lao Furen that¡ª¡±
Stunned, Li Min De looked at her in wide-eyedcuriosity: ¡°Earlier?¡± Then, he sighed: ¡°They are too hasty and anxious.¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head: ¡°The wife has passed away.The family¡¯s children must uphold filial piety for three years, but the husbanddoes not need to follow and can marry someone else a yearter. As long asFuqin agrees, remarrying after 49 days is not impossible either. But the Jiangfamily will not let this opportunity idly go by, they will find a way to sendsomeone in through the doors.¡±
¡°You mean ¡ª but the Jiang family does not have...¡±
¡°The Jiang family does not have an unmarried womanindeed, but Jiang shi has many rtives.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled, seeing Li MinDe¡¯s disbelief, her tone of voice changed: ¡°No need to worry, this will nothappen immediately. Lao Furen will not allow a woman from the Jiang familyenter the household so easily.¡±
Li Min De knew Li Wei Yang was only reassuring him.With the Jiang family¡¯s status and power, in addition to Da Furen¡¯s suspiciousdeath, if they were to make the request, it would not be easy for the Li familyto refuse...
¡°Nevertheless, it is not entirely a bad thing that DaFuren died, at least¡ª¡± Li Min De smiled, ¡°At least Li Chang Le cannot marry inthe next three years. She is fifteen now, three yearster, when she can beengaged, she will already be eighteen years old...¡±
Li Wei Yang had tough: ¡°With her looks, whether sheis twenty or older, she will still be the most beautiful of all, what is thereto be afraid of?¡±
In her past life, Li Chang Le was already twenty fivewhen she became Empress. Given her age, she would be considered an old aunt inthe Capital, but because of her beautiful face,pared to other youngerbeauties, this beauty was not without an advantage.
Li Min De reminded her: ¡°Now that she¡¯s back, thiswill be a disaster.¡±
Li Wei Yang remained silent, Li Min De continued: ¡°Youmight not have noticed, when Guogong Furen arrived today, I saw her piercingre towards you.¡±
Li Wei Yang also felt the same way. It was not onlyGuogong Furen, whose hatred was hidden in her eyes, but even Liu shi and Weishi seemed hostile. Of course, she had offended the entire Jiang family.Pretending to be well-behaved would be useless, so there was no need forpleasantries.
Li Min De quietly added: ¡°Our numbers are too few, whoknows how many servants in the Li family are spies following our every moves.Now with the Jiang family like a prowling tiger, we must be even more careful.¡±
Li Wei Yang exhaled, lying on the bed as she said:¡°So, we must strike first.¡± Her remark was deliberate as if it had beensomething foreseen and nned ahead of time.
Li Min De was briefly surprised before smiling as ifguessing her thoughts. His smile was sly like a defiant little fox. Li Wei Yangpoked his forehead, his smile only grew wider.
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 92 part2
Chapter 92: Weak and Pitiful
At the same time, Li Chang Le was also lying in bed,tossing and turning. She suddenly sat up and called out: ¡°Tan Xiang, bring metea!¡±
Tan Xiang came immediately, saw Xiaojie¡¯s darkexpressions and carefully returned with hot tea: ¡°Xiaojie, please drink thetea.¡±
Li Chang Le took a sip then hurled the beautifulporcin cup to the ground, raising her voice: ¡°You want to burn me to death?!¡±She was in Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands, helpless and being toyed with. Waizumu wouldnot help her get her revenge, how could she swallow her anger, so she wasletting it all out on this Yatou.
The hot tea had spilled onto Tan Xiang, leaving theback of her hand red and scalded, but she did not dare to cry and held back hertears. Li Chang Le coldly scoffed: ¡°I will never let that little wretch getwhat she wants!¡±
Tan Xiang tried to persuade her: ¡°Xiaojie... Nubi thinksit¡¯s best to forget about it, did Xiaojie not see Lao Furen and Laoye¡¯s facestoday, how could we do something like that?¡±
Li Chang Le bitterly said: ¡°I made too many mistakesbefore. These things should not be said in front of them. That Li Wei Yang iscunning. I must find a way to dispose of her, no need to go through Fuqin.¡±
Tan Xiang was even more afraid: ¡°Xiaojie, Xiaojie said- but didn¡¯t Guogong Furen tell Xiaojie to be patient and that she will thinkof a way for everything?¡±
Li Chang Le sneered: ¡°Her? She is already old and nolonger the strong, vigorous Waizumu of the past. Everything must be carefullyconsidered, and the two jiumu by her side don¡¯t have any blood rtions withme. Why would they help me? I must take things into my own hands! But you¡¯reright, I can¡¯t act rashly. I must change Fuqin and Lao Furen¡¯s opinions of me,then I can deal with Li Wei Yang. Not alone though, I need someone¡¯s help!¡±
Thinking about it, it seemed as if victory was alreadyin hand. She smiled, content.
Tan Xiang saw her smile and could not help but feel uneasy.Li Wei Yang did not seem weak, how could she let Xiaojie scheme against her? Soshe whispered: ¡°But...¡±
¡°But nothing, just do as I say!¡± Li Chang Le coldlycut her off.
The next day, Li Wei Yang sent off a group of guestswho came to offer condolences and was about to report to Lao Furen when amor broke out outside.
Luo mama ran outside to ask: ¡°What happened? Why is itso noisy out here?¡±
A Yatou frantically ran in: ¡°Lao Furen, Tan Xiang fromDa Xiaojie¡¯s courtyard reported that Da Xiaojie... Xiaojie...mitted suicide byhanging herself.¡±
¡°What?¡± Lao Furen immediately stood up.
Committed suicide by hanging herself? Li Wei Yang¡¯slips curved up, Li Chang Le was someone who valued her life very much. Tmit suicide, could it be that the sun rose in the West today?
Lao Furen hurriedly asked: ¡°How is she now?¡±
The Yatou responded: ¡°She was just saved, someone alsowent to inform Laoye.¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s face turned dark: ¡°What is she trying toaplish with this?!¡±
Li Wei Yang gently began: ¡°Lao Furen, yesterday youscolded Dajie and said after ten days, she will be sent back to the temple,Dajie may have grown desperate and did not think this through. It isunderstandable.¡±
Lao Furen sneered: ¡°Let¡¯s go and see what sheultimately wants!¡±
At the entrance of the courtyard, Li Wei Yang saw LiXiao Ran quickly approaching. What surprised her was a worried Wu Huangzibehind Li Xiao Ran.
Seeing Wu Huangzi Tuoba Rui, Lao Furen had to bow andgreet him, Wu Huangzi waved it off: ¡°No need, I must see how Da Xiaojie isfirst.¡±
He did not turn back and immediately followed Li XiaoRan into the courtyard.
Er Furen rushed over with a helpless expression: ¡°LaoFuren, Wu Dianxia came to Da bo¡¯s study and exchanged a few words when he heardthe servants say something happened to Da Xiaojie. Wu Dianxia said he wanted tosee, I should have stopped him, but Da bo also agreed, I could not say anythingelse...¡±
This was to avoid taking responsibility. In any case,allowing a man to run into an unmarried Xiaojie¡¯s courtyard was inappropriate.However, Lao Furen was not in the mood to be concerned with such things. Sheonly nodded: ¡°Go in and see.¡±
Surprised, Er Furen nced at Li Wei Yang andthought: Da Xiaojie could hang herself at any time, why wait until Wu Dianxiacame? Wasn¡¯t this to bring an outsider into this?
When they entered, they saw Li Chang Le lying on achaise, her makeup carefully applied with delicate, long eyshes and a palplexion, her long hair without a single strand out of ce. Her eyes wereclosed, still damp with tears, making her seem weak and pitiful.
Li Wei Yang almostughed aloud, this was truly aheart-wrenching sight. She was a woman yet she thought so too, how must it befor men? Naturally, Wu Huangzi seemed heartbroken, unable to help himself,said: ¡°Da Xiaojie, what happened?!¡±
¡°It is Nubi¡¯s fault. Yesterday, Da Xiaojie returnedand learned that Furen passed away and could not bear it. With everyone¡¯scriticism, she felt she was an unfilial child, she could not be by Muqin¡¯s sidewhen she died. Nubi should have known and should not have left Xiaojie alone...¡±Tan Xiang wept as if it were tearing her apart from within.
Li Wei Yang looked back at Li Chang Le and the deepwelt on her pale neck. It seems she had used a rope to tie her neck. She calmlylooked on in silence.
Tan Xiang cried pitifully: ¡°Da Xiaojie said she hadbeen wrong, even Laoye and Lao Furen would not believe her. Da Furen had passedon, Xiaojie was left to live on without...¡± Then, she nced at Li Wei Yang,adding: ¡°And San Xiaojie refused to forgive her...¡±
Tuoba Rui saw the person he admired and cherished insuch a pitiful state and felt pained: ¡°Prime Minister Li, Da Xiaojie is arefined, virtuous, beautiful and dignified person. I thought she was even moreprecious than jade to you, who would have thought she would be reduced to thisstate! How could a Prime Minister fail to protect someone like this?¡±
Li Xiao Ran made a face but remained silent.
Tan Xiang continued while crying: ¡°Laoye, Da Xiaojieknows she is wrong, when Xiaojie was at the temple, she did not eat meat andonly prayed, copied Buddhist scriptures, and did not go anywhere. Every night,she missed home and cried at the thought. Xiaojie rejoiced when she heard shecould return and told Nubi she would fulfill filial piety to Laoye and LaoFuren. She returned to find out that Furen had died and Laoye would only sendher back. Da Xiaojie said Laoye was not right, but as a girl, she could notlook after Furen and only wanted to be filial. She was desperate! Pleaseconsider Da Xiaojie¡¯s filial piety and forgive her!¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly said: ¡°Tan Xiang, Fuqin will decidethe rest, stand up first.¡±
Tuoba Rui whipped around, his words harsh as he redat Li Wei Yang: ¡°No need for your hypocrisy! I know all about your maliciousschemes against Da Xiaojie! Your actions infuriate others and only make themlook down on you! I cannot believe there is such a poisonous woman in thisworld or that Prime Minister has such a daughter, and nor did I think she wouldbe the kind-hearted Da Xiaojie¡¯s meimei, the Heavens must be blind!¡±
Li Wei Yang feigned surprise, but Wu Huangzi¡¯s wordsalmost made her want tough. Wu Huangzi was truly unbelievable. She hadnothing left to say.
Lao Furen¡¯s face turned white, her voice was harsh:¡°Wu Dianxia!¡± Li Wei Yang was a nu er of the Li family, even if he was aHuangzi, what right did he have to run into someone¡¯s home and discipline theirchildren for them?! Even using a tone like that!
Li Xiao Ran furrowed his eyebrows: ¡°Wu Dianxia, Li WeiYang is not as you say, there has been a misunderstanding!¡±
¡°Prime Minister Li, given your status and position,you are well-respected, and I respect you very much! But how could you be socareless with family affairs, raising a frog to the sky and knocking a swan tothe ground!¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly interrupted: ¡°Wu Dianxia, a funeralis currently held for Muqin, please do not shout here, it is not appropriate.If this reaches Bixia, Bixia will not agree with your actions here either!¡±
¡°Silence!¡± Tuoba Rui¡¯s face had darkened with fury,almost every word was clear but fierce: ¡°Da Xiaojie is a kind, gentle andgenerous woman, she should not be treated like this at all! But you refused toforgive her and found every way to create difficulties for her. You forced herinto a corner because you were jealous that she was better than you in everyway!¡± He stood before her, staring straight into her eyes: ¡°I am warning you,if something happens to Da Xiaojie, the first person I will not forgive isyou!¡±
Li Wei Yang pretended to be saddened and frightened bythese words, moving closer to Li Xiao Ran, her face full of grievances.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s eyebrows were tightly drawn, almost intoa line: ¡°Wu Dianxia, your intentions are understood! But there is a funeral inour home, do not cause more trouble!¡±
Tuoba Rui vehemently red at Li Wei Yang, who seemedterrified, but her eyes were apathetic. She was not as innocent as she seemed!It could be said that she was a venomous snake, a truly terrifying woman!
He would not allow her to keep harming Li Chang Le!
He could not help but clench his fists: ¡°There issomething I had not intended to say before, but I know if I do not say it, DaXiaojie cannot continue to ept this cruel world, so I will officiallyannounce that three yearster, I will marry Da Xiaojie as Zheng fei!¡±
At first, Tuoba Rui was only mesmerized by Li ChangLe¡¯s beauty, but seeing her suffering and pitiful state today, ¡°living nobetter than the dead,¡± he decided to save her. Even if Fu Huang would not allowit, Muqin was against it, everyone under the skies opposed it, he would marryher as his Zheng fei!
Li Xiao Ran stared intently at Tuoba Rui: ¡°Wu Dianxia,do you know what you¡¯re saying?! Without Bixia bestowing marriage¡ª¡±
¡°I will convince Fu Huang, so in the meantime, treatDa Xiaojie as a member of the Imperial family! Everyone must respect her as youwould respect me, because in the future, she will be Wu Huangzi fei! If I findthat anyone has been disrespectful to her, do not me me for being cruel!¡±Tuoba Rui¡¯s fiery stare fell on Li Wei Yang as he said this, his refined,handsome face had be rather frightening.
Li Wei Yang looked down, her lips curving back in asneer, so this was how it was.
Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty trap scheme seemed to beparticrly effective. But she had chosen Tuoba Rui, a surprising choice givenLi Chang Le¡¯s affections, Li Wei Yang thought she would have chosen Tuoba Zhen.
Having carefully thought about it, she could easilysee why. Tuoba Zhen did not have the same status or background as Tuoba Rui. Ineveryone¡¯s eyes, he was only San Huangzi, and no one paid him any mind. LiChang Le needed support to continue to live peacefully at the Li family and hadto find the most favorable candidate. That being said, Li Chang Le was nolonger as foolish as before.
The physician pinched Li Chang Le¡¯s arm. She let out asmall gasp. Her breaths were ragged as her eyshes fluttered.
Tuoba Rui sighed in relief: ¡°It¡¯s good that she wokeup!¡±
Li Chang Le slowly opened her eyes. The first personshe saw was Tuoba Rui, and her tears fell like rain: ¡°Wu Dianxia...¡±
The pain in her eyes, in addition to her slightlyhoarse but pleasant voice, could even soften a steeled heart...
Li Wei Yang looked up at Li Xiao Ran. He seemed a bitreluctant. She was still the nu er he loved the most these past ten years. Hehad notpletely forgotten. This was what Li Chang Le wanted, to win back LiXiao Ran¡¯s trust while borrowing Wu Huangzi¡¯s influence to frighten Lao Furenand Li Wei Yang. Of course, this was what it seemed on the surface. Li Wei Yangfeared her actions was not entirely because of this.
¡°Da Xiaojie, you can tell everyone here of theinjustices you have suffered. I will stand for you, how could you do somethingso foolish!¡± Tuoba Rui seemed gentle and concerned, a stark contrast to hisfurious, threatening words with Li Wei Yang earlier.
Li Wei Yang looked at him the way she looked at TuobaZhen that year, unsure if she shouldugh or cry. Time and time again, herbeauty could still make empires and cities fall, but what if there was a daywhen Li Chang Le no longer had her beautiful face to use as a weapon, wouldthose men easily take the bait?
¡°Fuqin... Fuqin...¡± Li Chang Le¡¯s tears fell as naturallyas rain. She turned to face Li Xiao Ran.
Li Xiao Ran subconsciously stepped forward. Li ChangLe tightly held onto his arm: ¡°Fuqin, nu er thought you would never forgive meand no longer wanted to live. Nu er wasn¡¯t thinking at all and did this, nu erdid not mean to cause more trouble for Fuqin...¡±
Her tears kept flowing as she said this.
Li Xiao Ran had not said anything when Tuoba Rui cutin: ¡°Da Xiaojie, you were not wrong, it was all because of your Sanmei¡ª¡±
Li Chang Le quickly cut him off: ¡°Wu Dianxia, do notsay anymore. It was my fault, do not me Sanmei! I med Sanmei untilyesterday, but after returning, my heart is full of sorrow. I know I onlymed her out of anger, she is a good meimei and concerned about me, except thereare too many misunderstandings between us¡ª¡±
Cutting Tuoba Rui off seemed to provoke him: ¡°Youstill want to protect her, look at yourself...¡± He felt Li Chang Le was kind andforgiving, he turned back: ¡°You are capable, truly capable, Li Wei Yang. Lookat your Dajie and reflect on yourself, don¡¯t you feel ashamed?!¡±
His face was full of anger and resentment. Anyone whodid not know would think Li Wei Yang hadmitted a heinous crime. Tuoba Rui¡¯sreaction surpassed Li Wei Yang¡¯s expectations. She finally understood why WuHuangzi was the first to be eliminated, with such thoughts, he seemed to havebeen born to be used by others!
Li Wei Yang lightly said: ¡°Wu Dianxia, Dajieacknowledges that she is wrong and is admitting to everything before, yetDianxia keeps saying I am evil and cruel. Is Dianxia keeping us jiemei fromreconciling?¡±
Reconciling? Li Chang Le stared at her. She thoughtthat even if Li Wei Yang was beaten to death, she would never reconcile. Shethought that if she was insulted, Li Wei Yang would angrily retaliate, allowingher to expose Li Wei Yang in front of so many people!
But Li Wei Yang smiled faintly and went to her side,softly saying: ¡°Dajie admits that she is wrong, I will certainly forgive you,not just me, but everyone in the family will not me you anymore! Is thatright, Fuqin?¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 93 part1
Chapter 93: A Dishonor to Her Mother¡¯s Funeral
Words from trantor: Moderate warning for moderately explicit details ahead.
She looked to Li Xiao Ran and found that he seemedreluctant.
The love and affection returned to Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face:¡°Silly child, I was a bit harsh with my words. You cannot do something sofoolish like this, if you had died, wouldn¡¯t I, someone with white hair, haveto send off a young one with ck hair.¡± He said with pain and sorrow evidentin his eyes.
¡°Fuqin, do not say that. It¡¯s my fault, it¡¯s all myfault... I do not have anything to ask other than to asionally talk with LaoFuren about everyday things and have the chance to talk and y chess withFuqin... That will be enough.¡± Li Chang Le seemed to be guilty and remorseful,and if anything, even more vulnerable and pitiful.
¡°It is good that you know you were wrong. We are allone family, living together in harmony is most important. Remember not to dosuch naive things. You must take care of yourself and get better.¡± Li Xiao Ransaid, not mentioning anything about sending her back.
Li Wei Yang chuckled under her breath... One must knowthat Da Furen had just passed away, and what little fatherly affection Li XiaoRan had, had been brought out today. Li Chang Le¡¯s intellect seemed to haveimproved a bit after her time at the temple.
Tuoba Rui stood nearby, ring at her as if afraidshe would harm Li Chang Le.
The physician that had examined her began to prepare aprescription and said: ¡°Da Xiaojie¡¯s condition is no longer life-threatening.She was only depressed and disoriented. She must rest well and leave her mindat peace.¡±
Lao Furen saw the situation and added: ¡°Send theYatous here. Take good care of Chang Le.¡± She was used to such charades innoble households and could see through Li Chang Le¡¯s act. Although in Li XiaoRan¡¯s presence, coupled with Tuoba Rui¡¯s adamant protection, she could not sayanything more.
The next two days, Li Chang Le¡¯s behavior closelyfollowed etiquette, she became kind and generous, a stark contrast to her pasttemperament. Lao Furen remained indifferent, having neither good nor illsentiments towards her. Li Chang Le begrudged this but did not outwardlyexpress her frustration.
Looking out the window, Li Wei Yang saw Li Chang Lepersonally bringing tea to Lao Furen, seemingly anxious and afraid. She turnedback and smiled: ¡°Did you see that?¡±
Li Min De indifferently said: ¡°She is attentive andprobably up to no good.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded: ¡°Fuqin¡¯s attitude towards her hasdrastically changed. This is not a good sign.¡±
Li Min De¡¯s gaze fell on Lao Furen¡¯s apathetic face inthe distance: ¡°I am not worried about Da Bofu but Lao Furen. If even Lao Furenfelt Li Chang Le has genuinely changed for the better, then everything we havedone will go to waste.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled wistfully: ¡°Da Xiaojie has alwayshad the advantage, being a child of the official wife. She only needs to lowerher head and admit to her mistakes, and everyone will forgive her. If I madethat many mistakes, I would have soon lost my life.¡±
¡°So - we must strike first before she can think ofsomething else.¡± Li Min De proposed.
Li Wei Yang nodded: ¡°The funeral ceremony tomorrow isan auspicious day...¡±
Bai Zhi, who had been standing behind them, heard thisand looked strangely at Li Wei Yang, unsure of what Xiaojie meant by this. LiMin De only smiled in response, adding to Bai Zhi¡¯s confusion. These days shecould not keep up these two Zhuzi¡¯s thinking. Xiaojie herself was one thing,but even San shaoye became difficult to understand.
In the evening, Li Chang Le returned to her room. Herface was remorseful and sad, but the moment she returned, her face turned intoone of anger.
¡°That old woman, no matter what I do, she isindifferent. Her heart doesn¡¯t soften at all!¡± She angrily grumbled.
Terrified, Tan Xiang quickly said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry,Xiaojie, Lao Furen is just angry at the moment. Her indifference will quicklychange like Laoye.¡±
Li Chang Le sneered: ¡°How could it be that easy? LiWei Yang, that wretched Yatou has put in so much time and thought to win thatold woman¡¯s favor, but either way, as long as I have Fuqin¡¯s trust, I stillhave a chance.¡±
Tan Xiang said: ¡°What does Xiaojie intend to do next?¡±
Li Chang Le said: ¡°Come here.¡± Tan Xiang leaned over,Li Chang Le whispered a few words to her, and Tan Xiang¡¯s face changed:¡°Xiaojie, this is not a good idea. Xiaojie knows there is a Yatou skilled inmartial arts by San Xiaojie¡¯s side. Nubi will be quickly discovered if Nubispies on San Xiaojie.¡±
Li Chang Le was almost blinded by fury. She did notn to let Tan Xiang go like this, but Muqin died and Dage was driven out ofthe residence. If she rashly sent someone to spy, they may be discovered by LiWei Yang. Only Tan Xiang with her cautious personality could be her eyes andears: ¡°No need to fear. That Yatou only knows some cat scratching martial arts.I am telling you do watch Li Wei Yang¡¯s movements from afar, like who shemeets, what she is doing, not telling you to closely follow her. You won¡¯t bediscovered.¡±
¡°But¡ª¡± Tan Xiang remembered Zhao Yue¡¯s hostility andfelt uneasy.
¡°But nothing! Nothing is impossible, I don¡¯t think LiWei Yang is invulnerable. I only need to find her weakness and use it to strikea direct blow to her!¡±
¡°Xiaojie, San Xiaojie is too cunning. I¡¯m afraid itwon¡¯t be so easy.¡± Tan Xiang anxiously said, far from being reassured.
Li Chang Le scoffed coldly: ¡°Cunning? Haven¡¯t I usedher before? Did she expect me to attempt suicide while Wu Huangzi was here? Idon¡¯t have to go back to the temple now, and that must infuriate her to death!I want to use this victory to press on rather than to wait for her to recollectherself, then it would be difficult to act!¡±
Tan Xiang looked at Li Chang Le¡¯s beautiful face: ¡°IsXiaojie really going to marry Wu Dianxia?¡±
¡°Nonsense! You think I¡¯d think so highly of him? If hewas useless to me, then I would not even bother to look at him!¡± Li Chang Le¡¯svoice was cold and cruel,pletely different from her weak and pitiful facadeyesterday. She looked up at Tan Xiang: ¡°From today onwards, closely follow LiWei Yang¡¯s every move and report back to me!¡±
Frightened by the look in her eyes, Tan Xiang quicklysaid: ¡°Yes.¡±
The next day, the Emperor sent an Imperial edict over.This was to appease Li Xiao Ran. Soon enough, the niang niang in the pcesent their regards as Huangzi came to visit one after another. This notionconsolidated Li Xiao Ran¡¯s position and authority.
Tuoba Zhen left Wu Xian Fei¡¯s pce and changed intonormal clothes, red with gold embroidery and took some guards with him to theLi residence. Li Xiao Ran went out to greet him and invited him into the mainhall for tea.
¡°Where is everyone?¡± Tuoba Zhen asked.
¡°Wu Dianxia came three days ago. Taizi Dianxia alsosent over gifts.¡± Li Xiao Ran began.
Tuoba Zhen smiled, although there was a bit ofridicule in his smile. Tuoba Rui diligently ran over here, perhaps because ofthat Da Xiaojie.
The two exchanged a few words before someone outsidereported: ¡°Laoye, Hui Guogong sent gifts for the ceremony.¡±
Li Xiao Ran nodded, then stood up and said: ¡°SanDianxia, it is very busy in the residence. I must go and receive the newlyarrived guests. It is quiet here, San Dianxia, please stay and enjoy the tea. Iwill return in a bit.¡±
Tuoba Zhen saw how busy the entire residence was forhimself and nodded. He waited until Li Xiao Ran had gone outside before sittingback down to drink the tea. A whileter, he got up to look around the hall.There was a pot of begonias on a low table near the window. The jasper potemphasized how precious the begonias were. Tuoba Zhen approached them, liftinga begonia up to closer examine.
This was a precious pot of begonias, gently swaying tothe breeze. The drooping petals were like a curtain of hair hiding the face ofady, leaving asting impression. Its purple sepals were like an outerrobe. The begonias were red and bent downwards like young women who have hadtheir first taste of wine, jade-like skin flushed red, delicate and fragile.The color was more alluring than the flush of peaches. Traditional begonias hadno fragrance. Only carefully cultivated begonias had a faint fragrance. It wasrare to find such begonias, even in the pce. Tuoba Zhen suddenly thought ofsomething, and his face grew solemn.
In the pce, every Huangzi was extraordinary intheir own ways, but they fell short of Qi Huangzi and his keen intellect, whowas cold yet handsome. The Emperor also respected his Mufei. Naturally,everyone sought to curry favor with him. Tuoba Zhen paid no mind to it becausehe would eventually im their attention and everything else soon enough, butLi Wei Yang, was she infatuated by Tuoba Yu¡¯s appearance too?
Tuoba Zhen would not believe it. On the surface, LiWei Yang was respectful andpliant, but with the Imperial family, she wasneither indifferent nor sincere and kept her distance. Others may fall for hergentle and amiable appearance, not seeing her true character, but Tuoba Zhensensed she was detached in her actions, pretending perhaps, so he was willingto say his first intuition had not been wrong. So why did Li Wei Yang treatTuoba Yu differently, the reason he thought of... It made him even moreindignant.
Perhaps it was human nature to take for granted thethings thate easily, not cherishing them, and the things they cannot havewill make them ufortable and even more determined to obtain them at anycost. He could not stand the fact that in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, he could nopare to Tuoba Yu. His fist clenched, causing the crumpled petals to fall tothe ground. Tuoba Zhen sneered, Li Wei Yang, just you wait, I would ratherdestroy what I cannot have than to let someone else have it!
Just then, a soft touch brushed over his shoulders.Tuoba Zhen froze then suddenly turned around and was met with a sight thatcaused him to stiffen.
A xiao meiren stood before him, her garments slightlyundone, exposing an alluring, pale neck. Her eyes had the charm of autumn, andher lips were slightly curved up. She seemed to be in a daze, perhaps a bitdisoriented, as she took his hand into hers. A bead of sweat slowly rolled downalong pale jade skin, falling onto heryered garments. Tuoba Zhen looked downat the unnamed ce where it had fallen, his heart felt as if it was suspendedin midair, helplessly pounding for the longest time.
If it were any other day, Tuoba Zhen would not havefallen for it. For some reason, the potted begonias began to let out an intensefragrance, making hallucinations appear before his eyes. He saw the beauty infront of him turn into someone who even without saying much could still makehim clench his teeth. He resented that person, and she was unforgettable forthat very reason. He felt the young woman before him and the person in hisheart be one, his heart raced, rising and falling like crashing waves in astorm.
The covert guards waiting outside saw this and lookedat one another but did not dare to act. Although Zhuzi acted with an unwaveringresolve, when faced with a beauty who could make empires and cities fall, whowould not be tempted? Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face had not changed. Nothing seemedunusual, so they stood by, not daring to interrupt their Master.
Tuoba Zhen pulled the young woman closer, a tremblingfinger touching the lips he had dreamt of for so long. He subconsciously beganto lose control. His hand slid into the folds of her garments and encountered forting warmth, soft and smooth like jade. Her face was a bit flushed, shebit her lip coquettishly, panting as if unable to hold back.
Although Tuoba Zhen¡¯s body was crying out in protest, hestill had a shred of reason. He knew he had fallen into a trap and fiercelyshook his head to try and clear his mind. Stunned, he hoarsely asked the youngwoman in his arms: ¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°Dianxia¡ª¡± Her tone of voice was intimate like that ofa lover, the sharp inhale and prolonged tremor in her voice added to itsseductive charm.
This voice made Tuoba Zhen¡¯s heart stir. He forcefullybit down on his tongue. The throbbing pain allowed him to recollect his senses.
¡°Dianxia... I feel very ufortable, help me...¡± The hotbreath that escaped her lips ghosted across his face, she weakly called out tohim, ¡°Save... Save me...¡±
The fragrance of begonias loomed overhead, itscaptivating allure invading Tuoba Zhen¡¯s senses. ¡°Wei Yang¡ª¡± He softly calledout, he could not wait to ravage the young woman before him to vent hisfrustrations. His grip tightened as if wanting to leave behind red marks on herbody. She groaned in protest, her eyes fluttering open as a hazy pink tingedher face. Tuoba Zhen inhaled deeply and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Sheobediently fell into his arms like a doll, soft as cotton with an overwhelming,enchanting fragrance. The two bodies were pressed together, lips and tonguesconstantly entangled, reluctant to let go.
Tuoba Zhen caressed her face, his eyes slightlybloodshot: ¡°I genuinely like you and respect you! I am willing to shareeverything I have with you, I will give you everything!¡± He was simultaneouslyundressing her as he mumbled this, biting her with a rabid fervor, desperate toleave behind marks. His hands began to make its way all the way down.
¡°I... I am... Chang Le... Chang Le...¡± The young woman¡¯s voicesuddenly grew louder. Tuoba Zhen felt as if he had been struck by lightning,his entire body stiffened. Then, he heard the door opening.
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 93 part2
Chapter 93: A Dishonor to Her Mother¡¯s Funeral
°Ë±¦ËÖ b¨¡ b¨£o s¨± - crisp bun made of eight ingredients, in this case, each has significant medicinal properties
Li Xiao Ran said: ¡°San Dianxia, you must have waitedfor a while now.¡±
A strange groan reached their ears.
Li Xiao Ran stood, frozen in ce as his mind drew ank. He could not believe what he had witnessed! On the chaise, a young womanhad her arm wrapped around Tuoba Zhen¡¯s neck. The two were in a particrlyintimate position, apparently about to do something immoral...
¡°Insolent, unfilial child!¡± Li Xiao Ran¡¯s angerexploded, nearly reaching the sky. He recognized the beautiful face near TuobaZhen¡¯s as the chang nu he always took pride in! Li Chang Leid in TuobaZhen¡¯s arms with her clothes disheveled!
He rushed over and pried the two off one another, hisface pale: ¡°Look at yourself! See what good deed you have done!¡±
Li Chang Le slowly turned to him with a nk stare asif she did not see him. Not a hint of remorse, her clothes were half undone andprominent red marks covered her skin. Beside her, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s crown wastilted, his face full of lipstick stains. His hands still remained on her body.With the sight before him, there was no need to ask what the two had been upto.
Li Xiao Ran realized something and turned around,about to order the servants to close the doors when he heard Li Wei Yangughand say: ¡°Wu Dianxia, please go in.¡±
Tuoba Rui had stepped foot into the room andimmediately saw the situation inside. As if struck by lightning, he froze,unable to react.
Li Wei Yang came in and saw, she seemed stunned: ¡°Howcan this be?!¡±
¡°Close the doors!¡± Li Xiao Ran furiously shouted. Theservants hastily closed the doors to prevent anyone else from seeing inside.
The entire room was engulfed in silence.
Li Wei Yang inwardly sneered but continued tofearfully say: ¡°Dajie! What are you doing! You were already promised to marryWu Dianxia, how could you and San Dianxia do something so immoral andsenseless! If outsiders hear of this, what will we do then?!¡±
As if waking up from her murky trance, Li Chang Lelooked down and saw her exposed body. She sat up straight and quickly coveredherself, crying out: ¡°Fuqin! Fuqin! I don¡¯t know what happened¡ª¡± Somethingurred to her, and she abruptly turned to Li Wei Yang, ¡°It was you! It wasyou, you little! You set me up!¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly looked at her: ¡°Set up how? Dajie,I just came in. I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying.¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face was pale and livid. If he could, hewould have beaten that insolent, unfilial child to death on the spot: ¡°ChangLe, you dare to me your meimei for your own deeds, shut your mouth already!¡±
Li Chang Le panicked andmented: ¡°Fuqin! Li Wei Yangset me up, she deliberately led me here and drugged me! That¡¯s right, she musthave drugged me!¡±
Li Xiao Ran nced back at Li Wei Yang. Li Wei Yang¡¯sexpressions seemed to be of utmost disbelief and innocence: ¡°Fuqin, I truly donot know what Dajie is saying. I have been busy with the guests all morning. Iran into Wu Huangzi earlier, Dianxia was worried Dajie had yet to recover andcame to visit. Then, I heard the servants say San Dianxia also came, so Ibrought Wu Dianxia to the guest room to greet¡ª¡±
Of course, Li Xiao Ran did not think Li Wei Yang wascapable of doing such a thing. This kind of thing could not be deliberatelyarranged!
Li Chang Le was hysterical, protesting: ¡°You clearlyhad me taken here!¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed: ¡°Dajie, I thought you hadrepented. I did not think you would say something like this. If I really didset up a trap, then how could I make you go to San Huangzi? Could it be that Itied you up and brought you here? There are many Yatous and mamas outside, whynot ask them and see if I brought Dajie here or you came yourself?!¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s hair was disheveled, face flushed. Hervoice quivered as she resentfully spat out: ¡°You little! You intentionally¡ª¡±She sent Tan Xiang to watch over Li Wei Yang. Tan Xiang returned and reportedthat Li Wei Yang had secretly gone to the guest room in the West Wing, as ifabout to meet someone, so she did not hesitate to run over there, hoping tograsp Li Wei Yang¡¯s weakness. She had just arrived at the door when she noticeda strange smell and lost control of herself...
Tuoba Zhen quickly recovered from the confusion. Whenhe saw Li Wei Yang, an ominous light crossed his eyes. Then he bowed his headand readjusted his clothes, taking down his crown and tied his hair up again.He had rposed his appearance and thoughts, brushing off his clothes beforespeaking up: ¡°During Li Furen¡¯s funeral, if I had illicit rtions with DaXiaojie, I would not choose this as the time and ce. This must be someone¡¯strap. Prime Minister Li, please send someone to thoroughly investigate thisroom.¡±
Li Xiao Ran nced at Tuoba Rui and his unpleasantexpressions and realized something: ¡°In that case, it is necessary toinvestigate and clear things up!¡± He looked to Li Chang Le: ¡°Quickly rposeyourself!¡±
Li Chang Le salvaged a glimmer of hope from thesewords. Indeed, as long aphrodisiacs were found in the room, she could provethat she had been set up by someone! After hearing Li Xiao Ran say this, shelowered her head and quickly readjusted her clothes. Then, she looked up, herbeautiful face was like a flower in the rain as she cried: ¡°Fuqin, Wu Dianxia,you must believe me.¡±
Tuoba Rui¡¯s lips quivered. Having witnessed this, hisblood was not only boiling but about to flow the other direction. He did notknow what to say, so he only averted his eyes and bitterly eyed Tuoba Zhen. Hehad not thought that San ge, someone who was not of many words, ran here to dosuch immoral things with Da Xiaojie of the Li family. Their actions greatlyhumiliated him! Heavens, how could he encounter such misfortune!
Soon, Li Xiao Ran ordered the entire room to besearched. It was a pity that half a shichenter, nothing had yet to be found.
Tuoba Zhen nkly stared at Li Wei Yang, thenabruptly pointed to the potted begonias over there: ¡°Search those pottedflowers!¡±
Li Xiao Ran frowned. Li Wei Yang had given him thosebegonias and even ced them there. Had Li Wei Yang done something to it? Hisgaze fell on the potted begonias in full bloom. Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes weredowncast, not saying anything. Tuoba Zhen took her silence as a sign of a guiltyconscience.
However, the potted begonias were thoroughly searcheda couple times. The conclusion that followed was nothing had been found.
¡°Laoye, there is nothing unusual with these pottedbegonias.¡±
¡°Impossible!¡± Tuoba Zhen quickly strode over andseized a begonia. He ced it directly under his nose, but he did not smenything at all, ¡°This isn¡¯t right! I clearly smelled the fragrance of thesebegonias!¡± He had thought that these were rare begonias that had been carefullycultivated to have a gentle fragrance.
Li Wei Yang lightly said: ¡°San Dianxia, these begoniasare not the kind to give off fragrance unfortunately. If someone had donesomething to them, the scent would still linger, right? But there is nothingwrong with these begonias, is there a need to check again?¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s murderous stare towards Li Wei Yang waplex, harboring disgust and hatred but also a vague trace of love anddespair, truly terrifying.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were brimming with mirthlessness.Tuoba Zhen was someone who practiced martial arts and was always cautious.Typical incenses could not make him lose control, not to mention there weremany hidden guards by his side. The n had almost no chance of seeding, butLi Wei Yang had lived alongside him for eight years and was all too familiarwith his personality. Of course, she would not try anything she was not certainof.
There many aphrodisiac fragrances out there, such aslilies, ng-ng, patchouli, rosemary, and so on. With the appropriateamounts, it could induce hallucinations and evoke emotional reactions. SinceTuoba Zhen grew up in the pce, he was naturally cautious towards thesethings. He usually burnt sandalwood incense, musk incense, and the like,sometimes together with other incense, so even if those incenses had been used,he would quickly discover them. Moreover, they would leave behind a trace.
Li Wei Yang chose to sprinkle Doukou (cardamom) wateron the begonias, making Li Chang Le lose her senses. Doukou also served as asan aphrodisiac, except there was not enough of it to have an effect on thestrong-willed Tuoba Zhen. Li Wei Yang recalled that Tuoba Zhen¡¯s favorite foodwas ba bao su, which was made of lingzhi mushrooms, hericium, treme fungi,ginkgo, wood ear fungi, song mushrooms, shiitake, and poria, all of which hadmedicinal properties. Theywere good for the joints, restoring energy, enhancing performance, and good forone¡¯s health in general, but ginkgo and Doukou together will amplify theaphrodisiac effect of Doukou, even creating a powerful psychedelic. Mostimportantly, Doukou¡¯s fragrance is intense and invaded the senses, but in abit, its fragrance will dissipate, leaving no traces behind. Li Wei Yangcalcted the time needed and had Zhao Nan sprinkle it onto the begonias then,by now, how could anything be found.
Li Wei Yang originally wanted to Li Chang Le had beenseen in such an exposed state. Only one out of the two of them needed to takethe bait, and the rest of the story could be added on in the process. Who wouldhave thought even Tuoba Zhen would lose control, producing a result thatsurpassed her own expectations.
¡°San Dianxia, do not look at me like that. You¡¯rescaring me.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions were innocent. She blinked then avertedher eyes, but at the moment, those eyes only harbored a chilling hostility.Tuoba Zhen stared at her, if there were not so many people here, he would havetorn out her heart to see if it was full of ck, poisonous blood!
Li Chang Le cried: ¡°Fuqin, you have to believe me, LiWei Yang must have had something to do with this!¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed: ¡°Dajie, I know you and San Dianxiacould not control your affections, but you should never do such a thing duringMuqin¡¯s funeral, especially because of Wu Dianxia¡¯s sincerity towards you. Thisis no different than trampling on his heart and humiliating him, our Li familyis a refined family, Fuqin is a righteous official and renown throughout. Ifothers find out that he has a such a shameless nu er, how can Fuqin remain arighteous official? How could he face Bixia? And San Dianxia, you intend tomarry him through these means!¡±
Such a scandal broke out during the funeral ceremony.Once this was publicized, not only would Li Chang Le have to die, but evenTuoba Zhen would encounter misfortune. It will be difficult for him to keep hisposition of Huangzi, much less hope to im the Imperial throne. Li Wei Yangknew this and set a trap like this for that very reason.
Li Chang Le resented not being able to tear apart LiWei Yang¡¯s face, but she was aware that if she panicked, it would be easier forher opponent to grasp her weaknesses, so she forced herself to calm down: ¡°LiWei Yang, do not say such nonsense, I did not do any of these things at all,you have wronged me in every way! You are jealous of me for being morebeautiful than you and being favored by Fuqin, so you are always opposing me!You clearly led me here today and schemed to make me lose my senses. You thinkit will make Fuqin like you more, and I will lose everything, is that right?I¡¯m letting you know, I will never let you seed! Fuqin! Fuqin, you mustbelieve me, I would never do something like this! Wu Dianxia, help me, Dianxia,help me, I was set up!¡±
Li Chang Lemented and wept, acting weak and pitifulin front of Tuoba Rui.
Tuoba Rui was about to help her up when Li Wei Yangcalmly said: ¡°Dajie, why do you always say someone has wronged you, theseaffairs cannot be forced. If you like San Dianxia, you should have said so, noneed to involve the innocent Wu Dianxia!¡±
Tuoba Rui stopped dead. He saw red, rage shingacross his eyes. He suddenly realized he was being used, but the person usinghim was none other than the extraordinarily beautiful, weak and pitiful girl infront of him. He had genuinely sympathized with her, but now, he only feltcheated. Compared to the anger clouding his mind earlier, this feeling was evenmore unbearable and drew out his cruel nature! He retracted his outstretchedhands and turned away, resentfully vowing that the humiliation he faced todaywill be repaid at ater time a thousand times over! After that, he did notlook back at Li Chang Le and left.
Li Chang Le saw the turn of events and realized herbeauty scheme was no longer effective. She felt cold all over and rushed toseize Li Xiao Ran¡¯s sleeves: ¡°Fuqin! I am innocent, you must help me!¡±
Li Xiao Ran looked at her, yet never before was hisstare as cold and detached as if he were looking at a dead person.
Li Chang Le shuddered all over, unable to stoptrembling. Li Xiao Ran had never looked at her like that before...
Tuoba Zhen apathetically looked on. What happenedtoday was a great blow to him; during the funeral of Prime Minister Li¡¯s Furen,a Huangzi recklessly and dishonorably acted with a daughter of their family.The Emperor would be disgusted by him, making all of his efforts over the yearsgo to waste. Li Wei Yang, ah, Li Wei Yang, you are rather malicious!
Li Wei Yang sensed what he was thinking and turnedaround, her face innocent yet her eyes were frozen in a cold stare, not a traceof warmth in them.
There was not the slightest sign of fear or guilt inTuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes. The mes of anger red, if Li Xiao Ran was not here, hewould seize this girl and demand she exin herself! However, he knew he couldnot do that now. He would encounter great troubles if this matter was notproperly dealt with, so he just said: ¡°Prime Minister Li, it is still LiFuren¡¯s funeral ceremony. Many things cannot be discussed yet. Once the funeralis over, I will provide a sufficient exnation.¡±
Li Xiao Ran gave Tuoba Zhen a harsh look. Although hewas a Huangzi, he could not do such a dishonorable thing during a funeral. Ifso, his days were numbered. He wanted to report this to the Emperor¡ªno, hecould not do that, Li Chang Le was still a nu er of the Li family. Her reputationmay be lost, but this could not implicate the entire Li family! The thought ofit made Li Xiao Ran re at Tuoba Zhen: ¡°Alright, I will wait for yourexnation!¡±
Tuoba Zhen nodded and immediately left. Li Chang Lesaw he was about to leave and grew fearful. She wanted to catch onto hissleeves, but Tuoba Zhen¡¯s strides were too fast, not giving a chance to do so.Now, he had to quickly silence Wu Huangzi at any cost! This could not spread tothe outside!
Li Wei Yang looked at his retreating figure andsneered. She had sent the two siblings Zhao Nan and Zhao Yue to stop TuobaZhen¡¯s hidden guards in order to sessfully lead Li Xiao Ran and Wu Huangzihere, yet the first thing Tuoba Zhen would do once he left was to dispose ofall those guards! Of course, she did not hope to defeat Tuoba Zhen with thismatter alone. In any case, he still had quite a few of Wu Huangzi¡¯s weaknessesin his grasp and certainly had a way to keep Tuoba Rui silent, but Tuoba Ruiwill resent him. The efforts originally concentrated on Taizi and Qi Huangziwill shift to dealing with him. In the days toe, Tuoba Zhen would not getwhat he wanted.
Li Chang Le had never felt more afraid and desperate.She was not naive and knew precisely what was waiting ahead of her! She beggedLi Xiao Ran without pausing for a breath: ¡°Fuqin, I was framed, you mustbelieve me!¡±
Li Wei Yang only said: ¡°Dajie, things have beenreduced to this state. You do not need to say such unnecessary things. Muqin¡¯sfuneral ceremony has not ended. There are other guests waiting outside, so ifyou continue to cry like this, there is no guarantee that this matter will notspread to the outside.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s fury finally boiled over. She leapt toher feet: ¡°I will not let you get away with this, I have to speak withWaigong...¡±
¡°Dajie, you are surnamed Li, yet why do you alwaysbring up the Jiang family!¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s face remained unchanged, ¡°You shouldknow that affairs of the Li family are for Fuqin and Lao Furen to decide,others do not have a right to intervene!¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s mind went nk, and she lunged,intending to p Li Wei Yang. However, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s hand was faster and senther crumpling to the floor. The p left her face turned to one side. Her eyeswere wide open in disbelief towards Li Xiao Ran.
Li Xiao Ran angrily said: ¡°You are to stay here.Without my orders, no one is to let her out!¡± He quickly strode away and left,not turning back to look at Li Chang Le.
Li Chang Le despairingly burst into tears.
Li Wei Yang looked at her and faintly smiled: ¡°Dajie,you should cry a bit louder, it would suit your image of filial piety as a nuer. Aiya, how could I forget, you are no longer a filial nu er. You weredesperate to be married and acted senselessly, crazy to be exact. As for whatawaits in three years, it seems you have already decided that for yourself, butyou will lose some status.¡± Her voice was malicious and provocative. Li ChangLe heard the satisfaction and relish in her voice, gloating over the otherperson¡¯s misfortune. Li Chang Le leapt to her feet: ¡°Li Wei Yang, youdeplorable little, why are you always acting against me?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled warmly and sweetly began: ¡°Dajie,perhaps you do not recall what happened in the past.¡±
Li Chang Le sharply retorted: ¡°It has nothing to dowith me! That was your own misfortune, as for why you were born in February,how could you me us!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Dajie, one does not want othersto know the things they have done. You know best what deeds you and your motherhave done.¡±
Li Chang Le could not bear it anymore and rushedtowards her, no matter what she must teach Li Wei Yang a lesson today! She hadyet to touch Li Wei Yang¡¯s clothes when Zhao Yue appeared behind Li Wei Yang,seemingly out of nowhere, and sent her flying with a kick. Li Chang Le had notexpected Zhao Yue to suddenly appear, nor had she thought thetter wouldcruelly kick her. She was a delicate, aristocraticdy, and such a fierce kickmade her clutch her abdomen and cough up blood before her vision tunneled, andshe fainted on the spot.
Li Wei Yang nkly looked down at her: ¡°Dajie, youshould just enjoy the good times while theyst.¡± Having finished, she walkedout of the hall with Zhao Yue.
Not far from the hall, Tuoba Zhen had not left and wasstanding under the peach tree with his arms crossed. It was almost spring, sothe days were warm and the peach blossoms were in full bloom. A breeze blewpast, and a flurry of red followed, scattering to the ground and in his hairand shoulders like droplets of blood. The bitter resentment was reflected inhis eyes, much like his desire to tear Li Wei Yang to shreds. Li Wei Yang sawhim and only smiled, greeting him from afar before turning and leaving.
Li Wei Yang left the courtyard. Behind her, she heardZhao Yue let out a small groan. She turned around and found her sleeve had beensliced open by a sword and bloodied. Li Wei Yang softly said: ¡°It must havebeen hard on you.¡± Tuoba Zhen¡¯s seventeen hidden guards did not sit idle. Sheknew the siblings had exhausted their strength holding them off for just half ashichen, but it was enough for Li Xiao Ran to witness everything.
¡°Xiaojie had given the order, so Nubi must oveeany difficulties and do so.¡± Zhao Yue quietly said.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°You havepleted your task, quicklygo and apply medicine for your injuries and your brother as well.¡±
Zhao Yue could not help but ask: ¡°Xiaojie, as for ournext move, do we find a way to spread the news?¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly shook her head: ¡°Whether it is SanHuangzi or Fuqin, neither will allow this to spread to the outside, but thetruth is still the truth. No matter how Fuqin tries to hide it, he cannot denyLi Chang Le¡¯s dishonorable actions during this mourning period.¡±
Puzzled, Zhao Yue continued to ask: ¡°Then, why didn¡¯tXiaojie just let more people witness this¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head: ¡°That hall is reserved forspecial guests. How could anyone go in as they please? Of course, Fuqin can goin and out, and I brought Tuoba Rui in. Others do not have an excuse to go in.If I put on an borate disy, it would seem rather suspicious, the risksoutweighing what there is to gain.¡± She turned to face He Xiang Courtyard,¡°Now, I should go and see Lao Furen.¡±
Startled, Zhao Yue followed Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze. Havingillicit rtions during her mother¡¯s funeral ceremony, if this was brought toLao Furen¡¯s attention, Li Chang Le only had death waiting ahead of her!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 94 part1
Chapter 94: Climb the Dragon, Follow the Phoenix
ÅÊÁú¸½·ï P¨¡nl¨®ngf¨´f¨¨ng - lit. ¡°Climb thedragon, follow the phoenix.¡± It refers to climbing the political-socialdderby clinging onto powerful individuals and their sess.
In the context of the chapter, ¡°climb on the dragon¡±alludes to marrying Huangzi who may be Emperor one day, and ¡°follow thephoenix¡± implies bing the Empress.
D¨¤ ji¨´zi - Eldest brother-inw
English reference: something will eventually slip through the cracks [of the wall]
Disciplining children of the house
Li Chang Le waslocked in a room, and no one was allowed to go see her. Once the funeralceremony ended, she was released.
She thought thiswas the end of it, but then in the middle of the night, she was escorted to HeXiang Courtyard.
Luo mama stood byLao Furen¡¯s side. Aside from her, there were four other mamas Li Chang Le hadnever seen before, who stood solemn and silent.
Lao Furen lookedat Li Chang Le. There was no warmth in her eyes, only a hint of contempt thatfrightened Li Chang Le.
The hall was darkand obscure with only one flickeringmp. Before Li Chang Le could mention it,the four mamas had forced her to kneel down on the cold ground.
Lao Furen¡¯s facehad always been kind and never seemed so grave: ¡°Chang Le, you dare to haveillicit rtions with a man.¡±
Color drainedfrom Li Chang Le¡¯s face: ¡°Lao Furen, don¡¯t listen to Li Wei Yang¡¯s usations!Your granddaughter would never dare to such a thing to humiliate the family!¡±
¡°There¡¯s no needto continue.¡± Lao Furen¡¯s face slowly returned to normal, but her eyes stillharbored murderous intent, ¡°With your Fuqin¡¯s doting, you would dare to doanything, including that. I once said stunning beauty is a cmity. Your Fuqinhad too much faith in you, which led to this disaster, making the Li familylose all of our honor!¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯seyes widened. While she was confined for three days, she had thought thingsthrough. Li Xiao Ran would not be harsh on her, so she raised her head high:¡°Lao Furen, since it hase down to this, San Dianxia will certainly marryme!¡±
Lao Furen had ank smile.
Luo mama said:¡°Da Xiaojie, you still refuse to ept that even if San Dianxia marriesXiaojie, in this world, there is no wall that can keep out the wind.Someday, others will find out about this, then what will you do, and what aboutthe Li family?¡± She waved her hand.
The four mamasforced Li Chang Le down, making her panic. She used her all of her strength toescape the hands holding her down, but she could not break free.
It urred toher something was wrong! Very wrong! Could Lao Furen want¡ª
One of the mamasbrought a porcin jar over. Under the hazy candlelight, the red-billed craneon the jar seemed even more horrifying.
Lao Furen took ahandkerchief out from her sleeve and covered her nose: ¡°Our Li family hasraised such a shameless Yatou, my efforts and kindness have been wasted on you...Now, you must die for the Li family.¡±
What did LaoFuren mean by this? Li Chang Le stared in disbelief... She struggled, lungingforward and vehemently protesting: ¡°I am Da Xiaojie of the Li family, I cannotsimply die without reason. When Fuqin finds out, what will Lao Furen say then...¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s voicewas hostile: ¡°Your Fuqin is usually wise, but he has overindulged you andcannot distinguish between right and wrong, and now, he even let you live. Oncehe has carefully thought about it, he wille to thank me.¡±
Li Xiao Ranshould get rid of this Yatou as soon as possible, but he still had hope forher. Even if Li Chang Le was to be wed, there was no saying Tuoba Zhen willstill agree to marry her three yearster. Who knows what cmity will breakout!
¡°I don¡¯t believeit! I don¡¯t believe it! There is also the Jiang family, Lao Furen. Think aboutit, Waigong and Waizumu love me. I also have two jiujiu. They were alreadyfurious by Muqin¡¯s death, if you dispose of me too, they will never forgive theLi family!¡±
There was nohesitation on Lao Furen¡¯s face. She sighed: ¡°You do not understand when to whento retreat. Today, you have reaped the seeds you have sown.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯seyes widened. She could not believe it.
There was nochance. How could her life be decided so easily? She thought that at worst,Fuqin would marry her Tuoba Zhen, how could he take her life!
¡°Your mothersuddenly died, so you were grieving, grieving too much that you were careless,caught a cold and died. You won¡¯t die without reason, and you will earn thereputation of a filial nu er.¡± Lao Furen lightly said, ¡°It is much better thanyour tainted body and reputation, so do not me me.¡± She nced at Luo mama,who understood and signaled to the others.
The mamasimmediately pinched Li Chang Le¡¯s nose in order to force her to drink themedicine. Li Chang Le suddenly broke free and desperately tried to run outside.Luo mama snapped: ¡°Quickly seize her!¡± The mamas pursued her like wolves andtigers and seized Li Chang Le, who seemed to have lost her mind, plunging theentire room in chaos.
Lao Furen had notthought she would refuse to give up and loudly ordered: ¡°Hold her down and pourall of it down!¡±
The four mamasforced Li Chang Le down. Seeing the medicinee closer and closer, Li ChangLe let out an ear-splitting scream. A mama quickly covered her mouth. Li ChangLe was terrified, and the smell of the medicine made it difficult for her tobreathe. Suddenly, the doors were kicked open.
Someone strode inlike a gust of wind dispersing the clouds: ¡°Lao Furen, what are you doing?!¡± LiXiao Ran paled and rushed forward to seize a mama¡¯s arm, ¡°Let go already!¡±
Lao Furen angrilyresponded: ¡°I am cleaning up the house! You shamelessly ask mewhy?!¡±
Li Chang Lefearfully dragged herself over to Li Xiao Ran: ¡°Fuqin, Fuqin must save me, LaoFuren wants to kill me!¡±
Li Xiao Ran didnot look at her and only spoke to Lao Furen: ¡°Muqin, I have something to say toyou.¡±
Lao Furen frownedand looked at Li Chang Le kneeling on the ground, her face tearstained and nolonger beautiful. She scoffed: ¡°What is there to say?!¡±
Li Xiao Ranlooked to Luo mama. Luo mama immediately gestured to the other mamas, ¡°Firstoff, confine Da Xiaojie in the room next door.¡±
The four mamaslifted Li Chang Le, whose body had gone limp, and took her to the small roomnearby. Luo mama rushed over to close the doors and stood watch outside.
Lao Furen coldlysaid: ¡°Say it.¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s facewas solemn: ¡°Lao Furen, one cannot act carelessly.¡±
Lao Furen¡¯sexpressions did not change: ¡°This shameless, little wretch here, you still wantto keep her and further humiliate us?¡±
Li Xiao Ranclenched his teeth. He resented Li Chang Le, but there was something he had tosay: ¡°Lao Furen, San Huangzi has promised he will marry Chang Le as Ce feithree yearster.¡±
¡°Ce fei?¡± LaoFuren echoed, then voiced her dissatisfaction: ¡°He even dares to say this! Atthis time? Your Furen has just died, and he ran to the Li family to destroyyour reputation, yet you simply take his word?! He is a Huangzi, so it is notmy turn to discipline him, but Li Chang Le, that lowly wretch, I can still disciplineher! She has to die today!¡±
Li Xiao Rananxiously came closer and lowered his voice: ¡°Lao Furen, please calm down. TheLi family has always been strict, so when faced with such an unfavorablesituation, how could I not feel conflicted?! But we must see the biggerpicture, I could care less if it were just Tuoba Zhen, but earlier, someonesent a letter from the pce.¡±
Lao Furenfurrowed her eyebrows: ¡°Wu Xian Fei?¡±
Li Xiao Ransolemnly nodded: ¡°Yes, Wu Xian Fei sent a jade ornament and said to use it asproof of engagement. Three yearster when the mourning period ends, she willrequest Bixia to grant the marriage and marry Li Chang Le to San Dianxia as Cefei.¡±
Lao Furen hadbeen concerned about the situation in three years and even more concerned aboutthe rumors. Hearing this, she slowly sat down: ¡°She is rather clever to marryLi Chang Le off, give us an exnation, and even borrow the Jiang family¡¯sstrength, hmph!¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯sexpressions were not pleasant either. He had never respected Tuoba Zhen and didnot intend to marry any of his nu er to him. Since things turned out this way,he intended to confine Li Chang Le until the funeral ceremony was over, thenquietly marry her off, securing her reputation. The problem was Wu Xian Fei hadunexpectedly sent someone with a proposal and a jade ornament, so he had toreconsider. If he insisted on refusing and took Li Chang Le¡¯s life, he wouldoffend Wu Xian Fei, and things would worsen.
¡°I know you arefurious, but things havee down to this. Killing her will not aplishanything, whereas¡ª¡±
Lao Furen did notthink so. She wanted to kill Li Chang Le. Doing so would gain an enemy, butkeeping someone like her would only bring nothing but trouble, much less WuXian Fei and Tuoba Zhen. Aside from their self-respect, the Li family hadnothing to lose.
Li Xiao Rancontinued: ¡°Still, my Da jiuzi - he¡¯s on his way back to the Capital.¡±
Lao Furen raisedher eyebrows, suddenly looking up: ¡°What did you say?!¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯sexpressions seemed a bit unusual: ¡°Jiang Xu will report back to the Capital ina couple of days.¡±
Lao Furensuddenly understood his intentions. Jiang Xu was Jiang Guogong¡¯s eldest son andthe Feng Zheng Xi General guarding Xi jiang, the western border. He had notreturned to the Capital in ten years. His sudden return was hardly a good sign!She stood up: ¡°Why is heing back?!¡±
Li Xiao Ranquietly said: ¡°At the time, it is not known, but I¡¯m afraid it has to do withJiang Rou and Wei Guo Furen¡¯s deaths.¡±
The Buddhistprayer bracelet in Lao Furen¡¯s hand snapped with a distinct sound, sending theprayer beads scattering to the ground. The sound struck a chord in Li XiaoRan¡¯s heart and left him uneasy.
¡°Lao Furen¡ªwithJiang Rou¡¯s death, the Jiang family will not abandon their efforts. They areabout to raise an army ande to demand justice. Fighting over Li Chang Le¡¯ssituation would only harm both families, so for now, we cannot turn our backsto them.¡±
Lao Furen slowlysat back down then looked up at the painting above and sighed. She did not careabout Wu Xian Fei, but if it were the entire Jiang family, this should bereevaluated. Jiang Xu deeply cared for his meimei Jiang Rou, so her suddendeath may have led him to suspect them. If Li Chang Le also followed her downto the yellow spring, the Jiang family will raise immeasurable chaos! The Lifamily may have the Prime Minister, butpared to the Jiang n¡¯s deep rootsand hundred years of history, they did not stand a chance. The Jiang familyalso had military authority, so the Li family would have to suffer either way.
In that case, itseems Li Chang Le stays... Lao Furen felt her throat tighten: ¡°That little wretchdares to do such scandalous things. Are we just going to keep tolerating her?!¡±
Li Xiao Ran fellsilent, then slowly began: ¡°To avoid other troublesome matters, we need to lockher up. We will spare her life, and if the Jiang family asks, we will say thatthere is nothing to negotiate. After all, she was the one who caused all of this.¡±
Within argefamily, even if there are many conflicts, not the slightest hint of discordwill be revealed in front of others. Moreover, the incident was closely tied tothe Li family¡¯s honor, so they must not let outsiders know. Lao Furen wearilysighed: ¡°Just do it then.¡±
Li Xiao Ranabruptly asked: ¡°I was afraid this incident would anger Muqin, so I made sureno one was to speak of it. How did you find out?¡± If Li Wei Yang secretly toldLao Furen about it, then she was rather malicious.
Lao Furen sharplyreminded him: ¡°You think you can hide everything from me? Just a few days ago,you had reconciled with that little wretch, and yet you suddenly locked her up!Isn¡¯t it clear that something happened? Insolence!¡±
Li Xiao Ransighed and quickly apologized. He had the servants on night watch send Li ChangLe to the temple in the mountains.
Li Wei Yangrarely slept as well as she did that night. The next day, as she got out ofbed, Bai Zhi brought a jar of water, so she could wash her face. She smiled andexchanged a few words with the Yatous, then sent them outside. She remained inher room and practiced calligraphy until it was time to go and greet Lao Furen.
Zhao Yue saw andbecame anxious. She stopped Li Wei Yang in the doorway and quietly reported:¡°The servants secretly sent Da Xiaojie awayst night.¡±
Li Wei Yang didnot falter and nodded: ¡°I know.¡±
When she came toHe Xiang Courtyard, Luo mama was leaning close to Lao Furen¡¯s ear, whisperingsomething. Lao Furen looked up and saw Li Wei Yang and immediately dismissedLuo mama.
¡°Your Fuqin istoo soft-hearted.¡± Lao Furen seemed a bit embarrassed. Her voice was a bitstrained, ¡°San Huangzi is willing to take responsibility, but we must waituntil the mourning period for your Muqin ends before they can marry. Moreover,it is not the position of Zheng fei but Ce fei, which is disgraceful, but it issomething we must ept. Therefore, I am rather conflicted, what do you thinkshould be done about this?¡±
Lao Furen¡¯swillingness to speak of this conveyed how much she valued Li Wei Yang. If sheinsisted that Lao Furen take Li Chang Le¡¯s life, it would be too abrupt andcruel. Of course, Li Wei Yang was not that foolish. Likewise, Wu Xian Fei hadquickly intervened, and the pressure from the Jiang family was fierce, leavingthe two sides to warily eye one another. Naturally, they must spare Li ChangLe¡¯s life.
Li Wei Yangpondered over it for a while, ¡°You are the head of the household. In the end,how this matter should be resolved is up to Lao Furen and Fuqin.¡±
She could nothelp but sigh to herself. It was a pity she was a step behind.
Take forinstance, Li Chang Le. Her Muqin had died, and the funeral ceremony had notended before she had acted dishonorably. If it were a Xiaojie of any otherhousehold, they would have no choice but to die, but she was fortunate to havethe formidable Jiang family to protect her. All of her wrongdoings can beforgiven.
How could LaoFuren not agree? She also sighed, ¡°I am sick and tired of these things. Afamily that is not righteous will eventually copse. At first, Wu Huangzitook a liking to her and was determined to make her Zheng fei, I was alreadyreluctant. Now in the light of this incident, it has tainted our Li family.Someone like that must be disposed of, yet she is still alive. If not for theJiang family, your Fuqin would not be forced topromise.¡±
Given thedisastrous granddaughter under their roof, one can sympathize with Lao Furen.Li Wei Yang nodded as if lost in her thoughts. Lao Furen continue to say: ¡°Thatdespicable, little wretch is foolish and only thinks about herself,disregarding our family¡¯s reputation. It is all good now, isn¡¯t it? Now thatshe hasmitted a heinous crime, she wants us to clean up the act and protecther.¡±
Lao Furen wasrarely this saddened and disappointed. Li Wei Yang did not reveal her truefeelings, only advising: ¡°Lao Furen, how can you say that? Dajie is still partof the Li family. She made a terrible mistake, but we will not just abandonher, not for her sake but for the Li family¡¯s sake. We must think of a way tosettle this. As for Wu Dianxia, San Dianxia will have a way to silence him. Onour part, not much can be done by arguing, for us or Fuqin. A Xiaojie has losther virtue. If this spreads, her unpleasant reputation is not crippling, but itwill be troublesome. As for San Dianxia, it will be a fatal blow. His lifelongefforts will be wasted, so he is even more concerned. Fuqin can use thisagainst him in the future. Few people know about this in our residence, and evenif they knew, they would not dare to make it known to others, but - Dajie,someone needs to keep an eye on her, so nothing else happens.¡±
Lao Furen hadnothing to say. Li Wei Yang had addressed every aspect of the issue. She noddedand told Luo mama: ¡°Send more people to watch over that Yatou and ensurenothing else like that happens again.¡±
Luo mama quicklyanswered: ¡°Yes.¡± She nced at Li Wei Yang, San Xiaojie is really... She seemedgentle and friendly, graced with a soft smile, but her words were like hiddenneedles. Da Xiaojie wanted to regain Laoye¡¯s favor and trust, but, pity she didnot have the chance. Forget that, she may not even be able to keep her lifenow...
Lao Furen thoughtabout it some more and felt this matter was still not settled, but for now,there was no other way. ¡°Just proceed with that then.¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 94 part2
Chapter 94: Climb the Dragon, Follow the Phoenix
N¨· gu¨¡n - An attendant that serves anEmpress Dowager, Empress, Imperial concubine or princess
Private Study, San Huangzi¡¯s Manor
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s study took up most of the space in hiscourtyard with valuable books, calligraphy, and paintings inside. Outside hisstudy was an area to receive guests. In the past, the door of his study wasalways quiet and peaceful, but now, the ce was full of guards. Under theeaves of the courtyard, a tall, formidable man stood in the main hall. Everyguard had their hands ced on the hilt of their des, their faces stern andvignt, not allowing anyone toe near the study.
¡°Dianxia, Xian Fei niang niang sent someone to bring ajade token as proof and even promised the position of Ce fei.¡±
¡°Silence!¡± Tuoba Zhen smashed a cup of tea, and theperson reporting immediately fell silent.
That person was He Jing, San Huangzi¡¯s closestadviser, but at this time, he did not dare to face Tuoba Zhen¡¯s fury.
Knowing Li Wei Yang had set him up, Tuoba Zhen felthis blood boil. He only needed to close his eyes to see Li Wei Yang¡¯sdisdainful and goading expression, and even the contempt beneath it, hepractically lost his mind over it! That girl, she actually dared to do such athing!
Over the years, Tuoba Zhen buried away his resentment.He resented the Emperor, why did he favor Tuoba Yu like that! He resented hisbirth mother for her low birth and status! He even resented himself for havingto endure the humiliation all these years, only to fall into this trap! He waseven brought down by someone like Li Chang Le. Why did Li Wei Yang help TuobaYu, failing to understand ambitions and even his feelings towards her!
If the evidence had not been taken care of by TianJing, one of Tuoba Rui¡¯s close confidants bribed by three thousand liang ofgold, this scandal would have spread all over Da Li. He would have helpless andeven more troubled. As if being favored by the Emperor was not enough, Tuoba Yueven had a clever, capable girl by his side, helping him scheme! Thousands ofwords in his heart umted into a monstrous hatred, aggressively twistinghis face.
Seeing San Huangzi¡¯s normally refined and reserved facelike this, He Jing inhaled sharply and subconsciously bowed lower.
Enraged, Tuoba Zhen overturned the table, sendingpapers, brushes, and the inkstone to the floor, scattering everywhere.
Seeing the mess in front of him, Tuoba Zhen realizedhis mistake. He turned around and took a deep breath as if wanting to force outthe anger from within. A whileter, he turned back, his face calm and cold asjade, faintly smiling as usual. He Jing began to feel that the fuming, enragedface he just saw was a trick of the light.
Tuoba Zhen slowly began: ¡°I was a bit overwhelmed.Schr, please stand up.¡± He even personally helped He Jing up. He Jing stoodand quietly said: ¡°Shu xia knows San Dianxia is displeased, but the currentsituation is more than a crisis, it is an opportunity.¡±
Tuoba Zhen frowned: ¡°How so?¡±
He Jing smiled: ¡°Everything Xian Fei niang niang hasdone was for your sake. Marrying Li Chang Le is not necessarily a bad thing.¡±
Tuoba Zhen was aware of this, but Li Chang Le was notof much use to him. However, he could not stand having to marry a woman inthese circumstances. It was humiliating! Even so - ¡°Tian Jing was bribed to beused for more important purposes! Now, three years of preparation have beenwasted over such a small matter, how can I not be furious!¡±
He Jing agreed it was an unfortunate loss, but if heexpressed his regrets, it would like fueling a raging fire with oil, so he onlyadvised: ¡°If Dianxia can gain the Jiang family¡¯s support, then it could be saidthis good fortune is born from misfortune.¡±
The Jiang family did not have a nu er from the mainwife, only a shu nu that had been married to Taizi, who was not favored in thefamily either. However, the Jiang family deeply cherished Li Chang Le. If theywanted to gain the Jiang family¡¯s support, that would be the case, except thiswas idental, and this move was made too prematurely. If he married Li ChangLe, the Emperor and his xiong di would be wary of him! There was stillsomething else in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s heart that could not be expressed; if he marriedLi Chang Le, then it would be even more unlikely for Li Wei Yang to marry him...He clenched his fist!
¡°What good fortune is born from misfortune! More likethe tall tree is swayed by the wind!¡± Li Wei Yang, you are ruthless! He took adeep breath and angrily mmed his fist on the back of a chair.
He Jing saw Tuoba Zhen¡¯s murderous face and reluctantwords through clenched teeth. He felt his legs were still trembling. Hereminded him to be careful with his words and secretly sighed, this wasdisadvantageous to San Huangzi indeed!
¡°Dianxia, do not worry, let us reexamine this andstabilize this vtile situation!¡±
On the other end, Li Wei Yang came back from He XiangCourtyard, slightly perturbed. If Li Xiao Ran had not acted so quickly, LiChang Le would be a corpse now.
Cutting the grass does not remove the roots, and whenspringes, it will grow back. If Li Chang Le is given an opportunity, shewill continue to cause trouble.
Li Wei Yang spontaneously plucked a peony and held itup. Suddenly, a blinding sh appeared overhead, followed by rolling thunder.It was not just her, Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu were also taken by surprise. Shortlyafter, heavy rain fell down.
Li Wei Yang looked out the window to see the downpour,blurring the world into a single color. She idly walked towards the window,fixated on the sshes of rain.
¡°Why is it suddenly raining so heavily!¡± Mo Zhumuttered, rushing to close the windows.
Thunder rumbled, frightening the young Yatous, whotightly held onto each other. A youth with a wide hat suddenly appeared in thecourtyard and came running. Li Wei Yang had been in a bad mood, but seeingthis, she smiled, turned and said: ¡°Go prepare clean cloths.¡±
Bai Zhi stuck her head outside and immediatelughed: ¡°Yes.¡±
Li Min De went inside, drenched from the rain. Bai Zhiand Mo Zhu rushed to prepare clean cloths for him to dry off with. His hair wasalso soaked, letting water continue to drip onto the floor. Li Wei Yang softlychuckled: ¡°What are you doing here?¡±
Li Min De frowned: ¡°In the middle of the night¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang waved her hand, gesturing for the Yatousby her side to withdraw. ¡°Zhao Nan tells you everything.¡± Xiong mei Zhao Nanand Zhao Yue were Li Min De¡¯s subordinates. Reporting back to him was to beexpected, but Li Min De felt a bit embarrassed, his face reddening. It musthave seemed like he was closely monitoring her actions. Afraid Li Wei Yangwould misunderstand, he was prepared to exin when Li Wei Yang shook herhead, letting him know she did not mind: ¡°I did not want to hide this from youeither.¡±
Relieved, Li Min De continued: ¡°But Da Bofu did notdispose of Li Chang Le and even sent her back up the mountain, indirectlyprotecting her.¡±
Li Wei Yang gazed out at the pouring rain and smileddryly: ¡°He is wary of the Jiang family. Otherwise, because of her actionsduring the funeral ceremony, she would have been long gone.¡±
Li Min De grimaced: ¡°It was Wu Huangzi, now it¡¯s SanHuangzi. Either way, Li Chang Le is not at a disadvantage.¡±
Li Wei Yang suddenlyughed aloud: ¡°Silly. Of courseshe is faced with a disadvantage, if anything, it is a great disadvantage.¡±
Li Min De thought for a moment then understood:¡°Right! Wu Huangzi genuinely liked her and even promised for her to be Zhengfei, but she ignored his sentiments. Tuoba Rui will never forgive her and TuobaZhen! Having offended Tuoba Rui, he now has to deal with Wu Huangzi and QiHuangzi, leaving Tuoba Zhen with a lot on his hands!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled thinly: ¡°That is just one of thereasons. Tuoba Zhen will also resent Li Chang Le¡¯s foolishness and for havingto marry her like this. Based on his personality, he will repay her with thisgrudge hundreds of thousands of times over. I wonder how entertaining thiscouple will turn out.¡±
When she said this, undisguised satisfaction andrelish appeared in her eyes. Li Min De didn¡¯t notice, even if he did, hepretended as if he had not seen it. He would always unconditionally support herand trust her, but - ¡°A lot of things can change in three years. I also heardthat Jiang Xu is returning to the Capital.¡±
¡°Oh¡ªso, Da jiujiu ising back.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled,no wonder Li Xiao Ran quickly changed his mind and spared Li Chang Le¡¯s life.¡°He must be hurrying back for the funeral.¡± Losing two meimei, one after theother, could he no longer sit still? She thought and asked: ¡°Who else isingback with him?¡±
¡°It is still not clear yet. The people I sent onlyfound out that Jiang Xu will arrive in the Capital in less than three days.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded, looking out the window at theheavy rain and scoffed. The storm that would havee sooner orter finallycame.
The next morning, an invitation came from the pce.The Empress Dowager summoned Li Wei Yang to the pce. The news left everyonestunned and surprised.
After applying her makeup, Li Wei Yang followed theeunuchs back to the pce. They arrived at the doors of the Empress Dowager¡¯spce. She ced a silk bag that had been prepared beforehand into the handsof a nu guan. The nu guan weighed the bag in her hand, then smiled: ¡°Xianzhu,please go ahead.¡± When Li Wei Yang walked past, the nu guan whispered: ¡°De Feiniang niang came herest night.¡±
Startled, Li Wei Yang frowned.
Zhang De Fei, what did she want! This woman was alwayscausing trouble for her!
Nu guan saw Li Wei Yang had understood, smiled and ledher inside. Li Wei Yang walked into the hall, but this time, her mind was notat ease. The Empress Dowager waited, seated in a high position that wasseparated by an expanse of sandalwood incense, her face stern.
Li Wei Yang solemnly ceremonially greeted her: ¡°WeiYang greets the Empress Dowager.¡±
Thest time they met, the Empress Dowager was politeand cordial, but now, she did not seem to even let Li Wei Yang stand up. Shequietly sat there, eying Li Wei Yang from head to toe.
Even her own granddaughterscked such a refineddisposition. The Empress Dowager recalled what Zhang De Fei had said andsighed: ¡°I heard your Muqin just passed away.¡±
¡°Responding to the Empress Dowager, yes.¡± The EmpressDowager had yet to permit her to sit, so Li Wei Yang could only stand there andrespond.
The Empress Dowager¡¯s voice became stern: ¡°Muqinpassed away, a nu er must uphold filial piety for three years. In these threeyears, you must watch your words and actions.¡±
¡°Yes, Wei Yang understands.¡± Li Wei Yang rememberedthe Empress Dowager¡¯s favorite grandson was Qi Huangzi Tuoba Yu. Her face didnot change as she politely answered, not revealing her frustration. She wasactually rather unhappy. Last time, Zhang De Fei did not gain the upper hand,so she turned to the Empress Dowager and wanted the Empress Dowager to stop herfrom seeing Tuoba Yu? This Zhang De Fei thought too highly of her son, as forwhat De Fei treasured and sought to protect, Li Wei Yang did not want any ofit! Whether it was Ce fei of a Huangzi, Zheng fei, or even to be Empress ifTuoba Yu became Emperor one day, she would not want it either!
The Empress Dowager¡¯s face was formal and stiff:¡°Good, you are a sensible child. You know what you should do and not do.¡± Shestopped there, but her intentions were clear. Although Li Wei Yang was cleverand sensible, she was not worthy of Tuoba Yu and could never be chosen as Zhengfei because she was the nu er of a servant girl. Even if she was clever and theEmpress Dowager rewarded her, she could not let her be Qi Huangzi fei.
Li Wei Yang understood what the Empress Dowager hadsaid. She knew the Empress Dowager well enough. That year, the Empress Dowagerwas distant with her because of her concubine-born status. She spent a lot oftime and effort to make the Empress Dowager like her and ept her becauseTuoba Zhen was not favored, unlike the Empress Dowager¡¯s precious Tuoba Yu.
Of course, Li Wei Yang understood her sentiments. TheEmpress Dowager was at the top of the hierarchy in Da Li, she could notdirectly oppose her, not to mention, it would be irrational and foolish. Li WeiYang would not do something she was unsure of.
The Empress Dowager began: ¡°Since you came to thepce, then help Aijia copy Buddhist scriptures.¡±
Li Wei Yang bowed down: ¡°Yes.¡±
The Empress Dowager¡¯s ce of worship was just behindthe main hall. The Empress Dowager stood up. A nu guan held her arm and led herout. Li Wei Yang immediately followed. When she arrived at the Buddhist temple,the Empress Dowager began to recite sutras from the Buddhist scriptures. The nuguan gestured to Li Wei Yang, and she went over to the red, engraved table. Theyoung pce maids had prepared paper, ink, and three thick volumes of Buddhistscriptures on the table.
¡°Xianzhu, please copy these three volumes, then youcan go.¡± Nu guan quietly ryed the Empress Dowager¡¯s orders.
Separated by a heavy, beaded curtain, Li Wei Yangnced at the Empress Dowager and smiled: ¡°Yes.¡±
After four shichen, Li Wei Yang continued todiligently copy the scriptures. The words in the volumes were small, so lookingat them for a long time will make others dizzy. If it were someone else, theywould haveined about the back pain and lose determination, but Li WeiYang still stood and copied the scriptures, notmenting that she was tired,nor did she ask for a chair. She solemnly stood there and carefully copied thetexts.
The Empress Dowager looked at her, and her frown beganto ease. She did not have any ill feelings towards Li Wei Yang. On thecontrary, she took a liking to this clever and brave xiao guniang, but herbirth mother¡¯s status was too low. In the past, the Emperor bestowed her atitle and raised her to great heights. If one did not make her remember herce, perhapster on, she would even climb the dragon and follow thephoenix.
Tuoba Yu was definitely not someone Li Wei Yang couldtouch! The Empress Dowager thought to herself, the Buddhist prayer beads in herhand continue to rotate.
Another two shichen passed. It was now sometimebetween lunch and dinner. The Empress Dowager had a light meal, but Li WeiYang¡¯s stomach grumbled. The nu guan beside her looked at her, but her hand didnot even shake at the slightest. How strange.
How could any of them know that Li Wei Yang had spentso many years in the Cold Pce. Patience and endurance came as naturally toher as it did eating, so she did not mind a small punishment like this.However, as time went on, she began to write faster, and the words began toblur. Eventually, the Empress Dowager lowered her prayer bead bracelet andlooked at her as if deep in thought.
Zhou nu guan reminded her: ¡°Empress Dowager niangniang, you should rest.¡±
The Empress Dowager stood and slowly walked out to thedoor. When she looked back, she saw Li Wei Yang did not look up at all andcontinued to carefully copy the Buddhist scriptures as if she had not noticedthe Empress Dowager left. The Empress Dowager had some admiration for the xiaoguniang¡¯s endurance and perseverance. Pity, she did not have a Muqin of noblebirth and status, so she was not qualified to be Yu er¡¯s Zheng fei. Perhapsshe should be married to a Huangzi of lower birth or to a noble family, so shewill not suffer. The Empress Dowager resigned to her thoughts and left.
When Li Wei Yang¡¯s brush finally stopped, it wasalmost daybreak.
Li Wei Yang looked up: ¡°The Buddhist scriptures havebeen copied, does the Empress Dowager have other orders?¡±
Zhou nu guan immediately went outside to report. Awhileter, she came back and said: ¡°The Empress Dowager has ordered thatXianzhu ce the copied Buddhist scriptures in front of the statue of Buddha.Then, Xianzhu may return.¡±
There was no resentment on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face. Shecarefully brought the Buddhist scriptures over to the statue of Buddha,kowtowed, then stood up and left.
The young pce maid said: ¡°This Anping Xianzhu istruly persevering. Last time when Liu Gongzhu was punished by Empress Dowagerniang niang and had to copy Buddhist scriptures, she cried for two shichenstraight! On the other hand, Xianzhu did not frown at the slightest frombeginning to end!¡±
Zhou nu guan sighed: ¡°This is what is means to have arefined demeanor and determination. The Empress Dowager niang niang punishedher but also reminded her that a tall tree will be swayed by the wind. De Feiniang niang stands firm in the pce, not because of luck but because sheobeys and understands this. The Empress Dowager will give her a good future,but if one does not know one¡¯s ce and hopes to climb the dragon and followthe phoenix, then the consequences¡ª¡± She did not say anything more and staredafter Li Wei Yang¡¯s retreating figure, then turned around, ¡°In any case, shedoes not seem like a fish in the well. Perhaps one day, fortune willunexpectedly smile on her.¡±
The pce maid looked at Li Wei Yang¡¯s silhouette,her eyes widening.
Good fortune? What good fortune! Offending De Feiniang niang only meant death! How could fortune smile on her in the futurethen. Wasn¡¯t this just wishful thinking?
Li Wei Yang was slowly led out by pce maids. Theyran into an eunuch at the pce gates, he sharply said: ¡°Who is this?!¡±
A pce maid quickly said: ¡°Liu gonggong, this isAnping Xianzhu.¡±
Liu gonggong was a little over thirty, his face paleas a sheet, his eyes cleverly examining Li Wei yang¡¯s face before smiling: ¡°Soit is Anping Xianzhu¡ªXianzhu truly does have a refined air. Xian Fei niangniang is having the pce maids collect morning dew in the Imperial Garden.Since Xianzhu is passing through, Xianzhu should naturally stop by to greether.¡±
Xian Fei niang niang? The only person in the pcewho would be called that was Wu Xian Fei. Li Wei Yang stiffened, this Wu XianFei was Tuoba Zhen¡¯s adopted mother! Why did she want to see her?! Because shehappened to be here? No, it was not a coincidence!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 95 part1
Chapter 95: No Mercy
Wu Xian Fei is technically not her real mother-inw because Tuoba Zhen is her adopted son.
Imperial Pce, Imperial Garden
Beautiful flowers in full bloom lined the path andleft a faint, enchanting fragrance in the air.
Li Wei Yang passed through the fields of flowers andsaw a noble, honored consort sitting in the gazebo. A guarded smile appeared onher face.
Wu Xian Fei came from a prestigious household and wasextraordinarily beautiful, but in the pce, what mattered most was neitherone¡¯s beauty nor background but whether they had an heir or not. Typically, awoman without an heir would struggle to survive in the pce, much lesssurvive for many years. In contrast, Wu Xian Fei stood very firmly and couldeven adopt a son, raise him, and assist the Empress with matters in the innerpce for a decade. Not everyone had this ability.
The first time she met her mother-inw, albeit onlyin name, her knees trembled.After a lifetime, Li Wei Yang believed she would be confident and calm enoughto face ¡°someone from her past.¡±
More than ten pce maids and eunuchs stood aroundthe gazebo, all bowing, their eyes downcast. They seemed to be holding theirbreaths as not even a cough was heard. In the center of the gazebo was abeautiful, older woman, sitting upright. Her sleek, ck hair was piled up ina trending style, shaped like clouds on the horizon. Her skin was smooth anddelicate, even more radiant under the sun like beautiful jade. While her eyeswere ck, they were bright and lovely yet captivating. The red lips that hadcurved up into a small smile seemed to have a touch of nectar. She was smilingat Li Wei Yang. Her smile was warm and gentle, she seemed nothing like ascheming individual.
Li Wei Yang was not surprised to see Wu Xian Fei¡¯syouthfulness and beauty. She knew precisely how much effort this consortdevoted to maintaining her beauty. Every day, she had the pce maids collectmorning dew and carefully filter it before using it for tea; pollen from ahundred flowers was gathered to make the most valuable type of fragrant facepowder; the reddest and most lively flower petals and nectar werebined anddistilled for seven days, then sundried for another seven days, followingancient techniques to remove the essence and make rouge. These priceless,extravagant items were stored in gold boxes and jade pots and used as part ofher daily routine. By looking after her beauty in this manner, she could retainher lively youthfulness and the Emperor¡¯s favor for so long.
In this world, nothingsts without reason, nor isthere anything that can be effortlessly obtained. This was the first lesson WuXian Fei taught Li Wei Yang.
Back then, Li Wei Yang had only entered the pce anddid not know many people. She did not know how to help her husband whilegaining others¡¯ favor and approval. It was Wu Xian Fei who sternly yet gentlytaught her these things. Xian Fei seemed like apassionate elder lookingafter her, so Li Wei Yang considered her to be close family. Unfortunately, shewouldter discover Wu Xian Fei had taught her so many things, not because shewas her daughter-inw, but so she would be the ideal stepping stone for TuobaZhen.
When she was met with misfortune, it was this gentleand noble ¡°mother-inw¡± that stood up and used her of being wicked andselfish, and not virtuous nor talented enough to be Empress. It was then thatLi Wei Yang realized others had treated her well, not because they cared forher, but because she was of some use to them. Once she was no longer useful,there was no need for her to exist anymore.
Li Wei Yang smiled and approached her beforeceremonially greeting her.
As Li Wei Yang greeted her, Xian Fei was alreadyevaluating her. At first nce, she felt that her fair-skinned, livelyappearance, while it could not be considered beautiful, was charmingnheless. Under her scrutinizing stare, Li Wei Yang could stand up straightand smile softly. If she was unaware of thetter¡¯s schemes, she would havemistaken her for a shy xiao guniang. Wu Xian Fei was not a fool though. Li WeiYang could quickly establish herself in the Li family and defeat her dimu andDajie, whose beauty could make empires and cities to fall. She was not anordinary person. These were just conflicts within the Li family, unrted toWu Xian Fei, until it involved Tuoba Zhen, which infuriated her. Not that sheloved and cared for this son, this affected the endgame, so she could not idlystand by.
¡°This child, you seem very lovely and likeable, quicklystand up. Come here,e to me.¡± After Li Wei Yang had greeted her, Xian Feiwarmly waved her over.
Li Wei Yang walked over with a smile. Xian Fei gentlypulled her close while looking her up and down, then said to a nu guan besideher: ¡°This child is lively and seems good-natured, I have heard praises fromthe Emperor and Empress Dowager, but have not met her yet. This asion can beconsidered a coincidence, even a fated encounter.¡±
Of course it was fate, a great overwhelming fate. LiWei Yangughed and cleverly said: ¡°Thank niang niang for the praise.¡±
Xian Fei nodded andplimented her. She began tospeak, carefully starting out with small talk as intimately as elders of thehouse would, filling one¡¯s heart with warmth. If Li Wei Yang was not aware ofher antics, she may have fallen for it, thinking Xian Fei was kind-hearted whenactually, the more Xian Fei smiled at someone, the sooner they would die. Herwarmth and kindness towards Li Wei Yang now was definitely not a good sign.
Xian Fei suddenly took note of Li Wei Yang¡¯s clothesand gently frowned: ¡°Why are you wearing all white?¡±
Li Wei Yang simply said: ¡°Mother passed away, Wei Yangdoes not dare to wear bright colors, and since mourning clothes are not allowedto be worn in the pce, Wei Yang can only choose light colors to wear.¡± Shedid not vite the mourning rites for Da Furen¡¯s funeral, nor the restrictionsin the pce, what else did Xian Fei want to say?
Xian Fei acted as if she did notice those intentions.Her smile became even more gentle: ¡°I heard what happened to your Muqin, Iremember there are several rolls of elegant and light silks in the storeroom,absolutely beautiful. Bring them here for Li Xiaojie. Think of it as a smalltoken from me.¡±
A nu guan stepped forward and responded before quicklyheading off.
Li Wei Yang looked at her retreating back, slightlyfrowning, then bowed and quietly said: ¡°Thank niang niang, Wei Yang cannotept such a gift.¡±
Xian Fei waved it off: ¡°No need to be so polite! Thinkof it as a small, courtesy gift.¡± Then, she continued: ¡°Unfortunately, you willbe of marriageable age in two years, but since your Muqin passed away, thismust be dyed for more than two years. By that time, you will be older and itmay be difficult to get engaged.¡±
Li Wei Yang pretended not to have understood theirhidden meanings and also expressed her regrets: ¡°Wei Yang is not in a hurry,but Dajie is of age.¡± When she said this, she suddenly thought of something andhesitated, ¡°But Dajie is different from Wei Yang. She has a heavenly beauty andis also zhang nu. San Dianxia and Wu Dianxia also like her. Dajie said once themourning period ends, she will be engaged.¡±
Xian Fei¡¯s face changed, a sharp gleam shing acrossher eyes.
The jade token sent as proof of engagement for LiChang Le was only to reassure the Li family and gain the Jiang family¡¯ssupport. She was not satisfied with Li Chang Le at all. If Li Chang Le wasstill the renown, brilliant zhang nu of the Li family, letting Tuoba Zhen marryher as Zheng fei would be wise, but Li Chang Le was foolish and went to offerill advice to the Emperor and displeased others wherever she went. Wu Huangziwanted to marry her but was angrily scolded by the Emperor. If she was toarrange for Tuoba Zhen¡¯s marriage with Li Chang Le, it would bring her endlesstrouble.
No matter how troublesome it was, it was still muchbetter than Tuoba Zhen taking advantage of their family¡¯s funeral to actdishonorably with Da Xiaojie of the Li family. If Xian Fei sat on the sidelinesand allowed this to spread, its impact on Tuoba Zhen would be much greater thanon the Li family. Xian Fei had no choice but to send the jade token, perhapsstall for time. Xian Fei felt even more frustrated now that Li Wei Yang broughtit up. She did not reveal it, but she was indeed very upset.
¡°Silly child, I am talking about you. Your Dajienaturally has your Fuqin taking care of her. I just wanted to ask about you outof concern and said some things, don¡¯t mind them.¡± Xian Fei recollected herselfin an instant, her facial expressions back to normal.
¡°Xian Fei jiejie seems lively, what are you doing soearly in the morning?¡± A voice took Xian Fei by surprise. She turned back, hersmile widened: ¡°So it is De Fei meimei.¡±
Zhang De Fei wore purple, gauze garments with flornd wisps of smoke patterns. A red onyx hairpin rested on her head, making herseem even more extravagant than Xian Fei, who seemed subtle and elegant iparison.
She walked into the gazebo with her attendantsgathered around her. Her eyes were calm like deep waters, undisturbed. Thegreen tassel hanging from the hairpin swayed with her soft footsteps, shiningbrightly. Seeing Li Wei Yang, she smiled faintly: ¡°I wonder why Xianzhu came tothe pce this early.¡±
Li Wei Yang bowed and greeted her but secretly shookher head. That was already known throughout the pce the moment she arrived.The Imperial pce was never the ce where secrets could be kept. Whether itwas Xian Fei or De Fei, they already knew about this before they came.
What Xian Fei just said revealed that she was askingabout the Li family affairs, but what about De Fei? What was her motive? Li WeiYang already said she had nothing to do with Qi Huangzi. Did she thinkotherwise? She could sympathize with a Muqin who wanted to protect herchildren, but if De Fei became overbearing, she would certainly retaliate.Then, Tuoba Yu would be involved and their original ns would bepromised.It would be a messy ending, and besides, she did not want to destroy this pawnyet.
¡°I felt Xianzhu was lively and sincere, so I kept herbehind to talk for a bit, and then meimei arrived.¡± Wu Xian Fei smiled softly.
Zhang De Fei also smiled. Li Wei Yang looked like aninnocent child, but it was only a facade. There was more to that girl than whatmeets the eye. She was careless in the confrontationst time, letting thisxiao Yatou y with her. Someone with such thoughts at a young age was not anordinary person. Pity they were no longer on good terms, else she would beuseful. What she was attempting was very dangerous. At times, one misstep wouldrender every following step to be wrong.
A cruel light crossed De Fei¡¯s eyes. For some reason,when she saw this little girl and how she did not seem to be affected by thepunishment, De Fei had a strange feeling. Li Wei Yang always said she needed aloyal husband and would not allow for concubines. The more Yu er insisted onmarrying her, the greater the need to get rid of her became. Otherwise, Yu erwill fall for her and forget greater responsibilities, it would be disastrous!
Off to the side, Wu Xian Fei idly looked on. Her goldand jade, lotus charm bracelet glimmered like water under the sunlight. Thisperformance was intriguing indeed. She began to feel that Li Wei Yang was ascheming Yatou, but De Fei was hardly an easy opponent either.
Zhang De Fei¡¯s beautiful eyes fell on Li Wei Yang andsmiled, but her smile was brimming with hostility.
An eunuch came carrying a jade and gold box from theother side of the garden. He greeted De Fei and Xian Fei before announcing:¡°Bixia presents De Fei niang niang a gold, eight tailed phoenix hairpin, andXian Fei niang niang a jade and ssmp.¡±
When the box was opened, there was indeed anextravagant eight-tailed phoenix hairpin made of gold. Next to it was a green,jade and ssmp.
Zhang De Fei smiled and ordered the eunuch toeover. A delicate hand picked up the gold hairpin and brought it up to carefullyinspect. She smiled: ¡°At this age, Bixia still sees me as a xiao guniang. Thegold hairpin is truly beautiful, but these multicolored gems are perhaps moresuited for those Xianzhu¡¯s age.¡± She idly pointed at Li Wei Yang¡¯s head, as ifintending to give her the hairpin.
Li Wei Yang stepped back and respectfully said: ¡°InBixia¡¯s heart, niang niang will always be young and beautiful. With Wei Yang¡¯shumble background, Wei Yang does not dare to hope for much.¡±
Zhang De Fei smiled and ced the gold hairpin backin the box and inadvertently asked: ¡°Well, Lan er, escort Xianzhu out then.¡±
A beautiful nu guan stepped up and heeded her orders.She faintly smiled and led Li Wei Yang outside.
This nu guan named Lan er had a simple but pleasantappearance. Along the way, she gently said: ¡°Xianzhu, watch your step.¡± Theter, ¡°Xianzhu, slow down a bit.¡± asionally, she would point out ces andthings in the pce to Li Wei Yang: ¡°This is De Fei niang niang¡¯s favoriteFeng Wei chrysanthemum. That is the Empress¡¯s favorite five petal peony...¡± Hervoice was soft and gentle, pleasant to the ear as if she were putting ineffort.
Li Wei Yang calmly looked at her. She did not thinkshe was mistaken, Zhang De Fei¡¯s cold stare was murderous. She wanted to takeher life! Why let an opportunity pass by like that so easily?
¡°What is Xianzhu thinking about?¡± Lan er asked with asmile.
Li Wei Yang looked over as if recalling something: ¡°Ithink the nu guan from the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce must be wondering where Iam right now?¡±
Lan er¡¯s smile briefly froze, then she continued asusual: ¡°Yesterday, our niang niang put together a Buddhist volume for theEmpress Dowager and wanted to personally bring it to her this morning. Niangniang met Xian Fei niang niang in the garden, exchanged a few words, andordered that nu guan to deliver the Buddhist volume to the Empress Dowager, soshe will not have to wait.¡±
¡°Oh, so that was how it was.¡± Li Wei Yang seemed tounderstand.
Lan er softlyughed: ¡°Xianzhu, pleasee thisway.¡±
Li Wei Yang pretended not to know and continued ahead.This was the way out of the pce. Of course, Li Wei Yang was not mistaken.She had been in this Imperial Pce countless of times. Lan er did not use theopportunity to lead her somewhere else. Then, Zhang De Fei arranged for Lan erto lead her outside, but what for? If it was to kill her outside the pce,then that was impossible.
At the pce gates, Lan er informed her: ¡°The Licarriage is waiting on the small road outside. Wish Xianzhu a safe trip.¡± Shereached out and led Li Wei Yang out by the arm. Li Wei Yang stiffened, thencast Lan er a cautious look, her expressions calm yet warm: ¡°Thank you.¡±
The pce gates were right in front of her, but shehad barely taken a step when a mor rose behind her: ¡°Seize her!¡±
She turned around. Numerous guards had gathered behindher.
Li Wei Yang wryly smiled: ¡°What is the meaning ofthis?¡±
Lan er also seemed surprised: ¡°This is Anping Xianzhu,leaving the pce on the Empress Dowager¡¯s orders. What are you trying to do?¡±
Amanding officer walked up and ordered: ¡°Xianzhu,do not leave the pce yet. De Fei niang niang is waiting!¡±
Li Wei Yang sneered, so it really doesn¡¯t end here!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 95 part2
Chapter 95: No Mercy
Chen nu - what female subjects refer to themselves as when speaking to the Emperor or members of the Imperial family
Chen qie - lit. concubine subject, essentially a form of ¡°I¡± that concubines and even the Empress use in presence of higher authority, ex. Empress Dowager > concubine, Emperor > Empress
One of Cao Cao¡¯s most iconic quotes, adapted from Romance of the Three Kingdoms
This time, it was not the Imperial Garden but theEmpress Dowager¡¯s pce. The Empress Dowager sat in the center of the hall,her facial expressions unreadable. Xian Fei seemed as if she was lookingforward to an interesting y, and De Fei niang niang was absolutely furious:¡°Someone thoroughly search her!¡±
Several pce maids flocked to her. Li Wei Yangcoldly interrupted: ¡°De Fei niang niang, what is the meaning of this!¡±
Zhang De Fei harshly retorted: ¡°Li Wei Yang, where isthe gold hairpin Bixia gave me; you were the only person to touch this hairpin,so now I want to search you!¡±
Although Li Wei Yang was a subject and daughter of thePrime Minister, she was still not married yet. If Zhang De Fei was to searchher body, whether or not anything was found, if this became known, herreputation would be destroyed! Wu Xian Fei had a simple, leisurely smile likethat of someone watching a y on stage.
The Empress Dowager said: ¡°De Fei, a conclusion hasnot been reached yet, so do not blindly use anyone. If you search her, thiswill create trouble for this child in the future.¡±
Zhang De Fei eyed Li Wei Yang in disdain: ¡°She couldhave stolen it despite iming that she doesn¡¯t need it. Once you are a thief,you no longer care for honor. Unless she can prove she is innocent, I will notforgive this act of thievery!¡±
Undeterred, Li Wei Yang indifferently began: ¡°De Feiniang niang, you took the hairpin out and also put it back into the boxyourself. Chen nu has neverid hands on it. What makes you say chen nu stolethe gold hairpin?¡±
Zhang De Fei scoffed: ¡°Whether or not you stole it, itwill be known once you have been searched!¡±
Li Wei Yang gave her a cold stare. An Imperial consortwould actually use such despicable means. Of course, this scheme seemedordinary, but it was could take a life. If she could prove the Li Wei Yang wasresponsible and even stole a hairpin the Emperor gifted to a consort, death wasunavoidable!
She firmly said: ¡°Wei Yang would never steal, nomatter how poor or desperate. If niang niang wants to search, why not searchyour pce maids?! Or Xian Fei niang niang¡¯s pce maids and eunuchs, whoknows if they stole it! By focusing on Wei Yang, did you somehow knowbeforehand that Wei Yang must be the thief?!¡±
Enraged, Zhang De Fei sneered: ¡°Who in the pce doesnot know my attendants are innocent? I have never lost anything. The same goesfor Xian Fei jiejie. By saying this, you clearly want to make our rtionshiptense, you are still young yet so malicious! Someone drag her outside and beather twenty times as punishment for saying such nonsense!¡± As soon Zhang De Feihad given the order, the eunuchs brought out sticks and announced mitted acrime¡± and proceeded to carry out her order.
The sticks used for punishment in the pce were twofinger-widths wide and barbed. If beaten twenty times, it would no differentfrom being skinned alive! Li Wei Yang smiled thinly and raised a hand, stoppingthe eunuchs as she cried out: ¡°Wait!¡±
Zhang De Fei¡¯s elegant eyebrows rose, she shouted:¡°You dare to object¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang neutrally responded: ¡°How could niangniang say that? Wei Yang does not dare. Wei Yang is of low status, so niangniang can simply ignore Wei Yang, but the Empress Dowager niang niang is stillhere. Even if this is to be investigated, the Empress Dowager will investigateor the Empress will. Niang niang wants to personally investigate, oversteppingthese bounds is ill-advised!¡±
Based on her knowledge of the Empress Dowager, she wasbetting that the Empress Dowager did not want her to die! She was betting thatthe Empress Dowager somewhat liked her and that the she would not let anImperial consort dispose of her!
Zhang De Fei¡¯s face changed. Realizing she was tooimpatient, she quickly amended: ¡°Empress Dowager, forgive me. Chen qiemomentarily¡ª¡±
The Empress Dowager meaningfully nced at Zhang DeFei. Taken aback, De Fei was overwhelmed by cold sweat. How could she forgetthat the Empress Dowager could not easily fooled! The Empress Dowager coldlyeyed De Fei, who bowed her head, then looked over at Li Wei Yang, who remainedquiet, her thoughts unknown.
At that moment, someone outside abruptly announced:¡°Bixia arrives.¡±
Everyone was stunned, except Zhang De Fei who seemedto be waiting for this moment. She had someone invite the Emperor over. Don¡¯tget your hopes up, Li Wei Yang. The Emperor awarded her once, now let himwitness it when she finds the gold hairpin on that Yatou!
De Fei and Xian Fei rushed over to greet him. TheEmperor saw the two of them and gave a small nod: ¡°What happened? AnpingXianzhu came to the pce to keep Muhoupany. How did this turn into a caseof theft?¡±
De Fei had soon sent someone to report back to theemperor. Her face seemed full of grievances: ¡°At first, I did not want todisturb Your Imperial Majesties, but this has gotten serious. As consorts, wecannot decide, so Bixia and the Empress Dowager were invited here.¡±
The Emperor saw her pale face and pitied her: ¡°Sincereturning from the hunt, your body has been particrly weak, what has angeredyou?¡±
Zhang De Fei¡¯s eyes turned ssy with tears. Sheturned away and wiped away at the corners of her eyes, despairingly saying: ¡°Itis always peaceful and harmonious in the pce, who would have expected amisfortunate thing like theft would ur. If Xianzhu stole anything else, chenqie would pity that she is young and naive, and even think of it as a gift toher, but what was stolen was the gold hairpin Bixia had just given me.¡±
The Emperor was rather surprised and looked to XianFei nearby: ¡°Gold hairpin?¡±
Regret appeared on Xian Fei¡¯s face: ¡°Perhaps Xianzhuis young and easily charmed. She saw the extravagant, gold hairpin and hadthoughts she should not have had.¡±
Saying this was adding insult to injury! Li Wei Yangcoldly jerked a smile at the two women acting in this y. How fortunate ofher to offend two favored consorts at once! It was all because she was caughtup in the Huangzis¡¯ power struggle! She could understand Xian Fei¡¯s resentment,but De Fei must be bored out of her mind and had nothing to do! Unless refusingto marry her son was an unspeakable crime, why would she resort to such means!
Li Wei Yang was not aware that to De Fei, Tuoba Yu wasthe moon in the sky. If one day, her bright moon came running to her and told herhe treasured the small and insignificant Li Wei Yang... If Li Wei Yang obedientlyfollowed, De Fei could let her be Ce fei and apany Tuoba Yu, but sherejected De Fei¡¯s suggestion and even dared to object. Unforgivable! Not tomention, Tuoba Yu always said he would marry her as Zheng fei. How could De Feinot worry? In that case, all the prestigious, nobledies she wanted Tuoba Yuto marry will never step foot through the doors, all for the sake of gainingsupport for her son. When faced with matters concerning their son, every motherwould eventually be unreasonable! Every time De Fei saw Li Wei Yang, thefeeling was like that of a thorn, how could she not want to get rid of it! Theway she saw it, she missed the opportunityst time, but this time she willnot fail!
De Fei¡¯s eyes gleamed with tears: ¡°At first, Xianzhuliked it, so chen qie considered giving it to her, but this is something Bixiapersonally gave chen qie, so I cannot part with it, no matter what...¡± She sadlycontinued: ¡°Chen qie was furious and unable to bear it. This is somethingeveryone clearly saw, but Xianzhu would rather die than to admit it.¡±
She nced at the pce maids by her side. One ofthem knelt down and said: ¡°Bixia, the Nubi personally witnessed it. Among thosepresent, Xianzhu was closest to the gold hairpin. If the gold hairpin wasstolen, Xianzhu must have stolen it!¡±
The Emperor looked at Li Wei Yang. He was not in themood to deal with these things, but De Fei seemed to be wronged, so he wentwith it. After all, he had wronged De Feist time.
Li Wei Yang met the Emperor¡¯s stare without any fear:¡°Bixia, chen nu is not well learned but will never resort to stealing a goldhairpin from niang niang. There must be another reason, Bixia, pleaseinvestigate!¡±
Xian Fei coldly interjected: ¡°Seeing Xianzhu so gentleand weak, how could you have suchplicated thoughts? Wrongs can be fixed forthe better. If you really did steal the gold hairpin, you should admit to itsooner thanter. Bixia is a generous person and will not punish you harshly.But if you know you are wrong but do not admit it and would rather die than toadmit it, you will be severely punished.¡±
De Fei discreetly coughed, her eyes steeled and hervoice was sharp yet clear: ¡°Jiejie is right. Xianzhu left earlier and couldhave hidden it somewhere.¡± She called out, ¡°Lan er!¡±
Lan er came up and responded: ¡°Nubi is here.¡±
De Fei asked: ¡°Did you see Xianzhu hide anything awayearlier?¡±
Lan er bowed and replied: ¡°Xianzhu did not take outthe gold hairpin along the way. If Xianzhu stole it, it must still be on hersomewhere.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face changed. She grimaced, suppressingher anger and said: ¡°Niang niang is alwayspassionate, is it necessary tosearch one¡¯s body? If this spreads, how can Wei Yang live peacefully in thefuture?¡±
Zhang De Fei nced over. Lan er hesitated beforereaching towards Li Wei Yang, about to open her sleeve: ¡°Forgive me, Xianzhu.Since the gold hairpin is with you, Nubi must search.¡±
Li Wei Yang saw her hande closer. Her hand flewout and pped Lan er¡¯s face, angrily saying: ¡°Impudence! As if you couldya hand on me!¡±
Lan er was struck hard and immediately stiffened. Shewas De Fei¡¯s most trusted pce maid and served her for many years. Shethought highly of herself, De Fei had yet to ever scold her, much less let herbe pped like that? She had yet to recover from that p. Zhang De Fei couldnot hold back anymore and furiously shouted: ¡°Li Wei Yang, what are you doing!¡±Li Wei Yang was not hitting Lan er but De Fei¡¯s self-respect!
Not just De Fei, even the Emperor and Empress Dowagerwere shocked!
Xian Fei¡¯s voice was particrly stern: ¡°AnpingXianzhu, you are too bold. This is the Imperial Pce and you dare to strikesomeone!¡±
Li Wei Yang was not afraid in the least. She slowlynced over at the Emperor: ¡°Bixia is a wise ruler and would certainly notpunish an innocent person.¡± She coldly smiled and said: ¡°Wei Yang is notwearing manyyers. If the gold hairpin is with me, then it will simply fallout if my clothes are rustled. Niang niang does not need to search, Wei Yangwill take it off for niang niang to see!¡± She began to shed her outer robe, herhand trembling. Then her hands went up to the cor of her garments, leavingeveryone stunned. The Empress Dowager interrupted her: ¡°Stop! This isinappropriate!¡±
Li Wei Yang despairingly said: ¡°Empress Dowager niangniang, Wei Yang is doing exactly what niang niang said in order to prove myinnocence!¡±
This Yatou was clever and determined, not willing tolose the slightest. The Empress Dowager and Emperor exchanged a nce andconflicted smile. The Empress Dowager did not believe Li Wei Yang stole it,that child was not selfishly shortsighted.
De Fei¡¯s eyes were cold as frost: ¡°Acting recklesslyin the Pce, Li Wei Yang, you have lost your mind. You even dared to do suchimmoral things!¡±
Hostility shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s face:¡°Responding to Bixia, Empress Dowager, chen nu would not dare to actrecklessly. Although chen nu is of humble origins, chen nu is also an innocentgirl and would not allow anyone to search my person. Chen nu would rather do itthan to let niang niang search to avoid trouble!¡± Her initiative to prove herinnocence and having others search her werepletely different things.
Zhang De Fei¡¯s face flushed and grew unpleasant. Shehad not expected Li Wei Yang to dare to resist, nor did she think nothing wouldfall out. Her beautiful eyes shot over to Lan er. Lan er panicked, feeling moreuneasy. She did not understand; she clearly put the gold hairpin in Li WeiYang¡¯s sleeve when she wasn¡¯t paying attention. Li Wei Yang had shed her outerrobe, but why didn¡¯t anything fall out?¡±
The Empress Dowager noticed and said: ¡°Anping isright. If the intent is to search, then everyone else must also be searched,not just her.¡±
A nu guan stepped forward and called all the pcemaids by Xian Fei and De Fei¡¯s side and had them stand in two lines. TheEmpress Dowager sternly said: ¡°If it is found on them, they must be severelypunished!¡±
The pce maids looked at one another, not daring torefuse.
Li Wei Yang looked on from afar but did not speak up.Although her concubine-born status was looked down on, she still had the bloodof the Li family running through her veins and the title of Xianzhu bestowed bythe Emperor. If the Emperor did not give the order, others could not searchher, so she dared toy a hand on Lan er. In the end, her status could not beconsidered equal to that of the Nubi!
Every person was searched, but nothing was found. DeFei arched an eyebrow: ¡°See, those by my side are clean!¡±
The Empress Dowager frowned. If nothing was found,then the crime remained with Li Wei Yang. The child had just shed her outerrobe, must they check her inner garments as well?
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips curled back in a smile as shesuddenly pointed at someone: ¡°There¡¯s still one person who has not beensearched.¡±
Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on Lan er. She stared at Li WeiYang, dumbfounded. The nu guan looked to the Empress Dowager, who nodded. Thenu guan immediately went over to Lan er and began to carefully search. A momenter, a ttering sound rang out. Something fell to the ground.
Everyone saw that it was indeed the gold hairpin theEmperor gave De Fei. A sudden uproar ensued.
The Emperor looked at Zhang De Fei who fearfullystared back: ¡°You were discourteous, raising a thief by your side and wronglyusing Xianzhu. It is only right that you let her be punished.¡±
De Fei looked as if she were choking, speechless. EvenXian Fei seemed to be stunned by this.
Zhang De Fei looked over in Lan er¡¯s direction.Terrified, Lan er fell to her knees and knelt on the ground, trembling. Shealways helped De Fei niang niang with these things and never failed. Shethought it would be a small task this time, who would have thought she would beunexpectedly caught!
De Fei clenched her teeth: ¡°Lan er followed me formany years and would never do such a thing.¡±
The Emperor¡¯s voice was as gentle as the wind inApril: ¡°Alright. The evidence is all here, no need to repeat yourself.¡±
De Fei was still reluctant to ept this conclusion:¡°Bixia, this...¡±
The Emperor¡¯s voice was warm but firm: ¡°To put thisbluntly, it is a trivial matter.¡±
De Fei still had hope: ¡°Aside from theft, Xianzhu alsoacted inappropriately today. This is a great crime, how could Bixia let thisgo? She has acting impudently...¡±
The Emperor frowned. The Empress Dowager smiled andsaid: ¡°You insisted on beating and killing, intimidating the child. No need topursue what has been lost. In my opinion, the Emperor must settle this byrewarding and punishing ordingly.¡± Then, she idly said: ¡°Drag that pcemaid down and beat her to death.¡±
Lan er fearfully trembled and cried out: ¡°EmpressDowager niang niang, have mercy, please have mercy!¡±
The head eunuch responded: ¡°Yes.¡± Then, he nodded atseveral other eunuchs, who understood and began to drag Lan er out. Lan er wasterrified to the point where she could no longer beg for mercy, her body limpas she was dragged out like a torn bag.
Everyone heard the series of screams outside graduallygrowing quieter. The eunuchs returned to report: ¡°Empress Dowager, she isdead.¡±
De Fei involuntarily shivered. A cruel smile ghostedacross Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips, disappearing in an instant.
The Emperor agreed with the Emperor¡¯s methods andnodded: ¡°Behead her and hang her head at the pce gates, so the pce maidsand eunuchs in the pce will see what awaits them if they steal from theirZhuzi!¡±
Zhang De Fei turned to re at her, but met theEmperor¡¯s contemtive gaze. Her heart constricted. Terrified, sheinvoluntarily trembled. The Emperor said: ¡°Your servant has done somethingwrong, you must manage them more strictly in the future.¡±
Zhang De Fei was not dumb. She quickly reacted,reluctantly smiling: ¡°Yes. A Nubi that steals cannot be kept. If the Emperordid not punish her, chen qie would have wanted to kill her as an example too.¡±
The Empress Dowager solemnly eyed everyone around her,her voice stern: ¡°This is a lesson those in the inner pce must remember.Before you do anything, think carefully about what you should do and should notdo, do not follow that despicable servant¡¯s example!¡±
The pce maids¡¯ souls had flown away in fear. Theyimmediately knelt down: ¡°Yes, Empress Dowager, please do not be too angry.¡±
Li Wei Yang also knelt down: ¡°Empress Dowager niangniang, please do not be too angry.¡±
The Empress Dowager nced at Zhou nu guan, who wentover and helped Li Wei Yang up. The Empress Dowager softly said: ¡°You have beenwronged. Deliver my decree, award Anping Xianzhu a hundred liang of gold and ahundred rolls of silk.¡±
Xian Fei looked at Li Wei Yang differently thanbefore. She thought that Yatou would die today and did not think she would beable to escape it. After all, the person who was furious now was De Fei.
Li Wei Yang thanked her for her grace then went to thecenter of the hall. She picked up the phoenix hairpin and examined it beforesaying: ¡°Truly is a beautiful treasure.¡± She tightly held the hairpin, whichdisappeared under her sleeve. She walked over and said: ¡°Such a beautifulhairpin, niang niang should wear it.¡± She smiled and pinned it on De Fei¡¯shair.
De Fei resented not being able to toss that hairpinaway. Seeing the Emperor and Empress Dowager looking at her, she suppressed heranger and smiled: ¡°Anping Xianzhu, I was discourteous and wrongly used you.I hope you will not take this to heart.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled politely and replied: ¡°How couldniang niang say that, it was all because of an ignorant, despicable servant.Wei Yang will not mind it.¡±
When she said ¡°despicable servant,¡± her cold stareswept over De Fei. De Fei shook with fury but had to endure it.
The Empress Dowager nodded: ¡°Alright. Things will endhere, everyone should return.¡±
The Emperor left first, then Xian Fei and De Feifollowed. As they walked past Li Wei Yang, Xian Fei¡¯s gaze slid over to herwithout the slightest warmth or emotion as if looking at a speck of dust,indifferent: ¡°Xianzhu is truly clever and capable.¡±
Li Wei Yang responded: ¡°Xian Fei niang niang gives toohigh of a praise.¡±
Xian Fei smiled but did not say anything else. De Feired at her, then left with Xian Fei. Li Wei Yang looked at the hairpin on DeFei¡¯s head and vaguely smiled.
Outside of the hall, Li Wei Yang looked up at the bluesky, then looked off into the distance. Her gaze shifted from Tai Yong Pce,Zhong He Pce, then to the magnificent Jia Xing Pce of the court affairs.
A white pigeon on the eaves that suddenly spread itswings and flew away.
Li Wei Yang smiled. De Fei niang niang, there is aconsequence to everything. You have wrongly used me, so I must return thefavor!
I would rather to have wronged every person in theworld than let anyone in this world wrong me. This was what you have started,do not me me being merciless!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 96 part1
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Chapter 96: No Different From Treason
Chen qie - lit. concubine subject, essentially a form of ¡°I¡± that concubines and even the Empress use in presence of higher authority, ex. Empress > concubine, Emperor > Empress
The moment she left the Imperial Garden, Li Wei Yangheard someone approaching, neither quickly nor slowly but calmly.
Li Wei Yang slightly turned back. She saw who waswalking towards her and smiled: ¡°So it¡¯s San Dianxia.¡±
Tuoba Zhen narrowed his eyes. It was unclear at first,but her schemes took him by surprise, one after the other. He was stunned todiscover different sides to her, but it was a pity she stood on the other side,opposing him.
He threw out his sleeve. Ruthlessness shed acrosshis eyes like that of a feral wolf. ¡°Xianzhu knew I¡¯de.¡±
Li Wei Yang only smiled, not responding yet as shescanned her surroundings.
Tuoba Zhen smiled thinly and spoke up: ¡°No need tolook. I came to look for you, so those watchful eyes and ears have been dealtwith.¡± His words were solemn.
Li Wei Yang was well aware. Her lips curved up, butshe declined toment.
There were many eyes and ears in the pce, but TuobaZhen¡¯s efforts over the years allowed him to escape others¡¯ surveince andfind time to do as he pleased. Meeting her here was risky, but his currentsituation was also far from ideal. Otherwise, why would Tuoba Zhen bother tostop her if she wasn¡¯t the reason behind all the chaos.
The cracks were appearing in this man¡¯s mind.
Li Wei Yang smiled inwardly, but outwardly, her faceremained calm and unchanged, free of inner turmoil, as if it did not matter ifTuoba Zhen appeared or not.
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s pupils dted. His smile turned cold.Warmth disappeared from his eyes. His voice was dangerously low: ¡°I thinkXianzhu still owes me an exnation.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Dianxia is referring to theincident that day?¡±
Tuoba Zhen was momentarily surprised. He thought LiWei Yang would beat around the bush and had not expected her to cut to thechase. His hatred was undisguised, but as time went on, he came to respect andappreciate her even more.
She was clever, sharp, sly, capable and did not hideher talents. Most people were different. To survive in the pce, one mustlearn to hide their true self, but Li Wei Yang confidently stood out. She didnotpromise with anyone to protect her interests. She knew precisely whatshe wanted and what to do, but this brilliant girl had walked past him. If shestayed by his side, she would greatly contribute to his endeavors!
Tuoba Zhen suppressed his thoughts and slowly began:¡°I want is an exnation about what happened that day and whether you wereresponsible or not.¡±
She chuckled softly and looked straight into his eyes.Her eyes were bright, but there was no arrogance on her face. Stunned, TuobaZhen felt as if his soul had flown away.
¡°Of course not.¡± She answered without the slightesthint of guilt.
¡°You dared to do so, but you aren¡¯t brave enough toadmit it?¡± Tuoba Zhen sneered. He knew the answer, but he tossed and turned atnight, unable to sleep, with only a single thought in his head: find her anddemand an exnation, as if - he wanted to lose all hope.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°You have always suspected thosebegonias, perhaps out of habit, out of paranoia. You inspected those flowers,so what is wrong with them? You think I did this to you, but did you thinkabout Dajie¡¯s affections towards you? If Dajie didn¡¯t like you, why would sherun to the guest hall? How could she cast away her future so easily? It seemsto me that Dajie is deeply in love with you. San Dianxia, you should cherishthis. Do not forsake a beauty¡¯s affections.¡±
She seemed to bementing, or rather, mocking him.Tuoba Zhen stiffened when he heard this, then rposed himself before hisanger red. Li Chang Le could be the Mother of the World in prosperous times,but now she would only bring him trouble!
Because of Li Chang Le¡¯s noble background andexceptional beauty, he wanted to showcase her. Someone like her needed othersto protect and love, and remain unaware of forbidden things. If several yearter, he ascended to the throne, given Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty and family, hewould consider marrying her.
She would obediently be a flower vase in thepce for him to appreciate and entertain himself with but not now! Marryingher in two years would be no different from keeping a weapon that could be usedagainst him. Tuoba Zhen was not a fool!
¡°Dajie is extraordinarily beautiful and excels in calligraphy,chess, poetry, and painting. She is verypatible with Dianxia. Besides,Dajie did not hesitate to destroy her reputation to follow Dianxia. If yourefuse someone like that, it will be a lifetime regret.¡± Li Wei Yang broke intoan innocent smile as she cheerfully said this.
Tuoba Zhen sneered and did not offer his opinion. Hisnails dug into his palms.
The pain let him calm down and breathe normally again:¡°Li Wei Yang, I have never given a woman this many chances.¡±
Tuoba Zhen did not give her time to respond andcontinued: ¡°For many years, no matter who opposed me, I would kill them withouthesitation, but even if you have lied to me and opposed me, I still want you.Do you know why?¡±
¡°I have fallen for you, I like you and even want tomarry you.¡± Tuoba Zhen stared intently at Li Wei Yang, ¡°So I gave you thesechances, one after another, do you understand!¡±
Li Wei Yang almost burst outughing. She met quite afew bastards but never thought Tuoba Zhen was just as depraved and worthy ofher disdain.
Things that were easily obtained are tossed aside liketorn shoes, and what could not be conquered was to be pursued to the ends ofthe earth.
In her past life, he had to have Li Chang Le at anycost and treated her like the moon in the sky. In this life, he could not haveher, so he wanted her. It seems he did not love anyone except himself!
His face grew even more serious: ¡°You don¡¯t have to doubtmy words. Every word is from the bottom of my heart and not what I would say tojust anyone.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not doubting Dianxia¡¯s intentions.¡± Li Wei Yangfurrowed her eyebrows: ¡°It is a pity Dajie is wholeheartedly determined tomarry Dianxia. How could I destroy her hopes? There are already enoughmisunderstandings between us. If Dajie knows I am here, speaking with Dianxia,she will resent me even more, and I don¡¯t want trouble. What is done has beendone, Dianxia should treat Dajie well. As for me, Dianxia does not need tothink of me.¡±
¡°You know, Jiang Xu will return to the Capitaltomorrow. Your situation is very unfavorable. If I join hands with the Jiangfamily, will you be able to stand your ground? I¡¯m afraid even Tuoba Yu willhave to reconsider, given the two sides that are involved. Then, when you areno longer under his protection, how will you survive?¡± Tuoba Zhen emphasizedevery word.
Li Wei Yang smiled. She did not think Tuoba Zhen stillhad not abandoned his intentions, especially after thest incident.
This man met someone he could not have, so he waswilling to resort to despicable means. He was wee to try, but he won¡¯tseed! Her eyes shifted over to Tuoba Zhen and sadly prompted: ¡°Why, isDianxia threatening me?¡±
Tuoba Zhen bluntly confirmed: ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m giving youonest chance! If you agree, I will have a way for you to marry into the SanHuangzi residence instead of your jiejie. I can even let you be Zheng fei! Youonly need to tell me whether or not you¡¯re willing!¡±
Li Wei Yang was speechless. These developmentssurpassed her expectations.
She harmed him to this extent, yet he still wanted tomarry her? In her past life, didn¡¯t Tuoba Zhen like the ¡°kind-hearted andnoble¡± Li Chang Le? In this life, she left him an impression of a cruel,selfish and hostile individual. Did he suddenly change his tastes and favorpoisonous grasses like her over delicate white flowers? Even if Tuoba Zhen madeit clear, Li Wei Yang still could not understand this man¡¯s heart.
¡°Dianxia doesn¡¯t resent me?¡± Li Wei Yang asked.
Tuoba Zhen looked into her eyes with a trace of doubt:¡°I believe that if you are with me, we will be very well off. In the future, ifyou give birth to a son, I will let him inherit my position. You shouldunderstand that I will fulfill this promise.¡±
He needed a capable, clever woman behind him, and hischild needed a sensible mother to protect them. It was easy to want someone¡¯slife, and there will be countless obstacles waiting ahead. In the end, childrenof the Imperial family that want to peacefullye into the world and grow upsimply had no chance unless they had a clever Muqin.
This was a struggle for the Imperial throne. He couldgain a greater bargaining chip in the future. He had much better prospects, butthe more Li Wei Yang refused him, the more he wanted her. Like his pursuit forthe dragon throne, this strange torment unnerved him, so he did not hesitate tooffer grand promises to tempt Li Wei Yang.
Last time, he promised the lowly position of Ce fei,which Li Wei Yang disregarded, but now she carefully consider this! He was aHuangzi hardly anyone bothered with, but this was to be Zheng fei of a Huangzi!At most, Tuoba Yu could only make her Ce fei! Children of a Zheng fei will bethe children of the official wife whereas the children of Ce fei will beshu-born, this was a world of difference! If she was clever, she would knowwhich to choose!
Tuoba Zhen remained as handsome as the drifting cloudsin the sky, but his expressions were cold and revealed his determination!
Li Wei Yang scoffed and firmly raised her voice: ¡°Irefuse.¡±
Tuoba Zhen froze as surprise and other obscureemotions flooded into his eyes. A momentter, he solemnly reminded her: ¡°Thisis yourst chance.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice remained firm: ¡°No matter how manychances there are, my answer will be the same!¡±
Tuoba Zhen sneered and fell silent. Atst, theruthless, murderous intent appeared on his face. He wanted nothing more than tokill her right now.
This young woman has to disappear! He must kill herwithout a second thought! In the blink of an eye, he thought up of thousands ofways to force her into a dead end!
Li Wei Yang knew what he was thinking but was notworried. Once Tuoba Zhen had decided on something, he would not change hismind. She opposed him, so she should prepare herself for what was toe. Ifhe wants to wage war, then we shall see which one of us will die at the other¡¯shands!
Not too far away, a mor rose in the ImperialGarden.
A pce maid rushed over and whispered a few thingsto Tuoba Zhen. ¡°What?¡± His face changed, then his eyes shot over to Li Wei Yangin disbelief.
The pce maid was trying to catch her breath. Sheopened her mouth a couple times, but no words came out. She seemed to be in astate of shock.
Tuoba Zhen did not anything else. He cast Li Wei Yangone final nce, then turned and left. Li Wei Yang looked off in the directionthey were heading in and faintly smiled. She stood there, watching terrifiedpce maids pass by. Her smile widened.
With no one to lead her out of the pce, should shefind her way out or stay for the show? Li Wei Yang considered it. She wanted tosee how the person who dared to offend her ended up! Perhaps it was a bit harshfor Tuoba Yu. Just when she was about to turn and leave, someone ran into her.That person looked up in surprise and cried out: ¡°Wei Yang jiejie!¡±
Wei Yang smiled: ¡°What happened, Jiu Gongzhu? You seemfrantic.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu was never as terrified nor afraid: ¡°The ImperialGarden... Something has happened over there!¡±
Li Wei Yang casually asked: ¡°Oh, what happened?¡±
Afraid she would not believe it, Jiu Gongzhu noddedfirmly: ¡°Something big happened! I have to go and see,e with me, Wei Yangjiejie!¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head: ¡°I have to return.¡±
Jiu Gongzhu looked around and hurriedly said: ¡°Thepce is in chaos right now. You can¡¯t just wander around. If somethinghappens, it will be troublesome. You shoulde with me, I will protect you.¡±Her Mufei was ill and bedridden, so she didn¡¯t dare to go alone!
Li Wei Yang chuckled. Jiu Gongzhu only wanted her totag along for advice. She did not want this to be a repeat ofst time, whenshe helped that person out. In the end, she was still a child. Having beenwarned once, she knew the punishment will not be as light the next time. Yetsome people who will never heed warnings unless they paid a terrible price!
The sound of breaking porcin rang out in theImperial Garden. Jiu Gongzhu¡¯s face paled as she pulled Li Wei Yang over. Whenshe saw the situation in the Imperial Garden, her soul almost flew away infright as her face turned stricken pale.
Li Wei Yang looked on from afar. Over there, among thepce maids gathered, a woman stood tall and proud. She wore the garments ofan Empress, a nine-tailed phoenix crown on her head, an elegant, silk dresswith a long, sweeping train and intricate designs, especially the beautifulembroidery of pearls and bits of gold.
In sharp contrast, her face seemed dead as a driedleaf. Her weak and frail body seemed like it could not hold up under the heavygarments, and her neck seemed to have shrunken. She barely managed to stand,supported by the nu guan beside her. Of course, this was someone who wasseverely ill. However, at this moment, she seemed absolutely livid.
Across from her, the formerly cold and noble Zhang DeFei was kneeling. The Empress ordered the pce maids to pull her hair,leaving it disheveled, which made her seem like a lotus struck by a heavy downpour.She fearfully knelt on the ground, her face drained of color and panic in hereyes, desperate.
¡°Niang niang, please don¡¯t be too angry!¡± Zhang De Feisaw that the Empress was seething with rage. Despite the countless pce maidsand eunuchs present, she remained on her knees and hastily went over to catchthe hem of the Empress¡¯s dress, pleading: ¡°Empress, please do not be too angry.Chen qie would not dare to overstep my bounds, someone must have harmed...¡±
The Empress fiercely swatted Zhang De Fei¡¯s hand away.The veins on her face contorted as she gritted her teeth: ¡°I regret entrustingyou with the responsibilities in the pce. You dare to act so boldly, hopingI die a bit sooner, so you could be Empress?! This is an act of treason!¡±
The Empress was always gentle and neutral, rarely asharsh and solemn as she was now, stunning everyone. When Li Wei Yang arrived,she humbly knelt down like many others, but a smile lingered on her face. TheEmpress¡¯s condition had not improved. Her state of mind continued to decline,leaving her to fall victim to paranoia. Pce affairs had always been left toZhang De Fei and Wu Xian Fei. If anything happened to her, those two would begreatly promoted!
Zhang De Fei hastily said: ¡°Chen qie does not dare,Chen qie would never!¡±
Wu Xian Fei beside her seemed just as terrified,kneeling in front of the Empress, not daring to interrupt.
Even in the state they were in, the Empress was stillnot appeased. She sneered and closely eyed Zhang De Fei.
Zhang De Fei¡¯s slender face and thin, with willowyeyebrows, bright almond-shaped eyes, and her tall nose bore resemnce to acelestial maiden. The years that have passed seemed to have left no marks on DeFei¡¯s face! The Heavens were truly unfair!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 96 part2
Chapter 96: No Different From Treason
Consort and concubine are not equal. Consort is for a higher ranking position, usually denoted by ¡°fei¡± whereas concubine is lower-ranking and denoted by ¡°pin¡±. Collectively speaking, they are all concubines.
The Empress¡¯s heart ached. Back when herbeauty was at its peak, she still fell short of De Fei, much less now, havingbe a wilted flower butterflies no longer visited.
If she died, Xian Fei did not have ason, but De Fei gave birth to the favored Qi Huangzi, so she could beEmpress, and someone else will be Taizi. Both mother and son clearly wantedher to return to the heavens sooner thanter!
The thought greatly upset her, makingher furious. As if immediately recovering her strength, she stopped breathingheavily and straightened up. She coldly demanded: ¡°Tell me then, who gave youthe courage to wear a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin!¡±
De Fei lived in the pce for manyyears and was familiar with the Empress¡¯s temper. She kowtowed and pleaded:¡°How could chen qie dare to wear a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin? This is a giftchen qie received from Bixia this morning, obviously only eight tails...¡±
Xian Fei remained in a low bow, afraidto speak up. She was not apathetic and haughty anymore. De Fei dared to wearthe nine-tailed phoenix hairpin reserved for the Empress, which was forbidden.
If the Empress was open-minded, shewouldugh and dismiss it, but now the Empress was gravely ill and despisedthose who dreamt of her position, now... It seems Xian Fei herself had also beeninvolved with unimaginable consequences!
The Empress heard De Fei¡¯s exnationand felt even angrier. She sneered, her lips curling back as if cracking asmile. Not waiting for De Fei to finish, she cut in: ¡°By saying this, the o me is the Emperor? Bixia wanted you to be Empress?!¡±
De Fei wanted to kill someone. She wascertain Li Wei Yang had done something to it. The hairpin was made of highquality, soft gold. Li Wei Yang must have split one of the tails of the hairpininto two when no one was paying attention!
She hesitated, aware that she had noevidence. If she told the Empress, not only would the Empress not believe herbut would also punish her for making a false usation. Li Wei Yang did nothave a reason to tamper with the hairpin. She was not a concubine, so why wouldshe harm De Fei?! Even if she begrudged De Fei for using her of theft, howcould she retaliate immediately! Not even De Fei would believe this absurdity!Not to mention, this managed to strike a very sore spot for the Empress¡ª
Before De Fei could answer, a nu guan byher side Xin er quickly responded: ¡°Empress niang niang, Nubi¡¯s niang niang¡¯shairpin has been lost before. Someone must have tampered with it! Empress niangniang, please don¡¯t misunderstand niang niang!¡±
De Fei¡¯s heart sank. Damn that naiveYatou!
Sure enough, the Empress scoffed:¡°Someone tampered with it? There are dozens of pce maids present, but amongthem, who could force De Fei to wear the hairpin! This is a sign of disrespectfrom her. You are a Yatou by De Fei¡¯s side and hope to help Zhuzi push theme onto someone else. Unforgivable!¡±
Her eyebrows rose as she ordered: ¡°Dragthis impudent servant out and beat her to death! Better than to keep troublingothers!¡±
Xin er could not believe her ears and looked to De Feiin panic. De Fei only gave her a disapproving stare, which made her heart sank.How could that be? De Fei had always been favored, and the Empress alsorespected De Fei on some level, why was she so furious now... Xin er could notbelieve it.
Li Wei Yang smiled wryly. What the Empress hated themost was someone dreaming of her position. De Fei had Qi Huangzi, so all that¡¯sleft was for the fuse to be lit. She gave the Empress a good reason and knewhow the Empress would deal with De Fei!
Heeding the Empress¡¯s order, the eunuchs steppedforward and a whileter, Xin er had been beaten countless times. Jiu Gongzhuwanted to speak up but did not dare. The Empress looked like she wanted to killsomeone, so she tried to advise her: ¡°Muhou...¡±
¡°Silence!¡± She barely said anything when the Empresscut her off like a p of thunder. Terrified, Jiu Gongzhu fell silent. Whileshe hesitated, Xin er had been beaten to death, heavily bleeding. Xin er was apce maid from De Fei¡¯s dowry and apanied her for many years. To saythere were no emotional ties would be a lie. Xin er and Lan er were De Fei¡¯smost capable aids and both were suddenly lost in one day.
De Fei was terrified, feeling as if she had beenplunged into cold water and nauseous at the same time. She did not dare to lookat Xin er¡¯s bleeding corpse and raw flesh.
Jiu Gongzhu only stared at the Empress in disbelief.The Empress who was always gentle, calm, generous, and kind-hearted was alsojust as cruel and heartless.
Tuoba Zhen coldly looked on with no intention to stepin and help. He knew very well that when one¡¯s position was threatened, anyonewould be cruel and ruthless. What De Fei did unearthed the resentmentburied deep in the Empress¡¯s heart! Whether De Fei was framed or not, no onewould care. The Empress only cared about the result of this action and wantedeveryone to know who stood above all among the six pces!
He did not feel this was rted to Li Wei Yang. Heknew De Fei had harmed her earlier, but he still could not believe that Li WeiYang, a xiao Yatou, could understand the Empress¡¯s hidden sentiments and causeher anger to boil over.
No, he refused to believe it! Last time, Li Wei Yangcould scheme against him because he was careless, how could she understand theaffairs in the pce as if they were in the palm of her hand... Impossible!
The Empress¡¯s expressions steeled, lips curling up.Her eyes widened, taken over by fury and the hatred that slowly spread all overher body, gradually swallowing everyst bit of reason. A dreadful colordarkened her face as she felt this was an unforgivable offense!
Xin er rolled to the ground, dead. The four eunuchsstopped, Xin er¡¯s blood visible on their clothes as they solemnly stood andwaited for the Empress¡¯s order. Everyone knew it would be De Fei¡¯s turn!
Jiu Gongzhu felt a sense of fear she never had before,frightened to see the ruthlessness and madness on Muhou¡¯s once gentle face. Shedid not dare to speak up for De Fei and could only hope Qi ge is on his wayover.
The tension in the atmosphere made it that if a silverneedle fell, everyone would hear it. Suddenly, the silence was broken byapproaching footsteps. Li Wei Yang nced up and saw Qi Huangzi and theEmperor arriving, or rather, Tuoba Yu had invited the Emperor here! Oh, theirony. Li Wei Yang met the Emperor twice in one day, once when facing hisverdict, but this time, it was to sit back and watch two tigresses fight.
The ground was covered with porcin shards. TuobaYu¡¯s face did not change as he promptly knelt down. The Empress¡¯s face turnedpurple, shaking out of fury. No pce maids were supporting her. Her handtrembled as she pointed at Tuoba Yu and admonished: ¡°You want to plead for yourMufei too?¡±
Even the Emperor was stunned by her aggressiveness. Hehad never seen her make such a face and indignantly looked at the two consortskneeling on the ground. Concubines will be concubines and could notpare tothe Empress. TheEmpress stayed by his side during his darkest days and yed an important rolein his ascension to the throne, so the Empress was not only his official wifebut also an ally and friend! Seeing the Empress so furious, he already decidedthat De Fei and Xian Fei were at fault!
Tuoba Yu calmly knelt near the Empress and said:¡°Muhou, Mufei¡¯s mistake has angered you. In any case, arguing will becounterproductive and is also harmful for your health. Please sit down, drink acup of tea, and ease your mind. You must not exhaust yourself.¡±
The Empress scoffed and turned her face away.
The Emperor nced at De Fei and frowned: ¡°Whathappened? What did you do to anger the Empress?¡±
A pce maid brought over the hairpin. The Emperornced at it and still did not understand. Then he realized that although therules in the pce were strict, if one did not pay special attention, theywould not notice something like this.
The Empress covered her face and wept pitifully:¡°Bixia, if you want to depose me, you should have said so. Why continue to lookfor physicians and medicine for chen qie? Let chen qie soon return to theHeavens, then you can make someone else Empress!¡±
Shocked, the Emperor quickly helped her up: ¡°Why areyou saying this, Empress, when did I ever intend to depose you?! This is thehairpin I gave De Fei, is there something wrong with it?¡± He turned back insurprise and understood, immediately saying: ¡°This hairpin was stolen by apce maid earlier, perhaps it was tampered with then...¡±
His suspicions went to Li Wei Yang, but that wasimpossible. How could a fourteen year old child have the mind and courage to dothat! Unless someone intervened in between and borrowed someone¡¯s dagger tokill? He thought so, and his eyesnded on Wu Xian Fei: ¡°Xian Fei, why did youturn a blind eye to De Fei¡¯s wrongdoing?¡±
Wu Xian Fei panicked, cold sweat running down as shebowed: ¡°Bixia, please calm down. It was not that chen qie ignored this but thatchen qie did not notice.¡±
The Emperor frowned. The rules in the pce were asfollows: the Empress¡¯s garments consisted of a Wei set, Ju clothes, and DianChai Li set. The Wei set was jewelry in shape of twelve flowers drooping downon both sides of her head and a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin, but De Fei andXian Fei could only wear phoenix hairpins with eight tails.
That phoenix hairpin somehow grew another tail, and DeFei even wore it, was this to test his rtionship with the Empress? TheEmpress¡¯s health was not good. De Fei and Xian Fei took turns managing pceaffairs. Perhaps the two had an ulterior motive and used the phoenix hairpin tosee his reaction. If he wanted to depose her, he would onlyugh and let thispass - The Emperor was overly suspicious, so these spections quicklysurfaced...
De Fei saw Tuoba Yu kneeling and anxiously said:¡°Empress niang niang, chen qie will take responsibility for this. Please do notbe too angry and involve Qi Huangzi!¡±
She did not say anything wrong, but her words soundedunpleasant to the Empress. Her face darkened. Disregarding etiquette, sheshouted: ¡°You dare say ¡°involve¡±? Am I that wicked in your eyes?¡± She angrilypointed at Zhang De Fei as if she wanted to devour her alive.
Others saw this and rushed to persuade the Empressotherwise, sending the entire Imperial Garden up in an uproar.
The Emperor looked at the Empress and knew it was notgood. The Empress¡¯s usually pale face grew unnaturally pale. He knew thatnormally his wife was calm and reserved but had a lot on her mind. Seeing DeFei and Qi Huangzi, her heart ached and must have led her to overthink. Heloudly said: ¡°Quickly help the Empress sit down and rest!¡±
Tuoba Zhen had a nk stare, suppressing the relishand cruelty in his eyes. Watching a good show and seeing the results he hopedfor was very satisfying. The Empress, De Fei, Tuoba Yu, and even Wu Xian Feiwho continued to kneel in silence, they all stirred his hatred and resentment.Although Wu Xian Fei was his Muqin in name, but she was domineering and usedhim for her own ends. Now, he felt content to see their horrified faces.
Li Wei Yang stood from afar and saw the relish inTuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes and sneered. The power struggle had soon twisted his mind,and he probably resented not being able to kill them all! Except this situationwas not as good as he thought!
Zhang De Fei soon had sweat falling like rain, herback damp with sweat. Tuoba Yu kept his head bowed, so it was hard to tell whathe was thinking. He did not speak up for De Fei, but his protectiveness wasevident. Li Wei Yang sighed, she did not think about him, but De Fei had stokedthe fire, causing the fire to burn her, so who was there to me?!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze finally fell on Tuoba Yu who waskneeling, back straight. She wanted to know what he was thinking right now.
At that moment, an eunuch suddenly knelt down:¡°Responding to Bixia, Empress niang niang, Nucai is responsible for managinginternal affairs. Nucai admits to the crime!¡±
Li Wei Yang thoughtfully looked to the eunuch.
The Emperor frowned: ¡°Admit to the crime?¡±
The eunuch Jiang bowed low: ¡°Nucai is in charge ofthose who gave the phoenix hairpin to De Fei niang niang, but the eunuch wasnew to the pce, so the phoenix hairpin for Empress niang niang wasmistakenly given to De Fei niang niang. The phoenix hairpins are almostidentical, except one is nine-tailed and the other eight-tailed. Nucai justlearned of this mistake and came to ept punishment from Bixia and the niangniangs!¡± He kowtowed, and his head loudly hit the ground.
Tuoba Zhen sneered, so Tuoba Yu had such quick hands!
Li Wei Yang shook her head. She tampered with thehairpin, but this Jiang gonggong said it was mistakenly sent out. How couldgifts from the Emperor be so easily been mistaken? This was to deliver ascapegoat and see if the Emperor and Empress will ept it!
The Emperor coldly told Jiang gonggong: ¡°Go down andept a hundred strokes.¡±
This was to take his life, but Jiang gonggong onlybowed: ¡°Obeying decree.¡±
Li Wei Yang saw the turn-of-events and had to apudTuoba Yu for having picked a suitable candidate so quickly and push the meto the internal pce affairs. The head of internal affairs was an ally ofTaizi, and Taizi being the Empress¡¯s son, gave this act another meaning in theEmperor¡¯s eyes. Taizi could have set Zhang De Fei up by having the wronghairpin sent to her, so the Empress could use this excuse to punish De Fei...
Li Wei Yang sighed. Unfortunately, only a little rainfollowed the p of thunder.
The Empress¡¯s face changed and turned hostile, but shequickly realized she could not be angry anymore or the Emperor wouldmisunderstand - she gritted her teeth and reluctantly suppressed her resentmentand put on a calm front. She personally went to help Zhang De Fei up to herfeet: ¡°I was overthinking today and misunderstood meimei.¡±
Although she said this, the look in her eyes was fullof contempt. Zhang De Fei could only pretend not to see it, slightly loweringherself, bowed and in a respectful, emotional voice, said: ¡°Chen qie was wrongfor not inspecting the hairpin at first. Hope niang niang will forgive this.¡±
The Empress smiled and said: ¡°Alright, alright, it isjust a misunderstanding. Quickly stand up.¡± She ordered someone to help XianFei up. The Empress held both of their hands, guilt appeared on her face: ¡°Myhealth has not been very good, the same goes for my temper. I hope you twomeimei will generously forgive me.¡±
The two consorts apologized at once. The Emperorlooked back and forth between the three of them and told Tuoba Yu: ¡°Come, standup now.¡±
When Tuoba Yu stood up, his knees had gone stiff. He foundthat Li Wei Yang was standing not far away from him. Their eyes met. Her eyeswere dark as the water in a well, pitch ck, with a subtle but frighteninghostility. Tuoba Yu lowered his head, not wanting to see her cold and apatheticexpressions.
He suddenly understood everything.
The Emperor personally walked the Empress back to herpce. Zhang De Fei and Xian Fei suffered from quite the shock and were helpedby pce maids. When De Fei walked past Li Wei Yang, De Fei gave her plicated look. It could be said that it was hatred and a pinch of horror,and fear with a hint of resentment. Li Wei Yang bowed, ¡°Seeing niang niangoff.¡± Her smile was lively but far from kind. De Fei¡¯s entire body went limp,barely able to stand as she leaned against the pce maid. She said nothingand quickly left.
After this incident, the traumatized De Fei would fallseverely ill and be bedridden for three months. Of course, this woulde at ter time.
Tuoba Zhen smiled coldly and left with Wu Xian Feiwithout looking back at Li Wei Yang. Tuoba Yu paused and told Jiu Gongzhu:¡°Jiumei, you should go on ahead. I will lead Xianzhu out of the pce.¡±
His voice was strangely calm as if he did not knowanything at all, but Jiu Gongzhu was picked up on it. She stared wide-eyed atLi Wei Yang and only saw a cold smile appear on Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips as her eyesremained cold and detached. She did not dare to point it out and only loweredher head and left, but she still asionally turned and looked back.
Tuoba Yu¡¯s expressions were quite normal, but hiswords came like a bolt of lightning: ¡°Was this your doing?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at a peony under the sun andindifferently smiled: ¡°Indeed.¡±
Tuoba Yu¡¯s expressions froze, his lips twitched as ifhe wanted to say something, but no words came out. Her small smile was like abright, crescent moon. Even though she was smiling, it was a detached smilewithout any remorse.
His proud heart began to stir in agony for whateverreason.
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He earnestly said, ¡°I know. Mufei musthave done something to you for you to retaliate.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Thank you, Qi Dianxia, forthinking of me.¡±
Noticing how distant she was with him, Tuoba Yu feltnumb. He said that he would not let De Fei harm Li Wei Yang, and Mufei hadagreed, only to turn around and do as she pleased. Tuoba Yu knew the more heliked Li Wei Yang, the more Mufei will see them as an eyesore. Like she oncesaid, to be a ruler, one must be heartless. Mufei targeted Li Wei Yang, fearingshe will be a threat to him, but she did not know how much he valued Li WeiYang. He closed his eyes and murmured: ¡°Wei Yang.¡±
Li Wei Yang paused, her gaze drifting over to TuobaYu. A faint gold tinge from the sun shone against his handsome face. Tuoba Yuonly called her name and did not say anything else until she reached thecarriage.
He even lifted the curtain of the carriage up for her:¡°I said that in the future, I would not make you worry. I thought I couldeasily keep this promise, but now, it seems I was overconfident. However, Iassure you, this will be thest time.¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed: ¡°One thing leads to another.Things will still be good the next time we meet. If I truly wanted De Fei niangniang¡¯s life, that would mean disregarding our friendship and a friend like Dianxia,so I understand the extent of the situation. I hope De Fei niang niangunderstands as well. I can only forgive her twice but definitely not a third!By that time, do not me me!¡±
Li Wei Yang climbed onto the carriage, which traveleddown the long road. She lifted the side curtain to look outside. The wide roadwas especially clean with not even a leaf in sight. There were eunuchscarefully sweeping up in the distance. Combined with the sound of horse hoovesand sweeping of brooms, the ground seemed to rumble below them.
Li Wei Yang frowned as she saw a tall silhouettegalloping towards them from afar. At thest moment, that person pulled thereins and stopped directly in front of Li Wei Yang¡¯s carriage, making the horseneigh loudly. It was unclear if this was an ident or intentional. Hostilityappeared on that person¡¯s young, handsome face under the sunlight.
¡°Who are you, why are you stopping Xianzhu¡¯scarriage?!¡± The carriage driver raised his voice. The road was wide enough forfour carriages to pass through at once. What motive did this person have?
The whip in the young man¡¯s hands reared back twice asa cruel smile shed across his face. The carriage driver saw the horse whipbeing raised and struck his face with a ¡°pa.¡± He cried out and fell from thecarriage to the ground.
Terrified, Bai Zhi leapt out of the carriage. Li WeiYang shook her head and lifted the curtain. The carriage driver was stillhowling in pain, his hands covering the red marks on both sides of his face.
Bai Zhi trembled, either out of anger or cowering fromfear. Her lips trembled with every word she managed to say: ¡°Impudence! Daringto be disrespectful to Xianzhu!¡±
The man scoffed. Li Wei Yang looked over in hisdirection. The sun that touched the horizon at the end of road reflected on heryouthful face, making her eyes shine brighter than jade and more like starsthat had fallen into the mortal world.
The man did not turn to look and acknowledge Li WeiYang. With a provocative smile on his face, he asked: ¡°Xianzhu? What¡¯s that?¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 97 part1
Chapter 97: Jiang Family¡¯s Fourth Son
Note: After reading thements, I have to say--you all seem to thrive on the suffering of LWY¡¯s enemies lol. I don¡¯t me you, those parts are the most satisfying to read.
Jiang San and Jiang Si are not actual names but simply ways of referring to the third (san) and fourth (si) sons of the Jiang family.
Jiang Nan calls Li Wei Yang an entertainer, acting and bluffing, but she delivers on this aspect, showing him just how well she can act.
Chen - way of referring to oneself as an Imperial subject; female version - chen nu
Duke Ying¡¯s family is surnamed Zhou
Lit. Old Eldest Jiang -- referring to Jiang Hai
Lit. Old Fourth Jiang -- referring to Jiang Nan
Li Wei Yang smiled thinly: ¡°I wonder what the likes of Wu Wei General is?¡±
The man sneered: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you¡¯re not only bold but just as thick-faced, daring to speak to me that way!¡±
Li Wei Yang continued to smile: ¡°Nan biaoge, you are only a third rank general. I am Xianzhu of the second rank. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t greet me, but acting arrogant and discourteous, have you disregarded our hierarchical order altogether?¡±
Jiang Nan¡¯s surprise was quickly reced by a faint smile.
She was not wrong. As a second rank Xianzhu, she did outrank him in terms of their positions. He would have to greet her, but his rank was of true military merit, unlike a rank obtained by a woman. In any case, few women in Da Li have earned such a privilege based on genuine merit and aplishments, so Jiang Nan did not think much of it at first.
Moreover, this was not an official asion. A general does not need to ceremonially greet her, but it would be unpleasant if the news spread. However, Jiang Nan did not get down from his horse to greet her. Instead, he sat tall and condescendingly looked down at her: ¡°Li Wei Yang, your judgment isn¡¯t half bad. We haven¡¯t met before.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled. This was Jiang Xu¡¯s fourth son, Jiang Nan, who seemed to have inherited the refined appearance and noble character of his family. The only person to wear a third rank general¡¯s armor at this age in all of Da Li was none other than him.
In the past, she truly did admire this Jiang Si Gongzi who was always off in battle.
From her impressions of the Jiang family, Jiang Da Gongzi was the most calm and steadfast. Jiang Er Gongzi was the most solemn. Jiang San was the most intelligent. The most capable was Jiang Nan, fourth youngest in the family. Aside from the mysterious Jiang Wu Gongzi, the young Jiang Si was most famous in the family.
Of course, if Jiang Si did not have destiny¡¯s favor, he would be another mediocre person who came from a wealthy, noble family. Being born into the Jiang family, he followed his Fuqin from a young age and was exposed to military strategies.
Jiang Xu brought him to the battlefield when he was eight years old. He was too young to go into battle, so he stayed back at the barracks. Everyone felt intrigued by the rebellious, eight year old child who quietly yed by himself. Theyter found him ying chess with his left and right hand. Although, it was not until Jiang Nan was thirteen when he began to draw people¡¯s¡¯ attention with his military talent and skills sharpened through chess.
One wrong move and all will be lost. Jiang Nan understood this principle very well and enforced it in battle to ensure everything goes smoothly. Not only was he adept at this, he would go step by step, considering every ying piece. He was neither slow nor hasty in battle, disying the true makings of a general.
When Jiang Xu departed for battle in Min Yang, a rebel army took advantage of Jiang Xu and other forces¡¯ absence to prepare for a night ambush on military barracks. Who would have thought Jiang Nan had soon caught on and had the rebel army captured. Then, under the cover of the night, he attacked nearby rebel army strongholds, taking down four of them. At dawn, he gave the order to charge ahead after the rebel army, his own army in pursuit right behind them, attacking the remaining nine strongholds until the bodies piled up into high mountains, and the rivers ran dry outside Min Yang.
Jiang Nan earned his reputation overnight because of this battle. The most admirable aspect of him was not his military talent, but the fact that he would lead into battle. The books say: A soldier is vulnerable when facing the enemy alone, but not Jiang Nan. Being resourceful was what he knew best. Whenever he came across stronger opponents, time and time again, he would rise to the asion and strike, making use of his forces and winning battle after battle! As a result, the Emperor made him Wu Wei General at a young age, and he came to known as the most famous and talented general at the time.
Jiang Nan was extraordinary, so his three gege surely did not fall short either. Who knows how many sticks of incense the Jiang family offered in their past life for every man to be this exceptional.
Li Wei Yang could not help but sigh. She did not want to be involved with this family, but some conflicts are simply inevitable, like Li Chang Le and herself or Tuoba Yu and Tuoba Zhen. In this life, they must stand on opposite sides and fight until theirst breath.
She gave an order to an eunuch nearby: ¡°Come here. Help the driver up for me.¡±
The four mamas who apanied her were outside the gates. On this wide road, she only had the driver and two Yatous, Bai Zhi and Zhao Yue. Bai Zhi was tense and terrified, unable to say a word. Zhao Yue¡¯s hand subconsciously moved to her waist before remembering her sword had to be left outside upon entering the pce and became frustrated.
The eunuch stood from afar and fearfully looked to Jiang Nan, not responding.
Li Wei Yang raised her voice: ¡°Did you not hear me?¡±
The eunuch rarely saw a young woman with such a solemn face sharp words, and even a warning in her eyes. Startled, he ran over to help the driver up and pulled him over to the side and began to apply medicinal balm.
She looked at Jiang Nan. He stared straight back. There was a hint of admiration in his eyes that even he was unaware of - she was truly capable. Many powerful men hope their women will be gentle and vulnerable to boost their self-esteem, but men with steeled hearts will admire women as strong-willed as him, only then will it be satisfying to acquire her.
Jiang Nan had been on the battlefield for a while and despised gentle and fragile Xiaojies the most, especially that biaomei of his, the legendary beauty. The wind blew past them, once, twice, and then again. Li Wei Yang was young but rather intriguing, except her lowly origins were enough to make him feel humiliated when interacting with her.
¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering me?¡±
Li Wei Yang gave him a lively but mocking smile: ¡°Nan biaoge, I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re blocking my carriage--to rob me or discipline me. If it¡¯s the former, hope biaoge will look around and see where we are! If it¡¯s thetter, biaoge should reflect on whether you are even qualified! If it was Da jiujiu, a first rank general, then fine but what right do you have as a third rank general?! This is a road in the Imperial Pce, do you think this is a vegetable market?¡±
From the moment he was born, Jiang Nan was treated as a prodigy and had an uneventful childhood. Later, he would grow up, receiving others¡¯ attention and admiration. He was always apuded and deeply admired. No one dared to mock him with something he prided himself in - Li Wei Yang was the first.
He became general based on merit. Li Wei Yang only became a second rank Xianzhu through gentle, skillful words, which was difficult for a general like him to ept. He had no choice but to ept that even if he had a more noble background, he still had to bow down to Li Wei Yang of lowly origins. This was an ironic reality.
Being the kind of person he was, would Jiang Nan simply ept defeat? He smiled coldly: ¡°Bold words for someone who was only born a lowly wretch.¡±
¡°There are two kinds of lowly beings. One is born that way, helpless. But the other is always self-righteous and doing as they please! Just asking to be ridiculed.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s innocent smile was appropriate for a girl her age.
Jiang Nan was not furious and evenughed. His handsome face was shining under the sun: ¡°Li Wei Yang, your guard¡¯s martial arts is not half bad.¡±
Li Wei Yang was about to climb back onto the carriage when she heard this and paused. Zhao Yue came out from behind her: ¡°You¡¯re the one who injured my Dage?!¡±
Jiang Nan¡¯s cruel smile was clear: ¡°It¡¯s just a little souvenir. If he hadn¡¯t slipped away, he would have left one leg behind.¡±
Zhao Yue tightly clenched her fist. Li Wei Yang shouted: ¡°Stay back!¡± Zhao Yue gritted her teeth but ultimately did not dare to unleash her anger. Li Wei Yang looked to Jiang Nan: ¡°Well, what is it that you want to say?¡±
Jiang Nan coldly stared at her: ¡°I wanted to remind you of your ce. Do not dream of things that do not belong to you!¡±
¡°Like what?¡± She arched her eyebrows.
Jiang Nan slowly began: ¡°You and I both know that you are an inferior, concubine-born girl daring to oppose the children of the official wife. That is already bold enough, and now you have sent someone to assassinate your elder brother. How ruthless. If you do not know when to retreat, do not me me for telling your Fuqin, and he will know about the things you have done! Then, everything you have sought after will fall apart altogether!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly: ¡°Just say what you want to say. Too slow, and you will miss your chance.¡±
Jiang Nan frowned: ¡°What do you mean?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was strangely kind: ¡°You can go and tell Fuqin about the assassination attempt. I also must report to Bixia that the Jiang family went ahead and left the battlegrounds without an Imperial edict. You see, defying an Imperial edict is no different from treason. Between us, let¡¯s see who dies first!¡±
Jiang Nan tightly gripped the reins, wanting to raise his arm back to strike. He could not contain his rage because his San ge had also warned him of this! This was the reason the Jiang family had to hold back for now! When he received the letter, Fuqin had sent someone on the way. Fortunately, he was not reassured and personally went ahead.
Otherwise, Li Min Feng would have died at the hands of the skilled assassin! Back then, he wanted to get rid of the assassin and the evidence, but Zhao Nan unexpectedly escaped! The Jiang family could not simply dispose of Li Wei Yang yet!
Jiang Nan was furious, but his face remained expressionless: ¡°Li Wei Yang, in our eyes, you are only an entertainer jumping back and forth.¡±
Li Wei Yang had to smile: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m an entertainer now?¡±
Recalling that Li Min Feng said Li Wei Yang had close ties with Qi Huangzi Tuoba Yu, Jiang Nan smiled maliciously: ¡°A lowly concubine-born girl bestowed the rank Xianzhu could wear nice clothes and jewelry and others¡¯ admiration has her head in the clouds. You have been acting for too long that you havepletely forgotten who you were... Trying to climb the dragon and follow the phoenix. You make others disgusted! I am telling you, your mother was a Yatou who washed others¡¯ feet. If I killed you when no one is around, no one wille for you!¡± Jiang Nan sneered: ¡°You should be a little wiser.¡±
¡°Then... What are you waiting for?¡± Her voice was soft but dismissive, ¡°You can kill me with a sh of your sword! But remember what kind of people the Jiang and Li family are. Between my safety and a scandal where a general from the Jiang family killed his biaomei for no reason, which is a greater concern? Wu Wei General should carefully reflect on this...¡±
Jiang Nan was taken aback. He thought he could use his reputation on the battlefield to intimidate a young woman like her. Who would have thought she would see through it and grasp the situation more clearly than he did!
He was angry but could not find his voice, even a whileter.
¡°If Nan biaoge wants to kill me, then I have nothing else to say, but I asionallye to copy Buddhist scriptures for the Empress Dowager. If something happens to me and the Empress Dowager asks, it will be difficult to exin. Oh right, when you meet the Emperor and Empress Dowager, remember not to mention Dajie. They don¡¯t like Dajie very much...¡± Li Wei Yang softly added. She suddenly looked at a carriage not too far away and quickly said: ¡°I must go and greet someone important and cannot keep talking with you.¡±
She quickly went on ahead. As she walked over, she disheveled her clothes and hair and adopted a frightened expression of helplessness.
Stunned, Jiang Nan saw her run over and offer a ceremonial greeting in front of a refined, borate carriage not far away. He did not know what was said, but she was allowed to climb onto the carriage.
He narrowed his eyes. There was a way to distinguish carriages in the pce, and that one was clearly... Momentster, he was preparing to leave when an eunuch came over: ¡°Wu Wei General, Gongzhu invites you over.¡±
Jiang Nan was momentarily surprised but quickly dismounted and went over. He solemnly performed the ceremonial greeting: ¡°Jiang Nan greets Gongzhu.¡±
A pce maid lifted the curtain, revealing the face of the person inside, a deste face amidst vivid, floral silks: Yongning Gonzhu. She looked at Jiang Nan with some displeasure. Li Wei Yang sat off to the side, her shoulders shaking as if she was quietly sobbing.
¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± Jiang Nan felt this was not right.
Yongning Gongzhu coldly began: ¡°I often hear that the sons of the Jiang family are talented. Today, I personally saw one of them dare to draw their sword to kill someone in front of the Imperial Pce gates. Such a frightening and shocking sight!¡±
Jiang Nan was taken aback. Then, his subtly fierce re fell on Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang looked up, her face full of fear and eyes brimming with tears of unease, weak and pitiful as if gued with great grievances. Seeing Jiang Nan re, she became even more afraid and shrank back behind Gongzhu.
Jiang Nan was at a loss for words. He saw her cleverly respond,pletely unfazed earlier, but now, she became another person altogether. Was she born an opera singer?She even left him speechless earlier, only to turn around and cling to Yongning Gongzhu, appearing to be wronged, this - how could there be such a shameless woman in this world?!
He almost trembled out of anger.
Yongning Gongzhuforted Li Wei Yang: ¡°No need to fear. This is the Imperial Pce, not the Jiang residence. I don¡¯t think he would dare to draw his sword here!¡±
Drawing a sword in the Imperial Pce was no different from treason. Jiang Nan hastily cut in: ¡°Gongzhu, this is only a misunderstanding! Chen was only ying around with biaomei...¡±He reluctantly smiled, ¡°Wei Yang, you are too much. I was only joking, but you went and told Gongzhu, you really don¡¯t understand!¡± There was undisguised anger in his voice.
Yongning Gongzhu frowned. From what she saw, this was clearly a threat.
Terrified, Li Wei Yang adamantly held onto Yongning¡¯s arm: ¡°Gongzhu, please let chen nu hide in the carriage for a bit! Although Wu Wei General is chen nu¡¯s biaoge, General only sees Dajie, daughter of the official wife, as his meimei and is disgusted with those who are concubine-born. If chen nu is unfortunate and dies here, leaving zumu and Fuqin to prematurely send chen nu off, it would be truly unfilial...¡±
Her voice was emotional and sorrowful. Yongningforted her. Anger crept onto her face, concubine-born! Concubine-born! What children of the official wife and concubine-born! Her own birth mother was Hui pin, one of the Emperor¡¯s concubines. Even though she was adopted by the Empress, pce servants often gossiped behind her back, reminding her that she was not a Gongzhu of the official wife, the Empress. Hearing this infuriated her to no end!
Jiang Nan stood to the side, embarrassed. He gritted his teeth in resentment, this wretched girl! Too insightful, damn her! No wonder she ran over so quickly. He had barely reacted when she ran to Gongzhu, pretending to be weak and even using Yongning¡¯s background toment. He underestimated her indeed, letting a xiao Yatou trick him and y with him!
Jiang Nan could not be med. His thinking revolved around military strategies and battle formations. When it came to reporting others and underhandedly striking, he fell short of Li Wei Yang.
Yongning Gongzhu reassured her: ¡°Don¡¯t cry, he wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything here. Don¡¯t say things like losing your life, it¡¯s inauspicious! You are still Xianzhu, a position bestowed by Fuhuang. I want to see who would dare to touch even a strand of your hair...¡±
The nu guan beside them also reassured Li Wei Yang. Jiang Nan¡¯s face turned a bit green. He shot a pleading look at the nu guan. He was clever enough to know not to say anything to a strict widow like Gongzhu and take a detour instead.
Tao nu guan saw Jiang Nan look at her and was left in awe of his handsomeness. She blushed and began to say: ¡°Gongzhu, perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. The general would not dare to be so bold. This is a road in the Imperial Pce. If Bixia knows our carriage is here, this conflict here will not be good for Xianzhu either.¡±
Li Wei Yang knew with a nce that Jiang Nan pulled a trick with Tao nu guan. Her tears fell: ¡°Chen nu will immediately leave, so this will not get out of hand...¡±
Everyone looked to her in astonishment.
Jiang Nan was taken aback. He was not used to seeing Li Wei Yang willing topromise so easily.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s tone changed: ¡°Wu Wei General is still of the third rank, so it is reasonable for him to greet chen nu, but he should not strike chen nu¡¯s driver without warning. Now, chen nu wants to leave but cannot. Hope Gongzhu can give chen nu a carriage driver. If not, chen nu will go back and ask the Empress Dowager to borrow one...¡±
Yongning¡¯s face changed. What? He even struck her carriage driver. This Jiang family has truly gone too far!
Li Wei Yang understood that Yongning Gongzhu was not naive nor willing to intervene in Li and Jiang family disputes. The problem was Yongning¡¯s previous fiance came from Ying Guogong¡¯s Zhou family, and both the Zhou and Jiang families were always at arms.
However, that year when a husband was to be chosen for Gongzhu, Jiang Hai, zhangzi of the Jiang family, came of age to marry. Well versed in literature and martial arts, he was considered to be the best choice, but if Jiang Hai married a Gongzhu, he would not be able to go into battle and earn medals of honor. Likewise, others in the Jiang family could not hold military authority either, so less than half a monthter, Jiang Hai married Han shi.
When Yongning Gongzhu learned of this, not even ghosts would believe that she did not bear a grudge against the Jiang family. Recalling how Lao Da Jiang refused her many years ago, and now Lao Si Jiang¡¯s disrespect made even more furious.The Jiang family wasrge and formidable and great authority indeed, but they would always be subjects of the Imperial family! They should never forget this!
Tao nu guan was perceptive and caught onto Gongzhu¡¯s unpleasant face. She also thought of what happened back then, and her will to help this young general dwindled.
Li Wei Yang continued: ¡°Gongzhu, Wu Wei General is going to see Bixia and perhaps has urgent matters to report. Gongzhu should let him go, so Bixia does not punish him for beingte. Then, Wei Yang will be wholeheartedly responsible...¡±
Tao nu guan felt cold all over.
Yongning Gongzhu seethed, urgent matters? So important that he did not need to respect a Gongzhu like her, right? She coldly eyed him: ¡°Apologize to Li Xiaojie andpensate a driver for her. Then, you may go and meet Fu Huang.¡± Her voice was dangerously low.
Jiang Nan was conflicted, but he still knew what to do and not do. He immediately bowed: ¡°Biaomei, I momentarily misspoke. Please do not take it to heart.¡±
Li Wei Yang innocently blinked: ¡°Biaoge will never say that you want to kill me again? If so, then--¡±
Yongning coldly scoffed: ¡°If so, then if you are scratched in the slightest way, I will report this to Fu Huang and have him punished for wanting to kill Xianzhu!¡±
Jiang Nan felt his anger boiling, resenting not being able to drag down this hypocritical girl ying victim to Gongzhu. He only smiled: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare, wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±
Seeing Gongzhu off, Li Wei Yang smiled at Jiang Nan: ¡°I feel much safer this way.¡±
Jiang Nan gritted his teeth: ¡°Should I stillpensate for your carriage driver?¡±
Li Wei Yang straightened up. Her eyes became calm again, like the undisturbed waters of a well: ¡°No need. Ah, right, didn¡¯t biaoge say I was disgusting earlier? I forgot to say, you will see far more disgusting things in the future. Take your time trying to digest this.¡±
She climbed into her carriage. Zhao Yue did not look back and leapt up. She tightly gripped the whip and raised it before letting it fall. The horse reared back and took off.
Jiang Nan watched the carriage depart and remembered what San ge said: Li Wei Yang is clever and deceptive, wicked and ruthless. Try to avoid direct confrontations with her. There are other things at hand. He was not naive and had seen many things. Even if Li Wei Yang was capable, it was only to an extent. Why be angry with an ant? It wasn¡¯t worth it! A man¡¯s energy should be concentrated on official court affairs.
Jiang Nan clenched the reins in his hands. Thinking of Da gu¡¯s sudden passing and Li Min Feng¡¯s exile... This girl was quite an eyesore.
Fortunately, even if she got what she wanted, it would onlyst a few more days!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 97 part2
Chapter 97: Jiang Family¡¯s Fourth Son
Thanks Chau for the visual!
If the names of these dishes weren¡¯t too helpful (ie. Heavenly Duck), help yourself to this slideshow:
Li Min De was in the study, speaking with Zhao Nan when he looked up and saw Li Wei Yang.
She wore red and gold clothes with lily embroidery and pale pink, embroidered shoes. Her eyes were bright, but she seemed almost lifeless. She came in, saying: ¡°I¡¯m starving to death, what is there to eat?¡±
Li Min De and Zhao Nan looked at one another. Li Min De quickly asked her what was wrong.
¡°They didn¡¯t let me eat anything in the pce.¡± Li Wei Yang tiredly said.
Li Min De rushed to have the kitchen prepare something. He looked at her and thought perhaps she had been hungry for a long time. Her appetite must have waned, so she should eat more digestible things. He also added: ¡°Less oil and fats, prepare light dishes.¡±
Li Wei Yang heard this and said: ¡°No need to be so specific. Leftovers from this afternoon will do. Hurry and bring them out.¡±
Li Min De was surprised, but if the kitchen was to cook something, it would take at least two hours, so there was no other choice. Soon, crispy chicken, sauteed eel, vinegar and pepper lion¡¯s mane fungus, Heavenly Duck, bean curd pancakes... All of them wereid out on the table.Although these were leftovers from this afternoon, they had only been touched once or twice.
Li Wei Yang raised her chopsticks and dove in, surprising Li Min De. She looked over to Bai Zhi and Zhao Yue: ¡°Come and eat, don¡¯t just stand there.¡±
After waiting overnight for Xiaojie, the two Yatous were just as hungry. They did not decline and quickly joined her. At first, Li Min De was a bit worried, seeing Li Wei Yang with her head lowered and wholeheartedly focused on eating as if indulging in exquisite dishes. Her appetite certainly increased, but there was nothing more to it. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Jujube osmanthus cake was served as dessert. The pastry chefs used the hanging flour technique, putting the glutinous rice flour and water mixture in a bag and hanging it up to dry. Then jujubes, walnuts, osmanthus, apricots, and a dozen other fruits would be made into the filling for the glutinous rice cakes. These cakes each resembled the bright moon. They were sweet and refreshing, apanied by a rich aroma with every bite. Li Min De had these prepared as a dessert for herst time. The moment they were brought out, Li Wei Yang felt her appetite immediately return. She ate every piece and finished it momentster, feeling as if she had been brought back to life.
Once she was finished with her meal, Li Min De asked her: ¡°What happened today? Didn¡¯t you say you would be back soon?¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed, feeling content: ¡°I was copying Buddhist scriptures for the Empress Dowager. Then I ran into a minor issue that dyed my meal, but nothing concerning.¡±
A minor issue? She spoke of it dismissively, but Li Min De thought it was an understatement. Suddenly, Li Wei Yang looked up at Zhao Nan: ¡°The young man you fought against that day, did he have angled eyes, a tall nose, fairplexion, strong stature and a proud nature?¡±
Zhao Nan was startled but immediately understood. He quickly nodded: ¡°Xianzhu gave an urate description. It was him indeed.¡±
So it was Jiang Si who saved Li Min Feng back then. Li Wei Yang furrowed her eyebrows as if pondering over it.
Li Min De caught on. He looked at Zhao and slightly frowned: ¡°Someone from the Jiang family?¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded: ¡°Si Shaoye of the Jiang family, Jiang Nan.¡± Then, she added as an afterthought, ¡°I ran into him in the pce today.¡±
Li Min De nodded in acknowledgment. He did not think Jiang Si would dare to do anything to her in the pce, but precautions should be taken. One must be a bit more careful, having made an enemy out of the Jiang family.
¡°He is a man after all. In the end, what can he say to a little girl like me? Rest assured, even my jiujiu can¡¯t directly discipline me.¡± Internal affairs within the household and matters in the Imperial court were closely rted to one another. To keep the court in harmony, internal affairs must be going smoothly, but men cannot intervene in the conflicts between the Furens in the household.
One must rely on their own abilities to survive. The men of the Jiang family were capable, but could they run to Li Chang Le¡¯s courtyard and teach her how to deal with Li Wei Yang? It was simply not practical. However, the Jiang family¡¯s greatest fault was their habit of hiding the shorings of their own. She sent Da Furen off, so they certainly will not let this go. The case now was the uncertainty of how they would retaliate.
Now that Li Wei Yang finished her meal, Mo Zhu came in to report: ¡°Xiaojie, Qi Yiniang sent someone over with a note this morning. Should Nubi bring it over so Xiaojie can take a look?¡±
Li Wei Yang thought about it and stood up: ¡°I¡¯ll go and see her.¡±
In Qi Yiniang¡¯s courtyard, Tan shi was leaning against the side of the bed, embroidering a small bib.
Li Wei Yang looked over, her heart stirring. Her lips curved up as she called out: ¡°Mother.¡±
Overjoyed, Tan shi set her embroidery down. She held onto Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands and smiled: ¡°You¡¯re back. Are you hungry, let me prepare something for you.¡±
She must have known Li Wei Yang went to the pce. Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°I already ate. Mother, you don¡¯t look too well.¡±
Tan shi touched her face and smiled: ¡°It¡¯s nothing concerning, it¡¯s just my appetite has not been the same.¡±
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Mother, this courtyard can be renovated to be more elegant. I will have people buy new furnishings, but first off, Mother shoulde and stay at my ce for a couple days. You can move back in once they have repainted, cleaned, reorganized and furnished the courtyard.¡±
¡°No need, this ce is really good!¡± Tan shi hurriedly said, ¡°No need to have people work on it!¡± She was already happy to move from a remote ce to this small courtyard: ¡°Da Furen just passed a way a month ago, it won¡¯t be too good if I immediately move courtyards.¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head: ¡°I¡¯m not afraid if anyone knows. Mother, just trust me.¡±
Li Wei Yang dared to say this, proof that she had things in control. Tan shi nodded, her eyes growing ssy with tears.
Li Wei Yang began: ¡°I wille again the evening. Does Mother want to buy anything in particr? I¡¯ll have someone buy it for you...¡±
Tan shi did not want to interrupt her daughter¡¯s happiness and said: ¡°I want something new and refreshing...¡±
Once Li Wei Yang finished asking, Tan shi¡¯s eyes were still brimming with tears. Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart softened. She always felt she had not treated Tan shi well, but Tan shi was touched by her concern, taking her by surprise. She had to turn her head away and look at the small bib: ¡°Mother, who is this for?¡±
The small bib was embroidered with mandarin ducks and lotuses, detailed and delicate. Tan shi smiled and said: ¡°Jiu Yiniang will give birth in two months. This is a gift for her.¡±
Li Wei Yang lowered the bib and lightly said: ¡°Mother does not need to worry. There¡¯s someone by her side who looks after her.¡± After Da Furen died, Jiu Yiniang moved back in. Li Wei Yang felt keeping a safe distance from this Yiniang was for the best. Although she had Jiu Yiniang¡¯s weakness in hand. Although Jiu Yiniang did not betray them, it was because they temporarily shared amon enemy. Now that she was carrying a precious child, coupled with Fuqin¡¯s high hopes for a male child... In any case, Li Wei Yang did not want the Li family to change whether Jiu Yiniang had a male or female child, but perhaps others may not agree.
At this moment, Tan shi suddenly began to retch. A Yatou rushed over with a basin. Tan shi retched for a while but did not vomit. Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes brightened up: ¡°Mother?!¡±
Tan shi smiled, her face flushed for some reason: ¡°I invited a physician to examine me. He said I was three months pregnant.¡±
Li Wei Yang was only suspicious at first, but she was surprised to hear this, Tan shi was pregnant? Heavens, was she about to have a little brother? This... How could this be? In the past life, Tan shi died too soon and did not have this child--
¡°With something this important, why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡± Li Wei Yang was overjoyed but also stunned.
Tan shi managed a small smile: ¡°I just found out as well. During Da Furen¡¯s funeral ceremony, I was busy and always felt light-headed. When the physician came to examine, I found out I was three months pregnant.¡±
After Da Furen fell ill, Si Yiniang and Liu Yiniang were fiercely at arms. Jiu Yiniang was pregnant, and Li Xiao Ran did not feel like marrying someone new, so he asionally visited Tan shi. Compared to young women, Tan shi had a much calmer, understanding personality and was gentle and considerate. He felt at peace with her.
He would frequent her ce five or six days a month. Others noticed, but because Tan shi was neutral and did not fight over anything, and Li Wei Yang was not an easy opponent that no one dared toe and cause trouble. Tan shi was thirty two years old this year and suddenly bing pregnant was something unintended.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile widened. She was rarely this happy. She was about to have a full-blooded brother! Her smile soon faded, ¡°Does Fuqin know yet?¡±
Tan shi¡¯s face quickly fell. She became a bit uneasy: ¡°Laoye did note over these past couple days. I n to wait a few more days then tell him.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded: ¡°I will find a suitable opportunity to tell everyone.¡±
She said everyone, not just Li Xiao Ran. Obviously, that was quite the difference. Tan shi¡¯s thoughts were simple, so she did not think much of it and only nodded.
Li Wei Yang turned around to Zhao Yue: ¡°From today onwards, my mother will move to my courtyard. Pay careful attention to her everyday meals.¡±
She did not instruct Mo Zhu or Bai Zhi but only told Zhao Yue. Her intentions were clear. Now that Da Shaoye fell out of favor and Laoye did not have a favored son, whether it was Qi Yiniang or Jiu Yiniang, whoever had a son first, their child¡¯s status will not be normal. Even Da Furen was waiting for the main household to not have an heir... Others may benefit, but Li Wei Yang had no need for such things. However, everyone else resembled prowling tigers, how could they simply ignore this?
Precautions must be taken!
Li Wei Yang reported this matter to Lao Furen and did not speak of anything else. She only said Qi Yiniang¡¯s courtyard was too old and needed to be renovated. Tan shi should stay in her courtyard for the next two months. Lao Furen felt this was not a good idea. In such arge household, it would not be appropriate for a Yiniang to stay with a Xiaojie, but Li Wei Yang insisted. In any case, this was not a big deal, so Lao Furenter agreed.
A month passed uneventfully. At dinner, Lao Furen nced at Jiu Yiniang¡¯s swollen stomach with concern: ¡°You will be giving birth in a month.¡±
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s face flushed: ¡°Yes.¡±
Lao Furen smiled and nodded before growing serious again: ¡°That is good. I hope you all will make the branches of the Li family will grow and give me many grandchildren. Then, I will be happy.¡±
Hearing this, Li Xiao Ran gave Jiu Yiniang a look of satisfaction.
Er Furen pursed her lips. Her husband was concubine-born and always out of town. Lao Furen hardly bothered with him, so the children of the second household were not favored either. She thought that when Da Shaoye lost his father¡¯s favor, her status in the Li family will be elevated. If Li Xiao Ran did not have an heir, then the entire Li family will belong to her son. Who would have thought Jiu Yiniang, that little fox would be with child, dashing her hopes.
Lao Furen sighed: ¡°Your Furen is no longer with you. I know you are not feeling well and burdened, seeing you grow weaker these days with such dark, sunken eyes. Seeing you this unhappy makes me worry too.¡± Her mouth slightly curved up as if displeased. ¡°Si Yiniang, you should advise Laoye not to do so!¡±
Only Jiu Yiniang, who was pregnant, was allowed to sit in a chair. Si Yiniang could only stand beside her. Her face grew anxious when she heard this: ¡°Lao Furen is right, I will certainly advise Laoye.¡±
Liu Yiniang coldly looked on, not saying anything.
Lao Furen raised her cup of tea and sighed: ¡°Although you have several concubines, you have too few children. It is time to acquire a couple more.¡±
Li Wei Yang had been quietly sitting and drinking tea suddenly looked up and faintly smiled. ¡°Lao Furen, Fuqin, I have yet to congratte you. Qi Yiniang has also been pregnant for four months.¡±
Li Xiao Ran was stunned and immediately rejoiced. He took Qi Yiniang¡¯s hands into his, she had always been standing by his side: ¡°Is what Wei Yang said true?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was warm as the spring breeze: ¡°Fuqin, even if your daughter was to ever joke around, still would never dare to take this lightly. Qi Yiniang¡¯s health was declining, at first she thought it was just her stomach and invited a physician over. Then, she found out she was pregnant. She was careful, afraid she was mistaken, and invited three more physicians to examine her before announcing it.¡±
In other words, it was not that they hid this matter. Li Xiao Ran was simply overjoyed. At this age, he had few children, and then suddenly he was to have two more, wasn¡¯t this a divine blessing?
In truth, he could not be med. If Da Furen had not intervened, he would have soon had many children.
Lao Furen was also happy and looked at Qi Yiniang: ¡°Good thing, this is a good thing!¡±
Si Yiniang and Liu Yiniang looked at Qi Yiniang¡¯s stomach bitterly with mes almost spewing from their eyes.
Jiu Yiniang¡¯s smile was always faint like the soft clouds in the sky after the rain, vague as if hiding something. It left others unclear of her intentions behind that smile: ¡°Wonderful, my child will have apanion in the future.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her. Jiu Yiniang immediately lowered her head as if afraid. Li Wei Yang discovered this woman was different from before. Seeing her enrobed in silk from head to toe, perhaps she had soon hoped to give birth to a son who could potentially inherit all of the Li family. Jiu Yiniang used to only have her lover in her heart, but now, perhaps she had be wholeheartedly devoted to wealth and glory. People naturally change!
Luo mama came in to report: ¡°Lao Furen, Jiang Guogong Furen and Jiang Da Furen have arrived.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked over. Lao Furen helped Luo mama up from her bow: ¡°Alright, there is something I must attend to. Stay for a bit longer, then return.¡±
Li Wei Yang saw Lao Furen leave. Lao Furen did not ask her toe along to receive their guests this time.
Li Xiao Ran looked at Tan shi¡¯s stomach with great joy. He turned around and ordered: ¡°Prepare everything for tonight. I will go to the ancestral hall to pray and thank the ancestors for their blessings.¡± He tightly held onto Qi Yiniang¡¯s hand, ¡°It must have been tiring on you.¡±
Qi Yiniang¡¯s face reddened. She couldn¡¯t say anything. She was genuine and loyal. Er Furen thought the same. She happened to look over at Li Wei Yang and pursed her lips, wondering how someone as sincere could give birth to a venomous scorpion.
Li Wei Yang did not pay attention to the stares. Her eyes remained on Lao Furen¡¯s retreating figure. Her suspicions stirred. Jiang Xu returned to the Capital to report on his duties. Li Wei Yang thought he would make a move, but this entire time, everything has been calm and quiet. Jiang Guogong Furen and Jiang Xu¡¯s Furen suddenly paid them a visit, what will happen then?
For some reason, her right eye kept twitching...
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 98 part1
Chapter 98: Closer Than Ever
Paternal female cousin
Li Wei Yang wanted to know what Jiang Guogong Furen and Jiang Da Furen had done that day, but Lao Furen was evasive and did not reveal anything. Li Wei Yang disliked unpredictable people and situations the most and was left in the dark about this.
On one morning half a monthter, Li Wei Yang went to offer well wishes to Lao Furen. They talked for a while, then Lao Furen slowly set down her cup of tea: ¡°Wei Yang, there is something I want to tell you.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded with a smile: ¡°Go ahead, Lao Furen.¡±
Lao Furen began: ¡°In truth, it¡¯s not a big deal. I n to let your Fuqin remarry.¡± She did not need to say anything about Li Xiao Ran¡¯s new wife to the children, but Li Wei Yang was different. Lao Furen always wanted to talk with her whenever something happened.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s Furen had died, so naturally, he must marry someone else. No matter who it was, Jiu Yiniang or Si Yiniang and Jiu Yiniang, both of whom were always favored these past years, no one had the right to be Furen. It had nothing to do with the favor they received nor the children they had. It was simply their status.
Li Wei Yang did not expect Lao Furen to bring this up so quickly. In any case, when the wife of a prestigious, noble household dies, one must wait a year before remarrying. If someone was to remarry three months after their wife died, it would attract others¡¯ ridicule. Li Wei Yang thought it would be at least a year before Li Xiao Ran remarried. She had not expected it to be so soon until Lao Furen mentioned it.
There was no female head of household now. This was ideal for her, so she did not want anyone else involved. However, since Lao Furen mentioned it, she must have made up her mind. Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°I wonder which household¡¯s daughter it must be.¡±
Lao Furen, seeing she did not express the slightest displeasure, smiled and nodded: ¡°It is Guang Ming General¡¯s daughter.¡±
Guang Ming General? Li Wei Yang was a bit surprised, then immediately realized. Her smile began to fall: ¡°Is that Muqin¡¯s tang mei?¡±
Guang Ming General was a 4th rank general in the Imperial court and Jiang Xu¡¯s tang di. He had always followed Jiang Xu on his military campaigns. Three years ago, he returned to the Capital to mourn his Muqin¡¯s passing. Wasn¡¯t his daughter also thete Da Furen¡¯s tang mei? Li Wei Yang quickly understood what Jiang Guogong Furen came forst time.
¡°Yes, she is your Muqin¡¯s tang mei. She will be eighteen this year. She should have been married three years ago, but her zumu passed away, so she had to remain in the home and mourn for three years.¡±
At the age of eighteen, she was just a few years older than Li Wei Yang herself. In any case, this was nothing strange. When the schr Liu Shang remarried, the bride was even younger than his youngest grandchild.
Li Xiao Ran was in his prime and at the height of his career with status and authority. Countless noble households had their sights set on him. For those with equal or higher status, they may feel they have lost some status by entering the Li family. As for those with more humble origins, they would not dare to dream of climbing so high. The families in between did not have suitable candidates, so Li Wei Yang thought Lao Furen would bring this up a yearter or so. Arranging the marriage would take at least two years, except now, there was an unexpected candidate, personally introduced by the Jiang family.
¡°Has a date been decided?¡± Li Wei Yang asked with a smile.
Lao Furen pondered over it: ¡°Let the year long mourning period pass first.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded. Neither said anything more and just looked at one another.
Lao Furen heaved a sigh: ¡°I know you will be conflicted, but I also did not have a choice in the matter. The Jiang family was persistent and even had the Empress offer a few words on their behalf. One of the Empress¡¯s close nuguans also came here that day.¡±
¡°The Empress?¡± Since when did the Jiang family align themselves with Taizi? Li Wei Yang was taken aback, but then realized the Jiang family was not worried about gossip. The Empress could naturally pressure the Li family, considering how they would have to ¡°respect the wise.¡± The Jiang Xiaojie was also of age and an appropriate upbringing. Lao Furen had no reason to refuse. At best, it would be dyed by a year. The Jiang family was not to be taken lightly. They came prepared, determined to not give the Li family an excuse. They would certainly have other methods if the Li family found an excuse to refuse that Jiang Xiaojie. Perhaps they already had seven or eight other candidates lined up.
Li Wei Yang had tough. She underestimated the Jiang family, thinking Jiang Rou¡¯s death would make them falter. Who would have thought they would ruthlessly persist and immediately send someone new over.
¡°It seems Da jiujiu is also returning to the Capital because of this.¡± Li Wei Yang slowly said. Of course, she did notpletely believe Lao Furen¡¯s reasoning. Establishing familial ties with the Jiang family a second time had manyplications. As for what they were, no one would exin themselves to her. In the end, they were only reporting back: rain is on its way, and someone will be married. This was not something she could stop. Li Wei Yang wondered what kind of person the future Li Furen would be... What will happen when she arrives?
At the moment, she was only concerned about one thing: ¡°Lao Furen, there is something your granddaughter wants to say but is unsure of whether or not to say it.¡±
Lao Furen nodded: ¡°Go ahead.¡±
Li Wei Yang lowered her gaze: ¡°Jiu Yiniang and Qi Yiniang are with child, what if...¡±
Lao Furen frowned: ¡°She wouldn¡¯t dare. Not with my grandchildren, no one is to have ill intentions!¡±
With Lao Furen¡¯s reassurance, Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Lao Furen is very kind.¡±
As she was leaving He Xiang Courtyard, Li Wei Yang let out a weary sigh.
Bai Zhi softly whispered: ¡°Xiaojie, is Laoye about to marry a new Furen?¡±
Li Wei Yang chuckled: ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m about to have a new mother.¡± This Muqin even came from the Jiang family, which was unpleasant to think about, but she felt Jiang Xiaojie suffered a greater loss. She could have been rightfully married into a prestigious household, but now, she would enter the Li family as a the second wife and also deal with several daughters around her age, so it was understandable.
As Li Wei Yang thought about it, she smiled. Bai Zhi did not know why she was smiling and thought her anger had turned into hysteria and grew worried: ¡°Has Xiaojie lost it?¡±
Mo Zhu cut in: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xiaojie. Nubi asked around earlier. That Jiang Xiaojie is only eighteen year old and is the eldest daughter, but her Muqin died when she was young, so she was left under her stepmother¡¯s care. Nubi hears she is amiable, kind, exceptionally beautiful, and is knowledgeable in qin, painting, chess, and poetry. She seems to have the reputation of a gentledy. Perhaps she does not have ulterior motives.¡±
Something inside Li Wei Yang red: ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as you think. This candidate was carefully selected by the Jiang family. Just wait and see.¡±
First of all, this person was from the Jiang family. Her father must rely on to Jiang Xu to live from day to day. She naturally had to take care of Jiang Rou¡¯s children and try to establish her influence. This marriage clearly was to deal with Li Wei Yang!
The Jiang family sheltered their own and overlooked their shorings, deeply begrudging Da Furen¡¯s death. However, Li Wei Yang rarely left the residence. Even if they were capable, they only had influence in the Imperial court, not the Inner Pce. Although Jiang Si had provoked Li Wei Yang, he did not have the chance to find her and resolve loose ends and could only gnash his teeth. In any case, they could not overshadow Li Xiao Ran in terms of his position and power. If Li Wei Yang did not go outside at all, they could not cause trouble for her that way, but if a new Furen appeared inside the Li family, everything will change.
The new Furen will discipline shu children in ce of her husband. That was the way it has always been. Even if she was just eighteen years old, Li Wei Yang would have to obediently call her Muqin. The Jiang family¡¯s intentions were truly lethal.
Mo Zhu did not think so: ¡°The marriage is still in the distant future. They will also have wait out the year long mourning period, otherwise, what will people say?¡±
Indeed, there was still at least half a year left to go before someone would be married in. Li Wei Yang smiled. Some things cannot be changed, so it was best to let them go.
When Li Wei Yang returned to her courtyard, she found Jiu Yiniang there, half a month away from her due date and wearing a new, purple michelia embroidered dress with jasper beads and pearls on her head. It was a fresh and beautiful look with a unique charm. There were many fine silks in every possible color on the table. Jiu Yiniang smiled and said: ¡°This is what Laoye sent over. I picked out four. Xianzhu and Qi Yiniang, please choose a few.¡±
Li Wei yang smiled thinly: ¡°Thank you, Jiu Yiniang.¡± Although Fuqin was happy that Qi Yiniang was with child, he still had high hopes for Jiu Yiniang. Anything good would be sent to her first. Fortunately, Qi Yiniang was not someone who paid attention to these things, but if Jiu Yiniang wanted to send something over, she could have just sent someone. However, she personally came, as if wanting to brag.
The old Jiu Yiniang would not dare, having witnessed Li Wei Yang¡¯s cruel methods of disposal. Except now that she was with child, it was almost as if she had a gold card that could spare her from death. She had soon forgotten her former, despairing life, and Li Wei Yang¡¯s knowledge of her past always made her uneasy, so she wanted to find a chance to silence Li Wei Yang.
Qi Yiniang gently smiled: ¡°Wei yang, Jiu Yiniang personally came with silks and even gifted a small, beautiful nket.¡±
Jiu Yiniang had a slightly embarrassed smile: ¡°The bib Qi Yiniang sent was lovely and thoughtful. I had nothing to give in return, but even so, preparing a hundred things was worthwhile. Once the child is born, I will find a more suitable gift.¡±
Jiu Yiniang had good feelings towards Jiu Yiniang and smiled: ¡°Still half a month left. Meimei should be more careful, especially since you¡¯re about to give birth.¡±
Jiu Yiniang warmly pulled Qi Yiniang¡¯s hands towards her and sat down: ¡°Speaking of me, this will be my first child. I don¡¯t know much, so jiejie must guide me.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at the set of pillows and padded nket and held it up to examine as if intrigued. Jiu Yiniang nced at her. Upon making eye contact, she felt her heart suddenly leap. She touched the swaying jasper beaded flower on her head as if hiding something, the beads reflecting her current state of mind.
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly: ¡°This bedding set has sophisticated embroidery.¡±
Relieved, Jiu Yiniang¡¯s smile was soft but hidden: ¡°That is a high praise from Xianzhu.¡±
Li Wei Yang returned the smile in a gentle, almost deadly manner: ¡°Bai Zhi, lead everyone else out.¡±
Bai Zhi was initially startled but obeyed her order, leading the seven or eight Yatous in the room out. Momentster, only Li Wei Yang, Qi Yiniang, Jiu Yiniang and a few trusted servants were left in the room.
Li Wei Yang lifted the small nket and suddenly mmed it down on the table in front of Jiu Yiniang.
Qi Yiniang was stunned and thoroughly confused.
Jiu Yiniang was trembling, beginning to break out into a cold sweat: ¡°Xianzhu, what is the meaning of this?¡±
¡°Jiu Yiniang, you are carrying a precious shaoye. Is that why the child my mother is carrying has to die? Who doesn¡¯t love their child, but resorting to such vicious means? Are you living sofortably that you are now doing these things to pass time?¡± Li Wei Yang coldly said.
Qi Yiniang was slightly shaken. It was as if someone poked her forehead, and she began to understand. Could there be something wrong with the bedding set? Cold sweat began to break out as she looked to Jiu Yiniang in horror.
Jiu Yiniang leapt to her feet, her eyes full of unease and fear as she desperately said: ¡°Xianzhu, what are you saying, as if I would use such lowly means to harm Qi Yiniang!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°This nket¡ª¡±
Jiu Yiniang preemptively interjected: ¡°The nket and pillows are made of the finest silks and are very soft and suitable for children!¡±
A cold glint crossed Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes: ¡°Bai Zhi, bring some scissors over!¡±
Bai Zhiplied and brought scissors over on a tray. Li Wei Yang sneered. A single ¡°shh¡± sliced through the nket and cut it open. Qi Yiniang was afraid something inside would fall out and hurt Li Wei Yang and subconsciously stepped forward, except there was only pure, white cotton inside.
Jiu Yiniang looked over and sneered: ¡°Xianzhu, I always thought we were on the same side. Who would have thought Xianzhu would even take precautions against me? This nket was made with the finest cotton. If I put poisonous insects inside, let me be struck by the Heavens¡ª¡±
Qi Yiniang saw nothing strange inside the nket and hastily said: ¡°Wei Yang, why did you misunderstand Jiu Yiniang¡¯s intentions? Quickly mend the nket.¡±
Li Wei Yang sneered and shook up the cotton in the quilt. Cotton swiftly flew all over the ce, making Jiu Yiniang, coupled with her morning sickness, cough a few times. The Yatous by her side quickly shielded her, their eyes widening: ¡°What does Xianzhu mean by this? Nubi¡¯s Yiniang sent things over with good intentions. If Xianzhu does not appreciate the gesture, then so be it, but why make Yiniang ufortable. Although Yiniang is not of the same status, she is with child now, if you have any misgivings, we will not hesitate to go to Laoye and seek judgment!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s sharp voice was brimming with fury: ¡°Is that so? Cotton is heavy, and seeing how high these things are in the air, these are obviously reeds! Newborn children¡¯s bodies are weak and could suffocate to death if the reeds inside the nket fall out. Even if they were fortunate and could avoid this, this nket is thin enough for a newborn to catch a cold. A newborn won¡¯t be able to withstand this and will end up dying prematurely! Jiu Yiniang, you have the right to love your child, but why do you have to harm my di di?¡±
Jiu Yiniang revealed a look of disbelief: ¡°Xianzhu... I had no idea¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her coldly in disgust. She slowly began: ¡°You are the one who brought it here, how could you not know?¡±
¡°I... I...¡± Jiu Yiniang originally did not want to target Qi Yiniang, but she was about to give birth. If it was a son, there was a good chance he will be the heir of the Li family. For some reason, as another rival appeared, she felt the need to scheme to secure her child¡¯s future. Although she was worried about Li Wei Yang, she only saw her opponent as an unmarried Yatou. Even if she was capable and insightful, she was still inexperienced. Of course, how could she have known that about Li Wei Yang¡¯s many years in living in pce strife?
She could only think of Li Wei Yang¡¯s cruel disposal of Lin mama. Her hands had gone weak, and she looked as if she was about to fall to her knees. Li Wei Yang stepped up and even helped her up with a smile: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, your child will be born soon. I suggest you spend less time minding other people¡¯s business and take care of your child, as you should.¡±
Qi Yiniang¡¯s usually peaceful expressions were reced with fear, worry, and suspicion. She did not understand how Jiu Yiniang, who seemed weak and fragile, think of such a wicked way of harming an unborn child. Perhaps Jiu Yiniang had already decided to act, even if Qi Yiniang had a daughter. If it turned out to be a son, then to what extent... She felt even more afraid just thinking about it.
Jiu Yiniang clenched her jaw, brimming with tears, but she was terrified and hardly able to speak.
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, if Fuqin sees you making a face like that in my courtyard, won¡¯t he think I¡¯m harassing you?!¡±
Jiu Yiniang blinked, trying to keep her tears from falling. She awkwardly began to kneel in front of Qi Yiniang: ¡°Jiejie, I was momentarily blinded, but I had no other choice. I have no support in the Li family, and I was tempted to consider it...¡±
Qi Yiniang reached out, intending to help her up before remembering the vicious scheme earlier. She trembled, but she was still a kind and forgiving person. She only hesitated for a bit, then quickly helped Jiu Yiniang up: ¡°Stand up first, then we will talk.¡±
With Jiu Yiniang¡¯s swollen stomach, she could not possibly kneel down, so she straightened and stood up. She uneasily eyed Li Wei Yang. Qi Yiniang only yed a minor role, the most terrifying person was Li Wei Yang!
Li Wei Yang shook her head pityingly as she sighed: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, I¡¯m about to have a new Muqin.¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 98 part2
All the trantors are currently busy so we will be releasing a chapter part or a chapter each week (most likely every Sunday) depending on its length.
I¡¯ve attached a form:
This is for anyone who has ament, question, broken links observation, or an interest in helping out by tranting or editing. I will be cleaning up the website starting May 20, like broken links, consistent formatting, donation link, character guide, etc. So if you see anything, let me know.
I¡¯ve checked my inbox recently and received emails expressing interest in helping out. First, I want to thank everyone for their support, I do want to apologize for not being able to reply on time since I haven¡¯t gotten a chance to in the past few months due to a new job. Second, I don¡¯t know if you are still avable, so if you are, definitely let me know through the form.
Chapter 98: Closer Than Ever
Qi Huangzi¡¯s second maternal uncle is the Duke of Guan Tao, presumably a very rich man
Li Daren: referring to Li Xiao Ran as Lord Li or Official Li
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Jiu Yiniang had not expected this and immediately paled. She looked to Li Wei Yang in shock, barely managing to choke out: ¡°How could it be so soon?¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly reminded her: ¡°Muqin just passed away. There cannot be an absence of the female head of household, so the date to marry Jiang shi has been set.¡±
Jiu Yiniang could not believe it. She thought remarrying a new Furen would something in the distant future and had not expected a candidate to be confirmed three months after Da Furen¡¯s passing. Not to mention, this person was also from the same family.
Li Wei Yang softly added: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, Da ge is no longer in the residence, and Fuqin has no other sons, so it¡¯s normal for him to have high hopes for your child. The only thing is that this new Furen will only be eighteen and will certainly give birth to a rightful heir...¡±
Jiu Yiniang was ovee with fear, finally understanding Li Wei Yang¡¯s intentions. The new Furen will be young and beautiful, capturing Laoye¡¯s attention. Even if she managed to give birth to a son, her child would still be concubine-born. If the new Furen also had a son, would Laoye still treasure her child? The new Furen¡¯s son will be the rightful heir!
Not to mention, when the new Furen arrives, she will naturally feel aggrieved towards the Yiniangs with children, especially Jiu Yiniang if she had a son. Perhaps she may even be a thorn in the new Furen¡¯s eye! Li Wei Yang was reminding her that she should be thinking of how to deal with the new Furen instead of targeting Qi Yiniang!
Li Wei Yang approached her and warmly extended a hand. She grasped Jiu Yiniang¡¯s trembling fingers with a smile: ¡°Isn¡¯t it clear what your greatest priority should be?¡±
Jiu Yiniang was startled: ¡°What?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s small smile faded: ¡°At this time, your greatest priority should be to give birth to a healthy child and protect it from those with malicious intentions.¡±
Stunned, Jiu Yiniang felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Her entire body stiffened. She broke into a cold sweat, feeling as if a tiny insect was slowly crawling over her, leaving a cold sensation in its wake.
What she did today more or less came from Si Yiniang. Now, it seems - everything was in Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands! She was simply suicidal to go looking for death¡¯s doors! However, she still remembered the things in the past and hesitated. She cautiously looked up at Li Wei Yang: ¡°Then, Xianzhu...¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°I know what Yiniang is worried about, but my hands are definitely not any cleaner than yours, so you don¡¯t have to worry. I won¡¯t tell Fuqin because I still need your help when that person steps foot in through the doors!¡±
Jiu Yiniang felt her body rx: ¡°If there¡¯s something I can help with, I will do my best.¡±
Li Wei Yang slightly narrowed her eyes and did not say anything else. There vaguely seemed to be wry humor and ridicule in her eyes.
Jiu Yiniang departed. Li Wei Yang watched her leave. Her smile gradually froze like a blossoming snow flower with an indescribable chill.
Qi Yiniang was a bit worried: ¡°Wei Yang¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang gently offered a few words of reassurance, then let Mo Zhu help Qi Yiniang back to her room. She sat down and picked up a book. She barely read two lines before tossing the book aside.
Worried that she was frustrated, Bai Zhi brought tea over: ¡°Xiaojie, this new chrysanthemum tea is good for dispelling heat. Xiaojie, try some.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and nced at Bai Zhi: ¡°You thought I was angry?¡±
Bai Zhi softly said: ¡°Xiaojie has not treat Jiu Yiniang poorly. If not for Xiaojie, she would not be able to live to this day, much less be with child and have a higher status. Even if she has a son, not many people in the residence want to see her get what she wants. When Xiaojie no longer helps her, she will run into a dead end.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled softly: ¡°She was only being used by others like a dagger. When she is favored, she forgets the fine line between right and wrong. Compared to Si Yiniang and Liu Yiniang, she still has a long way to go!¡±
In the end, Jiu Yiniang only received a bit of favor, unlike the older Yiniangs¡ªsignificantly less than Tan shi, who managed to survive under Da Furen¡¯s hands, and the deceitful and capable Si Yiniang as well as the clever, formidable and patient Liu Yiniang. Despite what she went throughst time, she was still inexperienced and only saw Tan shi as her enemy, failing to see the bigger picture. If in the future those nket and pillows fulfilled their purpose, not only would Qi Yiniang¡¯s child cease to exist, but Jiu Yiniang¡¯s child will fall out of favor too. Si Yiniang¡¯s scheme was not half bad!
Bai Zhi was a bit emotional as she said: ¡°There¡¯s really not a day when the residence is at peace. To think that with Da Furen gone, we could live freely, but who would have thought someone else woulde looking for trouble.¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head: ¡°Jiu Yiniang isn¡¯t too concerning.¡±
Bai Zhi immediately understood: ¡°Xiaojie is worried about the new Furen? Don¡¯t worry, Xiaojie. She may be from the Jiang family, but she does not have the same status as Da Furen. She is only the second wife!¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head again, a small smile ying on her lips like the sunlight on a pond: ¡°No need to mention her status. I¡¯m afraid the moment she arrives, her first target will be me and my mother.¡± The new Furen was from the Jiang family but not the main household. She would have to rely on them for status and prestige, and the best way is to appease them by eliminating an enemy for them.
Bai Zhi quickly reassured her: ¡°Anyways, Da Furen is gone. Even if she was capable, what can she do when she has barely arrived? Xiaojie has a firm standing in the residence.¡±
Li Wei Yang took a sip of tea, solemnly contemting: ¡°Everything must be taken care of. Remember that anyone who looks after my mother must be someone I have chosen. Thoroughly investigate their background and personality.¡±
Bai Zhi understood her intentions and smiled: ¡°Nubi understands.¡±
Once the courtyard was repaired, Li Wei Yang ordered the servants to clean up and renovate. She arranged for Qi Yiniang to return and thoroughly investigated the servants, only then did she feel temporarily reassured.
Time flew by. Li Xiao Ran was in good spirits. Jiu Yiniang and Qi Yiniang gave birth, one after the other, except... Jiu Yiniang had always been hopeful but had a daughter, and Qi Yiniang simply happened to have a healthy son. Jiu Yiniang was frustrated and grew resentful, but she was wary of Li Wei Yang, so for the time being, she did not dare to do anything.
Since then, Qi Yiniang was much more cautious and stayed in her courtyard all day to look after her son. She refused to see anyone else aside from Li Xiao Ran and Li Wei Yang. Past February, news that the Li family would be weing a new bride suddenly spread all over the Capital.
Amongst the gossip and debate, Li Wei Yangl carried on with her routine. She woke up early every morning and went to He Xiang Courtyard to greet Lao Furen then went to Qi Yiniang¡¯s ce to see her adorable di di. Afterwards, she returned to her courtyard for breakfast, read and practiced calligraphy. In the afternoon, she listened as a private investigator report back on happenings in the Capital. The remainder of her time was used to make money.
After the incident with De Fei, Qi Huangzi was constantly looking for ways to appease Li Wei Yang. Every few days, he would make a business proposal. Less than 3 monthster, her wealth had multiplied many times. After many exchanges, she was now left with one thousand of the original, two thousand liang of gold. If Li Xiao Ran knew, his soul might fly away in shock. The amount of money she secretly umted surpassed the entire family¡¯s wealth. It was nothing strange though. Qi Huangzi had the most money out of all the Huangzi, and it wasn¡¯t his fault his Er jiu was Guan Tao Gong. Not only did his Er jiu lift the embargo on the seas, he also sessfully manipted key businesspeople in the south.
Li Wei Yang only put in a small investment but was able to fill up her purse. It made her recall Tuoba Zhen¡¯s astonishment when he eliminated Tuoba Yu and went inside Qi Huangzi¡¯s residence... She also knew that having money to count was enough to live happily, especially for those who believed in the power of money like herself. She could go to bed after counting her money, feeling reassured. She would continue to do so and could not go without a day without it, leading a more fulfilling life than anyone else.
Bai Zhi felt concerned. The new Furen will arrive within ten days. She remembered what Xiaojie said and thought her family was about to be the meat on the butcher¡¯s cutting board and felt anxious. Since Li Wei Yang paid no mind to it, Bai Zhi hoped to advise her: ¡°Xiaojie should quicklye up with something, perhaps like arranging for people to watch over¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang looked over with a warm smile: ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡± Inrge, noble households, there will always be indisputable conflict. Different people coulde together for the sake of their self-interests. They all had their own battles. There was not one household that waspletely harmonious. The only difference lies with whether it is an individual or collective battle, either trivial or one with high stakes. The Jiang family¡¯s carefully chosen pawns had no chance of being as simple as they look. Any ttempts to gather individuals to deal with them would only make othersugh.
Bai Zhi was worried but did not dare to further persuade her. Zhao Yue pulled her over and criticized her: ¡°You are so foolish, have you ever seen Xiaojie at a loss before?¡±
Bai Zhi agreed that this was true and calmed down. She stopped asking these questions and let go of her concerns to wait until the wedding.
Li Wei Yang had always been a light sleeper, waking up to the slightest sounds. If someone identally woke her up, she would look rather unpleasant and not be in a good mood for the rest of the day. The Yatous knew her habits, so they usually did not dare to disturb her. However, this morning, she heard slight noises outside. Li Wei Yang opened her eyes and looked outside.
Bai Zhi walked over, gently lifted the curtain and softly said: ¡°Xiaojie, Luo mama is here.¡±
Li Wei Yang frowned and sat up. Bai Zhi brought her winter clothes over from the rack where they were being warmed and helped her change. Mo Zhu brought over warm tea and handed a cup to Li Wei Yang: ¡°She said she was inviting Xiaojie over on Lao Furen¡¯s orders.¡±
Li Wei Yang momentary paused. Bai Zhi brought over a tray with a small, intricate bowl, a brass pot, and a delicate silver box containing balsam. Li Wei Yang only paused for a moment before spitting out the tea into the vase: ¡°What happened?¡±
It was not a question neither Bai Zhi nor Mo Zhu could answer, so they remained silent. Zhao Yue, who always stood guard outside, came in and softly said: ¡°Nubi went ahead to see. Jiang Guogong Furen...¡±
As Zhao Yue spoke, Li Wei Yang finished rinsing her mouth. Bai Zhi brought her a new cup of tea. Li Wei Yang lifted the cup and nkly said: ¡°Oh, so that old hag came.¡±
It was no secret that Li Wei Yang was not fond of the Jiang family. With her most trusted Yatous, she often referred to Guogong Furen as ¡°that old hag.¡± Zhao Yue held back augh and continued: ¡°It¡¯s not just her. Jiang Da Furen also came.¡±
Li Wei Yang arched her eyebrows and heaved a sigh: ¡°So annoying, interrupting someone¡¯s sleep and dreams so early in the morning.¡±
There was a small sound outside the window. Startled, Zhao Yue swiftly went over, and a little, green bird jumped into her palm. Zhao Yue took the secret letter from the bird¡¯s foot and then released it outside. Li Wei Yang read the letter and sneered: ¡°So that¡¯s how it was!¡±
Zhao Yue and Bai Zhi looked at one another. Even though they did not know the contents of the letter, it was clearly not good, but then Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Forget them, breakfast first.¡± She was conveying that this was not a priority, so everyone else could rx.
Li Wei Yang went to He Xiang Courtyard and found Lao Furen talking with Guogong Furen. She nced over at Guogong Furen and saw that she was wearing green, silk robes with the calligraphic character ¡®Longevity.¡¯ There was ayer of silk from each shoulder of the robe that was attached to the cuffs of her sleeves. She sat tall, her back straight and head slightly reared back, appearing particrly gentle and refined. She stared intently at Li Wei Yang then smiled: ¡°Inw Furen, it is quite a blessing that your granddaughters are all grown up.¡±
Er Furen, Li Chang Rou, and Li Chang Xiao were all present to serve Lao Furen. Naturally, Li Wei Yang had to stand with them, but Lao Furen waved her over: ¡°Come over here and sit.¡±
This was a great honor, emphasizing Li Wei Yang¡¯s special status among the grandchildren. Guogong Furen narrowed her eyes. Looking at everyone¡¯s expressions, she found that they seemed to have expected it and felt a bit surprised.
Jiang Da Furen was now forty years old but still radiant, refined and dignified as always. Compared to Guogong Furen, she seemed much more modest and gentle. She did not act like the wife of a highly important official in front of Lao Furen either and seemed humble and sincere. Li Wei Yang did not find it strange because one had to have a personality like that to be Jiang Xu¡¯s wife. She did not express any hostility towards Li Wei Yang and only smiled, treating everyone in the same manner and gave her a kind, warm wee.
Although Jiang Da Furen also came, it did not mean she empathized with her mother-inw. Was there a bride who did not dislike her arrogant, haughty sister-inw? In the past and even now, Jiang Da Furen could not express her frustrations with Jiang Rou. Whatever Jiang Rou did, it was still unfortunate to be associated with her, but nevertheless, Jiang Rou was still a daughter that had been married off. She had died miserably, so as her sister-inw, Jiang Da Furen certainly could not look the other way. If she was indifferent, her mother-inw and husband will resent her, so she hade toe.
Guogong Furen smiled and said: ¡°Inw Furen, I came today to reciprocate a gift.¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s hand slightly trembled, the cup of tea in her hand quivered but fortunately did not spill onto her hand. She momentarily faltered but did not reveal anything on her face. She softly murmured ¡°oh¡±, paused and quietly asked: ¡°For whom?¡±
Guogong Furen slowly began: ¡°I went up the mountain yesterday for a pilgrimage and saw our granddaughter wearing a brown, woven skirt helping the nuns withundry. I knew she was praying for her Muqin, so I let her know that Li Daren was about to remarry and permitted her to return to greet her new Muqin. That child insisted she could not--saying inw Furen would not allow her.¡±
The fact that Guogong Furen actually went up the mountain made others speechless! Lao Furen clenched her teeth but continued to cheerfully smile: ¡°What? I also want her to return soon.¡± Her Fuqin was about to remarry, so Li Chang Le must return. This was self-exnatory, but Lao Furen truly did not want to see her again and wanted to quietly sweep this matter aside: ¡°It has been very busytely, so it must have slipped from my mind...¡±
Er Furen also added: ¡°Yes, we have been very busy with Da bo¡¯s affairs recently and nned to wait a few more days for things to settle...¡±
Jiang Da Furen interrupted her with a chuckle: ¡°We would not dare to trouble you. Chang Le, quicklye over to greet your zumu.¡±
Everyone was surprised to hear this. They looked towards the door and saw the curtain being lifted. A beauty in white clothes came in with a heavenly grace and willowy figure. Who else could it be but Li Chang Le?
Er Furen¡¯s eyes were almost consumed with mes. Li Chang Rou subconsciously clenched her handkerchief, and Li Chang Xiao was stunned. The only person who did not react was Li Wei Yang. Guogong Furen gauged Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions as she spoke with Lao Furen: ¡°I hope inw Furen will not me me for being nosy.¡±
Lao Furen smiled stiffly as if her smile had been carved from wood or stone. She knew she was not in a position to negotiate. Even if she was unwilling, she wouldpromise to keep the peace. She¡¯d rather not provoke an old tiger like Guogong Furen: ¡°Not at all...¡±
Li Chang Le bowed and knelt on the ground, seemingly weak and vulnerable. From Li Wei Yang¡¯s point of view, she could only see the pearl flowers on Li Chang Le¡¯s sleek ck hair, elegant and minimalistic, not at all like her past style.
Li Wei Yang recalled the contents of the letter and knew Guogong Furen had already sent someone to visit Li Chang Le, but she waited a year before taking action. Throughout the year, the Jiang family constantly sent people to Li Chang Le¡¯s side and secretly made preparations. The people Li Xiao Ran originally sent to oversee her eventually disappeared... Li Wei Yang also had people closely watching on the mountain, but no news left the mountain. The temple that had been helping the Li family watch over Li Chang Le was also conflicted. The Jiang family had great authority, so the temple did not dare to offend them.
Li Chang Le did something unspeakable. Aside from the senior members of the Li family, no one else knew, including Er Furen. She only knew Li Chang Le lost favor for some reason and was sent up the mountain. Er Furen began to worry now that she had returned.
Er Furen examined Li Chang Le from head to toe, obviously wanting to find something wrong with her. After looking for a while, she only discovered that Li Chang Le¡¯s clothes were actually pale pink but were neither too exquisite nor in. One must remember that during Da Furen¡¯s three year mourning period, a child cannot wear colorful clothes. However, since Li Xiao Ran was about to remarry, it would not appropriate for her to wear white. Li Chang Le¡¯s pale pink and silver clothes had green bamboo embroidery but were still light colors, so Er Furen could only swallow her words.
¡°Granddaughter heard Lao Furen was slightly ill. Granddaughter was worried sick and hurried back.¡± Li Chang Le looked humble and spoke softly. Er Furen was taken aback by Li Chang Le¡¯s tone of voice, a stark, modest contrast to her usual proud, soaring voice.
Although Lao Furen did not want to see her, she could only smile, but that smile was a bit unnatural: ¡°Luo mama, quickly help the child up.¡±
Luo mama helped Li Chang Le stand up. Lao Furen said: ¡°Since you¡¯ve returned, you must look after your health and temper¡ª¡±
She had not finished her sentence when Guogong Furen smiled and said: ¡°Chang Le suddenly lost her mother and naturally felt lonely. I have allowed a few people to keep herpany. I hope Lao Furen will not me me.¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s eyes fell on the two middle-aged Furens, especially the nonchnce and shrewdness behind Guogong Furen and slightly faltered. She subtly nced at Li Wei Yang. Seeing she did not react, Lao Furen understood and pretended not to notice the implications: ¡°How could I turn away Guogong Furen¡¯s good intentions?¡±
At this point, everyone seemed happy, at least, on the surface.
There was not the slightest change on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face but a cold smile vaguely emerged. Li Chang Le had never looked over in her direction since she came in. She asionally looked up with a gentle, respectful expression and a hint of guilt. People say everything can change in three days, and you may not be able to look at someone the same way again!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 99 part1
Chapter 99: Bursting with happiness
Guogongfuren had already reached her goal; she carried a smile on her face as she leftwith her daughter-inw, leaving an atmosphere of oddity behind amongst the crowd.Lao furen stared at Li Chang Le long before she began to coldly smile, she said:¡°Why are we still foolishly standing here, let¡¯s disperse!¡±
Everyonequickly left, Li Wei Yang and Li Chang Le came out one after the other. Li ChangLe acted normally as she bid her farewell: ¡°San mei, take care.¡±
Becauseof Li Wei Yang¡¯s brazen attitude, she couldn¡¯t help but feel overwhelmed by unexpectedfavoritism. After the two had a fallout, this Dajie had never been this benign towardsher, and so she calmly smiled and then turned to leave.
LiChang Le watched her opponent¡¯s silhouette and revealed a pondering expression.Even when Li Wei Yang disappeared from the corridor, her gaze still didn¡¯t wanderelsewhere.
Sincethe morning, the entire Li family had submerged in pessimism. Li Xiao Ran foundout before Lao furen that the Jiang family forcefully sent Li Chang Le back. He,of course, wasn¡¯t willing to see this humiliating daughter ever again, yet the householdwas inseparable from matters in the court. The reason he yielded to them was becausethe Jiang was offering him an even bigger benefit, but how could he exin thisto his muqin and family? He would have never known that the mood in the family wouldcontinue into dinner and eventually explode.
BecauseJiu Yiniang and Qi Yiniang needed to take care of their children, Lao furen specificallyinstructed that they don¡¯t have to serve her during her meals. Si Yiniang and LiuYiniang were like bickering chickens, taunting and jeering at one another nonstop,scheming against each other, creating pandemoniums. Seeing the two, Lao furen becamevery frustrated, so she told them to eat in their yuanzi as well. Thus during dinner,it was Luo Mama who prepared the meals for Lao furen and the one to serve her werethe yatous. From the start to end of the meal, a cough couldn¡¯t even be heard, itwas silent to the point that it seemed like no one was there.
LiXiao Ran looked at Li Chang Xiao who had her head down as she ate. He lightly coughedand Li Chang Xiao swiftly lifted her head and saw that her father was staring ather. She became anxious and then remembered his words, she hesitantly turned herhead and said: ¡°Lao furen, today is the fifteenth, a night of the full moon, thefamily should get together .......¡±
Laofuren frowned as if she was stunned: ¡°Say whatever you have to say, don¡¯t speakin bits and pieces.¡±
LiChang Xiao gave Li Wei Yang a furtive nce and noticed that she was quiet as ifshe didn¡¯t understand her meaning. She made up her mind and said: ¡°Everyone is herenow, except for Da jie. She is alone by herself, how pitiful, I beg for Lao furen¡¯skindness---¡°
Afterthese words were spoken, everyone was shocked. Er furen coldlyughed: ¡°Si Xiaojieis indeed benevolent, Da Xiaojie made a mistake. Lao furen had already showed mercyallowing her to return. And you even want her to eat with us at the table, don¡¯ttake a yard when given an inch!¡±
LiChang Ru also smilingly said on the side: ¡°Yes, Si Meimei, Lao furen bes illwhenever she sees her. It¡¯s better for you to not speak such rubbish, eat your food!¡±
Unrestrainedembarrassment appeared on Li Chang Xiao¡¯s face. She looked at Li Xiao Ran and thenlooked at the expressionless Lao furen, tears were about to flow from her eyes.
LiXiao Ran looked towards Li Wei Yang as if he was hoping for her to put in a word.But Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t even look at him and only quietly drank the winter bambooshoots soup without lifting her head up. Li Xiao Ran felt dissatisfied, this yatouhad always been clever, did she not understand his intentions today, she¡¯s definitelyunworthy of such attention! To Li Xiao Ran, his children must act ording to hisideas and must not have any other thoughts or else they are impious! His expressionfroze, he coughed and then turned towards Lao furen and immediately put a smileon his face: ¡°Lao furen, Chang Xiao is correct, the family should all get togethersooner orter.¡±
LaoFuren coldly looked at him. Both of their gazes locked for a moment and in the end,Li Xiao Ran gave in. He stared at a pan of chrysanthemum fish and earnestly said,¡°Hope Lao furen will understand your son¡¯s dilemma.¡±
LaoFuren was stunned and stayed silent for a while.
Havinglistened to the conversation, he couldn¡¯t help but frowned. He looked at Li WeiYang who was sitting across from him and noticed that she shook her head yet heldback and didn¡¯t utter a word.
LiWei Yang sighed. Earlier, Li Xiao Ran was still determined but now that Jiang Danhad returned to the capital, he gave in. No, perhaps the cunning Jiang Dan and fuqinhad reached an agreement. No matter what Li Chang Le will certainly stay and thiswas an unchangeable truth even if Lao furen disapproved. If it was like this, thenwhy prevent it?
Inthe end, Lao Furen let out a long sigh. ording to her own conscience, the Lifamily couldn¡¯t forgive such an immoral daughter but since her son was this adamant,she didn¡¯t have the heart to hold her stance --- ¡°Forget it, allow her to dine withus.¡±
Momentarily,Li Chang Le lowered her head as she approached the table and greeted Lao Furen andLi Xiao Ran. Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t look at her and only said: ¡°Sit.¡±
Aftergreeting them, Li Chang Le didn¡¯t sit in her own seat but gently walked over andsaid: ¡°Lao furen, sun nv will help serve you.¡± Her voice was gentle and warm, makingothers felt like they were listening to blissful music.
LuoMama still had the bowl in her hand, waiting for Lao furen¡¯s response.
Laofuren coldly said: ¡°No need.¡±
yer of tears appeared in Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes, she nced over at Li Xiao Ran toask for his help. How could Li Xiao Ran not understand her meaning, if she didn¡¯treestablish her position as Da Xiaojie in front of everyone, her return was equivalentto being ced in the cold pce. He recalled Jiang Dan¡¯s words and he bitinglysaid: ¡°Lao furen ---¡°
Laofuren sighed, unwilling to make her son¡¯s life difficult, she nodded: ¡°Hand it toher.¡±
LuoMama transferred the little bowl to Li Chang Le. Li Chang Le smiled and followingwhat Luo Mama was doing, she scooped a spoonful of winter bamboo shoot soup. Theglimmer of the soup and the snow whiteness of the bamboo was seen from the bowl,making everyone hungry, as she ced it next to Lao furen.
LaoFuren gave it a glimpse and said: ¡°My body is weak, this chicken soup is too oilythat it makes one loses its appetite, no need.¡±
LiChang Le quickly apologized: ¡°Sun nv didn¡¯t know Lao furen¡¯s body hasn¡¯t been wellrecently, I beg for Lao furen¡¯s forgiveness.¡±
LiMin De¡¯s pair of spring watered eyes was filled with cynicism. He looked at hisbeautiful Dajie, seeing her expression of being wronged, it made him felt like heswallowed a fly, revolting.
Erfuren coldly voiced: ¡°Da Xiaojie, no one would me you for wanting to fawn onand show off your cleverness but you can¡¯t disregard Lao furen¡¯s health conditionand casually let her eat whatever. If she ate something that affected her health,would you be able take full responsibility?¡±
LiChang Le bit her lips and cried: ¡°Lao furen, it is sun nv¡¯s fault, it won¡¯t happenagain.¡±
Asshe spoke, she got a piece of steamed pepper bass and ced it into Lao furen¡¯sbowl: ¡°Try this out.¡±
Laofuren looked at her and then closed her eyes and said with disgust: ¡°I don¡¯t wantto eat.¡±
LuoMama smilingly said: ¡°Da Xiaojie, recently, Lao furen wasn¡¯t feeling well so shehas eaten less chicken, duck, and fish. You are ---¡°
LiChang Le wasn¡¯t discouraged and lightly said: ¡°The food on this table is mainlymeat or fish so it wouldn¡¯t be appetizing. If Lao furen don¡¯t mind, sun nv had alreadyprepared a new meal for you and hope that you would give it a try.¡±
Laofuren frowned and was about to reject but heard Li Xiao Ran urged: ¡°Lao furen, sinceChang Le put effort into this, you should give it a try.¡±
Laofuren looked at Li Xiao Ran and in the end didn¡¯t reject.
LiChang Le told Tan Xiang who was by her side: ¡°Let them bring forth the dishes.¡±Tan Xiang left and soon yatous flowed in, holding exquisite tters. Luo Mama orderedpeople to remove half of the dishes on the table and ced the dishes on the ttersbought in by the yatous onto the table.
Erfuren gave a glimpse, sneered and said: ¡°Da Xiaojie, what is the meaning of this,isn¡¯t this meat, what kind of game are you ying, perhaps you think our chef¡¯scooking is not satisfactory and deliberately invited a chef from the heavenly pceto prepare meals for Lao furen?¡±
Onthe table were dishes that were not much different, even though the colors weremuch more vibrant and seemed more appetizing, but there were nothing special aboutthem.
LiChang Le smilingly said: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to deceive Lao furen,¡± Speaking up untilnow, she took a slice of appealing and aromatic ham and ced it into Lao furen¡¯sbowl.
LuoMama frowned and was about to reject for Lao furen when Lao furen changed her mindand had already grabbed the ham and ced it into her mouth. She didn¡¯t open hermouth and everyone tensely stared at her. Lao furen actually revealed a satisfiedexpression and said: ¡°Taste is really not bad.¡±
Laofuren had always been picky. The chefs in the residence are master chefs hired fromaround the nation yet none had been bluntly praised by her. Dishes that were ableto gain her approval could easily be counted.
Afterhearing this, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but look at the dishes on the table andrevealed curiosity.
Laofuren spoke: ¡°Where did the hame from, the taste is refreshing.¡±
Erfuren refused to give in and grabbed a bite and ced it into her mouth. The tastewas definitely special, this ham was thin yet appetizing, making one want to takeanother bite. She frowned and deliberately said: ¡°It is just so-so!¡±
LiChang Le showed a smile instead of directly replying and then took the mushroomin the dish of mushroom chicken for Lao furen and said: ¡°Give this a try, sun nvpromise this won¡¯t make you feel it¡¯s oily at all.¡±
Laofuren listened and then tried a bite and paused. The mushroom chicken that wereoften served were clouded with the scent of chicken and oil so she always felt itwas too greasy. But today, this dish was very different, not only was it refreshingbut it was also aromatic. She couldn¡¯t help but looked at that dish: ¡°How was thismade? That the taste is this unique.¡±
LiWei Yang finally opened her mouth to speak. Her voice was slow yet steadfast: ¡°Thesedishes from Dajie, are all vegetarian, right?¡±
LiChang Le couldn¡¯t believe that the first person to guess correctly was Li Wei Yang,who didn¡¯t even taste the dishes. She sumbed her astonishment and then slightlysmiled and said: ¡°San mei has a good eye, the dishes on this table, are actuallyall vegetarian.¡±
Laofuren was still dubious and grabbed a few more slices and ced them into her mouth.Without distinguishing the difference, she curiously asked: ¡°I¡¯ve eaten vegetariandishes from all around the nation but I haven¡¯t tasted this before, how was thismade?¡±
LiChang Le smilingly said: ¡°The days sun nv spent on the mountaintop, besides practicingabstinence from meat and chanting prayers, I idle away time aimlessly each day.So after a while, I decided to learn how to prepare vegetarian meals from the cook.The vegetarian dishes that Lao furen eats are inarguably prepared by an infamouschef, yet it might not be as legitimatepared to those prepared by the cook whoresides deep in the mountains. In actuality, the way these vegetarian dishes areprepared is very simple. The main ingredients are wild vegetables, mushrooms, fungus,and various kinds of tofu, these simple things, as long as these are prepared well,not only will we save money but the meals would be vibrant and appetizing.
¡°Thesedishes were all prepared by you?¡± Lao furen nced at the dishes on the table andonly felt incredible. Li Chang Le had always boasted her nobility and never stainedher hands with work. Making a bowl of soup once in a while in the kitchen was goodenough but she actually prepared a table of vegetarian dishes, which made everyonecouldn¡¯t believe their eyes. Perhaps she was really a changed person, she wantedto start anew?
¡°Allwere prepared by sun nv but without the guidance of the temple¡¯s Miao Xin Shifu,sun nv wouldn¡¯t have been able to prepare such local vegetarian dishes.¡± Li ChangLe was very humble and her attitude was harmonious.
LiChang Xiao couldn¡¯t hold back her curiosity, she mped a piece of chicken legand gave it a try. She then revealed a shocked expression: ¡°Dajie, how did you makethis chicken leg? How does it still have bones?¡±
LiChang Le warmly smiled: ¡°Si mei, take a careful look at this chicken bone, whatis it exactly?¡±
Aftertasting it for a while, Li Chang Xiao ultimately shook her hand. Li Chang Lefortablysaid: ¡°I¡¯ve boiled the winter bamboo shoots in the water, then scooped them outand cut them into pieces to imitate the bones of a chicken. After, I add the piecesof bamboo into the middle of the tofus, wrapped them up to create various sizesof chicken legs. I fried them in a pot of oil until they are golden, so don¡¯t theylook exactly like chicken legs?¡±
Otherscontinued to sample and then naturally gasped in admiration. The people all haveeaten vegetarian dishes before but they have never tasted such refreshing ones.Even the best monk in An Guo Temple couldn¡¯t prepare such a delicious meal.
LiXiao Ran showed a rare smile: ¡°If you had calmed your temperament, you wouldn¡¯thave ---¡° Amidst his words, he gently sighed and said: ¡°Since you¡¯ve return, wewill let the past be forgotten and you should serve Lao furen well.¡±
Amodest smile appeared on Li Chang Le¡¯s face: ¡°Yes.¡±
LiMin De¡¯s brows unconsciously tensed up, this Li Chang Le was entirely differentfrom before. Whether it was her manner of speech or behavior, she was even morebeautiful, noble, and gentle than before. If Li Chang Le was described as a beautiful,fragranced peony, this arrogant peony had transitioned into a luring and sophisticatedorchid. And especially the type that carried a sense of gentleness and a delicateyet weak expression, making everyone not have the heart to reject her.
LiWei Yang smiled gently, usual vegetarian dishes often used vegetarian chicken, duck,and fish cooked in vegetarian oil to imitate the shape of the chicken, duck, andfish. It was very difficult to imitate the taste, it may look like a meat dish butthe taste was actually a vegetarian dish so some might think it¡¯s not delicious.But this table of dishes was borately prepared by Li Chang Le.
Erfuren forced a smile: ¡°Da Xiaojie, don¡¯t hide away those talented cooking skills,you should guide your Er mei more!¡±
LiChang Ru¡¯s smile was stiff and then she heard Li Chang Le warmly said: ¡°If Er meiis willing to learn, then I will certainly advise her.¡±
LiWei Yang actually shook her head and said: ¡°No matter how much you learn Er jie,I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t learn how to.¡±
LiChang Ru clenched her brows: ¡°What is the meaning behind your words?! Am I not assmart as Da jie?¡±
LiWei Yang¡¯s smile created a sense of difort: ¡°Er jie, you¡¯ve misunderstood, WeiYang¡¯s meaning is even if Da jie taught you how to prepare these dishes, the tastewouldn¡¯t be the same.¡±
LiChang Rupletely didn¡¯t understand and her face showed confusion.
LiWei Yang smilingly picked up a piece of tofu, she said: ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this dish,it looks ordinary but in actuality, it requires ten and more wild chicken for thesoup base. Think about it, how could the value of these bepared to those ordinaryvegetarian dishes? I¡¯m afraid one dish cost about one or two silvers and this isthe cheapest amongst all the dishes. Other dishes look ordinary but with furtherobservation, it is a waste, so how would Er Jiejie be able to prepare these?¡±
Afterthose words were out, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression sank and Lao furen revealed an incredulousexpression.
LiChang Le¡¯s heart was cold yet showed a well-measured smile: ¡°San jie has a goodeye.¡±
LiWei Yang¡¯s expression was very calm like the sun reflected in theke: ¡°Da jieis ttering me. In actuality, your dishes look like vegetarian dishes but differenttypes of delicacies have been used to create the essence of the soup. Once thisis added to the vegetarian dishes, then the vegetables couldn¡¯t be tasted at and instead taste like bear paws and abalones. But for a table of dishes to costa hundred or two silvers, then it is too wasteful.¡±
LiChang Le¡¯s facial expression didn¡¯t change, she ringly said: ¡°San mei is exaggerating,it¡¯s merely a hundred or two silvers. From the Li family¡¯s fortune, why should webe so petty? As long as we are wholeheartedly doing it for zumu, it¡¯s worth it tospend even more money. If you hate to part with your money, then I am willing tofinance the ingredients used to prepare the dishes for each of her meals.¡±Thus, if Li Wei Yang continued to speak on, thenshe is disapproving the idea of expensing for Lao furen, then it would be impiety.
LiWei Yang revealed an anxious expression: ¡°Dajie hadpletely misunderstood WeiYang¡¯s intentions. The Li family now can, of course, bear the expenses but I amspeaking for the Li family¡¯s fortune in the long-run. If I¡¯ve ruined Lao furen andfuqin¡¯s mood, then please forgive me.¡±
LiXiao Ran frowned: ¡°Wei Yang, what are you trying to say?¡±
LiWei Yang slowly spoke: ¡°Fuqin, the Emperor had once said, out of all the officials,you are the most upright. Ever since you were promoted in De Zhou, you only ownedthree pieces of winter garments, you were served meals no more than five, and youonly had four to five small yuanzis in your residence. Such simplicity, who wouldn¡¯tpraise your honesty and uprightness! Now that fuqin is the prime minister, the family¡¯scondition changed and now to fulfill our duty towards Lao furen, spending more isnatural, but ---¡° As she spoke, she gave Li Chang Le a nce and continued: ¡°Ifwe let the people in the capital know that a meal in the Li family cost a hundredto two silvers, what will they say about fuqin?¡±
LiXiao Ran was stupefied and then his expression began to change for the worse. Helooked at the table of dishes and then clenched his brows.
Inthe end, Li Wei Yang¡¯s pair of eyes shed and she said: ¡°Thinking of this beingspread around, they will call fuqin a hypocrite, pretending to be upright, my heartwould feel awful. To protect fuqin¡¯s upright reputation, integrity, and fame, it¡¯sbetter to not consider these sweet desires and allow Lao furen to indulge in a lifetimeof honor is the most important!¡±
LiWei Yang¡¯s intentions were obvious. If an outsider found out that a meal in theLi family cost about a hundred silvers, it would cause an uproar. As long as LiXiao Ran is in the position of prime minister, Lao furen will live through gooddays. If they ruined their reputation because of these extravagant meals, the gainscannot cover the losses and they would even be aughingstock amongst the world!
Laofuren, of course, understood Li Wei Yang¡¯s meaning well. Even though she knew LiWei Yang and Li Chang Le were at odds, but every word that Li Wei Yang spoke wasfor the Li family so Lao furen became hesitant.
Atrace of watered chill slowly shed across Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes: ¡°Perhaps San meiis overthinking it, it¡¯s simply a table of dishes.¡±
LiWei Yang sighed and said: ¡°The Empress Dowager¡¯s vegetarian banquet was merely eightysilvers.¡±
Laofuren suddenly became oblivious, she frowned as she looked at the dishes on thetable: ¡°Take them all away, I can¡¯t ept such expenditures.¡±
TheDa Li¡¯s Empress Dowager only spent eighty silvers on a vegetarian banquet. The mealof a first-ranked official furen was actually much more extravagant than the EmpressDowager¡¯s, it was like taking the lead tomit a crime!
LiChang Le¡¯s face revealed absolute regret and immediately said: ¡°Lao furen, it¡¯sall sun nv¡¯s fault.¡±
Laofuren coldly watched her and was about to speak when Li Xiao Ran sighed and said:¡°Forget it, she had good intentions.¡±
LiChang Le¡¯s eyes were filled with tears and looked at Lao furen with anticipation,Lao furen calmly spoke: ¡°So be it, in the future, let¡¯s not have those wastefuldishes appear on our table.¡±
LiChang Le quickly voiced: ¡°Yes.¡±
LiWei Yang smiled slightly, if it was another person, they would not have the financialresources to host such a banquet. But Li Chang Le is different, Da furen had alreadyfurtively sent all of Li family¡¯s most expensive valuables to her own room. To hosta banquet like this for an entire year or more was not a difficult matter but toactually invite the real vegetarian master to teach her, she didn¡¯t have enoughface. She was just saying how Miaoxin Dashi of the temple taught her how to preparethese, but she was merely speaking rubbish. She was sent to reflect and Lao furendeliberately chose the oldest and poorest temple, it was impossible that there wouldbe such a monk. However, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t want to expose her because then Li XiaoRan wouldn¡¯t be able to back down with grace.
Inthe end, Li Chang Le was able to returnpletely because of Li Xiao Ran¡¯s decision.
-------------------------------------------------
Trantor: Erica
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 99 part2
Chapter 99: Bursting with happiness
sun nv: a way for granddaughter to address herself in front of grandparents
muqin: mother
fuqin: father
fujun: a formal way for a wife to address her husband
-->
Afterdinner, Li Chang Le wanted to help Lao furen up but Lao furen suddenly liftedher hand and pointed towards Li Wei Yang and said: ¡°This yatou, be more attentivee walk me back!¡±
LiWei Yang merrily went up and gently held onto Lao furen¡¯s arm.
LiChang Le watched their silhouettes disappear with utter disappointment. Shedabbed tears from the corner of her eyes. Standing on the side as he watched,Li Xiao Ran felt a little sympathetic towards her, he slowly said: ¡°Fuqinunderstands your intentions but what you did today was actually too wasteful.If words spread, it will ruin the Li family¡¯s reputation, don¡¯t me Laofuren, she is only looking out for the Li family.¡±
LiChang Le¡¯s eyes had tears yet she held back her whimpers and said: ¡°Yes, nv erunderstands.¡±
LiMin De coldly watched at this pair of father and daughter. Li Chang Le¡¯s actingwas getting better and it will inevitably be huge trouble in the future.
HeXiang Yuan
Laofuren held up her tea cup and gently blew away the hot air. She took a sip andsaid: ¡°Very light, these tea leaves are not bad.¡±
LiWei Yang smilingly said: ¡°This is the new tea from this year, Princess YongNing sent them overst time.¡± It was to help get over her shock.
Laofuren smilingly nodded and said: ¡°When I was young, I¡¯ve always liked strongertea. It¡¯s only when I am older that I find lighter tea to be better, light andrefreshing, which makes the taste linger longer.
LiWei Yang smiled without saying a word.
Laofuren slowly said: ¡°Oh, Wei Yang, I¡¯ve agreed to let your Dajie return, did youme me?¡±
LiWei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Lao furen, sun nv understands fuqin and your pains.This morning, it was easy to notice that they must have been prepared fromGuogong furen¡¯s manners. If we publicly declined, then the two families willhave a fallout. How could sun nv fail to see the bigger picture? I¡¯m thinkingright now, Lao furen feels much more terrible than Wei Yang, how could Wei Yangadd on to your troubles.¡±
LiWei Yang was right, Lao furen actually felt displeased deep within her heart.She has basked in glory her whole entire life and had never been coerced byanyone. But both times the Jiang family visited, once was to forcefully ce agirl into the family, and another was to force them to ept Li Chang Le, theywere going too overboard! Lao furen bitterly smiled and said: ¡°Oh you, such ayoung yatou, yet you seem like you are thirty or forty, you don¡¯t have any furyof a youth.¡±
LiWei Yang smilingly said: ¡°Look at what you just said, doesn¡¯t that make me too clever.¡±
Laofuren lightly smiled but then her smile suddenly disappeared, she said: ¡°I¡¯mold, I can¡¯t withstand these troubles, seeing how your fuqin begged me, Ididn¡¯t have the heart to stay determined.
LiWei Yang¡¯s smile was pleasantly warm: ¡°Lao furen¡¯s heart is, of course, for theLi family. Fuqin had a multitude of things to handle outside so it¡¯sunsurprising that there will be something he neglects. The family had been heldtogether by Lao furen; as long as fuqin¡¯s piety exists, how could there besomething that Lao furen can¡¯t tolerate? No matter what wrong Dajie hamitted, she is still flesh and blood, we can¡¯t let her wander aboutdestitute!¡±
Laofuren¡¯s eyes were slightly squinted yet her vision was reflected upon thecandle me with a hint of smile, ¡°Your words, not only defended your fuqin,but also helped me save face. In the end, you haven¡¯t wasted how much I dotedon you.¡±
LiWei Yang smilingly said: ¡°Without Lao furen taking care of me, how would WeiYang live until today. To be able to help serve Lao furen, it¡¯s already ablessing for me.¡±
¡°Whatan eloquent child.¡± Lao furen glimpsed at her and then warmly said, ¡°Your Dajieis the daughter of the main wife and she also has an attractive appearance. Yourfuqin had always doted on her so she would naturally be respected in thisfamily. But now, it is different, the things she has done, I haven¡¯t forgottenany of them. Our Li family is a clean family, nothing like this has happenedbefore. For the sake of the Jiang family, we¡¯ve already reluctantly kept heralive, even though Wu Xian Fei had already set the marriage arrangement but westill have to abide to the three years mourning period. So we only made an orgreement and haven¡¯t drawn up the marriage contract yet. I¡¯m afraid a mishapmight ur so I am keeping her under my watch to prevent her from causingtrouble and soil the Li family¡¯s reputation.¡±
LiWei Yang lowered her head, her expression humble, ¡°Lao furen is right.¡±
Laofuren lightly sighed and softly said: ¡°Wei Yang, even if the new furen marriesinto the family, your position in the family would never change. Moreover, withyour position as Xianzhu, your marriage in the future will most likely bedetermined by the Emperor, others will not be able to interfere.¡±
Thiswas to console her, Li Wei Yang understood, she warmly said: ¡°Lao furen, WeiYang understands.¡±
Laofuren said: ¡°You¡¯ve suffered. But there are some grievances, as a daughter inthe Li family, you must experience these. If Chang Le seek you out for troublein the future, if you can¡¯t hold back, then avoid her. We will put this offuntil Jiang Dan leaves the capital.¡±
LiWei Yang earnestly said: ¡°Lao furen is willing to advise Wei Yang, Wei Yangcouldn¡¯t be any happier.¡±
Laofuren just began to smile, warm like the spring winds: ¡°It¡¯s good that youunderstand, okay, it¡¯s gettingte, you should return and rest.¡±
LiWei Yang stood up and said: ¡°May Lao furen rest early.¡± She left cautiouslywithout any noise.
LuoMama ced a cloak on Lao furen, she gently said: ¡°Lao furen, today you ---¡°
Laofuren¡¯s pondering brows were like the clouds in the sky and they carried asense of inexpressible feeling: ¡°After a year of tranquility, we areimmediately in for waves.¡±
LuoMama swiftly said: ¡°That --- won¡¯t happen.¡±
Laofuren warmly revealed a calm smile: ¡°These two yatous are water and fire, howcould they get along peacefully, especially when the water in this yuanzi isdirtied, this time, there will be chaos.¡±
LuoMama muttered: ¡°But Nubi thinks Da Xiaojie has learned to restrain herself.¡±
Laofuren coldly said: ¡°You think Chang Le is stupid? Because she had a mother thattook everything for her and a beautiful face, wherever she goes, everyone wouldlet her have her way. Since she led afortable life, she has no sense ofpropriety. Now that she had been imprisoned at the nunnery for a year, isn¡¯t itsufficient for her to repent? The fickleness of humans, she must eventuallylearn how to conduct herself.¡±
LuoMama hesitantly said: ¡°Lao furen perhaps is suspicious about what happened ---¡°
Laofuren smiled and said: ¡°No matter how foolish she is, she would not dosomething this stupid, naturally it was someone¡¯s doing.¡±
LuoMama was extremely shocked: ¡°Then why did Lao furen still punish Da Xiaojie?¡±
Laofuren spoke: ¡°Don¡¯t me me for being cruel, if she didn¡¯t have badintentions, no one would have harmed her. If she does not have the skills, thendon¡¯t harm others, or else suffer from these kinds of punishment!¡±
LuoMama stayed quiet, she felt that Lao furen sometimes favored San Xiaojie toomuch when she knew she couldn¡¯t be extricated from the incident ......
Laofuren said: ¡°I know you want to say I favor Wei Yang, that¡¯s right, I reallylike her. Because she is alone and helpless and in order to survive in the Lifamily, she must fight for my support. If I didn¡¯t take care of her, every stepshe takes would be difficult. And because of this, she would think of every wayto take care of me and understand me without being one bit careless. As forChang Le, she is the daughter of the main wife and she also has a strongmaternal backing. The mother and daughter seemed respectful but they¡¯ve done alot that goes against my principles behind my back. Naturally I would not likeher and, of course, I wouldn¡¯t save her. Moreover, everything is already thetruth, no one could have saved her then!¡±
LuoMama was suddenly enlightened, ¡°So Lao furen would help San Xiaojie, but DaXiaojie is obviously aware of her wrongs ......¡±
Laofuren smiled and said: ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see.¡±
Upuntil the morning, Li Xiao Ran was ready to wee his new wife, the Li familybegan to be busier. Since the early morning, guests flowed in one after theother. To entertain his guests, Li Xiao Ran deliberately invited the mostpopr entertainer group in the capital so that the guests can watch theperformance as they waited. As time inches towards noon, all of the Li family¡¯snoble guests have arrived, royalties, ministers, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s disciples, eachbought along congrattory gifts, making the entire ce filled with richesand honor.
Itwasn¡¯t until sunset where red fogs covered the skies when the bridal sedan wasbought into the residence and the Li family opened the central door to happilyinvite the sedan in. At this moment, the Li family¡¯s door was crowded withpeople mainly because when the eight-carrier bridal sedan was traveling throughthe streets, it attracted the peasant¡¯s admiration. Whenmoners got married,they only sat in a bridal sedan carried by four people --- only first-rankedfuren can be married in a bridal sedan carried by eight people.
Inher yuanzi, Li Wei Yang listened to the deafening firecracker noise. With fixedattention, Li Min De coldly smiled: ¡°I¡¯ve gone and taken a look, on the bride¡¯sheadpiece are pearl pheasants and peonies, just from looking at it, I¡¯vealready felt bedazzled. She wore a bridal gown that was made with authentic redsilk and on her scarf, are embroideries of rosy mandarins. It is certainlyglorifying ... the Jiangs are definitely willing to spend the money.¡±
LiWei Yang smiled and calmly spoke: ¡°Not just money but all of their resources.This bridal gown can¡¯t be worn by any brides. She is wearing the wardrobe of afirst-ranked furen.
LiMin De frowned and said: ¡°Can¡¯t believe the Jiangs didn¡¯t even wait until sheenters the family and has already want to request her the title of first-rankedfuren.¡±
Firstrank is the symbolism of status and position. Li Wei Yang whispered but it wasloud enough for people around her to hear clearly: ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for this, howcould she stand above a second ranked Xianzhu?¡±
LiMin De¡¯s expression quickly changed as if his face was veiled by ayer offog. Seeing his expression, Li Wei Yang knew immediately what he was thinkingabout. She shook her head and said: ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see, things might not be asbad as we think it could be.¡±
LiMin De nodded and then Bai Zhi swiftly strolled in to report: ¡°Xiaojie, Laofuren said the bride has entered the wedding room, so she invites all Xiaojiesto apany her.¡±
LiWei Yang nodded and then said: ¡°Min De, you go wee the guests in the front,I will have to leave soon.¡±
Afterbringing the bride into the wedding room, Li Xiao Ran only lifted the veil andthen went out to wee the guests. He had to toast with all his rtives andfriends ......
Uponentering the room, Li Wei Yang only heard sounds ofughter.
Thenew bride quietly sat on the giant wedding bed in the most elegant sitting poseas she waited. Er furen by her side wasughing: ¡°I originally thought DaXiaojie was the most outstanding one, yet I would have never thought the newbride is like a deity that had descended from heavens. Lao furen is reallyblessed!¡±
Laofuren only smiled and said: ¡°It is my son¡¯s blessing.¡±
Thebride bashed, at this second, the yatou at the door said: ¡°San Xiaojie, you arehere.¡±
Everythingin the room looked towards the door. Li Wei Yang smilingly walked in and said:¡°I¡¯ve arrivedte, I ask for your forgiveness.¡±
Thebride lifted her head and only felt a gentle light glimmered in her eyes as agraceful young girl came forward. She had rosy cheeks and cherry lips yet shehad a pair of clear, cold eyes as they smiled at her.
JiangYue Lan couldn¡¯t help but sigh as she revealed an even more gentle smile: ¡°Thismust be Wei Yang.¡±Even though she thenew bride, she wasn¡¯t a bit timid and overcautious but was rather generous anddecorous.
Laofuren smiled: ¡°Yes, she is the third.¡± As she said this, she gestured towardsWei Yang and said: ¡°Come, pay respects to your muqin.¡±
Eventhough Jiang Yue Lan married Li Xiao Ran thetest yet she was officially themain wife. Li Wei Yang went forth to greet her and without any signs ofdisapproval, she said: ¡°Wei Yang greets muqin.¡±
Onthe side, Li Chang Xiao secretly admired her. She knew seeing this young,beautiful stepmother already made her felt uneasy and greet her with that titleyet Li Wei Yang said it as if it was nothing.
LiChang Le silently watched as she lowered her head, not knowing what to think.
Thenew furen Jiang Yue Lan was beautiful yet wasn¡¯t thin, her voluptuous facewasn¡¯t fat and had on honey peach blush. Her curving half crescent brows flowedalong finely with a pair of moving eyes below. Her nose was as if it was carvedfrom white jade, glimmering like smooth jade. Her cherry lips showed a smile,carrying endless magnanimity; she iss definitely a big beauty but only prettierthan Li Chang Le by a speck.
Thiskind of beauty had actually been hidden until this day, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯thelp but feel suspicious, what exactly did the Jiangs wanted to do from thestart. There was one point that Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t even know, Jiang Yue Lan wasoriginally supposed to be sent into the pce by the Jiangs. But because Dafuren had passed away, such a good pawn was sent into the Li family instead.
LiChang Ru saw Li Chang Le had her head down. She wanted to provoke her, shesaid: ¡°Dajie, are you reminiscing your birth mother? Oh, in this situation, itis certainly easier to recall old memories at familiar sights.¡±
Laofuren frowned and disliked Li Chang Ru¡¯s slip of the tongue. Li Chang Le didn¡¯tshow any signs of refutation but revealed grief in her expression.
Watchingthis scene, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t show any signs of taking pleasure in hermisfortune but only calmly smiled.
Laofuren ultimately reprimanded: ¡°Such a joyful day, how could you not know whatshould be said and what shouldn¡¯t be said!¡±
LiChang Ru¡¯s face turned white and was silent. Er furen¡¯s expression revealeddispleasure but in the end, she didn¡¯t dare to argue with Lao furen and onlytugged her daughter¡¯s sleeve to signal her to hold it in.
Becauseof this, the atmosphere in the wedding room turned cold, no one dared to opentheir mouth to speak. At this moment, the bride stood up and then walked overto Li Chang Le¡¯s side, she gently said: ¡°I¡¯ve also lost my birth mother when Iwas young so I understand your feelings. Moreover, your mu qin is my cousin,you and I are family. Marrying into here, we are even closer, I will take careof you in ce of cousin in the future. Don¡¯t grief anymore.¡± Saying this, sheeven reached out to grasped ahold of her hand, Li Chang Le actually seemed tobe moved.
Laofuren used her handkerchief to cover the corners of her eyes and said: ¡°YueLan, I couldn¡¯t believe you are this sensible, I hope you can take care of thismore in the future.¡±
JiangYue Lan¡¯s face was filled with modesty, she said: ¡°Yue Lan will do everything Ican to serve Lao furen and take care of fujun¡¯s children.¡± Her tone wasindubitably sincere and attitude was absolutely respectful, making othersunable to pick on her. Even Bai Zhe and Mo Zhu who stood behind Li Wei Yangwere convinced by this beautiful and generous furen. She couldn¡¯t help butthink the new furen and Da furen were two different people.
LiWei Yang watched this scene and couldn¡¯t help but smile. If they really wantedto chat as family, they could have done so without anyone knowing, why wouldthey do it in front of everyone? Was it all Li Chang Le¡¯s doing in putting onthis show to gain sympathy or did these two just yed along and put on animpromptu show? But no matter what, this new furen¡¯s performance was perfect.As a newly arrived bride, she was this benevolent towards the original mainwife¡¯s children and was also able to give equal treatment to all children ofconcubines, she was definitely a figure.
LiChang Le¡¯s eyes were drenched with tears, she said: ¡°Lao furen, now that thereis muqin, Chang Le wouldn¡¯t feel alone anymore.¡±
LiWei Yang smilingly said: ¡°Da jie, what are you saying, not only muqin, I wouldnot let you be alone.¡±
LiChang Le acted with surprise and then looked at Jiang Yue Land. Jiang Yue Lansmiled: ¡°After this, we are a family, this is a definite.¡±
Laofuren smiled: ¡°Yes, one whole family, we have to be harmonious, I hope fromtoday onward, we can live with peace!¡±
Thughter from the wedding room spread throughout and Luo Mama who was guardingthe yuan zi let out a sigh after seeing the dark clouds gathering overhead.
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Pending
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Chapter 100 part1
Chapter 100: Fearless and Invincible
The bridalchamber was filled with the smell of incense, and together with the thick scentof perfume and powder, it made an overpowering mix that made her sick. LiWeiyang attempted a smile and whispered something in Lao Furen¡¯s ear, whopromptly waved her hands in dismissal. ¡°Go, go.¡±
As Li Weiyangleft, only Li Changle paid her any attention; she briefly lifted her eyes tonce at her, before resuming her conversation with Jiang Yun.
With thebreath of fresh air that came with her escape outside, Li Weiyang immediatelyfelt better. Baizhi asked curiously: ¡°Xiaojie, why did youe out?¡±
¡°Thefirecrackers outside are so loud, I¡¯m afraid Min Zhi would be startled byit, so I told Lao Furen that I¡¯ll go check on him.¡± Li Weiyang said with asmile.
Min Zhi washer own brother, and at only 1 month old, he had already won Lao Furen¡¯s heart.Of course, not only Lao Furen was charmed; Li Xiaoran also sent people to enquireafter him around 3 times a day, so Li Weiyang¡¯s excuse for leaving was fullyunderstandable.
As shestrolled past the pond, she saw that the numerous lotus flowers had wilted,leaving behind dead leaves and empty ripples on the water. Li Weiyang suddenlystopped in her tracks. ¡°I want to walk by myself, Baizhi and Zhaoyue may staywith me. Mo Zhu, bring the rest of them back.¡±
Mo Zhu knewthat her mistress¡¯ mood was hard to predict, so she merely lowered her voice.¡°Yes, Xiaojie.¡± She left with the other Yatous, so there was only Li Weiyangand her trusted confidants at the lotus pond.
¡°Xianzhu issmart.¡± A handsome man emerged from behind the trees casually, with a faintsmile upon his lips.
Li Weiyangturned towards the source of the voice, wearing a simr smile as sherecognized its owner. ¡°The banquet is hosted in the front courtyard. What hasbrought you here, Qi Huangzi?¡±
Tuoba Yumerely smiled. ¡°I still owe you a formal apology, so I simply told them I wouldlike to rest in the flower halls. That¡¯s how I found myself here.¡±
Li Weiyang regarded him with suspicion. ¡°Apology?¡±
A sliver ofcoolness shed in Tuoba Yu¡¯s eyes, but before he could exin himself, shehad already caught onto his meaning. ¡°Haven¡¯t you already apologised for that?¡±
Both of themwere speaking strangely, but Baizhi and Zhaoyue guarded their senses,pretending as if they had overheard nothing.
Tuoba Yucouldn¡¯t help but quirk his brows in a smile. ¡°I had thought you¡¯d be angry fora long time.¡±
¡°Even if I was very angry, seeing Qi Huangzi¡¯seffort in sending me money... as the receiver, I cannot possibly do nothing. Onthe ount of your sincerity, I have to forgive you.¡± She was not losing outon the matters she had invested in, but since Tuoba Yu made such an attempt tosend her money, she definitely wouldn¡¯t put on airs and reject it. Since De Feihad tried to harm her previously, she would take this as a form of payment.
Tuoba Yulooked helpless. ¡°After what had happened that day, my Mu Fei was bedridden foran entire 3 months; you should be appeased by that.¡±
There was atrace of strangeness in Li Weiyang¡¯s grin. ¡°That¡¯s merely interest repayment!¡±
¡°Sorry thatyou had to show mercy!¡± Tuoba Yu smiled warmly, taking two steps forward. LiWeiyang took a step back, leaving his hand hanging in the air. His smileremained pleasant. ¡°I only wanted to help you sweep away the leaves in yourhair...¡±
Li Weiyang¡®ssmile was warm as well. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to bother yourself.¡±
No matter howstrong Tuoba Yu was, a sh of hurt still crossed his eyes. ¡°Do you hate mebecause of what happened with Mu Fei?¡±
At the mentionof De Fei, some hostility surfaced in Li Weiyang, but she managed to cover itup with a restrained smile. ¡°Qi Huangzi, what are you saying? I¡¯m only a smallpawn, too insignificant to make an impact on the game.¡±
Tuoba Yu shookslightly, unsure if it was due to the wind, or the shock. He had used thisexact sentence as an exnation to De Fei; no matter how hard he tried toconvince her that she was an ally, De Fei refused to believe it. It was not herfault, because who would trust that the series of blows aimed at San Huangziwere orchestrated by a sheltered Xiaojie. Not to mention, De Fei was alreadybiased against Li Weiyang, seeing her as a threat. So, to temporarily appease DeFei, Tuoba Yu had no choice but to pretend that he only saw Li Weiyang as anunimportant chess piece used for his own benefit, so that she would leave heralone. He never would have thought that Li Weiyang could find out what he did.
¡°Qi Dianxia,there¡¯s no need for you to panic. I¡¯m not so capable to the extent that I amable to arrange spies to watch De Fei. I merely understand De Fei Niang Niang¡¯scharacter very well; if you did not act indifferent towards me, she would nothave given up so easily.¡±
Tuoba Yucouldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°If Mu Fei were to find out that you are the chessyer instead, she would have been frightened to death.¡±
¡°The chessyer is neither me not Dianxia, it is the deity above. Previously we hadmanaged to destroy much of Tuoba Zhen¡¯s secrets, has there been any action fromhim recently?¡± Li Weiyang simply smiled.
Tuoba Yu frozeand attempted to calm his thoughts, frowning ever so slightly. ¡°San Ge¡¯s movementsoutside of court is not notable. He knows that Fu Huang¡¯s health is not good ote, so he invited a holy master to take a look. Initially, we didn¡¯t caremuch about this person, but in the past 6 months, Fu Huang¡¯s trust in him hasincreased, and he seems to have an influence on his actions.¡±
¡°Yin Tianzhao?¡± Li Weiyang¡¯s eyebrows knit together.
¡°Yes,Xianzhu¡¯s information is really urate.¡± Tuoba Yu nodded in amazement.
Li Weiyangsmiled bitterly. It wasn¡¯t that her source of information was good; this MasterYin was someone from her past that she knew very well. Previously, Tuoba Zhenhad made use of this Master Yin to gain the Emperor¡¯s trust and love; he was animportant yer in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s path to power.
However,ording to her memory, Master Yin should not have entered the pce untnother 7 yearster, but now... could it mean that history is about to bere-written? No, ever since her rebirth, many things have changed. For example,she entered the Li Residence half a year earlier than in her previous life, QiYiniang and Min De had both managed to survive, and the birth of Min Zhi...Perhaps her very existence is a paradox. If she had not forced his hand, TuobaZhen wouldn¡¯t bring such an important chess piece into y so much earlier.
¡°How is Dianxia prepared to deal with it?¡± Li Weiyang said with a smile.
A thread ofcoldness unwound through Tuoba Yu¡¯s eyes. ¡°This type of despicable liar cannotbe allowed to remain, I have already instructed someone to raise a petitionagainst him. We definitely have to find a way to remove him from thepce.¡±
Upon hearingthat, Li Weiyang couldn¡¯t help but frown. This is exactly the same tactic that QiHuangzi had tried using previously, but the oue? The Emperor had trustedand depended heavily on Master Yin, so he was extremely unhappy when hereceived the petition. He felt that his ministers had banded together to goagainst him, so he heavily chastised the three ministers who had submitted it,even removing them from their posts.
The Emperor¡¯sextreme attitude towards this matter made Tuoba Yu realise that Master Yin¡¯sposition was not simple, and could not be shaken so easily. Three yearster,on Master Yin¡¯s advice, the Emperor had totally distanced himself from Tuoba Yu,andpletely depended his divination lots to handle matters, thus effectivelyallowing most of the power to be controlled by Tuoba Zhen.
Qi Huangzi¡¯ssupporters, including Luo Guo Gong, had attempted to change the situation bygathering a few close ministers to congregate outside the pce, kneeling andcrying out. They had demanded that the Emperor dismiss Master Yin, or theywould remain on their knees until then. Usually this method could work, asappeasing public resentment is often crucial. However, the Emperor had alreadybeen ensnared by Master Yin, so hearing their cries made him extremelyfrustrated and angry instead. He ordered his imperial guards to arrest all 42ministers and throw them into the dungeons, and to flog them the next day. Evenso, Master Yin still harboured a grudge, instigating the Emperor to punish thetop 12 ministers again. After two days of flogging, 6 of the 42 ministers haddied, leaving 20 severely injured, and the rest did not dare to voice outagain. Qi Huangzi, who had originally been doted on, was pushed even furtheraway from the centre of power, and after an incident where he was framed by TuobaZhen, no one dared to speak for him anymore.
Luo Guo Gong mightbe smart, but he was not made to meddle in politics, and most importantly, hedid not have the ability to guess the Emperor¡¯s moods; hence a matter whichcould have been transformed into benefit turned into one down a path of noreturn, destroying a future which had potentially great prospects.
Li Weiyangstudied Tuoba Yu, her smile deepening. ¡°This... I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t beappropriate.¡±
Tuoba Yu knewit was not the best idea, but ever since this Master Yin had entered thepce, he had suggested all sorts of weird notions, so he could not sit idlyby and watch him grow his influence.
¡°If you wantto defeat Yin Tianzhao, it¡¯s easy. The hard task is his backer.¡± Li Weiyangsaid slowly.
Tuoba Yuknitted his brows. ¡°You are saying... San Ge?¡±
Li Weiyangcouldn¡¯t control her smile from quirking. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, your San Ge is not theone who can protect Yin Tianzhao. His real protector is Bi Xia.¡±
¡°My Fu Huang?¡±Tuoba Yu was an intelligent man, and he seemed to have suddenly realisedsomething. ¡°You are right. The one who really protects and trusts him is my FuHuang; so long as there remains a day he is in his trust, we cannot do anythingto him!¡±
¡°Yes, exactly.Qi Dianxia, Bi Xia is fifty years old this year, and the women in the haremnumber by the thousands. With so many beauties by his side, isn¡¯t it wasted ifhe can only look? Additionally, watching his sons slowly growing older andstronger, it is only natural that he feels fear.¡±
Such wordsfrom Li Weiyang waspletely out of line; thankfully Tuoba Yu had alreadyarranged for them to remain isted from others. Hearing it still surprisedhim greatly, but she continued on, ¡°Bi Xia firstly, wants to be immortal andenjoy peace, and secondly, to remain fit and strong so that he can enjoy thpany of beautiful women and have a long line of descendants. He has pinnedhis hopes for these two wishes on Master Yin, so since Master Yin is able totreat his illness and make him strong quickly, it is no wonder that Bi Xialikes him so much.¡±
Tuoba Yu didnot agree, though. ¡°Those pills that he gave to Fu Huang, it is onlytemporary...¡±
¡°Yes, it isonly a short term effect. But to a man at Bi Xia¡¯s age, rather than suffer suchdifort, even if it is false strength, he¡¯ll ept it so long as he appearsfit. Also, how much does Dianxia know of Yin Tianzhao?¡± Li Weiyang said,smiling.
¡°He is fromMin Zhou, a priest from Mount Xuanyuan¡¯s Shang Qing Gong. Shang Qing Gong isthe ancestral home of Heavenly Masters, and Grand Master Zhang is the currentpresiding leader living there. Master Yin knew very well how to deceive thmon people, so the locals believed that he could pray for rain and snow, andheal illnesses. That¡¯s why Fu Huang felt that he had acquired a treasure.¡±Tuoba Yu reported his findings.
Li Weiyangshook her head. ¡°This Yin Tianzhao is nearing eighty years old now, but he hasa head full of hair and a rosyplexion, so he is definitely not without anyskill. As I know it, he also has a political mind; ten years ago, the rebelprince Tuoba Yu tried to recruit him to his cause, offering him 50 bars ofgold. He was never swayed, which showed that he was smart and knew how to judgewho was in power and who wasn¡¯t; or perhaps he did know some heavenly secret wehave no idea of.¡±
¡°Heavenlysecret?!¡± Tuoba Yu¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°I don¡¯t believe he knows anything likethat! If he really knew, he wouldn¡¯t be lured by Tuoba Zhen!¡±
Li Weiyangsighed, in the past, she only had her suspicions; why would the usuallyreclusive Yin Tianzhao suddenly listen to Tuoba Zhen ande to the pce...Apparently Yin Tianzhao knew how to read the stars and perform divination, socould he have predicted that Tuoba Zhen was fated to be the Emperor..? No,maybe both of them had established a deal, but she could not guess anythingsolid, as Tuoba Zhen did not even tell her in the past. This man simply hadintentions so deep that she could notprehend.
¡°Dianxia, wouldyou agree that Yin Tianzhao is good at summoning the weather?¡±
Tuoba Yu wasobviously not moved. ¡°You¡¯re referring to the incident where he sessfullyprayed for snow to fall during winter, despite it not snowing at allpreviously? He was just in lucky!¡±
Li Weiyangsmiled and shook her head again. ¡°It wasn¡¯t mere luck, but neither is it hispowers like Bixia thinks it is. He simply managed to guess the urate time ofsnowfall, so he bought time by ordering a praying tform be erected, then choosingthe specific timing to start praying for snow; hence winning more of Bixia¡¯strust.¡±
Tuoba Yuinitially only felt irritation and hatred towards this person, but afterhearing Li Weiyang¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but suspect if this Master reallyhad some skill at predicting the future. However, Li Weiyang still had more tosay.
¡°Not onlythat, I heard that two months ago, Bixia¡¯s concubines Wang Mei Ren and Lu MeiRen became pregnant, almost at the same time.¡± Li Weiyang said softly. Thispiece of news was brought to her by Li Min De; it had caused much uproaramongst themoners, as Bixia was already 50 years old and there were seldomsuch good news from his concubines anymore. But to have these tidings so soonafter Master Yin entered the pce... it seemed like there was some hiddenlink between the two.
Tuoba Yuseemed to have realised the connection as well. ¡°Ever since Fu Huang followed YinTianzhao¡¯s request to regte his health and be more devout in religiousmatters, as well as drink the tonic he prepared, he did seem to have increasedenergy. He has recently been very doting to his concubines, so other than thosetwo, Zhang Zhaoyi is also pregnant.¡±
¡°Therefore, since Master Yin has such power,how can Bixia not trust him? You all protest against his practice of Taoism andconsuming divine pills, but who else has the ability to summon rain and snow,to help themoners in their crops? Who amongst you all would have the meansto let Bixia have a few more sons? You all cannot, but Yin Tianzhao is able todo so; and this is exactly the reason why Dianxia trusts and relies on him somuch.¡± Li Weiyang said with a smile.
¡°But thisperson...¡± Tuoba Yu abruptly stopped, and a cool smile appeared, ¡°San Ge reallycan resort to any tactics.¡±
¡°Why would hesend a useless person into the pce?¡± Li Weiyang¡¯s outstretched hand crushedthe fallen leaf in her grasp, her smile growing warmer.
A murderousglint shone in Tuoba Yu¡¯s eyes. ¡°I can send him up to the heavens.¡±
¡°If you getrid of Yin Tianzhao, Tuoba Zhen will simply send a second one!¡± Li Weiyanggazed at the fragments in her palm.
¡°Then whatshould we do?¡± Tuoba Yu couldn¡¯t help it; he faintly felt that his ability tosee through others is nothingpared to thedy before his eyes. However, hedid not feel disheartened, as he knew that each and every person had their forteand purpose. He was willing to use her strengths to make up for hisshorings, which was a rare thing to do.
With a puff ofair, Li Weiyang scattered the remnants of the leaf, saying calmly: ¡°There¡¯s noneed to submit a petition against him. Dianxia, please have your men submit aproposal tomorrow, praising Master Yin¡¯s achievements and push for a residenceof his own to be erected. Additionally, suggest to the Emperor to grant him apost as a Minister of Etiquette, with the rank of First Officer. In this way, Bixiawill definitely be delighted.¡±
Tuoba Yu wasshocked. ¡°We still have to reward him?!¡± In fact, his allies had previously suggestedthis, but Tuoba Yu had never liked dealing with the supernatural, andespecially hated people like Yin Tianzhao, whom he felt was a scammer and liar,so he never took any action as suggested. He never thought that Li Weiyang wouldgive the same idea.
Li Weiyangsmiled. ¡°This is just the first tactic; we counter poison with poison. The moreBixia favours him, the more you have to hold him up to the skies. The moment hefalls from his pedestal, it will crush him entirely. Bixia will feel that he wasmaking use of the favour shown to him, which is unforgivable. Additionally, thepeople who rmended him in the first ce would also be dragged in!
The secondstep is to divert the trouble. Yin Tianzhao has his powers, but his pill makingskills are not up to the mark yet, so he still makes mistakes. Every pill heformtes, he¡¯ll let others try it first before sending it to Bixia. IfDianxia intends to do anything, you can attack via the pills! Of course, if youcan convince Bixia that since Tuoba Zhen is the one who introduced him, thepills should be tested by San Huang Zi himself. Furthermore, he should disyhis sincerity and fl piety by consuming it in front of everyone; that¡¯ll bea great show to watch!
And theststep is to strike at the root of the problem. Dianxia might not know much aboutsurvival, but you should know that if you want to rise upwards, you shouldunderstand the theory that you need allies to support one another1. YinTianzhao has 9 disciples, but they all have average knowledge and talent,except one called Zhou Tianshou. In terms of divination and weather prediction,he has surpassed his master, so Yin Tianzhao is extremely jealous of him andfearful that he would steal the attention. Due to that, Master Yin has refusedto bring him into the pce. If Dianxia is able to find this person and sendhim in to rece Yin Tianzhao, Dianxia will have a different position in Bixia¡¯sheart, and Yin Tianzhao will be one step closer to death.
However, nomatter which step of our n, there is no definite sess. Dianxia must knowhow to get along and make use of the people Bixia dotes on!¡±
Óã°ïË®¡¢Ë®°ïÓã1 ¨C fish and water are beneficial to oneanother. Indicates a mutually beneficial rtionship is needed for survival.
Tuoba Yu shookhis head for the first time. ¡°I can¡¯t stand the thought of working with thesepeople!¡±
Believerswould trust that they were the real masters of heavenly secrets, butunbelievers would feel that it was all a sham. Especially Yin Tianzhao, becauseother than the usual pills, he also gave the Emperor a red heart pill forlong-term consumption. This red heart pill had a blend of Chinese traditional medicine,animal innards, Qiu Shi, etc, but the worse of all was the menstrual blood ofyoung girls; which was unbelievably disgusting. However, these pills haveproven to be an effective aphrodisiac, so by using them, the Emperor believedin whatever Master Yin said about using yin energy to boost his yang energy. InTuoba Yu¡¯s eyes, it was merely a harmful substance.
Li Weiyangunderstood his feelings, and couldn¡¯t help a smile. There¡¯s probably no HuangZi of royal birth that could tolerate priests like this, as well as theministers at court too. But Tuoba Zhen was different, which allowed him anadvantage over them.
¡°When itesto pleasing Bixia, Qi Huang Zi hasn¡¯t put in enough effort.¡± Li Weiyang statedslowly. That year, when Yin Tianzhao entered the pce, Tuoba Zhen had broughtin a huge pool of young women as well. To aid in the production of the redheart pills, many of the pce maids had been forced to have their menstrualcyclee early; Tuoba Zhen was indeed ruthless and cruel, but it gave theEmperor the impression that he was the most filial son, so his love for himeventually took over that of the Crown Prince, Tuoba Yu, and the rest of theprinces. The Emperor did not know, however, that the first thing Tuoba Zhen didupon his ascension was to kill all the priests at court and tear apart theirorder, as well as get kill off all witnesses! Deep in his heart, he despisedthem the same way as Tuoba Yu, but he had no qualms about using them in his bidfor power.
¡°Dianxia, do you really want to lose the love and trust Bixia has foryou?¡±
¡°Is it evenpossible that a person like Yin Tianzhao can distance me from Fu Huang?¡± TuobaYu did not understand why Li Weiyang would say such a thing, a confusedexpression appearing on his handsome face, lit by moonlight.
Li Weiyang sighed,but she did not answer the question. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Bixia has had problemssleeping ofte, so he has taken to ordering different princes stand watch forhim, sometimes sending them supper, is that true?¡±
Tuoba Yu wastaken aback at Li Weiyang¡¯s urate information, and he could only nod.
Li Weiyang letout a breath; it seems like the Emperor¡¯s habits had never changed. ¡°I havealso heard that Tuoba Zhen would be extra nice to the eunuchs who bring theedict, treating them as if they were equals. Whenever it came to his turn, hewould be found reading petitionste into the night, sometimes even staying upand attending court the next day. Since the eunuchs had gained benefits fromhim, they of course would report this to the Emperor. Other than that, theywould also tell him that other princes would be asleep at this hour, so even ifyou¡¯d really sacrificed your sleep for court matters, Bixia would thinkotherwise. Because they would not bother telling Bixia what you¡¯ve done, butrather, they might actually speak ill of you.¡±
Tuoba Yu gazedat Li Weiyang in disbelief, he had his men in ce beside Bixia, but no onehad brought him information like this...
Li Weiyang¡¯sreturning smile under the moonlight seemed extremely cold. ¡°Eunuchs are humantoo, if you have always treated them like servants, ordering them around, theymight turn against you easily. If Dianxia could treat them with the same amountof respect you would with the ministers at court, I believe that they wouldn¡¯tbe used by Tuoba Zhen. Of course, after Qi Dianxia has achieved your goal,these people are up to you deal with.¡±
No minordetail should be missed out, and Tuoba Yu was very clear on that. His agentsrepeatedly had pointers for him, but no one had thought of such a fine andsmall detail, because most people simply looked down on eunuchs. They felt thatgranting them gifts of gold and silver would be enough; to treat them withrespect was more than what the royal princes could tolerate.
¡°So, Dianxiashould probably re-think your attitude towards these eunuchs from todayonwards.¡± Li Weiyang smiled, reminding him once again.
¡°I willremember all that you¡¯ve said.¡± Tuoba Yu was an intelligent man, but at thesame time, he was proud. Previously, he would never have agreed, but he hadrealised that if he let his pride get into the way, one day Tuoba Zhen seizethe correct moment to destroy them all! When it came down to survival, it wasonly human to follow their instincts and fight!
¡°I trust Dianxiawill know what to do tomorrow?¡± Li Weiyang asked tentatively, her deep eyesreflecting the moonshine.
Tuoba Yuinhaled. ¡°I will listen to your advice and withdraw those petitions against YinTianzhao, and submit the ones calling for his promotion instead. I will alsosend men to find that Zhou Tianshou.¡±
¡°I shall wait for Dianxia¡¯s goodnews.¡±
Tuoba Yustudied Li Weiyang fixedly, finally smiling. ¡°You...¡± but did not know how tocontinue. ¡°I don¡¯t have much power on your side, so please take care ofyourself.¡± He finally said, in a soft voice.
He neverfelt that he was all powerful, and would be able to ease Li Weiyang¡¯s troubles.But right now, he realised that he had neglected to consider the hearts of thmon people at many asions, and she had to remind him of that. So howcould he even promise that she would be free of worries?
Li Weiyangknew that her point had been driven home, so she smiled gently. ¡°Dianxia,please take care.¡±
Once Tuoba Yuleft, a young man slowly came out from behind the artificial mountain. Hisbrows were thick and straight, his hair dark as ink and like a graceful flower,and his gaze was devastatingly bright. Although his beauty was slightly diminishedunder the cover of the night, he remained eye-catching. Li Weiyang saw himcovered in dust and could not help but giggle. ¡°If I did not know you werehiding in that tunnel, I would have gotten a fright.¡±
Li Min De frowned.¡°His secret guards are too useless, what if it had been someone else who hadbeen hiding here?¡±
¡°Other thanyou, who would know this hidden tunnel? Stop the pretence, you¡¯re hiding herepurposely to mock at him right?¡± Li Weiyang said with a sigh.
¡°That¡¯s not myintention.¡± Li Min De nced at Zhaoyue, who immediately grabbed Baizhi andretreated 10 steps backwards.
In the twoyears that Li Weiyang had returned to the Li Residence, she had seen how Li MinDe had grown from a child, and now surpassing her in height. She wondered whathe actually ate, and plus he was more gorgeous than other women; thatfrustrated her, because if she only had half of his beauty, she would be ableto save a lot of effort on her ns. She knit her brows. ¡°It seems that LiChangle is no longer the first beauty in Da Li.¡±
Li Min De didnot expect this sentence, which struck him as a little strange.
¡°Every timeyoue back from a trip outside, your hands are full of gifts andtrinkets. You¡¯re making me so envious! Li Changle¡¯s title of the most beautifulshould be given up to you sooner.¡± Li Weiyang said with augh.
Li Min De wasnot amused. ¡°Why should a man be born with such beauty?¡±
¡°Be it a manor a woman, with such outstanding features, it¡¯ll please the people around them,so what is so bad about it?¡±
Li Min De keptsilent, and at a nce, Li Weiyang knew that he was angry. She stepped forwardand caressed the side of his face. ¡°Why, it is so easy to anger you! Let¡¯sdiscuss something more serious then. You were eavesdropping from behind theartificial mountain, so what have you gained from that?¡±
¡°Must you helpQi Huang Zi onto the throne?¡± Li Min De replied,ughing coldly.
¡°It is hard toconvince him; this person is too righteous for his own good. He hesitates to dothe dirty work that he knows he should do, but it is exactly from this traitthat ensures he will not abandon the people who have helped him after his taskisplete2. To me, that confirms my safety, isn¡¯t it?¡± Li Weiyanggestured with a flourish.
½ÆÍÃËÀ£¬×ß¹·Åë2 ¨C once the sly rabbit isdead, the hunting dog joins it in the stew. To get rid of those who¡¯ve helpedonce the aim is achieved.
¡°I don¡¯t think the same way, that mother of his...¡±
Li Weiyang wasslightly taken aback. ¡°You really know how to bear a grudge; it¡¯s just a smallmatter.¡±
Li Min Desimply raised his eyebrows in question; don¡¯t you know how to bear grudges? Youeven managed to scare De Fei so much, she didn¡¯t dare to leave her residencefor 3 months.
Li Weiyangread the hidden usation in his fiery gaze and realised that her thoughts hadbeen exposed. She coughed delicately. ¡°Of course, a little warning isrequired.¡±
He continuedstaring at her with his half-smile. His eyshes were lush and thick, and hisirises like intricately carved pearls; you couldn¡¯t bring yourself to lie whenlooking into them.
Li Weiyang hadno such guilt, and deftly changed the topic. ¡°If it was you, what would youdo?¡±
She did notask clearly, but Li Min De understood at once. He grinned. ¡°If I was Tuoba Yu...there are rumours that Bixia has recently been addicted to making priest hatsand gifting it to the princes. It¡¯s a pity that everyone is too high up ontheir pedestals to wear it, including the very person who rmended YinTianzhao to the Emperor; San Huang Zi. Which goes to show that deep inside, helooks down on those priests, despite what his actions say. If I were Tuoba Yu,I¡¯d wear that hat to court. It¡¯s intricately made, and wearing it will demonstrateloyalty to the Emperor, so why not?¡±
Li Weiyanughed, a true one this time. ¡°You are more suitable to be a prince than TuobaYu.¡± A prince not only needed to manage his ministers, but before he gainedpower, pleasing the Emperor would be the first and foremost task. But gettinginto his good books was not such an easy job; you needed the right amount offinesse to not overdo it. ¡°Such a pity you are not of royal birth, but well, itis also a blessing.¡± She concluded gently.
Li Min Desmiled but did not reply. A distant wind blew towards them, ruffling his hairand shielding the strange expression in his eyes. In her rxed state, LiWeiyang actually missed out such an urrence. On the other side, however,Zhaoyue¡¯s head was hanging down, as if she very much wanted to sink intothe floor.
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Pending
Previous:
Next: Chapter 100 Part 2
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Chapter 100 part2
Chapter 100: Fearless and Invincible
Aftera brief exchange of words, Li Weiyang and Li Min De returned to theirrespective rooms. The next morning, even before the sky was lit, she was wokenup by Baizhi. ¡°San Xiaojie, the new Furen is supposed to offer tea to Lao Furentoday.¡±
LiWeiyang nodded. She washed up, got dressed, and after having a simplebreakfast, headed towards He Xiang Yuan.
Zhaoyuegave a whispered report. ¡°Xiaojie, in the middle of the night, Jiu Yiniang saidshe felt ufortable and kept crying and whining. Her antics managed to lureLaoye away.¡±
LiWeiyang froze in her steps, seeming shocked into silence. She broke out into asmile momentster. ¡°How did the blushing bride react?¡±
¡°Well...what happened was unprecedented. Everyone thought that the new Furen would beangry, but who would have expected her to change out of her bridal gown andbring gifts personally to visit Jiu Yiniang? She even summoned a physician forher in the middle of the night... So afterwards, everyone said that Jiu Yiniangwas spoilt and proud, and that she had gone overboard. The new Furen however,is magnanimous and kind enough to tolerate her!¡±
LiWeiyang did not stop walking, but she began to form a sliver of hesitationtowards Jiang Yun. If it had been any other newlywed bride, she would havecried and made a fuss, but she actually went to visit her rival personally;this type of generosity was overwhelming.
Fromthe other side, Mozhu piped up quietly. ¡°Who knows if she¡¯s just acting?¡±
¡°Evenif it was an act, would you be able to do it if it was you in her ce?¡± LiWeiyang answered with a smile.
Mozhuwas tongue tied, and she could not bring herself to say yes. Everyone knew whatwas the right thing to do, but did not have that kind of tolerance to performit. A legitimate Furen could lower her esteemed status to treat a concubine;such an eye-opener. This Jiang Yun, if she was not trulypassionate, itwould mean that her cunning went deeper than anyone knew.
AsHe Xiang Yuan drew nearer, it was obvious that many people had flocked there;one could hear theirughter drifting from miles again. Li Weiyang¡¯s stepswere steady and sure as she walked in lightly.
JiangYun was dressed in an embroidered scarlet gown, her silky dark hair adornedwith a gold hair essory andbed into an updo marking her as a marriedwoman. She looked more radiant and beautiful than she did yesterday night. LiXiaoran was next to her, wearing deep green robe and sitting up straight andtall. He looked imposing and strong.
Abright smile lit up Li Weiyang¡¯s face, and after curtseying to her elders, shestood to the side, joining Li Changxiao.
AfterJiang Yun offered the customary cup of tea to Lao Furen, she was gifted witha generous red packet, and a rare smile from her usually stern face. ¡°You¡¯veentered the Li Residence and is part of our family now, so I hope that you willtake care of everyone here, as well as y your role in expanding it. If thereis anything you¡¯re not used to, you can tell me. If there is anything you need,you can also tell Luo Mama...¡± Her words were simple, but it held volumes.
JiangYun made a sound of assent, but she seemed like she suddenly had a thoughtand turned to look at Li Xiaoran, a faint blush staining her cheeks and lookingvery shy. It seems like they had managed toplete their consummation, aftervisiting Jiu Yiniang yesterday night. As such unfil thoughts went throughher mind, Li Weiyang couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly awed by this new Furen. Itwas indeed Jiu Yiniang¡¯s fault for not knowing her own ce, even if she was afavoured concubine. Jiang Yun maintained her docile and gentle smilethroughout, and even when she locked eyes with Li Weiyang, her gaze was calm,with no trace of emotion except warmth and friendliness. It made Li Weiyangfeel as if she was too devious and sly; she was the perfect image of a graciousand gentle stepmother!
LaoFuren nced at everyone present. ¡°Changle, Weiyang,e over here and greetyour Muqin formally.¡±
Thethree Xiaojies of the Li Residence, Li Changle, Li Weiyang and LiChangxiao stepped out from the sides of the hall, with smiles on their faces.¡°Greetings to Muqin.¡±
Theyhad already seen each other yesterday, but today morning was the formalmeeting.
JiangYun¡¯s warm smile was markedly different from the deceased Da Furen¡¯s.Although Da Furen appeared kind and magnanimous, she could not hide her prideand superiority towards others. However, the new Furen felt approachable andfriendly.
LiWeiyang thought back about Jiang Yun; she¡¯d lost her mother at a young age,so she had to be brought up by her stepmother, along with seven other sistersborn from different mothers. One would expect her life to be filled withhardships, but ording to Li Min De¡¯s information, Jiang Yun¡¯s growingyears were not only smooth sailing; she was held in high regard by herstepmother, and doted on by her father.
Therewere only two possibilities. One: this stepmother was magnanimous and treatedher stepchildren as if they were also her flesh and blood. However, it was aslim chance, as it usually was an awkward role for the new wife to fill in. Herchildren would be legitimate, but their position in the family would still beslightly lower than the first wife¡¯s; due to this reason, stepmothers wouldgenerally be wary against them. In more prominent families, good marriageswould be prioritised for the first wife¡¯s daughters as well. Making this movewould be a benefit for her family, but there was no consideration for herpersonal happiness.
Two:This Jiang Yun knew perfectly how to treat people, obtaining herstepmother¡¯s joy and trust, and hence ensuring that she would get the best demongst her sisters.
Bystanderswho didn¡¯t know better might feel that Jiang Yun was on the losing end formarrying Li Xiaoran; a man nearing his forties, with a handful of children andconcubines under his roof. However, he was blessed with elegant looks, so heseemed like he was in his thirties. He was also the Prime Minister; a positionwhich held power and respect. Given his mild temperament and normal behaviour,plus the glory of being the Prime Minister¡¯s wife, it was a far better dealthan marrying a lowly official. A lucrative match like this would not beoffered to Jiang Yun if she did not upy a special position in her family.
AsLi Weiyang pondered, she heard Jiang Yun instruct a servant next to her.¡°Take out the red packets and distribute them to thedies.¡±
Smilingas she received her gift, Li Weiyang stepped back, ncing at Qi Yiniang, whowas carrying her chubby baby brother. She lowered her gaze, not saying a word.
Aftermeeting the daughters, now would be the various Yiniangs¡¯ turn to meet the newFuren. Jiang Yun seemed to like children very much; her slender fingerssqueezed Li Min Zhi¡¯s cheeks lightly. ¡°This child is very adorable.¡±
Ofcourse he was cute, Li Weiyang thought, but this was not merely her own praise.Li Min Zhi had Qi Yiniang¡¯srge eyes, nose, and rosebud mouth, and he lovedto smile at everybody. His toothless grin made him seem tender and plump,making him extremely lovable; no wonder Li Xiaoran and the usually strict LaoFuren could not help but smile back at him.
Childrenshould usually be crying more often than not; Li Weiyang was troubled at howher brother smiled too easily at everyone and anyone.
LittleMin Zhi did not know the frustration his sister felt; he continued grinningcheekily from ear to ear. Jiang Yun could hardly bear to let go; she cuddledhim for almost an hour before handing Min Zhi back to Qi Yiniang, who couldonly watch. With a cold and calcting gaze, Li Weiyang evaluated that sillyand na?ve Min Zhi would most probably be easily bribed by others with just asingle sweet treat.
Whenit came to Jiu Yiniang¡¯s turn, Jiang Yun stretched out her arms, wanting tocarry little Chang Jing, but Jiu Yiniang purposely took a step backwards. Sheawkwardly smiled as she realised that her move had captured everyone¡¯sattention. ¡°Furen, this child is a cry-baby, I fear that she will disturb you.¡±
LiXiaoran and Lao Furen¡¯s face darkened, both of them thinking simrly: ThisJiu Yiniang is too ignorant and unbing.
JiangYun maintained herposure, smiling kindly. ¡°It is no problem, she¡¯s justa child afterall!¡±
Perhapsit was Jiang Yun¡¯s red dress that startled the little girl; Chang Jingstarted crying, tears and snot flowing freely down her plump cheeks. JiuYiniang hastily tried to soothe her, but Li Xiaoran frowned. ¡°Bring her away!¡±Jiu Yiniang left hurriedly, clutching her baby.
LiWeiyang watched her leave the hall, her expression folding into one of seriousthought. By rights, Jiu Yiniang shouldn¡¯t be that scared of Jiang Yun, butwhy did she look so haunted by fear just now? It was almost as if she wasscared that Jiang Yun would snatch her child away from her?! Why? An rmbell triggered Li Weiyang¡¯s memory; she pinned her scrutiny towards Min Zhi,with a strange emotion on her face.
MinZhi had no idea why his sister put on such a weird expression; he gurgled witughter,pletely oblivious to the crisis that was looming on the horizon...
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Pending
Previous:
Next: Chapter 101 Part 1
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Chapter 101 part1
Chapter101: The Main Furen
Notes:
Muqin = mother
Di mu = addressing the main wifeas mother
Atnight, Li Wei Yang swiftly approached He Xian Yuan.
TheYatous lifted the curtains to allow her to enter and then smilingly informed,¡°Xianzhu, Lao Furen is waiting for you.¡±
Li WeiYang smiled lightly and without faltering in her steps, she quickly entered.
As LiWei Yang walked in, she saw Lao Furen who was sitting on her chair and wasbeing served tea by Luo Mama. Li Wei Yang gave her blessings after which LaoFuren said smilingly, ¡°Rise. You have sincerity to be here at this hour to seeme.¡±
Li WeiYang rose and thanked Lao Furen. Lao Furen pointed at the pastries on the sideand said, ¡°Your muqin sent these over in the morning, give them a try.¡±
Li WeiYang smiled as she walked over and noticed the colorful pastries sprinkled withbits of gold, seemingly very appetizing. She casually picked up a piece,cing it in her mouth and involuntarily praised ¡°The taste is veryrefreshing, what is this called?¡±
Lao Furen smiled without saying a word, Luo Mama said ¡°Xianzhu, these are goldencakes, Da Furen made these with her own hands. They are refreshing and fine,both appetizingly sweet and sour. Lao Furen really enjoys eating them.¡±
Momentter, Li Wei Yang recollected the taste and asked, ¡°These are made withhawthorns?¡±
Luo Mamanodded and said ¡°Da Furen has sincerity, Lao Furen recently caught a cold anddidn¡¯t have the appetite to eat anything, and these are perfect!¡±
Li WeiYang smilingly said ¡°Muqin has put in a lot of effort, it is a blessing thatLao furen has such a great daughter-inw.¡±
Herwords andughter didn¡¯t reveal even a slight bit of her true intentions.After she finished speaking, she walked to the side and took the teacup andbrought it to Lao Furen. Lao Furen watched how respectful and humble she was,she didn¡¯t utter a word and drank a sip before she slowly smiled and said ¡°Sucha great yatou, yet you are here doing trivial things for me, such a waste.¡±
Li WeiYang said quickly ¡°What rubbish is Lao Furen saying, sun nv is clumsy so Idon¡¯t even know if I am doing everything well. If I can be as intelligent asmuqin, I would have prepared some snacks and sent them over every day.¡±
LaoFuren smiled, ¡°Look at the wordsing from your mouth, I can¡¯t pinpointanything bad from them and they always make me happy.¡± After she finished thissentence, her smile vanished and she began to speak with a straight face:¡°There is something I have to speak with you today.¡±
Li WeiYang knew this wasing yet her face didn¡¯t show any trace of her thoughts¡°Lao Furen, please go ahead.¡±
LaoFuren gave her two glimpses and then gradually said: ¡°Why Jiang Yue Lan wasmarried into the family, we both know exactly the reason behind this. I haveonly one thing to say, since she married into the Li family, I will treat heras my family. Observing her now, she is definitely an intelligent person, shehandles everything well and knows what to prioritize. We certainly didn¡¯t takein a bad daughter-inw.¡±
Li WeiYang listened carefully as she had thought that ording to rationale, JiangYun was forced onto them by the Jiangs and so Lao Furen felt only disgusttowards her. But looking at the situation now, it was evident that JiangYun¡¯s schemes were not average. She was able to make Lao Furen see her in adifferent light.
LaoFuren watched as she listened attentively, she slowly revealed a smile andsaid, ¡°I do care a lot about you so I am telling you this now. Min Zhi isgetting fatter these past two days?¡±
Althoughthey were just talking about a different topic, the conversation changed to MinZhi. Li Wei Yang pretended to not notice and only slightly smiled, ¡°Min Zhi isdoing great, and it¡¯s all because Lao Furen has looked after us.¡±
LaoFuren calmly chuckled, ¡°He is my grandson and also very lovable. I would, ofcourse, wholeheartedly care about him.¡±
Li WeiYang¡¯s face showed her usual smile yet her heart had been sealed by evestingice, her back unconsciously straightened.
LaoFuren carefully observed her and then her usual harmonious expression returned,she softly said: ¡°You are a great child, but sadly you weren¡¯t born from afuren or else you would have an auspicious future, and even bing thecrowned princess would have been a possibility. Min Zhi is also like this, eventhough he is born from a yiniang, your father and I have loved him as if he wasborn from the furen to prevent him from suffering pain in the future. So, we¡¯vealready discussed this, we are going to let him be raised under Jiang Yun¡¯scare.¡±
Whilelistening to this, Li Wei Yang already saw thising but she still showedshock on her face.
¡°WeiYang, what I¡¯m doing is all for Min Zhi, I¡¯ve already held you up, I can¡¯t letanother good child be held up.¡± Lao Furen watched her as she continued, ¡°Afterall, Min Zhi is my grandson, and I will not let him suffer. Under JiangYun¡¯s care, if she is even one bit negligent, I will not let her offeasily!¡±
Li WeiYang knew this very well, if Jiang Yue Lan took the child and didn¡¯t care forhim attentively or something bad happened, Lao Furen, who only has this maleheir left, would not let her live! From a normal person¡¯s perspective, to beunder the di mu¡¯s care seemed to be certainly better than to be under the careof a yiniang. But because of this, Min Zhi will be held captive by JiangYue Lan. Whatever she does, the first thing she would have to consider was ifMin Zhi would be affected, that wouldn¡¯t be a good thing! However, Li Wei Yangcouldn¡¯t tell Lao Furen the truth since Lao Furen only thought about hergrandson being raised under the di mu which is equivalent to being the son ofthe di mu and beneficial for his future!
Li WeiYang smilingly said, ¡°Wei Yang of course understands Lao Furen¡¯s goodintentions.¡±
LaoFuren questioned, ¡°About Qi Yiniang ---¡°
Li WeiYang smiled softly: ¡°Qi Yiniang will understand and definitely wouldn¡¯t haveany opinions towards Lao Furen¡¯s decision. Lao Furen, rest assured.¡±
Seeinghow Li Wei Yang simply agreed, Lao Furen was extremely ecstatic, she spoke:¡°Don¡¯t you worry, whether it¡¯s you or Min Zhi, I won¡¯t sit back and let othersbully you.¡±
Li WeiYang expressed her gratitude, ¡°Thank you Lao Furen, the person we can rely onis only you.¡±
LaoFuren¡¯s gaze fixated on her wrist before she nodded towards Luo Mama. Luo Mamaimmediately walked over to the side and brought out a jewelry box.
Once thebox was opened, there was a bracelet put together with eighteen pearls and twoimperial jaded beads inside. From one nce, it was easy to know that thesewere invaluable items. Lao Furen hung the bracelet onto the edge of Li WeiYang¡¯s blouse and smilingly said: ¡°This was one of the pieces that apaniedme when I married into the family. As I age, I can¡¯t find any asions to wearthis, so I want to gift it to you, Wei Yang, do you understand my intentions.¡±
Li WeiYang whispered: ¡°Wei Yang understands.¡±
LaoFuren gently said: ¡°You are the one that knows better.¡± She stopped for asecond, ¡°Oh, even though Jiang Yun is young, she is your muqin, even if shedoes something wrong, you should let her have her way.¡± She continued, ¡°Ofcourse, as long as I am alive, I will not let her start any troubles!¡±
Li WeiYang lightly smiled without saying anything. Lao Furen nodded and said: ¡°Good,go back and rest.¡±
Once shestepped out of the He Xiang Yuan, she saw Jiang Yue Lan and Li Chang Le strolledover together. Seeing Li Wei Yang, Jiang Yue Lan smiled and looked at her, ¡°WeiYang is here as well, if I would have known earlier, then we would haveetogether.¡±
LiWei Yang smilingly said: ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t know muqin and dajie woulde here. I¡¯vejust tried muqin¡¯s golden cakes, they were very delicious.¡±
JiangYue Lan nodded and smilingly said: ¡°If you like, I can send some over to you.¡±
LiWei Yang spoke: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to make muqin any busier.¡±
LiChang Le seemed to show a forced smile on her face so it was difficult to readher true inner thoughts.
¡°It¡¯snot much trouble.¡± Jiang Yue Lan smiled and suddenly said: ¡°I¡¯ve already hired anew wet nurse for Min Zhi, I wonder when he can be brought over to me?¡±
LiWei Yang¡¯s brows knitted tightly together yet her smile was still warm, ¡°This ...Qi Yiniang said, for the past two days, he has been constantly spitting outmilk, I must wait a while before I can bring him over to muqin.¡± Her expressionwas humble but Li Chang Le, who was standing on the side, felt that Li Wei Yang¡¯ssmile was cold and consciously took a step behind Jiang Yue Lan.
JiangYun didn¡¯t make it hard for her and only smilingly said: ¡°I have lots ofbrothers and sisters at home, it¡¯s inevitable for babies to spit out milk. Ifit doesn¡¯t get better in a few more days, there is no harm in letting me giveit a try.¡± As she spoke, she held onto a yatou¡¯s hand and walked in.
LiChang Le watched Li Wei Yang, her eyes were indefinitely murky.
On thestep, Jiang Yue Lan turned her head and warmly said: ¡°Chang Le!¡±
LiChang Le answered with a ¡°yes¡±, gave Li Wei Yang a side nce and then quicklystrolled forth. Jiang Yue Lan happily grabbed her hand as both closely walkedin.
Bai Zhidisparagingly said: ¡°A dog biting others on the strength of its master!¡± Shewas talking about Li Chang Le.
LiWei Yang smiled: ¡°Yes, she used to constantly bark at others, now that she¡¯sbe quieter, I am not used to it.¡±
It wasmidwinter season and the days became dark quicker. As the day approachedsunset, the skies were already dark.
On thatday, heavy winds stopped and the whooshing sounds could no longer be heard.There remained quietness amidst the darkness. In such a soundless world, thenight colors seemed darker. If it wasn¡¯t for the candlelight seeping throughthe edges of households, the entire capital would have been covered withdarkness. And it was this darkness that made Li Wei Yang¡¯s candle-lighted roomseem brightly lit.
Underthis candlelight, Li Wei Yang smiled as both of her hands were held over theheater. There were already four pans of heater that had been burning red in herroom but her body temperature hadn¡¯t be any significantly warmer, which showedhow cold it was outside.
She hadjust returned from Li Xiang Yuan.
Now, shewatched Qi Yiniang as she used a rattle drum to make little Min Zhiugh andcouldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh.
LittleMin Zhi opened his pair of clear ck eyes and curiously turned his head as hewatched his sister from a distance. Tan shi smiled as she caressed his head andshe showed an expression that conveyed the feeling that everything was okay nowthat she had a son.
In thissolitary evening, the three of them had already been absorbed into anotherworld with such warmth andfort. Tan shi felt odd satisfaction but she knewthat this kind of tranquility had been fought for by her daughter. If shedidn¡¯t have Wei Yang¡¯s protection, she would never have such days so sheexpressed her gratitude towards heavens for blessing her with such anintelligent and courageous daughter. It¡¯s only that today Wei Yang¡¯s wasn¡¯t in agood mood and it seemed really bad.
Tan shilooked at her son who was blowing bubbles and then looked at her daughter, whowas deep in her thoughts. She smiled, rose and walked to the side. She bent topick up a pair of tongs and grabbed the ashes in the fire pan as a scent wasreleased.
Bai Zhismiled as she went to take a hold of Tan shi¡¯s tongs. Tan shi shook her head toindicate she wanted to do it herself, Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Smells nice! Smellslike roasted potatoes!¡±
Tan shismilingly said: ¡°I know you like to eat this, I just buried two within the pan,now it¡¯s ready.¡± As she spoke, she ced the roasted potatoes in the pan; BaiZhi had already washed her hands beforehand to help Li Wei Yang peel the skin.Li Wei Yang actually shook her head and said: ¡°Just bring them over.¡±
Bai Zhihurriedly smiled and consented, her hands held onto the red potatoes whose skinhad already been split opened and brought them to Li Wei Yang.
LiWei Yang wasn¡¯t afraid of them being hot and quickly peeled off the skin of thepotatoes. The candlelight in the room was well-illuminated and revealed thesweet scent of the red potatoes.
Tan shismiled and summoned a few yatous over: ¡°Come here.¡±
Zhao Yuewas the first one to react but she looked at Li Wei Yang and her legs didn¡¯tmove an inch. Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Go ahead.¡±
Yatousmerrily sounded, Zhao Yue, Bai Zhi, and Mo Zhu all gathered around the fire panand began to search inside for red potatoes and chestnuts. As Zhao Yue ate, sheconstantly touched her ear; it was evident that it was very hot.
Theatmosphere in the room was very rxing and warming. Li Wei Yang watched andsuddenly stopped eating and her gaze fell on her young brother Min Zhi, who hadhis eyes open and gaped at everyone with curiosity.
Tan shi noticed her absent-mindedness and smilinglyordered: ¡°Bring all these things out and share it amongst yourselves.¡±
Theyatous stared at one another and then simultaneously looked towards Li Wei Yang.Li Wei Yang nodded and they happily thanked Tan shi. They quickly dug out thefood in the fire pan, carried them on a tray, and then carefully left.
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Trantor:Erie
Editor:S J and Anike
Previous:Chapter 100 Part 2
Next:Chapter 101 Part 2
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Chapter 101 part2
Chapter101: The Official Furen
Tan Shiwalked up towards Li Wei Yang and gently said: ¡°What is bothering you?¡±
Li WeiYang smiled and said: ¡°Mother, it is not a major matter, don¡¯t you worry.¡±
Tan Shismiled. Her voice was very soft: ¡°Silly child, you are my child, I am able totell when you are unhappy. Although Mother is not of much use and can¡¯t helpyou resolve any issues, but Mother can listen to you, and many things can besolved when discussed about.¡±
Li WeiYang responded with a smile, her pair of jet ck eyes falling onto Min Zhi.
Tan shifollowed her nce and then involuntarily frowned: ¡°Is it rted to Min Zhi?¡±
Li WeiYang nodded: ¡°ording to what I know, from the past three months, Fuqin hasbeen staying over at the new Furen¡¯s courtyard, it¡¯s evident that he dotes onher highly.¡±
Tan Shinodded and said: ¡°It¡¯s like that, Jiu Yiniang asionally gets a visit once ina while, but Si Yiniang and others can¡¯t even get a glimpse of Lao Ye.¡±
Li WeiYang noticed the indifferent tone that Tan Shi had when she spoke about this,so she knew that Tan Shi didn¡¯t care too much andfurtively nodded.
Tan Shithen spoke: ¡°I know the new Furen is heavily favored so I¡¯ve been alerting mypeople to not stir up anything and bring trouble onto you.¡±
Li WeiYang couldn¡¯t help but smile: ¡°Sometimes, we do not seek trouble uponourselves, but instead, it¡¯s initiated by others.¡±
Tan Shicarefully chose her words: ¡°The new Furen bullied you?¡±
Li WeiYang slowly said: ¡°No, nothing has happened.¡± Jiang Yun had just arrived,and for the past three months she had been trying to win over Li Xiaoran¡¯sheart, so where could she find time to seek trouble with her? ¡°It¡¯s just that......¡±
Li Wei Yangstopped in mid sentence, as if she couldn¡¯t bring herself to speak out. Afterall their time together, Tan Shi understood and said: ¡°Whatever you have tosay, you say it. There are no outsiders here.¡±
Li WeiYang nced over Min Zhi, who was happily looking at her, and then sighed:¡°I¡¯ve already thought about this, but I didn¡¯t know this would quickly betrue. I¡¯ve heard that Grandmother had caught a cold, so I went over to hercourtyard to visit her. Who would have known after arriving there, Lao Furentold me Jiang Yun wanted to raise Si Di under her care.¡±
Bangssuddenly rang through Tan Shi¡¯s brain, she muttered: ¡°Send him to her?¡±
The darkfog within Li Weiyang¡¯s eyes were like overcast clouds, bing more and moresecretive: ¡°Children born from yiniangs would, of course, be raised by the DiMu. When Da Furen was still alive, she had Li Minfeng and Li Changle, so shedid not want to bother with the responsibility to take care of others.Therefore, she didn¡¯t ask for Si Yiniang¡¯s Changxiao and Changxi to be sentover and be raised at her side. As for me, she hated me so much that sheexpelled me from the residence. Now the situation is entirely different as thenew Furen doesn¡¯t have any children. As long as she is willing, she can ask toraise Si Di. Whether it¡¯s Fuqin or Lao Furen, none of them would disapprove.¡±
Tan Shiheld back her tears; she certainly knew about this. As a Yiniang, she shouldn¡¯tview her own flesh and blood as as her own children, but instead see them asthe children belonging to the Di Mu. And as for Min Zhi, he wouldn¡¯t see her -the birth mother- as his Muqin but as a concubine of his Fuqin. This situation wasequivalent to how she had to refer to Wei Yang as San Xiaojie in front ofothers. It was a truth that no one could change. This was the reason why sheserved Da Furen at the start; she only wished to be married off to a steward,or even a lowly servant, because then she would be the only wife, instead ofbeing trapped in such a miserable condition.
Li WeiYang looked at Tan Shi¡¯s face and knew exactly what she was thinking about. Onthis matter, Li Wei Yang believed the primary criminal is Li Xiaoran. If itwasn¡¯t him who took an interest in Tan Shi, Da Furen wouldn¡¯t have made use ofTan Shi to reap benefits for herself and then kick her aside afterwards. Fromothers¡¯ perspective, a concubine should not harbour any hatred from beingdiscriminated, and moreover, should never transfer this hate onto her children.On the other hand, she should know her position and be a good servant. Thechildren born from a Yiniang should also believe that they are not treateddifferentlypared to the children born from the Di Mu, and shouldwholeheartedly gain benefits for the family; this is an exemry model of howa virtuous person should behave. The Li Wei Yang of the past had originallybelieved in this; she had thought she and Li Chang Le were both Xiaojies of theLi family, so there was no difference as they were both blood sisters, whoshould bring glory to the Li family! In the end, how did she end up? So, thesewords were all rubbish to her!
Tan Shididn¡¯t cry and instead smiled: ¡°The new Furen has just married into the family,if she takes good care of Si Shaoye, Lao Ye and Lao Furen would love her andhold her in high regard. I believe she wouldn¡¯t do anything to my child.¡±
Li WeiYang froze, she thought Tan Shi would beg her to think of whatever ways to letMin Zhi remain in her care.
Tan Shiwas a little worried: ¡°Everyone thinks you are being heavily favored, but basedon my opinion, you are in danger with every step you take, so you shouldn¡¯tstir up trouble with the new Furen just for Min Zhi. If she wants the child,then let her have him...¡± Her voice faltered slightly, ¡°I can go every day topay my respects to Furen, then I can still...¡±
Li WeiYang showed a trace ofexpression on herface. Tan Shi¡¯s sacrifice is entirely for her sake. She warmly interjected:¡°There is something we can do..¡±
Tan Shionly considered her words as a constion: ¡°You must stay alert all the timeto avoid making any mistakes. If you cause discord between you and the newFuren for Min Zhi and went against Lao Ye and Lao Furen¡¯s decision, would theystill protect you? Silly child, don¡¯t be stubborn.¡±
Li WeiYang smiled; she was about to tell Tan Shi that she already had a n when sheheard a ruckus outside. Tan Shi was so startled that she jumped up from herseat. Li Wei Yang frowned and saw Bai Zhi quickly walking in: ¡°Xiaojie, JiuYiniang is attempting to trespass!¡±
WithZhao Yue here, Jiu Yiniang wouldn¡¯t be able to enter, but it seemed like shewas quite determined to enter, putting her life on the line. If it was in thepast, Zhao Yue would have gotten rid of her with a single stroke of her sword.Since Zhao Yue had already served Li Wei Yang for this long, she knew thiswasn¡¯t a move to make, so she froze at the situation outside.
TanShi¡¯s face exposed a trace of concern and looked at Li Weiyang.
Li WeiYang casually waved her hand and said: ¡°Let her enter.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±Bai Zhi quickly strolled out and within seconds, Jiu Yiniang rushed in with aface full of tears. With one glimpse, Li Wei Yang saw that Jiu Yiniang had noidea she¡¯d lost one of her shoes; it was evident that she was extremelyflustered. She coldly said: ¡°How do you all do your duties?! How could you letYiniang run out here all by herself?!¡±
JiuYiniang did not care and pushed away the yatou on her side. ¡°Xianzhu! You haveto save my daughter!¡±
Li WeiYang looked at her with a cold calmness. Jiu Yiniang originally wanted to causea ruckus, but at seeing Li Weiyang¡¯s face, she suddenly felt fear. For amoment, she wanted to retreat, but with her daughter on her mind, she boldlyspoke: ¡°Just now, Furen sent people over and brought Jing¡¯er away!¡±
QiYiniang was very astonished, then consciously looked at Min Zhi and feltanxious. This was actually not unexpected, as Li Minzhi is Li Weiyang¡¯sbrother, and with a Xianzhu as his sister, Jiang Yun wouldn¡¯t take the childaway directly. But for Jiu Yiniang, she wouldn¡¯t be as well-mannered!
JiuYiniang¡¯s face became pale; it was as white as porcin and she seemed to onlyhave the energy to cry, her tears flowing down like a waterfall. She dropped ontoher knees in front of Li Wei Yang and tearfully pleaded: ¡°Xianzhu, previouslyit was my fault, I was led astray, which is why I did not know what I should doand what I should not do! I even dared to cause you trouble! I am wrong, Ialready know I am wrong, I beg you to think of a way to help me, let me bringJing¡¯er back! She is my blood and flesh, she¡¯s so young but has to be sent overto Furen, how could I stay calm?! I beg you, help me plead with Lao Furen,please beg this of her!¡±
Li WeiYang¡¯s expressions continued to remain cold, shooting Zhao Yue a nce. ZhaoYue immediately came forth, half holding and half dragging Jiu Yiniang into tothe chair on the side.
Tan Shiwatched her cries of anguish and could understand her pain, so tried toforther: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, don¡¯t cry, our Si Shaoye is going to be sent over to Furenas well. You came here to beg Xianzhu, but there isn¡¯t anything she can do!¡±
JiuYiniang¡¯s cries suddenly stopped and couldn¡¯t help but look at Li Wei Yangincredulously. From her perspective, how could Li Wei Yang easily acquiesce?!
Li WeiYang observed Jiu Yiniang, who had tears smearing her face and did not seemcare about about her usually beautiful image. She sighed and said: ¡°JiuYiniang, you¡¯ve already heard, Min Zhi will also be sent over to Furen. Youcame here to beg me to help you, so I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re at your wits¡¯ end. Youmust have already gone and pleaded with Fuqin and Lao Furen just now, but theydidn¡¯t respond to you, right?¡±
JiuYiniang was startled and didn¡¯t know what to say. She had already kneeled infront of Li Xiaoran¡¯s study and Lao Furen¡¯s He Xiang Courtyard but neither ofthem would allow it and scolded her for not understanding rules.
Li WeiYang smiled and said: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, children from a Yiniang should be rightlyraised by the Di Mu. This point, you might not know, so I will not me you.However, I need to warn you that you have not only made a mistake today, but itis a grievous one. You have brought harm upon Liu Meimei.¡±
Jiu Yiniangwaspletely muddled and desperately looked over towards Qi Yiniang, noticingher sympathetic expression.
Li WeiYang slowly said: ¡°First, if the Di Mu wants to take care of your child, it isa blessing that you must ept. Second, Lao Furen and Fuqin are both doingthis for Meimei¡¯s future, yet you don¡¯t understand the deep meaning behindthis, and instead caused a scene; this is going overboard. Third, you cryingand running over to my courtyard is against etiquette; others might think you andI have coborated to plot against the new Furen; this is disrespect.¡±
JiuYiniang opened her eyes wide in surprise, not daring to let a tear escape.
Tan Shihad wanted to speak, but upon seeing Wei Yang¡¯s austere expression, she feltthat Jiu Yiniang was after all, originally an outsider and had enjoyed too muchfavor to understand the rules within arge and powerful family. Letting herunderstand this time is a good thing, and thus, she handed her a handkerchief.At a loss, Jiu Yiniang did not know what to do and only looked at Li Wei Yangwith an unstable expression, not taking the handkerchief.
Li WeiYang¡¯s voice became warmer and said: ¡°Fourth, you causing a ruckus now wouldcause Furen to dislike Liu Meimei. If someone did not take good care of her,Furen will just say it¡¯s Liu Xiaojie who was mischievous and inherited hermother¡¯s character; this is not knowing the depth of this matter. You might notcare about your manners, but you should consider how it would reflect on LiuMeimei! Do you understand?¡±
With asway of her body, it seemed like Jiu Yiniang was about to faint. Tan Shieximed hurriedly: ¡°Quick, help your Yiniang up!¡± Two yatous immediatelyrushed forth to hold her. Jiu Yiniang bowed her head and cried as tears soundlydropped onto her clothing, making it seem like the entire room would be floodedby her tears.
Tan Shisoftly consoled: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, Furen still doesn¡¯t have any children. Lao Furenand Lao Ye are handing Si Shaoye and Liu Xiaojie over to her, so she must takegood care of them and will not abuse the children, and this is our blessing.¡±As she spoke, she actually felt chills because she continued to feel depressed,since she greatly understood the pain Jiu Yiniang was in now. However, she hadbeen here longer than Jiu Yiniang and she knew very well what rules theycouldn¡¯t break.
JiuYiniang¡¯s eyes were swollen. Li Wei Yang spoke: ¡°Si Yiniang urged you toehere, right? She must have told you that I am an intelligent person, and musthave a way to reverse the situation, is that correct?¡±
JiuYiniang froze with her eyes filled with tears; she lifted her head up andeventually nodded.
Li WeiYang coldly smiled and said: ¡°She has always been anxious to see the world indisorder, Jiu Yiniang, I urge you to stop listening to those people. If youcontinue to cause trouble, not only will you affect Liu Meimei, but you wouldalso make Fuqin aloof towards you.¡±
JiuYiniang thought of Li Xiao Ran¡¯s icy expression and remained still. Ever sinceshe gave birth, she ced all her attention on her daughter, so she never hada chance to think about this... she looked at Li Wei Yang and said: ¡°Then..what should I do..¡±
Li WeiYang slowly said: ¡°Clean yourself up, and after you are done, go look forFuqin. Let him know you were thinking incorrectly before, which is why you didsuch a dumb thing. Now that you have thought it through, you understand theimportance and only hope that Liu Meimei will have a better future under thecare of Furen.¡±
JiuYiniang was not stupid; upon hearing those words, she immediately understoodand slowly said: ¡°But ---¡±
Li WeiYang interrupted: ¡°There are no buts! Someone escort Jiu Yiniang out!¡±
JiuYiniang¡¯s yatou held her as they walked out. Tan Shi irresolutely said: ¡°This--- Wei Yang, your words were a little too harsh!¡±
Li WeiYang coldly smiled: ¡°If she really lost her shoe amidst her panic, how couldher foot not have any dirt! It¡¯s obvious she took it off when she arrived inorder to urge me to help her!¡±
In theeyes of an ordinary person, Yiniangs are production tools for offspring. Aftergiving birth, this child belongs to the family, taking on the responsibility ofseeding and bringing prosperity to the family. So children of a concubineare also the children of the Di Mu. As long as Jiang Yue Lan wants to, then thechild must be handed over to be raised by her, this is decorum, the rules! Evenif this issue was brought up to the emperor, it would still be rational!However, Jiu Yiniang had made a scene, hoping that she would help her fight,with the hidden intention of stirring up trouble as well. So naturally, Li WeiYang wouldn¡¯t bother stepping in.
Extremely astonished, Tan Shi looked at ZhaoYue and noticed her nodding. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh, and walked over to MinZhi¡¯s cot. Unwilling to part, she said: ¡°We shall send Min Zhi over to Furen,first thing tomorrow morning.¡±
Li WeiYang watched Tan Shi, who was holding back her tears. She lightly smiled andsaid: ¡°Mother, be rest assured, within ten days, I will ensure that Jiang YueLan voluntarily sends the child back!¡±
Tan Shiwatched Li Wei Yang with shock, since she did not know what her thoughts were.Soon after, Li Wei Yang smiled, stood up and walked towards Li Min Zhi. Shegently poked his white cheeks and said: ¡°Little one, behave yourself, Jiejiewill pick you up soon.¡±
Min Zhiwas surrounded by her fragrance, and ecstatically burped. He slept on his backwith his belly facing upwards. It was obvious that he did not really care abouther words. Li Wei Yang could not refrain fromughing.
The nextmorning, Qi Yiniang carried Min Zhi as she went over to Lao Furen¡¯s. Based onher instructions, she should have directly sent him over to Furen¡¯s courtyard,but Li Wei Yang had other ns; she wanted Jiang Yue Lan to personallye toHe Xiang Courtyard to pick up the child.
Li WeiYang¡¯s status as a Xianzhu gave her the guts to suggest such an idea. JiuYiniang stood to the side, brewing envy and hatred deep within her heart, yetshe did not dare to speak a word.
¡°Thischild looks more and more like your father when he was young.¡± Lao Furencouldn¡¯t hold back herughter once she saw Min Zhi.
Li WeiYang gave Min Zhi a glimpse, raised her brows, and thought otherwise. Her ownbrother looked more like Tan Shi; however, if he took after Li Xiao Ran, hewould be a beautiful young man when he grows up.
LaoFuren reached out, wanting to carry the baby.
MinZhi¡¯splexion was snow white, his dark big eyes were rounded, and his smalllips were pping as he gurgled words iprehensible to the adults.
¡°Ai-ya-ya,he is smiling at me!¡± Lao Furen held onto his small butt.
Li WeiYang only showed a slight smile. My brother smiles towards whomever he sees,Lao Furen, you are thinking too much.
¡°SiShaoye loves to smile, you¡¯d rarely hear him cry!¡± Luo Mama joined in.
¡°He hasyou since childhood, he¡¯s a blessed child!¡±
¡°He willhave a promising future!¡± Seeing how happy Lao Furen was, all the yatous tookto chattering praise.
Li WeiYang watched little Min Zhi, who was dumbfounded and happy. She really doubtedtheir judgement; no matter how she looked, the child didn¡¯t look too bright!
As theywere speaking, Jiang Yue Lan entered. Once she saw Min Zhi, she immediatelyshowed a smile. Lao Furen nced at her and handed the child over to her. Justwhen the baby was passed to her, Min Zhi suddenly began to cry. Jiang Yue Lanactually did not be anxious and immediately tried to console him, making itseem like she was very experienced at taking care of children. Li Wei Yangremembered that in her family, her stepmother alone had given birth to fourchildren. Not counting the children of Yiniangs, it was easy to figure outwhere her experience came from.
However,no matter how experienced Jiang Yue Lan was, she couldn¡¯t fend off Min Zhi¡¯sresentment towards her. Irregardless of how she tried to appease him, Min Zhididn¡¯t stop crying, tears continuing to flow down. Tan Shi¡¯s heart pained inresponse, and subconsciously wanted to walk over, but Li Wei Yang took a stepto block her. Tan Shi was startled back into reality, and thought about whather daughter saidst night. She recalled Wei Yang telling her, a littleimpatience could spoil great ns; she could not ruin it! Thus, she firmlyhalted her desire!
¡°Thischild, why is he crying all of a sudden? Is he feeling difort?¡± Lao Furencaressed Min Zhi who was crying uncontrobly in Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s arms, butcould not find any symptoms of fever.
¡°Hisforehead is not hot!¡± Lao Furen oddly questioned.
JiangYue Lan mindlessly smiled: ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s not familiar with me. After a few moredays, I¡¯m afraid he will cry when he is not with me!¡±
LaoFuren nervously gave Min Zhi a glimpse and said no more.
Li WeiYang¡¯s face still maintained a smile. Li Chang Le suddenly said: ¡°Is San Meinot upset?¡±
Withoutbreaking her smile, Li Wei Yang said: ¡°With Muqin¡¯s love, Min Zhi willcertainly live well. What is there for me to be upset about; moreover, duringmorning greetings, I am sure Muqin will allow me to see Si Di!¡±
JiangYue Lan was stunned and then smiled: ¡°Of course.¡±
LaoFuren nodded: ¡°Seeing the both of you living harmoniously, I am verydelighted.¡±
As MinZhi was being carried away, he was sobbing intermittently and nced towardsLi Wei Yang and Tan Shi¡¯s direction. The child could not distinguish peoplevisually yet; it was obvious he was identifying people by scent.
Li WeiYang looked back and noticed Tan Shi¡¯s eyes were watery, and shook her head.Don¡¯t me her for being cruel; in order for her Si Di to be raised by hisbirth mother in the future, she must have a solid and sufficient reason! Theymust have patience and endurance!
Theyatous escorted Qi Yiniang back. As she was leaving, her legs were weak and shecouldn¡¯t even stand straight, which revealed how much pain she was in, yet sheheld back. Li Wei Yang bid Lao Furen farewell and walked out the door. Li ChangLe was waiting on the step.
Li WeiYang raised her brows towards her and Li Chang Le gently smiled and said: ¡°Sucha test of emotions and strength, San Meimei is truly out of the ordinary.¡±
Li WeiYang just smiled and replied: ¡°Dajie is too kind.¡± She spoke without a changeof expression, as she strolled past her.
Li ChangLe red at her back and showed a slight smile. She turned towards Tan Xiangand ordered: ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll go to Fu Rui Courtyard.¡±
Eversince the wedding had been arranged, Li Xiao Ran had ordered servants to tidyup Fu Rui Courtyard. Once the new Furen had entered the family, she reorganizedeverything the way she wanted.
Cominghere again, Li Chang Le noticed the trees grown in the courtyard. In front ofthe main hall, there were a few red berry trees, with scarlet flowers bloomingon the branches. On the east side, there were Chinese wisteria vines. On thewest, there were jasmine, begonias, touch-me-nots, and petunias. The wholece was popted by trees and flowers, making it elegant and weing. Shesuddenly felt emotional, reminiscing her mother who only liked valuable itemsand would have absolutely not cared about these ordinary flowers.
ThisFuren clearly thought otherwise, but her arrangement was to Li Xiao Ran¡¯sschrly liking, with a sense of sophistication. It was not hard tosee that ever since the Furen entered thefamily, Jiu Yiniang, who was greatly favored by Li Xiao Ran, had lost hisfavor. After all, it was a well-known fact that Jiu Yiniang was only aperformer. She could sing to make him happy, dance to please him; but tplement his thoughts and help him share his burdens? She did not qualify. Inthe end, she was simply just a toy.
Li ChangLe stepped into the room and spotted Jiang Yue Lan still carrying Li Min Zhiand trying to console him. With one nce, Li Chang Le spoke: ¡°Muqin.¡±
Seeingthat she has arrived, Jiang Yue Lan handed Min Zhi to a wet nurse. ¡°I don¡¯tknow what is with this child. Thest time I carried him, he couldn¡¯t stoughing; but today, he cries no matter whoever carries him.¡±
Li ChangLe waved her hand, signaling the wet nurse to leave with Min Zhi, whose eyeswere red-rimmed with tears. Soon after, she gently remarked: ¡°He is anoutsider, and not worth our time.¡±
JiangYue Lan only replied with a smile, yet she didn¡¯t respond.
Realizingthat she couldn¡¯t provoke her, Li Chang Le continued: ¡°This wet nurse looksunfamiliar, she¡¯s not from our residence?¡±
JiangYue Lan smiling said: ¡°Lao Ye is afraid that I won¡¯t be able to take good careof him, so he specifically hired her, noting that this wet nurse will ensurethat he is in good shape and her meticulous care will benefit him.¡±
Li ChangLe sighed and said: ¡°Fuqin is doting a lot on this child. Once he was born, hewas gifted with a quality set of ink and paper, hoping that he will besessful in the future and bring honor to the family name.¡±
Jiang YueLan smiled: ¡°This is expected, as we only have one son in the family!¡±
Li ChangLe couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°As the child of a Yiniang, he is being treated sograciously, how I pity my Da Ge ---¡°
JiangYue Lan smiled, ¡°Da Shaoye will definitely be able to return safely, Chang Le,you need to rx.¡±
JiangYue Lan and Li Chang Le both had a tacit understanding that Li Min Feng wascurrently under Jiang Dan¡¯s care. Li Chang Le lightly smiled and then said: ¡°Iwill tell grandmother that Muqin is doing very well. I am very satisfied,watching this child being taken away from Qi Yiniang. Why should we be indistress, while they are happily living their days? I can¡¯t stand that sight.¡±
JiangYue Lan only sipped her tea, slightly parting her lips but yet did not speak.
Li ChangLe looked at her expression and tested the waters: ¡°Now that Min Zhi is in ourhands, Li Wei Yang will soon be in trouble. Muqin, other than Lao Furen, youare the real Furen in this family. Everything is in your grasp, if you want allthose stepchildren to kneel, they wouldn¡¯t dare to stand! Min Zhi, he ---¡° Shewanted to suggest that they should find a reason and kill this child, but JiangYue Lan unhurriedly spoke.
¡°It¡¯sprecisely because Lao Furen and Lao Ye trust me, so they gave the child to me.I will certainly treat him well, love him, and spoil him. In the future, hewould call me Muqin. If he is sessful, then it would be my honor.¡± This waswhat she said.
Hearingthis, Li Chang Le was initially unhappy, but she quickly grasped the actualintention and pped: ¡°Muqin is right. From now on, he is Muqin¡¯s son and wecan raise him however we want. The best scenario is for this child to grow upand not acknowledge those bitches, then Li Wei Yang would be really pissedoff.¡± As she spoke, she could imagine Li Wei Yang¡¯s angry expression, unveilinga jubnt smile at the thought.
Momentsafter Li Chang Le left, Rong Mama, who had remained by Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s side,whispered: ¡°Furen, don¡¯t be influenced by Da Xiaojie, we shouldn¡¯t do such foolishthings.¡±
JiangYue Lan smilingly said: ¡°Of course, Min Zhi is lovable, I will take good careof him. Rong Mama, instruct everyone that they must take good care of SiShaoye; let him have whatever he wants, and spoil him with love.¡±
RongMama immediately understood Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s intention and nodded with a smile:¡°Nubi understands.¡±
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Trantor:Erie
Editor:Jaslynn & S J
Previous:
Next:Chapter 102 Part 1
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Chapter 102 part1
Chapter 102: In A Great Mess
Notes:
Yang Guan Road -- referring to abroad, convenient road. A single-nk bridge is clearly not convenient.Meaning is: You can act conveniently, but I also have my ways.
Hand warmer - small, handheldcontainers with openings on top and coal or charcoal inside
Ginseng Lily soup - usually consistingof ginseng, lilies, figs, pork, and dried tangerine peel; good for the lungs
In Li Wei Yang¡¯s courtyard, Zhao Nan wasreporting back on Li Min Zhi¡¯s current situation.
¡°Si Shaoye¡¯s caretakers are very meticulous.Everything is well-prepared, and they always hold him and do not leave him onhis own in the crib. Furenes to check three times a day and in the middleof the night, she gets up and checks twice more. Laoye said she may not even dothis for her own children.¡± Zhao Nan reported back emotionlessly but wasclearly unhappy because Li Wei Yang had him watch over a child.
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Overindulging achild will only harm him.¡±
Zhao Nan noticed something off in her wordsbut did not understand it. Suddenly, a voice rang out behind him: ¡°You stilldon¡¯t understand? At first, Si Di was very quick and clever, able to turn inbed and sit steadily with a bit of help. He is usually looking for Qi Yiniangeverywhere, which is enough to show that he is clever and able to recognizeothers. Now the wet nurse holds him and does not let him stay in the crib; shehas an ulterior motive!¡±
Zhao Nan saw Li Min Dee in and quicklygreeted him. Li Min De waved his hand and said: ¡°You really are blockheaded.You were told to watch and listen closely and think carefully, but you arestill dense!¡±
For the past two years, Li Min De rarely cameto Li Wei Yang¡¯s courtyard to avoid suspicion, but this time, it was definitelyessential to discuss Min Zhi¡¯s predicament. Li Wei Yang looked at him. Li MinDe wore garments with golden cloud embroidery and a cloak with silver furlining. The color was elegant and refined, making seem even more outstanding.He smiled and said: ¡°Zhao Nan is not well versed in these things, so it¡¯s notsurprising.¡±
Li Min De slightly smiled: ¡°Still has much tolearn.¡± Having said this, he looked to Zhao Nan, ¡°It can be said that Jiang YueLan is a crafty person. You must know that there is a way to give someone thebest foods to eat and best clothes to wear without teaching them well. Withsomething like this, there is no need to resort to beating, scolding andmistreatment, especially when she will also be praised by the whole family.¡±
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s actions did not go unnoticedby Li Xiao Ran, who felt very grateful towards her. Even if Min Zhi becameignorant and ipetent and acted arrogantly in the future, it would only bebecause he had an ill fate and could not be educated differently. After all, hehad been given the best of the best and had been carefully looked after andprotected, why did he turn out this way?
Even if someone discovered this in thefuture, at most, they would only say that where there is a kind mother, thereis a useless son, in regards to Jiang Yue Lan. She just spoiled the child toomuch. It is hard to think of an ulterior motive. However, Li Wei Yang and LiMin De were individuals who were fond of thinking of things in a viciousmanner. It was clear that both had reached the same conclusion.
Zhao Nan still could not believe it. The newfragile Furen was gentle and sensitive and seemed to genuinely love Min Zhi,worry for him, and held him in her arms afraid that he would fall. She did notseem like someone with hidden motives in mind.
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°I used to put alot of toys in Si Di¡¯s crib. I also put up many drawings in front of him everyday and gave him more opportunities to listen, see, and interact. Si Ditchedonto things he was interested in to examine and y with, does Furen do thatfor him too?¡±
Zhao Nan thought for a moment, then shook hishead.
Li Wei Yang indifferently said: ¡°That¡¯sprecisely why. Holding a child this old and spoiling him like this, even ifhe¡¯s healthy and strong, he will grow up to be useless! I used to say that DaFuren was despicable, but I feel that Jiang Yue Lan is much more capable thanDa Furen!¡±
Li Min De smiled as he normally would: ¡°Ofcourse, Jiang Rou was the eldest daughter and had the entire Jiang Guogongfamily supporting her. She had nothing to worry about. If she despised someone,she would find a way to eliminate the thorn in her eye. The Jiang familystrictly disciplines their sons yet spoils their daughters indeed, but JiangYue Lan is different. Although she was born the daughter of the official wife,her father was not as capable as Jiang Xu. With a stepmother and many brothersand sisters, if she did not fight to climb over others, how could she getthrough a day peacefully? So she is good with underhanded methods that are notin the open and obvious. This is what she is better than Jiang Rou at.¡±
¡°Jiang Yue Lan is not only trying to dealwith me. She saw how Fuqin cherished and doted on Min Zhi and was afraid thatin the future, her own son will be disadvantaged.¡± Li Wei Yang nkly said.Indeed, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s love for Li Min Zhi had far exceeded what it should havebeen for a concubine-born son. No wonder Jiang Yue Lan was worried.
Li Wei Yang was a bit worried. Da Furen¡¯sdespicable actions could be easily dealt with, but Jiang Yue Lan was different.She knew how to use her status as the rightful Furen to act and act openly.Even if others found out, she would use their difference in status to crushresistance, making them helpless. In any case, the right to raise anddiscipline children was still hers. It is also true that she was carefullyraising the child, so what was there to say? There was no way to express suchgrievances! On the other hand, you would still have to thank her and run afterher. It was a powerful advantage indeed! Had Da Furen used a simr methodback then, Li Wei Yang would not have disposed of her so quickly.
Li Min De looked to Li Wei Yang: ¡°What shouldwe do?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled thinly: ¡°She owns the YangGuan Road, so I will have to cross the single-nk bridge. Just wait and see.¡±
After the snowfall, the sun was rarely out,but it seemed brighter out because the sunlight reflected against the snow. LaoFuren stood in the hallway with her hand warmer, looking at the red plumblossoms and snow outside. She only felt the fragrance waft by, the fragrantchill seeping into her bones. She could not help but smile: ¡°This snowfall hasended up on the red blossoms. A truly beautiful sight.¡±
Luo Mama smiled. ¡°It is also because of DaFuren¡¯s filial piety, nting red plum blossoms in the courtyard and alsooften inviting you here.¡±
Lao Furen smiled and nodded, watching thefalling snow and admiring the red plum blossoms. She said: ¡°She is also asensible person.¡±
Luo Mama chuckled but did not say anything.
Lao Furen nced over the snow, as ifthinking to herself: ¡°With this much snow, Min Zhi will probably be very happyto see a snowman made.¡±
Luo Mama smiled: ¡°Lao Furen, Si Shaoye isstill young. How can he run and y in this weather? However, with your loveand care, he can run around in a few more years.¡±
¡°The child smiles at whoever he sees. It¡¯struly lovable.¡± Lao Furen smiled, ¡°Pity he was born from an Yiniang. If he wasJiang Yue Lan¡¯s child, everything would be different.¡±
Luo Mama chuckled: ¡°Si Shaoye is blessed tobe brought up under Da Furen now. I heard that Furen lovingly holds him in herarms all day long. One can see that she genuinely loves Shaoye, and in the longrun, he will be no different from the children of the official wife.¡±
Lao Furen nodded: ¡°I agree. I only fear thatonce Jiang Yue Lan has a child of her own, she will no longer care for our MinZhi like before.¡±
She said ¡°our Min Zhi.¡± This had neverhappened before. In the past, because of Da Furen, Lao Furen always feltdistanced from Li Min Feng. She did love him, there was a feeling, like anitch, that left her ufortable. She was afraid Da Furen would be even moredifficult to control because she had this son. However, Lao Furen was not ascautious around Li Min Zhi, a chubby child that was always smiling at others.
Luo Mama could not help but sigh. In the end,Lao Furen still cared for her grandchildren at old age. In any case, aninnocent child like Si Shaoye was certainly lovable. She said: ¡°This matter¡ Ifear will not happen. I heard Si Shaoye was frightenedst night. Da Furenheard the yatous report back and rushed over, fearing the child caught a cold.When they returned, Furen was still busy. It goes to show how sincerely DaFuren loves Si Shaoye. Besides, Furen is a clever person. The child still has awet nurse looking after him. When he grows up, he can go out and study. Furendoes not need to overthink it. In the future, Si Shaoye¡¯s aplishments wilso be a result of Furen¡¯s efforts.¡±
Lao Furen thought for a moment, her frowneasing away: ¡°That is also true.¡±
Luo Mama smiled and said: ¡°Indeed, Da Furentruly has her ways. You see, Da Xiaojie has be more sensible now. Furen hastaught her well. Our household is also managed well with not a single thing outof ce! Lao Furen need not worry too much. Look after your wellbeing.¡±
Lao Furen nodded: ¡°Li Chang Le is liked byothers nowadays. She asionally apanies Jiang Yue Lan toe and greetme, not falling short of etiquette. I originally wanted to use this opportunityto warn her, but she has improved, so I cannot say anything. In such a bigmatter, only a bit is enough. In any case, in three years, she will immediatelybe married off. Whether it¡¯s a good or bad thing will depend on her fate.¡±
Luo Mama only smiled: ¡°Lao Furen is wise.¡± Asshe was speaking, she saw a young girl who had everyone¡¯s attention walk inthrough the doors. Lao Furen gestured at her, smiling: ¡°Look, that yatou WeiYang is growing lovelier these days!¡±
Li Wei Yang reached the age of fifteen thisyear. She was taller than before, slender and graceful. Although her face wasnot up to par with Li Chang Le¡¯s heavenly beauty, she was still a youngpelling beauty.
Li Wei Yang walked over with a smile. LaoFuren took her hand and said: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bring a hand warmer, you werenever fond of the cold.¡±
Li Wei Yang only smiled: ¡°A hand warmer growscold when on a long road, so I chose not to bring one and came to Lao Furen¡¯sce for warmth instead. Won¡¯t that be better?¡±
Lao Furen smiled and said: ¡°This child,you¡¯re just trying to take advantage of me.¡± Turning away, she said: ¡°Comeinside and talk.¡±
When Li Wei Yang came near the room, she feltthe warmth like a spring breeze, making her entire body rx. There were sixpots of burning charcoal in the room. From time to time, a slight cracklingsound was made. The warmth of the burning charcoal rose up to her face,bringing with it the fragrance of candles in the room. She sat down beside LaoFuren.
Lao Furen took a look. Li Wei Yang had herhair done in an exquisite manner. There were no gold essories in her hair,only some crystal flowers. Her garments were adorned with small plum blossomsand silver embroidery of snowfall, simple and gentle yet lively. Lao Furennodded to herself. Although Li Wei Yang predominantly wore white, what she worewould not make anyone look down on her.
At that moment, there were several cracklingbursts from the charcoal pots as if it wanted to frighten others.
Lao Furen waved her hand and a yatou broughta bowl of thick brown sugar ginger soup over on a tray. Li Wei Yang drank it,and the yatou helped her take off her heavy, fur-trimmed outer robe.
Lao Furen saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s face hadsignificantly improved and smiled: ¡°Why did youe over here when it¡¯s thiscold outside?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°It was because of thiscold weather that I wanted to send hot soup over.¡± She had Bai Zhi bring out afood box wrapped in thick fur. The soup inside was still hot, partly because LiWei Yang also added a charcoal warmer on the bottom of the box.
Lao Furen nodded. Since the beginning ofwinter, Li Wei Yang never failed to send Ginseng Lily soup over. She smiled andsaid: ¡°I can go a day without drinking it, no need for you to suffer likethis!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°When winter arrives, LaoFuren¡¯s throat will be sore from always coughing at night. The lily is good forthe lungs and the carefully chosen ginseng is not dry, both are very suitable.There are not many things Wei Yang can do for Lao Furen, so why not littlethings like this?¡±
Seeing she insisted on it, Lao Furen noddedin satisfaction: ¡°I heard Min Zhi was frightenedst night. I was preparing togo and visit. You shoulde with me.¡±
Something shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes,but in the end, she only revealed a gentle smile: ¡°Yes.¡±
Arriving at Fu Rui Courtyard, they had yet toenter when they heard a child¡¯s cry. Li Wei Yang felt her heart tighten. Shenced at Lao Furen to see her frowning too and quickening her pace.
When they came into the room, they saw JiangYue Lan holding Min Zhi and restlessly pacing around the room. Dark red jadebeads were dangling over her forehead. She wore a thick, silk outer robe aswell. Min Zhiid in her arms, still crying very loudly.
¡°What happened?¡± Lao Furen quickly came in.
Jiang Yue Lan was startled for a moment andrushed to greet her while still holding the child. Lao Furen held up a hand tostop her.
Jiang Yue Lan was rather anxious. She onlyheld the child who kept crying the entire time. No matter what she thought of,the child continued to cry, ignoring everything else.
The child oftenughed until it came to herce and became the god of crying. How was she to exin this?!
Lao Furen¡¯s face darkened.
Li Wei Yang quickly said: ¡°Lao furen, Min Zhihas just arrived in a new ce and probably is not used to it yet!¡±
¡°It¡¯s been ten days. What is there that he¡¯snot used to! What exactly is the problem here! Is it because of your caretakersarecking?!¡± Lao Furen¡¯s face became serious. She was truly distressed forher little grandson.
Jiang Yue Lan paled, her eyes suddenlyreddening: ¡°Lao Furen, I genuinely love Min Zhi. After all, I am still youngand may not take good care of him, so Laoye brought in an experienced wetnurse, but even she can¡¯t do anything.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled. The art of speaking wasvery important. If Lao Furen was to me someone, she should me her ownson.
Lao Furen was still not satisfied: ¡°With MinZhi crying like that, it will be a bad habit sooner orter. Look, thechild¡¯s voice has grown hoarse.¡±
Jiang Yue Lan was speechless. Whenever thisrotten child got bored of crying, he would sleep. In the past, he would notdy things when it came to eating. Once he finished eating, he will continueto scream and cry pitifully. She had looked after seven or eight siblings andnever encountered such a thing. She also could not exin why the child wouldcry even more fiercely when he came in contact with her. Even though her schemewas sessful, this crying child made her head hurt.
Lao Furen looked at the child from head totoe. She grew distressed and said, ¡°Let me, let me, give the child to me!¡±
Of course, Jiang Yue Lan did not dare tohesitate and immediately gave the child to Lao Furen. Min Zhi curiously lookedup, wide-eyed at Lao Furen, almost unblinkingly. He stopped crying. Lao Furensaid, ¡°You see, it¡¯s because you don¡¯t know how to hold a child!¡± Who wouldhave thought little Min Zhi would cry harder with an even deadlier effect.
Li Wei Yang quickly said: ¡°Is somethingmaking him ufortable?¡±
¡°Physicians have been invited several times,but they did not find anything.¡± Jiang Yue Lan was conflicted. She was trulyinnocent this time. Even Li Xiao Ran had misunderstood her, thinking she haddone something bad to Min Zhi behind his back, so everytime the child was inher arms, he would either cry or writhe and struggle.
¡°Or maybe something unclean has beenharassing him!¡± Lao Furen thought for a moment, rubbing Min Zhi¡¯s head. Min Zhistirred and as if responding to these words, he continued to cry.
¡°Harassing..?¡± Jiang Yue Lan was stunned andimmediately said: ¡°This¡ can¡¯t be it.¡±
Lao Furen frowned: ¡°Who says it can¡¯t be,this courtyard has not been clean!¡±
When those words came out, not only Jiang YueLan, but everyone¡¯s faces became unpleasant. They all remembered the previousFuren had been cursed here. Later, she moved back with the Jiang family torecuperate and soon passed away. Could it be that this courtyard truly had somethingtainted? One could not me everyone for being superstitious. This kind ofthing could not be easily exined. Jiang Yue Lan forced a smile and said:¡°Lao Furen, why not invite a Taoist to examine Min Zhi?¡±
Lao Furen thought for a moment and said: ¡°Ionly fear it will have no effect. Who knows how many Taoists were invited inthe past, but they still could not get rid of those tainted things!¡±
Jiang Yue Lan was silent. At this time,anything she said would be seen as wrong. She nced at Li Min Zhi, stillcrying without end, and sighed. She thought she had this child in her hands,but it seems he was also a terrifying hot potato. If he continued to cry likethat, her hard work will go to waste. It would even make Lao Furen suspect herof abusing the child! Never had she seen such a difficult child to take careof. It is best to send him back and avoid problems in the future, otherwise LaoFuren would hold her responsible. She thought for a moment, hesitation in hereyes as she was preparing to say something¡ª¡ª
Li Wei Yang smiled thinly, seeing throughJiang Yue Lan¡¯s intentions.
At that moment, Luo Mama suddenly eximed:¡°Lao Furen, look! Si Shaoye seems to have a rash!¡±
Li Wei Yang panicked and took a subconsciousstep forward. She grasped Min Zhi¡¯s lotus root-like arm and closely examinedit. She discovered several red dots on Min Zhi¡¯s hand joints that were vaguelyck in the center. Her heart grew cold: ¡°What is this?!¡±
When Lao Furen saw it, her tone immediatelychanged: ¡°Jiang Yue Lan, see for yourself, look at how you¡¯ve taken care ofthis child!¡±
Jiang Yue Lan was taken aback and hurriedlycame over to see, appearing to be extremely horrified: ¡°Lao Furen¡ This¡ Idon¡¯t know what happened?!¡±
Li Wei Yang involuntarily frowned. Jiang YueLan managed to secure the child in her hands with much difficulty. She wouldnot harm Min Zhi for no reason, but could the little marks on Min Zhi¡¯s body befrom venomous insects? ¡°Lao Furen, quickly invite a physician to examine him.Min Zhi¡¯s body is weak, who knows what will happen if something bit him!¡±
From Lao Furen¡¯s arms, Min Zhi weakly criedout in response. Lao Furen¡¯s heart tightened, and she hurriedly said: ¡°Quicklyinvite an Imperial physician! Go!¡± She furiously red at Jiang Yue Lan: ¡°Ileft the child in your care, and this is how you take care of him! You trulydisappointed me!¡± She ced Min Zhi in Li Wei Yang¡¯s arms and coldly stated:¡°Let us return!¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Jaslynn
Previous:
Next: Chapter 102 Part 2
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Chapter 102 part2
Chapter 102: In A Great Mess
Comments:
Chau- I am fairly sure that ¡°gold-dissolving water¡± is aqua regia, a powerfulhydrochloric-nitric acid, so... Even if there was no poison in the gold, thecorrosive acid probably would have killed the dog anyways. Uhh, so... I thinkthis might be a plot-hole or artistic liberty, but my knowledge of chemistry islimited, so feel free to update me on this. Main source: :)
This chapter is sponsored by Anita S., Amy N., Christine G. Edited July 2, 2018
Stay tuned for the next release which will be very soon!
Notes:
1 - Presumably referring to the acid known as aqua regia, Latin for king¡¯s water
LaoFuren walked away with Min Zhi. Jiang Yue Lan felt her body go limp and had tolean against Rong Mama.
RongMama was puzzled. She couldn¡¯t understand. Furen looked after the child withgreat care. How could this happen? She quickly helped Jiang Yue Lan sit downand brought a cup of tea over. She said softly, ¡°The cold weather isunavoidable, Lao Furen misunderstood Furen. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±
JiangYue Lan who was just shocked moments ago, had now returned to normal. Sheepted the cup of tea but didn¡¯t drink it. She slowly asked: ¡°What justhappened?¡±
Rongmama pondered over and guessed: ¡°Was it San Xiaojie¡¯s scheme to return thechild to Qi Yiniang?¡±
JiangYue Lan shook her head: ¡°I believe that she wants to bring the child back, butI don¡¯t believe she would use poisonous insects to hurt Li Min Zhi. Didn¡¯t yousee her face earlier, there was surprise and anger!¡±
RongMama became even more anxious: ¡°But even then, the first person Laoye and LaoFuren will me is Furen! What do we do now?¡±
JiangYue Lan let out a sad sigh. She nced at the pile of borate, newlyembroidered children¡¯s clothes and said: ¡°Now I am forced to suffer in silence,unable to voice my grievances. If something happened to Min Zhi, I¡¯m afraid LiWei Yang and Qi Yiniang will resent me to death. I wanted to use the child tocontrol Li Wei Yang, but now I only ended up losing the rice used to lure thechicken I tried to steal.¡±
RongMamamented: ¡°Furen was wronged this time.¡±
¡°Ijust don¡¯t understand. My servants were always careful with his food. What wasthe issue?¡± Jiang Yue Lan subconsciously caressed the children¡¯s clothes andsaid, ¡°I have to find out who acted behind my back!¡±
RongMama said: ¡°Nubi also does not understand. Who would have the chance to harm SiShaoye?¡±
JiangYue Lan shook her head, her eyebrows furrowed: ¡°Qi Yiniang is blessed with goodfortune. Her child is also hard to attend to.Even if there were more people taking care of him, they would not do agood job. With that many people around, someone may have used it as anopportunity to act. Ry my order to thoroughly investigate!¡±
Manypeople mean many hands and feet. Perhaps someone used it as an opportunity toact! Deliver my order, we must investigate thoroughly!¡±
RongMama quickly responded: ¡°Nubi understands.¡± Seeing Jiang Yue Lan stand up, RongMama wondered: ¡°Where is Furen going?¡±
JiangYue Lan frowned: ¡°I must see Lao Furen!¡±
¡°Furen,Lao Furen is furious right now, if you go now¡ª¡ª¡± Rong Mama was worried.
JiangYue Lan said: ¡°Mama must be confused. If I¡¯m not there right now, it will beeven easier for others to me me.¡±
RongMama immediately understood and quickly helped Jiang Yue Lan reach He XiangCourtyard. When they arrived, they saw that not only Li Wei Yang, but even LiXiao Ran and the other Yiniangs hade. Rong Mama felt even more afraid. Itseemed that the situation had turned into a great mess.
WhenLao Furen saw Jiang Yue Lan, her anger immediately red. She pointed at herand shouted: ¡°What are you doing here!¡±
JiangYue Lan looked at Lao Furen and only shed tears in silence. She did say even aword to defend herself.
LiXiao Rat had originally intended to scold her a bit, but when he saw her likethat, he only said: ¡°Lao Furen, Yue Lan is still young and cannot take care ofchildren well...¡±
¡°Ifyou can¡¯t take good care of a child, then don¡¯t pretend like you can!!¡± LaoFuren¡¯s eyes were red. The only grandson by her side was Min Zhi. If somethinghappened to the child, wouldn¡¯t she die of sadness? That year when Li Chang Leand Li Min Feng were born, Li Xiao Ran was away for business, so Lao Furen didnot witness their births. Her emotional ties with them weren¡¯t as strong. Butfor Min Zhi, from the moment he was born, Lao Furen had held him in her armsand unconditionally doted on him. Of course, this was a different feeling.
Theold Imperial Physician was soon called in. He carefully examined the child¡¯sinjury and then said: ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like insect bites.¡±
LiXiao Ran frowned: ¡°With such small dots, could it be a rash?¡±
Theold Imperial Physician shook his head: ¡°Not a rash, but it seems to be poison.¡±
Assoon as those words were spoken, everyone¡¯s faces changed. Everyone lookedtowards Jiang Yue Lan. Li Wei Yang suddenly stood up. Lao Furen coldly said:¡°Poisoned, who could be so heartless so as to poison a child?!¡±
QiYiniang held back her tears. She only held onto Min Zhi, afraid to speak.
LiWei Yang was genuinely conflicted. She suddenly wondered if her carelessnesscreated an opportunity for someone to poison Li Min Zhi! The more she thoughtabout it, the more she regretted it! But for the time being, she felt somethingwas wrong. She had people watching day and night when Min Zhi was at QiYiniang¡¯s ce, so they couldn¡¯t have acted then, unless he was poisoned whenhe was at Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s ce... Her voice was low and solemn as a tollingbell: ¡°Ask that Fuqin investigate this matter thoroughly and find justice forMin Zhi.¡±
LiXiao Ran¡¯s eyes shed, consumed in fury and coldly said to everyone:¡°Investigate! I want to see who is this daring, daring to harm my son!¡±
LaoFuren nodded: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, we will look to you.¡±
Thewhite-bearded, old Imperial Physician nodded: ¡°Young Shaoye is blessed, thepoison is not severe. If he was old enough, he would be fine after two monthsof medication, but for a child, medication will be much moreplicated! Inany case, it is not difficult, I will prescribe some detoxifying medicationthat can be mixed with milk for him to drink.¡±
LiWei Yang¡¯s mind raced through many thoughts. She also said: ¡°Does thedetoxifying medication contain toxic ingredients for adults?¡±
OldImperial Physician shook his head: ¡°It does not.¡±
LiWei Yang let out a long sigh: ¡°I¡¯m afraid he may not be able to drink it evenwhen mixed with milk. Have the wet nurse drink it instead.¡±
Theold Imperial Physician nodded: ¡°This is a good method but requires a littlemore preparation. Letting a wet nurse drink, it would also work, the smellwould not be as strong once diluted with milk.¡±
LiWei Yang nced around. Min Zhi had fallen asleep, and Tan shi¡¯s tears hadfallen on his face. The child seemed to be dreaming of eating somethingwonderful, his little mouth twitching and cheeks red, not looking like he hadbeen poisoned. She subconsciously clenched her fists. Daring to touch her didi, someone truly wants to die! She looked at Jiang Yue Lan: ¡°Muqin, when di diwas with you, who else was by your side?¡±
Sheknew there was no chance that Jiang Yue Lan would do something so foolish,because if Min Zhi was hurt, the first unfortunate person would be her, so itcould be someone else ¡ª¡ª
JiangYue Lan carefully thought for a while and subconsciously nced at Li ChangLe. She saw that Chang Le was surprised and worried. To tell the truth, thefirst person she suspected was Li Chang Le. Only she could freely go in and outof Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s courtyard, but if this was brought to light, won¡¯t the Jiangfamily bear a grudge? She thought and said: ¡°Min Zhi only had milk. Nooutsiders were allowed in and out of his room on most days. I really cannotfigure it out, how could he have been poisoned? Could someone have poisoned himthrough the wet nurse?¡±
Theold Imperial Physician shook his head: ¡±This type of poison is easy to use onchildren, but it is very different on adults. If it was through the wet nurse,a significant amount must have been used, and that would be easy to discover. Isuspect that there is a chance someone by Si Shaoye¡¯s side acted. I hope I maycheck and see.¡±
LiWei Yang got up and went to Min Zhi¡¯s side. She carefully looked over him, fromhis diaper to his hands and feet. She gently took off his diaper and wrappedhim a small nket. After that, she searched inside out again. Even the threadof his head covering was carefully examined, but still, nothing was found.
Hereyes finally fell on the gold cor ne, gold bracelet, and gold anklet.She paused for a moment and personally took all of them off. Then, she turnedto the old Imperial Physician: ¡°Imperial Physician, could you see if there¡¯sanything wrong with these?¡±
LuoMama was the first to frown: ¡°San Xiaojie, Lao Furen had people make thoseitems!¡±
LiWei Yang sighed: ¡°I certainly do not suspect Lao Furen, but they have passedthrough many hands along the way, what if they have been tampered with?¡±
LuoMama looked to Lao Furen. Lao Furen nodded and said through clenched teeth:¡°Indeed. To guard against thousands of thieves is easier than the thief inone¡¯s home, investigate!¡±
Everyonein the room held their breaths, watching the sight that unfolded before them.Li Xiao Ran currently had one precious child. If something happened, no onewould be able to bear the consequences.
That set of gold jewelry was worththousands. Adorned with radiant pearls, the golden locket had exquisitecraftsmanship, especially on the cor. The shape of a four-petal begonia wasdesigned on the cor. Each petal was adorned with precious and pricelessstones. The one petal at the neck was iid with an opal, another with a ruby,and the two on the left and right were etched and engraved with pearls. LaoFuren had specifically taken pieces from her dowry jewelry to craft it. Thelocket was made from a stunning ingot and four words were engraved: hundredyears of longevity. One could see how much thought Lao Furen had put in itsmaking.[1]
Theold Imperial Physician took the gold from a yatou¡¯s hands, examined it overonce and frowned: ¡°This¡ª¡ª¡± It was obviously difficult to say.
LiWei Yang scoffed. It was not difficult to say, but it was not something hedared to casually say! She thought for a moment and said: ¡°Bring out thegold-dissolving liquid.[1]¡±
Everyonewas taken aback and looked at one each other in horror. Lao Furen frowned andraised her voice: ¡°Have you all gone deaf! Didn¡¯t you hear what San Xiaojie?¡±
Gold-dissolvingliquid was not amon good, but there was indeed some in the Li familywarehouse. The frightened yatous quickly responded: ¡°Yes.¡± Shortlyter, theyreturned with a porcin vase. Li Wei Yang poured out its contents into abowl. She subtly declined Luo Mama¡¯s assistance, who had offered to help, andpersonally cut a small piece from the gold cor. She dipped it into the bowl.In less than an hour, the original gold piece had turned into liquid.
LiWei Yang raised her voice: ¡°Go bring a dog here.¡±
Theyatou obeyed immediately. She went and quickly brought a hunting dog from theservants¡¯ quarters. The dog was tall and fierce, snarling and baring its teethat Li Wei Yang, loudly barking. Li Wei Yang gave the bowl to the yatou, so shecould give it to the dog¡¯s handler and said: ¡°Let it drink it.¡±
Thedog¡¯s handler hesitated, then let the dog drink the liquid in the bowl. Everyoneunblinkingly stared at that dog.
Momentter, therge, fierce hunting dog fell down, rolled on the floor and bled.Soon it was dead. Li Chang Xiao subconsciously took a few steps back. Seeingthe dog¡¯s tragic death, she almost vomited.
SiYiniang hastily covered her mouth with a handkerchief, revealing a look ofdisgust.
LaoFuren bluntly said: ¡°To have despicable thoughts such as harming a young childis uneptable. This person is truly heartless.¡±
Theold Imperial Physician carefully examined the dog¡¯s corpse and nodded: ¡°I wasnot wrong, so it was aconite. It seems this person used raw aconite in gold.There is nothing strange when a child first wears it, but over time, the toxinswill seep into the body and it will worsen. I fear, they may eventually evenlose their life.¡±
LaoFuren was still in disbelief: ¡°I gifted this gold cor. This person evendared to take advantage of my good intentions. This is an intolerable crime!¡±
EvenLi Xiao Ran¡¯s body shook. The cup of tea in his hands fell to the ground. Hestood up, about to explode and angrily shouted: ¡°Who dares to be so bold!¡±
Everyonein the room looked at each other.
Tanshi could not hold it in anymore and almost fainted. Bai Zhi and Zhao Yuequickly supported her. She could not believe it and was unable to hold back hertears. She suddenly pointed at Jiu Yiniang: ¡°You were the only one toe incontact with this gold cor! It was you, it must be you, why did you want toharm Min Zhi!¡±
JiuYiniang was terrified to see everyone looking at her. She could not help butfall to her knees and say: ¡°Laoye is fair, I truly didn¡¯t know. I just... I just...I just touched this beautiful cor and wanted to make one just like it forJing er, how can this be... How could I tamper with it...¡±?
AfterLi Chang Jing was born, Lao Furen never spared her a nce because she was adaughter. Jiu Yiniang had sent someone to craft the longevity locket. Sheadmired Min Zhi¡¯s exquisite gold chain and grew envious. She quietly borrowedit from Qi Yiniang for two days, so someone could copy it and make oneidentical to it for Li Chang Jing. However, there was no way to replicate theprecious jewels, so she had to switch them. Now, that it came down to this, thefirst person to be suspected was naturally her!
Atthat moment, Li Xiao Ran furiously said: ¡°You still refuse to admit it? Onlyyou have touched this gold cor!¡±
JiuYiniang was absolutely terrified. She didn¡¯t know what he was talking about anddesperately cried out: ¡°Laoye, I didn¡¯t do it. I really didn¡¯t do it, how couldI harm Si Shaoye. I also have a child, how could I do something so heartless!¡±
JiangYue Lan looked at her: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, things havee down to this. Yiniangshould be honest and exin yourself!¡±
JiuYiniang cried out: ¡°Laoye, I would certainly admit to it if I did it, but Iwill never admit to something I have never done!¡±
LiChang Le, who had yet to open her mouth, now scoffed: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, you resentSi Di for having Lao Furen¡¯s favor, so you used such a vicious scheme to harmSi Di! I advise you to be honest and avoid having to suffer!¡±
JiuYiniang wept pitifully and refused to admit anything.
LiWei Yang¡¯s eyes swept over Jiu Yiniang and atst, fell on Li Chang Le.
LiChang Le was frightened by Li Wei Yang¡¯s cold stare: ¡°Sanmei, what¡¯s wrong withyou? Why are you looking at me like that? I am speaking up for Si Di! First ofall, Jiu Yiniang resents Si Di and Muqin as well because Fuqin often visits FuRui Courtyard. She felt uneasy and did this to frame Muqin with Si Di¡¯sincident, wanting Fuqin to punish someone!¡±
LiWei Yang¡¯s eyes were solemn. At that moment, even she was unsure who theperpetrator was! Jiang Yue Lan, no, she would not do this to herself, but whatif she wanted to pass the me to Jiu Yiniang? Then, not only would she beable to get rid of Min Zhi, she could also eliminate Jiu Yiniang¡¯s currentfavor! However, in this manner, it would be too dangerous especially when LaoFuren could closely watch her. If Jiang Yue Lan wanted fame and fortune and tosecure her position as Da Furen, she would not have these kinds of thoughts!
Whatabout Jiu Yiniang? She had harmed Qi Yiniang before and was even manipted bySi Yiniang. Her motives were very clear, like Li Chang Le said! What about SiYiniang! Wasn¡¯t she suspicious too? She resented Jiang Yue Lan the most and JiuYiniang. After this, both will fall out of favor! However, Li Chang Le suddenlyspoke up to help Min Zhi, which was strange, so she was more suspicious than anyone.However, she had ordered Zhao Nan to pay close attention if Li Chang Le came incontact with Min Zhi. Zhao Nan kept watch outside Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s room all day.If Li Chang Le tampered with the gold locket, Zhao Nan would surely know! Butbased on Zhao Nan¡¯s reports, Li Chang Le never touched Min Zhi when he wasstill at Fu Rui Courtyard.
AfterLi Min Feng left, Min Zhi became the only child under Fuqin. Lao Furen alsodeeply cherished him, something that would definitely make others resentful andwish they could make Min Zhi disappear from the Li family... In this case, ifothers had used Min Zhi to provoke Li Wei Yang, it would be no different thandragging Min Zhi to the Li family¡¯s internal struggles. Whether it was becauseof his status as a male child or Jiang Yue Lan adopting him, it was verytroublesome!
Beingused in such a manner, Jiu Yiniang rushed forward and fiercely pped LiChang Le twice. She still wanted to strike again when Jiang Yue Lan loudlyordered: ¡°Quickly stop her! Quickly! Hurry and stop her!¡±
Theyatous rushed to seize Jiu Yiniang but, she would not stop cursing: ¡°DaXiaojie, I have no grudge against you. What allows you to wrongly use me!How could you be so cruel and evil!¡±
LiChang Le did not expect the weak and obedient Jiu Yiniang to lunge and strikesomeone. She felt lightheaded, her vision beginning to blur as a hot sensationspread over her face. She felt something warm running down her face and broughther hand up to find blood. Jiu Yiniang had struck her fiercely and had evendrawn blood. She suddenly cried out: ¡°You hit me! You dared to hit my face!¡±She resented not being able to go over and p Jiu Yiniang. A tall womanbehind her immediately pulled her back: ¡°Da Xiaojie, let Laoye judge forXiaojie!¡±
LiChang Le suddenly calmed down and turned her face full of tears towards Li XiaoRan, crying despairingly. Li Wei Yang looked over at the tall, stern woman andremembered this was someone the Jiang family had left behind, Zhou Mama. In abrief moment, she reminded Li Chang Le that if she also lunged forward andpped Jiu Yiniang, wouldn¡¯t others think she was unreasonable? After all, JiuYiniang was still Li Xiao Ran¡¯s concubine! It was not in her power todiscipline Jiu Yiniang!¡±
LaoFuren frowned and coldly said: ¡°Why have you still not seized Jiu Yiniang!¡±
JiuYiniang resisted as if she had lost her mind. Li Wei Yang noticed Jiu Yiniang¡¯sface was a bit off: ¡°Lao Furen, Jiu Yiniang seems a bit abnormal.¡±
Forsome reason, Jiu Yiniang¡¯s flushed face and pale lips resembled Li Chang Xi¡¯swhen she was caught, but still resisted despite being held down! Si Yiniangfearfully retreated a few steps, terrified. But why? Jiu Yiniang seemed normalmoments ago, did she suddenly go crazy? Li Wei Yang looked at the people firmlyholding Jiu Yiniang down, frowning. This matter kept bing more and morechaotic!
LaoFuren coldly said: ¡°Jiu Yiniang, there¡¯s no need to pretend anymore!¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Shiara
Previous:
Next:
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Chapter 103 part1
Chapter 103: Formidable Use of Poison
Comments:
Chau- Apologiesforthedyedrelease!I¡¯vebeendownwithanawfulcaseofexamseason:/
Notes:
[1]Old Eldest, in reference to Li Xiao Ran
[2]A sweet syrup made from fermented grains; thick consistency at roomtemperature, fluid when heated up
JiuYiniangdidnotseemtohaveheardanythingLaoFurensaid.Shewasresistingasifshehadgonecrazy,wantingtoescapethecrowd.Shewapletelydifferentfrombefore!
LiXiaoRanstoodupandcoldlyshouted:¡°JiuYiniangfeignedinnocenceandignorance,sowhatabouttherestofyou?Ifanyofyoudaretospeakhalfalie,nooneistoescapepunishment!¡±
TheyatousbyJiuYiniang¡¯ssideweresoterrifiedthattheycontinuouslykowtowed.
LaoFurennklysaid:¡°Theymustknowsomething.Dragthemalloutandbeatthemahundredstrokesuntiltheyarewillingtoconfess,thenweshallsee!¡±
Theyatousweretremblingfromfear.Theguardsoutsidecameintodragthemout.Criesformercyrangthroughouttheroom!Atthistime,apale-faced,petiteyatousuddenlycriedoutandkowtowed,beggingforforgiveness:¡°Nubiwishestoconfess!LaoFurenhavemercy,Laoyehavemercy.JiuYiniangorderedNubitodoso.Nubitrulyhadnochoicebuttoobey.IfNubididnotfollowJiuYiniang¡¯sorder,shewillsurelydriveNubiout!¡±
LiXiaoRanwavedhishand.Theguardsloosenedtheirgrips.Theotheryatouslookedtoherindisbelief.
LaoFurenlookedatherandasked:¡°Whatdidshehaveyoudo!¡±
Herfacepaleasasheet,theyatousaid:¡°JiuYiniang... JiuYiniangfoundanopportunityduringthepilgrimagetotakethegoldcorouttoagoldshop,meltedthegold,andaddedsomemedicinalherbsinside.Nubidoesnotknowwhichherbswereputinside!NubineverthoughtthatshewantedtoharmSiShaoye!Atthetime,shejustsaidthegoldcorwasworthsomuchthatshewouldnotbediscoveredifshetookabitofgold.SheevensaidthataslongasNubifollowedtheorder,shewouldmakeNubiasecond-rankedyatou!¡±
Afterhearingthesewords,Tanshiwastremblingoutofanger.Coldwaveswashedoverherheartasifshehadfallenintoabottomlesspit.ShealwaysthoughtthatothershadprovokedJiuYiniangtodowrongfulthings,butwhowouldhavethoughtsheherselfhadtheintentiontomurderTanshi¡¯sson!
JiangYueLanrevealedanincredulousexpression:¡°JiuYiniang, youmustknowthatMinZhiwasinmycare.IfsomethinghappenedtoMinZhi,Icannotescapepunishment,sowhywouldyoudosuchathing!Youareclearly¡ª¡ª ¡± Asshewasspeaking,sheturnedhertear-filledeyestowardsLiXiaoRan.
LiWeiYanglookedatJiuYiniang,whosefacewassolemnandunclear.Whoknowswhatshewasthinking?
JiuYiniangwasstillstrugglingfiercelyandshouted:¡°Youareframingme!Allofyouhaveframedme!Youallcolludedtoframeme!¡±
AsidefromJiuYiniang¡¯sscreaming,noonedaredtoutterasound.Theatmosphereintheroomwasalmostsuffocating.LiXiaoRanslightlynarrowedhiseyes.HetrulycouldnothaveimaginedthatJiuYiniangdidthissortofthing!
SiYiniangncedatLiXiaoRanandsighed:¡°Laoye, theone-sidedtruthfromthisyatouisnotreliable.Itisnecessarytoinvestigatemuchmorecarefully,sothatJiuYiniangisn¡¯twronglyused!¡±
LaoFurenresentednotbeingabletopubliclyexecuteJiuYiniang.Hearingthis,shesneeredandsaid:¡°WeiYang, whatdoyousay?!¡±
LiWeiYangfeltthateverythingkeptdescendingintochaos.Thereweremanythingsshehadtopersonallyinvestigate,soforthetimebeing,sheonlysaid:¡°EverythingshouldbelefttoLaoFurenandFuqintodecide,WeiYangdoesnotdaretointervene.¡±
LaoFurennodded:¡°Withawitnessandatestimony,LaoDa1,whatdoyousayshouldbedonenow!¡±
WhileLiXiaoRanhadfeelingsforJiuYiniang,harmingaLifamilyheirwasnotsomethinghecouldforgive.HelookedatJiuYiniangandsaid:¡°Ihavealwaysfavoredyou,butwasthatstillnotenoughforyou.YouwouldnotevenspareachildlikeMinZhi!¡±Hisvoicegrewcolderandcolder:¡°Sinceitisthatway,IcannotholdontolingeringfeelingsoritwillgoagainsttherulesoftheLifamily!Startingfromtoday,JiuYiniangistobelockedupandnotallowedtoleave.Asforthisyatou,lockherupinthewoodshedfirst.Oncetheownerofthegoldshopisfound,confrontthemandasktoverify.Ifitistrue,proceedtobeathertodeath!¡±
Thatyatoubegantoscreamandcryasshewasdraggedout;LiWeiYanglookedatthissceneandfeltthatthismatterwasevenmorestrange.
JiangYueLansighed:¡°ItrulydidnotexpectsomeoneasweakasJiuYiniangwoulddosuchathing!Fortunately,itwasquicklydiscovered,otherwiseitwouldhavpromisedMinZhi¡¯slife!¡±Then,shekneltdownandsaidtoLiXiaoRan,¡°Laoye, Ididn¡¯ttakegoodcareofSiShaoye.Iwillnomentnomatterhowyouwishtopunishme.¡±
LiXiaoRanncedoveratLaoFurenandliftedheruptoherfeet.JiangYueLanrefusedtostand,hertearsstillfalling.LaoFurensaid:¡°Forgetit, thishasnothingtodowithyou.Getup.¡±
JiangYueLanonlystooduponcesheheardthisandtearfullysaid:¡°ThenIwillbringMinZhibackandtakegoodcareofhim.¡±
LaoFurenfrowned,watchingJiangYueLanwalkoverandtakeMinZhiintoherarmsunderTanshi¡¯sreluctanteyes.ShehadjusttakentwostepswhenMinZhisuddenlyopenedhiseyesandbegantoshriekandcry.
¡°Look,yousee!Whatelsecanyoudo!Youcan¡¯teventakecareofachild!¡±LaoFurenwasangeredbythis.JiangYueLanfeltgenuinelywronged.Howwouldsheknowthischildwouldbeawokensoeasily!
TanshihurriedlytookMinZhiintoherarms.Hesuddenlystoppedcryingandimmediatelyfegainsthisbirthmother¡¯schest,bright-eyedasifhistantrumhadneverhappened.Hislittlehandsweregrabbingatair,appearingverylively.
Intheend,itseemedlikehisbirthmotherstillhadaway.LaoFurenfeltreassured,butthenpainstakinglysaid:¡°He¡¯sbeenatFuRuiCourtyardforlessthantendays.Lookatthechild,hehasnolifeinhimanymoreandthiscan¡¯tgoonlikethis!¡±
LiWeiYangncedoveratherlittlebrother.Asidefromthereddotsonhisarm,hewasstillfair-skinnedandchubbyandtheobnoxiousnessofhiscryingwasunrivaled.Therewasnosignthathislivelinesshadbeenaffectedatall.
JiangYueLandidnotwanttoletgoofMinZhisoeasilyandcontinuedtosay:¡°Letmegiveitanothertry!Perhapsmyactionsjustnowwereabitrough,butIcanbegentler!¡±SheextendedherhandstotakeMinZhifromTanshi¡¯sarms,butthemomenthewasinherarms,MinZhi¡¯stearsranlikeafaucet,andhereturnedtoastateofcryinginearthshakingterror.
Everyone¡¯ssuspiciouseyesfellonJiangYueLan.LiXiaoRanfrowned:¡°Whydoesthechildkeepcryingthemomenthetouchesyou?¡±
EvenLaoFurenwashelplessaboutittoo,JiangYueLanthoughttoherself.However,shedidnotdaretoutterthesewordsinfrontofeveryone,soshereluctantlysmiled:¡°Intheend,he¡¯sstillclosertoQiYiniang!¡±Herpained,heartbreakinglookmadeLiXiaoRanfeelhiswordshadbeenabitharsh.
¡°QiYiniang,youshouldstillholdhim.¡±LiXiaoRanslowlysaid.
Itwasratherstrange.OnceTanshitookMinZhi,thechild¡¯sloudcryingimmediatelyquieteddown.Momentter,hewasnolongercryingatandhappilyrestingagainstTanshi,sniffingaroundher.TanshicaressedMinZhi¡¯slittleface.MinZhistoppedcryingughed,andgrabbedTanshi¡¯sfingerandstuckitinhismouthandstartedsuckingonit.
¡°Muqin,SiDiisstillyounganddoesnotunderstand.Childrenarelikethat.Theymustcryandthrowatantrumforawhile.They¡¯llforgetitoncetheygetusedtoit!¡±LiChangLegentlysaidassherubbedherface,whereshehadappliedmedicinalbalm.
LaoFurenfrownedasifthinkingaboutsomething.
JiangYueLanheardLiChangLe¡¯swordsandimmediatelyadded:¡°Indeed, IwillbringMinZhibackfirst.IfItrulycannotmanageit,IwillletQiYiniomycefortwodaysuntilMinZhiisustomedtome.¡±Shencedoveratthewetnurseapanyingher.ThewetnurseimmediatelyunderstoodandsteppedforwardtotakeMinZhi.
LiWeiYangnklylookedonasacoldsmileappearedonherlips.
ThewetnursehadnoteventouchedMinZhi,butheloudlyburstintotears,refusingtoleaveTanshi¡¯sarmsasifitwerelifeanddeath.Hewascryingandwrithing,tryingtoescapethewetnurse¡¯shands.Hisdarkeyeswerebrightlikecrystalorbs,reflectingbackthelightandblockingoutthedarkness.Hesmiledalotonadailybasis,butnowhetearfullyleanedagainstTanshi,asightoflongingnessthatleftLaoFurendistressed.
¡°YueLan,yousee...Thischildonlywantstobewithhisbirthmother.Inanycase,inthefuture,youwilsohaveyourownchild.IstillthinkyoushouldletQiYiniangtakehimhome.¡±LaoFurenwashesitant.
LiXiaoRannodded.Hestillfeltdistressedforhisson:¡°That¡¯sright.YueLan,youarestillyoungandnotusedtotakingcareofchildren.LetMinZhistaywithQiYiniang.¡±
LiWeiYanglookedatJiangYueLanwithahintofsmugnessinhersmile.
JiangYueLan¡¯ssmilewasalittlestiff,butshequicklyrecollectedherself.HereyesbecameabitdampasshelookedatMinZhi.
LiChangLeclenchedherhandbutkeptthecheerfulsmileonherface:¡°LaoFurenisalwayskind,dotingonSiDiinsuchaway.Itistrulyablessingoftheheavens.ButMuqinputinsomucheffort,ifsheweretogiveupnow,wouldn¡¯titallgotowaste?HopeFuqinandLaoFurenwillgiveheranotherchance!Childrenalwaysneedtimetoadjustandwillbefineafterafewmoredays!¡±
LiXiaoRanfrownedandcouldnotbeartoseehisbelovedwifelooksopitifndsaid,¡°Whynottryagainandsee?¡±
JiangYueLaneagerlynoddedandimmediatelywenttoholdMinZhi:¡°Iwillwholeheartedlydomybest.¡±
LiWeiYangcoldlylookedonbutdidn¡¯tsayanything.QiYiniangcouldnotbeartheseparation,butrememberingherdaughter¡¯swords,shehadnochoicebuttoletgoofMinZhiandstandofftotheside.
However, JiangYueLan¡¯sfinttemptresultedinfailure.Twodayter,shepersonallybroughtthechildbacktoQiYiniang.Shespokeemotionally:¡°Nothingcanbparedtohisbirthmother.Hecriesdayandnightwhenheiswithmethateveryonefeelssorryforhim.¡±
LiWeiYangnklyeyedJiangYueLan¡¯sdarkeyecirclesandpalplexionandthoughttoherself:Yourheartisn¡¯thurtingforMinZhi.It¡¯sonlybecauseFuqinwouldrathergotoSiYiniangtorestinsteadofFuRuiCourtyardbecauseofMinZhi¡¯scrying,causingyoutolosefavor.OutsidersalsospreadrumorsthatthenewFurendidnotcheckinonSiShaoyeatnightbutrathersecretlyprickedhisfeetwithneedles,whichiswhyhecriesmorefiercelyeverytimeheseesthenewFuren.Oncethoseviciousrumorsspread,JiangYueLan¡¯seffortsturnedtodust.LiXiaoRanrepeatedlyadvisedthatshemustbemoregenerouswithconcubine-bornchildren.JiangYueLansuffered,unabletosayawordindefense.Afterthinkingitthrough,shewasfinallyforcedtoreturnthechild.LikeLiWeiYangsaid,withintendays,LiMinZhireturnedtohisbirthmother¡¯sside.
WhenJiangYueLanleft,shesawMinZhihappilysmilingandfeltitwasstrangeandsuspicious.Althoughshecouldnotoverturnthingsthathappenedbefore,shetrulyhadnootherway.Whensheleft,everyonebreathedoutinrelief.
MinZhi¡¯sbrighteyeswerefixedonTanshi.Hereachedoutwithhischubby,lotusroot-likehandwithasmileonhislittlemouth.ThereweretearsonTanshi¡¯sface.Shecouldnothelpitanymore.Sherushedoverandtookthechildfromyatou¡¯sarmsandtightlyembracedhim.Sheheldherchildtightlyinherarmsandkissedhislittlefaceandthenfromhistinyhandstonecktohair,cryingandsmilingatthesametime.
LiWeiYangcouldn¡¯tdescribethewarmthemittedfromthesightwithwordsandquietlyasked:¡°HaspoisoninSiShaoye¡¯sbodybeentreated?¡±
BaiZhirepliedinlowvoice:¡°TheImperialphysicianprescribedsomemedicine,andtherashonSiShaoyehasdisappeared.¡±
LiWeiYangnodded,hereyesreturningtothesmilingMinZhi.
Tanshiwasafraidofinvolvingherdaughter,soshesuppressedherfeelings,butnowthatherpreciouschildhadreturnedtoher,sheputherfaceagainsthislittlefaceandfelthissmallhandandheardhissoftheartbeat.HerhearttrembledwithhappinessandjoyaseachoneofhertearsfellontoMinZhi¡¯sface.Onceshewascalmagain,shesaweveryonelookingatherandrealized.ShereluctantlycedMinZhiinthecradleandsmiled:¡°WeiYang, itwasindeedasyousaid,buthowdidyoudoit?¡±
LiWeiYangsmiled:¡°Everyoneelse, gooutside.¡±
Theyatousheardandquietlywithdrew.
LiWeiYangwalkedovertothecradleandheldoutarattletoMinZhi.MinZhihappilyreachedup,wantingabite.LiWeiYanggentlypulledtherattleawayandslowlysaid:¡°MinZhihasalwayslikedmaltose2, buthewastooyoungandcouldnoteatit.So,everytime,Ihadyatouputabitonaspoonoronthewetnurse¡¯sbody,soMinZhicouldatleasthaveataste.
Eventually, MinZhiexpectstohavemaltoseevery day,adesirestrongerthanwantingmilk.¡±Whileshewassayingthis,MinZhughedandsmiledwidely.LiWeiYangpinkedhischubbycheekandcontinued:¡°Later, whenJiangYueLantookhimwithher,thisprivilegenolongerexisted.Thisgreedy,littlekittenwilltrytofindmaltoseinfourhoursalone.Withoutit,hewillkeepcrying.¡±
Tanshiwasindisbelief:¡°It¡¯sthatsimple?¡±
LiWeiYanughedaloud:¡°Hoplicatedcoulditbe?¡±Alright,somaybeshedidn¡¯tmentioneverything,butMinZhiwouldcrywithoutmaltose.Nomatterwhoheldhim,herefusedtostopcrying.ThatdayTanshididasLiWeiYangsaidandsmearedmaltoseonherhands,sowhenMinZhirecognizedthesmell,hewasimmediatelyhappyagain.Ofcourse,thatalonewasnotenough.ThischildMinZhiwasabitnaive,happilysmilingateveryone,evenJiangYueLan,sothemomentJiangYueLanwasmarriedintothehousehold,LiWeiYangbegantoprepareforwhenadaylikethiswoule.
JiangYueLanlikedusingagarwoodincense,whichhadalongstinganddelicatefragrance.EverytimethewetnursebreastfedMinZhi,half-waythrough,LiWeiYangwouldhaveBaiZhibringanincenseburnerwithagarwoodnearMinZhiandorderedthewetnursetostopbreastfeeding.
Eventually, MinZhibegantounderstandthatifanyonewiththatsmeppeared,hewouldnotbeabletodrinkmilkanymore.Manyhabitsaredifficulttochangeoncetheyhavedeveloped.Achildislikeapuppyinregard tofood,ifthatfoodistakenaway,itisonlynaturaltohaveastrongfeelingagainstthosewiththatfragrance.EvenifJiangYueLanlookedafterhimwithgreatcare,shecouldnotchangethehabitLiWeiYanghadstartedawhileback.Thatiswhyontheseconddayafterthewedding,MinZhiwasstillsmilingwhenJiangYueLanheldhimbuteron,heburstedintotearswhenshetouchedhim.
LiWeiYangwouldnotrevealthissecrettoTanshibecauseasamother,shecertainlywouldbeverydistressed,butLiWeiYangthoughtthatthechildMinZhineededtobedisciplinedabit.Otherwise,hewillseeeveryoneashismotherandbingnaivelyobedientwasnotagoodthing.Perhapstherewasnobettermethodthantoallowhimtoreturntohisbirthmother.
MinZhiopenedhiseyeswide,hisdarkeyesfocusedonhiscunningjiejiepletelyunawarethatshehadsoldhimoutlikethatandcontinuedtosmilehappily.
¡°MinZhiescapedthistime,butwhatarewetodoinfuture?Whenwecan¡¯tusecryingtacticswhenhe¡¯sthreeorfouryearsold?¡±Tanshiwasworried.
LiWeiYangsmiled:¡°Inthefuture?JiangYueLanwillsoonhaveachildofherown.Evenifshedoesn¡¯t,shewon¡¯thavethemindtopayattentiontoMinZhi.¡±
Atthemoment,theyshouldnotworryaboutthefuturebutratherwhathappenedtwodaysago.ThethoughtthatsomeoneusedMinZhitoprovokeherinfuriatedLiWeiYang.Shestaredintentlyathischubbyarm,freeofanymarks,andcontemtedaboutwhatthenextstepwouldbenow.
Tofindthetruth,itisoftennotfoundbylookingatthesurfacebutratherbyexaminingwhohasthemosttogain.WithJiuYiniang¡¯smisfortune,thepersonwiththemosttogainwasnaturallyJiangYueLan,butJiangYueLanwasnotsuchashort-sightedindividundwouldnotdoso.ThenextmostsuspiciouspersonwasnotSiYiniangbutLiChangLe.
Afterwards, LiWeiYangarrangedforpeopletoinvestigatetheshopwhereLaoFurenhadthegoldcormade.Unfortunately,thestorehadchangedownership.TheowneroftheshopthatmeltedthegoldforJiuYiniangsuddenlydiedofillness.Thismatterbecameevenmoreuncertain.IfonesaiditconcernedaFurenofahousehold,wouldtheownerofaluxuriousgoldshopbeconvinced?Itwasobviouslynotthatsimple.
LiWeiYangturnedaroundandsaid:¡°Ihavesomethingandmustgobackfirst.¡±
Tanshilookedtoherdaughterinsurprise.ShedidnotknowwhatLiWeiYangwouldhaveatthistime,butsheknewshecouldnotadviseotherwise,soshesmiledandsaid:¡°It¡¯scoldoutside,letmeprepareahandwarmerforyou.¡±
LiWeiYangshookherhead:¡°Noneed.¡± Shequicklywalkedout.Assoonasshewasbeyondthedoors,shewasmetwithacoldgustofwind.Sheinvoluntarilyshivered.BaiZhirushedoverfromwhereshewasstandingbythedoorsandquicklyputathickfurcloakoverher:¡°Xiaojie, arewegoingbacknow?¡±
LiWeiYangshookherheadandloweredhervoice:¡°Let¡¯sgoseeJiuYiniangnow.¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Erica
Previous:
Next:
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Chapter 103 part2
Chapter 103: Formidable Use of Poison
Comments:
Erica¨C Been without Wi-Fi for a few days, apologiesfor the dy
Notes:
[1]Should the student be better than their teacher
BaiZhiandZhaoYuewerebrieflytakenaback. BaiZhiwhispered:¡°Xiaojie, JiuYiniangislockedupinherowncourtyard,Laoyesaid¡ª¡ª¡±
¡°FatherdidnotsayIcouldn¡¯tgoandaskquestions.¡±LiWeiYangidlysaid.
BaiZhisaid:¡°Buttheweatherissocold.¡±
LiWeiYangdidn¡¯tpayanymindtoit:¡°Itdoesn¡¯tmatter.Let¡¯sgo.¡±
ZhaoYuehadbeensolemnandsilent.Hearingthis,shenodded:¡°Yes.¡±
Therewasnotraceofanyonealongtheway.Perhapsnoonewantedtogooutinthisheavysnowyweather.LiWeiYangfirmlyheldontohercloakandwalkedintoJiuYiniang¡¯scourtyardbutdidnotrunintothecaretakers.Inthesnownotfaraway,therewasasilhouetteofa figuremovingstrangely.
Thatperson¡¯slonghairwasunkempt,fallingeverywhereandseemedtobedraggingherfeet.Her kneesstiff,shewalkedasifhe was awkwardlylimping.ShewasgettingcloserandclosertoLiWeiYangandcouldbefaintlyseenonlywearingthiyerofclothes...Inthisweather,howcouldanyonewearsomethingsosparsehere!Amomenter,LiWeiYangsaweverythingclearly.ThepersoninfrontofherwasnoneotherthanJiuYiniang!Shewasnotwearingthinsummerclothesbutawhitenightgown.
LiWeiYangfrowned,howcould JiuYiniangrunoutsideofthehousealone?!Didn¡¯tLaoFurenordertohavemoreservantsto guard herandkeepherunderclosewatch...Howcouldshe runoutsidewithoutanyonedoinganything?Whydidsherunoutinthiskindofweather?!
ZhaoYueinstinctivelycedahandontheswordbyherwaist,cautiouslyeyingJiuYiniang.
JiuYinianghadalreadydiscoveredthemandsuddenlystaredintenselyatLiWeiYang,ppingherhandsanughing.
LiWeiYangnoticedhervoicewasratherabnormndshuddered.Shelookedatherfaceandonlysawapairofsoulless,holloweyesasshehadwithLiChangXi!
¡°Hahaha,soit¡¯syou!¡±JiuYiniangtwirledapale,frozenbluefinger.Herhandswerealwaysbeautifnduntaintedbyevenalittlebitofdust,butnowtheywerecoveredinmud,dirtandblood.
¡°Iknowyou!You¡¯rethatcapableSanXiaojie!Ahno!It¡¯sLiWeiYang!Thatbearerofmisfortune!¡±
LiWeiYangraisedhereyebrows.CouldJiuYinianghavetrulylosthermind?
ZhaoYuewantedtostopJiuYiniangfroinganycloser,butLiWeiYangshookherhead.ZhaoYuehadtostepback.JiuYinianggiggledominouslyandcameclosertoLiWeiYang.Thestrangelightinhereyesintensifiedassheusedthesecretivetoneofvoiceofayoungchild:¡°Child, aren¡¯tyoureallycapable?!Savemethen,saveme,Ireallydidn¡¯tharmyou!Ididn¡¯thurtanyone!Theyareharmingme!Theycolludedwithoneanothertoharmme!IonlyfeltthatthingwasbeautifndwantedtoborrowittomakeoneforJinger.Itrulydidn¡¯tharmyou!¡±
Thewordsofamadwomanwerenotnecessarilycredible,butLiWeiYang¡¯sintuitiontoldherJiuYiniangwastellingthetruth.
Shefrownedandsuddenlyraisedhervoice:¡°Wherearethepeopleinthiscourtyard?Didyoualldiesomewhere?¡±
Hervoicewasnotveryloudamidstthewindandsnow,butsevenoreightpeopleappearedfrominsidethecourtyard,fourMamasandacoupleyatous.Theyallhadafearfullookontheirfaces.
LiWeiYangcoldlysaid:¡°Allofyouweresupposed towatchoverJiuYiniang,whatareyoualldoing?!¡±
ThefourMamashastilykneltdownandapologized.Wheneveritwasthiscold,theydidnotstandguardbythedoorsandsneakedinsomewodrinkandycards.TheyjustrealizedthatLiWeiYanghadarrivedbutdidnotdareteoutinfearofbeingpunished,butitseemed likeitwasunavoidable.
AMamaquietlysaid:¡°Xian Zhuforgiveus,theweatheristoocold.AlltheNubi¡¯shandsarefrozenblue.WethoughtJiuYiniangwasmentallyunstableandwouldnotrunout,sothen¡ª¡ª¡±
LiWeiYangcoldlystaredatthem:¡°QuicklyhelpYinianginside!¡±
Huh? Didn¡¯tJiuYiniangharmSiShaoye?SiShaoyewasXian Zhu¡¯sfull-bloodedyounger brother.WhydidXian ZhucontinuetotreatJiuYiniangthiswell?TheMamaslookedatoneanother.TheydidnotdaretoobjectandquicklydirectedpeopletoseizeJiuYiniang,butthestrengthofamadwomanalwayssurpassedthatofanaverageperson.JiuYiniangbegantugh,hervoicesharpasshebrokefreefromthecrowd,swayingassheran.Everyonerushedtoseizeherandaftersomedifficulty,theymanagedtoholdherdownonthesnow.JiuYiniangwasbarefoot,herentirebodycurledupasifshewasgettingsick.
LiWeiYanglookedonfromafarandhadanominouspremonition.Shewhispered:¡°Haveyourolder brotherwatchoverJiuYiniang.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±ZhaoYuequietlyresponded.
LiWeiYang¡¯sintuitionwasratherurate.Onedater,JiuYiniangwasfounddeadinherroom.
¡°ThephysiciansaidJiuYinianmittedsuicidebyswallowinggold.¡±LiWeiYangslowlysaid.
ZhaoNanshookhishead:¡°No, Nucaistoodguardoutsidetheentiretime.Ifshmittedsuicidebyswallowinggold,Nucaiwouldhaveseenit.¡±
LiWeiYangsighedandsaid:¡°Ofcourseshedidn¡¯mitsuicide,shewasmurdered.¡±
¡°Xiaojie,whenyatoubroughtdinnerinthatevening,JiuYiniangwasstillwell.Nucaihadalsotestedthefoodwithasilverneedle.Therewasnopoison,butaftersixhours,JiuYiniangstoppedbreathing.
AtfirstNucaisuspectedshehadbeenpoisoned,soNucaihadcheckedallthefurnishingsinroombutcouldnotfindanytrace of poisonanywhere. Then,NucaiexaminedJiuYiniang¡¯scorpseandfoundthatshelookedasifsheweredreaming,asifithadbeenpainless.
¡°So,thepersonwhokilledhermusthaveusedapoisonthatcouldnotbedetectedoractedinawaywecouldn¡¯thavepossiblyimagined.¡±
LiWeiYanghadlivedinthe pceandknew aboutmany types ofpoisonthatcouldnotbedetected.Forthemostpart,thosewereingredientsthatcontainedarsenic,soitwasnotsurprisingthatZhaoNancouldnotfindthecauseofJiuYiniang¡¯sdeath.
¡°Itseemsouronlycluehasbeenlost,¡±ZhaoNanfrowned.Inhisopinion,thewindingtroublesinthisgrandresidence havemadepeople¡¯sheadshurt.Someonepeacefullylivingouttheirdayscouldsuddenlydieinfrontofeveryone¡¯s eyes.Hereallycouldnotunderstandit;hewouldrathergotothebattlefieldtofightandkillthantobeafraid,worryingaboutwhenanarrowwileforhimoutofnowhere.
¡°Didn¡¯tanyofyouthinkthatJiuYinianggoingmadisstrange?¡±LiWeiYangprompted.
ZhaoYuenodded:¡°Shewasingoodhealth,butfromthemomentsheleftHeXiangCourtyard,it¡¯sasifsheturnedintoadifferentperson.¡±
LiWeiYangnoddedandsaid:¡°LiChangXilosthermindbecauseofthetraumaIcausedher,butwhydidJiuYinianggomad?¡±
¡°Maybe...Shemadeagravemistakeandwasafraidofbeingpunished¡ª¡ª¡±BaiZhisupposed.
LiWeiYangshookherhead:¡°Ifshewasdaringenoughtodoit,shecertainlyknewoftheconsequences.Howcouldshegomadsoeasily?¡±
BaiZhididnotspeakanymore.ShealsofelttherewassomethingwrongwithJiuYiniangsuddenlygoingcrazy.Perhapssomeonehadahandinit.
OnlyMoZhousighedandsaid:¡°PoorLiuXiaojie,shehasalreadylosthermothernotlongafterbeingbornintothisworld.¡±
LiWeiYangsmiled:¡°Thisisactuallyagoodthingforher.AlthoughJiuYiniangwasbeautifndclever,shedidnotgrowupinrgeprestigioushousehold.Sheiseasilymaniptedbyothers.Withamotherlikeher,Liumeimeiwillbeinvolvedinmanytroublesomematters.Nowthatsheisdead,JiangYueLanhastoestablishherimageofagentle,goodmotherinfrontofeveryone.Shewillexpectantlytreatherwell.¡±
BaiZhinodded;¡°Xiaojiehasapoint.¡±
MoZhoudisagreed:¡°WhoknowswherethenewFuren¡¯sheartis.WhatifshealsodisposesofLiuXiaojie?¡±
LiWeiYanughed:¡°Foolishyatou, whywouldsheneedtoactagainstLiumeimei?Liumeimeiisonlyaconcubine-borndaughter.Infuture,sheonlyneedstogiveherabitofdowry.ShecouldalsouseLiumeimeitofurtherher familyinterests. Ofcourse,shemustbecarefullyraised ---forthesakeofJiangYueLan¡¯sgoodname.ButMinZhiisdifferent...¡±
Firstofall,suppressingtheconcubine-bornsonistokeeptheinheritanceforthelegitimateson.Eveniftheconcubine-bornsonmovedout,hewilwayshaveashare.Ifhedoesn¡¯tmoveout,youwouldhavetoputmoneytowardssupportinghishousehold.Wheniestoanarrow-mindedandunfavored mainbranchofthefamily,theywillnaturallytreatmoneyastheirfleshandbloodandresentnotbeingabletoremovetheconcubine-bornsonfromexistence.
Thesecondreasonistoprotecttheeldest,legitimateson¡¯sstatusinthehousehold.AmongtheofficialsinDaLi,thereweremanyconcubine-bornsonsthathavesurpassedtheirlegitimatecounterparts.Withachievementsinhand,notonlycouldtheywrestlefavorfromthelegitimateson,buttheirmothergainshonorasherson¡¯spositionrisesandmayevenbeabletpetewiththeofficialwife¡¯s.
LikethecurrentprefectofZhangzhou,LiuFang,whowasoriginallyaconcubine-bornson.HewasraisedbythelegitimatemotherLiushifromayoungage.Whenhereturnedandsawthathisbirthmother,Lishi,withaheadofwhitehair,stillhadtoabidebyetiquettetowardsthelegitimatemotherandcouldn¡¯tbearit.HepurposelyaskedforBixia¡¯sedicttoallowhimtobringhisbirthmothertoZhangzhouPrefecturewithhimtosharehisprosperity.TheEmperorsawthatLiuFanghadenduredmanyyearsofhardworkandhardships,butthenewsspread,andhislegitimatemotherLiushifeltthissonwastoounrulyandwasfurious.SheorderedtheservantstochokeLishitodeath.So,itseemedlike sheraisedthisconcubine-bornsonwithherguardraised.Thiswasalsohumannature.ThiswasthemainreasonLiWeiYangdidnotwanttoleaveMinZhiwithJiangYueLan.Ifshedidn¡¯thaveason,shemaytreatMinZhiwell,butwhatifshehadherownson?Theproblemwould beratheplicated.
LiWeiYangthoughtupuntilthispoint,thenlookedatthebranchesoutsidethewindowthatwereswayedbythewind:¡°Thisisthstsnowfalloftheyear.¡±
BaiZhiandMoZhoulookedatoneanother,notunderstandingwhyLiWeiYangsuddenlymentionedthis.
Theperson who had thesamethoughtsasLiWeiYangwasLiXiaoRan.HefeltJiuYiniang¡¯smadnesswasstrangeandsuspectedsomeonepoisonedher.Asheponderedoverit,shesuddenlydied.Perhapssomeonemurderedher.Atfirst,hewantedtothoroughlyinvestigate.Unfortunately,theshopownerwasdeadandwith neitherawitnessnora testimony, theonlycluewaswiththeyatoubyJiuYiniang¡¯sside.Herwordsbecametheonlydoorstothe truth. Nomatterhowshewasinterrogated,theyatouonlyrepeatedthat:JiuYiniangpoisonedSiShaoye,andshedidnotknowanythingelse.Lateron,LiXiaoRansentforanexpertintorture,butthatyatoustilldidnotchangeherconfession.
¡°Nomatterwhatitis,ithasnoeffect.Eithertheyatouistellingthetruthorshebelievesthatwhatshe¡¯ssayingisthetruth.¡±LiWeiYangsaidtoZhaoYue.
ZhaoYuedidnotunderstand:¡°Whatisthedifference?¡±
LiWeiYangsmiled:¡°ThedifferenceisthatshereallydidseeJiuYiniangputthepoisoninsideorsomeoneelsemadehermistakenlythinkthatJiuYiniangdealtwithpoison.¡±
ZhaoYuesuddenlyunderstood:¡°Then, isthereawaytoinvestigateit?¡±
LiWeiYangcoldlysaid:¡°Ithappenedonce,sotherewillinevitablybeasecondtime.Aslongaswepretendnottoknowanythingforthetimebeing,theotherpartywillcontinuetoact.¡±
ZhaoYuenodded:¡°NubicertainlywillcarefullywatchoverSiShaoye.¡±
Atthatmoment,ZhaoNanquicklycameinandkneltdowntosay:¡°Xiaojie, followingXiaojie¡¯sinstructions,NucaisearchedthroughJiuYiniang¡¯sfoodintherecentdays...¡±Hehandedoverastackofpapers.
LiWeiYanglookedatitforawhilebutstillcouldnotseeanythingoutoftheordinary.Sheloweredhervoice:¡°Thereisnothingstrangewithfoodpreparation.Whatisgoingonhere?¡±Awhilter,shefrowned:¡°Gofindaphysician.¡±
ZhaoNanrespondedandquicklydisappeared.LiWeiYangsolemnlylookedathisretreatingfigure.
Twohourter,ZhaoNanbroughtbackanold,white-hairedandbeardedphysician.LiWeiYanglookedatZhao,andheimmediatelysaid:¡°NucaitoldtheguardsatthegatethatayatouinXiaojie¡¯scourtyardwasill,sotheLifamilyphysicianwouldnotbesummoned.¡±
LiWeiYangnoddedandsaid:¡°Pleasetakealook,istheresomethingwrongwiththesefoods?Orwouldconsumingtoomuchofanyofthese beharmful?¡±
Theoldphysicianwastremblingandstilldidnotknowwhathappened,buthesawtheluxuriousfurnishingsintheroomandLiWeiYang¡¯smannerofdressandunderstood.Heloweredhishead,notdaringtolookatLiWeiYang.Heeptedthepapersandscannedthrougheachone.
ThesepapersrecordedJiuYiniang¡¯sdailymealsinthepastmonth.
Theoldphysicianexaminedthemandpointedatadishthatwas preparedforeverymeal:¡°Thissteamedcassava¡ª¡ª¡±
LiWeiYangsaid:¡°CassavaisuniquetoJiuYiniang¡¯shometownandsomethingshelovestoeat.Fuqinalwaysdotesonherandsendsforittobedeliveredfromherhometown.Shedidnottouchitwhenshewaspregnant.It¡¯snothingnew.Why,isthereaproblemwithit?
Theoldphysicianlookedalittlehesitant:¡°Theleaves, stems,androotsofcassavasaretoxic,andfreshrootsarethemosttoxic.Ifraworundercookedcassavaiseaten,eventhroughasipofsoup,itmaystillcontaintoxins.Consumingtoomuchofitwillleadtodeath.Therefore,mostpeopledon¡¯tlikeeatingit.¡±
LiWeiYangfrownedandthensaid:¡°Thisisunlikely.Thekitchenstaffwouldnotserveuppoorlypreparedfood.¡±
Theoldphysiciandidnotdaretosaymoreandpointedatanotherdish:¡°ThisEnokimushroomanddaylilydish ...Ah...Themushroomscontainatypeofcolchicine.Ifit¡¯snotcarefullycookedandconsumedirgeamounts,itcaneasilyleadtotoxinsdisruptingthedigestivesystem.Ordinarypeoplecanstilldigestit,butifsomeoneweakandfrailwastoeatit ...¡±
Frail? JiuYinianggavebirthafewmonthsago.Herhealthnaturallycouldnotbeatitsbest,butdaylilywasoftenusedincooking.LiWeiYangneverheardofitbeingtoxic,soshemadeanexpressionofdisbelief.
Theoldphysicianexined:¡°Thisoldmanhasseenwithhis owneyesapatientwithgastrointestinalbleedingforsevendayswhoseemedperfectlynormalbutsuffocatedtodeathintheend...¡±
BaiZhimadeafaceofdisgust.Thisoldphysiciandaredtosay¡®suffocatetodeath¡¯infrontofXiaojie-- hewastrulyoutofline!
LiWeiYangshookherhead.ThiscouldnotexinJiuYiniang¡¯sdeath.Tosayshediedbecauseofthetoxinsinmushroomsordaylilieswasabsurd.Everyoneeatsthesethings,andnoonehaseverdied from this.Theoldphysicianwasspeakingofaspecialcasethatwouldonlyhappenundercertaincircumstances.No,waitamoment,whatifsomeonedeliberatelyundercookedthecassavaorintentionallyletthefrailJiuYiniangconsumergeamountofcassava?
Theoldphysiciancontinued:¡°Xiaojieisyoungandit¡¯s normal that you haveneverseenthis.WhenIwasyoung,IusedtoexaminecorpsesfortheImperialCourt.Isawwithmyowneyesallthestrange,primitivewayspeoplekilloneanother!Takethisroastporkandpotatodish.Theblossoms,leaves,androotsofthesepotatoescontainalotoftoxins,especiallyintheshoots.Younggreenpotatoesordarkspotsduetoimproperstoragecontainextremelyhighlevelsoftoxicity.Aslongasonemakesgood useofit,theycaneasilyputsomeodeath.Ofcourse,tograspthis,onemustneedtoexperimentwithitmanytimesandhavedirectesstothevictim¡¯sfood...¡±
LiWeiYangunderstoodeverything.Shewavedahand.BaiZhiimmediatelycedrgesilverbagintheoldphysician¡¯shand.Theoldphysicianpanicked:¡°This ... Ididnotexamineanyoneyet,Icannoteptsomuchmoney...¡±
LiWeiYangsmiled:¡°Thankyouforrifyingmysuspicions.¡±
Theoldphysicianwasrewardedbutfrightened.Heintendedtosaymore,butZhaoNanhadshowedhimout.
BaiZhisoftlysaid:¡°Thisoldmanscarespeoplewithwhathesays!Weeatthosethingsevery dayandhaveyettoseeanyonedie!¡±
LiWeiYangshookherhead:¡°Indeed, ifyouwanttouseitproperly,youmustknowJiuYiniang¡¯shealthverywendusethischancetokillher.Thisisnotsomethingtheaveragepersoniscapableof.I¡¯mafraidapoisonsexperthasappearedinthishousehold.¡±
¡°Xiaojieissayingit¡¯s¡ª¡ª¡±ZhaoYuewasstunned.
AchillinglightcrossedLiWeiYang¡¯seyes:¡°Toputhertodeathlikethat,IknowwhythispersonwouldwanttostepfootintotheLifamily!¡±
InadifferentresidenceintheCapital...
ZhouTianShouworriedlywalkedinthroughthedoorsandgreetedtheyoungmaninceremonialgarmentsstandinginthehall.Theyoungmanturnedbackwithasmile:¡°Noneedtostandonceremony,Taoistleader.¡±
ZhouTianShouoriginallylivedinmountains,butforsomereason,hewasinvitedtothisceamonthago.Hemettheyoungmanhere,whoarrangedthisresidenceforhim.ZhouTianShouledamodestlifestyleandhadneverreceivedsuchacourtesy.Hecouldnothelpbutwalkaroundthecourtyardandncedaround.Thetablesandbedweremadefrompreciousrosewood,thefour-paneledscreendividerwasiidwithgold,thecurtainsembroideredwithsilk,thebedding,andeventhesleepwearweremadeofsilk.Everythinginthehouse,eventhechamber pot,wacqueredwithgold.
Atmeals, thetablewouldbefullofseeminglysimplevegetariandisheswithmushrooms,winterbambooshoots,fungus,chestnuts,cauliflowerandvegetables.However,heknewthatwhilemeatwashardtebyinthese seas,freshvegetableswereevenmorerarethanabaloneandginseng.Hewasblindedbysuchextravaganceandcouldnotbelievewhatfortunehestumbledupon.However,somethingmadehimuneasy,notknowingwhattheotherpartywantedhimtodo.
Now, theyoungmanappearedbeforehimasecondtime.ZhouTianShouknewthatthistime,itwouldbetogivehimatask.
¡°IinvitedTaoistleaderheretoaskthatyouleavethisce.¡±Theyoungmansmiledashesaidthis.
ZhouTianShouwasshocked.Howcouldheleavesuchawonderfulcebehind?Hisfacerevealedhisreluctance,buttheyoungmancontinued,withoutwaitingforhimtospeak:¡°Don¡¯tmisunderstand.Ihavenootherintentions.SomeonewileandinviteTaoistleaderintothepce.¡±
¡°Intothepce?!¡±ZhouTianShouwasevenmoreastonished:¡°Inviteme?¡±
Theyoungmansmiledandsaid:¡°Indeed.¡±
ZhouTianShoufeltratherstrange.Hecouldn¡¯thelpbutlookattheyoungman¡¯sappearance,feelinghehadanobleandhandsomeappearance.Hiseyebrowswerelikemountains,hiseyeslikeapondinautumn,andeverythingfromhisnosetohismouthwas perfectly sculpted, butmostimportantlywas his fate ...ZhouTianShouhadanideaofthisyoungman¡¯sidentity.Hewasgoodatlookingatfaces,butthereweremanythingsonecanseebutcannotsayforsure.
¡°Youshouldreturntoyouroriginalresidence,Taoistleader.Inthreedays,QiHuangziDianxiawillinviteTaoistleaderintothepce.¡±Theyoungmansaid.
ZhouTianShoufearfullysaid:¡°Intothepce...Mymaster...¡±Hismastersaidmattersinthepcewerplicatedandtoldhimnottobeinvolvedwithquestionablepeople,butheknewthathismasterwasafraidhewouldstealhisbowlofrice[1].
Theyoungman¡¯ssmileseemedevenmorecharming:¡°Everythingwillbetakencareofonceyouareinthepce.However,ifyouwanttosurpassyourmasterinBixia¡¯seyes,youneedtobringBixiaauniquegift.¡±
ZhouTianShoulookedhim,puzzled:¡°IamonlyapoorTaoist,whatgiftcouldIsend?¡±
Theyoungmanonlysmiledandsaid:¡°Ah, agift.Ihavealreadypreparedoneforyou.¡±
ZhouTianShoufollowedtheyoungman¡¯sgazeoutthewindow.Hesuddenlystopped,hiseyesimmediatelyfixatedonayoungwoman.Hehadneverlookedclosely atbeautifulwomenandkepthimselfpure,butatthismoment,hestaredunblinkingly.Thebeautyinfrontofhimhadsofthands,afaiplexion,sharpphoenixeyes,beautifuleyebrows,andaclever,charmingsmilethatmadeone¡¯sheartquiver.Afterall,hewasareligiouspractitionerandimmediatelyrecollectedhimself:¡°Thisis¡ª¡ª¡±
Theyoungmanhadaslightsmile:¡°The emperorismissingawlessbeautybyhisside,right?¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Erica
Previous:
Next: Chapter 104 Part 1
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Chapter 104 part1
Chapter 104: Mystical Physician at Midnight
Comments:
Erica: Wee Jing Hui aboard ¨C gratitude for helpingout with trantion and editing
This chapter is sponsored by Andrew T., Weera S., Christiine G., and Carrieann W.
Notes:
[1]1 - 3am
Zhou Tian Shoustiffened, he could not shake off a sense of unease and rm. He had alreadythought of the idea at all angles, polishing it like how apidarist polisheda gem with careful precision and mastery. The best idea was to offer a beautyto the Emperor to warm his bed. Thedy had to have ethereal looks akin to afairy being sent from the heavens in order to be able to capture the Emperor¡¯sheart. In the end, it boiled down to how the emperor had seen too many beautiesthat were like ethereal fairies. After all, if he wasn¡¯t the emperor, how couldhe have such a marvelous predestined fate to meet these beauties?
Zhou Tian Shoumuttered, ¡°The beauty of this woman is sufficient to pass off as an etherealfairy.¡±
Li Min Deughed inexaltation, asking, ¡°Really?¡±
Li Min De smirked.Thisdy was painstakingly found after searching high and low-she wasspecially sent to learn etiquette, singing and dancing from the female schrsreleased from the pce and even learnt bedroom techniques meant to please ahusband.
Not only could sheact gently, she could act coquettishly as well. Just a nce from her limpideyes could hook any men¡¯s¡¯ heart. She was so gorgeous, it seemed like she iscarved from jade. So pure, so virginal, unlike a seductress. Such a beauty sentto the emperor would naturally be pampered and spoiled by the emperor, gaininghis favor. One could liken her image to a reincarnation of a fairy-aninnocent whose virtue was as clean as jade, an incorruptible and virtuousethereal being. When you ced a muslin veil on her, it merely added to herimage of an ethereal fairy.
Zhou Tian Shouabruptly broke out of his reverie of the goddess and asked, ¡°But what exactlydo you need me to do, my prince?¡±
The youth onlysmiled, ¡°I have no need of you now. Until I need your esteemed help, I shallcall you. Be on standby for now.¡±
Zhou Tian Shousaluted, ¡°I will fulfill my orders with utmost care sir¡±
When Li Min Dewalked out of the outer courtyard, the heavy snow had already stopped falling.
He softlymandedthe ethereal beauty, ¡°Do you understand what you have to do when you enter thepce?
¡°Nu bi understands¡±The ethereal beauty softly replied
Upon hearing this,Li Min De smiled gently and stepped into the carriage. In order to gain theemperor¡¯s favor, he had to fight with the seventh prince to snatch Zhou TianShou over. Naturally he had to send over this beauty as a gift to the emperor.
Ruminating over thedifficulty over finding this beauty, Li Min De sighed. In order to find the beauty,he had to spend two full months searching. If one wanted to know how difficultit was to search, Li Min De would describe it asbing through the heavensand the sky.
This beauty wascalled lotus She too hated the Jiang household with vengeance. To find someonewho hated the Jiang household as much as he did was a bonus. If such adyentered the pce, it would cause the Jiang household a whirlwind of trouble,causing them to exert themselves to sort out the trouble. Thinking of it madeLi Min De smirk.
It was close toMidnight. All of a sudden, Tan Shi suddenly rushed into Li Wei Yang¡¯s room. Herflustered expressions gave the staff a shock. Before Li Wei Yang could get outof bed and speak, Tan shi urgently grabbed onto her arm, ¡±Wei Yang, MinZhi...Min Zhi....he...¡±
Tears continued toseep down her face before she could finish her sentence. Wei Yang sped hermother¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Whatever is the matter?¡±
Tan Shi continuedweeping so hard she could barely utter a single word.
Seeing Tan Shi insuch a state, Bai Zhi hurriedly stepped in and said, ¡°At midnight, 4th masterstarted to have a fever...he even vomited out the milk he drank.¡±
Wei Yang immediatelystarted getting dressed, and asked, ¡°Has the senior physician been called?¡±
Holding back hersobs, Tan shi eked out, ¡°It was sote at night, I didn¡¯t dare to disturb thesenior physician or Lao Ye. I could only go to the normal physician who treatsthe Li family. But right now, Min Zhi is getting more and more serious. Hecan¡¯t even respond when I call his name!¡±
In the midst of TanShi¡¯s exnation, Li Wei Yang had gotten dressed. She ordered, ¡°Zhao Yue,quickly go to Auspicious Courtyard to inform Father. Pay no heed to those whotry to block your path. Even if you have to use brute force, you need to seehim and tell him that 4th Brother is seriously ill! Bai Zhi, you and I must goto Li Xiang Courtyard¡±
Among themselves,the servants knew that this sort of situation was quite typical, but no onedared to utter a word. They could only hurriedly assist Wei yang in putting onher cloak. Upon walking out of the door Wei Yang abruptly stopped in herfootsteps.
She turned her head,looking at Tan Shen who was crying so much, she couldn¡¯t even lift her head.¡°Niang, please pull yourself together and go back to take care of 4th brother.I¡¯lle back quickly!¡±
Once Lao Fu Renheard that Li Min Zhi was critically ill, she immediately climbed out of bed.Before she could even get dressed, she hollered, ¡°Quickly! Go and call theimperial physician!¡±
Luo Mama hesitantlyasked, ¡°Lao Fu Ren, I think it¡¯s very hard to call an imperial physician atthis time of the night!¡±
Lao Fu Ren gazedout. It was just before chou shi1. At this time, the imperialhospital still had imperial physicians on night duty. Unfortunately, thisservice was reserved exclusively for the royal family. The only hope was to goto the imperial physician¡¯s own house to ask for people.
She said,¡± Get thehead housekeeper to personally take our family card and go to Imperial Wang¡¯sfamily house immediately!¡± Luo Mama immediately acquiesced and rushed off tory her orders.
If one were apasserby, one would be curious over the happenings that happened from 1-3AMthat night. The Li family¡¯s door had burst open and one would have witnessedthe head housekeeper hastily getting on a horse. Likewise, the attendantsfollowed suit and galloped into the inky ckness of the night, leaving onlythe trace of the sound of the horse¡¯s hooves behind.
Unfortunately, thehousekeeper was met by a dismal sight upon reaching the Imperial Physician¡¯shouse. The door of the imperial physician was shut tight. Only with greatdifficulty could the housekeeper cajole the guards on duty to pry thergedoor open.
He was faced withthe devastating news that the Empress dowager was suddenly afflicted by an illnessand had recruited the entire team of imperial physicians for consultation anddiagnostics. Naturally Wang physician, being an imperial physician, had to goas well. The Li housekeeper pressed on anxiously and asked if the attendantsknew when the Wang master would be back. The attendants could only look at eachother mutedly, shaking their heads; after all who would know the innerhappenings of the imperial pce!
The Li housekeepercould only rush back to the Li household to report the circumstances. Uponhearing the news Li Xiao Ran was naturally extremely anxious.
He suddenly stood upand said, ¡°I will go to the pce personally to wait!¡±
As the primeminister, a single weakness on his part would allow his enemies to pounce onhim. He could not tell the emperor words such as ,¡±my son had suddenly fallenill, could you ask your imperial wife to give me one of her physicians when sheherself was ill¡±
Hence Li Xiao Rancould only wait and hope the treatment to the imperial dowager would endfaster.
In actual fact, suchcalling a physician for a concubine¡¯s son could be left to the Li Housekeeper,for a concubine¡¯s son was of no significance. To actually call an imperialphysician was overstretching it, a mere doctor would suffice for a concubine son¡¯streatment. But Li Xiao Ran was so agitated and anxious as he prized having ason. Given that Li Xiao Ran was one of the most senior ministers, the imperialphysicians did not dare to make him wait!
While Li Xiao Ranentered the pce, Lao Fu Ren anxiously waited for the news from Li Xiao Ran.
Jiang Yue Langravely said, ¡°Lao Fu Ren don¡¯t worry. Min Zhi will pull through¡±
Her face revealedtraces of sincere worries. Even though she had only taken care of this childfor a few days, she wasn¡¯t a block of wood and would have formed an attachmentto the child. Moreover, unlike the Li Chang Le who was inwardly taking delightin the misfortunes of Li Wei Yang, she had no particr grievances towards WeiYang and her mother.
Rather, she had avague inkling that the current situation in the city was bad. In fact, the DongHe household ad recently lost their 4 sons prematurely and Jiang Yue was afraidMin Zhi would follow suit.
As Bai Zhi observedWei Yang she noticed that while Wei Yang¡¯s facial expressions were serene andpeaceful, only her trembling fingertips betrayed her inner turmoil. In the end,Wei Yang had pinched herself and tightly clenched her fist to stop hertrembling.
Si Yi Niang surveyedthe gloomy atmosphere and gently advised, ¡°Yes Lao Fu Ren, Mistress has advisedyou righty, Si shao ye will definitely recover.¡± As she finished, she caught ance of Wei Yang giving her a re. She immediately mmed up. Even thoughwhat she said sounded caring, she inwardly rejoiced and could not waitfor Li Min Zhi to die prematurely. Si Yi Niang¡¯s gloating over someone else¡¯smisfortunes were in part because she had not been able to give birth to a boyand had taken a lot of effort just to conceive a girl. All this was thanks tothe meddling of the now deceased Da Fu Ren. Naturally she hated that Da Fu Renwho she had suffered under, but right now with Da Fu Ren dead, she transferredher hate over to Qi Yi Niang. Originally Qi Yi Niang¡¯s status could notpareto anyone in the Li Household and she was at the lowest rungs of the LiHousehold. Yet she had even managed to conceive a precious son and was nowbestowed a title and. Even if Qi Yi Niang never won back the favor of Li XiaoRan, the birth of a son would ensure that Qi Yi Niang would live her dayfortably without worries. With such developments, Si Yi Niang naturallyhoped Li Min Zhi would die prematurely so Qi Yi Niang would fall out of favor.
Who knew that her darkest thoughts werediscovered by just one sharp pierce of Li Wei Yang¡¯s re. Si Yi Niang wasdeeply flustered. To be discovered by Li Wei Yang of all people, no good thingcoulde out of it!
Li Chang Leughed,herughter carrying like silver bells, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that Si Di has to sufferso much at such a young age. It must be due to him bearing the karma of hismother¡¯s evil sins.¡±
Upon hearing her,Loa Fu Ren snorted coldly and drew a long-drawn sigh. Li Wei Yang suddenlystood up, her abruptness gave Li Chang le a start as she watchfully monitoredWei Yang¡¯s reaction.
Contrary toexpectation, Li Wei Yang did not get angry and yet calmly said, ¡°This room isgetting too stuffy, I¡¯m going out for a breath of fresh air¡±
As Wei Yang walkedout of the door, she was greeted by Li Min De rushing towards her. His back wasdrenched with dew as if he had juste back home. Upon seeing Li Wei Yang, hesaid, ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared a carriage, let¡¯s go!¡±)
Puzzled, Li Wei Yangasked, ¡°Where to?¡±
¡°To just stand hereand dazedly do nothing is not helping! I¡¯ve heard people saying that there is aMaster physician in Da Li. As long as the person has not drawn hisst breath,he is able to save them from the brink of death! The only w is that hispersonality is rather quirky and he refuses to enter the pce to be animperial physician¡±
Is such a personeven real?¡± Startled, Li Wei Yang searched her recesses of her memory.
¡°Are you talkingabout Lu Xiao?!¡±
Wei Yang had beentoo frazzled and had even forgotten about Lu Xiao¡¯s existence.
Lu Xiao, or as thepublic called him Lu Gong(¡°Gong¡± is ancient China was a title reserved forpeople of highest honors, for example, a duke) was indeed a gifted surgeon. Hisskills were not restricted to just the art of healing. He could urately pinpoint the root cause to the patient¡¯s illness. In fact, if he told you that hecould treat the illness, it was as good as any other doctor meaning you couldbe cured from your illness permanently.
There was a famouscase that Lu Gong had treated. The patient hadined he suffered from aheadache. After feeling his pulse, Lu Gong could urately determine that theillness was too severe and could not be saved. He had told the patient¡¯s brother,¡°Your brother has contracted a particr illness that will start showing itseffect in his digestive system. In 5 days¡¯ time, his stomach would bloat and in8 days¡¯ time, he will vomit out pus and die.¡±
There was anotherasion where he used TCM to treat a noble¡¯s son. The son was only 17 yearsold and once Lu Gong saw him, he diagnosed and said, ¡°Your inner organs areweak. You need to diligently take the medicine I prescribe to you for a year,or else your whole body¡¯s hair will shed and drop off. The youth was ratherskeptical and did not diligently take the medicine. Indeed, by the age of 25,his hair, his eyebrows had dropped off.
The most famousexample was the Lu Gong and the Imperial Family. The Late Emperor¡¯s cherishedConcubine Liu concubine fell ill. Using every possible way, thete Emperorsearched for Lu Gong to render his expertise.
With one look, LuGong diagnosed and said, ¡°Your sickness has already taken root, we need to cutopen your abdomen to heal. However, it is the heaven¡¯s fate that you can onlylive for two more years. Even if you do the surgery, it is pre-ordained thatyou can only live for those 2 years.¡± At the Emperor¡¯smand, hemandedthat Lu Gong was to try every possible means to cure her anyway. But during thosetwo years, Liu Fei died.
Lu Gong¡¯s urate predictions was picked upspeedily by the locals and became sensational news. Due to Lu Gong¡¯s sterskills and his frank nature, he became Da Li¡¯s star doctor with his nametravelling far and wide. However, thete Emperor continued to suspect Lu Gongwas not skilled enough to safe Concubine Liu. He thought Lu Gong had concoctedthe two-year death as a story and hence treated him as a wanted criminal andcontinuously hunted Lu Gong down. Lu Gong gradually turned against the royalthrone and decided to wander about, disappearing without a trace.
How exactly did LiMin De manage to find this elusive and mysterious doctor?
Before Wei Yangcould ask, Min De rapidly said this as he instructed Bai Zhi to saddle Li WeiYang up., ¡°Because your body was weak thest time, I had already expended allmy efforts to procure this Master Physician Lu Gong. I found out he wasresiding in Kyoto Japan but I didn¡¯t know the specific address. Half a monthago, I finally managed to find his residence. However, no matter how many timesI visited his residence, he was not around. Right now, we are at our witsend-If Min Zhi is meant to survive this, then by the grace of the heavens, wewill be able to find him this time!¡±
Once Li Wei Yang hadheard that Li Min De had previously searched for Lu Gong far and wide for hersake, she was stunned momentarily. However, the situation at hand was pressingand she did not want to tarry further. Her questions would have to wait. Wei Yangrapidly climbed up the horse saying, ¡°Let¡¯s hope we¡¯re not going on a wildgoose chase.¡±
Li Min De nodded, his fine porcin facerevealed a trace of determination.
The carriagetrundled on continuously for no less than 12 hours. Finally, it stopped at ahouse.
Li Wei Yang had notuttered a single word during the ride. She grabbed tightly to the handrail withsweaty palms. Li Min De could perceive that she was nervous and panicky.Wordlessly, he ced his palm on hers and patted it, wanting to give herreassurance andfort. Only then did Li Wei Yang regain her resolutecalmness.
The house had a veryelegant exterior. Unfortunately, the gatekeeper arrogantly called out¡°I¡¯ve already toldyou that my master isn¡¯t in. Yet you¡¯reing back again at midnight.Are you crazy?¡±
Min De called out,¡°But this time, someone is very sick and needs help!¡±
The gatekeepercoldly said ¡° I don¡¯t care what sort of illness he has. He¡¯s not in!¡±
Li Min De lost hiposure andmanded, ¡°Zhao Nan!¡±
Before the guardcould even react, a sharp de was pressed at the gatekeeper¡¯s throat. Thegatekeeper was scared out of his wits.
Li Wei Yang hurriedly intervened, ¡°You knowthat even if we¡¯re patient, the de is never patient with its victims. I¡¯ll betyou before your master cane back home, you would have been dead and even LuGong would not be able to revive you!¡±
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Trantor: Jing Hui
Editor: Jing Hui
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Chapter 104 part2
Chapter 104: Mystical Physician at Midnight
Notes:
Gu mu (¹Ãĸ) ¨C aunt from the father¡¯ side; Da Gu Mu (´ó¹Ãĸ) eldest paternal aunt, Er Gu Mu (¶þ¹Ãĸ) second paternal aunt
The guard¡¯s arrogant expression was wiped off his face, he uncertainly stared at Li Wei Yang. If looks could kill, Li Wei Yang embodied that. Her murderous expression terrified him. Not daring to look at Wei Yang again, he directed his words to the less scary of the two, Li Min De.
¡°Sir, I¡¯ve already told you, he isn¡¯t in! This is the truth, I wouldn¡¯t lie to you... If you don¡¯t believe me, you can enter the premises and check!¡±
Li Wei Yang grinded her teeth, ¡°Zhao Yue, go in and search! Don¡¯t think about etiquette at this critical juncture! Think about the life we are about to lose!¡±
Zhao Yue rapidly went into the house. Not before long, he bounded out, dejectedly shaking his head.
Li Wei Yang frowned.
The guard said,¡± See! See! I¡¯ve already told you my master is not at home! You shoulde another day!¡±
¡°Another day?! Another day?! This situation could not be resolved on another day!¡±
Li Wei Yang agitatedly thought to herself. ¡°If Li Xiao Ran could not get a physician from the royal pce as well, what would happen to Min Zhi? Would she have to barge into the imperial pce and snatch the imperial physician?¡±
Li Wei Yang took two steps back dazedly.
As if she was in a trance, Wei Yang swayed like a wind.
¡°Do you want to live!¡±
Her body was pulled by Min De who was in front, but the voice came from someone else. Li Wei Yang lifted her head to locate the voiceing from her back, only to see a carriage leaning towards her, precariously tilting to the side.
It seemed that she had startled the carriage¡¯s coachmen. After rearing back the horse, he began to scold loudly, ¡°Do you have eyes? When you walk on the roads, do you not use your eyes to guide you? Or is it that you are so idle and free that you can run freely around into other people¡¯s house to want to find a way to die?¡±
Drawing in a breath after his rant, he asked,¡± Lao Ye, are you alright?¡±
From the inside of the carriage, a sonorous voice piped out, ¡°Whatever is happening out there?¡±
The coachman began exining the circumstances to the old man. Li Min De was close to his boiling point. However, he started to notice Li Wei Yang had been staring fixedly at the carriage.
At this moment, the elderly person in the carriage alighted. Cupping his hands in greeting, he said ¡°I hope I did not disturb you...¡±
¡°Ah! My Master has finally arrived home! You are most fortunate to be able to meet him!¡± The guard said as he came running up to greet his master.
It was only then did Li Wei yang¡¯s spirit return. Involuntarily, she took a step forward to rify, ¡±You are ----Lu Gong?¡±
¡°Are you here to seek treatment on your illnesses? Come into the house and talk!¡±
Since Lu Gong had already said that, Li Wei Yang grasped hold of his sleeves ¡°There is no time! Pleasee with us, my brother cannot even wake up!¡±
Lu Gong shook his head and said, ¡°I still need to go in and get my medical trest ah!¡± Eyeing Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand on his sleeves, his eyes wrinkled into a smile.
Li Wei Yang realized how utterly without propriety she was and immediately released his sleeves from her hand. Inside the house, one could see that the house¡¯syout was simple and bare. All the furniture seemed as if it was designed for functionality as their first priority and had no traces of luxury. For example, the table was bared with only an iid with a Chinese chess. The only trace of luxuryy in the far corner designated for flower pots. Heaps of precious herbs were stored there. Not to mention the grand bookshelves which were burgeoning with stack and stacks of ancient tomes specializing in the art of healing.
As for the appearance of Lu Gong. Well, Lu Gong¡¯s beard was white. During his youth, he must have been a strapping young man but the years had made him hunched and bent. Even so, he still exuded the aura of a formidable man. Initially, he did not want to treat patients upon his arrival back home. But after hearing the Li¡¯s family plight, and upon hearing that they had hired 7 doctors only to hear that all 7 said Min Zhi¡¯s illness was beyond treatment, he began to cheerily say, ¡°All of the doctors said he couldn¡¯t be saved? I must really see him!¡±
This evidently meant that Lu Gong treated Min Zhi as if he was a specimen to be studied upon. Li Wei Yang swallowed her misery and said, ¡°Please good sir, please use your utmost efforts to save Min Zhi! If he can be saved, the Li Family will be extremely grateful¡±
Lu Gong smiled and instructed the guard to fetch his medicinal chest and stepped into the carriage.
As the carriage trundled into the Li Household, the butler who weed them back had anxiety written all over his face. In a whisper, he said, ¡°Lao Ye has note back¡±. His words implied that Li Xiao Ran had not seeded in procuring an imperial physician. Li Wei Yang nodded her head, and gestured to Lu Gong, ¡°Wee to the Li Mansion.¡±
By the time Lu Gong reached Tan Shi¡¯s office, the sky had already brightened and it was almost dawn. Lao Fu Ren and the entire household¡¯s faces had anxiety etched all over their faces as they waited for the news.
Li Chang Le was the first to stand, ¡°This physician is----?¡±
Li Wei Yang said, ¡°This is a top physician called Lu Physician.¡±
Lao Fu Ren was widely read and upon hearing this name, an image sprung up to mind. She immediately said, ¡°Lu Gong, you have travelled a great distance. You have suffered.¡±
Li Chang Le nced at the mama beside her. The mama¡¯s head was hanging down. She coldlyughed, Lu Physician? Li Wei Yang had surely lost her head in this frenzy, why else would she engage a no-name physician! While Li Chang Le was always superficial and shallow minded, it was true that majority of the people in the city hadpletely forgotten about Lu Gong¡¯s existence because he hadn¡¯t been treating people in the capital for a while. So, one could not fault Li Chang Le¡¯s ignorance. The entire household surveyed Lu Gong. This included the 7 physicians who were helpless in the face of the crisis. They red at the physician, suspicion radiating off them.
Lu Gong rinsed his hands. Using his white handkerchief, he methodically wiped both his hands till dry before walking towards the cradle. He prodded, smelt and gazed at the baby for half an hour. With a serious gaze, he took a step back. Pinching Min Zhi¡¯s stomach, he gravely said, ¡°Bring me the original medicine that Min Zhi was eating.¡±
Li Wei Yang personally brought forward the medicine the previous imperial physician prescribed to Min Zhi to Lu Gong. Lu Gong narrowed his eyes upon looking at the medicine and repeatedly sighed, ¡°A quack doctor! A Quack doctor!¡±
Upon hearing these words, Lao Fu Ren agitatedly said, ¡°These were prescribed by the imperial physicians. How can there be a problem?¡±
¡°This child¡¯s toxins have not been purged out and on top of that, he suffers from a mild cold. What was prescribed to him are all toxin purging medicine suitable for adults and does not address his cold. It¡¯s obvious a childwill not be able to take the strong medicine! This doctor is a disgrace! His prescription is in horrible. He shouldn¡¯t be practicing!¡± Lu Gong said.
One of the 7 doctors had originally approved such a method. Upon hearing this, he could not help but say, ¡°These medicines were prescribed because the child was suffering from poisoning! You can¡¯t deny it¡¯s the right prescription to make... You can¡¯t just treat his cold and neglect the fact that the child has been poisoned? Obviously, we would prioritize treating his poisoning first because it¡¯s more important than a mere cold!¡±
Lu Gong disdainfully said, ¡°A quack doctor would parrot exactly what you said. Superficial knowledge and healthy dose of generalization! This child is still tiny. You need to understand you have to nurture him, build his health from a foundation level. If his body bes weak, he would naturally be susceptible to themon cold. This prescription only contains medicine suitable for strong illnesses. Do you want to kill the child? If I waited for you to purge the toxins out of the child, the child would have already died!¡±
The physician continued trying to defend himself, ¡°Originally, these two illnesses when contracted together are very hard to treat. In addition, the child is still too young to consume the Ephedra herb. It¡¯s such aplicated case, no one can save him!¡±
Lu Gong coldly smiled and said, ¡°If youcan¡¯t do it, does it mean no one else can?¡±
Hope began to blossom in Lao Fu Ren¡¯s chest as she hoarsely voiced out, ¡°How do we treat him?¡±
Lu Gong nced at Tan Shi cradling Min Zhi. Gently, she used some wet handkerchiefs to wipe Min Zhi¡¯s brow. Even so, the child had his eyes tightly shut, as if he could not wake up.
Lu Gong unhurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to dispense the medicine... Please undress the child for me.¡±
Lao Fu Ren agitatedly said, ¡°This child is so small, are you sure he can withstand the medicine? Would it be better if the wet nurse drank the medicine and the medicine gets transferred via breastmilk?¡±
Lu Gong shook his head ¡°There is no time! If you have faith in my abilities, you would listen to me! If you don¡¯t believe, then find someone to treat him!
Li Wei Yang grinded her teeth and said, ¡°Lao Fu Ren, let¡¯s listen to Lu Gong!¡±
Even though Lao Fu Ren was still faintly skeptical about Lu Gong, she had no choice. There was no sight of her son and the imperial physician. She could only rely on Lu Gong who was in front of her.
Yet the unspoken still had to be said, ¡°If...you can¡¯t heal the boy...¡±
Lu Gong¡¯s face was flushed with confidence. ¡°The fact that I am prepared to treat him and that I have gone to the extent of prescribing him medicine means I am confident that he will get well! There is no such thing as ¡°If¡± in my dictionary!¡±
Immediately, he began the tedious process of prescribing, procuring and dispensing the various herbs. He spent a whole 6 hours on the task, toiling till noon and waking the entire household up with his activity.
It was only then, at noon, did Li Xiao Ran hurriedly step foot back into the Li Mansion, bringing the Imperial Physician with him. Li Min Zhi¡¯s vomiting and diarrhea spells and his extremely high fever has already stopped by the time they arrived.
Wang Imperial Physician looked amazed at how the situation had turned out and was thinking of saying something. Lao Fu Ren was rather afraid the two physicians woulde into conflict. Hence, she instructed the servants to bring the Wang Imperial Physician to sample some tea. It came as a surprise when Wang Imperial Physician brushed the servant off and immediately took the initiative to go straight to Li Min Zhi¡¯s cradle to inspect it. After questioning for what seemed like a day, his face showed a mask of uncertainty. When he met with Li Xiao Ran and Lao Fu Ren he betrayed some sort of agitation.
After a long while, he slowly said, ¡°Indeed, the physician is a master.¡±
He nced at Li Xiao Ran and said, ¡°Prime Minister Li, I am not needed.¡± As he finished cupping his hand, he left without a word.
The rest of the physicians looked at each other in dismay, uncertain at the Imperial physician¡¯s actions and why he left so suddenly. The person with the mostplex feelings was Li Chang Le. She didn¡¯t speak at all, and had her head hanging down. If anyone could look any more awkward it would be her.
Lu Gong took ast look over at Min Zhi and smilingly said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with him already.¡±
Li Wei Yang immediately let out a breath of relief. It was only then she discovered even Lao Fu Ren had stayed up the entire night. She immediately said, ¡°Lao Fu Ren, you should go and rest immediately. Don¡¯t worry about sending the physician to the door, I¡¯ll do it.¡±
It was only then did Lao Fu Ren manage to rx, her legs were so weak with relief that they almost buckled down. As her gaze involuntarily traveled to the cradle, she said ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go home first. If there are any developments, pleasee about and inform me about them.¡±
Li Xiao Ran immediately said, ¡°Housekeeper, you apany the 3rd Miss to send Lu Gong off.¡±
The housekeeper immediately understood the meaning behind Li Xiao Ran¡¯s words and answered, ¡°Yes¡±. Shortly after, he passed a heavy bag of silver to the medicine boy who had followed Lu Gong. The medicine boy beamed widely while receiving the money.
As Lu Gong stepped out of the door of the Li Mansion, it was only then did he start smiling and told Li Wei Yang, ¡°It¡¯s alright. You just need to see me off until here.¡±
Li Wei Yang said ¡°Master Lu, you saved my younger from death¡¯s door. In the future, if you need any favors from me, I will definitely not reject you.¡±
Lu Gong smiled, closely assessing Li Wei Yang before saying, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take your word for it. If I need any favors in the future, I will naturallye to you and knock on your door.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded. Wordlessly her eyes followed Lu Gong as he ascended up the horse carriage and trailed after them even after his carriage began to move.
The midst of this, she heard Li Min De instruct his people in the background, ¡°Follow him.¡±
Li Wei Yang could not help but turn her head around to ask Min De, ¡°Why? Does he seem suspicious to you?¡±
Li Min De said ¡°I keep on having a bad gut feeling about him.¡± He icily said as he watched the horse cart travel further into the distance.
Li Wei Yang softly said, ¡°But he saved my brother¡¯s life. This remains an undisputed fact.¡±
Li Min De shook his head and said, ¡°Last night I was too rash and agitated. Yet after I calmed myself down to think about it, there were moments that I could not ce my finger on that were not right. Even if I were to take into ount that Lu Gong is slightly entric personality, it seems mightily suspicious. Would any sane doctor immediately agree to treat someone without even seeing the patient? Or discussing payment? And he immediately agreed toe with us nary any hesitation...almost as if he was anticipating us.¡±
Li Wei Yang broke intoughter, ¡°Your suspicions are unfounded. And anyway, at least his medical skills stood the test.¡±
For a split second, Li Min De¡¯s beautiful eyes shed with a thread of coldness. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like this fellow.¡±
Li Wei Yang paused and searched her recollections of Lu Gong carefully. However, she had been too agitated for thest few hours. She was surprised to find out she had not actually taken a good look of Lu Gong and his features seemed to slide away from her. She could only shake her head bemusedly, feeling that Li Min De¡¯s thoughts were slowly bing iprehensible to her.
Lu Gong¡¯s carriage followed the path they made when going to the Li Mansion. The medicine boy took a look behind and said in a low voice, ¡°There are people following us behind!¡±
Lu Gong smiled broadly as he twirled his beard and jauntily saying, ¡°Let¡¯s throw him off our scent!¡±
At that, he ordered the horse carriage to immediately turn into an alleyway. Those people who were following them also followed suit immediately. Who knew that once they turned into the alleyway, Lu Gong¡¯s horse carriage had vanished. The pursuers were stunned momentarily before deciding to re strategize and split up into the three littlenes the alleyway branched into.
Soon after the pursuers left the scene, a backdoor swung forth and Lu Gong¡¯s carriage emerged. The medicine boy stuck his head out to survey the alley beforeughing and said, ¡°The coast is clear!¡±
Lu Gong gave a heartyughter and said, ¡°Quick let¡¯s go home. We¡¯ve toiled for an entire night, we deserve a warm bath the very least!¡±
Lu Gong did not go back to the ramshackle clinic where he greeted Li Wei Yang and Li Min De. Instead, he did a 180 degrees turn and entered a luxurious mansion. Before the main door could close, he straightened his crooked back and resumed the posture of a young strapping man with a ram-rod straight back.
4 lithe and youthful young servants dressed in white silks came out cheerfully to greet him, ¡°Young master has arrived home!¡±
Lu Gong smiled sweetly, and lecherously fondled the chest of the young girl closest to him saying, ¡°You should be calling me Great Master Lu...¡±
¡°Great Master Lu...¡± The elegantly dressed youngdies chorused sweetly.
Lu Gong grasped two beauties in both his left and right arm and entered his room. One of the beautiful servants carried a basin of water to him. Lu Gong took out what seemed like a medical bottle and started wiping his face vigorously for a full 30 minutes. After using the basin of water to attentively wash every part of his face, he lifted his head. Gone were the saggy and wrinkly skin of an old man and instead, a fine looking and distinguished youth with jade like skin and plump lips emerged. He mischievously chuckled and said, ¡°This is the face that you¡¯re mostfortable with right girls?¡±
That is most natural! This face of Young master¡¯s is the most charming and elegant one!¡±
¡°That¡¯s right that¡¯s right! If Young Master used this face, everyone would swoon to death!¡±
The beautiful servants were like sparrows chattering nonstop. One of the servants offered the face disguising liquid to the young man and the young man started spreading it. After 30 mins, the young man had his face disguised again and gave a big sigh, ¡°Do you think I like to disguise myself as this broken thing, where I can¡¯t even breathe properly! Where my lips are all puckered and when I do things I have to act frail? What rubbish is this. Ai, I only do this so people would believe me. If not, I won¡¯t be wasting all this effort!¡±
Young Master is really awesome....¡± A storm of high pitch twittering ensued.
At this moment, one could only hear the main door bang open. A young man strode forth towards the young master who was still eating grapes and grabbed him by the cor before throwing him down again. In a furious tone, he said ¡°You idiot! Who asked you to go and treat Li Min Zhi!¡±
Intimidated, the young man choked on his grapes. The seeds were lodged in his throat and he could not speak. The young servants rushed to pat his shoulders.
With great difficulty, he said with bravado ¡°Jiang Nan! What are you doing!¡±
Jiang Nan coldly smiled, pointing usatory to the young man nose, he said, ¡°You shameful thing! When we begged you toe home, you refused. Every day you go about town wreaking havoc. Normally we don¡¯t interfere with you because we feel you¡¯re too young to understand. But look at what you have done now, you meddlesome thing! Gone and save the Li household¡¯s mongrel! What have you done!¡±
It so turned out this young man who called himself ¡°Lu Gong¡± was actually the Jiang¡¯s family¡¯s Second Household¡¯s only son, Jiang Tian. Not only did he belong to one of the most prominent household in the city, he was part of Li Chang Le¡¯s maternal family.
Indignantly he said, ¡°Anyway, originally I was one of Lu Gong¡¯s disciple. What¡¯s wrong with using his namesake to cure the sick? Have I done anything wrong or vited any rules of this family!¡±
Jiang Nan¡¯s whole face was bathed in gloom and coldness, ¡°This Li Wei Yang- she was mastermind who ultimately caused the death of Da Gu Mu. After that I investigated the death of Er Gu Mu and I can say with 80% certainty that she had something to do with it as well. You can say that she bears a hatred as deep as the ocean for the Jiang Household. Why did you go and save Li Wei Yang¡¯s blood brother? As if that wasn¡¯t bad enough, you practically bounded there. Are you out of your mind?¡±
Jiang Tian¡¯s heart gave a big thump and he was at loss for words.
Jiang Nan red at him and said, ¡°Now then you know the damage you have done!¡±
Jiang Tian hesitantly ventured ¡°That poison...¡±
Jiang Nan coldly humphed, ¡°That poison¡¯s original intent was to use to handle Li Wei Yang. But that n has beenpletely destroyed thanks to you! Li Chang Le is so angry. She just sent over a letter, saying Lu Gong went to her residence to save Min Zhi. I immediately thought of you! If it was not for you masquerading his name and foolishly spreading it around everywhere! Prior to this, Lu Gong has already been dead for 10 years!¡±
Jiang Tian whined out ¡°How would I know what you¡¯ve been up to! How can you me me? Anyway, when I normally treat people, I require arge sum of gold as payment. This time, I couldn¡¯t even discuss the price of my services before I was whisked away to treat the child. Anyway, if you think of it, I was helping our rtive out anyway!¡±
Jiang Nan was so angry, he was speechless beyond words. ¡°What rtive? You mean you treat Li Wei Yang as our rtive? Li Chang Le is your biological cousin. Gu Mu, Li Chang Le¡¯s mom, is your biological aunt. Li Wei Yang?! If you dare to say that Li Wei Yang is your blood rtive, wait and see if our house¡¯s Lao Fu Ren will sear your tongue away!¡±
Jiang Tian¡¯s handsome and intelligent momentarily twisted to be rather ugly. ¡°But what has been done has been done! What do you want me to do about it! Alright! Why not I immediately go to the Li Household right now and go and feed the child poison!¡±
¡°Come back!¡± Jiang Nan viciously kneed him.
Unfortunately, Jian Tian was nimble enough to avoid his blows and Jiang Nan only managed to leave an imprint on his clothes.
¡°Si Ge! What are you doing? Here I am trying to remedy for my wrongdoings?!¡±
¡°Did you think that your little tricks to throw off your pursuers actually worked? Let me tell you that without my help you would have never been able to! Not only were they ster, they had hidden certain highly skilled martial artists in their midst. You certainly could not escape their eyes with your little ¡°clever¡± tricks. Let me warn you, if Li Wei Yang knew that you were part of the Jiang Household, you should be careful of your own hide!¡±
¡°A small youngdy? How powerful can she be? She looks like she can be knocked over by a gust of wind anytime!¡±
¡°Pooh! What do you know!¡± Multiple swear words started to spew forth and the rough and scary demeanor Jiang Nan honed from years on the battlefield were disyed on full force
¡°If she was actually that simple, why else would we be wasting so much effort and time on her!¡±
Jiang Nan sat heavily on the wisteria cane chair and coldlyughed. ¡°She¡¯s incredibly difficult to ferret out! Every single day she hides herself at the Li¡¯s Household. How do you draw someone like her out?!¡±
¡°You can always wait for her to go out, right? And then----¡±
¡°And then? In these two months, she has only gone out for a grand total of 3 times. And every single time she has bodyguards who are highly trained in martial arts to protect her. She herself is sly and cunning beyond belief. For me to even try and prate her defenses and find trouble with her, it¡¯s easier said than done! Besides what our household¡¯s Lao Fun Ren wants is for her topletely fall from grace and for her reputation to be wiped away without any trace. There¡¯s no point in doing things in halves and letting her off lightly. If we don¡¯t do that, then we have not avenged Gu Mu¡¯s death!
Jiang Tian stammered while looking at Jiang Nan, ¡°This----- well this must not be an easy task!¡±
¡°Originally our n was to cause Li Min Zhi¡¯s death. If Li Wei Yang would not be mad with anger, then she would be mad with grief. It¡¯s all because of you that our grand ns were foiled!¡± Jiang Nan fumed.
Yet he gave a pause. His eyes started to glint and narrow, before he coldlyughed. ¡°Well, but I can¡¯t say there isn¡¯t a silver lining. Before we wanted to kill the brother, but now...¡± He pinned his eyes on Jiang Tian.
Looking at his expression, Jiang Tian was startled and started panicking. ¡°What are you thinking of!¡±
Jiang Nan smirked. His pretty face took on a scornful expression, ¡°I guess even you, a good for nothing creature, has some sort of use after all. From this moment onwards, you need to follow what I say exactly.¡±
He whispered a few sentences into Jiang Tian¡¯s ears. As Jiang Tian¡¯s expression started to nche, Jiang Nan¡¯s smile grew wider. He said ¡°Alright. That¡¯s it. I¡¯m going off now. Remember my words. If you dare to do any more hanky panky, I¡¯m going to tell Er Shu(second uncle) all the naughty things that you have done and let him discipline you for good!¡±
As Jiang Tian stared at the retreating figure, he heavily walked into his bedroom. Once his buttocks touched the chair, he petntly kicked over the small table that the grapes were ced, saying ¡° What kind of a dog-ass Jiang Nan is. Forever being a rogue. What he¡¯s asking me to do is unreasonable beyond belief...¡±
The beautiful servants looked at each other. One of the more courageous ones stepped forward to attempt to cate him, ¡°Young Master, don¡¯t be angry. Let¡¯s not take any notice of him. If you can¡¯t do it, let¡¯s tell your mother instead and she can discipline Fourth Young Master instead of you.¡±
Jiang Tian intively cried out ¡° Did you not see how he threatened me? Ai, such bad luck! The moment Ie back home I have to deal with such things!¡±
¡°Then you should distance yourself from him, young master!¡±
Jiang Tian mournfully said ¡° How can you girls kick me when I¡¯m already down. Look at me, I¡¯m already so sad. Li Wei Yang this demon. If I had known earlier, I would have let her brother die and forget about it!¡±
The servants looked at each other, no one dared to utter a word.
-One Month Later-
Mao Shi (5 AM to 7 AM), One could see the glimmer of dawn fill the sky. Yet the rednterns that dotted the city were still alight, shining light into the pitch-ck corridors of the pce, shining light into the Summer Pce¡¯s winding corridors.
The Old Taoist priest¡¯s hair and beard were all white and his stature was shrunken and thin. Yet his pair of eyes shone brightly. He looked as if he was about 40-50 years in age. He smoothly proceeded into the Emperor¡¯s inner chambers without anyone obstructing him. Multiple people bowed towards him as a greeting.
Upon meeting the emperor, the priest bowed as a greeting, ¡°Greetings to the emperor.¡±
¡°Rise.¡±
For the past few days, The Emperor was gripped in the midst of an infatuation. He pointed at the prayer mat and ordered the eunuch to prepare the incense.
Yin Tian Zhao looked at his disciple. Zhou Tian Shou, the man who had gained the emperor¡¯s favor by giving the emperor the beauty the emperor was infatuated with was also there. Yin Tian Zhao¡¯s face momentarily sunk. But seeing the emperor¡¯s presence, he did not dare to re up.
The emperor really was infatuated with the beauty. This was to the extent that he believed that Zhou Tian Shou had really plucked the beauty from the heavens. Yin Tian Zhao had tried to pierce through his opponent¡¯s lies and deceits about the beauty¡¯s birthce. Unfortunately, the emperor believed firmly that his standing as the emperor had made the heavens happy and that the beauty was his well-deserved reward. Let¡¯s not even talk about Yin Tian Zhao¡¯s advice, the emperor did not even want to listen to the Empress Dowager¡¯s warnings about his infatuation. He insisted on making the beauty a concubine of his and kept her by his side every day. With the situation like this, naturally Zhou Tian Shou would also receive a lot of favor.
The eunuch took the embroidered box from Yin Tian Zhao was delivering it to the Emperor. The emperor took the red cinnabar pellet and washed it down with water. After what seemed like half a day of choking, he gasped out with great difficulty, ¡°Every time after eating the medicine, I always feel extremelyfortable after that. Many thanks to you.¡±
Yin Tian Zhao took on the appearance of a grand saint before saying ¡°Your highness, you have praised me too much. It¡¯s only because your highness has heavenly blood flowing through you that the medicine can benefit you.¡±
After rising from his posture, he said, ¡°This lowly one would like to give you some blessings and pray for you¡±
The emperor nodded his head. Zhou Tian Zhao proceeded to kneel before the emperor and started chanting his prayers. After a while, his demeanor changed and he halted using his prayer beads,
With wide eyes, the emperor asked, ¡°Why did you stop?¡±
Yin Tian Zhao arranged his face to make it as he was very ufortable.
The emperor frowned and said ¡° Spit it out. I won¡¯t penalize you.¡±
Yin Tian Zhao gave a big sigh and said, ¡° Your highness, this lowly priest sees that you are ever so devout. However, when I see your predestined lifespan, my heart is filled with unease!¡±
The emperor gave a big start, involuntarily asked, ¡°Why is that so?¡±
Yin Tian Zhao continued to heave a big sigh, saying ,¡±Your highness, please follow me¡±
Upon saying this, he balefully red at Zhou Tian Shou, who immediately lowered his head.
Yin Tian Zhao coldly smiled, his face immediately changing to reveal a crafty expression.
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Trantor: Jing Hui
Editor: Jing Hui
Next: Chapter 105 Part 1
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Chapter 105 part1
Chapter 105: The Destruction of Dajie¡¯s Beauty
As Yin Tian Zhao motioned for the Emperor to enter the inner hall, Zhou Tian Shou lifted his head and frowned as he watched; what was this old man up to this time?! What a waste that the Emperor was inside, if not he could have eavesdropped! He could not help but worry if the old priest was going to nder him. The thought frightened him; he shed a nce at the eunuch, and strode out from the Emperor¡¯s bedchambers. He might be unable to hear the conversation for himself, but he¡¯ll definitely have a way to find out! Hmph, the Emperor would tell Consort Lian everything nowadays anyway!
Within the inner halls of the Imperial Bedchamber, Yin Tian Zhao was fiddling with his star chart, visibly not in a hurry to speak.
¡°Esteemed Priest, for the future of Dali, you have been meticulously tracing the stars day and night; it is truly impressive. However, your words just now seem to hint that there is something wrong. Is there something in the heavens that speak of the prosperity of Dali?¡± The Emperor asked for good signs, but in fact, he wanted to know if there were bad omens; didn¡¯t Yin Tian Zhao say just now that his longevity was not going tost long? Isn¡¯t that a bad sign?!
¡°The Kingdom of Dali is stable and safe, I do not need to read the stars to see that.¡± Yin Tian Zhao¡¯s words were all the more perplexing; it was not an answer, but he seemed to have revealed the future all the same, without exining his previous mentions of bad omens.
The Emperor tried to hint subtly again. ¡°On the contrary, even though my empire will be stable, there would be minor cmities. You are constantly observing the stars; if you can predict any misfortune, you should report it to me directly, I will not me you.¡±
The old priest blinked his eyes, a sharp sh appearing in them. He smiled treacherously, lifting his head slowly and gazing upwards, as if he could see through the roof into the heavens above. ¡°Bi Xia, if you insist on knowing, this humble priest will tell you the truth. You¡¯re right, there will be a huge cmity upon you soon!¡±
At this same moment, Li Wei Yang was smiling at Min Zhi, who was flipping around in his cot. Tan Shi shook her head. ¡°Such a tiny monkey, making such a fuss so soon after recovering.¡±
Min Zhi just gurgled happily, not showing if he understood or not.
¡°This child is really heartless.¡± Tan Shi sighed helplessly.
Li Wei Yang gently tapped his chubby little hands. ¡°Oh, I doubt that. After all, he is supposed to have great wisdom, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Upon hearing his sister¡¯s words, Min Zhi started pping happily, prompting Tan Shi to giggle involuntarily. It was brief, however. ¡°I worry if they will target Min Zhi again.¡±
Li Wei Yang onlyughed coolly. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for them to try.¡±
Tan Shi was stunned, but Li Wei Yang had already switched to a warm tone. ¡°Mother, please rx. I will make those who try to harm Min Zhi pay for it.¡±
Zhao Yue, who was stationed outside, suddenly stepped in, whispering into Li Wei Yang¡¯s ear. She gave a small smile and stood up. ¡°Mother, I have an issue to attend to, I will take my leave.¡±
Tan Shi nodded, and as Li Wei Yang strode quickly from the room, she spoke to Zhao Yue in a low voice. ¡°Have we caught them?¡±
¡°Yes, Xiaojie.¡± Zhao Yue smiled.
Li Wei Yang returned to her own courtyard, but instead of entering her bedchamber, she headed towards a dark, dimly lit room, seemingly a storeroom. A well-built and tall woman was within, bound and gagged. When she saw Li Wei Yang walk in, her eyes widened violently.
With a wave of Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand, Zhao Yue removed the cloth gag stuffed into her mouth.
Li Wei Yang scrutinized this woman from top to toe, smiling. ¡°Oh, I see it¡¯s Zhou Mama.¡± This woman was dressed in a green cotton dress, with a brocade overcoat. She had little essories adorning her hair, only a simple wooden hairpin. Zhou Mama¡¯s eyes were alert, however. ¡°San Xiaojie, what is the meaning of this!¡±
Li Wei Yang stared at her, but Zhou Mama showed no trace of guilt on her face. ¡°Zhou Mama, you were found sneaking around Si Di¡¯s courtyard, what were you trying to do?¡± she said lightly.
Although Zhou Mama was tied up, she still managed to look innocent and wronged. ¡°San Xiaojie, Nubi was acting on Da Xiaojie¡¯s orders toe over and check if Si Shaoye has recovered fully. Look, Nubi has even brought a bowl of ginseng soup, but Qi Yiniang said that Shaoye was too young for it. That reckless yatou however, has caused it all to be split!¡±
She fixed a piercing re on Zhao Yue as she spoke, who only huffed and retorted. ¡°It is your fault for sneaking around, and not answering my questions!¡±
Zhou Mama chuckled coldly. ¡°Aiyo, Miss Yue, I¡¯m not sure if you understand the situation. I had wanted to bring this ginseng soup back for my own grandson instead, but your sudden attack on me caused the whole bowl to be wasted. How would I have the mood to answer your queries!¡±
Angrily, Zhao Yue answered back, ¡°That is utter rubbish! I was calling out to you from behind, but you ignored me!¡±
Watching the exchange, it was clear to Li Wei Yang that Zhou Mama did not bother to acknowledge Zhao Yue. She broke into a smile, which made her eyes sparkle and lit up her features. Momentarily dazzled by her beauty, Zhou Mama blinked, only to hear her clear voice. ¡°Have you checked thoroughly?¡±
¡°Yes Xiaojie, Nubi has searched every nook and cranny of the ce; nothing suspicious was found.¡±
Li Wei Yang showed no sign of anger at hearing this piece of news, merely replying calmly, ¡°There is no rush, I have the patience to make her speak the truth.¡±
Contempt was written on Zhou Mama¡¯s face. ¡°San Xiaojie, Nubi has done no wrong, what are you trying to do?!¡±
¡°Zhou Mama, there many things that we are well aware of, deep in our hearts. Why do you bother asking the obvious?¡± Li Wei Yang replied, a small smile ying on her lips.
Zhou Mama¡¯s expression faltered slightly, and under the scrutiny of those cold eyes, beads of sweat began to trickle down her face. However, she gritted her teeth; she knew of those cruel punishments and methods of torture, but she refused to believe that Li Wei Yang would put them into use. Another two more hours; if she did not return by then, Da Xiaojie would definitely think of a way! No matter how powerful Li Wei Yang was, she was only a concubine¡¯s child, what could she possibly achieve?!
In the end, Zhou Mama was simply relying on the power of the Jiang household, and dismissing Li Wei Yang as a threat.
Maintaining her cool exterior, Li Wei Yang pressed on. ¡°Zhou Mama, the poison on my Si Di was nted by you; Jiu Yiniang was only a scapegoat.¡±
Zhou Mama couldn¡¯t help but tremble, her mouth turning dry. ¡°San Xiaojie, Nubi does not know what you are saying! Nubi is but a servant, I do not know anything about my masters¡¯ matters. Nubi only knows that Jiu Yiniang tried to harm Si Shaoye, and she is now reaping her just desserts for it; what does it have to do with Nubi!¡±
Li Wei Yang let out augh. ¡°Such a ridiculous joke! You abused your power, tried to harm Si Di, attempted to hide the truth, and you im that you had nothing to do with it?¡±
¡°Whether Nubi has done wrong or not, it is decided by Da Xiaojie. If San Xiaojie doesn¡¯t believe me, you can confront her to find out!¡± Zhou Mama replied coolly.
Bai Zhi was furious. ¡°Such a mouth full of hot air, you are just a servant, yet you dare speak to Xiaojie like this!¡±
¡°Nubi is from the Jiang household, my actions are not for San Xiaojie to judge.¡± After getting past her initial panic, Zhou Mama had managed to control her fear. Li Wei Yang would not be able to harm her, and she must keep her mouth sealed tightly; no tripping or any chance of leaking secrets. Only then would she be able to turn things around. So, no matter what Zhao Yue threatened, she stuck to her fixed answer of ¡°I am not a servant of the Li Household¡±, ignoring everything else.
Li Wei Yang watched the proceedings with a smile, acknowledging Zhou Mama¡¯s stubbornness and knowing that she would be a tough nut to crack. ¡°Bring the charcoal,¡± she instructed.
Stunned, Zhou Mama watched as Zhao Yue carried the brazier over. ¡°The weather is cold and chilly, I¡¯m afraid that Zhou Mama will be ufortable, so let¡¯s warm her up.¡±
Zhao Yue used a pair of tongs to pick up a blistering red piece of coal, attempting to stuff it directly into Zhou Mama¡¯s overcoat. With a terrified squawk, the older woman squirmed backwards, shouting out, ¡°San Xiaojie! You¡¯re mad, you¡¯re utterly mad!¡± Despite her protests, two strong servants came forward and grabbed her arms on each side; Zhao Yue plunged the coal into Zhou Mama¡¯s clothes with nary a hint of hesitation. As it came into contact with her skin, a disgusting sizzling smell permeated the room; letting out a scream, Zhou Mama almost consciousness from the pain.
Li Wei Yang watched with a cold expression, not feeling a shred of pity. If this Zhou Mama had any bit of conscience, she would not have harmed a weak child such as Min Zhi, causing him so much suffering. If Min Zhi had really perished, no one would pity him! So, towards such a cruel old woman, she would have to been even more ruthless!
Zhou Mama originally thought that the little wretch Li Wei Yang would only get her servants to give her a few strokes of the paddle, but she never would have imagined that her enemy would be so merciless. Despairingly, she watched Zhao Yue take a step closer, raising the red-hot tongs; a shriek rang out from her. ¡°San Xiaojie, Nubi really does not know anything, please spare Nubi!¡±
¡°How noisy.¡± Li Wei Yangmented, her tone freezing.
Zhao Yue¡¯s response was immediate. ¡°Xiaojie, we can just burn off her tongue, so that it won¡¯t be noisy anymore!¡±
Zhou Mama was overwhelmed by fear; this was the first time she felt such deep horror seeping into her bones, the first time she knew ruthless how this fifteen year old girl could be. In terms of cruelty, she had never seen anyone like her!
As Zhao Yue spoke, the sparks flew andnded on Zhou Mama¡¯s left cheek, causing her to scream like a pig facing ughter; the pain was too excruciating! The agony was driving her insane; she started crying out in an inhuman voice, ¡°Nubi knows my mistake! No! Please kill me! Just kill me!¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly said, ¡°Min Zhi is so young, but thanks to you, he had a close shave with death. Before you harmed him, did you think of showing any mercy? For the pain, you¡¯ve caused my brother to suffer, I will ensure that you will have a taste of it as well!¡±
Zhou Mama was truly regretting it now; why did she volunteer to help Da Xiaojie? She had made a vow to Guo Gong Furen to teach Li Wei Yang a lesson, but she never predicted her to be such a cursed soul! She had brought harm upon herself!
The small shed was filled with the scorching smell once again, and Zhou Mama passed out this time.
¡°Ssh her, make her wake up.¡± Li Wei Yang ordered.
As she came to, Zhou Mama decided that she would keep her mouth shut for real this time; she had already endured such a cruel torture method, so what was there to lose? So long as she persisted, Da Xiaojie would protect her to keep her own secrets safe; she might even be on the way right now! Zhou Mama fixed a cool gaze on Li Wei Yang: ¡°San Xiaojie, Nubi does not know anything! You do not need to waste your efforts, Nubi will not listen to your plot to frame Da Xiaojie!¡±
¡°Frame her?!¡± Li Wei Yang looked like she had heard a joke. ¡°I was only trying to find out how you all managed to pull it off, but who knew that you¡¯d be so petty. Sigh, since you are so stubborn, then don¡¯t me me for this.¡± She stretched out her hand to Zhao Yue, who immediately handed her the dagger hanging by her waist. With a swish of her arm, Zhou Mama felt a cool sensation on her wrist, followed by a sharp pain and the sound of blood dripping on the floor.
¡°This is the artery in your wrist, and if you¡¯re still bleeding in an hour, not even resurrecting the famous physician Hua Tuo will save you.¡± Li Wei Yang disyed a small smile. ¡°By then, Da Jie will be quite at ease too; after all, what she needs is a tight-lipped servant, but she doesn¡¯t require that person to be alive. I¡¯m doing her a huge favor as well!¡±
As she sank deeper into a pit of horror, her breathing became increasinglybored. She felt the blood trickling away from her, her body temperature dropping by the minute. The coldness creeping across her body was resulting in spasms, and her teeth chattered in fear; she was obviously at her breaking point.
The most horrible moment on Earth was not death, but the process of dying. No one understood this better than Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was as gentle as summer. ¡°I¡¯ve realized, it is such a joy being the viin. Zhou Mama, depart this world in peace. When you¡¯re gone, I shall take care of yourst rites; I¡¯ll send you down through the 18 levels of hell, and ensure you will never see the light of day!¡±
Zhou Mama¡¯sst tether finally snapped; she cried out in anguish, ¡°Nubi will admit it, Nubi will tell you everything!¡±
Li Wei Yang waved her hand, and Zhao Yue stepped up, using gauze to apply pressure on the wound. As she did so, she said in a low voice. ¡°Just try, if you dare speak even half a lie...¡±
There were tears and snot smeared all over Zhou Mama¡¯s face. ¡°Nubi doesn¡¯t dare! Nubi doesn¡¯t dare to lie! Jiu Yiniang is innocent, it was me who bribed her yatou called Yu¡¯er to help me do my dirty work. It was me who purposely arranged a scene to let another yatou see the gold taels melt, let her think that Jiu Yiniang had added something inside... Jiu Yiniang¡¯s death is also because I asked Yu¡¯er to modify her food and drink; it is not any detectable poison, but rather, Yu¡¯er gave Jiu Yiniang uncooked foods with poisons within, and to make her confused...¡±
Li Wei Yang had already guessed this, so she was no interested. She was focused on one answer that she wanted. ¡°Did you sabotage anything else?¡±
Zhou Mama hesitated for a moment, ncing at the freezing stare dancing in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes. She blurted out, ¡°Yes! In Qi Yiniang¡¯s food; we know that Qi Yiniang loves to eat fish, so I bribed the merchant who provides the Li Residence with fish. He fed mercury to the fish in low dosages; not enough to kill the fish, but just enough to allow it to umte in the body over time. Isn¡¯t Qi Yiniangining of frequent giddiness and weakness? That¡¯s due to the mercury in the fish...¡±
¡°Continue!¡± Li Wei Yang ordered.
¡°There¡¯s... there¡¯s... it¡¯s...¡± Zhou Mama clenched her teeth, unwilling to say more, but a chilling huff from Zhao Yue sent her spilling it out. ¡°I¡¯ll say it! I¡¯ll tell you everything! There is a wooden hairpin in my hair...¡±
Zhao Yue reached over and plucked the wooden hairpin, which she had already inspected just now. ¡°What is this?!¡±
The grime and sweat on Zhou Mama¡¯s forehead trickled down and marred her carefully drawn brows, but she was beyond caring for that; fear was written all over her face. ¡°This hairpin is actually hollow; a switch can release poison contained within... I had wanted to find the chance to poison Si Shaoye again...¡± But she never expected to be caught by Li Wei Yang. No one could me Li Chang Le for trying to do this; during this month, every household had sent Si Shaoye a gift to show their sincerity, so she was simply trying to make use of the opportunity. While everyone was busy, Zhou Mama could make use of the hustle and bustle to harm Li Min Zhi.
Li Wei Yang actually had a small smile on her face. This Da Jie had finally decided to use her brains. Coming up with an idea like this ¨C poisoning the fish with mercury ¨C had shown how much improvement she made. Li Wei Yang had prepared her defenses, but as capable as she was, she could not have anticipated everything; she had allowed her enemy to prate her barriers this time.
Zhou Mama forced down the bile and fear in her heart, fixing her stare on Li Wei Yang.
¡°Xiaojie, we should hand her over to Lao Furen for punishment.¡± Bai Zhi said in a low voice.
Li Wei Yang let out a coldugh. ¡°Hand her to Lao Furen?¡± The Li family was cautious in matters concerning the Jiang family; Lao Furen would at most give her 50 strokes of the cane, and send her back to the Jiangs. Then what about Min Zhi? Who would pay for the suffering he endured? Li Wei Yang murmured, ¡°This hairpin is quite pretty, but I wonder how are the effects of the poison...¡±
Zhao Yue immediately understood; she twisted the hairpin, snapping it. A light brown powder spilled out, andughing coldly, she grabbed Zhou Mama¡¯s chin and forced the medicine into her mouth. Zhou Mama screamed wildly, attempting to beat off Zhao Yue but unable to do so as her hands and feet were still bound. She could only cry like a wounded animal on the brink of defeat.
¡°Zhou Mama, I had wanted to let you bear witness against Li Chang Le, but it¡¯s a pity that the Jiangs have great power. Even if I had proven that Li Chang Le was behind the plot to poison Si Di, no justice would be served for him. I have had enough of your continuous attempts at harm; since you are so ruthless, do not me me for being cruel! When you reach hell, remember to make yourint against Da Jie; it was her scheme that condemned you to your death!¡±
Zhou Mama had gone silent, wing at the ground uncontrobly. She then started gouging at her own face, not stopping even when her skin was torn apart. As she moved on to her abdomen, everyone was frozen with fear at the sight; they had never seen such a horrendous death. Zhou Mama had shredded through her clothes to her abdomen; it was a grisly mess of flesh and blood, with scarlet body fluid pumping and trickling out. Bai Zhi couldn¡¯t help but cover her eyes at the hideous sight.
After an hour of excruciating pain, with a snapping sound, Zhou Mama¡¯s eyes widened and bulged out suddenly; her arms twitched outwards, her abdomen split open and head twisted. She had finally breathed herst.
Bai Zhi uncovered her eyes, daring to watch atst. She was deeply shocked; Zhou Mama¡¯s insides were perforated and there was blood all over the ground. It was a hellish way to die.
¡°Bai Zhi, throughout her entire ordeal, she could not make a single sound. You understand this point?¡±
Bai Zhi nodded; indeed, from the moment she ingested the poison, Zhou Mama never stopped rolling and twisting, as if there was some strange force within her that was toying with her. If it elicited such a response from a grown adult, if it had been Si Shaoye who had taken the poison, it would be... This Zhou Mama was really too cruel! No wonder Xiaojie had insisted that she had a taste of her own medicine; if not, the alternative punishment would have been too kind for her!
¡°Xiaojie, Nubi will get our people to dispose of the corpse right away.¡± Zhao Yue said in a low voice.
ncing coolly at the tainted blood near the edge of her embroidered slippers, Li Wei Yang stated slowly: ¡°I regret it.¡±
Zhao Yue couldn¡¯t help herself. ¡°Xiaojie, this kind of person is not worth your regrets.¡±
Li Wei Yang lifted her gaze, her eyes filled with cold scorn. ¡°If I had saved some of the medicine earlier, Li Chang Le could have had a taste; how perfect would that be.¡±
From this, it was evident that Li Wei Yang hated Li Chang Le to the core. In the past, no matter how Li Chang Le schemed and plotted, Li Wei Yang did not care as much as she was not afraid. However, she was now targeting a child who was only a few months old, and she had made multiple attempts on his life already. If she could, she would definitely rip Li Chang Le¡¯s heart out! That being said, with experts like Zhou Mama serving Li Chang Le, she was bound to have good protection against such schemes as well; it would be an unwise move for her to attempt to poison Li Chang Le personally, the way she did to Zhou Mama. Even manipting her dishes would be a challenge...
Back in her own rooms, Bai Zhi helped Li Wei Yang change out of her soiled shoes, and carefully cleaned away the droplets of blood clinging to the hem of her dress. Li Wei Yang suddenly stood up, walking over to the bronze mirror; Bai Zhi took in her expression, which was a little strange. However, in a sh, Li Wei Yang started to smile.
She picked up a delicately carved rosewood box, opening it and drawing out an intricate, beautiful porcin bottle. As she removed the cap, a heady osmanthus fragrance filled the air. This bottle of hair oil had been distributed to her, but she had never liked strong scents adorning her hair, so she usually gifted it to her servants. Judging by the days, she would soon be sent a new batch; Jiang Yue Lan would always send her the more exquisite and expensive fragrance oils as a way of expressing her love.
¡°Xiaojie?¡± Bai Zhi queried.
¡°This osmanthus oil... It must not have been easy to make.¡± Li Wei Yang said wonderingly.
Bai Zhi paused for a moment. ¡°Not very. Servants will pluck the fresh osmanthus when the flower is blooming and releasing its fragrance. The small flowers will then be dried under the shade; once that¡¯s done, it will be added into a pot with oils. After a number of days, the osmanthus infusion is ready for use. That¡¯s themon method anyway; the type of osmanthus oil Xiaojie is using is top grade, something the poor could never afford.¡±
Hearing this, Li Wei Yang only revealed a small smile. ¡°Ask Zhao Yue toe to me, I have a task for her.¡±
¡°Yes.¡± Bai Zhi replied quickly, leaving in nimble steps.
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Jaslynn
Next: Chapter 105 Part 2
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Chapter 105 part2
Chapter 105: The Destruction of Dajie¡¯s Beauty
Notes:
Si Shaoye: Fourth Young Master (Li Min Zhi)
In the main courtyard, the afternoon sun shone its rays down through the rose vines shading the window. It cast shadows on the soft silky curtains, which were embroidered with a blooming peony tree. The copper furnace was emitting a lily fragrance; sweet and aromatic, the incense made the house feel cozy. Li Chang Le had just finished rinsing her hair; she wore no outer robe, only a brocade top decorated with light pink begonias and a pleated skirt the color of a crescent moon. Lazily, she rxed in front of her dressing table. ¡°Where is Zhou Mama?¡±
Tan Xiang nced at her; framed by fluttery eyshes, those beautiful eyes were like pools of autumn water, gentle and warm, but her heart was filled increasing fear instead. She lowered her head before replying. ¡°Zhou Mama left yesterday, but she has not been back ever since!¡±
Li Chang Le frowned. ¡°Could she have failed in her task?¡±
¡°This... Why not let Nubi enquire for news?¡± Tan Xiang said in a low voice.
Li Chang Le let out a huff. ¡°That little bastard should have died long ago, who knew that he would be saved! It¡¯s all Lu Gong¡¯s fault, for sticking his nose into my business!¡± She obviously only knew that Lu Gong had destroyed her scheme, but did not realize his true identity as Jiang Tian; if not, she would have been even more agitated.
Tan Xiang¡¯s head remained lowered; deep down, she felt that Da Xiaojie was a little too ruthless, to even bring herself to harm such a cheerful baby like Si Shaoye.
¡°Forget it, help me set my hair first.¡± Li Chang Le evidently did not care much for Zhou Mama; she was just an old servant, she could ask her grandmother for more of these assistants if she wanted.
Tan Xiang took the white embroidered scarf from the yatou standing at the side, wrapping it around Li Chang Le¡®s shoulders. She picked up a woodenb and began brushing her ebony ck hair, hank by hank. ¡°Xiaojie, yesterday, the housekeeper personally brought over some freshly prepared peony hair oil, do you want to try it?¡±
Everything that Li Chang Le used or ate was inspected carefully by Zhou Mama beforehand, any item that was out of the ordinary was rejected. But Zhou Mama was not around today, so no one could perform the checks. Li Chang Le waved her hands, and a yatou stepped forward with the peony oil. She took a sniff delicately. ¡°That old thing, in the past I could get whatever I wanted, but after Mother died, it was so difficult to get him to grant my requests!¡± She was cursing the powerful housekeeper.
Tan Xiang smiled. ¡°Now that the new Furen is here, she listens to Xiaojie; she must have ordered the housekeeper to send this over. It seems that Xiaojie will no longer suffer such pettiness.¡±
Li Chang Le smirked a little at that, her eyes revealing delight. Tan Xiang, seeing that her Xiaojie was in a good mood, applied two drops of the oil to her palms and spread it around. While Li Chang Le¡¯s hair was still semi damp from her shower, she massaged it into her tresses; firstbing it to smoothen and de-tangle the strands, then applying a thinyer onto it. The heady fragrance of peony filled the bedroom; in the cold winter of Dali, the scent evoked a warm dreamy feeling that made it easy to get drunk on. Tan Xiang weaved Li Chang Le¡¯s thick and dark hair into an elegant up do, securing it with an intricate hairpin with flowers carved onto it. Its jade green and blushing red tassels flowed down with her hair, along with a few sparkling gems, exuding elegance and beauty.
Li Chang Le scrutinized her reflection, obviously pleased with the results.
Over the next ten days, Li Chang Le fell in love with the peony oil¡¯s scent, incorporating it into her daily routine and luxuriating in its rich smell. Regarding Zhou Mama¡¯s total disappearance, Li Chang Le had ordered servants to search thoroughly for clues, but came up with nothing. She began to suspect that Li Wei Yang was behind it; however, without any evidence, she did not dare to make rash decisions. All she could do was to report to the authorities that Zhou Mama had either escaped or went missing, but continued looking for her on the sly.
As the weather transitioned into warmth, Jiang Yue Lan kept up hope that it would be spring in her womb as well, but it had been a few months after her wedding and there was no sign of any movement. She couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated, so she brought her Yatous out to the gardens for a walk. She had just reached the pond when she saw Li Wei Yang and Qi Yiniang ying with Min Zhi, as he teased the koi swimming inside. Lao Furen was also seated at the nearby pavilion, together with Si Yiniang, Li Chang Xiao and their entourage; they were full of smiles and happy chatter.
Jiang Yue Lan went forwards to greet them with a smile. ¡°Lao Furen looks really happy.¡±
Seeing that it was her, Lao Furen smiled back. ¡°I was intending to send someone for you, yet here you are. Quick, have a seat.¡±
As Jiang Yue Lan made her way over, she was greeted by a flurry of curtseys. She nced over at Li Min Zhi, her eyes full of love and affection. ¡°Min Zhi is really growing cuter by the day, how irresistible.¡± However, she did not dare to reach over to carry him; because for the past few months, no matter how many times she tried, he would start bawling his lungs out. Ugh, such a frustration.
In terms of resemnce, Min Zhi had inherited Li Xiao Ran¡¯s features and Tan Shi¡¯s eyes. There was a rosy blush on his soft skin, and his brows were like a painting; he kept gurgling happily. As Tan Shi carried him, he leaned against her shoulder, peeking his chubby face from behind her neck. Hisrge and round eyes observed the people around him curiously, and with a giggle, he broke out into happyughter. Min Zhi was superbly adorable, which made Jiang Yue Lan feel aggrieved; this child was originally hers, but now it was like watching a cooked duck fly away before her eyes.
At this moment, everyone saw an angry figure in the form of Li Chang Le storm over. Once she saw Lao Furen, she went on her knees, with tears pouring down her face. ¡°Lao Furen, Mother, I¡¯m begging you to help me judge this matter!¡±
Lao Furen frowned, ncing over at Jiang Yue Lan. She gently asked, ¡°Chang Le, what has happened?¡±
Sobbing, Li Chang Le replied pitifully. ¡°Just now... the yatous saw Zhou Mama¡¯s corpse... it¡¯s at... it was buried in the bamboo grove just behind my courtyard, but because of the heavy rainst night, it became exposed...¡±
Everyone present was shocked upon hearing her words, Jiang Yue Lan included. ¡°Zhou Mama? She is the one that Guo Gong Furen sent here?¡±
Li Chang Le took one look at Li Wei Yang, who had a small smile on her face; she resolved to crush her there and then. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s her! She was alive and well when I asked her to send food to Si Di, but who knew that she would never return. Initially I thought it was strange, so I sent someone to search for her with no avail. So, I thought that she might have returned to Jiang Residence, but they told me that she did not go back. Not a trace of her was found at her own home either... I just started to think that maybe she had run away to escape some punishment for a mistake she made, but I never would have guessed that she got killed!¡±
¡°She might not have been killed, perhaps she suddenly fell sick?!¡± Lao Furen said coolly.
¡°As far as I know, Zhou Mama did not have any illness, and based on how horribly she died, someone had obviously poisoned her ¨C who would be so evil!¡± As she said this, Li Chang Le suddenly stood up, staring at Li Wei Yang. ¡°San Mei, did you see Zhou Mama that day?!¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly replied. ¡°Zhou Mama? Ai, Dajie, you have too many Mamas serving by your side, how would I know which one is surnamed Zhou.¡± She turned to Bai Zhi, who was standing by her side. ¡°Do you remember?¡±
Bai Zhi suppressed a smile. ¡°Xiaojie, Nubi knows who Zhou Mama is, but she has never been to our courtyard.¡±
The atmosphere seemed to freeze, thick and heavy with tension. Li Chang Le¡¯s face fell. ¡°I clearly ordered her to deliver something to Si Di...¡±
¡°Oh! Sending Si Di something to eat!¡± Li Wei Yang turned to face Tan Shi. ¡°Qi Yiniang, did you see her?¡±
Tan Shi thought for a moment, then shook her head. ¡°No.¡± She had truly not seen her; delivering food only a pre-arranged alibi that Zhou Mama and Li Chang Le came up with.
Li Chang Le seemed a little flustered by the surprise. ¡°Why did someone visit Qi Yiniang¡¯s courtyard, then end up dead? This is Grandmother¡¯s favorite Mama, she is supposed to go back after two months, how am I supposed to answer for it!¡± At this moment, her eyes were filled with dread, chewing on the handkerchief gripped tightly in her hands; she appeared very worried. ¡°No wonder I have been having nightmares these days.¡± Li Chang Le said, choking out a cry. ¡°In my dreams, Zhou Mama was drenched in blood, crying out for revenge, asking me to help her find the people who cruelly murdered her without any reason. Lao Furen, what do you think should be done!¡±
A cold smile crept up on the corner of Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips.
Lao Furen took a great amount of effort to suppress her anger. ¡°Then go ahead and investigate! Let¡¯s see where that old servant went, and where she went missing, so that I can give you an exnation!¡±
Li Chang Le looked pleased, aiming a nce at Li Wei Yang. ¡°Well, what if it is found that someone is behind all this?¡±
What is she trying to say, Lao Furen¡¯s temper was boiling, her brows throbbing with anger? She was about to speak, when Li Wei Yang spoke, so softly and gently like a floating wind, a fleeting star. ¡°Of course, the mastermind should be severely punished.¡±
¡°San Mei is right, when the truth is revealed, Lao Furen, please make sure to deal severe punishment!¡± Li Chang Leughed coldly.
Si Yiniang took in the looks on everyone¡¯s faces. ¡°Da Xiaojie, she was only a servant...¡± she said with an awkward smile.
Li Chang Le¡¯s returning smile looked like a blooming cherry blossom in the spring, but it beheld a cold cruelty that made everyone feel ufortable. ¡°Si Yiniang, the crux of the matter is not Zhou Mama¡¯s status, but the fact that someone had meted out their own private punishment! Pardon my ignorance, but I had no idea that in the Li Residence could condone anyone to order the death of a servant without the knowledge or approval of Lao Furen!¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s expression soured further. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Since we¡¯ve already agreed to investigate, then let¡¯s proceed with that!¡±
¡°Thank you, Lao Furen.¡± Li Chang Le replied sweetly, throwing a nd nce at Li Wei Yang before curtseying to Lao Furen and leaving with her entourage of yatous.
Si Yiniang couldn¡¯t help muttering to Li Chang Xiao. ¡°It is just some Nubi who died, look at how she exaggerated the matter!¡±
Li Chang Xiao replied in a low voice. ¡°Mother, keep your voice down.¡±
Lao Furen did not want to dwell on this matter anymore; she waved Tan Shi over. ¡°Come, Min Zhi,e over to Grandmother.¡±
Tan Shi wiped away the worry on her face, smilingly handing Min Zhi over. Just as Lao Furen was about to carry him, a piercing scream filled with fear broke through, and the voice belonged to Li Chang Le.
Everyone exchanged looks, confused as to what was happening. Jiang Yue Lan recovered her wits the fastest. ¡°It¡¯s Chang Le¡¯s voice, quickly, go and find out what is wrong!¡± In a panic, she hurriedly went ahead with her servants. Lao Furen slowly stood up, and dered, ¡°Let¡¯s go, we shall take a look too.¡±
Upon reaching the next turn of the corridor, Li Chang Le was found curled up at the corner of the wall, trembling. Jiang Yue Lan called out her name, and she saw Li Chang Le¡¯s ashen and pale face. She cried out desperately, ¡°Save me! Mother, please save me!¡±
As her gaze fell on Li Chang Le¡¯s head, Jiang Yue Lan was so horrified that she took a few steps back. All those presents were equally shocked, gasping in fear. Li Chang Le¡¯s glorious locks had fallen off, leaving behind only a few pathetic strands. Her fingers were still scratching and scrabbling; her scalp was covered in blood. It was a disgusting sight.
Si Yiniang eximed in horror. ¡°Heavens, what is going on!¡±
Everyone scattered in shock, including Lao Furen, who nearly fainted in terror. Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s heart was pounding wildly in her chest, as she witnessed Li Chang Le¡¯s hands moving down to her face, still scratching furiously from her forehead, eyes, down to her nose. It was as if she was trying to gouge her flesh from her very bones, as if she could get rid of the itch by digging it out. In a matter of minutes her lovely features became a mess of meat and blood; scaring Jiang Yue Lan even further. If anything happened to her, how would she answer to the Jiangs! She steeled her resolve and instructed her yatous. ¡°Quickly, hold down Da Xiaojie, don¡¯t let her scratch anymore!¡±
Her yatous and Mamas had to bear with their disgust, pinning Li Chang Le¡¯s limbs down to the ground. She was still writhing in pain, struggling frantically to scratch the itch on her face; when Li Chang Le realized she couldn¡¯t reach it, she attempted to scratch the other parts of her body. It was such an uncontroble instinct to be rid of the horrendous sensation. Jiang Yue Lan could not control her dry heaving, but she still managed to shout out orders. ¡°Quickly, get my calming medicine! Now!¡±
Li Wei Yang watched this scene calmly and coldly; of course, Li Chang Le would itch uncontrobly. She had extracted the poison from Zhou Mama¡¯s tainted blood, and had ced it into the hair oil before sending it to her. It was easy to imagine the kind of pain she was experiencing; a pain worse than death. This was exactly as she nned, for her to have a taste of how the pain she originally wanted Min Zhi to suffer; such cruelty!
Li Chang Le let out a blood-curdling wail, attempting to roll away on the floor. Some of the servants had exhausted all their strength just to pin her to the ground; however, her luscious hair had fallen clean off, and there was blood all over. The scene was a terrifying beyond belief, and that face no longer resembled anything human. Li Chang Le did not just lose her status as a gorgeous Da Xiaojie; she was worse off than a beggar sprawled on the streets.
Suddenly, a yatou screamed, pointing at Li Chang Le¡¯s body. ¡°Ahh! It¡¯s so scary!¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s broken skin was leaking copious amounts of blood, and there were traces of ck substance in it. She was still writhing, fighting to break free from her restraints, exactly like how Zhou Mama was struggling before she died. It was as if her stomach contained some poisonous worms chewing at her from the inside, and she was attempting to w it out, but unable to do so due to the people holding her back.
Li Wei Yang maintained her coolposure; if there was no one to hold her back, Li Chang Le might have dug out her own internal organs already!
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s servant had retrieved the medicine at this moment, forcing it down Li Chang Le¡¯s throat. She seemed to calm down, and in that instant, Jiang Yue Lan grabbed a yatou. ¡°Quickly, get someone to knock out Da Xiaojie, we cannot allow her to scratch anymore!¡±
The onlookers were originally rooted to the ground in shock, but upon hearing Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s instructions, a quick-witted Mama hurriedly grabbed a wooden stick and mmed it against Li Chang Le¡¯s forehead. She let out a guttural scream, like an animal, before fainting t on the ground.
Tan Xiang was dumbstruck throughout the entire ordeal, crying out only at this point in time. ¡°Da Xiaojie! Da Xiaojie, what has happened here!¡±
Jiang Yue Lan immediately arranged for servants to carry Li Chang Le back. ¡°What happened? Why did things be like this?¡± she asked.
Tan Xiang was obviously flustered. ¡°Nubi does not know, we had just reached here, when Da Xiaojie suddenly went mad, gouging at herself...¡±
Jiang Yue Lan sighed deeply, massaging her chest to calm herself down; she was still stunned by what had happened. ¡°Get a physician! Hurry!¡±
As everyone watched the blood-soaked Li Chang Le, Li Wei Yang made her way to Tan Shi¡¯s side, calm as still water as if nothing had happened. ¡°It¡¯s done, you can turn around now.¡± She said in a gentle voice.
Tan Shi had desperately shielded Min Zhi¡¯s eyes away from that horrifying scene, so now he was naturally looking around curiously; hmm, what had happened just now, why did it suddenly go dark? Li Wei Yang simply pinched his chubby cheeks, whispering in the lowest of voices. ¡°Xiao Di, Jiejie has helped you take your revenge.¡±
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Jaslynn
Next: Chapter 106 Part 1
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Chapter 106 part1
Chapter 106: Quivering With Fear
Notes:
Biluochun (±ÌÂÝ´º) ¨C a type of highquality tea
Zumu (×æĸ) ¨C paternal grandmother
Lao Furen was shocked, and Luo Mama quicklyserved her a cup of tea: "Lao Furen please calm yourself."
LaoFuren involuntarily pointed to Li Wei Yang: "What is going on?!"
Li Wei Yang revealed a puzzled expression:"Olddy, the weather has turned warmer in the past few days, the bigsister loves to be beautiful, and often dressed lightly, I am afraid this haslured poisonous bugs..."
Lao Furen couldn¡¯t help but frowned:"What bugs are this powerful! That all her hair is gone!"
When they looked at each other, they boththen looked towards the inner room. Li Chang Le drank the calming pasteandid there like a dead person. Li Wei Yang lowered her eyes, this poison causesone to itch uncontrobly. In the end, the intestines would rot and die;indeed, it was really vicious. Now, Li Chang Le managed to sleep but once shewakes up, she will begin to itch uncontrobly again.
JiangYue Lan looked at the ck sand on the sandalwood road: "Hurry and gofind the ropes,ter when your Xiaojiewakes upand if she still wants to itch, tie her up first!Do not let her make a ruckus!"
Li Wei Yang nced at Li Chang Le¡¯sblurred flesh on her head and face, and couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh,saying: "Eldest sister loves her beautiful appearance the most.Now it is ..." Punishment well-deserved.
JiangYue Lan looked at the direction of her nce. Li Chang Le¡¯s alluring facewas nowstained with blood and it seemed like she hadleprosy. It was scratched to the point of beingunrecognizable,especially around those beautiful eyes, they almost looked rotten. Sheshifted her face,there is a hint of fear in her heart, the once beautifulLi Chang Le now has a face that is frightening. She used to be a fairy but after this, she is a demon. Even if she can survive, she would be betteroff dead than alive.
LiXiao Ran hurriedly rushed in from the courtyard.When he saw the scene in the room, he was suddenly stunned. Jiang Yue Lan triedto open her mouth several times but was scared by his expression.
LiWei Yang watched fromafar, sneered,not knowing what her father felt in the heart.
"Lao Ye,I have sent someone to ask for the physician!" Jiang Yue Lan stood there for a long while before she dared to open her mouth andspeak. As the matriarch of the household, she is responsible for Li Chang Le!She couldn¡¯t have believed that it has only beena few months since she married into the family and this kind ofthings had already happened at home, it was too incredulous!
"Summoned the physician?? No! We can¡¯t call for thephysician!"Li Xiao Ran looked pale. ¡°With her ghost-like appearancenow ---Ifthis gets spread out ..."
Howcould Jiang Yue Lan not have known?! Li Chang Le and TuobaZhen had an arranged marriage. If the Third Prince finds outthat Li Chang Le¡¯s beautiful face looked like thisafter her injury,everything will be finished! Even if Tuoba Zhen is still willingto marry her, how can such a face sustain the favor of herhusband! In Li Xiao Ran¡¯s heart, he earnestly hoped thatLi Chang Le died. Thiswould turn outbetter, if she survives, he was afraid he would lose face! However, Jiang Yue Lancould not let him do this, because if Li Chang Le died, the Duke¡¯s (Guogong) Furen will not let her live! Thinking of what her father and stepmother warned her, Jiang Yue Lan felt that her scalps were bing numb. She had only one thought,LiChang Le couldn¡¯t die, she lives, then she had one more cardin her hand! If she dies, she will have no shield left!
Thinkingof this, Jiang Yue Lan said worriedly: "Lao Ye, the Duke¡¯s furen said she wille in two days. If by that time...I am afraid she will cause trouble."
LiXiao Ran has long been tired of the Jiang family¡¯sintimidation,he coldly said:"So?!"
JiangYue Lan softly said: "Master, we are all inws, we are bounded together for good or ill, why should wecause a scene?"
LiXiao Ran¡¯s face was clouded and was uncertain for a long while. Unsure of what he thought of, he frowned, ¡°Forget it, call the physician!¡±
LiWei Yang had already asked Tan Shi to bringthe child back. At this moment, she stood next to Lao Furen, and herexpression looked exactly like Lao Furen, burdened withworries.
Physician Wangfinally arrived in half an hour, and he did not dare to dy for a moment and immediatelywent forth to check on Li Chang Le¡¯s pulse. Ten to twentyminutes have alreadypassed before he turned his head back: "Prime Minister, your noble misshas signs of poisoning."
Howcould it be poison again! Li Xiao Ran angrily voiced: "What kind of ce has the household be! Someone gets poisonedonce in a few days! Who did this?!"
Physician Wangwas caught off guard, but he knew the less he knew about the elite family¡¯s affairs, thebetter off he will be, heughed: ¡°The key now is not to pursueresponsibility, but to think about how to cure Da Xiaojie.¡±
LiXiao Ran said: "What are the ways?"
Physician Wang muttered to oneself and then spoke: "Prime Minister Li,my main field of practice is internal medicine and chronic disease,I have not done any research in poison, in my opinion, it would be better to hurry and seek the Lu Gong fromsttime!"
LaoFuren grabbed Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand: ¡°Wei Yang, where does Lu Gonglive?¡±
LiWei Yang whispered: "The ce, Wei Yang do know of, but Lu Gong¡¯s temperament is unpredictable,and his whereabouts are uncertain. Even if we find him, I¡¯m afraidhe will not be able to cure Dajie in time."
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face showed urgency: "Don¡¯t say anymore, go find theperson first!"
At this time, suddenly there was an uproaroutside. Li Wei Yang narrowed her eyes and watched a yatou rushed in: "LaoYe, someone outside said that he is fourth young master of the Jiang family, hesaid he brought Physician Lu here ..."
Jiang Nan? Li Xiao Ran heard and then said:"Let hime in!"
The yatou quickly retreated, but not too longafter, Jiang Nan, who was tall and built, stepped in. A low-browed old manpleasing to the eyes followed right behind him. Li Wei Yang saw the old manbehind him and couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyebrows. It was really Lu Gong.
Li Wei Yang looked around and didn¡¯t see any traceof Li Chang Le¡¯s Liu Mama. She immediately guessed who invited Jiang Nan over.She couldn¡¯t help but look at him coldly, and their nces shed right intoeach other at this moment. Jiang Nan stared at her, turned and bowed to Li XiaoRan: "Uncle."
Even though Da Furen was no longer there, thertionship between the Jiangs and Li Xiao Ran will never change. Especiallyin court, the two flesh are linked together even if their bones are broken,which is why Li Xiao Ran cannot easily make a move unless he can make a cleardistinction; otherwise, he will have to be governed by the Jiangs. When JiangNan walked in front of him, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face actually showed a warm smile andhe patted his shoulder and said: ¡°Thest time I saw you, you were still a fewyears old, now you¡¯ve grown this big."
Such an affectionate look, not a single trace ofhis abhorrence towards the Jiangs could be seen.
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly, Li Xiao Ran was neither a frank person, nora sycophant. He was just a practical person, having been in court for more thanten years, he was cautious and was also good at catering to the emperor. Hewould never go against the Jiangs, even if they spit on his face, he could alsobear it, not to mention the things Da Furen have done in the past. In his eyes,it is nothing but conflicts within the household, and it cannot affect theoverall situation. But this didn¡¯t mean that he and the Jiangs are as friendlyas a family. At this point, Li Wei Yang must show some admiration for Li XiaoRan. This middle-aged man seemed like a tortoise but he was not as open-mindedas his face tells. His abhorrence towards the Jiangs was built from a long timeago. Perhaps, she should also learn from, this skill to bear patiently. Justwhen Li Wei Yang was pondering upon this, she heard Jiang Nan anxiously saying:"I heard that my cousin is unwell. I specially brought Lu Gong over, hopingit wouldn¡¯t be toote."
Li Xiao Ran quickly said: "That¡¯s good, that¡¯sgood, I was going to send someone to summon! Lu Gong, please save my littlegirl!" Just before, he was still feeling upset, now he showed the fa?adeof a benevolent father. His face changing ability was quicker than flippingthrough a book.
Lu Gong immediately said: "Let me go andsee." He went over to Li Chang Le, carefully looked at her for a longtime, and suddenly turned around and said: "This ... is a very powerful typeof poison!"
No one dared to make a sound, Jiang Nan frowned: "What is goingon?! How can she have scratched her face into this?!"
Lu Gong shook his head and said: "I havebeen to Southern Xinjiang once. This poison seemed to have been passed on fromthere. Once one is poisoned, the itchiness is iparable, one will continue toitch until the intestines are rotten. Strictly speaking, anyone who died fromthis poison, was not poisoned to death and instead scratched oneself to death.In this case, you are clever to have tied her hands and feet with something. Ifnot, I am afraid by now ......"
Jiang Nan looked back and stared at Li Wei Yangin a disgusting manner. Li Wei Yang casually looked back at him without asingle trace of guilt. This poison came from your Jiangs, now they should knowwhat it means to be harmed from one¡¯s own evil deeds. They dared to poison MinZhi, then they should have prepared for retaliation. So only the stateofficials can set fire, themoners can¡¯t alight the fire and thus, naturallythey would be burned by the fire. Jiang Nan saw that she was not afraid of him.His eyes grew colder and fiercer and then sighed. Why did they provoke such anomen? Now it has be endless. He turned his head to Lu Gong: ¡°Is there a way?¡±
Lu Gong nodded and said: "Fortunately, I have a bottle of hundred-flowerpills on me, which can cure the world¡¯s strangest poison." Afterwards, he searchedhimself for a long time before he found a porcin bottle and poured out alc-colored pill. He passed it to Tan Xiang and said, "Liquefy it andlet your Xiaojie take it.¡±
Li Wei Yang stared at the porcin bottle in LuGong¡¯s hands. Lu Gong quickly said: "I only have this one pill left, itwas left to me by my master ..." He was so anxious that he spoke of hismaster, Li Wei Yang narrowed her eyes at him and stayed silent.
Lu Gong was shook by her expression and then said: "Quick, let DaXiaojie take this!"
Tan Xiang hurriedly left to prepare the medicine,and then with the help of others, she served Li Chang Le the medicine.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze swept passed Jiang Nan and LuGong, and she couldn¡¯t help but pursed her lips. It seemed like Min De wasright, this Lu Gong was indeed odd. She thought about it and suddenly waved towardsZhao Yue. After Zhao Yue listened to her instructions, she showed a smile onher lips and then quickly left. After a while, she walked in with a pot of teaand said softly: "Xiaojie, Nubi has prepared the best Biluochun, which Iwill serve to Lu Gong." Then she smiled and walked towards Lu Gong¡¯s sideas if she wanted to pour him a cup of tea. But before she reached the table,she deliberately tripped herself as her whole body fell over. The pot of hottea was about to ssh onto Lu Gong, but Lu Gong was agile as he took one stepback, Zhao Yue¡¯s kettle still sttered towards him. Lu Gong a very old manand should but he dexterously caught it.
Jiang Nan¡¯s face showed signs of anxiousness. Heimmediately looked at Li Wei Yang, but saw her eyes fell onto Lao Furen. Thetwo were whispering, as if they didn¡¯t see it. That was when he let out a sighand immediately gave Jiang Tian a warning.
Zhao Yue embarrassingly said: "Physician Lu, I am trulysorry."
Lu Gong smiled bitterly and said: "Itdoesn¡¯t matter." He didn¡¯t know if Li Wei Yang had just seen it, but thisyatou¡¯s skills was too agile, he reacted subconsciously.
Over there, Li Chang Le haspletely bequiet, and no longer scratched everywhere. Everyone was relieved while Li WeiYang sneered in her heart. Once Li Chang Le wakes up and sees herself in themirror, she would be angered to insanity. Compared to watching Li Chang Le¡¯sdeath, she deeply felt that that moment would be much more entertaining ......
At this time, Jiang Nan calmly said: "How did she get poisoned?!"
Li Xiao Ran nced at him: "I will get tothe bottom of this."
Coldness shed across Jiang Nan¡¯s handsomeface, and he smilingly said: ¡°Uncle, I have to report back to my zumu (paternalgrandmother).¡±
That is to say, if he does not get an answer, hewill not leave.
Li Xiao Ran frowned and said: "Tan Xiang, tellus what Xiaojie has eaten for the past few days?"
Tan Xiang trembled with fear and almost couldn¡¯tspeak. At this time, a figure shed past the crowd, yet it was a middle-agedwoman dressed simply with a tall and slim stature and a thin face. She said to LiXiao Ran: "Lao Ye. Da Xiaojie¡¯s meals are all handled by Zhou Mama andmust go through various rounds of inspections, so there would be no mistakes.Thus, Nubi suspect the problem is not on the meals.¡±
Li Xiao Ran looked at her in disbelief, JiangNan loudly voiced: "Liu Mama, ording to you, where did the problemarise from?"
Liu Mama raised her eyes and looked around inthe room. Her eyes stopped on everyone¡¯s face for a moment, and everyone¡¯s heartraced a little faster. She continued to say: ¡°I¡¯m afraid the problem is thesetup of this room. The furnishings, incense, or even the headwear and clothingsupplied by the household." In fact, she didn¡¯t say that these things werealso all examined by Zhou Mama meticulously, and there was nothing wrong withthem. But in the past few days, Zhou Mama was not there and although the foodwas checked by her, she was not an expert in poison, and there were a lot ofnew things in the room, so they might want to reexamine these things.
Li Wei Yang looked at Liu Mama and slowly said:¡°Liu Mama is saying that someone in our household wants to hurt Dajie?¡±
Liu Mam faintly said: "San Xiaojie, Nubi donot dare to say that it¡¯s people in this household, but Nubi dare to say that thething used to hurt Da Xiaojie is still in this house. We just have to checkeach ce carefully and then we will know.¡±
This Liu Mama is a character. Li Wei Yang began to understand why LiChang Le began to use her brains after returning back, she had a strategistright beside her.
Jiang Nan coldly urged: "I ask that uncledo my cousin justice."
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes circled around his face, andthen he looked at Lao Furen who had her head down as she sipped her tea. Whenhe saw Lao Furen¡¯s iprehensible nod, he said: ¡°Chang Le is my biologicaldaughter, now that this happened to her, I am the one that feels the most pain.So of course, I will not let her murderer go unpunished."
Jiang Nan looked at Li Wei Yang. He was certainthat this murderer was not only in the household, but was also calmly talkingto Lao Furen. She really had the guts, it wasparable to when he killedpeople like flies on the. He sneered and said: "Liu Mama, you will handleeverything."
Liu Mama bowed her head: "Nubi willdefinitely find the murderer who harmed Da Xiaojie!" After that, she gesturedtowards a few yatous and began to search through the house.
Si Yiniang disgustedly looked at Li Chang Le lying there, she said to LiChang Xiao: "Let¡¯s go, this room is full of bad luck!"
Li Changxiao is a bit worried: "If weleave now, I am afraid it won¡¯t be good."
Si Yiniang really didn¡¯t want to smell thedisgusting scent of blood, she said: "Go, there¡¯s nothing to fear!"
However, once she turned around, she heardJiang Nan say: "I am sorry, no one in this room can leave! Not until themurderer has been caught!"
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look too good, hesaid: "How can you be sure that the murderer is someone in thisroom?!"
Jiang Nan respectfully said: "Uncle, themurderer has hurt the cousin with such a cruel method. Of course, that personmust bear a deep grudge against her. Because of this, since the person hasharmed her, this person would naturally wants to see the results!"
Li Wei Yang smiled, cruel and frenzied, she wasvery fond of these words, but these words used to describe her wereinappropriate. They should be used to describe the Jiangs and Li Chang Le sincethey could even harm Min Zhi, then what she did was was too fitting! She wassimply giving them a taste of their own medicine!
Jiang Nan looked at Li Wei Yang from afar, but in her face, he couldn¡¯tsee the slightest sign of tension, as if there was not a single bit of guilt inher heart nor was there any anxiousness of being caught. Si Yiniang couldn¡¯thelp but say: "Jiang Shaoye, what do you mean by this! Are you saying thatwe have harmed Da Xiaojie?¡±
Jiang Nan snorted and said: "Not certainas of yet!"
Si Yiniang unjustly looked to Li Xiao Ran:"Lao Ye!"
Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t feel like being tender towards her and angrily said:"Okay, no one can leave! Until we get to the bottom of this!"
Si Yiniang began to envy Liu Yiniang who wasill; whoever gets pulled into this, whoever will be lucked out.
"Lao Ye." Liu Mama held a tray, on thetray was the peony head oil that Li Chang Le have used, she raised her voice,"Nubi has already checked the things in the house, most of the things areused on a daily basis. Only this bottle of peony head oil was from not too longago."
Li Xiao Ran frowned and said: "Is there aproblem with this head oil?"
Liu Mama said: "Some poison can¡¯t be easilydetected. If Lao Ye wants to verify, why don¡¯t we instruct someone to test it."
Li Xiao Ran nodded. He was about to ordersomeone to go when he heard Jiang Nan spoke: "No need!" He said, he casuallygrabbed a yatou, the yatou let out a shriek, and before she could resist, hehad already poured the entire bottle of peony head oil into her mouth.
Lao Furen couldn¡¯t help but angrily said:"This is not edible, what are you doing!¡±
Jiang Nan dropped the trembling yatou and raisedhis eyebrows: "Olddy, I¡¯ve lost my etiquettes, but this peony head oilis made with peony and sesame oil. Normally, people won¡¯t die eating this, ifit is not poisonous, this girl would naturally be unharmed ---"
Li Wei Yang reminded him coldly: "This isour yatou, not a kitten nor a dog."
Jiang Nan smiled, there was no mercy on hishandsome face and instead he showed the pride and arrogance of the Jiangs:"A yatou that can¡¯t protect her master, what use does she have!"
Everyone¡¯s face turned ugly, but no one dared to say anything. Li XiaoRan smiled coldly and opened his mouth to say: "The generals of Wuwei aregetting more and more grandiose." His tone sounded calm, but Li Wei Yang couldhear the tumultuous wind and rain from within. Jiang Nan certainly knew thathis behavior was very arrogant, but he was not afraid at all: "Cousin¡¯slife is naturally much more important than these people! If she suffered harm,I don¡¯t how I will exin to my grandmother and my father! I earnestly ask foruncle and Li Lao Furen¡¯s forgiveness!"
A ferocious Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face shed acrossface, but ultimately, it turned into a forced smile. A junior, at the Li householddared to be this arrogant, this meant that the Jiangs were domineering andaggressive, but the same, such people easily exposed their weakness to hiseyes. Jiang Nan is so disrespectful to him, what about in front of the emperor?The Jiangs have always been careful but they didn¡¯t expect that their trueintentions have been exposed by their new generation.
At this time, the young yatou screamed and beganto roll and scratch on the ground. Everyone watched with horror as she repeatedthe same movement as Li Chang Le. It was obviously the same poison, andeveryone was stunned. Everyone was frightened to the point of speechless. Only LiWei Yang loudly voiced: "Lu Gong, are you going to watch as your patientdies in front of your eyes?"
Lu Gong suddenly became startled, and quicklytold the people to grab the yatou, and then said: "I have no more pills,but I can use other methods to slowly find another cure that will not let herlose her life but ---" Of course, this yatou would have to suffer a lot.He didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but everyone knew what to expect. The yatou wasquickly carried out, and the room was quiet like a cemetery.
Jiang Nan slowly said: "It seems like the problem lies in thisbottle of peony head oil."
Tan Xiang¡¯s was almost mute, she franticallysaid: ¡°This was sent over by the steward ten days ago. Xiaojie liked it a lotand used it every day¡ª¡± She thought of herself touching the oil every day, butshe was lucky and didn¡¯t get poisoned. She felt like a survivor of a disaster,in fact, she wouldn¡¯t have been poisoned, because she after touching only abit, she would wash it with water. As for Li Chang Le, she was poisoned becauseher scalp bathed in the oil six hours each day. If her scalps were identallyexposed, then the spreading of the poison speeds up.
"If the head oil was used externally, the toxicitywouldn¡¯t be this severe, it takes a long time to take effect." Lu Gongexined to everyone.
Jiang Nan¡¯s voice carried a hint of coldness:¡°Who is it that sent this nonsense over!¡±
Li Xiao Ran angered: "Call the steward!"
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face turned white every passingsecond, her body was almost crumbling, she bit her teeth: "I instructedthe steward to send this year¡¯s peony head oil over!"
The expressions on everyone¡¯s faces have showeddisbelief. Peony sesame oil from the new furen?! How is this possible!
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Trantor: Erie
Editor: Erie
Next: Chapter 106 Part 2
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Chapter 106 part2
Chapter 106: Quivering With Fear
JiangYue Lan quickly said: "How would I dare to harm Da Xiaojie! This peonyhead oil has been custom-made every year in the Jaded Shop. I¡¯ve alsodistributed it to all the courtyards and even left two bottles in my owncourtyard, Weiyang, Changxiao, I¡¯ve also sent them some, right, Wei Yang, I¡¯vesent over osmanthus, Chang Xiao is jasmine, but how can I ce poison in allof these?!"
JiangNan¡¯s face changed. He didn¡¯t expect that the person who sent the oil would be JiangYue Lan. This is simply too ridiculous! If it is said that Jiang Yue Lan harmedLi Chang Le, he could never believe this. If Jiang Yue Lan is just a stepmother,she will naturally hate the child left behind by the former wife, for fear thatshe would steal away her own child¡¯s favor and status. But Jiang Yue Lan wasfrom the Jiang family, and her father relied on Jiang Xu¡¯s power. If she wantsto stand firm in the Li family, it is impossible for her to not form analliance with Li Chang Le. How could she break her own arms?! So, in otherwords, someone must have tampered it?! He asked: "Could it have beensomeone who have tampered it?!"
JiangYue Lan¡¯s face became paler and paler. She hurriedly said: ¡°Must be! Someonemust have tampered it!¡±
Atthis time, Li Xiao Ran also understood, but he couldn¡¯t let Jiang Nan off thiseasily, so he said coldly: "The peony head oil was bought from the outside,only your people have handled it. Who could have poisoned it?" He said ashe watched Jiang Yue Lan with a hint of distrust.
LiWei Yang shook her head and kindly said: "Father, Mother is a kind person,how could she do such a vicious thing? The steward must have been bribed andtampered it. From what I see, why don¡¯t we imprison him and then interrogatehim." In this case, it is natural to have her handwriting, first bribe thesteward¡¯s mistress and promised her one hundred pounds of gold. Because everytime this steward returns to the Jade Shop, he would send the money to his owncourtyard and it was during this time that Li Wei Yang sent someone over toswitch the head oil. She framed him now mainly because Jiang Yue Lan had him inthe palm of her hand. As for his mistress, she has already run away with the moneyand disappeared without a trace...
JiangYue Lan knew that Li Xiao Ran wasn¡¯t suspicious of her but simply wanted toembarrass Jiang Nan. Although she was wronged, but keeping her life is muchmore important. She only said: "Lao Ye, I am really stupid. I was used by someoneand sent the head oil to Da Xiaojie, Lao Ye please punish me."
JiangNan certainly didn¡¯t believe the steward tampered it and coldly said:"This steward would naturally be strictly investigated! As for otherpeople¡¯s rooms, they must also be searched!"
TheLao Furen coughed aloud and said: "General Wuwei, your third-rankedposition would not suffice to search a first-ranked official¡¯s household!"The Lao Furen opened her mouth and everyone¡¯s faces showed strong rejection. SiYiniang was the first to speak: "Yes, Young Master Jiang, this is not theJiang family, how could we let you search just because you said to search! Youare too arrogant!"
LiXiao Ran snorted coldly and said: "Of course, if you ask for the imperialedict, then you can do it."
Inthis situation, if Jiang Nan must have a fallout, he was afraid that Li XiaoRan will drag him into the pce to see the Emperor and demand that he be punishedfor his disrespect! In this stalemate, Jiang Nan¡¯s attitude changed and hesuddenly kneeled. His face heavy and said: "Today Jiang Nan has beenreckless, Lao Furen please forgive me! But cousin has been innocently harmed, ifJiang Nan didn¡¯t investigate, I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t exin to my family! LaoFuren, Cousin is also your biological granddaughter. Now that she had be likethis, how can you not do anything? If this leaks it, others may think that theLi family has harmed my cousin!"
Li Wei Yang was extremely surprised that Jiang Nan would actually kneel down toLao Furen. She felt that he was an overbearing young general. Now it seemed likehe was not a coward! Because as long as he softens his attitude and treat LaoFuren as his senior, he is also reminding the Li family that the two familiesare still rtives.
¡°A joke! Such a huge joke!¡± Lao furen coldly spoke:¡°Jiang Nan, you are going too far!¡± Right at this moment, Jiang Yue Lan lightlyput in: ¡°Oh, Lao Furen, since General Wu Wei wants to investigate, then we shouldlet him do so. If not, what if he leaves telling others that our family is protectingthe murderer, then what can we do? Our centuries long reputation cannot withstandsuch defamation.¡± Her words seem to be spoken for the Li family and no wrongs couldbe found from them.
Ahesitant expression shed across Lao furen¡¯s face. Yes, if Jiang Nan spreadsrumor, the Li family would be a ce where murderers are protected.
LiXiao Ran gave his new wife a nce until she ufortably lowered her head.He waved his hand and said: ¡°You all, go search each person¡¯s courtyard. If yousee something simr to this dirty thing, bring them forth!¡±
Afew supervising Mamas bought their yatous along to search through each room. LiWei Yang gave Zhao Yue a look and saw that she gently nodded her head. Shesmiled and then turned her head to ask Lu Gong: ¡°I wonder if Dajie¡¯s appearancewould be able to recover?¡±
Theexpression on Lu Gong¡¯s face was iprehensible, he bitterly smiled: ¡°This ...I can¡¯t do anything to help.¡±
JiangYue Lan was also anxious: ¡°What, not even a single way?¡±
LuGong then said: ¡°To be able to save her life is already fortunate enough, howcould she recover back to normal?¡±
JiangYue Lan looked at Li Chang Le who didn¡¯t know of anything as sheid there.Her face revealed indistinguishable pain: ¡°My poor child! What will you do inthe future!¡± She spoke but didn¡¯t dare to go close to the bed. A nce at LiChang Le¡¯s frightening appearance gave one nightmares.
JiangNan wasn¡¯t concerned with Li Chang Le¡¯s appearance. He has seen countlesspeople disfigured on the battlefield so he didn¡¯t care too much about this. Heonly cared about if he was able to find the evidence in Li Wei Yang¡¯s room. Itwas well-known that Liu Mama was skilled in this area; with small traces, sheis able to follow the clues and seize the culprit. He believed that Li Wei Yangmust have left evidence behind! By this time, he had already forgotten abouthis cousin and instead cared more about victory. He was unwilling to believethat he would lose to an unworldly young maiden!
Ithas been fully an hour and no one in the room had made a single sound. Only inbetween that Lao Furen had the tea replenished four times, had two rounds ofsnacks, and spoke a few words with Li Wei Yang. Others didn¡¯t have much moodand only exchanged nces once in a while to express their difort andstress. It was a type of stress that made it difficult to breath; yatous andmamas all had their heads down, all afraid to anger whichever master.
JiangNan observed Li Wei Yang, her face didn¡¯t reveal any trace of guilt or fear norwas there a single trace of difort. He had to admire her because he hadnever seen such a scheming girl that made others fearful. As for his FifthBrother, the Lu Gong on the side, could only sip tea with his head down. He hadseen countless of injuries but he didn¡¯t dare to go look at Li Chang Le¡¯s face.Now, he felt pity for Li Chang Le, with her hideous appearance, how will sheget married off?
JiangYue Lan sat on the side apanying the solemn Li Xiao Ran, with a face ofrestraint until Luo Mama came in with a tray in her hands.
JiangNan immediately revealed a smile, believing that he had seek victory.
ButLuo Mama actually opened her mouth and said: ¡°We¡¯ve already examined, thefragrance oil in Third Xiaojie¡¯s courtyard also has problems.¡±
Withthose words spoken, Jiang Nan¡¯s smile was like a hand being bent, momentarilyturned extremely monstrous. He looked towards Liu Mama yet she other shook herhead, damned, how could it be like this!
LiWei Yang¡¯s expression showed grief: ¡°Lao Furen, I would have never thought thatyour granddaughter¡¯s fragrance oil also has problems ......¡±
LaoFuren patted her hand and said: ¡°Luckily you don¡¯t usually use this or else youand Chang Le will both be like this today.¡±
LiWei Yang sighed: ¡°Yes, if it wasn¡¯t because I¡¯ve forgotten to reward it to themaids, I¡¯m afraid Bai Zhi and others wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape thisincident!¡± Her face showedplete ignorance.
JiangNan incredulously watched as Li Wei Yang acted. He knew perfectly well thatthis damn girl was acting and that she was the mastermind behind this incidentbut he couldn¡¯t say anything! He was thinking about how the tactics he used onthe battlefield couldn¡¯t be used in this situation so even if he used histactics, he would still have to overtly fight this battle. But Li Wei Yang, shewasn¡¯t like this, she would dig a hole for herself to jump into. She would sitand watch on the side and then fiercely step on you again to ensure youwouldn¡¯t have the capability to stand up again. That¡¯s right, she was using himfrom the start. It was him who wanted a full investigation and take advantageof Liu Mama¡¯s meticulous eyes to find evidence yet it provided Li Wei Yang anopportunity to free herself from suspicion. This meant that Li Wei Yang hascleaned up all her traces that even Liu Mama who was such a shrewd andscrupulous person couldn¡¯t do anything to her! Jiang Nan can¡¯t be med forhaving such high expectations on Liu Mama; he thought that wayrgely becauseLiu Mama has served as an old maid in the pce for twenty years. Since shewas sent over to assist Li Chang Le, she definitely had the brains!
LiChang Xiao was actually frightened, she held onto Fourth Yiniang¡¯s sleeve andsaid: ¡°Mother, when the head oil was sent overst time, this maididentally spilled it or else I will be like Eldest Sister?!¡±
FourthYiniang, of course, revealed traces of shock in her expression, since shedidn¡¯t even know of this.
JiangNan bit his teeth and said: ¡°The head oil from Third Miss¡¯ room has poison,this means there are two possibilities. The first is she is the victim. Theother possibility is she is the one who had the poison in the first ce!¡±
LiWei Yang frowned and said: ¡°Cousin, watch what you are saying! I didn¡¯t sendover this head oil, so how could I poison it?! Are you trying to say I colludedwith Mother to poison Eldest Sister?! Or you¡¯re trying to say I¡¯ve bribed thesteward to add the poison? If you truly believe so, then why don¡¯t you tieMother, the steward, and me up to interrogate, and see what results you get!Your suspicion is a joke!¡±
JiangYue Lan¡¯s expression turned pale. She couldn¡¯t believe that Li Wei Yang alsodragged her into this and there was nothing more she could say to rify sinceshe was the one who sent over the head oil; moreover, the steward was herpeople?! This was not a secret in the residence! No matter what she says, itwouldn¡¯t help!
JiangNan fiercely red at Jiang Yue Lan, ming her for doing too much. Rightwhen he was about to continue his rage on Li Wei Yang, Li Xiao Ran coldlyvoiced: ¡°Enough!¡±
LiXiao Ran didn¡¯t know how this happened but he only felt annoyance. He hadalready lost a daughter so whether this had anything to do with Li Wei Yang, hehad to defend her. Since now that Li Chang Le is ruined, he can¡¯t lose twodaughters in the span of a day! So, he coldly stared at Jiang Nan and said:¡°You¡¯ve already did a search in my residence, now what more trouble do you wantto cause! This incident is the Li¡¯s family matter, so if Jiang Xu has anyopinions, he cane seek me! Now that Chang Le has been injured, I onlywished that she focuses on recuperation, as for other things, we¡¯ll discuss inthe future! If you don¡¯t want to leave yet, you can stay in guest room andenjoy some tea. Just don¡¯t let me hear you make wild usations to implicate others!¡±
JiangNan¡¯s expression turned worse because he didn¡¯t expect Li Xiao Ran to be thisunyielding but he was also to be med for being too arrogant. Now that he wasasked to leave, he certainly couldn¡¯t ept it, he coldly said: ¡°Since Unclewants me to leave, then I would leave. But Li family must give as anexnation on this matter!¡± After he was done speaking, he gave Lu Gong awarning and then immediately left.
LaoFuren stared at his silhouette and revealed a chilled smile. Jiang Xu wouldn¡¯thave dared to y tricks in the Li family; the young ones just couldn¡¯t retaintheirposures. But, the Jiangs have be more and more arrogant, this way,they will die even faster. She lightly let out a sigh and said: ¡°I¡¯ll leaveeverything to Lu Gong.¡± She was ready to return to her room to rest because shereally couldn¡¯t stand looking at Li Chang Le¡¯s terrifying face any longer. Ifshe had to look at her for three days, she wouldn¡¯t have the appetite to eat.
LiWei Yang helped her up and said: ¡°I¡¯ll escort you back.¡±
LaoFuren patted her hand and said: ¡°No need, you should return to rest too.¡± Thenshe told everyone: ¡°Everyone leave.¡±
FourthYiniang and Li Chang Xiao acted as if they were granted amnesty as theyhurriedly followed behind Lao Furen.
LiWei Yang gently said: ¡°Father, Mother, both have been exhausted the entire dayand should rest, your daughter will leave now.¡±
LiXiao Ran looked at Li Wei Yang, seemingly wanted to say something butultimately didn¡¯t and instead sighed as he watched her leave. Knowing betterthan one¡¯s teacher, speaking of this merciless daughter of his, she was simrto his young self! Towards blood-rted sisters, she didn¡¯t leave her an openpath. But he also knew very well that Li Wei Yang must have found out aboutsomething that after a long period of holding back, she suddenly exploded,perhaps Min Zhi¡¯s poisoning incident. He gave Li Chang Le who was resting onthe bed onest nce, shook his head, and then Jiang Yue Lan softly said:¡°Lao Ye, I will rest with you.¡±
LiXiao Ran nodded and then leisurely strolled out. Jiang Yue Lan smiled at LuGong, then worriedly gave Li Chang Le a look and followed behind.
OnlyLi Chang Le¡¯s maidservants and Lu Gong were left in the room. Lu Gong looked LiChang Le and couldn¡¯t help but shiver. This face was too horrifying that he hadalready started to feel fear. If Li Chang Le wakes up, he¡¯s afraid she willturn insane!
Nevertheless,avoiding is no use, on the seventh night, Li Chang Le suddenly opened her eyes.
TanXiang held a bowl of water as she walked in. She suddenly heard Li Chang Lecalled her name, she was surprised that she quickly stepped inside.
LiChang Le¡¯s beautiful hair was gone and this was difficult to hide from her. Butshe hasn¡¯t seen her face yet and no one in the room dared to tell her. Even thefavored Liu Mama seek out various reasons to stay outside, so Li Chang Le couldalso shout: ¡°My hair! What happened to my hair!¡±
TanXiang could only feel her own scalps turning numb and didn¡¯t dare to look ather face. She could only utter: ¡°Miss, your hair will regrow ...... we have Lu Gong!¡±
LiChang Le only felt pain throughout her body. She looked down and realizednumerous parts of her body were wrapped with cloth and on there were traces ofblood. She subconsciously said: ¡°Bring me water to wash my face.¡±
TanXiang dropped her head as she bought the bowl of water over. But she was threesteps away from Li Chang Le and didn¡¯t dare to inch closer. Li Chang Lehollered: ¡°Are you deaf, bring the bowl of water over!¡±
TanXiang¡¯s body was trembling and ultimately carried the bowl over as Li Chang Lecoldly remarked: ¡°Useless thing!¡± Without finishing her thought, shesubconsciously looked down and saw herself in the water, a face filled withbloodied flesh and scars ......
LiWei Yang arrived at the courtyard¡¯s entrance and heard a horrifying shriek. Sheturned her ehad and smilingly said to Zhao Yue: ¡°Hold onto the gift, let¡¯s goin.¡±
Inthe corridor, Lu Gong heard the shriek and felt unease as he paced into theroom and bumped into Li Wei Yang at the entrance. At this moment, Lu Gongcouldn¡¯tugh or cry and could only follow behind as they all entered.
LiChang Le saw Li Wei Yang and then crazily ran over from her bed. Tan Xiang heldher back and she thoughtlessly gave Tan Xiang a p. Lu Gong hurried over:¡°Eldest Miss! You can¡¯t be infuriated! Your wounds will break open!¡±
LiChang Le didn¡¯t care like she was mentally ill. She yelled: ¡°Li Wei Yang, youbitch! You¡¯ve made me turn into this! You bitch! I want to kill you! I mustkill you!¡± She didn¡¯t even think about this and assumed that Li Wei Yang wasthe one behind this. The poison was originally used by her!
LiWei Yang coldly said: ¡°Are you all dead? Can¡¯t you see Eldest Miss is mentallyunstable, hurry and hold her down!¡± All the maids looked at one another andfrightened that something would happen, they hurried over to hold Li Chang Le.Li Chang Le was held down on the chair by the strong old maids. She struggledto move and both her eyes emitted bloody red murderous expressions as shehatefully stared at Li Wei Yang: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you bitch! You will die a horribledeath!¡±
Thesewords were very familiar, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but revealed a ponderingexpression. Oh, it was something the former Official Furen had said to her. Itseems like she lives a lucky life, no matter what, she wouldn¡¯t die. On theother hand, Li Chang Le had be someone who rather die than to live.Pondering upon this, perhaps the Official Furen was right, she, Li Wei Yang,was brought to this world to cause the dooms for others, particrly theOfficial Furen and Li Chang Le! As a result, that¡¯s why they¡¯ve be likethis!
LiWei Yang stared at Li Chang Le¡¯s unbearable face. Her appearance was only likea deity but now her whole face has been ripped apart by her own doing. Theflesh on her cheeks has been rendered bloodied by her own scratching,specifically that pair of crystal eyes. Her face seemed like it had beenrotting for more than ten days ...... it was an extremely nauseating sight. Thisface, even if it was treated, was stillpletely ruined. Li Wei Yang feltgratification and joy but to let this satisfaction reached its peak, she slowlysaid: ¡°Eldest Sister, don¡¯t be this stirred, I¡¯vee here today to visit you,Zhao Yue, hang the gift I¡¯ve bought Eldest Sister on the wall.¡± Zhao Yueanswered with a yes and then strolled over to the wall, hung up a painting, andthen backed up to the side.
LiChang Le¡¯s eyes gaped open and saw a painting of a beauty on the wall. In agarden of peonies was an alluring beauty with handsome eyes and well-shapedbrows. Like a deity, she was wearing a shining attire with tteringcrab-apple flowers on the skirt. Her waist was slim, which shows off her finestature and air simr to that of Zhao Feiyan. With one nce, she knew itwas her herself! No, it was her old self!
LiWei Yang harmoniously smiled and sweetly said: ¡°Eldest Sister, I¡¯ve createdthis painting for you in three sleepless nights. I¡¯ve broken countless of paintbrushes to create a painting for you to your satisfaction. I¡¯ve ordered to havethis be hung on your wall. Lu Gong said he will seek out everything to help yourecover your appearance. But he has never seen your once beautiful appearanceso I was thinking he should have an idea. So I¡¯ve created this painting, ifyour appearance can¡¯t be recovered, then you can cherish memories of it.¡±
LuGong couldn¡¯t believe his ideas. He suddenly understood Li Wei Yang¡¯sintentions because at this moment, Li Chang Le had already howled like a pigyer. She struggled to jump onto Li Wei Yang but these maids used all theirstrength to hold her down that she couldn¡¯t take one step. So, she could onlyp her won face as if she wanted topletely peel it apart. This was such asympathetic scene. Lu Gong quickly reacted and shouted: ¡°Hold down your Miss!Hurry!¡±
Themaids quickly held back Li Chang Le and even used cloths to tie up her handsand feet. Because of her intense struggle, Li Chang Le rolled off from thechair onto the floor. She cried ferociously like a leprosy victim that had beenced under control. Her face seemed like that that even a few maids lookedaway. They all thought that the Eldest Miss¡¯ face had be this horrifying tolook at. It was as if she was an imprisoned beast that had been released aftera few days. Li Chang Le¡¯s face was held down with dust gliding over her face.She lifted her face and her venomous eyes stared straight at Li Wei Yang, sheloudly cried: ¡°Bitch! I am going to kill you! I will definitely kill you!¡±
Atthis moment, Li Wei Yang quietly watched her, her expression didn¡¯t showsatisfaction nor did it show disgust, only calmness, calmness with depth. Hereyes were like a well with her pupils reflecting Li Chang Le¡¯s dismay andhopelessness. Whereas, it wasn¡¯t showing any of her true expressions, onlyslight coldness.
LuGong, no, Jiang Fifth Brother, was standing not too far away as he quietlystudied her expression. He couldn¡¯t help but to think that Li Wei Yang¡¯sappearance couldn¡¯t rival Li Chang Le but her scheming was definitely superiorto thetter. Right when Li Chang Le was at acent position, Li Wei Yangmade a ruthless attack, making one shudder at the thought.
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Trantor: Erie
Editor: Erie
Next: Chapter 107 Part 1
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Chapter 107 part1
Chapter 107: Wishful Calctions
Note: If you find any photos appropriate to describe this chapter or past chapters, feel free to send them to me with links and credit.
¡°Xianzhu, please stay behind!¡± Lu Gong¡¯s voice was heard behind.
Li Wei Yang stopped in her path, turned around as Lu Gong paced towards her.
¡°Xianzhu, show some mercy ......¡± Lu Gong seeing Li Wei Yang¡¯s indifference, he took the opportunity to continue on. He was the wastrel in the Jiang family and has never participated in the Jiang political matters. But Li Chang Le is, after all, his cousin. Even though they were not close when they were young but he couldn¡¯t deny the fact that each time he sees Li Chang Le¡¯s beautiful appearance, his heart would uncontrobly beat faster. Not a single men could reject such a face, as for now, this face was actually ruined right in front of his eyes. As a spectator, he couldn¡¯t even withstand this, moreover, how could Li Chang Le? It was a miracle that Li Chang Le didn¡¯t immediately turn insane. Li Wei Yang¡¯s behavior probably instigated Li Chang Le to turn insane.
¡°Lu Gong seems to be very concern about Eldest Sister......¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was slightly low, she arched her brows and coldness flowed from her eyes, ¡°What, you and my Eldest Sister are old acquaintances?¡±Li Wei Yang was a very skeptical person; Jiang Fifth Brother couldn¡¯t help but feel intimidated and felt chills flowing through his back. The Jiangs have always sided with their own kin so it would be difficult for them to withstand this insignificant ant which had destroyed this delicate flower that they¡¯ve been shielding. He wondered if his grandmother hears about Li Chang Le¡¯s appearance being ruined, what would her reaction be? Jiang Fifth Brother couldn¡¯t help but feel unease; recalling what Jiang Fourth instructed him to do, he felt goosebumps on his scalps.¡°I ...... it¡¯s only because I see Eldest Miss has turned into this, I can¡¯t bear it.¡±Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes stared straight at his face with her expression carrying a trace of scrutiny. Jiang Fifth felt perturbed and uncertain whether she saw through his disguise.
¡°Since she can¡¯t bear this, then you should focus on treating Eldest Sister.¡± Li Wei Yang slightly raised her brows and coldly said: ¡°Other matters, I advise you to mind your own business.¡±
Jiang Fifth forced himself to calm down and then earnestly spoke: ¡°Xianzhu, is this how you treat your brother¡¯s savior?
Li Wei Yang smilingly said: ¡°In regard to saving my brother¡¯s life, Wei Yang will never forget. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will repay you myself. But I have an unanswered question on my mind that I hope can be answered, Lu Gong originally worked in the capital and has always been low-key. So why is it that when ites to my family matter, why are you this concerned. My Eldest Sister has just been injured and you immediately arrived right after?¡±
Jiang Fifth felt suffocated by her interrogation, anger appeared on his expression: ¡°What are those words! I am only acting out of kindness and can¡¯t bear watch my patients suffer!¡±
A mouthful of rubbish; if he really couldn¡¯t stand watching his patients suffer, Lu Gong would have traveled everywhere to cure patients and not be here gossiping nonsense with her. Li Wei Yang let out a cold smile and showed a furious expression: ¡°I hope so!¡± After she finished, she and her young maid swaggeringly left.
Jiang Fifth was infuriated but didn¡¯t dare to ask more. The maid behind him whispered: ¡°Physician Lu, our Eldest Miss asks that youe inside.¡±
Jiang Fifth grinded his teeth; with Li Chang Le¡¯s ghostlike appearance now, she most likely would turn the world upside down. Jiang Fourth escaped but left him behind to endure this pain, such hell of life. No matter how enraged he was, Jiang Fifth had to return inside the room and face Li Chang Le¡¯s explosive temper and her terrifying appearance. Moreover, he must keep his mouth shut; no matter how much Li Chang Le questions him about when her face will heal, he must benignly tell her it will heal after some time, or else Li Chang Le will turnpletely insane.
Lao Furen was original worried that words would spread regarding Li Chang Le¡¯s incident. But after Jiang Fourth returned, the Jiangs still haven¡¯t make a move yet and it was this inactivity that made Lao Furen felt that something was abnormal. Perhaps, the Jiangs were secretly plotting and because of this weird quietness that days passed by.
The afternoon spring sunlight was radiating through the trees onto the ice white window curtains£¬ which carried ayer of golden shimmer. Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu were both sitting down along the corridor as they spoke and did their embroideries. An old-aged woman followed by two maidservants was seen walking in from the distant northern corner. Once they got close enough, the lead mama smilingly said: ¡°Is Third Miss here?¡± Bai Zhi rose and then busily apologized: ¡°Luo Mama what brought you here? Third Miss is still taking a nap.¡±
Luo Mama smiled, the servants in Li Wei Yang¡¯s quarter were supervised under rigorous standards. When an ordinary miss takes a nap, the maids would follow along and take a nap. But each time shees over, even if Li Wei Yang was not there, the maids of this courtyard would always be guarding the door and have never neglected their duties.
The movement outside had awaken the person in the room. Bai Zhi gave a signal to Mo Zhu and then curtsied, turned around to open the beaded curtains. The water chestnut flower curtains were already lifted up. After awakening from an afternoon nap, Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were like a deep well, whichcked the usual cold air and her expression seemed much more harmonious that it revealed an inexplicable presence of charm. She blinked and smiled: ¡°Who is out there?¡±
Bai Zhi immediately grabbed her jacket and then hurried over: ¡°Miss, Luo Mama has arrived, Mo Zhu is currently greeting her.¡±
Li Wei Yang gently smiled, let Bai Zhi helped her dress, and then watched as Zhao Yue carried a pan of lukewarm water in.
¡°Miss can never have a deep slumber, you¡¯re easily awakened.¡± Zhao Yue smilingly remarked.
Li Wei Yang shook her head and said: ¡°It¡¯s just a light nap, not that tired.¡±
Bai Zhi¡¯s gestures were smooth and in no time, she have helped Li Wei Yang washed and dressed up.
¡°Luo Mama is still waiting outside?¡± Li Wei Yang softly asked, ¡°Let here in.¡±
Bai Zhi puckered and lowered her head to answer: ¡°Yes.¡±
Luo Mama fast-paced over and then curtsied to Li Wei Yang: ¡°Third Miss, Lao Furen instructed me to hurry over to summon you.¡±
¡°Now?¡± Li Wei Yang nced at Luo Mama and said: ¡°What is it?¡±
Luo Mama smiled: ¡°General Sun¡¯s furen hase over to visit along with Miss Sun; we heard you and her have met before so Lao Furen specifically invited Third Miss over to apany the guests.¡±
General Sun? Li Wei Yang immediately thought of the rigid appearance of this general. As a matter of fact, General Sun¡¯s oldest brother and Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s father are quite close. They were oncerades on the battlefield but sadly, the eldest General Sun passed away early. The Emperor showed solicitude and allow the younger General Sun to inherit the military rank and thetter and Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s father were still as close as they were in the past. As for Miss Sun, Li Wei Yang had met her before, she was this valiant and heroic looking Miss of the general. For the past two months, countless noble furens had visited the Li family, seemingly to visit Lao Furen, but in actuality, they were here to take a look at Jiang Yue Lan, the new furen. Jiang Yue Lan knew all the furens part of this social circle were testing her so she enthusiastically received them and generously befriended them, which garnered her many praises. So the arrival of Sun Furen and her daughter today wasn¡¯t an oddity.Miss Sun had bright eyes and white teeth, generous and graceful. Once she saw Li Wei Yang, she smilingly weed her: ¡°Honorary Princess!¡±
¡°Just call me Wei Yang!¡± Li Wei Yang really liked this valiant and brave girl and didn¡¯t regard her as an outsider.Miss Sun¡¯s smile curved deeper; Sun Furen, who was standing on the side, was very simr to Miss Sun in appearance but with a taller physique and wrinkles deep within her brows. Li Wei Yang went forth to greet Sun Furen and thetter quickly waved and smilingly said: ¡°I can¡¯t ept this.¡± She was only a third-rank shuren, no matter what she couldn¡¯t outrank Li Wei Yang¡¯s second-rank honored princess so it wasn¡¯t appropriate for Li Wei Yang to salute her. But Li Wei Yang was after all her junior and decided to greet her, showing her great modesty. So watching Li Wei Yang, she felt an inclination to like her.
Jiang Yue Lan smilingly spoke with Sun Furen while Sun Yan Jun impatiently pulled Li Wei Yang over to the side and whispered: ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to seek you out to y but my mother said your mother has passed away so it wasn¡¯t appropriate to bother you.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and whispered in the same manner: ¡°Next time you want toe, you can just directly send me an invite.¡±
Sun Yan Jun was very excited, liking a person was a mutual feeling. Li Wei Yang acted fervently towards her, most importantly it was genuine enthusiasm. She noticed and couldn¡¯t help but feel close to her, she whispered: ¡°Your new mother, she seems great, knows how to speak and very intelligent. Wherever I go, everyone is praising her!¡±
Li Wei Yang gave the smiling Jiang Yue Lan a glimpse and smiled: ¡°Yes, Mother is certainly a smart person, Old Furen also likes her a lot.¡±
Sun Yan Jun was someone who speaks her mind, she voiced lowly and said: ¡°But you have to be cautious, I¡¯ve heard from others that stepmothers are troubles! Last time when Official Liu wedded a new wife, she had already married off all four of Liu¡¯s daughters within the span of two years and all of them were married faraway per her desire. The youngest one cried and pleaded but she was eventually tied up and forced into the sedan! This made Official Liu theughingstock of the capital yet he was still extremely intimidated by this new wife and didn¡¯t dare to speak up against her! Luckily she are not afraid, you are the Honored Princess, she wouldn¡¯t dare to y games.¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t know how to react since she was so used to be circuitous towards others that she wasn¡¯t used to hearing someone being genuine towards her. Especially when the Sun and Jiang were close to one another yet Sun Yan Jun didn¡¯t express biased liking towards Jiang Yue Lan and instead expressed an obvious disliking. Sun Yan Jun continued: ¡°My mother decided toe today but I originally didn¡¯t prepare toe. If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would have stayed home! I really hate watching these fake smiles.¡±
Li Wei Yang agreed yet spoke otherwise: ¡°Sun Furen only has you one daughter so she truly dotes on you. It¡¯s fine that you have a frank personality but don¡¯t let outsiders hear these words.¡±
Sun Yan Jun only smiled: ¡°I am not foolish, of course, I know these words can¡¯t be heard by others, especially those that enjoy fake smiling.¡± As she spoke, her expression turned worrisome, ¡°But, sometimes I hate myself for not being a man and can¡¯t fight for my mother. Let me tell you, I had three brothers but all of them died. It¡¯s not that my mother don¡¯t want to have a son. However, my grandmother forced my father to take mistresses. This old hag, how unreasonable!¡±
Sun Yan Jun¡¯s eyes turned red as she spoke.
Li Wei Yang surprisingly watched her: ¡°Did General Sun not have any mistresses before that?¡± This was rare.
Sun Yan Jun nodded and said: ¡°In the past, grandmother favored her eldest son and moreover, Father was the child of a mistress. She gave Father some money and sent him out. At that time, he has just married Mother; he was proud and unwilling to ept aid from my maternal family so we past days frugally. Back then even when they had one fish, Mother would leave the best abdominal parts for him. They lived frugally and didn¡¯t even want to hire a maid. They also had to pretend to live well in front of my maternal family. If it wasn¡¯t due to adverse circumstances, my three brothers wouldn¡¯t have died. As a result, Father promised Mother that even if they live in riches and honor in the future, he will not have any mistresses.¡±
Li Wei Yang was taken aback and looked at the smiling and harmoniously Sun Furen. She couldn¡¯t help but think about the advantages of being a poor couple. At the very least, they are able to establish a deep rtionship with genuine feelings, however, promises are untrustworthy......
Sun Yan Jun noticed that Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t reacted like others so she continued: ¡°But when we returned, everything changed. Father inherited a military rank and my grandmother began to pick and choose. She said my mother is barren and useless and even specially chose two mistresses to gift him. Initially, Father still respected the promise he made to Mother but who would have known, a monthter, the two mistresses became pregnant ...... my mother had an argument with him, she was upset, so I urged her to go out ......¡±
On the other side, Jiang Yue Lan was also consoling Sun Furen. But the topic was she should take good care of the mistresses¡¯ sons so that they would be her pride in the future. Those wordsnded in Sun Yan Jun¡¯s ears, making her feel even more uneasy. She couldn¡¯t help but voiced: ¡°What pride! Who wants this form of pride!¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded lightly and said: ¡°But it seems like Sun Furen has already epted.¡±
Sun Yan Jun nced at Sun Furen and then raged: ¡°Yes, my mother looks strong on the outside but on the inside, she is weak. She also feels apologetic towards Father that she wasn¡¯t able to provide him with any sons, but how could she be med for this? It¡¯s not because she couldn¡¯t give him sons, she lost three sons so why can¡¯t they think about who was this to me?!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and then patted Sun Yan Jun¡¯s hand, she said: ¡°If she can¡¯t ept this, then we should persuade Sun Furen to seek a divorce.¡±
After those words were spoken, Sun Yan Jun unexpectedly stared at Li Wei Yang with an expression simr to her staring at a freak.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart twisted into knots and knew she wasn¡¯t going to ept this alternative. So she sighed and smilingly said: ¡°I was just kidding.¡±
Sun Yan Jun looked down and earnestly pondered upon this suggestion, she said: ¡°Actually this can be a good way out. Now, those two mistresses have been looking down upon Mother due to their bellies. Father seemed to respect Mother but in actuality, his thoughts are all about his unborn sons. Instead of being bullied in the residence, why not have Mother ask for a separation. Wei Yang, you are much more clever than I am, and also decisive. Originally, I thought about taking Mother along with me once I get married but Mother actually said I was being foolish since what Miss would bring along her own mother as a dowry?!¡± Perhaps, Sun Yan Jun had lived in impoverished conditions so she didn¡¯t carry the attitude of a spoiled Miss and her words carried a trace of manly dexterity. Li Wei Yang smilingly shook her head: ¡°Separation is never easy. Your mother has a stubborn personality. If she decides to continue this argument with General Sun, you don¡¯t even have to say a word and she will leave. But look at her now, she still takes on her duties as Sun Furen and engage in social activities.¡±
Sun Yan Jun knew Li Wei Yang was right. Sun Furen still had a trace of hope in General Sun, she couldn¡¯t help but asked: ¡°What should my mother do in the future?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile carried a hint of sigh: ¡°One way is what they spoke about, adopt the son of the mistress and raise him as her own, hoping he will bring honor to the family name and take care of her aging self. The only issue is whether the son and your mother will be of one mind, which is difficult to say now. As long as those mistresses are still here, there will always be a wall in your mother¡¯s heart. The second way is what I suggested: separation. Of course, this would make her feel at ease on a short term and end up all by herself. Based on your mother¡¯s personality, she wouldn¡¯t remarry and based on your father¡¯s status, he wouldn¡¯t let her remarry. There are no perfect solutions, Yan Jun, discuss with your mother, as long as she is willing to let it go, it will be the same whichever path she chooses.¡± There was actually a third way and it was what Da Furen did in the past, ensure those two children won¡¯t be born or get rid of the mother and keep the son, this way, Sun Furen¡¯s position would be secure.
But Li Wei Yang believed Sun Furen must be an open-hearted and upright person to raise such a fine daughter like Sun Yan Jun. She would never do these things so she simply didn¡¯t mention it. In the end, there weren¡¯t absolute rights or wrongs in the world, there were only losses and wins. She was forced to have her hands drenched with blood so she didn¡¯t hope Sun Furen and the innocent Sun Yan Jun to be this frightening.
Sun Yan Jun still had a pondering expression throughout as if she was seriously thinking about the possibilities of those two paths. It wasn¡¯t until Li Wei Yang reminded her: ¡°The tea is getting cool!¡± That she lifted the tea, sipped it, suddenly ced it down and looked at Li Wei Yang: ¡°Oh, howe I haven¡¯t seen your Eldest Sister recently?¡±
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Chapter 107 part2
Chapter 107: Wishful Calctions
Li Chang Le was the most prominent figure amongst the misses of the aristocratic circles. Because of her outstanding appearance, it was impossible to not hear news about her. However, ever since theing of winter, Li Chang Le seemed to have disappeared from all social gatherings. Not only Li Chang Le, but also everyone from the Li family had appeared less in public asions and were very secretive. And because of this, people became more curious since other families look forward to bring their misses out. What was going on with the Li family, they have quite a few exquisite beauties yet they have all been locked at home. If it were back then, others would have thought the Li family were being reserved because they were preparing their daughters to be married into the royal family. But afterwards it didn¡¯t seem like that anymore; if they want them to marry into the royal family, then why did they even avoid attending a banquet held by the royalties?! This was very odd!
Li Wei Yang smiled. Ever since Li Chang Le¡¯s incident, everyone in the family didn¡¯t dare to breath a word to a soul. Especially Lao Furen, she didn¡¯t even permit anyone to mention Li Chang Le at all. The opportunities for misses of the family to leave the residence were reduced and so, Second Furen was extremely anxious about her daughter¡¯s future marriage ns and secretly brought Li Chang Ru out once. Consequently, after returning, she was punished by Lao Furen to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days. After this incident, everyone became more mindful of the severity of this matter. Even Jiang Yue Lan, who had established a position amongst the capital¡¯s prominentdies, had to restrained herself and ording to Lao Furen¡¯s mood, she would invite a few Furens to their house to watch ys. If someone asks about Li Chang Le, she would answer with Li Chang Le not feeling well and had been resting. So, when Li Chang Le was told to have been resting in bed from winter to spring, everyone began to feel suspicious. Was she really resting in bed or did shemitted a grave mistake that she was locked up? This gossip had been spreading wildly that even Sun Yan Jun couldn¡¯t help but expressed concern.
Li Wei Yang could only reply: ¡°Eldest Sister is not feeling well so she had been resting in bed.¡±
¡°Really, what illness does she have that she has to stay in bed for this long?¡± Sun Yan Jun was someone that must get to the bottom of the matter.
Li Wei Yang smilingly replied: ¡°Originally, it was amon cold. But once it was spring, it became much more serious. Now her entire face has be swollen, it¡¯s very terrifying. Eldest Sister likes to be pretty, so it¡¯s natural that she doesn¡¯t want to see anyone.¡±
So it¡¯s a skin disease. Sun Yan Jun rejoiced in her heart and said: ¡°Your Eldest Sister had always been looking down on others. Now that she has this skin disease and can¡¯t let others see her, this is called karma!¡± After she finished, she realized she lost her manners and immediately apologized, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve always spoken without much thoughts, my mother had scolded me many times. In front of strangers, I am able to hold back but in front of someone I like is hard.¡±
Even though Li Wei Yang was reserved, she was clever and genuine, so Sun Yan Jun couldn¡¯t hold back her thoughts.
Li Wei Yang was amused by her candidness: ¡°No worries, I also think Eldest Sister is a bit too arrogant. I only hope she can learn something this time, after all, no one can survive in this world with just a beautiful appearance.¡±
Sun Yan Jun agreed: ¡°For sure! It¡¯s time she gets punished! In the past, she had always act nice to me in front of others but behind my back, she had mocked my chin ugly. This kind of person has two faces, how despicable!¡± As she spoke, she subconsciously touched her chin, ¡°Is my chin ugly?¡± Li Wei Yang pinched her chin and truthfully said: ¡°Better looking than my chin.¡±
Sun Yan Jun smiled: ¡°You are so articte!¡± She continued to speak as she pinched Li Wei Yang¡¯s face and smiled with joy, ¡°Your mother¡¯s mourning period will soon reach two years, one more year and then you will be able to discuss your marriage.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled towards Bai Zhi: ¡°Look here, Miss Sun is desperate to get married yet she is using me to entertain herself.¡±
Sun Yan Jun pinched her again and then spoke: ¡°What are you saying! I am just worried for you! If you continue to live a secluded life, His Majesty will casually choose a suitor for you, then we¡¯ll see what you can do then!¡±
Li Wei Yang was stunned and then she outwardly smiled: ¡°We¡¯ll speak when the timees!¡± The gifts Sun Furen bought over this time were very generous. Inside the wooden box that she gave Lao Furen were a top-notched jade bangle, a jade hairpin, and an ivory screen. Inside the brocade box that she gave to Jiang Yue Lan were a jadeb, a phoenix hairpin, and a pair of jade earrings. And for Li Wei Yang, she gifted her a beautiful jade pendant, which was also a rare valuable. Looking at all these valuables, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the annual official valuation, which would soon begin. General Sun had nothing to fear since he had the Jiangs but his subordinates didn¡¯t have any allies. Those people were boorish and easily offended people in the capital, especially those court officials. But because these court officials always followed Li Xiao Ran¡¯s words, as a result, General Sun must have a favor to ask from Li Xiao Ran. Seeing Lao Furen joyously epted the gifts and also gave Miss Sun a weing gift, she knew that Lao Furen knew where this was going and happily epted the gifts.
It was obvious that Jiang Yue Lan happily chatted with Sun Furen, even Second Furen had a face filled with joy. After the steward came in to announce that Lao Ye had dinner ns tonight and would not beinge home for dinner, Jiang Yue Lan specifically asked Sun Furen to stay for dinner. During dinner, Lao Furen was in a great mood and chatted happily with Miss Sun. Li Wei Yang noticed Second Furen¡¯s fervent expressions towards Miss Sun, they were very warm that it made her felt goosebumps.
Second Furen was not a warmhearted person towards anyone, let alone the Eldest Household¡¯s guests. But today her ardent behavior was peculiar ...... Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but think of a possibility. Second Furen¡¯s eldest son was at a marriageable age. For the past two years, Second Furen had been running around and arranged countless marriage proposals. She even had her eyes on Marquis of Zuo Chang¡¯s concubine-borned granddaughter and got Lao Furen to help her speak. Marquis of Zuo Chang¡¯ power was unlike two years ago but in the end, he still had a marquis title and Li Family¡¯s Second Lao Ye was simply a third-ranked official. He might not think highly of this but with Li Xiao Ran here, Marquis of Zuo Chang agreed. Ordinarily now that things have reached this point, Second Furen would set her mind at rest but who would have expected her to continue on the search and then had her eyes on Marquis of Liu An¡¯s legitimate daughter ...... this got spread to Marquis of Zuo Chang¡¯s ears and infuriated him toe over and scold Li Xiao Ran. Afterwards, he went to Marquis of Liu An¡¯s residence to ruin the marriage n. She couldn¡¯t be inws with either party, became aughingstock in the capital and dyed Second Brother¡¯s marriage. Speaking of this Li family¡¯s Second Brother, he was an actual erudite; inparison to the scheming Second Furen, he was an entirely different. In the past year, he had been dwelling in the academy and hadn¡¯te home often. Even for her, she had only seen him a few times. But they have met each other and he treated her and Li Chang Le the same and didn¡¯t regard her as an outsider. Li Wei Yang was conflicted whether to remind this Miss Sun but when she turned back her head, she noticed Miss Sun dining happily and so she held back her words. The Li Family is certainly a puddle of muddy water but even though Second Furen treated others harshly, she wouldn¡¯t be able tomit vicious things with her intelligence and capabilities. As for Miss Sun¡¯s valiant personality, although Li Wei Yang really liked it, she knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy for her to marry someone. If they are able to get along, this might not be a bad marriage. Moreover, in Li Wei Yang¡¯s past memories, this Second Brother of hers was a well-conducted person. She can¡¯t guaranteed that he will be a considerate husband but at the very least, he would be able to respect his official wife and treat his children well. To a woman, this would make him the best prospect. So in the end, she decided to not make a move and understand Sun Yan Jun¡¯s thoughts first.
The smile on Li Chang Ru¡¯s face could have blossomed a flower. She ardently ordered the maids to serve Sun Yan Jun, she said: ¡°Sister Sun and I feel like old friends, from now on, you muste visit often.¡±
Sun Yan Jun smiled and revealed two beautiful pointy teeth. Li Wei Yang gently coughed and Sun Yan Jun immediately remembered that she can¡¯t reveal her teeth when smiling. She closed her lips and said: ¡°Thank you Sister Ru.¡±
She referred to Wei Yang by her name but she referred Li Chang Ru as a sister. It sounded much more sincere but in actuality, this was alienation. Luckily Li Chang Ru couldn¡¯t tell and a much more delightful smile was formed on her face: ¡°No need to be polite, I¡¯ve been bored at home, the more youe to y, the happier I will be!¡±
Sun Yan Jun smiled and said: ¡°I wonder if you all are going to the banquet held by the Empress?¡±
Li Chang Ru¡¯s smile froze and then looked at Lao Furen. Awkwardly, Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°How would we dare to reject the Empress¡¯ invite. Once timees, I will also bring the book you wanted to you.¡±
The awkwardness on Li Chang Ru¡¯s face didn¡¯t diminish and instead grew. In this family, only Li Wei Yang dared to step out and only she could step out. After Li Chang Le¡¯s incident, Lao Furen became much more reliant towards Li Wei Yang and always asked for her opinion on everything. In this family, the Third Miss had already supersede the Second Furen as well as the misses.
Li Chang Ru secretly felt admiration and jealousy at the same time. On the other side, Li Chang Xiao had her head down and didn¡¯t speak a word. From time to time, she would look at Miss Sun, reveal a good intentioned smile.
After the second dish of fish was bought out, Sun Yan Jun, who sat to the right of Li Wei Yang suddenly noticed a shadow standing near the door. The night skies have settled and in the room, this person was purposely standing in the dark, making one felt unease. She couldn¡¯t resist and ced her chopsticks down as she stared towards the person.
This young girl was dressed in magnificent attire, her body slim, and on her head was a exquisite hat with a veil falling over the hat, covering her entire face. Sun Yan Jun continued to stare at the person and everyone at the table also ced their chopsticks down and looked towards the doorway. Li Chang Ru even turned her entire body to look over.
Right at this moment, a maid nervously rushed over and pulled back the youngdy at the door. She quietly whispered something and then the youngdy turned around to give her a p, then quickly stepped into the dining room.
Never before had they seen such a ghastly expression on Lao Furen¡¯s face. She forcefully smiled and spoke to the youngdy: ¡°Chang Le, you have been resting in bed, so I didn¡¯t want to bother you today. Look, this is Sun Furen and Miss Sun, you¡¯ve met before ......¡±
Lao Furen didn¡¯t finish exining, Li Chang Le had already coldly replied: ¡°Lao Furen, I haven¡¯t been feeling well but my ears are not deaf. I can hear theughtersing from here. But I can¡¯t believe no one thought of calling me, am I not a member of this family?¡± Her words shocked everyone. Sun Furen¡¯s eyes widened, was this Eldest Miss crazy, she dared to speak to the family¡¯s Lao Furen with this tone?!
Lao Furen opened her mouth but didn¡¯t move and only felt anger. Li Chang Le coldly said: ¡°I¡¯ve heard Miss Sun came over so I want to take a look at my future sister-inw.¡±
After those words were out, everyone¡¯s expressions changed. Sun Yan Jun was so enraged that her face reddened. She turned her head to look towards Sun Furen yet saw that Sun Furen was also enraged. Which family wasn¡¯t like this, because it might not be sessful, so they used these ways to arrange meetings. Who would say it aloud, this was humiliation!
Lao Furen¡¯s chopsticks dropped to the table, she furiously voiced: ¡°Chang Le, what rubbish are you saying?!¡±
Under her veil, Li Chang Le¡¯s expressions couldn¡¯t be seen clearly. Her voice sounded like she wasughing, coldness could be heard from her voice: ¡°Lao Furen, perhaps today wasn¡¯t a matchmaking session?¡± As she spoke, she actually walked towards the table.
This distressed scene made Sun Furen felt very embarrassed. She almost wanted to immediately leave but recalling what her husband asked her to do, she must endured this embarrassment. To be honest, she looked down on Second Furen as her inws! Originally she wanted to wed her daughter to Jiang¡¯s Fourth Young Master, but her husband believed the Jiangs attract all sorts of trouble and Jiang Fourth Brother is prepared to be sent to the battlefield, at that time, what will happen to his wife? As a result, an only daughter cannot be wedded into such a family. Racking one¡¯s brains, General Sun think that since they are a military family, then they should match with a civil official, and so they set their eyes on Li Xiao Ran. He felt that the Li Family was very reserved but Li Xiao Ran was certainly a prominent figure. Having been in court unmoved for years, he had His Majesty¡¯s trust, his nephew was also a schr, sooner orter, he would have a career. This was why he would consider this marriage. Besides, based on his military title, they would be seen as out marrying their social ss. If it wasn¡¯t Second Furen who dyed her son¡¯s marriage, this good opportunity wouldn¡¯t even fall to the Sun family. Even more, the officials¡¯ valuations were going to begin soon, to grow closer to the Li family is beneficial for everyone.
Luo Mama smilingly blocked Li Chang Le: ¡°Eldest Miss, you are not well, you should stay in your room, why run out?¡±
¡°When has it that a servant dare to block me!¡± Li Chang Le coldlyughed as she pushed her hand away. She directly walked over as she spoke.
Sun Yan stood up and then told Sun Furen: ¡°Mother, we¡¯ve eaten enough here, we shouldn¡¯t stay any longer, let¡¯s leave.¡± An unclear expression shed across Lao Furen¡¯s face. She looked at Jiang Yue Lan and thetter quickly said: ¡°That is a good idea, I wille visit you another time.¡±
Second Furen was upset about ruining her son¡¯s marriagest time. She thought Miss Sun¡¯s life was good and she had a great family background, so she wanted to try matchmaking them. But she didn¡¯t expect Li Chang Le to ruin it that she wanted to use a knife to cut her apart. It was only because she didn¡¯t want to act in front of everyone that she only smiled and said: ¡°Yes, we wille visit next time.¡±
Sun Furen¡¯s countenance returned to normal and said: ¡°Then we¡¯ll being leaving.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled as she rose and spoke: ¡°Lao Furen, I will walk Sun Furen and Miss Sun out.¡± She only took a step but Li Chang Le had already rushed over and grabbed her arm, startling Sun Yan Jun.
In the hall, everyone only saw Li Chang Le holding onto Li Wei Yang¡¯s arm, as if she wanted to stare holes out of her face.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face revealed an astounding expression: ¡°Eldest Sister, what are you doing?¡±
Li Chang Le coldlyughed and said: ¡°You¡¯ve be a master of this family now, happy? Delighted? But you must remember, I will always be the Eldest Miss in this family, you will forever be a bastard!¡± Saying this, she raised her arm and flung forward.
Who would have expected a ¡°pong¡± sound and only saw Zhao Yue, who was close behind Li Wei Yang, was already by Li Chang Le¡¯s side with one step. She pulled on her arm with Li Chang Le still in her pping pose like a paper in the wind as her whole body flew up. Momentarily, she was far away from Li Wei Yang,nding onto the ground with her veil ripped apart. Her original arrogance and viciousness all vanished and she had be panic-stricken. Tan Xiang quickly rushed over, took off her outer jacket to cover her head and face. Sun Yan Jun and Sun Furen nced at each other; although they couldn¡¯t see the shadow clearly, they still felt something was wrong. Li Wei Yang was immeasurably apologetic, she loudly reproached Zhao Yue: ¡°This young maid, how are you doing your work, no respect, hurry over to help Eldest Sister up!¡±
Jiang Yue Lan noticed the momentum wasn¡¯t right and hurried over to help Li Chang Le up. She didn¡¯t expect her to push her away, causing her to fall onto the ground with bruises on her arm. Her face also paled yet she still had to smile and told Zhao Yue, who had rushed over: ¡°Zhao Yue, quickly help Eldest Miss up!¡± She knew that this maid of Li Wei Yang knows martial arts!
Li Chang Le wanted to swing away Zhao Yue¡¯s grasp but with Zhao Yue¡¯s strength, how could she move, Lao Furen coldly said: ¡°What are you all doing! Go help your Miss up!¡±
The maids and mamas immediately came over to hold Li Chang Le down. Right at this moment, Liu Mama appeared, paced over, pushed everyone away and said: ¡°Eldest Miss is an honorable person, how can she let all of you lowly things touch her!¡± Afterwards, she sped onto Li Chang Le and shield her from others seeing her appearance. Neither haughty nor humble, she spoke: ¡°Lao Furen, Eldest Miss¡¯ face is overly sensitive, she doesn¡¯t feel good so she had offended the guest, please forgive her.¡±
Lao Furen stared at Liu Mama for a while, took a deep breath, and then waved her hand: ¡°Go.¡±
As Li Chang Le was brought away, she suddenly looked back. Through the clothing¡¯s stitch closure, her frightening eyes coldly stared at Li Wei Yang as if she wanted to pull out her tendons and tear her skin off. Sun Yan Jun, who was standing next to Li Wei Yang, also felt this entric chill that she involuntarily held onto Li Wei Yang¡¯s held.
This Li Family¡¯s Eldest Miss had be extremely terrifying!
Sun Yan Jun quietly thought she didn¡¯t see Li Chang Le¡¯s appearance or else she would have nightmares. Second Furen was still feeling disjointed, she pressed her handkerchief onto her heart and gasped: ¡°Eldest Miss has gone too far ......¡± Li Chang Le had already been brought faraway yet the chilled atmosphere still remained. Li Wei Yang slowly watched as a cold expression appeared on her face. She wasn¡¯t afraid of Li Chang Le¡¯s vengeance but she was rather worried about the Jiangs. If they wanted to condemned them, the Li Family could manage but up to now, they still haven¡¯t make a move.
Why, why is it that she tackled Li Chang Le yet the Jiangs didn¡¯t make a move, this was abnormal, really abnormal ......
¡°Wei Yang! Wei Yang! I have to leave!¡± Sun Yan Jun bid her farewell. She was very shocked today that she didn¡¯t want to stay at the Li Family any longer, ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again at the Empress¡¯ banquet.¡±
Li Wei Yang reacted and then tugged Miss Sun¡¯s icy cold hands, she smilingly said: ¡°Great, take care.¡±
Quietness lingered in the courtyard as Jiang Fifth Brother stepped into the room. He saw Li Chang Le was actually sitting in front of the mirror and involuntarily lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare to look straight in her direction.
¡°Fifth Cousin, are you afraid of my appearance?¡± Li Chang Le coldlyughed.
Once Jiang Fifth Brother revealed his identity, Li Chang Le had been addressing him that way. But her tone didn¡¯t make others think that she was taunting and jeering at him.
Jiang Fifth Brother consoled: ¡°Cousin, I¡¯ve told you already, your face will recuperate. The only ask is that you listen to my words and don¡¯t step out in the wind.¡± He can only appeased her in this deceiving manner. Li Chang Le believed his words in the past because it was under his treatment that her face has stopped bleeding. But today after seeing Li Wei Yang beamingly sat in the banquet, she couldn¡¯t hold back and swept everything on her vanity table onto the ground. She loudly bellowed: ¡°How long is it that I have to keep this horrifying face! Tell me, when exactly will my appearance be recovered to normal!¡±
This will never be possible ...... Jiang Fifth didn¡¯t dare to say, he only obstinately said: ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of a way, I believe one day, not too long, you must be patient ......¡±
Li Chang Le raged: ¡°But look at my face! I even have to wear a face veil when I step out, I rather die!¡±
If Li Chang Le died, the Duke¡¯s Furen will scold him to death. Jiang Fifth hurriedly exined: ¡°Don¡¯t, what Li Wei Yang had done, is to force you onto the brink of death. You must not take your own life or else grandmother will be very heart-broken!¡±
¡°She doesn¡¯t even care about me!¡± Li Chang Le turned as she inched towards Jiang Fifth. Jiang Fifth¡¯s cold sweat began to flow down and he immediately exined: ¡°Grandmother had already arranged everything, she will definitely take vengeance for you!¡±
¡°When!¡± Li Chang Le aggressively asked, she didn¡¯t want to even wait a day!
Jiang Fifth promised: ¡°Soon! In theing days! I promise, from now on, you don¡¯t have to see Li Wei Yang¡¯s face ever again!¡±
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: ErieEditor: ErieNext: Chapter 108 Part 1
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Chapter 108 part1
Chapter 108: Rotting Until The End
(1) Like a pancake, made from eggs, flour, vegetable, and meat
The next day would be the day Li Chang Le took off the gauze. Jiang Fifth had wrapped her face with gauze, but after removing the gauze, there was no way to hide it anymore.
Throughout the night, Jiang Fifth was so terrified that he could not sleep. He was terrified of the next day. While in a sleepy daze the next morning, someone suddenly woke him up. The young maid¡¯s face was full of fear: ¡°Lu Gong, Young Miss... Young Miss...¡±
Jiang Fifth saw Li Chang Le¡¯s face in his nightmare. He sat up straight as if sleepwalking. Calling him like that gave him a splitting headache. He subconsciously brought his hand up to rub his face and then sighed. Fortunately, his disguise was still intact. For some reason, he was worried that Li Wei Yang would find out about his identity. He was a bit afraid of this girl and genuinely felt that if she discovered his identity, it would certainly not end well.
After quickly washing his face andbing his hair, he walked out of the courtyard with determination. Since he was an aristocratic man, he could not stay in the inner courtyard, so he had been arranged to stay in a room in the east wing. Now, he had to walk past many doors to reach the inner courtyard.
There was heavy rainst night. The shiny, green banana leaves in the courtyard were drooping. A single bead of dew rolled down like a pearl, and with a crystal clear sound, fell onto Jiang Fifth¡¯s head, scattering upon impact. He felt even more tense and uneasy, resenting not being able to turn around immediately and leave. However, he had already reached the door, so he couldn¡¯t avoid it.
Li Chang Le had gotten up early and was seated and waiting,vishly dressed. She wore a lovely peach-colored top and a long skirt with beautiful michelia flowers that others could not turn their eyes away from. The delicate silk veil was still covering her face. Liu Mama calmly stood beside her while the pale-faced maidservants kept their heads bowed.
Jiang Fifth felt dizzy just thinking about the nightmare he had. The fear of having to face death was plunged into his chest like a de. A chill swept over his head. When he walked through the doors, he missed a step and hastily caught onto the door before he fell.
¡°All of you, leave us,¡± Li Chang Le sat there, poised and emphasized every word. Her voice was pleasant as if to prove that she was still as beautiful as before. Jiang Fifth should be happy, but at that moment, he really couldn¡¯t smile.
The maidservants all withdrew one by one. Li Chang Le¡¯s gaze seems to pierce through her veil, making him almost want to leave with them. He reluctantly sat down in a chair. The teapot on the table had grown cold. There was the smell of candied melon seeds in the air, Furong cakes(1), plums and bird¡¯s nest on the table, but no one was in the mood to touch them. The entire room was under a terrifying silence.
Jiang Fifth had no other choice. He went over and cautiously said: ¡°I¡¯ll help you remove the gauze.¡±
Li Chang Le could not wait to take off the veil: ¡°Hurry up!¡±
Jiang Fifth did not speak as he held the scissors and with a slicing motion, cut open the gauze on her face. The white gauze, tainted with blood, unraveled and fell to the floor with a soft sound. Jiang Tian did not dare to look at her face and only lowered his head, looking at his wide embroidered sleeves.
Li Chang Le anxiously stood up and walked over to the mirror. She did not expect to still see a face full of scars and screamed. She grabbed onto the embroidery table and forcefully hurled it at the bronze mirror. The mirror shattered, its life lost. Tan Xiang, visibly afraid, anxiously called out: ¡°Young Miss... Young Miss...¡±
Li Chang Le whipped around and as if had gone mad, smashed everything in the room. The beautiful room was quickly reduced to pieces. Liu Mama and Tan Xiang looked at each other, neither dared to approach her and persuade otherwise. In her wrath, it was likely that Li Chang Le would give the order to drag both of them out to be beaten. These days, three Yatous had been beaten for no reason until their skin peeled.
Once Li Chang Le smashed everything to pieces, she suddenly stared at Jiang Fifth. He did not know what she was thinking. Momentster, she still had not spoken. Jiang Fifth felt a little scared and said: ¡°You... Why are you looking at me?¡±
Li Chang Le slowly said: ¡°I remember, when you were a child, your face didn¡¯t look like this? Can you let me see your face?¡±
Jiang Fifth frowned and looked at Liu Mama, who was also nk-faced, not knowing why Li Chang Le suddenly made such a request.
Li Chang Le took a step closer and said: ¡°I want to see. Take off the mask and let me see!¡±
Jiang Fifth was shaken by her strange tone and reluctantly said: ¡°Alright! But don¡¯t lose your temper anymore!¡± Having said this, he ordered Tan Xiang to prepare water and washcloths. Tan Xiang quickly brought them over.
He went into the inner room and came out an hourter. The moment he came out from behind the curtain, the room suddenly lit up. Jiang Tian¡¯s natural face was very handsome, born with a charming and romantic face. Compared to his Fourth Brother, he was less masculine in some ways but also more elegant. Although he did not have phoenix eyes, when he looked on with his handsome eyes, the average person will be frightened by his charm.
Tan Xiang was the first to see him and stiffened; Liu Mama was also stunned. Although she knew that this was the Fifth Young Master of the Jiang family, Fifth Young Master rarely made an appearance, so this was the first time she saw his face up close and was startled for a while. Turning back, she was immediately worried that this would provoke Li Chang Le even more. With her face destroyed like this, even a slightly pretty young maid would be taught a lesson, not to mention Jiang Tian and his extraordinary looks.
Li Chang Le stood in the same spot, not moving at all. Liu Mama tensely stood up. At that moment, Li Chang Le suddenly rushed over and seized Jiang Tian¡¯s sleeves: ¡°Jiang Tian, you have a way, don¡¯t you? If you can wear a mask, I can too, right?! You have seen my looks before, you think I can live with a face like this?! I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t at all! Living like this is no better than being dead! Jiang Tian, no, Fifth Brother, save me! You need to save me! Please...¡± She cried, burying her face into his chest as she clutched his robe with both hands, so tightly that even she trembled slightly.
If it were any other day, Jiang Tian would certainly be happy to have a woman fall into his arms, but he had personally seen Li Chang Le¡¯s cruelty in the past few days. When her hair had all fallen out, she forced all the maidservants in the courtyard to cut their long hair and use it to make a beautiful wig for herself. Because some maidservants had lovely eyes, she quietly found an excuse to dig out their eyes and then chase them out, even selling them into brothels.
With her beauty destroyed these days, she could not bear to have any pretty maidservants walking around her. The former Li Chang Le had disappeared, reced by a madwoman of extreme cruelty and wickedness.
Li Chang Le raised her head. In the pond-like depths of her eyes, he saw his face reflected back. There was a sly ripple, but around those eyes was a terrifying sight. Almost everything can be said to be rotten flesh. There was an intolerable stench up close. He had done his best and could only save her life but had no way ofpletely removing the poison. Her skin certainly will not go back to what it once was...
She held onto his arm with one hand, as firmly as steel tongs. He winced, but she seized his cor with her other hand: ¡°Fifth Brother, help me, help me! That little Li Wei Yang, I can¡¯t let her get what she wants!¡±
The rotten smell from her body almost made him vomit. He wanted to pull away, but she had seized him. Tears fell onto the back of his hand. In a fleeting moment, his heart softened. He loosened his sleeve and gently wiped away the tears on her face. He sighed and softly said: ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±
¡°Your other face... You can make a face exactly like before! No, even more beautiful! I want to be even more beautiful! You have a solution, isn¡¯t that right?!¡±
Jiang Tian lowered his voice and said: ¡°Cousin, calm down first, I¡¯ve already thought of this method!¡±
Immeasurable hope appeared in Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes. Jiang Tian slowly continued: ¡°This face of mine is unspeakably costly, but more importantly, it is airtight, so it cannot bepared to a real face. It is always stuck against the skin. My face is fine, so I can put it on, but your face... If you wear this mask, you cannot imagine how those scars will worsen and rot. Parts of your face that were not affected will be even more terrifying...¡±
As he spoke, Jiang Tian felt sorry for her: ¡°This mask can only be worn for a few hours a day. You cannot wear it all the time. Do you want to see your entire face rot away? Even if you cannot stand it, this will bring you pain and torment when your scars cannot breathe and will only keep festering. You must constantly reduce inmmation and take medicine, and someday you will die... Do you understand now?¡±
Tan Xiang¡¯s eyes were wide in terror. She could see it. If the Eldest Miss wore this, her face will be unrecognizable in the future. It¡¯s no different than drinking poisoned wine to satiate thirst... She hastily said: ¡°Eldest Miss, you can¡¯t! If Young Miss wears this, what will you do when your face rots entirely? And Jiang Young Master said it can take your life too!¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s voice grew colder and more vigorous by the moment: ¡°I don¡¯t care! I definitely don¡¯t need this destroyed face! Fifth Brother, help me! Help me do it now!¡±
Jiang Tian looked to her in horror. He truly could not understand. It was very difficult to save her life, how could she go down the road to death like that? It was too terrifying. The way he saw it, beauty was important but to throw your life away to preserve your beauty was not something he could do! Besides, watching as your skin rots underneath ayer of fake skin was horrific! As a man, he naturally did not understand Li Chang Le¡¯s thoughts. For a renown beauty, she would be willing to live ten or twenty years less to maintain her beauty and youth.
Jiang Tian shook his head: ¡°No! I can¡¯t do that, it would harm you! Grandmother wouldn¡¯t agree with it either?¡±
Li Chang Le coldly eyed him: ¡°You refuse?¡±
Jiang Tian shook his head again, but Li Chang Le suddenly let go of him and went over to the table. She took a shard from a broken porcin vase and ced it against her neck: ¡°If I die, there¡¯s no way for you to face Grandmother! She won¡¯t forgive you!¡±
This maternal granddaughter was the flesh and blood of her own flesh and blood. The Duke¡¯s Furen loved Li Chang Le the most, even far more than her other grandchildren... Of course, Jiang Tian was aware of this. He also knew that when the Duke¡¯s Furen had fainted when she heard her face was destroyed and became bedridden ill... If not for that, she would have ran over here with an army, but Li Chang Le did not think of this. She was only concerned with her own face. Whether the Duke¡¯s Furen was well or ill, she did not bother to ask about her health... It definitely made one feel cold all over. Jiang Tian looked at her, calm again: ¡°Alright... I will.¡±
It was you who wanted to wear a mask, so you will have to bear the consequences alone. Do you think only your flesh will rot? A face that originally relied on drugs to stop the rotting must now be sealed off with ayer of dead skin, unable to breath. It is conceivable that this decay will gradually spread to the head, neck and finally the entire body...
Li Chang Le was crazy, but he did not intend to stop her anymore. He had already done everything he could, but this is her choice! To be honest, he had already had enough of this Eldest Miss who was beautiful on the outside but cruel to her bones. Let her hold onto her beauty until death. That fake face will onlyst a year and when the mask breaks, her life will also end...
Jiang Tian entered his medicinal study and exactly fourteen hourster, he came out in the middle of the night. Li Chang Le never waited patiently for so long, but this time, she waited until Jiang Tian walked out with a box. She opened it herself and found ayer of skin as thin and delicate as a cicada¡¯s wing.
¡°Among all animal skins, the thinnest is human skin, but the lightest is suede, but it is not breathable and will crack after some time. Every night, you must take it off and put it back into the incense box to keep it intact... Because it is ultimately not human skin... You must think carefully.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s gaze fell on the box, staring deeply into it. She simply did not hear what Jiang Tian was saying. She seized the box. Her eyes were bright as if aze, and she had a mesmerized smile, ¡°I can restore my appearance. Li Wei Yang, you must have never thought I could restore my beauty, haha...¡±
¡°I only hope so.¡± Jiang Tian sighed deeply.
Li Chang Le could not hide that face for very long. Soon, she had let everyone in the courtyard see her.
The sunlight was pleasant, but Lao Furen, who was drinking tea, felt the midday sun made her rather dizzy. She lightly coughed and ced her hand against her forehead, ¡°How can this be?!¡±
Li Chang Le came over with a smile on her face. Although her expression was a bit unnatural, her face was exactly the way it was before. There was no damage at all: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lao Furen?¡±
Lao Furen carefully looked at her face, turned away and softly asked: ¡°Wei Yang, am I seeing things?¡±
When Li Wei Yang saw Li Chang Le¡¯s appearance, her first reaction was shock, then it was suspicion. What were the chances that an injured face could return to normal in just a month? Although she did not suspect Lu Gong¡¯s medical skills, this was too absurd. She believed in miracles, but she did not believe in supernatural miracles. A scarred wound needed a long time to recover, and that day, she clearly saw that Li Chang Le¡¯s face was beyond recognition.
Liu Mama¡¯s face was full of joy: ¡°Lao Furen, this is all thanks to Lu Gong. His medical skills are truly unrivaled in the world. Young Miss had taken off the gauze, and her face returned to what it used to be!¡±
Second Furen could only blink and could barely speak. Beside her, Li Chang Ru was also stunned and speechless.
¡°This... is quite a miracle! Lu Gong¡¯s medical skills are indeed godly!¡± Although Lao Furen was rather surprised to see Li Chang Le¡¯s face had recovered, she outwardly expressed her joy, but of course, her expressionscked a bit of insincerity. She seemed a bit disgusted too. Seeing Tan Xiang worriedly standing behind Li Chang Le, Lao Furen quickly found fault: ¡°The Eldest Miss has just recovered, who told you to let the Young Miss walk this far?¡±
Li Chang Le quickly replied: ¡°The weather is so nice. I wanted to go out a bit. Why? Does Lao Furen not want to see me, huh? Or is Third Sister unhappy to see my face has recovered?¡±
¡°Of course not...¡± Li Wei Yang slowly said: ¡°I am naturally overjoyed that Eldest Sister has recovered. It seems we owe Lu Gong a grand reward...¡± She spoke more slowly with every word, her eyes directed straight ahead. She finally smiled and emphasized every word: ¡°Eldest Sister, yourplexion seems even more radiant than before. I wonder what magical immortal pills Lu Gong used?¡±
Li Chang Le sneered: ¡°If Third Sister wants to know, then make a cut onto your own face. When Lu Gong also treats you, won¡¯t you find out then?¡± Her face could not breathe at all and was always damp. She could even hear the scar tearing wide open, the agony of skin peeling away from the flesh. She had to endure bit by bit, but she desperately endured because even if she died, she had to let Li Wei Yang see her face. She wanted her to know that she, Li Chang Le, will always be the most beautiful under the sky!
Lao Furen frowned: ¡°Chang Le! What nonsense are you saying?¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s favor towards Li Wei Yang had long been an open secret. Li Chang Le did not answer her question and only bowed her head and smiled. She suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with repressed, loosely disguised hatred, looking straight at Li Wei Yang: ¡°Third Sister, Eldest Sister was only joking with you. What is there that can¡¯t be said between us sisters? Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Having said this, she solemnly turned around and left: ¡°Tan Xiang, I can¡¯t walk any further. Escort me back.¡±
She suddenly appeared, then immediately left. What was the meaning of this? Li Wei Yang frowned slightly, but then saw her turn back and ask: ¡°Lao Furen, can I attend the Empress¡¯ banquet?¡±
Lao Furen looked to her in surprise and stiffly nodded.
Li Chang Le nodded as if this was the reason for her appearance. Then Tan Xiang helped her hastily run back home. Li Wei Yang suspiciously stared at her retreating figure, then looked down in deep thought.
Beside her, Second Furen clenched her handkerchief: ¡°How can that be! Her face was clearly destroyed! How could it go back to the way it used to be! Could it be that Lu Gong is a divine doctor!¡±
Lao Furen pondered for a bit: ¡°Last time Min Zhi was ill, he also came up with a way. It is hard to me those who call him a divine healer. It seems that is true! To be able to save the muscles, flesh and bones, he must be extraordinary!¡±
Li Wei Yang did not believe it because Lu Gong had said that her face could not recover in front of everyone. How could it healpletely in the blink of an eye? Moreover, if Li Chang Le¡¯s face was fully healed, why did she need to leave so anxiously? It seemed as if she was about to faint. There must have been something that could not have been said. But what was the reason that could make someone with a destroyed face restore their former beauty? At that moment, Li Wei Yang was not aware that behind Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty was a horrifying torment, but this type of torment was far more terrifying than living with a hideous face.
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Chapter 108 part2
Chapter 108: Rotting Until The End
Li Wei Yang was still contemting after she returned. She did not seem to hear Bai Zhi talking either.
When Li Min De came in, he saw Li Wei Yang resting on the lounge chair. Her cold stare was oddly fixated on the sycamore tree in the yard. When Bai Zhi saw himing in, she was about to announce his arrival, but Li Min De waved his hand and said: ¡°No need.¡±
He quietly approached and softly said: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
Li Wei Yang recollected herself and looked at him with a mournful face...and then the big bag in his hands. She smiled a bit: ¡°Howe you have the time toe here?¡± There was no trace of anyone else around these days.
Li Min De¡¯s gaze bore into her, then he suddenly said: ¡°Show me your hands.¡±
So Li Wei Yang put her hands out. Li Min De smiled and opened the greasy paper bag. He then took out a pastry and ced it in her hand: ¡°Just out of the oven. Eat it.¡±
¡°Oh...¡± Li Wei Yang subconsciously put the fragrant, dried sweet osmanthus cake into her mouth. It had a soft and fascinating aroma.
Li Min De looked at her again for some time, then ordered Bai Zhi, who was holding a lotus bowl, toe over. He fully opened the paper bag full of cakes and poured some out. Jujube cakes, sweet Ruyi crisps, longan cakes, Auspicious crisps... They all filled the small bowl at once, making a beautiful disy of colors.
¡°Eat.¡± He held the lotus bowl full of pastries out in front of her face, his face clear as water, bearing a hint of a smile.
Li Wei Yang was a bit spaced out and subconsciously ate a few pieces in an obedient manner. Once she finished eating, she suddenly realized: ¡°You... are treating me like a child.¡±
In the end, it still could not fool her... Li Min De sighed and said: ¡°Are you worried because of Li Chang Le?
Li Wei Yang was stunned and then nodded.
Li Min De smiled: ¡°You provoked the beehive? And now you feel uneasy?¡±
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°Li Chang Le? Beehive? Well, it¡¯s an appropriate description, but for Min Zhi sake, if it were to happen again, I would still kick the beehive.¡±
The tip of Li Min De¡¯s finger was curled and resting against his lips as he casuallyughed. Li Wei Yang looked at him strangely.
Just half a yearter, she¡ªas his Third Older Sister¡ªonly stood up to his eyebrows and had to look up at who was once a little boy.
Unlike in the past, Li Min De wore an elegant, luxurious robe today. The silk inner robe was woven with gold thread, paired with a faint blue outer robe. His appearance was extraordinary with his ck hair knotted high with the rest falling past his shoulders. His face was handsome, his eyes bright and radiant, brimming with sincerity and beneath his tall nose were lips curved into a warm smile. He had a slight rosy flush as if his face was dusted with a thinyer of rouge. He had a proud and handsome stature with a dagger and jade ornament hanging from his waist.
¡°Why are you dressed like this today?¡± Li Wei Yang asked out of curiosity, no longer preupied with how Li Chang Le suddenly recovered.
Li Min Deughed and turned serious again: ¡°I¡¯m going to the banquet with you.¡±
¡°Attending the banquet with me?¡± Li Wei Yang was taken aback. She then looked to Bai Zhi. Bai Zhi held her forehead and said: ¡°Young Miss, I have said so three times already. It¡¯s the Empress¡¯ banquet today, and many people are invited! Young Miss, you have not washed your face, brushed your hair or done your makeup yet, you will certainly bete today.¡±
Li Wei Yang responded ¡°Oh¡± and immediately smirked at Li Min De: ¡°Dressing up like this to see the Ninth Princess?¡±
In the past two years, the Ninth Princess pursued Li Min De more fiercely. If it wasn¡¯t because she could not easily leave the pce, perhaps she would be seen at the Li family every few days. It was a pity Li Min De did not seem to feel the same way and treated her coldly, hardly affectionate at all. Hearing her mention the Ninth Princess, Li Min De only smiled slightly: ¡°Go change quickly, otherwise we will really bete.¡±
Li Wei Yangplied and stood up. She walked away, then turned back halfway and looked at Li Min De strangely. Bai Zhi asked: ¡°Young Miss, what¡¯s wrong?¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head andmented: ¡°I used to be the one to give him orders, now this kides over to order me around.¡±
Zhao Yue snorted, then felt Li Wei Yang¡¯s re and immediately turned her face away.
Li Wei Yang rarely participated in banquets at the pce. However, this time, the Empress had sent the invitation, so every family sent members to participate. Li Wei Yang had to go, but she did not like to do her makeup much and only used a green jadeb for her hair. It was like a faint light, brilliantly nestled betweenyers of ck hair like the stars of the night sky in her hair. A color-changing sapphire, asrge as a thumb, hung over the middle of her forehead. Since this was a formal asion, she had to wear the clothes Lao Furen had prepared specifically for her. On the surface of her dress was a delicateyer of purple silk that subtly covered the borate embroidery underneath and gracefully fluttered behind her as she walked.
The moment Li Min De saw her, his eyes lit up. He smiled andplimented her: ¡°Whoever says Li Chang Le is the most beautiful has never seen you dressed up.¡±
Li Wei Yang gave him a look. In this world, only he would dare to mention beauty in her presence. Given her experience in the past life, what she hated most in this life was hearing others bring up beauty. Beauty was only an externalyer of skin. If it were lost, then so be it. It was not something she particrly cared or worried about.
If she had Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty, then she would not have to suffer in her past life. However, she had to admit that although she knew praise was superficial, it was still nice to hear someone praise her.
¡°Although it is spring, the banquet is held at night, so there will be strong winds.¡± Li Min De softly said.
¡°No, the banquet is indoors. It will only be hot!¡± Li Wei Yang replied offhandedly.
¡°Bai Zhi, go back and bring a cloak for your Young Miss.¡± Li Min De turned away.
Li Wei Yang frowned: ¡°I already said there¡¯s no need to bother with it.¡±
¡°Go.¡± Li Min De waved his hand. Bai Zhiplied and quickly left. However, when she turned around, she felt strange. In the past, she only heard Young Miss give orders, but in the blink of an eye, Third Young Master had a strange sense of authority, making her subconsciously obey his orders.
It was not just Bai Zhi. Even Li Wei Yang felt a bit surprised. She hesitated, then turned to look at him and said: ¡°When did you buy the loyalty of my servants?¡±
¡°It¡¯s only because they know to listen to what is right.¡± Li Min De smiled. Bai Zhi went in a timely manner and brought the cloak over within moments. Zhao Yue intended to put it on for Li Wei Yang, but Li Min De held out a hand to take it, ¡°Li Chang Le will also attend the banquet today, as will all the members of the Jiang family.¡±
Li Wei Yang arched an eyebrow: ¡°Are you afraid?¡±
Li Min Deughed and said: ¡°What do you think? If I was afraid, why would I go with you? They are the ones who should be afraid.¡±
She noticed the vague satisfaction on his handsome face and clearly felt she should feel the same, except at the moment, surrounded by the scent of the forest, her heart began to ache.
Was this youth also forced to grow up too soon by being by her side? If it wasn¡¯t for her, perhaps he would be an ordinary person in an ordinary environment, studying literature and practicing martial arts. Then he would marry and have children. At that moment, Li Wei Yang had forgotten Li Min De was not fortunate enough to have a normal identity. She hoped he was only an ordinary person who did not need to face the hatred and grudge that had nothing to do with him.
Li Chang Le, the Jiang family, Tuoba Zhen, Able Consort Wu ... These people had nothing to do with Li Min De, but because of her, Min De must always be on guard and cautious. Those people could act against Min De. Moreover, in the past few years, Min De must have had to face many challenges when she was not paying attention ... But he had never mentioned them.
Looking down, she looked at his slender fingers and pale skin. There were already signs of calluses in the palm of his hands, signs of wielding a sword. Li Wei Yang felt a bit pained, a little guilty. Perhaps she had only thought of herself and never asked him what he wanted to do in the future,pletely focused on her ns. He came up with a n for everything, practicing martial arts and studying books. He had done everything himself. What she had promised Third Furen had not been done yet. There was no need to speak of his identity, she didn¡¯t even know who his friends were.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s stare was fixated on him. He smiled, bemused, as he helped her fasten the cloak. Li Wei Yang looked at him and slowly felt strange. He seemed faintly satisfied by this simple action. Her heart had been clear as a mirror, but at this moment, small ripples appeared on its surface. Since when had the distance between them been this close, the teenager in front of her was too close, close enough for her to hear his steady heartbeats.
Suddenly, she gently asked: ¡°Min De, do you have friends?¡±
He slightly raised his head. The night wind blew past. His hair was framed by the moon above, like the stars reflected, quietly running along the river at night. He only had a small smile: ¡°I don¡¯t need friends.¡±
That tone was very certain. Li Wei Yang could not help but frowned.
¡°I have you and that is enough.¡± Li Min De naturally said.
For some reason, a simple response exining how they lived, relying on one another, would make Li Wei Yang subconsciously take a step back.
¡°When you go outside, bring the hood over your head. Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Li Min De seemed unaware, as if he had not realized anything yet and continued to smile.
Li Wei Yang nced at Bai Zhi and others but found they were all looking down, acting as if they did not see or hear anything. She turned solemn. She did not know when her servants did not notify her at the slightest when Li Min De arrived.
Lao Furen was not going today, but everyone else had left. Li Wei Yang was thest to leave. The newly appointed steward greeted her: ¡°Xianzhu, the carriage is ready.¡±
This was the reason others did not want to leave with her. Li Wei Yang had avish carriage appropriate for her rank, which was precisely what others in the Li family could not stand. She paid no mind to it and only asked: ¡°Where is Eldest Sister and Mother? Did they leave already?¡±
The steward smiled and said: ¡°Xianzhu, the Eldest Miss and Furen have already left. Furen ordered everyone to wait for Xianzhu in front of the pce gates before heading in together.¡±
Members of the family went in together. They had no choice, even if they were unwilling to wait. Li Wei Yang smiled and climbed onto the carriage.
¡°There are forty-eight households going to the pce today. The official road may be blocked for two or four hours.¡± The coachman respectfully asked: ¡°Should a detour be taken to avoid this?¡±
Li Wei Yang was about to say that taking a shortcut was no better than an unsafe road. Li Min De unexpectedly said: ¡°We cannot bete. Take the detour.¡±
Simple but precise. The decision has been made. Li Wei Yang was momentarily left stunned.
Li Min De noticed she was staring at him, blinked and felt wronged as he said: ¡°ming me for intervening?¡±
Li Wei Yang did not say anything. What else could she say at this time? He already said to take a detour, would she still make the carriage turn around? Forget it. She waved her hand and rested her face against her hand to rest, her elbow propped on a small table.
Bai Zhi immediately lit a candle. She carefully took out an embroidery framework and continued to work on the unfinished embroidery. Zhao Yue lowered her head and solemnly sat in the corner to polish her sword.
Li Wei Yang closed her eyes but felt a bright and warm feeling on her face, making her feel ufortable.
How could she sleep like this?
¡°We¡¯ll arrive at the pce after a few more roads. Rest for an hour.¡±
She gave a mumbled response because she was a bit tired, and her eyelids were getting heavier. Something warm closed around her hand. She subconsciously held onto it.
It was cold at the start of spring, especially at night when the winds were strong. Despite knowing this, she did not bring a hand warmer. She vaguely noticed that someone rather warm came close.
Li Wei Yang gradually entered a dream-like state and had a strained, slight smile. Dream and reality began to ovep. Why didn¡¯t anyone give her a bit of warmth in the past? If the Li family had been willing to give her a hand when she was sent to the Cold Pce, think of how much better off she would be. She did not need them to save her. Even the slightest expression of concern would have brought the warmth of loved ones, but she had received nothing.
Lao Furen seemed to love her very much now, but she herself did not believe in this love... As it turns out, she did not believe in anyone, but she still pretends to believe in life. This false warmth... She could not help but hold the hand more tightly.
¡°Miss ...¡± Bai Zhi spoke up. It was too inappropriate, not right at all, absolutely not good. She followed the Miss these few years and saw many siblings that lived with one another but had never seen something like this before. Li Min De treated Li Wei Yang too well. The way his eyes lit up, even as a servant, she could not take this lightly. Ignore it...
Yes, but how could this be? They were paternal cousins. Even if Third Young master was not of the Li bloodline, as long as he bore the Li family name, this would mean chaos ... The moment the thought crossed Bai Zhi¡¯s mind, she stiffened. She instinctively wanted to speak up and remind Li Wei Yang, but Li Min De suddenly turned around and looked at her with a slightly different look in his eyes.
It was clearly an ordinary stare, but Bai Zhi felt herself trembling. There was a trace of panic in her eyes.
Zhao Yue was still carefully cleaning her sword, as if tending to flowers on the surface of her sword. She genuinely recognized Li Wei Yang as her master. These days, she wholeheartedly admired her, respected her, and even had a trace of worship towards her. However, despite how much she respected Li Wei Yang, her real master was still Li Min De.
She clearly saw Li Miin De¡¯s burning gaze, but she still pretended to turn a blind eye. Although, she asionally wondered, what if one day her master and Young Miss turned against one another? What should she do?
Li Min De waved his hand in the direction of the candlelight. Bai Zhi immediately understood and quickly extinguished a candle and momentarily breathed a sigh of relief.
The interior of the carriage suddenly darkened.
Li Wei Yang was unaware of how Li Min De looked at her face, vaguely satisfied, and his right hand was tightly held in her hand. He had an urge to heal the wounds of every scar in her heart...
With a bang, the carriage violently swayed.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes flew open.
¡°The road is a bit bumpy.¡± Li Min De slightly smiled, his eyes bright, ¡°Afraid that you will not eat or say much upon arriving at the banquet and encountering many hateful people, I brought the remaining pastries with me. You had not eaten much. Do you want to have some first?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s vision was a bit blurry. Her gaze slowly shifted to his handsome face. In terms of appearance, she had seen many handsome men, like handsome and masculine Tuoba Zhen, Tuoba Yu who was cold and refined like the moon, and even that arrogant Jiang Fourth. They could be considered men with extraordinary looks, butpared to Li Min De, they slightly fell short. It was hard to me Ninth Princess for always saying that he was more handsome than her brothers. In that moment, Li Wei Yang was not thinking of what happened outside but rather what kind of family had given birth to a stunning youth like this.
Before she could recollect herself, the carriage jolted again, and she fell into his arms. He instinctively shielded her head with both hands and waited until the carriage steadied. He helped her sit up and smiled at her: ¡°Are you alright?¡±
Li Wei Yang frowned, what happened outside?!
Someone outside shouted: ¡°Li Wei Yang!¡±
Wasn¡¯t that Jiang Fourth¡¯s voice? Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind waspletely cleared. Many people will choose to take a detour. They ran into Jiang Fourth here. He was probably looking for trouble. She was about to pull the curtain back and go out when she identally knocked over the tray of snacks. All the pastries fell to the ground. Li Wei Yang stiffened.
Li Min De carefully took her hands and helped her up, wiping the dirt off her hands.
Themotion outside grew more chaotic. She wanted to lift the curtain to see. Li Min De suddenly reached out and covered her eyes, calmly saying: ¡°Don¡¯t look, it¡¯s just a mad dog.¡±
It turned out that while Li Wei Yang was talking to Li Min De, Zhao Nan on horseback, narrowed his eyes and saw a man on horseback riding towards them. It seemed like it was leading up to confrontation, clearly looking for trouble!
He sneered and urged his horse to charge ahead, shing with that man. The two men only heard the sharp impact of swords. In the struggle, Zhao Nan was forced down to the ground by Jiang Nan, left covered in dust.
¡°In face of defeat, you dare to show up in front of me! Have your mastere out!¡± Jiang Nan stood tall, cold and haughty. To be fair, Zhao Nan was highly skilled in martial arts, but in terms ofbat experience on the battlefield, he was far inferior to his opponent!
The Li family guards were stunned. They have never been so humiliated. Seeing Jiang Nan¡¯s forces acting arrogantly, they were already furious. However, Zhao Nan, who was the most capable martial artist among them had charged forward only to be mocked. How could they suppress their indignation? In the flight of the moment, they all raised their weapons!
¡°General Wu Wei! Anping Xianzhu is in the carriage!¡± Zhao Nan grudgingly got up from the ground and brushed off his sleeves. He wiped away the blood on his wrist. His gaze, like the fierce eyes of a wolf, was trained on Jiang Nan.
Jiang Nanughed aloud: ¡°Call her out!¡± Of course, he knew she was in the carriage. He did it to humiliate her.
Zhao Nan¡¯s eyes were aze with anger. He smiled coldly and crossed his arms. He whistled once. A group of people dressed in ck appeared under the dark cover of the night. Jiang Nan frowned: ¡°Coward, you have to call for help?¡±
Zhao Nan sneered: ¡°See for yourself!¡± Jiang Nan wanted to push others around just because he had a bit of experience on the battlefield, but the two armies werepletely different. If it were one-on-one, Zhao Nan may not be a formidable opponent, but if his master¡¯s secret guards were dispatched, Jiang Nan will not return safely!
Jiang Fourth brought quite a few people. In the carriage, Li Wei Yang heard the uproar of neighing and hooves of horses outside. She couldn¡¯t help but think of the highly skilled guards around Jiang Fourth. These people followed him on the battlefield for many years, hands full of fresh blood. If he decided to cause trouble, he will not be able to get away with it, but how will the Li family guards hold off?
¡°My forces are outside. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Li Min De smiled softly. He did not pay any mind to the opposing army.
¡°You don¡¯t understand. They¡¯re not ordinary guards. If Jiang Fourth is determined to see me, I only need to go out! Would he even dare to kill me?!¡± Li Wei Yang coldly said. She thought the Jiang family will cause trouble for her at the banquet, but what did Jiang Fourth want to do now!
Li Min De held her back by the hand: ¡°He¡¯s not worth it.¡±
Li Wei Yang was momentarily stunned. The light and shadow from the curtain carriage crossed Li Min De¡¯s face, highlighting his cold indifference. His voice had unprecedented ridicule: ¡°You should let him know while a crab moves sideways, there will be a day when it cannot avoid a stronger opponent.¡±
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Chapter 109 part1
Chapter 109: Intriguing Identity
An intriguing chapter about an intriguing identity ¨C Happy Holidays :)
Li Wei Yang was stunned by Li Min De. In a fleeting moment, she felt this young boy gave her a very strange illusion.
Li Min De was surprised to hear this and immediately moved closer. The bright candlelight fell onto his pale jade-like cheeks. His eyshes quivered: ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded solemnly, then nced out the window: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be a good time now?¡±
Li Wei Yang felt his smile was strange. He was lively just now, but when she asked about his identity, his expression seemed forlorn. There was sorrow, even though he was still smiling. She had a strange feeling that he was about to cry.
¡°Dead already?¡± Bai Zhi stared wide-eyed in horror at Zhao Yue by her side, but Zhao Yue was a seasoned professional and was naturally not bothered.
Li Wei Yang was just as shocked as she looked at Li Min De. He killed off all of Jiang Nan¡¯s men? How could that be?
¡°Just some mountain bandits. I helped clean up these catastrophes on Jing Zhao Yin¡¯s behalf. The Imperial Court won¡¯t investigate it.¡± Li Min De looked down and slowly exined.
Li Wei Yang lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out. Apart from the group of assassins in ck and guards solemnly standing, no one was left alive. Jiang Nan¡¯s forces were skilled soldiers, but these people had dealt with them so quickly... She was simply shocked.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will naturally deal with it, so Jiang Nan won¡¯t be able to use it as an opportunity.¡± Li Min De smiled and said.
Li Wei Yang frowned. ¡°But¡ª¡±
Li Min De shook his head and said: ¡°He should be taught a lesson. As for these outsiders, I will report to Jing Zhao Yin that a private army entered the Capital. They all had martial arts skills and after battles, they came to the Capital and hid amongst civilians and robbed officials and wealthy businessmen. Today, they ran into the Li family guards. If Jiang Nan wanted to im these bodies, then very well, his Jiang family will be used of harboring a private army. I think he may be bold enough to try something like this, but he will not dare admit to the Emperor that he brought soldiers back to the Capital.
Li Wei Yangughed. Although generals had many soldiers, once they stepped foot into the Capital, they were not allowed to take their soldiers with them. They could only use their household¡¯s guards. These guards naturally could notpare with soldiers that had fought in countless battles. Many military officers privately stationed their soldiers in the Capital, disguised, but that was a private affair that could not be brought to light.
When it is done, officials will close their eyes. In any case, every household knew topromise, but the Jiang family always had people watching them like prowling tigers. Jiang Nan will certainly not admit that his guards were veteran soldiers. Once he admitted it, he would certainly make everyone suspect that the Jiang family was no longer wholeheartedly loyal. He was not that foolish yet.
¡°What if someone asks why your guards were so powerful?¡± Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows.
Li Min De lowered his voice and said: ¡°The ones responsible for killing people. They¡¯re responsible for handling the bodies. It will be nicely cleaned up soon, no traces left behind. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just joking. I cannot hand this many bodies over to Jing Zhao Yin, otherwise this will get out of hand tomorrow. After a quarter of an hour, not even a drop of blood will be left here.¡±
Li Wei Yang wanted to remain calm, but she could not stay calm. Although Bai Zhi had an expression of speechless shock, Li Wei Yang¡¯s internal state was no better than hers. She did not know when Li Min De had a group of people like this by his side. She was not even aware of their existence in the past. No, not only her, but she feared the entire Li family still knew nothing about it. Why ... why did Min De recruit such people?
Li Wei Yang¡¯s thoughts were racing and analyzing. To be able to kill Jiang Fourth¡¯s experienced soldiers, they were certainly not ordinary guards. It was not enough to say they were assassins. How could a frightening group of people surround Min De?
It must be known that she had once tried to userge sums of gold to recruit martial arts experts. However, what she found were so-called masters who were simply after money. They were not much better than the Li family guards. Later, she realized talent had to be cultivated from the very beginning, but she did not have the time. She could not form a formidable force based on money, but today, she saw Li Min De¡¯s army killing without mercy...
¡°I think you still need to exin.¡± Li Wei Yang felt she could not pretend like nothing happened. She was determined to find out about Min De¡¯s origins.
Li Min De lowered his gaze and lightly said: ¡°It¡¯s a long story, do you want to hear it?¡±
Li Min De waved his hand: ¡°Zhao Yue, escort Bai Zhi onto the carriage behind this one.¡±
¡°First off all, we must start with the previous Emperor of Yue Xi.¡± Li Min De calmly said with a natural expression as if he was talking about someone else¡¯s matters. There were no expressions on his face. ¡°He favored the young and beautiful Concubine Liu and was cold towards Empress Song. Moreover, he believed Concubine Liu¡¯s words and thought Empress Song was using witchcraft to curse him with the intention to rebel. Not only did he investigate and confiscate Song n properties, he also gave the order to force Empress Song to death. At that time, Concubine Qian, Empress Song¡¯s maternal cousin, gave birth to a young princess and could not bear it, so she pleaded on Empress Song¡¯s behalf. Concubine Liu had her beaten to death and even sent the newborn princess to the Cold Pce.
¡°Empress Song¡¯s son, the Crown Prince, had turned two years old and was dragged into the Empress¡¯ treason because of Concubine Liu. He was also imprisoned with the rest of the Song n. The Crown Prince survived because many ministers pleaded on his behalf, but he continued to be detained, and the Song family that kept himpany were one by one torn apart by horses, beheaded, cleaved, and exiled. In the end, only the Crown Prince was left. He gradually grew up but had no one to teach or guide him. No one dared to tell him who he was, leaving him alone in solitary confinement in prison.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Min De¡¯s calm face and intuitively felt that the Crown Prince of Yue Xi had something to do with him.
Li Min Deughed and said: ¡°After hearing about this, Empress Liu killed all the ministers that proposed this and even fiercely lectured the Emperor. This Emperor... was actually a weak coward. He could not control his woman and could not hold onto the throne as Emperor. He had to even hand over court proposals to Empress Liu. What could he do? He could only turn a blind eye and watch as upright officials were killed off day after day. After this matter, Empress Liu resented the Crown Prince even more. She spared the Crown Prince¡¯s life because many officials thought that while Empress Song was guilty of treason, the Crown Prince was innocent. At first, she had no reason to kill him, butter, she hadpletely forgotten about it until this happened. That year, the Crown Prince turned ten. Kept in a dark cell for all that time, he did not know who he was, and no one was there to speak to him.¡±
¡°Empress Liu wanted to kill him?¡± Li Wei Yang felt a bit emotional. Yue Xi was south of Da Li and was very formidable, but the two countries did not have close rtions. She genuinely did not know of the Imperial family secrets, but she learned that in this world, the battle for the throne was cruel and unforgiving. She feared Empress Liu would not spare the innocent Crown Prince.
¡°Empress Liu wanted to kill the Crown Prince at first, but ... Many years of strife and grudges between her and Empress Song had soon turned into hatred. She once happened to see the young princess with the delicate beauty of jade and could not help but think of Empress Song and Concubine Qian. She remembered their grudges towards one another, so she came up with a vicious scheme.¡± Li Min De lowered his gaze, as if he didn¡¯t want to talk anymore, but he had to continue and say: ¡°She brought the young princess out from the Cold Pce and sent her to the cell to let her apany the prince day and night. However, she did not allow anyone to reveal their true identities. At that time, the Crown Prince was ten, and the young princess was only eight. They naturally became ymates and support for each other.¡±
Li Min De¡¯s face grew even more unnatural. His voice sounded emotional. Li Wei Yang gently took his hand, his entire body stiffened, and he quickly regained his calm.
¡°Since the age of two, the Prince had never seen anyone. Of course, he was very happy to have a good friend andpanion, so in the next eight years, that little girl was his only constion. Despite the people keeping close watch, despite how everyone feared him, not wanting to y with him, this little girl always stayed with him,forting him, and even began to take care of everyday things for him. In the Crown Prince¡¯s heart, the person who burnt straw day and night and took care of him was trustworthy. So... When he was eighteen, and that little girl had just turned sixteen... They... They... loved each other...¡±
Li Wei Yang was taken aback. Her fingers turned stiff. How was this possible?! The Crown Prince and a Princess of Yue Xi? They were half-siblings!
The sadness in Li Min De¡¯s face was like a cloudy sky, refusing to fade away: ¡°They didn¡¯t know about the blood rtions between them and only relied on each other for warmth. In time, of course,plicated feelings developed... The only ones who knew were the prison guards and Empress Liu. This was indeed her intentions. She had to let Empress Song and Concubine Qian furiously but helplessly seethe. She wanted them to die and not feel at ease, letting the Imperial family be sullied for an entire lifetime! She could only feel happy that way, relieved even! Her son died prematurely, so others said that Empress Song was cursing her from down there, so she became even more and more crazy, even more abnormal...¡±
¡°This Empress Liu is not just crazy, she is too crazy.¡± Li Wei Yang felt rather horrified. If she resented him, she could just kill him, but Empress Liu did the exact opposite. She not only let the Crown Prince and the Princess live, but she even made them fall in love. She wanted Empress Song and Concubine Qian die without closing their eyes, so they could see the two who should not be in love, love one another. Wasn¡¯t this the best revenge?!
¡°They were by each other¡¯s side for eight years and in love for three years. They spent a total of eleven years together. In those eleven years, they only had each other, so they only believed in one another. If possible, I wish they lived out a lifetime never knowing the truth¡ª¡± Li Min De¡¯s voice trembled a bit, but he continued to speak. ¡°When Empress Liu became gravely ill, no longer able to control the Imperial Court, the Liu family acted arrogantly and met resistance from Commander Pei Xiu. To deal with the Liu n, Commander Pei thought about the Crown Prince... Finally, he had people say that Heaven¡¯s son was in prison. The Emperor immediately sent a herald to wee the Crown Prince back and ordered to write his name back into the Imperial bloodline. The Crown Prince was acknowledged in the Imperial family. At this time, Empress Liu, who was severely ill, finally died. A monthter, the Emperor also died due to old age. After that, Pei Xiu helped the Crown Prince inherit the throne.¡±
This seemed to be a happy ending. The viin is dead, and the hero seemed to have the best ending, but there was still one person... Li Wei Yang was tempted and asked: ¡°Then... What about the Princess?¡±
¡°Pei Xiu married his daughter, the fifteen year old Young Miss Pei to the Crown Prince ... No, he was now the Emperor of Yue Xi, so Young Miss Pei also became Empress Pei.¡±
Li Wei Yang slightly frowned: ¡°No mention of the Princess? The Emperor forgot her too?¡±
¡°The Emperor brought her back to the pce, but he could not fulfill his promise and marry her as his wife. It was not because of Pei Xiu¡¯s superior authority, nor was it because he had a change of heart, but he could not ept the fact that she was his Imperial sister. She could only be Princess Qi Xia, living alone in the inner pce, but¡ªthey could not suppress their desire for one another and secretly met up. Empress Pei discovered his matter a yearter. Empress Pei did not let it spread to the outside and only went home to cry andment. Empress Pei¡¯s father, the same Commander Pei that helped the Emperor ascend, immediately had ministers propose that since the Princess was past marriageable age, she had to be quickly married off...¡±
This was to love a beauty without needing the kingdom. This beauty was his own sister though. Li Wei Yang was unsure if these chaotic feelings were right or wrong, but the feelings that had developed were not the two young adults¡¯ faults... So she did not know if she should sympathize with them or feel differently. However, she felt she could understand the Emperor of Yue Xi¡¯s sentiments. Once the rumor spread, the Princess would only be faced with death. Therefore, their rtionship could not be made public.
¡°But Princess Qi Xia did not want him to sacrifice for her because she knew he had many things he wanted to do, including the Liu family, whose influence had not beenpletely cut off, and their revenge had yet to be taken. If she only thought of herself, it would be no different than wronging Empress Song and Concubine Qian up in the Heavens... Moreover, as long as there was a day that she was in the Pce, the Emperor would refuse to be intimate with the Empress or have concubines and will be criticized by the Imperial Court, so she resolutely agreed to marry Cui Jing, a handsome and renown man in Yue Xi.¡±
¡°What happenedter on?¡± Li Wei Yang gently asked.
¡°This Prince Consort Cui was from a branch of the Jing family in Chang Ling. Well-educated and well-versed in martial arts, sophisticated and courteous, he was thought to be a worthy match for the Princess. Who would have thought this handsome, courteous and prestigious Prince Consort Cui in everyone¡¯s eyes heard some rumors that the Princess was not virtuous and shameless. From the moment he was married, he had never stepped foot into the Princess¡¯ room, solely favoring a concubine Tao Ye. Later on, when the Emperor found out, he was rather heartbroken, but he could not suppress his agony and warned Prince Consort Cui to treat the Princess well. Regardless of what he did, Prince Consort Cui did as he wished. He still refused to see her, even if the Princess was thin and bedridden ill. In the end, he thought that the Princess had reported everything to the Emperor, so he locked her up in the inner chambers, not giving her food or water. Once the Emperor learned about it, he took the Princess back to the Pce despite Empress Pei¡¯s opposition. Moreover, he charged Prince Consort Cui of abuse towards the Princess and forced the two to mutually separate. From then on, the Princess lived in the Pce as a result of her current marital status... Commander Pei saw that there was no way to stop the Emperor. He said that as long as the Emperor had a Crown Prince with the Empress, then he could keep the Princess by his side.¡±
¡°The Emperor had just ascended to the throne and was in a hurry. Moreover, he could not let others threaten the Princess¡¯ life again, so he agreed. However, he did not just let Empress Pei give birth to a son, he took several concubines into the Pce. These women all gave birth to princes. Of course, the Pei family was furious but could not do anything. Those concubines also came from prestigious families of Yue Xi and were not touchable. Among them were two from families that once supported the Pei family. Once they had princes to count on, they no longer wanted to cling onto the Pei family, wanting to raise princes of their family bloodlines to be the Crown Prince. Naturally, the Pei family¡¯s power became divided. The Emperor also could not stand the Pei family¡¯s threats...¡± At that point, Li Min De suddenly sighed deeply, after that his words turned sharp: ¡°The Emperor waited until the Imperial Court stabilized and no longer continued to favor concubines in the Pce. He solely focused on the Princess, and Empress Pei pretended not to know for the time being. But soon, Empress Pei could not sit still because the Princess was pregnant, and the Emperor desperately wanted the child to be born.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Min De in shock. As blood siblings, even if they were from an ordinary household, falling in love was absolutely uneptable, let alone in the Imperial family! Not only did they love each other, but they even wanted to have a child... Once the news was out, it could destroy the entire Imperial family. This was a dangerous situation, but the Emperor of Yue Xi still wanted his little sister to give birth to this child. What kind of insane love was this.
Li Min De¡¯s eyes seemed empty as if he was staring into an unknown ce. Perhaps he could not face Li Wei Yang because no one in this world would ept such a bloodline, such a terrifying, filthy, even if the two were in love, they were still brother and sister. They should not even be together, much less have a child with their shared blood... The thought was enough for him to sense others¡¯ eyes, cutting into him like a knife, making his face ache and splitting his heart.
"I think... I will not tolerate the birth of such a child, not just her, I am afraid that those who have been silent and will now collectively oppose it..." Li Weiyang has been silent for a long time. Said, this is almost certain, and she faintly noticed that this child is Li Minde, but she did not immediately break it, but continued to listen.
¡°I think... Empress Pei will not simply allow this child to be born, not just her, but I¡¯m afraid everyone who has remained silent will now collectively oppose it...¡± Li Wei Yang spoke up after a long, silent pause. This was almost certain. She vaguely felt that this child was Li Min De, but she did not say it aloud and continued to listen.
¡°What followed was rather simple. The Emperor wanted to hold onto their flesh and blood, but this child was born to be cursed by the Heavens. The Princess could bear it. After she had been with the Emperor, she was tormented by nightmares every night, pushing her into self-istion and suffering. Later on, the Princess gave birth to a boy...¡± Li Min De¡¯s voice trembled, tired and hollow like someone who was gravely ill. In that moment, he finally felt despair.
He felt as if his entire body was being pierced by nails, and the blood could not flow out, painfully trapped beneath the skin. Because of Wei Yang¡¯s care, he came to understand the warmth of the world, but he had to tell her the truth, even if it would cost him this hard-earned warmth for his trivial dignity! He did not want her to be buried in her life. Since she wanted to know his background, he would tell her, but now he began to regret it. He believed that with her intellect, she had already guessed who he was.
He never understood what was called beauty, but many people praised his appearance based on their impression of him. They said he was born with a beauty unlike ordinary people, and even the Third Furen who adopted him also said he would grow up to make Young Misses lovesick and aching.
However, when he learned of his identity, he immediately saw himself as filthy, an unconventional beauty that came from a sinful bloodline he did not know of, but he knew it had to do with those two... He could not face it himself, especially when he stood in front of Wei Yang, he would feel that his blood was filthy.
Li Min De was lost in thought again. Li Wei Yang noticed the subtle change in his mood and did not speak. She only looked on in silence, her eyes calm and unwavering.
Li Min De closed his eyes, but those three words dide from his mouth.
Then, he turned back to look at her and softly said: ¡°I am that child.¡± In that moment, his soft voice felt chilling.
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Chapter 109 part2
Chapter 109: Intriguing Identity
Li Wei Yang nodded and said nothing. She wanted tofort him, but he would not simply ept anything she said.
He smiled softly, revealing a dimple like a sweet, gentle spring. He said: ¡°After I was born, the Princess went insane. I don¡¯t know if she actually became crazy or if someone else drove her insane. She didn¡¯t remember who she was or that the child was her own son and never looked at it once. The Emperor was worried that she would hurt herself and had her under close watch day and night, but no matter how well-protected she was, there was oversight. One day, they found her in the lotus pond, floating on the water surface. She died very strangely... The Emperor could not hold back. He killed many people in session. He suspected everyone around him, thinking they killed the Princess, but no matter how many people he killed, the Princess could note back to life. He became paranoid and felt nowhere was safe anymore. Moreover, he wanted to give the child a righteous identity, so he ordered the child to be handed over to a loyal subject. He ordered them to take the child to a remote vige and sent many guards to wait until the child grew up and could be brought back. They went to the countryside to a vige by the name of Dou Yi. The subject with the child stayed there and lived in that ce for four years. In the end, that subject was killed, and only a single person out of all the original guards escaped. Everyone else was killed. Not only that, but in one night, all four year old children in the vige were killed. Everyone, including the Emperor, thought the child was dead.¡±
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°But you¡¯re not dead, and you even reached Da Li. The moment I saw that man in gray uniform, I began to suspect your identity. This certainly wasn¡¯t the first time they came looking for you. They already looked for you before, isn¡¯t that right? They wanted you toe with them and return to Yue Xi, but you didn¡¯t want to. Why?¡±
Li Min De said: ¡°If I said it was because I didn¡¯t want to leave you, would you believe it?¡±
Li Wei Yang chuckled and said: ¡°I believe... At first, I thought you deliberately kept this from me, but now I see it differently¡ªyou¡¯re just foolish! You think saying this will make me soft-hearted?¡±
Li Min De said: ¡°I never thought about wanting to make you soft-hearted.¡±
Indeed. He had always hidden his identity away, not because he wanted to evoke sympathy, but because he could not face it himself.
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°You care very much about it? You¡¯re concerned about your identity?¡±
Li Min De¡¯s eyes immediately darkened, losing their cheerfulness: ¡°No one in this world has such an unusual identity. I know it wasn¡¯t their fault, but they weren¡¯t normal, that kind of feeling wasn¡¯t normal! I resent them, why did they have to give birth to someone abnormal like them...¡±
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Anyone can say that, but you can¡¯t, because they are your parents.¡±
Li Min De lifted his head and looked up at Li Wei Yang. She smiled: ¡°I used to hate my mother. I felt that she was ipetent and weak. If she couldn¡¯t protect her daughter, then why would she let me be born to suffer? Butter on, I realized that we cannot choose our parents, and although she could not even protect herself, she put in thest of her strength to protect me. How could I resent her? You¡¯re no different.¡±
Li Min De looked to her, taken aback: ¡°You aren¡¯t disgusted by me? You know what I am¡ª¡± A monster...
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°No one reveals their scars to others, and no one wants their reputations tainted. I also have many secrets. Everyone in this world does. They have made a habit of hiding them, so no one else knows. You are just like me, a normal person. Why would I be disgusted by you? Aren¡¯t you doing well right now? So let¡¯s just leave the pitiful past behind us.¡±
Li Min De was dumbfounded at first, then he felt overjoyed. She wasn¡¯t disgusted by him. It made him feel as if he was suddenly revived by a cooling spring amidst the dry desert. He gently put his head down in Li Wei Yang¡¯sp and whispered: ¡°Thank you..¡± Not despising me for this, belittling me...
However, very quickly, his happiness and rejoicing mood waspletely shattered by Li Wei Yang¡¯s words: ¡°But when the Third Furen adopted you, you were about a year old. Yet you said the child in the vige was four years old... So, how old are you exactly? I remember once a traveling merchant said the Emperor of Yue Xi had a younger sister, but she died fifteen years ago, so you are sure you¡¯re really her son...?¡± Li Wei Yang had a strange look on her face. If this rumor was true, then Li Min De¡¯s actual age was not what she originally thought? She was a bit confused.
Li Min De¡¯s face reddened right away. He hesitated for a while before saying: ¡°I asked them about this. They said it was because of this reason that it took a long time to find me. That year, the assassins missed me because they were only looking to kill children about four years old.¡±
Li Wei Yang frowned: ¡°Then, what kind of magical pills did you eat to stop growing for a while?¡±
Li Min De was startled: ¡°How could there be such a thing in this world? This is how I was born... I don¡¯t know why, maybe it¡¯s because those two¡¯s bloodlines are too close, so I am not normal at all, is that it?¡± He had a tense look on his face. Was it because of his biological parents caused him to be abnormal? His growth and maturity was notably much slower than normal people. The assassins killed all the children around four years old in the vige, but at the time, he had the appearance of a one year old... So he escaped, perhaps even before he came to Da Li, he had never once called out ¡°mother.¡±
Li Wei Yang felt this was rather strange. Perhaps the Heavens had decided Min De¡¯s fate, letting him survive. Otherwise, he would have already died at the hands of those assassins...
¡°So, you aren¡¯t really a child?¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s face slowly fell.
Li Min De did not expect to end up discussing this issue. He quietly said: ¡°Around your age then...¡±
¡°Around how much?¡± Li Wei Yang unexpectedly insisted.
¡°More than...a month? Two months...at most!¡± Li Min De did not know his precise birthdate either. His old birthday was the day Third Furen adopted him.
In the blink of an eye, Li Wei Yang wanted to go crazy and demand how he could be that old but pretend to be innocent, weak and naive¡ªpretending to be a kid, running over to see her every few days like no one was there. There were even several times when she was changing her outer robe, he also did not bother... He... He... How could he be so shameless! Unfortunately, the carriage suddenly stopped, and Li Min De quickly leapt down from the carriage and said: ¡°We¡¯ve arrived!¡±
At the Pce gates, Li Wei Yang silently red at Li Min De. He did not look over as if he had not seen anything. Li Wei Yang sighed to herself in relief. As long as he wasn¡¯t obsessing with his identity, it was good enough. As for other things, there was no need to overthink them. So what if his parents were brother and sister? He was not missing any arms or legs or was born with any deformities. Well, although he developed more slowly than the average person in his childhood, even not being able to speak until he was four years old... In any case, he was still born better looking than anyone else. That is something to be proud of. Well, Li Wei Yang thought so. She quickly went over and greeted Sun Yan Jun with a face full of smiles: ¡°I brought books you might like in the carriage. Have your servante over and pick it upter.¡±
Sun Yan Jun smiled and said: ¡°Good, good. Right, didn¡¯t your Eldest Sister have some allergic reaction on her face? How did she recover so quickly?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked in the direction she was pointing in. Li Chang Le stood beside Jiang Yue Lan and with her makeup done, she seemed even more gentle and pitiful. Her clothes audibly rustled when the wind picked up, and the jade ornaments hanging from her waist asionally touched. Every sound that was made added to her charm in a way that was difficult to describe. Everyone could not help but hold their breath, fearing the slightest breath will make this delicate jade beauty fly away.
Sun Yan Jun frowned and quietly said: ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I keep feeling that there¡¯s a strange smell on her.¡±
Li Min De, who just came over, lightly said: ¡°It¡¯s a rotting smell.¡±
¡°Right right! It smells like rotten meat! What¡¯s wrong with her? What are all the powders made of? That smell is sickening, I¡¯m even afraid to be near her!¡± Sun Yan Jun said with exaggerated gestures.
¡°An unpleasant smell?¡± Li Wei Yang was confused, then took two steps forward when the wind blew past, and she caught the dizzying smell of the cosmetic powders on Li Chang Le. Beneath the smell of powder and rouge was an undeniable rotting smell. That smell was hard to describe, simply unimaginable. Although not as exaggerated as Sun Yan Jun made it out to be, it was not enough to make others avoid her, but the smell was there if they came close to her.
How could this be?
Li Wei Yang was suddenly startled. It was not just her that was surprised, but Li Min De too. She only heard Li Min De say: ¡°Her face recovered very quickly! Have to wonder what magical pills could have this sort of effect.¡±
Hearing Li Min De¡¯s voice, Sun Yan Jun shifted her gaze to him and was stunned. She immediately blushed and quietly tugged Li Wei Yang¡¯s sleeve as if to say something.
Li Min De smiled slightly and looked at Li Wei Yang: ¡°I will go first.¡± Li Xiao Ran had noticed him, so he had to go over and greet him.
Li Wei Yang nodded. The moment he left, Sun Yan Jun immediately smiled: ¡°Seeing your household¡¯s Third Young Master, it¡¯s enough to say he¡¯s inarguably the most handsome man.¡±
Li Wei Yang was stunned: ¡°Really?¡± She was with him everyday but did not notice his looks. It seems his looks were quite lethal. It could even make Sun Yan Jun, who had always been righteous and heroic, blush.
Jiang Nan managed to cut off his pursuers after much effort. He naturally rushed straight to the Pce gates. He turned around while on horseback and threw the whip to a servant. He saw Li Wei Yang from afar, standing out among the group of people. Seeing her skin, fair as snow, and delicate, youthful face, coupled with her clear, bright eyes, deep as the water in a well, he felt every other Young Miss here had lost their color and shine. Amazing, why did this viciously cruel girl have such a lovely, captivating pair of eyes?
Earlier, he stopped her in the middle of the road to teach her a lesson in advance. Because after today¡¯s banquet, he felt he would no longer have the chance. Who would have thought he would be suddenly confronted with a group of guards in ck. Losing ten of his close confidants was simply unbelievable!
As he thought about this, he subconsciously approached, but before he reached Li Wei Yang, someone stopped in front of him. It was Li Chang Le.
Jiang Fourth was taken aback because he had seen Li Chang Le¡¯s face with his own eyes, but she had recovered her former beauty. Jiang Tian clearly said she absolutely could not go back to the way she used to be, what was going on?! It was truly shocking!
Li Chang Le raised her voice and said: ¡°Cousin Nan, I haven¡¯t seen you in a while.¡± While no one was paying attention, she lowered her voice, ¡°What about what you promised me?¡±
Jiang Nan subconsciously nced at Li Wei Yang and found his calm to say, ¡°Everything has already been arranged.¡± He was prepared to walk over when he stopped.
At that moment, the Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu went to Li Wei Yang¡¯s side with a smile, happily talking to her. That face was one of someone falling in love. Jiang Fourth sneered. Suddenly realizing there was a cold brooding stare on him, he looked down and saw that it was from Li Chang Le. He could not help but frown: ¡°Alright. Rest assured, I won¡¯t disappoint you!¡± If something really happened to Li Wei Yang, what would he gain? He quickly began to make ns in his head.
¡°Wei Yang, are you listening to me?¡± Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu asked gently.
Sun Yan Jun could hardly believe her own eyes. The person gently speaking with Li Wei Yang was really Tuoba Yu? Was it Tuoba Yu? Was it really Tuoba Yu?! She felt she had gravely misheard... Tuoba Yu had always been cold, not wanting to talk to women, but he spoke to Li Wei Yang so warmly. Not just that, he also acknowledged and greeted the people around Li Wei Yang, like Sun Yan Jun herself. People he would have not bothered with previously...
They were not familiar with each other, but he was especially courteous because she and Li Wei Yang were friends... Sun Yan Jun felt like she was losing her mind.
Li Wei Yang looked at Tuoba Yu and said, ¡°I am listening.¡±
Tuoba Yu looked at her and followed her gaze to the main hall of where the divination dial was being moved. He knew Yin Tian Zhao used his divination dial everyday,bining divination, astrology and various, incredible oracles.
Now that the sky had darkened, only the surreal lights of the hall could be seen from the Pce gates. Li Wei Yang saw it very clearly. The main hall was illuminated, isted from the darkness with a distinct brilliance. There seemed to be invisible forces engaged in a struggle, shing. Tonight was destined to be a thrilling night...
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: ChauEditor: ErieNext: Chapter 110 Part 1
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Chapter 110 part1
Happy Lunar New Year everyone :)
Thanks for reading our trantion with patience. After the holidays, the release will be a bit more consistent where a new chapter part will be released every 2 weeks on Sunday.
A special thanks to Caroll L. for editing our past few chapters ??
Chapter 110: The Reveal of the Evil Spirit
A warm and balmy scent of intoxication pervaded the pce court. Right in the front of the court was the Emperor¡¯s throne and directly sitting next to the Emperor was the Empress. Seated below were Able Consort Wu, Virtuous Consort Zhang, Imperial Consort Mei, Consort Ruo, and other consorts who held high positions. Seated another row beneath were a few favored guests.
Below the main court, on the left were the male guests who were seated ordingly; first were the princes, then the royalty members, andstly the officials who were seated ording to their ranks. On the right were the female guests and they were seated the same way the male guests were seated. Even though this was just a simple banquet held by the Empress, the females of each family attended based on their ranks. So this time, Li Wei Yang was actually positioned far ahead of Li Chang Le, which made thetter feel hateful to the point of almost biting apart her teeth. She originally thought she could recapture everyone¡¯s attention with her face. However, these people only gazed at her for a few seconds and then fixated their gazes elsewhere. She didn¡¯t expect this from the start.
In actuality, if Li Chang Le didn¡¯t have an alluring beauty, no one would actually give her a nce. This was because her ¡°glorious¡± achievements had been spread throughout the city. Everyone knew she first offended the Emperor and then caused the Fifth Prince to be punished by the Emperor. They¡¯d also heard that she was dressed magnificently at her mother¡¯s funeral ...... Marry a wife for her virtues for the family, but who would dare marry this woman? The Official Wife isn¡¯t a vase that can just casually be ced anywhere; she has to manage the household. If they marry the wrong wife, it will bring damage to nine generations.
As Li Chang Le continued to think of this, she became more infuriated. She faintly felt that the rotten scent from her body was overtaking the scent of the fragranced powder and couldn¡¯t help but feel fearful that others would realize.
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t even look at Li Chang Le once. Because her position was very close to Ninth Princess, she was being asked all sorts of questions by Ninth Princess.
It had been a while; Tuoba Zhen couldn¡¯t help but fixate his gaze on Li Wei Yang. Even though he could only see her profile, he noticed the blue-colored gem on her forehead, making her look pure and fresh. Observing her from afar, he saw how half of her face showed calm radiance and shone under the lights. The gem on her ck, fluffy hair was like the moon amid a misted spring night. Herplexion was white so she didn¡¯t really need to apply any powder. Today she had applied some, which made herplexion even more pure white. On top of her snow whiteplexion, she also had on ayer of rouge. It was like the clouds in the morning, tender and alluring, making others think that it would break with a blow. She was wearing a dress made with high-quality fabric. With one nce, it looked like it was purple but in actuality, there was ayer of thin purple yarn shrouding the dress, creating a beautiful curve. He didn¡¯t want to move and didn¡¯t even want to blink his eyes. She was even much more beautiful than before; she was only 13 years old then so her body and face hadn¡¯t be fully grown yet. In a little more than two years, she had turned into a youngdy. The alluring buds in the past had bloomed. Perhaps, because of his suppressed wild ambitions, her alluring beauty had be even more fascinating in his eyes. Tuoba Zhen mindfully watched her as he thought about how it was a pity to ruin such a beautifuldy.
Right at this moment, Li Wei Yang felt his gaze. Her deep and serene eyes looked towards his direction ------ delusions suddenly appeared right in front of Tuoba Zhen; he felt that this was a beauty with a face covered with rosy clouds. But these rosy clouds quickly dispersed and Li Wei Yang reacted yet he didn¡¯t understand it. Her long brows slightly cramped up and her eyes showed cold disgust and derision. Ultimately, the emotions he felt suddenly melted away as if they had turned into taunts. Tuoba Zhen felt that his mind was suddenly nk and his heartbeat almost gone, instigating endless emotions of anger.
At this time, a smiling beauty walked over to the Emperor¡¯s side. The Emperor actually made an exception and added a seat that was even closer to the throne than the Empress¡¯s. The crowd curiously looked towards the beauty. It¡¯s alright not to look but once the crowd looked, everyone gasped in admiration, simr to adding iced water into an oiled pot.
¡°This is Consort Lian!¡±
¡°I¡¯ve heard she was sent by the Heavens to aid His Majesty!¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, the Heavens blessed Da Li!¡±
Everyone was speaking rubbish. Even though everyone knew stories about the Heavens were all imaginary, so long as the Emperor believed it, then they must believe it too. As for now, the Emperor¡¯s favoritism towards Neng You Lian wasn¡¯t typical so everyone spoke on the same page and believed she was sent by the Heavens to serve His Majesty. Listening to everyone¡¯s admiration, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but smile. The so-called heavenly figure was simply a deceiving act and the victim being deceived was the Emperor, with the crowd being the spectators for support. Thinking about this, Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze fell on Neng You Lian. She had only heard about her through Min De and hadn¡¯t seen Consort Lian in person. Carefully looking at her now, this consort was in fact unusually beautiful. She was so demurely beautiful that she made all the extravagantly dressed consorts untteringly dull and even more the fire in thentern. Indeed, this was the first time Li Wei Yang saw another woman who could rival Li Chang Le¡¯s beauty.
The only reason why Li Wei Yang could look at Consort Lian with an ordinary mind was because she wasn¡¯t one who relied on her looks to achieve what she wanted. So she didn¡¯t really care about others being much more beautiful than she was. On the other hand, Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t even maintain an ordinary mind. She furtively looked at Consort Lian¡¯s face, inch by inch, bit by bit as she scrutinized and analyzed. She meticulouslypared herself to her and became even more terrified as shepared. This Emperor¡¯s newly favored consort was a rare beauty. Not only could her features rival hers, but also her noble disposition was like a bright moon in the night sky. Li Chang Le clenched her fist; she could only rely on her beauty but now that someone¡¯s beauty triumphed over hers, what else could she depend on!
¡°Younger Sister¡¯s jewelry is very intricate, the style of your outfit is also new. It doesn¡¯t seem like the work of our craftsmen?¡± Able Consort Wu looked at Consort Lian and warmly asked.Consort Lian was wearing a faintly red gem ne with a pair of matching expensive earrings. Consort Lian¡¯s appearance was out of the ordinary, herplexion like jade and her body graceful like the moon. This pair of splendid red gem jewelry and her was a perfect match. Her exquisite skin emitted a calm red as if her neck were transparent.
¡°Older Sister, don¡¯t you know? This jewelry was sent as a gift by a foreign ambassador! Since the past year, His Majesty treasured this so much and he ced it in his storage. I asked for it many times but he wasn¡¯t willing to give it!¡± Consort Ruo, who was the birth mother of Ninth Princess and Eighth Prince, smiled and semi-genuinely said.
The bloody agate was a glorious gemstone that couldn¡¯t escape the notice of others, especially when therge red gemstone at the middle of ne was the center of attention. Virtuous Consort Zhang looked and calmly smiled: ¡°Consort Ruo, how can you bepared to Consort Lian. She is His Majesty¡¯s dearest!¡±
The Empress looked at all the consorts from above: ¡°Consort Lian is such an alluring beauty that I can¡¯t even remove my gaze. Do you all remember when you first entered the pce, each of you were like flowers? Look at how many years have passed. Looking at the young and beautiful Consort Lian now, I can¡¯t admit defeat. Time has passed by really quickly.¡±
This was why she was the Empress. With a few words, Able Consort Wu¡¯s, Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s, and Consort Ruo¡¯s mood all turned sour. The Empress wanted to remind them that they were already old and were no longer as favored and also to remind Consort Lian that even with such a beautiful appearance, she still had nothing in hand. Age is the most powerful factor that is ever-changing. It¡¯s only the Empress¡¯s throne that will never change. Besides the Empress, everyone else is nothing.
Consort Lian smiled slightly with no change to her expression as if she didn¡¯t hear the cutting remarks made by everyone. Her gaze was actually fixated towards the area below the tform and eventuallynded on the Jiangs. Her expression in her eyes had slightly changed but not for long; her eyes moved away as if nothing had happened.
¡°The Crown Prince has arrived!¡± Up until here, a door eunuch announced as the Crown Prince walked in. By his side were two magnificently-dressed beauties; one was his Crown Princess and the other was the highly-favored consort Jiang Lan. Crown Princess of the He family came from the House of Duke Wen¡¯s. She had a tall stature, a duck egg-shaped face, short eyshes, mid-sized eyes, slightly plump nose, and a drooping mouth. She is considered a beauty butpared to Jiang Lan on the side, it was still fairlycking. Jiang Lan inherited the Jiang¡¯s tall forehead and had a pair of bright eyes and a pointy-shaped face. Her appearancepared to the arrogant Main Furen and Duke Wei Furen was more gentle and elegant. She stood behind the Crown Princess and didn¡¯t appear to be too intimate with the Jiangs as she didn¡¯t even look at Jiang Xu.
Li Wei Yang thought that this Crown Prince¡¯s consort was a figure. In her memory, the Crown Prince loved her so much that they were inseparable and even treated the Crown Princess coldly because of this. The Crown Princess hadined to the Empress multiple times but because the Empress wanted the Jiangs¡¯ support, she also sided with Jiang Lan. Because of this, the Crown Princess became depressed and passed away two yearster. If the Crown Prince did sessfully inherited the throne, then Jiang Lan would have had the fate to be an empress. But whether it¡¯s in the past life or now, the Jiangs were still indifferent towards this consort. Not only did they not help her out or even heavily back the Crown Prince, but they also didn¡¯t lend a helping hand when the Crown Prince was forced to a dead end. As for Jiang Lan, the first thing she did was abandon her husband and run back to the Jiangs ...... thinking about this, this was beyondprehension. She had thought in the past that, witnessing the love between the Crown Prince and Jiang Lan, their marriage was perfect. However looking at the result, the Jiangs had never thought of backing the Crown Prince and even Jiang Lan was just a facade. Besides having their eyes on the throne, this whole family only paid their loyalty towards the sessor of the throne. As for who bes the sessor, this really depends on that person¡¯s capabilities.
The Empress smilingly said: ¡°Truly worth a beating, the banquet is starting soon, you actually dare allow your Imperial Father to wait for you!¡± Behind these words, there was actually no intention of punishing him.
The Crown Prince turned back to coldly re at the Crown Princess. They originally were going to arrive earlier but this Crown Princess caused a ruckus in the residence, which annoyed him. Now he appearedte in front of everyone which was a loss of etiquette! The Crown Princess coldly red back at him, her eyes filled with taunts. You allow a consort to have preferential treatment well above that of a Crown Princess that you even brought her to wee the foreign ambassador. Since you¡¯ve already made me lose face, then there¡¯s no need for you to save yourself from losing yours!
As the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince were raging at one another, Li Wei Yang watched and could only shake her head. Restlessness within the inner chambers was a shoring of the Crown Prince. In the uing battles, Tuoba Zhen took advantage of this point. These two have been ring at one another like ck-eyed chickens, did they not notice the Emperor was starting to be impatient? No matter what, the Empress ordered a young eunuch to set up a table. It wasn¡¯t until they¡¯d finished working in a rush that a table was set up right beneath the Emperor.
¡°Crown Prince Brother has always doted on Jiang Lan, the Crown Princess is very angry! Both married to the Crown Prince on the same day but in the end, the Crown Prince stayed over at Jiang Lan¡¯s, such a deep grudge!¡± Ninth Princess whispered to Li Wei Yang, ¡°It happens that Imperial Mother always sides with Jiang Lan, which infuriates the Crown Princess. I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s a small ruckus every three days and a big one every five days! The Crown Princess even broke the bed in Jiang Lan¡¯s chamber!¡±
Li Wei Yang with astonishment looked at the Crown Princess, such a petite stature ...... didn¡¯t know she could be this overbearing. But, no one can be happy having to share a husband with another woman, especially a gentle one who has been monopolizing her husband¡¯s time. It was difficult for Li Wei Yang to see her having any blood rtions with the Jiangs, looking at Jiang Lan¡¯s feeble body and pitiful face. She didn¡¯t even look a single bit like Main Furen and Duke Wei Furen. Pondering upon this, Jiang Lan was birthed by a concubine. So, the way the Jiangs¡¯ attitude towards herpared to the other two differed greatly. This seemed to be the answer to this unfamiliarity.
The Empress noticed Jiang Lan. With a admiring expression, she tugged her hand and praised: ¡°Lan-Er, your make-up today is very unique.¡±
¡°Thanks Your Majesty for your praise.¡± Jiang Lan gently spoke.
The Empress and Jiang Lan began chatting while the Crown Princess was left on the side without a chance to join in, leaving her feeling suffocated.
Not long after, Jiang Lan returned to her seat. Her nce looked towards the side and then swept over Li Wei Yang¡¯s table. They just stopped momentarily and then moved away as if nothing had happened.
¡°Sister Wei Yang, you don¡¯t know, this Jiang Lan is formidable. She isn¡¯t that beautiful but she is able to tantalize Brother Crown Prince ......¡± Ninth Princess bent over, whispering happily to Li Wei Yang¡¯s ears,cking the demeanor of a princess. As she spoke, she turned to look at Jiang Lan but Jiang Lan had already fixated her gaze elsewhere. On the contrary, she was looking towards General Wei Wu, Jiang Nan. Their eyes met and Ninth Princess shivered all of a sudden, feeling that she was deciphered inside-out.
¡°What¡¯s so extraordinary ......¡± Ninth Princess lowly uttered and then stopped speaking.
Of course, he was extraordinary. Nowadays, the Emperor¡¯s highly regarded civil official hailed from the Lis while the highly regarded general hailed from the Jiangs. Although since the start of Da Li, civil officials were superior to generals. But the Jiangs were an exception, their feats had already exceeded those of an average general so that they¡¯re onlycking the title of a Duke. Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze looked past Jiang Lan and Jiang Nan and settled on Jiang Xu. He was exactly the same in her memory. He had a valiant appearance, an upright body, and his smile seemed pleasantly warm. If others didn¡¯t know, they would have thought he was a civil official and would never imagine that he was a well-known first-ranked general. She didn¡¯t understand how his appearance at the banquet would change anything! Thinking of how Jiang Nan deliberately came to provoke, Li Wei Yang already knew clearly that today there would be a mishap, and it would be directed towards herself!
Li Wei Yang slightly smiled, what should she do that would allow her to reap the most profits?
Jiang Xu, Jiang Nan, Crown Prince, Jiang Lan, Tuoba Zhen, Able Consort Wu, and the Empress ...... These people and their faces shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind. She looked down and thought all of them just considered her an eyesore but this eyesore could possibly affect the overall situation.-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: EricaEditor: Caroll L.
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Chapter 110 part2
Chapter 110: The Reveal of the Evil Spirit
Jiang Xu, Jiang Nan, Crown Prince, Jiang Lan, Tuoba Zhen, Able Consort Wu, and the Empress ...... The faces of these people shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind. She looked down and thought about how all of them just considered her an eyesore but this eyesore could possibly affect the overall situation.
Jiang¡¯s men had always been defending the borders so they rarely appeared publicly in the capital. With two young Jiangs here, it was enough to excite all the furens and misses. Oldest Young Master Jiang Hai¡¯s cold appearance resembled Jiang Xu. He was talented and tall, resolute and masculine, but since he had already taken a wife, all the furens and misses were really interested in his three younger brothers. It was three instead of four because Second Young Master Jiang Yang had already been conferred a marriage, and his fiancee was the Earl of Xiang Yang¡¯s legitimate daughter Gao Wan¡¯er. Therefore, the Jiangs only had Third Young Master Jiang Hua, Fourth Young Master Jiang Nan, and Fifth Young Master Jiang Tian who had not been arranged marriages. The Jiangs were a meritorious aristocratic family and their sons were all very distinguished and magnificent. All the furens and misses were restless and began asking each other about them. Jiang Main Furen couldn¡¯t bear the vexation yet she still put on a smile, hiding her pride. Yes, Jiang Main Furen had a reason to be proud because her sons were indeed talents amongst others. Compared to the princes, they were not inferior.
Jiang Hai nced at the female seatings across from them and then quietly voiced to his brother: ¡°The one whose face is white and eyes are deep and serene is Li Wei Yang?¡± He had been away so this was the first time he had seen Li Wei Yang in person.
Jiang Nan showed a slight smile and said: ¡°Could there be another ten-something years-old girl that would be sitting in the second-ranked Xianzhu¡¯s seat?¡±
Jiang Hai nodded and thenmented: ¡°She has a good-looking appearance butpared to Chang Le, it¡¯s still greatly inferior.¡± No matter how extraordinary a man is, he will always base his first impressions on a girl¡¯s appearance. His tone was indicating that, with her appearance, Li Wei Yang was forcibly lookable. Of course, Jiang Hai had high tastes; not only was his wife of Han¡¯s a striking beauty, others given to him were all beautiful women. This had shaped his tastes so his remarks towards Li Wei Yang were understandable. Of course, if Li Wei Yang were to find out, she wouldn¡¯t appreciate hisment.
People by Jiang Hai¡¯s side raised their cups to him. He smilingly drank a toast in return and then whispered: ¡°Father has said this before, don¡¯t always go and seek trouble.¡±
Jiang Nan disapprovingly stared at Li Wei Yang who was sitting across from him. He slouched his brows and said: ¡°Eldest Brother, you are being too cautious; don¡¯t worry, this will have nothing to do with the Jiangs!¡±
Jiang Hai frowned and said: ¡°I¡¯ll say it one more time, don¡¯t cause trouble.¡±
Jiang Nan presumptuously smiled and said: ¡°She has angered grandmother to the verge of sickness and you¡¯re telling me to not cause trouble?¡±
Jiang Hai showed a smile so outsiders would think he was talking jovially and in a lively manner with Jiang Nan. In actuality, he disapprovingly said: ¡°She¡¯s merely a small character. Father doesn¡¯t want us to ruin the overall situation because of her.¡±
Jiang Nan couldn¡¯t help butugh. He lifted his wine cup and said: ¡°Eldest Brother, do you think grandmother will let me make a move myself? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± The Duke¡¯s furen wanted to avenge Li Chang Le but she would absolutely not let Jiang Nan do it himself. No matter what, even if the Jiangs wanted to tackle Li Wei Yang, they wouldn¡¯t dirty their own hands. Although they wanted her to disappear, naturally someone would do the work for them so they just needed to watch. This was why Jiang prepared ast humiliation for Li Wei Yang because he knew he wouldn¡¯t have another chance to see this face ever again, how pitiful? Haha, Jiang Nan smiled happily as he stared at Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang certainly noticed his hostile expression but her expression didn¡¯t change a bit. She was steady to the point that she didn¡¯t seem like a young girl of her age.
Tuoba Yu who wasn¡¯t sitting far away was also ponderously staring at the Jiangs. He finally understood why Li Wei Yang hated them. They were indeed a bunch of talented men but that¡¯s their business. Relying on this pride, they look at others like dust and trample over them whenever they like. This was not fun at all. He thought back to three days ago when Li Wei Yang sent Zhao Nan over to deliver news and couldn¡¯t hold back his smile. He knew she would be making a move but he didn¡¯t know exactly what she would do. It seemed like it would be a masterpiece.
This ce was filled with scheming and flying daggers. All types of delicacies flowed onto the table. Pce maids at each table diligently warmed the wine and arranged the dishes.
Li Wei Yang looked around and saw Zhou Tian Shou, who was standing close to the emperor, with his hands by his sides. As for the emperor¡¯s other favored taoist master Yin Tian Zhao, he was nowhere to be seen. She glimpsed at the nearby Li Min De and it was as if he knew what she was looking for as his expression seemed to signal her to calm down.
¡°It¡¯s rare that all my beloved subjects can gather together today. Seeing how happy and rxed you all are, the Empress didn¡¯t put forth her efforts in vain!¡± The emperorughingly said and then turned his head to the Empress and said: ¡°We¡¯ve troubled the Empress.¡±After a period of recuperation, the Empress¡¯s health was better thanst time. Her temper had returned to her usual geniality, so she smilingly said: ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s my duty to share your burdens. Holding this banquet is also to make everyone happy!¡± After she finished her words, she looked at everyone and said: ¡°Look, even the Jiang¡¯s Oldest and Fourth Young Masters are here. I remember the first time I¡¯d seen Fourth Young Master was when he was only four. At that time, he came into the pce with Main Furen and was causing a scene wanting to pick the peaches in the imperial garden and didn¡¯t want to leave. With a blink of an eye, he had turned into a valiant young general!¡±
The Emperor looked at Jiang Nan, his face filled withughter: ¡°Yes, with the Empress¡¯ words, I remember. It¡¯s such a pity that Ninth Princess is still young or else I would marry her off to General Wei Wu, which would be a widely approved matter!¡±
Ninth Princess knew it was a joke yet her face turned cold and then she made a humph noise.
The Empress smiled and then stared at Jiang Nan: ¡°I have a niece from my maternal family called Yun Yun. She has a gentle appearance and is demurely virtuous. She¡¯s perfect to be matched with General Wei Wu!¡±
The Emperor¡¯s smile be ruminating. Noble Consort Mei smilingly said: ¡°Her Majesty, don¡¯t forget, Old Pavilion Liu has an unmarried granddaughter whose age matches Fourth Young Master. She is good-looking and His Majesty has already promised to be the matchmaker!¡±
With the Empress¡¯ niece and Noble Consort Mei¡¯s son Fifth Prince¡¯s huge supporter Old Pavilion Liu¡¯s granddaughter, these two weren¡¯t just rmended marriage arrangements but were clearly trying to rope in the Jiangs¡¯ support. The Emperor looked at the Empress and Noble Consort Mei before addressing Jiang Nan: ¡°General Wei Wu, I want to ask you for your thoughts on this!¡±
Jiang Nan rose and everyone¡¯s eyes in the hall fell onto him with varying expressions. He looked at the tender Su Yun Yun and then looked at the daringly coquettish Miss Liu. He didn¡¯t know why but he shot a nce at Li Wei Yang who was enjoying the show. He smiled and said: ¡°Your Majesty has good intentions so how could your subject decline? It¡¯s only that I¡¯m good at fighting battles but not good at choosing a wife. How about Your Majesty decides, whichever miss is good then you can grant the marriage and she¡¯ll be my wife!¡±
Jiang Xu quietly rebuked: ¡°How could you say this!¡± He immediately stood up, paid his respects and said: ¡°Your Majesty, my son acted inappropriately, please forgive him.¡±
The Emperorughed aloud and said: ¡°There¡¯s no harm, I love his straightforward personality.¡± This kind of general was easier to control. Compared to the experienced and astute Duke Jiang and Jiang Xu, Jiang Nan was much more inexperienced in front of the Emperor, which made the Emperor¡¯s mood better. He smilingly said, ¡°How about this, let¡¯s wait until General Wei Wu can settle down with a wife, then we¡¯ll continue the talks. Or else with him being this impudent, it wouldn¡¯t be good if he offends his wife!¡± As he spoke, heughed. Everyone thoroughly understood and followed along inughing. Li Wei Yang understood. The Emperor saw how each of the princes were maturing and had be more fearful. Naturally he wouldn¡¯t let anyone gain the Jiangs¡¯ support. As for Jiang Nan, he seemed to be muddled and rude but in actuality, he was hiding his profoundness. If he chose Su Yun Yun, he would offend Fifth Prince. If he chose Miss Liu, then he would offend the Empress and Crown Prince. It was not ideal no matter what but if he kicked this ball over to the Emperor, the result will be different. The Emperor didn¡¯t want the Jiangs to support either side so they must maintain a neutral stance without taking any sides. If they were just normal subjects, the princes would have considered them thorns in their flesh. But the Jiangs controlled the army and had deep roots so it was difficult toplete annihte them. As a result, the princes sought many ways to garner their support, which contributed to the Jiangs¡¯ stability.
Jiang Nan smilingly said: ¡°Your Majesty, your subject was rash and ignorant. I hope Your Majesty won¡¯t mind but this time returning from the borders, I¡¯ve incidentally found a pair of gyrfalcons so I want to gift them to Your Majesty. Hope Your Majesty would kindly ept it.¡±
The Emperor smilingly said: ¡°Really? Quickly send it up and let me take a look.¡±
In actuality, the Emperor wasn¡¯t really that intrigued. Gyrfalcons are born and raised in the wild. They are captured by humans and then trained to be used in hunting. However, it is difficult to capture and train these birds. There have beenmon sayings that one would rather die than own this bird. And because gyrfalcons are difficult to capture and train, there was a rule during the previous emperor¡¯s reign: For all criminals who have been exiled byw, if he can capture and offer up a gyrfalcon to atone for his sins, he will be released from his punishment. Therefore, many people offered money to purchase these birds in bulk. But now the Emperor already had many gyrfalcons so it wasn¡¯t remarkable at all. He had even gifted them to his beloved subjects and princesses. For example, Princess Yong Ning¡¯s residence had one. Back then, when Li Min De wanted to win the shootingpetition, he even released one. But when the eunuch brought up the gyrfalcon, the Emperor was shocked.
Not to mention the Emperor but everyone else was also shocked as they incredulously watched the gyrfalcons in the cage.
Amongst the gyrfalcons and its highest quality breeds, the ones that are pure ck are considered the best grade while the ones that are pure white are considered the highest grade. In his life, the best gyrfalcons that the Emperor had seen were the ones with white feathers mixed with other colored feathers. But now in front of his eyes was the pure ck best grade gyrfalcon and there were two, this was really rare!
¡°How rare, it¡¯s actually a pair of high quality gyrfalcons!¡± The Emperor noticed the uniqueness of this pair of gyrfalcons and heughed even more jovially.
¡°Your Majesty, gyrfalcons are magical birds. Their temperaments are resolute and valiant. They are strong like a thousand pounds smashed against a rock. Their wings are fast like thunderous lightning. For the past century, this is the first sighting of this best grade gyrfalcon, it¡¯s an auspicious sign!¡±
On the side, the officials watched and busily stood up to chime in. It was as if seeing the gyrfalcons was an indication of richly endowed seas and world peace. Li Wei Yang watched mockingly as they chimed in. No matter which emperor, all loved to hear theing of good omens. Like the previous emperor when someone gifted him a rock with a red print on it. It was said to be a red-hearted stone that represented the support of the people. The person was immediately given the title of Minister of Rites. Such a ridiculous matter happened in every dynasty and generation. Li Wei Yang watched how even her own father Li Xiao Ran also stood up to congratte the Emperor. She couldn¡¯t help but subtly curl her lips.
The Empress smilingly said: ¡°It¡¯s certainly an auspicious sign, Heaven blessed my Da Li.¡±
The Crown Prince¡¯s face showed unrestrained content: ¡°To find this rare quality of gyrfalcon is difficult, Jiang Nan, you are His Majesty¡¯s meritorious subject!¡±
¡°Yes, it¡¯s also my first time seeing a pure ck high quality gyrfalcon!¡± Tuoba Zhen raised his cup to toast Jiang Nan.
Jiang Nan slightly smiled and showed a rather humble expression. He said: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, Crown Prince and Third Prince are overpraising me!¡±
¡°Oh, no need to be humble!¡± The Crown Prince waved his hand and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk more about the details of capturing these gyrfalcons!¡±
Jiang Nan¡¯s expression showed unrestrained glory and he said: ¡°Answering His Highness, I didn¡¯t capture these gyrfalcons. In fact, they knew we were returning to the capital so they flew back with our army. Incidentally, after I discovered them, both of themnded on Da Li¡¯s g, which was unbelievable to me!¡±
The Emperor was awed by his descriptions. Whether it was real or not, this was still a huge auspicious sign, which was why the Emperor was extremely delighted and even raised his cup to toast. He said: ¡°Jiang Xu, you have raised a great son. He even attracted a good omen to me!¡±
Jiang Xu hastily spoke: ¡°To be loyal to Your Majesty is his duty and also the Jiangs¡¯ fortune!¡± Jiang Xu¡¯s expression was iparably humble, leaving no trace of his valiant position as a general. His respectful attitude towards the Emperor was even better than those eunuchs that served the Emperor. The Emperor was extremely pleased and specifically ordered for Jiang Nan to be bestowed with gold and jewelry.
As Li Wei Yang watched, she suddenly smiled.
Ninth Princess quietly asked: ¡°Sister Wei Yang, what are you smiling at?¡±
Li Wei Yang whispered: ¡°I am, of course, smiling at how coincidentally this auspicious sign has arrived.¡±
Ninth Princesspletely didn¡¯t understand but seeing that Li Wei Yang had no intentions to exin to her, she unwillingly suppressed her confusion.
With this topic, the atmosphere of the pce banquet became much more fervent. Everyone noticed how the Jiangs were enjoying a fair reputation so they all went to tter and fawn over them, cing the Jiangs on a pedestal. Li Wei Yang meticulously observed the Jiangs¡¯ expressions yet couldn¡¯t find a trace of pride, especially in Jiang Xu; his brows and eyes didn¡¯t even move once. It was either he didn¡¯t care about thismendation or he had other dark schemes he was trying to hide.
Afterwards at this moment, Able Consort Wu shrieked and said: ¡°Your Majesty, look?!¡±
The Emperor took a glimpse and then stood up from his seat. This pair of magical creatures, which had been described as high quality breeds of gyrfalcon, suddenly flipped their eyes and died in the cage.
The eunuch guarding the cage kneeled and trembled. Eunuch Xia busily rushed forward and announced: ¡°Your Majesty ...... the gyrfalcons ...... the gyrfalcons are dead ......¡±
The public reacted with shock. Jiang Xu¡¯s expression changed and angrily said: ¡°Nan¡¯er, how did you take care of them!¡±
Jiang Nan¡¯s eyes revealed an inconceivable smile, he said: ¡°Father, I ...... I ...... I also don¡¯t know! Ever since I entered the capital, this pair of gyrfalcons were fine, how could they suddenly ---¡± He immediately kneeled to plead for forgiveness, ¡°Your Majesty, your subject is at fault!¡±
The Emperor¡¯s expression was turning worse. Originally these gyrfalcons were merely birds, it¡¯s nothing big if they died, it would just be a disappointment. But since everyone heard these were signs of good omens and now that they¡¯ve died, didn¡¯t that mean there would be huge trouble! Can the good omens die?! Of course not! If the good omens died, that means there will be an impending catastrophe!
Dark clouds gathered over the Emperor¡¯s face. The ones that said the gyrfalcons were good omens stared speechlessly at one another like mutes. A perfect silence prevailed in the hall, even the female attendees held their breaths.
Right at this moment, a sage-like taoist priest stepped in, his voice like a great bell: ¡°Your Majesty! This is greatly inauspicious! There is an evil spirit in the hall!¡±
Everyone stared at the taoist priest with astonishment. Someone immediately recognized him, it was Taoist Yin! It was actually him who was nowhere to be seen since the start of the banquet!
After a moment of silence, Li Wei Yang and Li Min De nced at each other. They saw a smiling expression in each other¡¯s eyes, it was reallying!
Yin Tian Zhao was wearing a bayleaf crown and a eight-diagrams cloak. He looked at the Emperor with respect: ¡°Your Majesty, do you still remember my visionst time? At that time, I used all my efforts but couldn¡¯t find out who is the evil spirit that will harm the fortune of Da Li. Now I¡¯ve found a way and will be able to make this person show his real self!¡±
The Emperor immediately widened his eyes and said: ¡°Really?!¡±
Able Consort Wu ran her eyes across everyone and then her gaze fell onto Li Wei Yang. Even though she swept past her, her expression carried a cold smile. Li Wei Yang, don¡¯t me me, originally you and I didn¡¯t have any ill feelings so I wouldn¡¯t trouble myself to harm you. But Duke Jiang¡¯s furen promised me if I can get rid of you, she will persuade Jiang Xu to support Tuoba Zhen! The Duke¡¯s furen¡¯s influence on the Jiangs was not inferior to that of Duke Jiang. Able Consort Wu and Tuoba Zhen immediately took on this gamble! Thinking about this, she smilingly said: ¡°Your Majesty, Taoist Yin has never been wrong in his predictions. Since he said there is an evil spirit in this court, then there must be or else how could Your Majesty¡¯s good omens die without any reason?!¡±
She specifically emphasized the cause of death. Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t know why but the words were extremely irritating to the ear. He started feeling the rise of an ominous premonition.
Yin Tian Zhao calmly spoke: ¡°I have to ascend the tform and then I¡¯ll make the evil spirit automatically reveal itself!¡±
Tuoba Yu coldly watched and felt something was wrong as he continued to watch. What was the reason the gyrfalcons died without exnation? But with the appearance of this taoist priest, something fishy was going on. It seemed like he had to be extra cautious!
The Emperor certainly allowed his request. Not only that, he even led all the officials out of the hall and stood at the spacious area below the tform as he watched Taoist Yin ascended the tform. This seating tform was four meters high and was specifically made for him to pray for the rain. Taoist Yin draped his hair over himself and then danced wildly on the tform.
At this moment, even the female attendees curiously walked out as they watched Yin Tian Zhao on the tform and discussed.
Li Wei Yang smirkingly watched without uttering a single word until Li Min De approached her and whispered: ¡°In a moment, something interesting will happen.¡±
Li Wei Yang nted her head: ¡°Everything has been prepared?¡±
Li Min De smilingly replied: ¡°My hands were itching ...... so I made a small change. But I am sure you will be pleased.¡± His handsome face was glimmering in front of her eyes. Li Wei Yang was curious but seeing his two eyes staring at her, she lightly coughed and turned back.
No one knew what this youngd did that he showed such a cunning expression.
Zhou Tian Shou who was in the crowd looked towards Li Min De, awaiting for his signal. He only saw Li Min De lightly smiling as his left hand slowly dropped with his middle finger on top of his index finger. Zhou Tian Shou understood this signal and it meant the n didn¡¯t change and told him to follow the old n ordingly. Zhou Tian Shou smiled inside and quietly retreated into the crowd.
After the ceremonial bronze bells rang nine times, the ceremony began. A troop of eunuchs held a burner top to quell the candlelights. The tform was entirely dark so that the ceremony was covered by mysterious colors. Yin Tian Zhao who was on the stage, loudly voiced: ¡°His Majesty has sincerely worshipped Heaven and didn¡¯t dare to ck, why can¡¯t Heaven grant Da Li timely wind and rain, grant the citizens of His Majesty a peaceful life?¡± At this time, dark clouds covered the skies with muffled thunder beating; it was like an impending sign of flooding rain. Moreover, Yin Tian Zhao¡¯s body trembled greatly; it shivered without stopping. With the flying sand and rocks and cataclysmic weather, this taoist priest really seemed to bemunicating with Heaven.
Everyone who saw this extraordinary sight widened their gaze. They didn¡¯t dare gasp for breath and only looked right at Yin Tian Zhao.
Tuoba Zhen coldly smiled. As a second-ranked Xianzhu and the daughter of Li Xiao Ran, to topple her with one strike, he must y this scene out in front of everyone. Once the Heavens pointed out Li Wei Yang as the scourge, her days were near! If this intelligent beauty had chosen to be with him, it would have been great but she didn¡¯t know how to appreciate favors! Tuoba Zhen greatly sympathized with her and felt a little pain in his heart. This was something besides the throne that he wanted in his life yet now he had to sacrifice her to ingratiate himself with the Jiangs ...... what a pity ...... as he thought of this, he gave Li Wei Yang onest nce.
Goodbye, stubborn and intelligent young girl. Since you are not willing to aid me in winning the throne, then you will be my stepping stone to the throne!
On the other side, Jiang Nan¡¯s lips curled up and his face showed a cruel smile.
At this moment, countless lightning strikes shed across the skies. The wind outside also suddenly blew heavier as it flowed into the hall. Not only did it cause everyone to waver back and forth but also caused the windows to squeak. The veils in the hall also crazily flew up; with the sweep of the wind, a few fell down and knocked over a valuable vase into millions of pieces ...... on the tform, amid the changing weather, Taoist Yin cried out: ¡°Who is the scourge that dares to disrupt Da Li?¡±
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: EricaEditor: Caroll L.-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 111 part1
Chapter 111: Thunderbolts in Clear Skies
At this moment, a piece of yellow paper floated down from the skies andnded on the ground. The eunuch immediately went to pick it up, saying ¡°Your Majesty, look!¡±
From the podium, Yin Tian Zhao loudly said, ¡°Even though this person looks beautiful and intelligent, but the heavens know better. If this person continues to live, I¡¯m afraid your throne will not be safe!¡±
At this moment, the clouds in the sky started to darken and started to swirled together, gathering speed. In addition, coils of lightning started to emerge, bathing the entire sky with light. Lightning forked out in multiple directions. After a good while, the clouds seemed to hover at the edge sky looming oppressively. All of a sudden, a loud p of thunder ensued and the resultant jagged bolt of lightning seemed to split the sky in half.
Miraculously, the lightning actuallynded on top of Yin Tian Zhao¡¯s head. Initially he was still speaking and smiling in exaltation. Yet with the blow on his head, he gave a startled blood-curdling scream and rolled down from the four-meters high podium.
¡°Pa!¡± was the resounding sound of his body being mmed onto the ground. His bones had shattered and heid there like a dead pig. Soon after a thick puddle of blood pooled around him. This sight caused one of the pce maids who was standing on the podium to emit a sharp and piercing scream. That scream prated the air and brought everyone out of their stunned reverie. Even the emperor could not believe his eyes. His favorite priest had literally been struck down by lightning. So shocking was such a sight that he had forgotten about looking closely at the person drawn on the piece of yellow paper.
Everyone who was in the vicinity was stupefied beyond belief after witnessing the incident. It was just moments before that Yin Tian Zhao was still calling the wind and summoning the rain (figuratively, stirring up troubles). And yet now he was broken like a limp rag doll after being the unexpected target of the bolt of lightning. All the pce eunuchs and maids were dumbstruck and no one had been able to gather their wits.
The Emperor loudly cried out, ¡°Hurry! Someonee and see what happened to Yin Tian Zhao!¡± Immediately a eunuch ran to the podium disregarding the fact that it was pouring cats and dogs. However, when he came back, his entire face was drawn and down. He said, ¡°Your Majesty, the priest has been struck down and his body has be charred beyond recognition.¡± The Emperor was startled beyond belief and for a few moments, he was rendered speechless. He tightly clenched the piece of paper in his hands.
This episode, as seen from the eyes of Tuoba Zhen and Able Consort Wu made them iparably shocked. Tuoba Zhen could not believe his own eyes. In order to let the Jiang family see Li Wei Yang¡¯s execution with their own eyes, he and Able Consort Wu had personally orchestrated this entire y.
In order to to ensure this ploy would truly work and materialize, Yin Tian Zhao has taken great pains to calcte the meteorological conditions. Using all the knowledge he knew about weather cycles, he had calcted that this night was the day that a huge gale would blow and torrential rain would pour. This sort of scenario was the most suitable as the Emperor was a firm believer of such rituals and would consult meteorological signs for both huge and trivial matters. If Yin Tian Zhao dictated that this particr day was the most auspicious day, the Emperor would willingly follow his orders. But Tuoba Zhen did not believe that the tform which had a lightning rod hidden purposely to prevent such bolts of lightning would actually be struck down by lightning! This was just too unfortunate for Yin Tian Zhao who was someone he had tracked down with utmost care to be presented to the court. For Yin Tian Zhao to be so easily destroyed when he needed him the most was a p to his face!
At this moment, amongst the crowd, a man pushed himself forward. Smilingly, he said, ¡°Congrattions Your Majesty! The emperor gave a nced. It was naturally Zhou Tian Shou. The Emperor gave a startled look and started throwing a fit. ¡°Your master just met with such an unfortunate turn, what is there to congratte!¡±
It wasmon belief that those people who were struck down by lightning were people who hadmitted wrongs before. Hence the Emperor was wondering about what Yin Tian Zhao did that actually caused the heavens to pursue such heavy-handed punishments?
Zhou Tian Shou was full of joy and said: "Your Majesty, in our sect, there are countless practitioners aiming to cultivate to be a deity. Most of them will die on the way to cultivation. Only a few can ascend to be a deity. My master¡¯s practice had already reached this step, his destined day had yet to arrive. It just so happened that today must have been the day he was destined to ascend. My master is a remarkable person and the situation just now must have been part of his trails. After breaking through this, he will directly achieve the position of a golden deity!
"But ... if he became a golden deity, howe he became a ckened and charred lump of flesh? The Empress couldn¡¯t help to ask.
Zhou Tian Shou sighed and said: "Your Highness does notprehend, if his body is ck, it indicates that my master could not be a golden deity. Instead it means that he can only be an immortal without rank when he ascends in heaven. Upon listening, the emperor was shocked and could not help but ask, ¡°Taoist Yin was already so aplished as a priest but he couldn¡¯t even be a ranked deity? Why?¡±
The joy on Zhou Tian Shou¡¯s face dimmed slightly, but he recovered revealing a mysterious look: ¡°Your Majesty, the Heavens have their ownws and their own reasonings. How would us mere mortalsprehend. Actually, my master was able to ascend safely with his cultivation. However, because of this event, he divulged one of Heaven¡¯s secrets!"
To divulge the will of the heavens? The crowd shifted. Did this mean that Taoist Yin could not ascend smoothly because he had revealed Heaven¡¯s will and thus was punished for it? The atmosphere was heavy with suspicion.
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly. The Ninth Princess tugged her skirt and pointed out and said: "The corpse has been carried away!" Li Wei Yang said faintly: "Princess, that is not a corpse, that is the immortal shell of Taoist Yin."
Her eyes scanned the crowds and found Li Min De, who had hidden himself amongst the crowd. Between them, a faint glimmer of understanding passed through them as Li Min De smirked. After witnessing the entire grand act, Li Wei Yang finally understood what Li Min De said when he said that he added a little something extra. He must have been the mastermind and had secretly moved the position of the lightning protection rod. But how did he actually manage such a task was what Li Wei Yang desperately wanted to know ...
As she reflected on the Taoist¡¯s death, she marveled at the way it was handled. Lightning, thunder, thick smoke ... the scene was just too shocking! Li Wei Yang idly wandered, did Yin Tian Zhao know that today was hisst day on earth?
Zhou Tian Shou once again gently urged, "Your Majesty, my master even sacrificed his life in a bid to reveal the truth! Please take a look at the paper he left behind detailing the evil person and be sure to get rid of such evil!" The emperor looked over the paper seriously. Yet, slowly, his face began to turn purple with rage. The Queen looked at him with surprise and went to see the piece of paper in his hand. After reading it, his face was extremely strange.
On the paper was a woman, a very beautiful woman. In addition, this beautiful woman was someone the emperor was very familiar with. In fact, this woman has spent more than 20 years sleeping in his bed!
The Emperor was so angry. He gave a p to Able Consort Wu¡¯s face, who was standing proudly waiting for Li Wei Yang¡¯s downfall. Able Consort Wu was unprepared, and the force was so great that she almost and stumbled.
Onlookers could see that the piece of drawing had a strong resemnce to Able Consort Wu¡¯s face. And a single line was written: Lady of Wu will bring chaos to the world.¡± The emperor pinched the paper so tightly until it trembled. He pointed to Able Consort Wu with anger: "You whore! It¡¯s you! It¡¯s you!¡± Yin Tian Zhao¡¯s message had indicated that woman had cursed the emperor making him fall sick. Moreover, just the fact that the woman stayed beside the emperor would be cmitous because Able Consort Wu blocked the divine luck of the emperor.
Ninth Princess caught Li Wei Yang¡¯s arm in fear: "So terrible, but how could Able Consort Wu be the devil in disguise!
At this moment, Li Wei Yang saw from the corner of her eyes that Tuoba Zhen flew out to support Able Consort Wu and shouted: "Father, what is wrong with you?¡± One would assume that he was extremely concerned for Able Consort Wu¡¯s safety. In reality, he was only concerned to save Able Consort Wu because of her apparent value to his quest to be the emperor. However, Tuoba Zhen had underestimated the extent of the Emperor¡¯s anger. In fact, his response had provoked it even more. The emperor became furious: "Your mother is a demoness! I have loved and even coddled her for so many years and yet she repays me by bringing gue to my empire! At this time, he recalled the flood in the south, the rebellion of the soldiers in the west, the drought in the north ...... Come to think of it, such things happened every year. Able Consort Wu was actually a bringer of cmitous disaster! Heavens had already sent him signs but he failed to notice them!
The downpour continued to pour, raindrops smashed onto the bodies of Able Consort Wu and Tuoba Zhen. Tuoba Zhen¡¯s appearance was still rtively alright but Able Consort Wu bore the brunt of the p. As a result, Able Consort Wu¡¯s appearance was frightening. The once perfectly made face was ruined beyond belief. The white powder has been washed off, leaving a ghastly ashen and in face. She cried pitifully: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I didn¡¯t do it! I have been framed! I am innocent!"
How can this be! How could this happen! The person on the paper should have been Li Wei Yang, how could the person be herself!
Li Chang Le involuntarily pinched her handkerchief and fumed internally. Was this the n that Jiang Tian said? What a blockhead! The situation was beyond salvageable! Given that Tuoba Zhen¡¯s mother had just been thrown out of favor, was Tuoba Zhen really a good man to marry herself to?
Tuoba Zhen was enraged beyond reason. He hade to the recognition btedly that in trying to frame Li Wei Yang, he had inadvertently shot himself in the foot. Even though he knew the situation with Able Consort Wu was beyond help, he still had to save her no matter what! This was because she was nominally appointed as his adoptive mother, if he threw her to the wolves, he would bebelled as an ingrate to themoners and his supporters and the rest of the court councillors would turn their backs on him! So even though he knew that his words would instigate anger, he still had to plead for her.
"Father, Mother is innocent! She has waited on you for so many years, without any demand for credit and yet she has toiled so much! You should know the full extent of her devotion!¡± Tuoba Zhen cried out intively.
Consort Lian who was standing beside the emperor also said with a voice full of sympathy: "Your Majesty, he is right... How does Able Consort Wu even look like a demoness ... please consider!
Able Consort Wu bit her lower lip, desperately crying out: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You must believe me!¡±
At this moment, all of Able Consort Wu¡¯s supporters and staff immediately prostrated themselves crying out, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Able Consort Wu has been wronged!"
Able Consort Wu had always maintained good rtions with the Empress. At this moment, as the Empress looked down at Tuoba Zhen, she remembered how the Crown Prince still needed the support of Tuoba Zhen in order to ascend the throne and her eyes shone a calcting light. catingly, she told the emperor, "Your Majesty, if you think about all the years of service Able Consort Wu has done for you, please have mercy on Able Consort Wu ...¡±
The Crown Prince also hurriedly stood up and said: "Father, even if Able Consort Wu has done something wrong, please see it in your heart to forgive Third Brother¡¯s mother!
The people under the empress looked up beseechingly at the Emperor.
The emperor swept a nce at the number of people kneeling: Crown Prince, Tuoba Zhen, Able Consort Wu ...... And even the Empress. Momentarily even he hesitated.
Consort Lian gently gave a sigh and softly said: "Your Majesty, we should just reduce the trouble to the minimum ... it¡¯s just a pity the way Yin Tian Zhao died ... and sacrificed himself ...
At the thought of Yin Tian Zhao¡¯s death, the Emperor¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up in anger again. Li Wei Yang could not help but bowed her head down to mask the delight in her eyes.
Ah, Consort Lian, ah, it was truly thanks to her wonderful performance that the Emperor was reminded. Sometimes, some words had to be said by the right person for the strategy to be effective. For Li Min De to be able to find such a gem, he must have worked very hard ...
The Emperor¡¯s eyes grew colder and colder. When he looked at Able Consort Wu, his eyes had no trace of warmth and love that he used to shower her with. In his eyes now, Able Consort Wu had turned into the woman who seek to kill him! He could not let such a woman escape! Not a second chance would be given to those who plotted his death! He waved his hand, ordering: "Drag Able Consort Wu away and immediately put her to death!"
The audience were shocked by the turn of events. It had seemed as if the Emperor had be apletely different person, bristling with ruthlessness and coldness. Even the Empress who had known him for a long time was silenced by fear, let alone the multiple concubines who had initially wanted to plead on behalf of Able Consort Wu were too afraid to open their mouths. Those who were originally sneering at the consort¡¯s misfortune were also struck by fear of how unmerciful the Emperor was.
Only Li Wei Yang let out a sigh of relief. Due to the fact the Emperor was superstitious and practiced Taoism, he believed in the concept of immortality pills. He often took such pills not knowing that the side effect resulted in him bing more irritable, unpredictable, more irrational and highly suspicious. The moment he heard any whispers of assassination he would ruthlessly weed out anyone in his way. Moreover, Able Consort Wu had thought that having the support of so many people would help her case. However, in the Emperor¡¯s eyes, this only served to deepen his suspicion that she had garnered the support of many to overthrow him. This was his deepest fear and so when faced with such a threat, he would ruthlessly exterminate anyone!
Able Consort Wu was frightened beyond belief. All traces of her haughty and noble demeanor had been wiped away and she desperately prostrated: "Your Majesty, please believe me! I am innocent! You do not believe the words of your closest advisors that I am innocent and would rather belief a lowly Taoist priest!¡±
The Emperor coldly ordered, ¡±Execute her!¡±
Able Consort Wu desperately shouted: "I am innocent! I am innocent! Your Majesty, I have something to say!" She desperately wanted to say Yin Tian Zhou¡¯s words were false, she desperately wanted to reveal Yin Tian Zhou¡¯s real identity, she desperately wanted to confess she had colluded with Yin Tian Zhou to bring Li Wei Yang down ... She would still have a chance of life, for the gravity of being used of killing the Emperor could not bepared to merely framing Li Wei Yang! Able Consort Wu struggled to stand up to her feet, sensing a sliver of hope.
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: Jing HuiEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 111 Part 2-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 111 part2
Chapter 111: Thunderbolts in Clear Skies
Tuoba Zhen anxiously watched Able Consort Wu and suddenly realized that he shouldn¡¯t let her continue on like this. If she continues to speak, the Emperor would find out how they made Yin Tian Zhao frame Li Wei Yang in order to fawn on the Jiangs and would eventually find out his ambitions for the throne because whether it¡¯s him or Able Consort Wu, none of them have a reason to go against Li Wei Yang. Moreover, as long as the Emperor continue to investigate, he will find out that they¡¯ve arranged for Yin Tian Zhao to be in the pce and how they are trying to draw the Jiangs to their side, which would reveal their intentions! At that time, not only the Emperor but the Crown Prince and the Empress would have a fall out with him! If he loses his Imperial Mother, the Marquis of Yong Ning might still support him since he is after all Able Consort Wu¡¯s adopted son. But he can¡¯t let Able Consort Wu say what can never be said or else everything would be over! So he rushed over to hold up Able Consort Wu like he was trying to support her up. Soon after, Able Consort Wu¡¯s body suddenly started having spasms and then she snapped her head back to look at Tuoba Zhen. Her pair of eyes were wide opened as she stared at him. It seemed like blood was going to flow out but she was unable to utter a single sound from her mouth.
Not one person noticed the oddity as everyone thought Able Consort Wu was in so much pain that she couldn¡¯t speak. But Li Wei Yang suddenly walked up a few steps and from an outsider¡¯s perspective, one would actually think that Tuoba Zhen went up to support Able Consort Wu. Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t think this way; right at that moment, a thought drifted into her mind. Tuoba Zhen¡¯s ring had a hidden mechanism that was capable of killing anyone ......
At this moment, the Emperor had already given his order. No one would notice anything wrong with Able Consort Wu and just dragged her out. Tuoba Zhen held onto her with his life which caused the Emperor to send some guards to pull him away: ¡°Imperial Mother!¡± Tuoba Zhen loudly cried as if he was deeply grieving. Able Consort Wu was only staggering as her fingers grasped the ground with all her strength as if she wanted to hold onto something that can save her life. Soon, she lost all her strength and only left a few streaks of deep blood red stain, causing everyone to feel uneasy as the eunuchs dragged her away.
In the eyes of Marquis of Yong Ning, there were pain but he didn¡¯t dare rush forth to save his daughter. He could only let his tears flow down as he went to help Tuoba Zhen up. He said: ¡°Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please restrain your grief!¡± He lifted his lead to look towards the Emperor. Hatred hid in his eyes but this hatred only shed across and disappeared that it was unnoticeable by anyone. The crowd could only see his tears flowing down as he said: ¡°Your Majesty, your old subject thank your blessing for my daughter. But Third Prince is innocent, please, Your Majesty, don¡¯t implicate him into this.¡±
The Emperor coldly watched them yet he didn¡¯t open his mouth to say a word. The rain had already drenched Tuoba Zhen and Marquis of Yong Ning¡¯s clothes, making them look iparably confounded. Finally, the Emperor slowly spoke: ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t me you all and will only punish that evil sinner. For the sake of raising Zhen-Er, I will bestow her a cup of poisoned wine.¡± Even though, he had already been possessed by the devil and believe Able Consort Wu to be an evil sinner, if Able Consort Wu¡¯s n was sessful, Li Wei Yang would have an even more wretched ending. Seeing how the Emperor could be this merciless to his bedside partner, would he even show mercy to Li Wei Yang? Li Min De coldlyughed since Able Consort Wu brought trouble to herself. As for Tuoba Zhen, after losing Able Consort Wu, would Marquis of Yong Ning still support him like he used to? It seemed like these two were very united but what about afterwards? Able Consort Wu was the link between the Wu and Tuoba Zhen. Now, this was equivalent to cutting off one of his arms, specifically the arm that was very important to him!
Tuoba Zhen kept watching on side as he faintly believe this had something to do with Li Wei Yang. But he couldn¡¯t think of the connection and only think that he must ask Zhou Tian Shou what this was all about.
Soon, a eunuch came over to announce: ¡°Able Consort Wu had gone to Heavens.¡±
The Emperor let out a deep breath and turned to speak to the Empress: ¡°Today the Empress organized this banquet so we shouldn¡¯t have discussed this matter here. But this is rted to Da Li so this had to go through a thorough investigation.¡±
The Empress had been keeping Able Consort Wu by her side. Even though the Nine-Tailed Phoenix Hairpin incident caused mutual resentment between them, in the end, she still felt a bit upset: ¡°I would have never thought Able Consort Wu is actually an evil sinner, oh, that is her life.¡±
Consort Lian also showed a seemingly grieving expression yet at the same time, her eyes showed a trace ofcency. Ninth Princess trembled greatly, pulled Li Wei Yang¡¯s arm and said: ¡°Sister Wei Yang, the banquet today will also end. Let¡¯s leave.¡±
Li Wei Yang stood at her original spot without moving. It was as if she was waiting for something with eyes shimmering. Ninth Princess curiously watched her yet didn¡¯t know what she was waiting for. But at this moment, everyone in the hall didn¡¯t move, the crowd didn¡¯t know how to react. Even more, they don¡¯t know if they should continue to stay for the banquet or should they leave before the Emperor gives an order. So Li Wei Yang¡¯s behavior wasn¡¯t unexpected and instead very normal.
¡°Let the banquet continue.¡± The Emperor gave a glimpse at Marquis of Yong Ning¡¯s ugly expression as he slowly spoke.
Li Wei Yang drooped her eyes; she knew the Emperor¡¯s personality very well, which belonged in the category of those who would kill you but would want you to express gratitude. Today, he suddenly executed Able Consort Wu yet he wouldn¡¯t allow Marquis of Yong Ning to show a single speck of resentment. But to the Marquis, losing a daughter is painful so the Emperor would certainlypensate him. As expected, once everyone returned to their seats, the Emperor had already pleasingly spoken: ¡°Marquis of Yong Ning, your youngest granddaughter is 17 this year, right?¡±
Marquis of Yong Ning¡¯s face actually couldn¡¯t hold back his tremblings. It was difficult for his flesh on his face to stop trembling as he deeply voiced: ¡°Answering Your Majesty, your subject¡¯s granddaughter Le Ling is indeed 17.¡±
The Emperor nodded and said: ¡°I remember she has yet to be married. How about this, Rui-Er is at a marriageable age, these two children are verypatible! Today, I¡¯ll bestow them a marriage arrangement.¡±
The crowd puzzlingly stared at each other. A tempest just passed by earlier, now the Emperor¡¯s smile have be iparably warm. Not a trace of him rage could be seen. The mind of the Emperor was very difficult toprehend.
Noble Consort Mei splendidly smiled: ¡°Your Majesty, Rui-Er is still young, there is no need to rush this? Moreover, Third Prince don¡¯t have any consorts yet, how could Rui-Er be the first to marry?¡± Who is she trying to kid, the Wu¡¯s granddaughter is known to be fierce and unreasonable!
The Emperor showed a subtle smile: ¡°This is two entirely different matters, Zhen-Er¡¯s marriage, I will also think about. As for Wu Le Ling, she will be bestowed to Rui-Er as his main consort.¡±
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t hold back her smile. Tuoba Zhen used to be a family with Marquis of Yong Ning but the connection linking them together was Able Consort Wu. Once this connection broke off, Tuoba Zhen couldn¡¯t manipte this rtion anymore. The Emperor was doing this to first, warn Tuoba Zhen and prevent him from resenting him because of his adopted mother¡¯s death, and second, to let Marquis of Yong Ning know that he has magnificent power. He could kill you yet he could also lift you up to the skies. The main consort position of the Fifth Prince was something countless people coveted.
Marquis of Yong Ning thought no more and expressed his gratitude with Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui. When Tuoba Rui stood up, he even gave Li Chang Le a nce ofplicated feelings. If it wasn¡¯t for what happened between her and Tuoba Zhen ...... Tuoba Rui would have risk his life to marry her as his main consort.
Li Wei Yang chanced upon his wronged expression and tried suppressing her smile as she lowered her head. Tuoba Rui, oh, Tuoba Rui, such a rare hopeless sentimental. It¡¯s only that she didn¡¯t know if he saw Li Chang Le¡¯s ruined appearance, would he lose all colors on his face.
With what just happened, everyone¡¯s expression showed awkwardness and their smile was too forced. Even the Empress and the concubines felt uneasy, the Emperor calmly said: ¡°Wasn¡¯t song and dance arranged?¡±
The Empress busily spoke: ¡°Bring in the music and start the dance to liven up the atmosphere.¡± She was speaking to the eunuchs but her voice felt dry which evidently showed how she still hasn¡¯t left her astonishment behind.
The dance performance was meticulously prepared by the Department of Music. Consort Lian also took the time to choreographed for the Emperor. The dancers were all beauties with bodies like willows, appearances like flowers, and moves ethereally beautiful. If this dance was performed on an average day, everyone would enjoy it but now everyone was absent-minded. Their mind was still fixated on the scene when Able Consort Wu was still sitting above them and then the next moment, she was suddenly given the death sentence.
The wrath of the Emperor really made one terrifyingly cold!
Ninth Princess is a young girl after all so she didn¡¯t have much thoughts and thus, she immediately calmed down as she earnestly watched the performance. But Li Wei Yang who was by her side was still waiting and even showed a bit of anxiousness. She had prepared for a long time and was waiting for today. If everything went smoothly, it would be possible to topple the Jiangs! They¡¯ve found a suitable woman to enter the pce and then have Zhou Tian Shou being favored by the Emperor. Afterwards, she quietly waited to let the Jiangs believe she didn¡¯t have any ns. Everything was set up for this moment! An effective opportunity! An opportunity that can topple the Jiangs!
The dance performance was soon over, the Emperor smilingly said: ¡°The young girl leading the group danced very well, send her over, I want to reward her.¡±
The eunuch immediately summoned the young girl over. The crowd didn¡¯t notice earlier since she was far away but now that she was this close to them, they realized how alluring her appearance is. Even though her appearance was iparable to Consort Lian, she was still a beauty no doubt. The young girl strolled forth and with a nce, the Emperor was delighted and rewarded her a jade ornament. He was thinking of letting this young girl serve him tonight but his face didn¡¯t show his thoughts and only waved his hand to signal for her retreat.
Suddenly, this young girl loudly voiced: ¡°Reporting to Your Majesty, your maid has something to petition.¡±
The Emperor was stunned, followed along by the Empress and others.
¡°What is it?¡± The Emperor replied with his conditioned response.
The young girl raised her head and the gentle expression originally on her face vanished like pulling out a sword. She showed a cold air, making everyone focused on her. She waved her hand and the jade ornament originally in her hand was thrown out, carrying a whistling sound. Her right hand which was hidden in her sleeve was revealed to be holding onto a dagger. The jade ornament hit a eunuch behind the Emperor and right at this moment, the dagger in the young girl¡¯s hand had quickly been aimed towards the Emperor.
Amongst the quick attack, the leader of his royal guards had already responded. He shouted and rushed to meet the girl¡¯s attack with the dagger ward off by him. The young girl suddenly emitted a whistling sound which turned the dagger into a sword after the activation of a mechanism. She charged forward, passing the guard and towards the Emperor! The Emperor quickly grabbed a pce maid on his right and the sword went right into the pce maid¡¯s waist. The pce maid, who was originally in good condition, was immediately gushing with blood, entering theherworld.
This interaction happened in an instant that many people within the hall didn¡¯t have time to react.
Watching how the pce maid dreadfully died, the people finally reacted. There was an actual assassin here! Momentarily, no one knew who let out a shriek.
¡°Protect the Emperor!¡±
The exhausting sounds of shriek pierced through ears.
The entire hall was chaotic like a bowl of congee.
¡°Ipetent ruler, hand over your life!¡±
As the young girl acted, ten of the dancers who were waiting for their reward simultaneously rushed to the inner hall to assist the young girl. The remaining dancers stayed behind guarding the door and were prepared to obstruct the path of the guards sent to save the Emperor in order to help their peer fight some time.
Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu flew over but two of the assassins blocked him. As hended, he was actually held onto by one of the dancers. Right at this moment, the young girl swerved her sword around and went for the Emperor. Her force was stronger this time and much faster that her sword soon met the Emperor¡¯s eyes.
¡°Ding dong ......¡± With that sound, the direction of the flying sword was pushed a degree sideward as it slipped past the Emperor¡¯s neck. The Emperor fretfully looked over and in this life-threatening moment, Consort Lian who was originally hiding and trembling behind the throne risked her life and threw a few bowls towards the young girl¡¯s sword. As for Consort Lian, she suddenly rushed forth and pulled onto the assassin¡¯s left and intively cried: ¡°Your Majesty, run!¡±
The Emperor shockingly stared at Consort Lian.
The young girl didn¡¯t even nce at Consort Lian once and kicked her aside. She picked up her sword and made another attempt: ¡°Ipetent ruler. We, the Murongs, have already pledged our allegiance to you. You¡¯ve reneged on your words, destroyed the surrender letter, ruined the agreement, and annihted my country, hand over your life!¡±
The consorts were all in utter confusion even when a few of the assassins hadn¡¯t even reach the Emperor¡¯s throne yet. The door was guarded by the assassins and everyone within the hall were running for their lives. The assassins didn¡¯t care who was who and just killed whoever they see. Within the hall, shrill cries were continuously heard as the chaos continued. It was difficult to differentiate the master and the servants; everyone was crawling and weeping louding for help. At this critical moment, Li Min De had already reached Li Wei Yang¡¯s side. He didn¡¯t have any weapons on him so he shielded Li Wei Yang and Ninth Princess as they walked towards the south side of the hall. They didn¡¯t encounter any assassins but Ninth Princess almost tripped because of her bewildered pce maid. Li Wei Yang quickly helped her up and the three watched the anxious situation in the hall with each of their expressions changing ......
Li Wei Yang and Li Min De looked each other in the eyes and from their expressions, both saw astonishment, their n has changed! The original n wasn¡¯t like this! Damn! Why did this young girl take out her sword, why did she say those words! Li Wei Yang subconsciously looked towards Consort Lian and incidentally encounter her apologetic expression! Li Wei Yang finally understood everything, it¡¯s she who changed the n!
Tuoba Yu and Tuoba Zhen were held behind by the assassins and didn¡¯t have a chance to approach the Emperor. Seeing the reflection of the sword, the Emperor frightfully crawled away. Right at this moment, a long sword pierced through the chest of the young girl. Her sword, which was held up in mid-air, didn¡¯tnd onto the Emperor¡¯s head. Soon afterwards, she dropped andnded in front of the throne, being half a step away from the Emperor. The Emperor astonishingly looked at the person who saved him and it was Jiang Nan.
As Li Wei Yang watched this scene, her heart slowly sank.
Consort Lian bit her lips with her expression kept on shifting. She didn¡¯t even dare to look at Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes since after all, she went against what they¡¯ve decided and changed their n! But now, she still have a chance --- so what if Jiang Nan saved the Emperor, it wasn¡¯t enough to blur out the Jiangs¡¯ sins!
Yet Li Wei Yang let out a deep sigh. Li Min De patted her hand as if hepletely understood the disappointment she felt. Li Min De whispered: ¡°Let¡¯s watch what happens first.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded. She turned around to a frightened Ninth Princess so she gently calmed her down.
Soon, the imperial guards sent as aid arrived. Per the pce rules, the guards at the banquet should retreat and as a result were arranged to guard the doors. Once the sounds of killing were heard, everyone knew and quickly tried to rush outside the hall but the pce door was narrow. The imperial guards had the advantage of size but was stopped by the eunuchs and maids rushing to escape. They were left with no choice but to kill everyone that ran out from the hall and didn¡¯t care who they killed! The scene was soon under control and in the end, the hall was left in a scattered condition with the ten assassins on the ground. Each person had countless wounds with their tight-fitted dancing clothes shredded and bodies drenched in blood. The originally intact and morous tables were broken apart, the silver candlelights were thrown onto the ground of debris and blood, making the sight horrifying. The Empress and Virtuous Consort Zhang crawled up with expressions of fear from survivors of a catastrophe. The pce maids ran to help them up. Consort Rou began vomiting as the terrifying scene had made her lose state of mind.
All of the subjects and the female attendees also crawled all of their hiding spaces with expressions of extreme shock. Jiang Xu was fighting with his fists yet still killed a few assassins. The sword in Jiang Nan¡¯s hand came from the assassins they¡¯ve killed.
The Emperor¡¯s wrath was easy to understand. Since his ascension, nothing like this has ever happened before. Never has an Emperor had a sword pointed towards their nose and encounter this murderous predicament!
The entire hall was blocked off. Everyone who was here to attend the banquet was not allowed to leave. Even if there is someone that needed medical attention, under the Emperor¡¯s order, the hall was locked up for a thorough investigation. All of the assassins have died and even if some survived, they¡¯ve all taken poison beforehand. So before the imperial guards captured them, they¡¯ve already died and didn¡¯t leave behind a survivor. But everyone still needed to go through a detailed questioning in the pce hall. The dancers were recruited among the people so there must be evidence left behind. As a result, the Emperor angrily ordered Jing Zhao Yin and Ministry of Punishment official to immediately investigate. On the side, Consort Lian momentarily kneeled and choked with sobs: ¡°This dance was choreographed by me, I didn¡¯t know they hid a malicious intent, I am at fault!¡± Her face portrayed her as a weeping beauty that she seems so fragile and no one dared to suspect that she had any rtions to the assassins.
The Emperor recalled the chaotic scene earlier. She is merely a woman but she rushed forward and grabbed onto the assassin¡¯s leg. This already showed her undoubtable loyalty to him. He was moved and helped her up, he said: ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for my beloved consort, I would have been a corpse now, what were you at fault for!¡± Choreographing the dance didn¡¯t mean participating in the assassination. The Empress and Virtuous Consort Zhang were so terrified that they crouched up on the side as they shook with fear. They¡¯ve been raisedfortably so they¡¯ve never seen this gory scene of fighting. They¡¯ve only frightfully watched the scene and the usual loyal words they¡¯ve spoken were all forgotten that they didn¡¯t even rush up to save the Emperor. Contrarily, it made Consort Lian seemed more unique. Now the Empress and the others couldn¡¯t say much because who told them to leave the Emperor behind and only cared for their own lives. This is a crime after all but the Emperor didn¡¯t punish them so it was already having mercy on them!
The Empress showed an extremely unbearable expression. The concubines all had their heads down. No one dared to utter a sound. Amongst them, out of the four favored lower-ranked consorts, two died and all the higher-ranked consorts were fine. Watching the situation, the Emperor rebuked them for not being his human shields so he was very unhappy. Even the Crown Prince and Fifth Prince kept their silence. Just then, they were held behind by the assassins and didn¡¯t have a chance to save the Emperor. As his sons, they¡¯ve clearly neglected their duties. But who would have guessed something like this would happen. It had been peaceful for many years, no one could have imagined this scene!
¡°Your Majesty, based off the assassin¡¯s words, it seems like this has something to do with the Murong family.¡± Tuoba Yu frowned on the side. He heard the assassin said these words and from those words, this was the real reason behind the assassination attempt.
The Murongs ...... the Emperor¡¯s brows were tightly knitted. Murong was a small country to the south of Da Li. He ordered the attack and assigned the Jiangs as the leading general. Because the Murongs rather die than surrender, the country was defeated and families were lost. None of the Murong royalties survived. They return for revenge was a possibility ...... but why did the girl say the Murongs were killed after their surrender? The Emperor¡¯s expression slowly sank. Perhaps there was another reason behind the annihtion of the Murongs? Or did someone tampered in between? Thinking how he was being kept in the dark by his own people, he felt as if he was being deceived.
Li Wei Yang watched Consort Lian and noticed bliss in her eyes that she involuntarily sighed. She and Consort Lian both have mutual enemies, the Jiangs. As long as they sincerely worked together, their revenge would have been close at hand. But, Consort Lian was too impatient for revenge and actually changed the n they¡¯ve agreed on. From the young girl drawing out her sword to the appearance of the group of assassins, Li Wei Yang already knew that the n was forcefully changed. Boundless fear appeared on her face as if she was shocked but she started to feel more anxious. Consort Lian, oh, Consort Lian, if you followed our n then we could have delivered a deadly blow to the Jiangs but why must you be impatient!
Now, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t even determine the direction of this. If this seed, then the Jiangs are defeated. If this fails, she might be embroiled in this ...... Li Wei Yang¡¯s brain was immediately working up at this moment. With the Murongs being bought up, would she still be able to follow what they initially nned and put the Jiangs to death!
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Chapter 112 part1
Chapter 112: Heavy Losses
Consort Lian¡¯s conspicuous expression unveiled inexplicable enmity. Shepletely abhorred the Jiangs! That¡¯s right, she was the real orphan of the Murongs, thest Murongdy that survived back then. Two years ago, the Da Li emperor intended to subdue He Zhe Microstate. Murong already knew that they couldn¡¯t defend themselves against the powerful and prosperous Da Li and consequently, handed the general Jiang Nan their surrender letter. To Da Li, they didn¡¯t have to use a single soldier to subdue He Zhe so the Emperor would certainly be delighted. But to Jiang Nan, this was a great opportunity to establish his military career. He had already led the army out of the city. If he was able to triumph against the Murongs in this bloodied battle, he can achieve sess and win recognition. However, if Murong just surrendered like this, then the reason behind their surrender wouldn¡¯t be because of the impressive general Jiang Nan but instead because of the grand authority of the Da Li emperor.
As a result, the young and domineering Jiang Nan hid this from everyone, killed the ambassador, and destroyed the surrender letter. Without the slightest hesitation, he broke through Murong¡¯s city gates; this wasn¡¯t even enough that he also captured all of the Murong royalties as prisoners, telling everyone that he was escorting them into the capital. Murong royalties thought they¡¯ve escaped death so they all didn¡¯t put up a fight. Back then, Consort Lian, Neng You Lian, no, at that time, she was Murong Xin, was amongst the prisoners being escorted back. Of course it wasn¡¯t just her. The people being escorted back included the Emperor, concubines, princes, princesses, royalties, and nobilities. Behind them were the Murong royalties¡¯ centuries-old valuable treasures. They were returning home with fruitful results. The most terrifying was when tents were set up at night for rest and Murong Xin could hear the sounds of wildughters of the soldiers and the cries of the women passed off as military prostitutes from afar. She knew these soldiers were doing this to the noble women as a way to vent. At those times, she and her sisters would tremble and embrace each other. Since their statuses were rather honorable, those soldiers wouldn¡¯t touch them with the general¡¯s order so Murong Xin escaped this by sheer luck. Unfortunately, her fourth sister Murong Hua was identally raped by the soldiers and Murong Xin witnessed it. Once they found her, she had already died but her eyes were still opened; they were filled with fear, pain, and despair. Her body was cloth-less with greenish purple bruises and wounds. As evident, it was easy to imagine what this noble princess had gone through. Each time Murong Xin recalled this, an unbearable enmity began to rise from the bottom of her heart, causing her sleepless nights and never-ending nightmares.
Originally, the Murong emperor thought they were waiting for a decree for pardon from the Da Li emperor. After all, they¡¯ve already sent their letter of surrender. But he would¡¯ve never thought that what awaited them was Jiang Nan¡¯s massacre order. These thousands of people weren¡¯t actually heading to Da Li; on the contrary, they were heading to their dooms. Ultimately, Jiang Nan bought them to a dested and inhabited mountain valley and killed and buried them all. It was such a cruel experience that Murong Xin didn¡¯t wanted to look back but she could never forget this. Once she roused from her sleep, she felt her fear stemming from realization that she was buried in the ground. At that time, all of her family had already been killed except for her because her Imperial Mother covered her face with blood and was passed off as dead. As a result, she escaped death. Luckily, she was casually thrown on the topmostyer of bodies so she only had ayer of soil on top of her ...... she desperately dug her way out, bing the survivor of this massacre.
She found outter on that Jiang Nan was worried that the Murong royalties would divulge that he destroyed the letter of surrender and had falsely reported his military achievement. So he said Murong rather die than surrender and even colluded with the surrounding microstates to revolt against Da Li. The angry emperor ordered the killing of the Murong royalties and that was the reason why the massacre urred. Murong Xin desperately wanted to seek aid through He Ze¡¯s old ministries but she sadly realized that besides a few royal dead warriors, she had no ways to move anyone. This was because right after Jiang Nian advanced into He Zhe, he didn¡¯t hurt a single civilian and didn¡¯t even kill, frighten, or rape them. Moreover, after killing countless He Zhe soldiers, Jiang Nan even paid the family members of these deceased soldiers a heftypensation and constions. Therefore, He Zhe civilians even believed that it was Murong¡¯s fault for not surrendering early on to avoid a war of weapons ...... so, when Murong Xin wanted to seek aid for her revenge, she realized the Murongs have be themon target for scorn and had be the sinner that had caused the civilians pain.
As for Jiang Nan, because of his achievement, he suddenly went from a nobody to General Wei Wu, a third-ranked hero with a long impressive and meritorious military record. Perhaps it¡¯s because for so long, the extravagant hopes that lived in her heart were mercilessly shattered, the current Neng You Lian, Consort Lian could feel something flipping inside her. It was burning and tattered as it emitted a very concentrated scent of blood that make others nauseous. What was that seed that was suddenly taking roots and sprouting as it grew? That¡¯s fearful vengeance, vengeance that wants to destroy everything. She was standing right next to the Emperor with a very gentle smile on her face while secretly swearing to kill the entire Jiang n!
From the start, she was following Li Wei Yang¡¯s n. Even yesterday, she was going to adhere to her n where the young dancer bring the usation against the Jiangs before the Emperor. But she felt that Li Wei Yang¡¯s n was too childish. The Emperor wouldn¡¯t care and she believed she must let the Emperor suffer. She wanted him to know that it was all because of the Jiangs that someone attempted to assassinate him. It¡¯s only letting him feel the pain of cutting his flesh that he knows the crime the Jiangsmitted and how huge of a crime they¡¯vemitted in wrongly killing the Murong n!
In fact, Li Wei Yang was waiting for the turning point, one that will topple the Jiangs forever.
The Jiangs¡¯ direct line of descent was very prudent so it was difficult to find evidence especially in the government administration. Originally, Li Wei Yang wanted to use Tuoba Yu to forge an evidence of treachery but eventually she realized this was very difficult because she couldn¡¯t think of a way to acquire Duke Jiang¡¯s personal seal. Forgery could also easilye to light. Once you im that the Jiangs are betraying the country, then you must have authentic evidence. A mere letter with a few words can¡¯t gain the trust of the Emperor and the entire country. Moreover, the Jiangs have secured the borders for years with a good track record and have a family of multiple generations so why would there be the need to collude with the enemies? It would be hard for others to believe so Li Wei Yang decided to attack on the coteral branch of the family. A giant tree with deep roots is difficult to move but once the branches are prospering, there would be many parts the tree won¡¯t be able to take care of.
Afterwards, she finally waited until an opportunity came. A month ago, she received news that the Jiang n was constructing a luxurious and extravagant mansion at their hometown in preparation for Duke Jiang to live in retirement. Even though this mansion wasn¡¯t built by Jiang¡¯s direct line of descent but the people who built it are part of the n. Moreover, this mansion was built like the pce with golden dragons embellished all over, jaded beastly statues guarding, windows that invite winds, and a high visibility of the moon and sun that it¡¯s iparably morous. Besides that, they¡¯ve used fifty pounds of golden phoebe zhennan wood, which a thousand tael is barely enough to buy a pound. The luminous pearl on the apex of the mansion was even bigger than the eastern pearl on the Emperor¡¯s crown. The Emperor¡¯s Pce of Prosperous Jade hadn¡¯t been repaired ever since a fire that destroyed it a year ago because the national treasury had spent arge amount of money on the army and the disaster for the past two years. So the Emperor was thinking about rebuilding it in two years but now the Jiangs actually built such a luxurious mansion ...... to the Emperor, his subject has the money to build arge mansion, he would recall how dpidated and broken his Pce of Prosperous Jade was. He would think about how the eastern pearl on his crown isn¡¯t even as huge as the Jiangs¡¯. From that, he suspected that the Jiangs have stolen that money from the army and would think the pearl that they own signify other intentions.
Not only this, after Li Min De found out that this mansion was built by the Jiangs¡¯ rtives as a way to brownnose Duke Jiang, he bribed a design artisan to construct an ordinary pir at a concealed corner. Once you break the externalyer, then you¡¯ll find a creature on the pir and right outside the pce door, there is an exact replica. It¡¯s a king crab with its head facing the court to signify awaiting the Emperor¡¯s return. It¡¯s to admonish the Emperor to not be unwilling to part with themoners¡¯ mour during excursions and return to the pce early. Outside the pce, there is one on the Purple Longevity Hall which signify watching the Emperor leave. It¡¯s to remind the Emperor not to always stay in the pce and should go out to understand themoners more. You can imagine if it¡¯s discovered that in this huge mansion there lives a statue of a king crab which only appears in the pce, it¡¯s easy to know what people can imagine. With this actual huge mansion, it¡¯s even better, substantial, and easy to check than any fabricated evidence. The Emperor just have to send someone to investigate and he¡¯ll see this mansion and would eventually feel that the Jiangs are disloyal. Even if the Emperor doesn¡¯t immediately ughter the entire Jiang n, he would take back the military power. At that time, everyone would know how the Jiangs would end up.
But no matter how great the n is, without a person of much influence by the Emperor¡¯s side, the n wouldn¡¯t have worked. So after Li Wei Yang and Li Min De meticulously discussed, they¡¯ve chosen Neng You Lian, who was a woman that hated the Jiangs¡¯ guts and would risk her own life. Only this type of woman can act without any hesitations to hatefully stamp apart the Jiangs who seem like an indestroyable backbone. But no matter how well-calcted the will of a person is, there would always be a part uncontroble. Consort Lian detested the Jiangs and she was very impatient so she thought a luxurious mansion could only be evident of their corruption but couldn¡¯tpletely shake the Jiangs. Of course, this was also due to the fact that she wasn¡¯tpletely aware of the full n or moreover, shecked sufficient sensitivity in political matters ...... so, she personally changed the n. She switched themoner girl that was sent to bring up the usation to a loyal dead warrior of the Murong royalties. She believed that as long as an assassination is attempted on the Emperor, he would eventually me the Jiangs. Once he investigates into the Murong royalties¡¯ deaths, he would certainly charge the Jiangs for the crime of deceiving him. At that time, the Jiangs would bepletely annihted and this would be the true way to avenge the Murong royal household.
Li Wei Yang watched as the eunuchs in the hall handled the corpse. She watched the expressions on the people as if they were survivors of a disaster. Her gaze even fell on Li Chang Le¡¯s body. Amidst the chaos, Li Chang Le hid behind Jiang Hai and escaped her doom. However, the misses by her side all met an untimely end. As for Jiang Main furen, she was sheltering Lady of Han and hid beside Jiang Xu. She was actually safe and sound but her face turned pale white.
Li Wei Yang lowered her head as nced at a eunuch dragged the young girl who attempted assassination out from the court.
Originally, this young girl didn¡¯t have to die. In the first ce in order to build the mansion, the Jiang n not only used up their ownnds, but they also expanded the surroundings of up to a hundred acres. Among thends they¡¯ve expanded into was a household of surname Zhou who was unwilling to sell theirnds to them and conflicts arose between them and the guards sent by the Jiangs. Their family of fives was ¡°identally¡± burned to death and only left behind two daughters who survived by hiding in the water vats. An actual case traveled from afar to the capital to bring up the usations would persuade the Emperor to listen to her entire usations no matter how ruthless he could be. But the Zhou sisters were actually reced by Consort Lian¡¯s dead warriors.
Li Wei Yang thought about this and could actually understand Consort Lian¡¯s state of mind. The enmity of n destruction would always lingered on her mind. It would be painful and tormenting so restoring the Murong n¡¯s honor and dignity was the most important to Consort Lian. But, could everything go as she nned ......
On the throne, the Emperor showed unprecedented fury and fear. Within an hour, after receiving the imperial edict, the corpse examiner and the Court of Judicial Review have found results. The assassinators¡¯ identity is from the long disappeared Murong royal household. Her waist had a secret totem that identifies her master. This type of totem was one specifically used by the Murong royalties for their dead warriors.
Now, the Emperor had to believe that these people were from the Murong royalties, who he ordered to execute back then.
Jiang Nan immediately stepped forward and kneeled. He said: ¡°Your subject is guilty that he was unable to destroy all evil supporters of the Murong royalties and actually allow them to assassinate Your Majesty. Your subject will certainly investigate this and annihte the Murongspletely!¡± He wouldn¡¯t have known that the true blood descendant of the Murong royalties was gently standing right next to the Emperor.
The Emperor¡¯s eyes erratically watched Jiang Nan. At that moment, Consort Lian and Li Wei Yang¡¯s hearts suddenly rose up.
The Jiangs was known to be Da Li¡¯s first nobles. Back then when Da Li was being established, they had already followed the Emperor and earned military aplishments. After hundred years of development, they¡¯ve established a solid foundation especially in the past ten years. The Jiangs held control of the military and what was rare was that they were still guarding Da Li¡¯s borders, which made the public view the Jiangs as Da Li¡¯s strong, protective screen, causing anxiety in the Emperor. But Duke Jiang and his son Jiang Xu had never showed a single trace of arrogance, had always acted grateful, scrupulously abided to subject¡¯s manners, and did things in a low-key manner. They¡¯ve never colluded with the princes and even maintain a distance from the subjects of the court. As a result, the Emperor thought the Jiangs could still be used especially before he nurture someone that can take over the Jiangs¡¯ power, so he must keep them.
But what happened today went beyond the Emperor¡¯s expectations. He coldly said: ¡°You are guilty. Your biggest crime is misreporting your military achievement! Deceiving the Emperor! It won¡¯t be too much to kill you!¡± As he spoke, he was intolerably raging that he lifted a jade vase and threw it towards Jiang Nan with force. Jiang Nan didn¡¯t dare to dodge it and epted the blow. His forehead was pounded by the jade vase as blood flowed downwards but he didn¡¯t dare to wipe it away.
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Trantor: EricaEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 112 Part 2-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 112 part2
Chapter 112: Heavy Losses
Jiang Xu quickly kneeled down, his expression flustered: ¡°Your Majesty! My son is guilty! My son is guilty!¡± As long as the Emperor investigate, he would discover the truth behind this matter. He had already warned Jiang Nan to not go overboard but after all, he was still young and reckless. The army was sent out so how could he return without any achievements? This was why such a great disaster happened! Even though in the past thousand years, countless military warriors has done the same in killing and misreporting their military achievements. Compared to those, Jiang Nan¡¯s action was considered trivial. But that would be the case if today¡¯s assassination attempt didn¡¯t happen.
The Crown Prince quickly said: ¡°Imperial Father, General Wu Wei is young and reckless and have provoked Father, please pardon him! If you kill him, wouldn¡¯t this cause the public to feel bitterly disappointed and no one would dare by loyal to our country!¡±
After the Crown Prince spoke, the bunch of subjects that kept silent like winter cicadas, all stood out and talked to plead for Jiang Nan¡¯s pardon.
Even the paled-face Empress by Consort Lian¡¯s side put in a word: ¡°Your Majesty, let¡¯s not talk about how Jiang Nan was young and reckless or coveted military achievements which caused this disaster, but let¡¯s consider how the Murongs¡¯ incident had passed for years and how Jiang Nan just saved Your Majesty. Let¡¯s consider it as atoning for his crime, what benefits would there be in investigating a meritorious subject?¡±
Consort Lian¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t be controlled as it inevitably turned white. She even had to hide her fingers in her sleeve in order to not let others notice her whole body was shaking. She would have never expected that the deaths of the Murong royalties and supporters were nothing in the eyes of these people! As for misreporting military achievement, it was simply nothing! The Emperor was hesitant and his expression was not as determined as before!
Li Min De whispered to Li Wei Yang¡¯s ears: ¡°About the other matter ---¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head. If they brought up the matter of the mansion now, the Emperor would be suspicious and question why was everything implicating the Jiangs. The oversensitive him would certainly believe someone was deliberately setting everything up and the target was the Jiangs. As a result, that mansion, couldn¡¯t be brought up.
Now, what should be done? Li Wei Yang was looking at the inner court and then her nce suddenly fell onto Li Xiao Ran. Miraculously, Li Xiao Ran was actually looking at his own daughter. But it wasn¡¯t Li Wei Yang that he was looking at, instead it was Li Chang Le.
At this moment, Li Chang Le was gazing at Li Xiao Ran with a plead for help. It was obvious she hoped that he would speak for the Jiangs. As rtion by marriage, Li Xiao Ran would definitely do this. Jiang Yue Lan by his side was also staring at him.
Li Wei Yang observed Li Xiao Ran¡¯s ever-changing expressions. He stepped forth and was ready to speak.
Li Min De frowned but Li Wei Yang blinked her eyes towards him to tell him to stay calm.
Li Xiao Ran deplored: ¡°Your Majesty, even though General Wu Wei is not old, he has vigorously and effectively carried out his assignments. He has courage and capability and he dares to act on his thoughts. He is certainly a hard toe by talent.
The Emperor forcefully asked: ¡°Then you are agreeing with his actions?¡±
Li Xiao Ran sighed and spoke his crucial words: ¡°Your subject does not mean this. His killing of the Murong n was deception. However, over the years, he had won over forty battles and wherever you go, you¡¯ll see the results left behind by the Jiangs¡¯ military. Perhaps, this is what the young general have cudgeled his brains and showed his loyalty to manage stabilizing the situation so that the country wouldn¡¯t be in chaos. Your subject dare say that if it was someone else, this would have been worse. No one can do better!¡± What he aimed for was all done in these words of praise. It was mainly words that praised Jiang Nan. But the Emperor¡¯s expression changed and unexpectedly turned worse.
Li Wei Yang noticed this and kept her head down as she hid her smile. Li Xiao Ran had served the Emperor for years so hepletely understood his temper. Since the Emperor was hesitant, he apuded Jiang Nan up to the skies that he was a hero sent from the Heavens and without him, the country would fall. If this was used on an ordinary emperor, Jiang Nan would certainly be safe. But this Emperor was very different that his suspicions have reached out of the ordinary boundaries. If Li Xiao Ran scolded Jiang Nan and made the Emperor believed his words were too severe and felt sympathy towards his subject and then pleaded for him after, then this matter could have trivialized. However, Li Xiao Ran must greatly praised Jiang Nan that he had reminded the Emperor what he detested the most and considered a taboo. The Emperor would definitely be enraged. Li Wei Yang predicted that Li Xiao Ran was different from Consort Lian. He must have known what the Emperor resented the most!
As expected, Li Xiao Ran continued to speak: ¡°To have the Jiangs learn from their mistakes, we must not put Your Majesty¡¯s life at risk merely because of one¡¯s coveting of military achievements!¡±
The Emperor¡¯s expression had worsen to the point that it couldn¡¯t get any worse. He furiously bellowed: ¡°Prime Minister Li, if you plead for the Jiangs again, I will punish you too!¡± Li Xiao Ran was stunned and retreated back with a failed expression. The subjects on the side immediately shut their mouths. They¡¯ve noticed how Prime Minister Li had spoken many words to beg for leniency but instead had intensified the Emperor¡¯s anger. Now, none of them dared to utter a single word!
Li Wei Yang almostughed out loud. Father, oh, Father, you must extremely detest the Jiangs that you would drop more stones into the well (add on to their misfortunes). But, those stones were dropped quickly, ruthlessly, and precisely. She finally understood who she inherited her vicious genes from.Li Chang Le¡¯s expression unveiled unmatchable fear. She feared but not for the Jiangs but for herself. If the Jiangs are toppled, then everything is done. No one would stand up for her; her life would be submerged in darkness. But now, no one dared to speak for the Jiangs. She pleadingly looked at Tuoba Zhen but his eyes unblinkingly looked towards Li Wei Yang as if he was thinking about something. All at once, Li Chang Le felt an unending spiral of hatred: why, why does everyone cares about that bitch!
Jiang Nan loudly cried: ¡°Your Majesty, your subject had followed the edict and executed the entire Murong n. If Your Majesty must punish someone, then please punish me only and pardon my father!¡± Once he was finished speaking, he continuously kowtowed on the ground.
The Emperor coldlyughed: ¡°If you want to die, then I won¡¯t keep you alive ---¡±
Once the Emperor said this, he already had the intention to kill! Jiang Xu was stunned. His thoughts swiftly changed and he had already stood up. He mercilessly pped Jiang Nan and furiously shouted: ¡°Evil child! How dare you speak back to the Emperor! Even if the Jiangs die sonless, we cannot keep you alive!¡± As he spoke, he grabbed a long sword from the waist of a royal guard and swept it towards Jiang Nan! If the royal guards didn¡¯t immediately pull him back, Jiang Nan would have been covered with blood right on the spot!
The royal guards exerted a great effort to hold back General Jiang Xu who wanted to kill Jiang Nan. And, right at this moment, everyone was shocked. Only Li Wei Yang wasughing on the inside. This Jiang Xu really knows how to act!
Jiang Xu kneeled on the ground and painfully cried: ¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s the father¡¯s fault for not teaching his son well. Your subject had fathered such an unruly son who dare to offend Your Majesty. Your subject must put aside father and son¡¯s rtionship. His crimes are indeed evil and must be execute on the spot, I ask that Your Majesty punish him!¡±
Ate age first-rank official was kowtowing and crying on the floor, making others feel unease. The Emperor¡¯s expression slowly changed again.In this world, Li Xiao Ran is after all not the only one who fully understood the Emperor¡¯s temper. The moment Jiang Xu was going to kill his son for his crimes, the Emperor had already changed his mind and was going to take back the execution sentencing.
Li Wei Yang watched as the corners of the Emperor¡¯s mouth sagged downward and realized that the murderous expression on his face had already vanished. She couldn¡¯t help but blinked; unfortunately, in this situation, it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to speak or else she would have put in a few words to reignite the tension and possibly have the Jiangs pay with their lives. But ...... she can¡¯t, Consort Lian couldn¡¯t either! So Li Wei Yang shed a warning nce towards Consort Lian.
Consort Lian soon recovered from her trance: ¡°Your Majesty, how about we pardon the young general? See, the general (who conquered the West) is pleading like this, the young general is after all a hard toe by hero. Your Majesty¡¯s territories still need them to defend, why upset everyone here ......¡±
Jiang Xu had just calmed himself but soon became anxious again. He greatly lifted his head to re at Consort Lian with expressions filled with abhorrence.
The Emperor detested meritorious officials threatening him. He listened, frowned, and then looked at the wound on Consort Lian¡¯s neck. There was still blood on it and he involuntarily pitied her. He originally wanted to pardon Jiang Nan but he changed his mind again, he coldly spoke: ¡°I want to see, without this hero, would my territory actually topple! From today onwards, Jiang Nan¡¯s third-rank merits will be removed and he will never be appointed again! As for Jiang Xu, he failed as a father, so he must also be punished. He will be demoted from first rank to third rank with his sry being forfeited for three years and he will be under house arrest for one year! Your seal will be handed over to Gao Jin! Go!¡±
In Consort Lian¡¯s eyes was endless disappointment. Why is the Emperor still unwilling to kill the Jiangs! Only the forfeit of his sry! Why! She looked towards Li Wei Yang and noticed that she was gently shaking her head. Consort Lian was stunned that she immediately lowered her head afraid that others will notice her change in expression.
Li Wei Yang sighed. If Consort Lian followed what she nned, then today they would have uprooted the Jiangs because a mansion of unloyalty is far more problematic than misreporting military achievements. The wrongful deaths of the Murongs was a crime in Consort Lian¡¯s eyes but to the Emperor, it was worthless. If it wasn¡¯t for Li Xiao Ran¡¯s words, the Emperor would have contemte punishment but in the end decide to let the Jiangs off. The punishment today wasn¡¯t for fabrication or misreporting of military achievements but for the shock he suffered! He wanted everyone to know that whoever brings trouble to him, he will make their lives hard! But the good thing was that Jiang Nan¡¯s career was over and having Jiang Xu under house arrest was equivalent to stripping his power over his army of two hundred thousand soldiers. As a result, his power was given to chariots general Gao Jin ...... this was a major blow to the Jiangs. But they couldn¡¯t express their grief since after all, Jiang Nan indirectly caused assassination attempt. It was already a pardon to not kill him for such a huge crime.
It seemed like Li Xiao Ran¡¯s words were light but they were able to force the Jiangs to hand over their power over an army of two hundred thousand to save Jiang Nan; they still have to suffer! Even though they¡¯ve used their military achievements to earn this army, they still must let it go!
As Li Min De watched this scene, he coldly smirked. He was thinking about how Duke Jiang¡¯s army of three hundred thousand was suddenly cut down by a half that it was enough to have the Jiangs hold back for a while. It¡¯s just that they originally could have sent them to their death but because of Consort Lian¡¯s meddling, they¡¯ve lost the opportunity and felt regretful.
Li Wei Yang also felt this way but seeing how the Jiang father and son pair looked as if they¡¯ve swallowed a fly and how Jiang Nan soaked the ground with his blood, it felt quite nice.
The Jiang father and son received punishment from the Emperor so they must ept his gratitude. As they exited, Jiang Xu¡¯s lofty body swayed and if it wasn¡¯t for Jiang Nan who was agile enough to support him up, he would have almost fell onto the ground. Jiang Hai and other members of the Jiang could only watch because the Emperor only ordered them to leave. As for everyone else, they must stay behind. This kind of suffering was much more painful than anything else. Momentarily, Jiang Hai¡¯s eyes were red as he held in the resentment in them.
Once they walked outside the hall, destion escted in Jiang Xu¡¯s chest as his eyes twitched. He raised his voice: ¡°Let go of me!¡± He was saying this to Jiang Nan and Jiang Nan watched him with shock.Instantaneously, Jiang Xu arduously moved both his legs as he walked in the rain. After, he lifted the edge of his robe and determinedly kneeled on the public square of the hall.
Jiang Nan quickly went over to help him up: ¡°Father, what are you doing!¡±
¡°Imbecile! What do you know! If it wasn¡¯t for you, the Jiangs wouldn¡¯t be humiliated like this! I¡¯ve told you countless times to avoid conceit and impetuosity! You! You think you¡¯re extraordinary! An army of two hundred thousand, do you know how long we spent for this! Now it¡¯s all ruined in your hands!¡±
Jiang Nan distressingly whispered: ¡°Once you kneel here, your innocence has turned into guilt. Get up, His Majesty won¡¯t forgive us just from this kneel. Moreover, we will be theughingstock!¡±
¡°Idiot!¡± Jiang Xu suddenly looked up. His hair, eyes, nose, and mouth were all blotted by the rainwater. Yet his pair of eyes were still able to release fury as he coldly watched his own son: ¡°If you want the Jiangs to be ended in your hands, then keep standing!¡±
The rain was heavily pouring down. Jiang Nan involuntarily kneeled with Jiang Xu. Not for long, his entire body was drenched, making him feel ufortable. A fire was igniting within him: ¡°Father! If you want to kneel, I will kneel with you! But I am not wrong! And I certainly wouldn¡¯t admit fault!¡± He had never suffered from this grievance before in his life but he could only clenched his fist and grind his teeth! He didn¡¯t know why was he this unfortunate. Where did this orphan of the Muronge from? Everything was originally fine but the Emperor suddenly changed his mind!
At this moment, the air in the hall had be stagnant yet the outside, the winds were blowing heavily. The northeast winds were pounding against the windows of the hall from all directions, causing unease to rise. The banquet in the hall couldn¡¯t be continued, the Emperor waved his hands and said: ¡°Let¡¯s disassemble!¡±
It felt like they were granted a general pardon as they watch the Emperor and the Empress held onto to each other and left. Others followed suit and left the hall; outside the hall, it was pouring. After this hair-raising banquet, everyone felt so uneasy that they even rejected the umbres prepared for them by the eunuchs and left the hall in bewilderness. Others didn¡¯t want an umbre but Li Chang Le took it. She was afraid the mask on her face would be washed off so she held onto the umbre like it¡¯s her life. Everyone right next to her were from other families; her own maid wasn¡¯t permitted to enter the hall. Soon she flowed out with the crowd and attempted to search for the Jiangs but to no avail. Only Jiang Yue Lan and her left in the crowd. Approaching the steps, she saw Sun Yan Jun standing at the entrance. Li Chang Le coldly stared at her while she walked past her. And as she walked past, Sun Yan Jun took her to be an eyesore that she ced her foot out to trip Li Chang Le. Li Chang Le didn¡¯t expect the Miss of a general to behave in such a way. She shrieked and rolled down the steps in the eyes of many.
Everyone had already gone through countless astonishments so they couldn¡¯t withstand the shriek. Each one of them frightfully stood in ce, anticipating something horrifying to happen. Afterwards, they realized nothing horrifying was going to happen and instead saw Li Chang Le rolling down from the steps like a ball. Shended on the ground with her umbre dropped onto the ground smashed into pieces.
¡°Ah! How frightening!¡± A furen screamed and pointed at Li Chang Le as if she just witnessed a ghost.
The gazes of the people looked in the direction her finger was pointing towards. Everyone was taken aback.
Li Chang Le¡¯s organs were almost smashed apart yet in the heavy downpour, she heard screams. She suddenly regained consciousness and without any concerns to her pain, she immediately touched her own face: the mask was still there. At this moment, she suddenly noticed a ball of something on the ground that was ck. Her heart instantly sank into an endless cliff ......
In front of a crowd of a thousand elites and aristocrats, the deity-like alluring Eldest Miss of the Li family rolled down the steps. Her beautiful appearance didn¡¯t change at all but her ck silky hair dropped onto the ground and rolled in the muddied water. The head that was revealed was not only bald but also had numerous scars and rotting wounds. A sh of lightning lit up the whole sky, exposing the horrendous sight in front of everyone¡¯s eyes.
¡°A leper! A leper!¡± The furen originally couldn¡¯t see clearly and only noticed that Li Chang Le was bald. But with that sh of lightning, Li Chang Le¡¯s horrifying scalp was fully exposed. The furen who was closest to her let out a scream and then fainted.
Jiang Hai quickly sauntered over through the crowd and took off his cloak to cover Li Chang Le¡¯s head. He said: ¡°Lower your head!¡±
Jiang Yue Lan rushed over and Jiang Hai pushed Li Chang Le towards her: ¡°Leave now!¡±
Everyone confusingly watched this scene. They couldn¡¯t believe their eyes at all. This beautiful Eldest Miss of the Li¡¯s was bald but why was it covered with scars. Some scars were even starting to rot, discharging blood. What a horrendous sight ......
The people were all widely discussing about this. Li Xiao Ran was extremely embarrassed that he quickly trotted over and shouted: ¡°Why are you still here to make aughingstock out of yourself?!¡± Once he finished speaking, he instantly trotted out the pce. Jiang Yue Lan didn¡¯t dare to say much as she led Li Chang Le out.
Amongst the crowd, someone finally let out augh. This kind of quietughter was like a contagious disease as it spread through the sympathy amongst the men and the disgust amongst the women. Sun Yan Jun was also extremely shocked because she only wanted to embarrass Li Chang Le. But just now, she obviously unveiled a secret.
Tuoba Rui saw the scene clearly amongst the crowd, which almost caused him to vomit. He obviously saw a white-colored thing like a maggot moving that he even wanted to hurl out the dinner he hadst night. Everyone actually didn¡¯t know but that wasn¡¯t a maggot but a silver-lined bug used by Jiang Tian to help prevent the wounds to worsen. But to Tuoba Rui, it was no difference between those two insects. He only wanted to immediately leave this nightmare of a banquet. The beautiful goddess in his heart had been reduced to a nightmare.
On the contrary, Tuoba Zhen just coldly watched with expressions that showed no fluctuations. He didn¡¯t even care to go up to help and only wanted to know if what happened at the banquet had anything to do with Li Wei Yang. He didn¡¯t know why but he felt that there was a link between everything that happened or else how could it be exined that the paper should have originally show Li Wei Yang¡¯s face turned to Able Consort Wu¡¯s? She must have known something, she must have! The thought of this made him felt astonished yet at the same time, he felt an inexpressible shudder. Why is it that this woman can¡¯t be of his use?! Right at this moment, the Crown Prince walked up to his side: ¡°Third Brother, don¡¯t be overly upset.¡±
Tuoba Zhen sorrowfully responded: ¡°Imperial Brother, I would have never expected that a banquet would turn into this. Consort Mother, she ---¡± It was such a pity that the linkage through Able Consort Wu had been broken apart.
The Crown Prince sighed and said: ¡°I know you and Able Consort Wu have a deep rtionship. Now she hase to a no good end. Imperial Father is too cruel and believed the words of that priest ---¡±
Tuoba Zhen lowered his head as if he was too sad to speak a word.
The Crown Prince patted his shoulder: ¡°I will think of a way. I hope Imperial Father wouldn¡¯t punish you.¡±
Tuoba Zhen sighed and spoke: ¡°Now, I can only rely on you, Imperial Brother.¡±
The Crown Prince nodded and said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, not only me but Imperial Mother will also speak for you! We won¡¯t let Imperial Father vent his anger on you, don¡¯t worry. Everything will be like the past, absolutely nothing will change.¡±
Tuoba Zhen, of course, knew these were just constion words. The Emperor marrying Marquis of Yong Ning¡¯s granddaughter to Tuoba Rui was a warning for him. From the Emperor¡¯s perspective, after killing Able Consort Wu, the Emperor knew he would hate him so he took away his support ...... such a heartless and tyrannical father. It seemed like everything must be renned. Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes droop as his brain entered speed mode. But he didn¡¯t know why Li Wei Yang¡¯s face was appearing in his head. Why was it that her face was bing much more clearer in his head ......
At this moment, Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu searched for Li Wei Yang in the crowd to ask her to rify a few things but he no longer sees any trace of her.
Not far from the inner hall, Li Min De distantly stood under a corridor, watching the rain as if he was entranced in thought.
Within the court, only the magnificently dressed Consort Lian and Li Wei Yang were left.
Consort Lian¡¯s face was filled with grief; she watched Li Wei Yang like she was unable to speak a single word.
Li Wei Yang saw that she was such and such and mockingly smiled: ¡°What is it? Regret it now?¡±
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: EricaEditor: Erica-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 113 part1
Chapter 113: Arriving at One¡¯s Doorstep
Note: The main reason this chapter is dyed because of what happened to the author who was used of giarism. As a result, I am releasing a survey to gauge reader¡¯s interest and thoughts on this. Besides this, there is also a question regarding terminology. Please fill it out if you have a chance :) Link to survey:
Consort Lian¡¯s face paled. Was she unable to hide the slightest of her thoughts from her opponent¡¯s eyes? As her heart quickly raced, Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Rest assured, since those people were from your Mu Rong Imperial family are already dead, no one knows who you are.¡±
Consort Lian raised her eyes, her eyebrows slightly knit together: ¡°You don¡¯t me me?¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly said: ¡°Of course you are at fault. You just wasted a perfectly good opportunity, and your previous actions put us all in danger. If you were a bit careless, we all will be buried together.¡±
Consort Lian¡¯s face grew paler by the moment, and her bright red lips became more distinct, bearing a strange demonic resemnce. A sh of hope appeared in her eyes: ¡°That building is still there. Themoner woman that reported that is still being kept. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll find a mercenary¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed: ¡°It¡¯s toote.¡±
Shock appeared on Consort Lian¡¯s face. Li Wei Yang looked at her. A momentter, she smiled slightly and said: ¡°The Jiang family was already prepared for it. I think that without waiting for His Majesty to sent anyone out, that building would have long ceased to exist. Your Highness, if you had brought themoner woman looking to report it to the main hall today, and kill them before they could act, there may have been a bit of hope. Unfortunately, you made the wrong move with this pawn.¡±
There was also regret on Consort Lian¡¯s face. Li Wei Yang sincerely believed that she was suffering more than what was apparent on her face. She softly said: ¡°But I understand you and know why you did that. If it was me, and my family met an unfortunate end, I would stop at nothing to avenge them as a member of the Mu Rong Imperial family. You want to restore the dignity and honor of the Imperial family and right the wrongs, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, you were too hasty, as long as you overturned the Jiang family today, the Mu Rong Imperial family matter will certainly be investigated. Then, of course, your grudge will be settled.¡±
Consort Lian¡¯s beautiful face was stained with tears. She couldn¡¯t even say a word. She was a clever person. If she wasn¡¯t blinded by revenge, she would understand the reasoning in doing that.
Li Wei Yang continued to speak: ¡°Consort Lian, do you know where you went wrong? It wasn¡¯t because you were too anxious for revenge, nor because you went against our agreement, but you took the wrong approach to revenge. Perhaps, even if you are by the Emperor¡¯s side, you do not understand how to please and control this man.¡±
Consort Lian¡¯s skipped a beat. She looked in Li Wei Yang¡¯s direction and saw that although she always had an idle and calm smile on her face, her eyes were gleaming with sincerity, but only for a moment and then immediately reced by other emotions: ¡°Your Highness, do you understand what I mean?¡±
Maybe it was the sound of the wind and rain pouring in from outside, but Li Wei Yang¡¯s words were vaguely hard to hear.
Consort Lian smiled slightly, took a deep breath, and began to speak again: ¡°I want to hear the details.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her with a smile on her face, but the smile had left her eyes. She was a someone who was difficult to read and projected a shadow of herself, a flickering shadow that did not seem to finally ovep with reality at any point.
¡°Mu Rong Xin¡ª¡± Li Wei Yang uttered, referring to her with a name never used before. Every syble seemed to be dragged across burning coals, tempered by fire. Once spoken, it had a significant impact, ¡°You were born into the Imperial family, but Da Li¡¯s Son of Heaven ispletely different from thevish and empathetic Son of Heaven of your Mu Rong Imperial family. You share the same bed as him, breaths mingling with one another, but you still don¡¯t understand him.¡±
The wind outside suddenly got stronger, rain sttering into the hall, sending the silk curtains flying and dancing.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice, each and every word that reached her ears were vivid and decisive¡ª
¡°Our Son of Heaven is clever and suspicious. His cleverness allowed him to utilize his talents and ascend to the throne from a mere prince. His paranoia makes him toy with court ministers in the palm of his hand. However, a clever person has a bad habit. If they are too clever, they will have a tendency to restrain themselves. He is indeed a wise ruler, able to face anything and adopt any means he finds useful. This is also the reason he made use of my solution, even though I am only a young girl of the inner household. However, at the same time, His Majesty is also someone who is vindictive and vengeful, deciding everything in an unconventional manner and shocking court officials.¡±
¡°You know, my father is a respected official with a high position, but there are many people who envy him and want to im his position as Prime Minister. So over the years, reports of his misdoings are as plentiful as snow, but in front of His Majesty, my father always kept the appearance of someone afraid, pitiful and wrongly used. Every time, he will solemnly kneel before His Majesty to show how he had been singled out and left helpless. He will plead guilty, failing to perform his duties and even offending many court officials. He would ask to be dismissed and to return to the countryside. The more he does this, the more His Majesty will refuse. On the other hand, His Majesty will feel that he is a well-intentioned, loyal subject, which is why others isted and targeted him, so he always protected and believed my father. This is one of the reasons why my father has stood unwavering for many years, because his understanding of His Majesty had soon surpassed his opponents.¡± Li Wei Yang emphasized every word and revealed a shocking truth.
¡°Today, His Majesty clearly intended to let Jiang Nan go, but my father said a few words and moved His Majesty to murderous intent. Do you know why this is? Because my father raised Jiang Nan and the Jiang family high with praise, making the Emperor feel that the Jiang family was now beyond his control. He can tolerate corruption and bribery, smuggling, acting on self-interests, and even allow them to falsely report military affairs and kill innocent people, but he will not allow a subject to escape his control!¡±
Consort Lian stared intently at Li Wei Yang as if listening very closely.
Li Wei Yang continued: ¡°However, Jiang Xu is also considered to be someone who understands the Emperor¡¯s bad habit. When the Emperor wanted to execute Jiang Nan, he acted out a y in front of the Emperor, letting him feel that a single decision from him could destabilize the Jiang family. The Emperor would feel that the Jiang family is only a dog of the Imperial family, not worth worrying about, so Jiang Nan lost his official position but kept his life. When speaking of understanding the Emperor, you cannotpare to my father. When speaking of grasping the situation, you cannotpare to Jiang Xu. Those two have great influence on the Emperor, but in the Emperor¡¯s eyes, they are only his subjects, and these subjects in reality control the Emperor¡¯s decisions.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s words stunned Consort Lian, leaving her wide-eyed, but her face remained very calm. However, Consort Lian, who was only half a step away from her, felt as if Li Wei Yang was very distant, as if she was in a faraway ce, watching the struggle without involving herself¡ªthis was rather frightening.
Consort Lian felt afraid and anxious. She suddenly realized how grave of a mistake she made today. Li Wei Yang was right. When faced off with therge and powerful Jiang family, she needed to understand her opponent and understand everything within her control that could be utilized. In the end, she did not have enough control over the situation, nor did she have any grasp of the Emperor¡¯s temperament, so she was failed miserably.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°On the surface, every decision is made by the sacred decree, but as long as you understand him well enough, you can manipte him, letting him think that every decision he makes is his own. In truth, it will be because you indirectly influence him to make such a decision. Of course, this is very dangerous. If you let the Emperor realize your intentions, you will be shackled and left to die without being buried. So, this is a game, and only when you understand the rules do you have a chance of winning. The most dangerous thing now is that your opponent has studied and learned the Emperor¡¯s personality, knows what he pays attention to, where his weaknesses are, and so what do you have to win?¡±
Consort Lian¡¯s face revealed her shock, as if she had expected this. Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°If that woman was sessful, I will tell you what would have happened. The Emperor would have immediately sent someone to verify this matter. Then, he will discover that the Jiang family built a mansion that is inferior to the Imperial Pce, yet holds more treasures than the Imperial Pce itself. Bright pearls even bigger than the Eastern Sea pearls on Imperial crowns, buildings taller than the Imperial Pce. The Emperor will be furious, and the court officials will plead for action. His Majesty will give the decree to appease the court and take the Jiang family aside for a scolding until they do not dare to go outside. In the middle of the road, the Jiang family could hold celebrations of victory, thinning His Majesty¡¯s patience. After that, Duke Jiang will be forced to return and exin, but in any case, the Jiang family would bear the crime of treason, their entire family annihted!¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice grew more and more urgent, revealing that her own impatience was no less than Consort Lian¡¯s.
¡°At that point, their past wrongdoings will be brought to light. In that way, the bloody case of your Mu Rong Imperial family will have another path and be evidence that they deceived the Emperor, an act of treason and deceit! Of course, there is a second possibility. That is, the Emperor imprisons the Jiang family, but Duke Jiang resists it. This is even better. Dispatching nameless armies, unrighteous schemes, condemned by eight parties, the Jiang familymitted treason and must die without a doubt. So, at an intersection, all roads lead to death! Wouldn¡¯t you say this is very good? No need to dirty your hands, yet you can have bloody vengeance. But today, you saw for yourself, there was a drawn-out chaotic struggle to force out a crime of false reporting, but it only made them spill a bit of blood. It simply did not shake them, what a pity.¡±
Every sentence, every word, Li Wei Yang spoke them with nonchnce. Consort Lian did not expect her to have nned everything out so meticulously, so arrogant and determined... But she vaguely felt that following Li Wei Yang¡¯s script, everything will happen as she said because Li Wei Yang truly understood the Emperor...
¡°I... I used the wrong crime.¡± Consort Lian suddenly wanted tough, but for some reason, the smile that appeared on her lips turned bitter, ¡°I was too foolish...¡± Head bowed, she sighed deeply, ¡°What is called bullyingmoners, how could itpare to treason? Missed an opportunity, it¡¯s toote to regret it...¡±
But at that moment, Consort Lian¡¯s hand was lifted up. She looked up and saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s determined face: ¡°There are still many opportunities.¡± Pausing for a bit, her voice became lower: ¡°But you have to listen to me.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was jarring and ruthless, that cold yet lovely face had captivating strength and dignified air.
Consort Lian looked to her, stunned, then conviction appeared in her eyes...
Right, she designed a trap for them before, of course, she could do it a second time.
As long as she cooperated with her, someday she would have her revenge!
tion shed across Consort Lian¡¯s eyes: ¡°What should I do now?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Wait.¡±
Consort Lian hesitated a bit: ¡°Until when?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled lightly, ¡°Until you can control the Emperor and influence his decisions. Until he cannot leave you, and your influence surpasses all others, including my father and the Jiang family as well.¡±
Consort Lian fearfully looked at her: ¡°I... Do I have that power?¡±
Li Wei Yang had tough: ¡°Of course you do! Because you are not only beautiful but clever, and most importantly, you risked your life to save the Emperor! Of course, it was because you arranged it, but he doesn¡¯t know that. On the other hand, you will be the most beloved woman in his life because you have done things even the Empress could not do! As long as you convey it well, you can have the Emperor¡¯s power in your hand, let him be happy for you, angry for you, and kill for you!¡±
The Emperor¡¯s prestige...
The Emperor had sovereign authority, so he could do as he wished and conveniently change others¡¯ destinies. With his identity and status, he could have everything. As long as she could control him, sooner orter, there will be a day she could avenge her Imperial family!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes clearly conveyed those words, but Consort Lian also understood, so the mournful hesitation and reluctance in her eyes gradually receded and became determination.
As if hypnotized, Li Wei Yang firmly took Consort Lian¡¯s hand and led her to the balcony. Their shoulders were damp with rain as water seeped in beneath their feet. Every step felt rather heavy, but Li Wei Yang still walked on, slowly, step by step, calmly and stubbornly pulling her along. They walked to the edge of the balcony, where she pointed to a distant ce: ¡°What do you see there?¡±
Consort Lian followed her line of sight. Father and son of the Jiang family, the pair was still kneeling outside the hall,pletely soaked. No matter how frightening the wind and rain were, they kept clenching their teeth and persisted, with no intention of leaving.
¡°Your Highness, do you understand now?¡± Li Wei Yang asked with a smile.
Consort Lian gritted her teeth: ¡°A n gone to waste.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile had a hint of mercilessness: ¡°So, what should you do?¡±
Consort Lian smiled lightly, her smile beautiful and captivating: ¡°I understand now. Thank Xianzhu for your advice.¡±
Li Wei Yang took two steps back, gently performed the ceremonial greeting and said: ¡°Your subject withdraws.¡±
As she watched Li Wei Yang and Min De leave, Consort Lian subconsciously touched the mouth of the wound on her neck and wrists left behind by her act and smiled.
The Empress told the Emperor that the father and son of the Jiang family continued to kneel in the heavy rain. The Emperor did not believe it and went out to see for himself. He did indeed find two people in the thick curtain of rain. Jiang Xu was able to meet the Emperor, immediately kowtowing and admitting to the crime. Jiang Nan clenched his teeth and followed, kowtowing as well.
¡°Understand your crime?¡± The Emperor solemnly asked.
Jiang Xu¡¯s voice trembled, his face streaming with tears: ¡°Your Majesty, thousands of mistakes all belong to this subject. It is because your subject failed to strictly discipline his son. As long as it lessens Your Majesty¡¯s anger, this subject now asks Your Majesty to punish this father and son more heavily!¡± His face changed to shame, and he let a few tears fall, quite pained. His voice was choked as he said: ¡°Your subject¡¯s son falsely reported battle results and was impetuous. Even if Your Majesty executes him, your subject would not dare to be resentful in the least...¡±
Compared to Marquis Yongning, who had just lost his daughter and still kept aposed face, Jiang Xu¡¯s expressions made the Emperor feel at ease. He thought to himself and wondered if he had been too harsh with punishment. In any case, Jiang Xu did not do anything wrong. The Emperor solemnly looked at them, his face calm as water. He waved his hand a bit tiredly: ¡°Forget it, get up!¡±
¡°Your subject, thanks your lordship¡¯s grace.¡± A glimmer of hope surfaced in Jiang Xu¡¯s heart as he waited for the Emperor to continue. ording to his understanding, the Emperor wouldfort him with a few words, then a yearter, there was still hope for military power.
Just as the Emperor was about to say something, an eunuch suddenly ran over and whispered a few things. The Emperor¡¯s face drastically changed: ¡°What? Consort Lian was overly frightened and has a worsening fever?¡± The Emperor¡¯s face suddenly fell.
¡°Your Majesty¡ª¡± Jiang Xu began to panic and could not help but take a step forward.
The Emperor did not even look at him once, turning and hurrying away. The eunuch holding the umbre quickly ran after him. No one paid attention to the father and son anymore.
Jiang Nan frowned: ¡°Father, let¡¯s go back!¡±
Jiang Xu turned back, and his left hand dealt a fierce p to his face: ¡°Go! Go! Go! Truly are a wretched animal!¡± He looked up at the sky and sighed. There was no distinguishing between the tears and rain on his face. He only knew that today, their Jiang family had lost their possessions and was left crippled!-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: Chau V.Editor: Caroll L.Next: Chapter 113 Part 2-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 113 part2
Hello readers! I want to thank everyone who filled out the survey :)
Here are the results:1) 95.3% voted "Yes, they will continue to support"
2) 73.6% voted "Yes to keeping some Chinese terms"
3) Many asked that the trantions be updated more frequently in theirments.
----------------------------In summary:1) This novel will continue to be tranted.
2) These terms: Xiaojie (Miss), Nubi (Your maidservant), Bixia (Your Majesty), Dianxia (Address for a prince), Niang niang (Address for concubines), Yiniang (Mistress), Furen (Wife), Meimei (Younger sister), Jiejie (Older sister) will have pinyin.
It is better to keep the numerical terms in English as it¡¯s difficult to remember and would make it confusing. So terms like San Xiaojie will be tranted as Third Xiaojie.
3) Trantions will be updated every week with a new part released unless otherwise stated. The reason it is split into parts is because chapters are getting super long.
Chapter 113: Arriving at One¡¯s Doorstep
In the carriage, Li Wei Yang lifted the curtain and saw the sky was covered with dark clouds and rain. Her eyes were fixated far away¡ª
In truth, she deeply regretted it, to the point where her heart was bleeding.
With such a good opportunity, the Jiang family would be undermined today!
Having once failed, the other party will take precautions, making it harder to act against them again. How could she have nothing to say? How could she not regret it! And yet she still kept a calm face in front of Consort Lian, as if nothing was wrong, because she could not let Consort Lian lose faith. If she was to challenge the Jiang family, Consort Lian would be a very important person! She could be by the Emperor¡¯s side.There was nothing better than having someone on the inside coborate with others on the outside!
A cloak was draped over her. Li Wei Yang looked back and saw Li Min De smiling, his eyes curved up: ¡°You say you don¡¯t regret it, but you actually want to die of regret.¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed deeply: ¡°Had I known, I would have chosen a more obedient beauty.¡±
Li Min De shook his head: ¡°Silly. How could you find someone more suitable? Like you said, beautiful women are easy to find, but it¡¯s hard to find one that hates the Jiang family down to their bones and would not betray us. Consort Lian is a clever woman. Perhaps with this lesson learned, she will know who can help her and who she should cooperate with¡ª¡± Li Min De took in a deep breath as he looked at the sky, then closed his eyes and slowly breathed out. When he reopened his eyes, his expressions returned to normal. Then, he lightly said: ¡°A pity that our efforts are gone.¡±
Li Wei Yang slightly smiled and said: ¡°You really are pretending to be innocent. Be honest now, what did you to to that old Taoist back there?¡±
Li Min De innocently raised his hands: ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! He was only punished by the Heavens for having ill intentions.¡±
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°Even if the lightning rod on the stage was tampered with, he could not have been struck by lightning. What method did you have?¡±
Atst, Li Min De admitted: ¡°I bribed his Taoist disciple and put two nails into his shoes... Did you know that when they are nailed to shoes, an ident will happen? It¡¯s also because he has done too many things, evil remembers and evil returns.¡±
Li Wei Yang was shocked for a moment and thought to herself that he was more cruel than her in some ways. At first, she only told him to destroy the lightning rod on the stage. She only told him to do one thing, not expecting that on the other hand, he would want to do everything.
The rain outside got heavier. Li Wei Yang looked at the heavy curtain of rain, not at ease in the slightest.
Li Min De softly said: ¡°Don¡¯t feel sorry for the efforts put towards a certain end goal. The journey itself is meaningful. What¡¯s more is that we killed that old Taoist who was harming people. Who knows how many innocent young women have been saved. This is also a merit.¡±
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°That also counts as merit?¡±
Li Min De solemnly responded: ¡°Certainly.¡±
Seeing him justifying the situation, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help butugh. Her mind eased up at once: ¡°You are right. Overturning the Jiang family is not something inevitable. I said the same words to Consort Lian, but now that it¡¯s my turn, I feel anxious.¡±
Li Min De gently smiled, his voice gentle as a brocade, more like a clear spring, cool and calm, slowly flowing into her heart: ¡°No matter what it is you want, you must have patience, isn¡¯t that right?¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded. The warmth in her heart seemed to push away the heavy clouds, a ray of sunshine shining in. Everything seemed brighter overall. She couldn¡¯t help but smile. Li Min De saw her smiling and felt his heart soften. He suddenly remembered a floral wine he once tasted and the fragrance and intensity invading his heart and filling in his limbs.
Once they returned, Li Wei Yang went to see Lao Furen first. She knew that the olddy was certainly not asleep yet, waiting for her to retell what happened at the banquet. It was indeed the case. When Lao Furen heard the Old Taoist was reduced to ashes by lightning, she uttered a Buddhist prayer. When she heard the part where Able Consort Wu was sentenced to death, she only shook her head. As soon as she heard that there were assassins at the night banquet, she pulled Li Wei Yang closer and looked up and down for a while. After finding that she was not hurt, she felt reassured. Li Wei Yang saw that Lao Furen¡¯s face and eyes were full of heartfelt concern and felt a bit ufortable. She wished Lao Furen well with a few words and took her leave.
Looking at the heavy rain that had stopped outside, Li Wei Yang contemted. In the end, the human heart is still of flesh and blood. Although Lao Furen had somewhat used her, she always had genuine concern that perhaps she did not realize herself.
Early next morning, Bai Zhi brought an invitation in. The writing was exquisite with small, neat and beautiful calligraphy.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips slightly curved up. Sun Yan Jun wasing to visit. She liked warm, genuine and open-minded people like that.
Sun Yan Jun was an impatient person. She arrived in the afternoon. Li Wei Yang ordered appetizers to be prepared. Sun Yan Jun¡¯s pale cheeks were flushed, her eyes clear as water. She ate pastries and drank tea with a dimpled smile, telling Li Wei Yang things that happened the night before.
¡°That Eldest Sister of yours, isn¡¯t she trying topete with me? I don¡¯t care who she is, I¡¯ll only say: I won¡¯t let you!¡± Sun Yan Jun said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯re not looking for trouble, but we¡¯re also not afraid of troublesome things. She usually bats her eyshes, delicately swaying. Seeing that irritates me so much, so I stuck out my foot and let her...¡±
Hearing this, Li Wei Yang could not stopughing, ¡°Good thing I didn¡¯t offend you!¡±
Sun Yan Jun proudly said: ¡°Who asked her to be so useless and fall from the stairs all the sudden? It¡¯s really unbelievable. Turns out it was a balding disease. I want to die ofughter!¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head: ¡°I¡¯m afraid Eldest Sister resents you to death.¡±
Sun Yan Jun did not like trouble things, but she wasn¡¯t afraid of trouble! Li Chang Le wanted topete with her. She would naturally not give way to it, but she only wanted to humiliate her opponent. She did not expect to expose such a big secret. She was a bit satisfied as she said: ¡°I am not afraid. Prime Minister Li has a great beauty like that as his daughter and treats her like a treasure, constantly doting, protecting her and favoring her like this. This is how she turns out so arrogant and self-entitled. I just don¡¯t like seeing her...¡±
Sun Yan Jun¡¯s personality ultimately had a bit of boldness. When faced with someone who was an eyesore, she liked to teach that person some lesson.
Except yesterday, she had just provoked Li Chang Le. Today, she even dared toe over to visit. This girl was a sly character, Li Wei Yang thought to herself.
¡°Now she¡¯s really famous. People outside are spreading it everywhere, saying the Eldest Xiaojie of the Li family has a skin disease. All her hair has fallen out, left herpletely bald!¡± Having said this, she nced at Li Wei Yang: ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t tell me earlier? This kind of news is rare!¡±
Li Wei Yang chuckled, her smile clear, and she herself seemed more radiant.
Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu bothughed. It was rare for their Xiaojie to have friends. She usually smiled on the outside as if not smiling at all, but now, she seemed to really like this Sun Xiaojie.
Sun Yan Jun looked at Li Wei Yang and also felt very close to her. After going back, her mother said the Third Young Xiaojie of the Li family was still young yet acted calmly and listened closely to elders, unlike Sun Yan Jun¡¯s childish and spontaneous temperament, and only listened quietly. This was appropriate. Her mother told her to be closer to Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang finishedughing and said: ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll talk about more appropriate things now. When are you going to be my Second sister-inw?¡±
¡°Nonsense!¡± Sun Yan Jun blushed, jumping up. She clenched her teeth and stomped her feet, her cheeks reddening with the rush of blood.
Li Wei Yang genuinely said: ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect you to have feelings for my Second Older Brother. I even thought thestst time Li Chang Le provoked you, this marriage had soon been ruined...¡±
Sun Yan Jun lowered her voice and said: ¡°I originally didn¡¯t want to push this marriage, the result was I identally ran into him on the road.¡± She saw Li Wei Yang was clearly smiling and hung her head low: ¡°You can¡¯tugh, I¡¯m not going to say anything else if you keepughing!¡±
Li Wei Yang said: ¡°Alright, I won¡¯tugh. Say it.¡±
Sun Yan Jun sat down again and spoke softly: ¡°On the road that day, I saw a young man save a child from under a horse¡¯s hooves. He was clumsy and identally knocked over others¡¯ fruit stalls. He was covered with injuries and didn¡¯t even remember to bring any silver. He was almost chased out of the pharmacy. Fortunately, he immediately mentioned the name of his household, said he was the Second Young Master of Prime Minister Li¡¯s household. He was also a student at the National University, but it was too shameful, a grown man trying to help and making a mess.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Sun Yan Jun who looked like spring in full swing. She carefully thought about this scene. Li Wei Yang felt that Second Older Brother did indeed act shamefully. In any case, he always had this chivalrous and righteous personality.
¡°Yan Jun, my Second Older Brother... He doesn¡¯t have exceptional looks or is particrly clever either. In the future, he will pursue officialdom and might not make it very far. Moreover, if you marry him, there will also be a selfish, opportunistic mother-inw.¡± Li Wei Yang reminded her.
A whileter, Sun Yan Jun finally said: ¡°I don¡¯t know why, I feel that a man like him is reliable! It¡¯s clear he doesn¡¯t have the strength in his hands, but he dares to help someone else. He doesn¡¯t look handsome, but it¡¯s nice when he¡¯s smiling. I also feel good and have a peace of mind!¡±
Li Wei Yang felt a little touched and said: ¡°So you like men like that...¡±
¡°Yeah. Don¡¯tugh at me. I just think he is that kind of person. You say he has an average background and his appearance is not outstanding, but he treats others very well. He has a righteous personality... What¡¯s what makes me determined. Wei Yang, you don¡¯t know, but I used to like the Seventh Prince... I would asionally think of him, but I never thought about marrying him... Mother always says she wants to find someone who will treat me well. I think if it¡¯s your Second Older Brother, he certainly will be very good to me.¡± Sun Yan Jun slightly paused, her face kept blushing. On any other day, these words were difficult for her to say, but she felt that Li Wei Yang was not a mouthy person.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°You are right.¡± If she also thought of herself that year, perhaps she would not have ended up in that situation. A woman that says she doesn¡¯t want wealth and glory. In fact, she did not have the slightest thought to be someone strong and powerful. Sun Yan Jun was more practical and open-minded. A woman like her was indeed wonderful and easily lovable.
¡°Then... Have both families agreed to the marriage?¡± Li Wei Yang said with a smile.
Sun Yan Jun¡¯s face got even more red: ¡°My mother said she will immediately arrange this.¡±
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my Second Older Brother¡¯s previous marriage visits became tooplicated. Maybe you can¡¯t escape this time.¡±
Sun Yan Jun reached out and pinched Li Wei Yang¡¯s cheek: ¡°Alright, so what if I¡¯m in a hurry, I¡¯m in a hurry to marry in and deal with this mouthy little sister-inw!¡±
Li Wei Yang justughed and did not evade. A momentter, she said: ¡°What news are there outside?
Sun Yan Jun pondered for a moment and said: ¡°There is one more thing. It seems like something big happened with the Jiang family.¡±
Last night, the Jiang family could not sleep. After returning from the Imperial Pce, Jiang Xu did not say a word to Jiang Nan. Da Furen worried there was a chance the two had gotten sick from kneeling in the rain for over two hours, so she quickly prepared hot baths and clean clothes, so they could return and rest.
However, after returning, Jiang Xu was rarely this furious.
Jiang Hai saw that the situation was bad. He immediately persuaded Da Furen and Han shi to leave and send all the servants outside. Once they were alone in the study, he said: ¡°Father, you shouldn¡¯t me Fourth Brother. In that moment, that matter is not entirely his fault! At that time, the militarymander was Liang Wang. He was intent on the Mu Rong family¡¯s possessions. If he let the Mu Rong family surrender, the Emperor will certainly grant them a title, then their riches would be untouchable! Fourth Brother was only corrupted by Liang Wang! Now all the responsibility is pushed to Fourth Brother. This is a bit too much!¡±
Jiang Xu sneered: ¡°No need to craft gold onto this bastard¡¯s face. What Liang Wang? You think I don¡¯t know the likes of that Liang Wang? The Emperor scoffs at him, and he would not even dare to break wind. Does he dare to desire others¡¯ property? It was clearly Jiang Nan¡¯s great aplishment, simply not watching what he¡¯s saying!¡±
Jiang Nan could not help it anymore and suddenly stood up: ¡°Father! It¡¯s what I did, I did it, so let me bear the consequences alone. Over a thousand people of the Murong family were killed by me. So what? What kind of dynasty does not have its fall! When it¡¯s my turn, I myself¡ªJiang Nan, it bes a heinous crime?! The empire of his Tuoba family also relies on our Jiang family guarding it. If he kills us all, the world would immediately descend into chaos!¡±
¡°Too impudent!¡± Jiang Xu angrily looked at his own son, his eyes full of ridicule as he jeered: ¡°You still don¡¯t understand! Everything you have been taught these past years have been eaten up by a dog! This world will keep turning without certain people. Without you, who knows what countless things would happen instead! Now we, father and son, have had our military power taken away. You still don¡¯t see how many people are happilyughing behind our backs!¡± He grew more furious as he spoke, blue veins rising on his neck. He pointed at Jiang Nan¡¯s face and swore: ¡°I have seen countless self-entitled, arrogant people but not a one like you. What is the Jiang family? Without Heaven¡¯s blessing, we would all retire to the countryside!¡±
Jiang Nan fearfully looked at Jiang Xu, who was rarely this furious and violent, unable to believe it. He froze, his lips moving without a sound for some time.
Jiang Hai quickly amended: ¡°This time someone deliberately framed us! So we cannot destroy our family¡¯s harmony, that¡¯s right! Fourth Brother, stop arguing, don¡¯t make Father angry!¡±
Jiang Xu coldly sneered: ¡°You heard what your Eldest Brother said? Well said, someone wants to harm us, so with your virtue, you fell into their trap, making others want to die of joy! In the end, you still don¡¯t understand your mistake. It was not because you wanted a great achievement, nor because you killed left and right, but you are too arrogant towards the Emperor. It caused the Emperor to almost be assassinated. If the Emperor was injured today, our entire family will have to be buried with you!¡±
Jiang Nan looked at Jiang Xu and vaguely had the impression of spitting mes in his eyes, but he did not speak because he knew Father was right. Today, Jiang Xu was there to save his life, so his attitude naturally softened.
Jiang Hai quickly offered Jiang Xu tea, ¡°Father, please calm down, don¡¯t worry about Fourth Brother, he¡¯s just a child.¡±
Jiang Xu sighed deeply: ¡°Indeed, a child. I used to think that when our Jiang family had your support, we will be able to stand, but now I realize you are the source of trouble! This matter, I am afraid I cannot keep from your grandfather, I might as well personally write a letter pleading guilty to this.¡±
Grandfather had a violent temper. It was very likely he would beat Jiang Nan to death on the spot. Jiang Hai was worried. He quickly lowered his voice and said: ¡°Father, Grandfather¡¯s 60th birthday celebration ising up. Can you dy for the time being? Wait until the house is built and present it to Grandfather to wish him a long life, then his anger will be dissipated.¡±
Jiang Xu frowned: ¡°House? What house?¡±
Jiang Nan hastily said: ¡°The one that someone in our n built especially for Grandfather, saying that in the future, Grandfather can retire in old age¡ª¡±
Jiang Xu was unable to hold back his fury and suddenly stood up: ¡°Insolent, now others out there are trying to seize a weakness, and they still dare to construct it. It¡¯s simply stupid! Quickly order them to cease!¡±
Jiang Nan sounded conflicted: ¡°This¡ªis their good intention and is almost finished with construction. It¡¯s an estate with arge expanse, hundreds of miles, how could it be stopped?¡±
¡°Hundreds of miles?¡± When Jiang Xu heard it, he had cold sweat running, ¡°Immediately order them to stop¡ªno, carefully inspect the house!¡±
Jiang Hai frowned: ¡°Father, why are you¡ª¡±
Jiang Xu slowly sat down, ¡°I simply feel that not only the Mu Rong family was involved in the matter today. Think about it. Mu Rong assassins could infiltrate the pce, proving that they have internal support and long-term motives. At today¡¯s banquet, with a few words, Consort Lian almost put our Jiang family to death. Perhaps she has connections to the Mu Rong family. We must carefully investigate her background! As for the death of Yin Tian Zhao today, I also feel it is strange, it¡¯s best to be careful!¡±
Jiang Hai nced over at Jiang Xu. Although he felt Father was too paranoid, he still instinctively obeyed: ¡°Yes.¡±
Jiang Nan suddenly stood up and ran out. Jiang Xu shouted: ¡°Where are you going?!¡±Jiang Nan coldly responded: ¡°I have something to do!¡±
Jiang Xu was even more furious, unable to hold back: ¡°Insolent child! Did you hear what His Majesty said, he wanted us to close our doors and reflect! You¡¯re running out now. You want others to point us down the road to death?!¡±
Jiang Nan sneered and turned back: ¡°Father, rest assured, I am going to catch the ghost behind this!¡± Having said this, he turned away and left.
Jiang Xu was so angry he could hardly speak. Then, he loudly shouted: ¡°Go! Go far away for me! You¡¯re capable now, don¡¯t evene back!¡±
Jiang Hai rushed to say: ¡°Father, don¡¯t be angry¡ª¡± At that moment, Grand Duke Furen¡¯s voice suddenly rang out at the door, ¡°What is going on here!¡±
The two in the room were startled...
In the room, Li Wei Yang listened as Sun Yan Jun continued to say: ¡°I heard that after returning yesterday, Grand Duke Furen received news that the two hundred thousand troops had been lost. Wide-eyed in fury, she lost consciousness. Now, the Jiang family is recruiting physicians to collectively examine. To keep others from saying they are a tall tree swayed by the wind, they did not dare to invite an Imperial physician!¡±
¡°Oh? Is Grand Duke Furen alright?¡± Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows, interested.
Sun Yan Jun smiled: ¡°That Old Furen¡¯s body has always been healthy. These days, she seems to face a lot of blows. First, Duke Wei Furen, then her eldest daughter, and next, her grandson¡¯s military positions are gone and the troops her sonmanded reduced to nothing. A flower once in full bloom now wilted. You see, no matter how health her body is, it cannot withstand such pressure.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly. If that old hag stopped breathing soon, then it would be great. Don¡¯t me her for being cruel. When dealing with this malicious old woman, she must be just as ruthless and mercilessly give her a stab!
Sun Yan Jun had tea and pastries and walked around the garden twice. She still did not see Second Young Master, nor did she meet the unlucky Eldest Young Xiaojie. Naturally, she felt a bit disappointed, but with Li Wei Yang apanying her, it was less of a disappointment. An hourter, she left with a cheerful smile.
Bai Zhi brought a cup of tea over with both hands: ¡°This Sun Xiaojie is really interesting. She wants to marry into the family but also offended Eldest Young Xiaojie.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°With her personality, it¡¯s too easy to suffer.¡±
On the other hand, Bai Zhi smiled and said: ¡°But this servant is worried the Jiang family suspects you, Xiaojie.¡±
Li Wei Yang had never cared about this. As long as she remembered her opponent¡¯s arrogant stance, her heart, liver and intestines were in chaos. It would be better to let it go, so she said: ¡°It¡¯s alright, I have arranged for the rest. If they stopped construction, then fine, otherwise, it will be a dead end for them.¡±
Li Wei Yang sat in the garden, looking at flowers in full bloom throughout garden. She listened as Bai Zhi reported back situations of each courtyard recently.
¡°After returning, Eldest Young Mistress has yet to step outside and shut herself in room. She refuses to see anyone except physician Lu.¡±
¡°Oh? Lu Gong?¡± Li Wei Yang repeated the name again. It was unclear what she thought about, but she slightly smiled.
Bai Zhi saw her smiling and felt strange: ¡°Xiaojie, is there need to send someone to investigate.¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head: ¡°Don¡¯t mind her.¡± Li Wei Yang had always been curious about how Li Chang Le suddenly managed to recover her beauty. However, today, that person could not raise wind or rain, so why should she pay mind to it?
Bai Zhi was about to say something when she suddenly saw Zhao Yue stop at the entrance of the pavilion. Her eyes vigntly fixated on someone approaching.
Li Wei Yang looked up and saw the person who had arrived was a tall, young man with a shining and regal air as before.
Li Wei Yang slightly smiled: ¡°Third Dianxia came to visit Eldest Sister? Wait a moment, I will immediately send someone over.¡±
Tuoba Zhen stared intently at her, his eyes vaguely revealing strange, conflicted emotions.
Li Wei Yang frowned. Never before had she seen him make such a face, it was so strange¡ª
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: Chau V.Editor: N/ANext: Chapter 114 Part 1
-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 114 part1
Chapter 114: Marriage Alliance
Tuoba Zhen only looked at her steadily: ¡°...Still angry?¡±
¡°Angry?¡± Li Wei Yang was surprised, ¡°The anger that Third Dianxia spoke of, Wei Yang do not know what you mean.¡±
Tuoba Zhen smiled bitterly: ¡°I just say some harsh wordsst time, it¡¯s rare that you would be angry until today.¡±
Li Wei Yang seems to be dumbstruck, she can¡¯t even remember what she has spoken to Tuoba Zhen aboutst time, as for being angry, that¡¯s just pie in the sky, she has never put this person¡¯s words to heart, how can one even speak of anger? This Third Prince, turns out to be too sure of himself.
¡°I was never angry at you.¡± Because you don¡¯t qualify, Li Wei Yang added in her heart.
¡°Since you are not angry, then it¡¯s good, I was worried that you held resentment in your heart this whole time, therefore you didn¡¯t nce at me oncest night at the banquet.¡± Tuoba Zhen smiled slightly and said.
His biggest help is dead yet he actually still have the mood toe to the Li¡¯s. Li Wei Yang have to admire preservation of this man in front of her, but she only smiled slightly and said: ¡°Your highness, I will go and get big sister, please wait for a moment.¡±
Li Wei Yang has just stood up yet Tuoba Zhen stood in front of her, Zhao Yue watched at him warningly, unfortunately without Li Wei Yang¡¯s order, she also cannot move.
Tuoba Zhen said: ¡°Don¡¯t leave, listen to what I have to say!¡±
Li Wei Yang stopped coldly, Tuoba Zhen looked at her, not knowing what to say for a moment, then couldn¡¯t help and said: ¡°...I did note to look for your older sister, I came to look for you...¡±
Both of Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes raised, her expression changing rapidly, surprise, suspicious, sneer, as well as some expressions that Tuoba Zhen couldn¡¯t decipher were mixed unpredictably in that lucid and elegant eyes, disappearing in the end, leaving only a chill down to the bone like a freeze over water surface, crystal clear and dust-free, however there is no trace of warm. Under the stare of such gaze, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes unconsciously seems to be folded in the mist, with only a glimmer of light or sh.
¡°My attitude towards you before is not good, but not because I did it on purpose, it is because from a young age, I am used to seeing those people, for their own selfish gain, racked their brain to butter up to me, therefore I have never trusted any one. Everyone by my side are contacted with a purpose, each friend for me are of some use, to the extent that when I first judged you, I was judging you on whether you are of any use to me.¡± Tuoba Zhen said with difficulty, ¡°I know, my attitude of taking things for granted in the past has left you with disdain, if I am sincere in wanting marriage, naturally I should rify with Imperial Father, but by the time I have thought it out thoroughly, the matter with mother has urred, I really didn¡¯t know how to exin it clearly to you, but you have to understand, my feelings for you are real, I have never had this before...¡± Tuoba Zhen was unable to speak further, the expression on his face is unexpectedly that of true love and genuine concern.
Li Wei Yang listened carefully, it seems as if his every words came from the heart, it almost made her think that he ispletely and absolutely sincere. If she didn¡¯t know him enough, she would definitely believe him, because there is no one who can refuse such genuine expression, such deep feeling, such moving yet perfect confession.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t marry your older sister, no matter what price I have to pay, even if it means to be on unfriendly terms with Prime Minister Li, even if it means to be spurned by everyone, the one I want to marry is only you, I will ask of Imperial Father to allow you to marry me, to let you be my principal consort, please forgive me, before I was too arrogant, I only know how to butter up to others, to win over others yet don¡¯t know how to love someone, to the extent that my attitude towards you before was so weird, so easily changed, that is because I was not sure of my own feelings, I wasn¡¯t clear whether I like you or on guard against you, loathe you or love you. Now I finally understand, from today onwards, I will treat you well, learn how to love someone, are you willing to give me this chance?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Tuoba Zhen, using a gaze of examination, but she didn¡¯t open her mouth, not even saying a word, but the look in her eyes, seems to give the other person a huge encouragement, he continued to speak: ¡°Let the things that happened in the past remain in the past, let¡¯s get to know each other anew, I am not the Third Prince, you are also not a Xian Zhu (Honorary Princess), we are just a young man and woman who met again by chance, you just have to remember that I am Tuoba Zhen, I know that you are Wei Yang, this is enough, cast away those so-called status, you can also get to know the real me, ok?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at him, after a while, she suddenlyughed, she said slowly: ¡°Your highness, your adoptive mother just died and you came to me and say these words, do you feel it is appropriate?¡±
In the end she still speaks of Able Consort Wu¡¯s incident, Tuoba Zhen paused and said lightly: ¡°Wei Yang, I have to confess to you one thing, yesterday¡¯s incident was not an ident, the Jiangs has bribed Yin Tian Zhao, have him think of a way to use you of being Da Li¡¯s demon star, then let Imperial Father kill you, this is a trap that they set in order to take avenge Jiang Rou, I am not going to hide it from you, because in this incident, my adoptive mother has also taken part of it. I must ask for your forgiveness, because mother had hoped that I can inherit it all, hoped to gain the Jiangs¡¯ support, therefore she did not hesitate in using the innocent you to gain a debt... originally I could not tell you anything, but I honestly cannot deal with my own conscience, yesterday seeing mother died tragically, I asked myself, if I saw you die in front of me, can I ept it, afterward I find that just of the thought of it makes my heart twist, I cannot be helpless and watch you die in front of me, therefore I hope this kind of thing doesn¡¯t happen again, as long as you are willing, I will think of some way to eliminate the hate between you and the Jiangs...¡± (Trantor¡¯s note: Tuoba Zhen...why you no be a storyteller!)
If it was any other girls, hearing this kind of sentimental words that also carry countless pity, they would be moved, Li Wei Yang sighed and said slowly: ¡°Your highness, why do you say these words to me, you should know, the sides that we stand on, are not the same.¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face became pale, his lips trembled, unable to speak, as if he suffered a deep blow due to her disbelief and said forcefully: ¡°Why am I this way, I already told you.¡±
Li Wei Yang spoke unhurriedly: ¡°Of course I know, for a man to not care about anything, aside from love, there is probably nothing else. But that is a normal man, for your highness to not care about anything, there is only power.¡±
Tuoba Zhen said hoarsely: ¡°I don¡¯t ask of you to stand at my side right now, but I beg you to not use such harsh words to hurt my heart, I beg you to not stand by seventh brother¡¯s side against me, I don¡¯t care about you helping him to deal with me, but I don¡¯t want to see the woman I love be together with another man.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, yet there was a chilliness in her eyes, eventually saying slowly: ¡°Your highness, for there to be such person who can say these words without feeling guilty, there could only be you, if you have anything else to say, then say it all today.¡±
Tuoba Zhen looked at Li Wei Yang in surprise, he thought she would be moved, yet her expression right now is indifferent, he thought that at least she would feel his real feelings, but she was not moved at all, why is that? Don¡¯t all women believe in these kind of nonsense? He thought...in the past, this has never failed before... he secretly clenched his fist but the expression on his face became more serious: ¡°Wei Yang, you ask me why I tell you these words now, I just don¡¯t want us to regret it, ifst night you were really sentenced to death, I probably cannot ept it at all. As for Able Consort Wu, ,my own biological mother died at her hands, how can I feel sad for her!¡±¡°As far as I can remember, the situation I see the most is my biological mother crying, she is born of low status, Imperial Father was taken to her on a whim and then she gave birth to me, afterwards she was awarded the title of Imperial Concubine, although my mother was not considered pretty, her singing was stunning. Every time I hear her singing,I would forget how unhappy we are. But in the pce, aside from Imperial Father¡¯s favor, she has nothing, because everyone treat her with envy, hate and sneer, one after the other would kick at her when she is down, always thinking of ways to bully her. Her disposition is weak, she just resigned to everything thates at her, thinking that this way others will let her off, only Able Consort Wu always treated her well. Because my mother could not protect me, therefore the me at that time, even low rank eunuchs would bully me behind others¡¯ back. Afterwards...finally that incident happened, Imperial Father said my mother colluded with officials, scheming to usurp the throne, I didn¡¯t believe it, crying and begging like hell, but even though I have bowed until my head burst, still no one was willing to speak up for my mother.¡±
¡°Able Consort Wu has taken me into her pce, saying that from now on, she will be my mother, but I wouldn¡¯t listen, I secretly went back in the middle of the night, only to see with my own eyes that that group of eunuchs strangled my mother to death, at that time I was only 4 years old, hiding trembling, didn¡¯t even dare to go save her, after they left, I grabbed and shook her hand vigorously, kept calling her yet no matter what, she wouldn¡¯t wake. I felt scared, calling and shaking that I couldn¡¯t even cry.¡±
Tuoba Zhen was deep in his memory, his voice slightly shaking, Li Wei Yang looked at him, these words, he has never told her before, even after being husband and wife for 8 years, very intimate, he has never revealed a word to her.
¡°I am a prince, I have the most noble birth in today¡¯s world, why do I encounter such thing? Why do the Crown Prince, Tuoba Yu live in luxury with one call, while my only mother was taken away from me? Why is this world so unfair? Why does it treat me like this?¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s fists slowly tightened, his voice bing heavy: ¡°I am unreconciled! Therefore I returned to Able Consort Wu¡¯s side myself and seek punishment, telling her that I will properly be her son in the future. Afterward, I discovered, the one who set my mother up was Able Consort Wu! These years, I have endured the humiliation, listened to her, she said east, I wouldn¡¯t dare go west, she made a promise to Prime Minister Li on my behalf, I have to agree to marry your older sister as secondary consort, I did this not because I fear her, but because she is of use to me, she can help me stand in that highest position!¡±
¡°Every day I am conflicted, even though she has set my mother up, but she did treat me very well, schemed everything on my behalf, therefore I couldn¡¯t me her, couldn¡¯t hate her, I could only not have a good night sleep, Wei Yang, do you understand me? Yesterday when mother wanted to harm you, I was very nervous, almost wanting to go against her because of you, do you know, all these years this is the first time that I have the thought of going against her, lucky you are all right, otherwise I would have a hard time...¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at his and suddenlyughed,ughing until tears almostes out of her eyes.
Tuoba Zhen stared at her in disbelief, ¡°Why do youugh suddenly?¡±
Li Wei Yang wiped the tears that doesn¡¯t even exist and looked at him suspiciously, endless sneer in her eyes: ¡°Your highness, save these words for my sister, she is your fiance. Even though I want to make up our differences with you, our status are different, in the future, please stay away from me. Regardless of whether you love or hate me, it has nothing to do with me, as for your past, I also do not feel any interest.¡±
Tuoba Zhen stared at her, a trace of hate showing in his gaze, but he suppressed this kind of anger, and said in a lowered voice: ¡°Everything I just said, you don¡¯t believe any of it?!¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly smiled, looking at the white dove flying afar, her voice carrying a hint of cold: ¡°Believe, I believe everything, your highness¡¯ words, at least everything that you said, concerning yesterday¡¯s banquet are real, concerning your mother is also real, concerning that you don¡¯t know what to do with me, even more real.¡± It¡¯s just a pity, the purpose of you saying these words, is only to make me give in, what you couldn¡¯t achieve with the methods used before, you immediately changed it to an expression of true feelings, if it was not for knowing Tuoba Zhen well, she would taken it as real. Regardless that it is the death of his own biological mother, regardless of his own lowly birth, regardless of whether speaking of this past amounts to knife wounds for him, as long as it is sessful, all can be used for scheming.
This is Tuoba Zhen, this kind of person, is cruel to others, towards himself, is it not the same as well? Li Wei Yang sighed and said: ¡°It¡¯s just that, whether I believe or not, in fact doesn¡¯t matter. Because regardless of whether you truly loves me, or it is to seek something else, I don¡¯t even care. Because I do not love you, will never love you, no matter what you say, what you do, even if you brought your heart out for me to see, I still can¡¯t love you, therefore we cannot be together, Your Highness, don¡¯t waste your efforts, go spend some thoughts on ttering some maiden who will be of use to you!¡±
Having said that, Li Wei Yang already left the pavilion, the two yatous scrambled to follow.
Tuoba Zhen stared at her back, yet his left hand is clutching his chest fiercely, frowning and panting, clearly it was just an act for her to see, everythingst night was originally nned by him, Able Consort Wu is nothing but an essory, he really did wanted Li Wei Yang¡¯s life, not only because of wanting to curry favor from the Jiangs, more because she dared to reject him! It is due tost night¡¯s failure that he realized Li Wei Yang¡¯s value, a woman who can disrupt his overall scheme, towards those officials and subordinates who are not willing toe to his side, he also use a lot of efforts without care about the cost, in this case, such a smart woman, who might be very helpful to his great cause, he definitely cannot give up easily!
He believes that women are all soft-heart, Li Wei Yang¡¯s refusal, it¡¯s only arrogance, an arrogant woman is still a woman, who simrly will have weak points, as long as the right method is used, he will be able to move her. His status, like hers, is lowly, he knows that this is a good point of attack,pared to the superior Tuoba Yu, him and her are the identical sort of people, willing to go any lengths to achieve their goals, they are so simr, sopatible, as long as he used the slight effort, then he can use her as he will, until that time, her intelligence and intention will be used for him.
But why, he has said so much, even putting down his self-respect and pride, yet she is still indifferent, talking about no love, what is love! Tuoba Zhen don¡¯t understand! He doesn¡¯t understand one bit! Women want love, is he not attempting to exhibit it in front of her? Why does she still refuse! Why does he see her turn and leave without hesitation, why does his heart, up to this point still has a sharp pain because of her?!
His heart can also hurt, why is this? How could this be possible...because of one woman? What a joke!
Tuoba Zhen quickly went down the steps, his voice turning cold: ¡°Li Wei Yang, do not get closer to Tuoba Yu.¡±
Li Wei Yang stopped, her voice icy: ¡°Your highness, why do you bother about what¡¯s between me and him?¡±
Tuoba Zhen almost immediately ran in front of Li Wei Yang, grabbing her wrist, a ruthless look bursting out of his long and narrow eyes unscrupulously for the first time: ¡°No matter what your rtionship were before, it would be best to break it off cleanly from today onwards!¡±
Zhao Yue¡¯s soft sword, in an instant was on Tuoba Zhen¡¯s neck, but he didn¡¯t even as much nce at it, because he knows Li Wei Yang cannot kill him here.
Li Wei Yang definitely would not, her ck eyes like never ending deep river, impossible to look past: the only love for Tuoba Zhen is position of power! When he really be a ruler of a nation, looking down at the world, there will be no one else who can suppress him, when that timees, everything that he wants will definitely be his, including Li Wei Yang, but she hates this, hates being under someone else¡¯s control, hates being coveted by others, not everything that you, Tuoba Zhen, look upon will be yours, she is human, her life is decided by herself, never again for someone else!
¡°Zhao Yue!¡± Li Wei Yang said coldly.
Zhao Yue¡¯s sword slightly moved, the sharp pain on his neck caused Tuoba Zhen to wake with a start, Li Wei Yang broke free of his hold, then take a step back, her voice slowly ringing: ¡°Your highness, please forgive me for not being able to apany you.¡±
A murderous intent shed in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes, yet in the end his expression calmed: ¡°Li Wei Yang, there is nothing that I cannot get, you also will be mine!¡±
However Li Wei Yang did not answer him, even not turning her head back to nce at him, it is obvious that his efforts today, to her is not worth a penny.
She want him to give up? He, Tuoba Zhen, in this life has failure, hibernation and setback, but simply cannot give up! Li Wei Yang, you clearly understood me but is too full of yourself, the current circumstances is definitely not favourable to me, but as for that throne, the obsession is already bone deep, he can never give it up in this lifetime... Tuoba Yu is only a loser, in the end you can only belong to me... I don¡¯t care how many years I have to wait, until I am in control of this world...
Then, you have nowhere to escape.-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: AngEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 114 Part 2-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 114 part2
Chapter 114: Marriage Alliance
1) ͵¼¦²»³ÉÊ´°ÑÃ×: Failed to steal a chicken, which instead ate up your bait: meaning started out to hurt other but ended up being hurt
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Two dayster
¡°I heard that Xianzhu has gotten a cold, fourth miss is anxious to the point of not knowing what to do, now seeing Xianzhu is fine, she can rest easy now.¡±
Caught a cold? When was this? Li Wei Yang looked at the person in front of her, couldn¡¯t help smiling and said: Fourth Yiniang, you are very well-informed on current event.¡±
Fourth Yiniang has already gave birth to 2 daughters, yet her body is still as delicate as a willow, a pale face that seems to carry a trace of sadness, it makes others feel sorry for her. It¡¯s no wonder, even though in the past there was the beauty Sixth Yiniang and the refined Ninth Yiniang, Father has never forgot about her. Seeing Fourth Yiniang¡¯s excellent singing face, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but find it funny, these days Fourth Yiniang has been sucking up to the new Da Furen, why did she suddenly came here?
Li Wei Yang thought, this Fourth Yiniang was able to raise two daughters under Da Furen¡¯s eyes, she can be considered a part in this house, thus waved her hands and said smilingly: ¡°Yiniang don¡¯t say so, I always knew of fourth sister and your thoughts.¡±
Fourth Yiniang immediately smiled apologetically and said: ¡°Si Xiaojie was called away by the new Furen, said it was to prepare fresh flowers and such for Lao Furen to make a forehead wrap, thus unable toe visit.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and waved her hands, saying: ¡°No harm done,¡± letting Bai Zhi served tea to Fourth Yiniang.Looking at the smile on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, Fourth Yiniang was immediately happy. She is originally of low birth, to be able to survive until today in the Li manor, naturally she has her strength. Her greatest strength, is taking stock of the situation, reading people, who is more powerful, who will be more advantageous, after understanding it, she will make a judgement, in the past when Da Furen is the most powerful one, she could be like a tiger bending before a snake, kneeling before the other person¡¯s foot, carefully waiting on; afterwards for the sake of her daughters¡¯ future, she could also fall out with Da Furen, turning to help Li Wei Yang, when Li Wei Yang was attacking Da Furen, she always stick out a foot at the right time...
But when the new Furen entered, she actually kept a distance with Li Wei Yang, because she needed some time to observe, to see if it will be the new Furen who is powerful or will it be Li Wei Yang who is more malicious. These two days, she has heard that Jiang Nan¡¯s Wu Wei General position is gone, the Jiangs even lostmand of 200,000 soldiers, secretly she feels that Li Wei Yang definitely has some remarkable ability, inevitably there is the thought of gaining a favour, because right now this concubine born daughter is not the same as in former time, she canpletely reach the sky in the first flight, unstoppable, she heard that she is even close to Seventh Prince, arousing Tuoba Yu¡¯s heart...
Fourth Yiniang feels that, in these years Li Xiao Ran¡¯s feelings for her are bing fewer and fewer, especially after the new Furen have married in, his feelings has faded even more, but this kind of situation she is pretty open about it, a man¡¯s thousands of adoration, tens of thousands of tender feelings, are in fact all false, she doesn¡¯t have a son, so in the future she wouldn¡¯t have a support, she need to find more supports, she definitely cannot bet all of her treasure on the new Furen! What¡¯s more, Fourth Miss will soon be married off, she must think of a way, she cannot let the new Furen do as she want, as long as her daughter marries well, then there is hope for the rest of her life!
A resolute light shed in Fourth Yiniang¡¯s eyes, the smile on her face bing more brilliant.
¡°Xianzhu, can you dismiss the yatous?¡± She asked quietly.
Li Wei Yang nced at Bai Zhi, Bai Zhi immediately understood and ordered all the yatous in the room to leave.Fourth Yiniang breathe a sigh of relief and then said: ¡°I came today, to inform Xianzhu of an important matter.¡±Li Wei Yang looked at her, her face cid, not expressing any curiosity, also not expressing any interest.
Fourth Yiniang be a bit anxious: ¡°It concerns your marriage!¡±
Bai Zhi was shocked and hurriedly looked at Li Wei Yang, Xiaojie¡¯s marriage? What does this means?!Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Fourth Yiniang¡¯s meaning is...¡± Her voice is like the running water of a cool, clear spring, the sound is melodious and moving, unable to hear any mood from the owner, even Fourth Yiniang who is ustomed to reading people¡¯s expression, couldn¡¯t help but feel some fear. Thisrge house, the person whose mood often cannot be seen clearly is the most fearful kind.
Fourth Yiniang took two steps closer and said: ¡°Xianzhu is a smart person so I will speak straightforwardly,st night Laoye stayed at my ce, yet he identally said something. He said the Jiangs has approached him about your marriage.¡±Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze shed, slightly condensed, instantly her brows straightened and slowly spoke: ¡°Oh? Really?¡±
Fourth Yiniang looked at the smiling Li Wei Yang sitting upright above, deeply sighed and said: ¡°Xianzhu don¡¯t want to know what Laoye has answered?¡±Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes cleared, she nced at Fourth Yiniang and said slowly: ¡°If Father has agreed, would Yiniang be standing here still?¡±Fourth Yiniang was shocked, then she realized that her own actions has already said everything, yes, if Li Xiao Ran has consent, then Li Wei Yang is also someone abandoned by him, why would Fourth Yiniange here? A useless person, why would she provide useful information to them?! Li Wei Yang looked at the change of expression on Fourth Yiniang¡¯s face from shock, turned her body, faced the Bai Zhai beside her and said smilingly: ¡°Look at Fourth Yiniang¡¯s expression, seems like I did guessed right.¡±Bai Zhi smiled slightly and lowered her head: ¡°Miss is right.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Fourth Yiniang is really, if there is something then say it out, why bother to bring such useless news to exchange?¡±With nowhere to hide herself in front of the other person, Fourth Yiniang¡¯s entire body became thoroughly ice cold, as if passing through water. She just feel like opening and closing her mouth seems heavy, sweat flowing from the hair on her temple, a trace of fear climbing up her back following the sweats, her heart instantly raised up.The atmosphere gradually became stagnant. ¡°Xianzhu, I...¡±¡°Yiniang drink some water, if there is something to say, speak slowly, what¡¯s the need for being so anxious.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile is warm, unable to see any anger or happiness, this caused the words that Fourth Yiniang originally wanted to speak to bepletely stuck in her throat. Yes, she originally wanted to use this news to bargain with Li Wei Yang, but before she could even speak, the other person has already guessed the answer, causing her useful news be useless, Li Wei Yang¡¯s brain is really sensible and urate, she cannot not respect it. Fourth Yiniang oddly feels guilty, because, when she just stepped into this room, not yet opening her own trick, Li Wei Yang has already brought all of her cards out. What else can she use to bargain with the other person?
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said: ¡°Fourth sister is of marriageable age soon right.¡±
Fourth Yiniang¡¯s sweats are pouring like rain, the back of her clothes already showing some sweat stains due to her uneasiness, she raised her head and said with a smile: ¡°This...¡±
¡°I hear that, mother¡¯s intention is, to marry fourth sister to Fifth Prince as secondary consort.¡± Li Wei Yang said lightly.Fourth Yiniang¡¯s smile was instantly suppressed, then she said: ¡°Nothing can be hidden from Xianzhu, yes, Furen does have this intention.¡±
Li Wei Yangughed and said: ¡°Yes, Fifth Prince is dignified and cultured, his mother is Noble Consort Mei, it appears to be a good marriage, the previous Furen, didn¡¯t she also said so as well?¡± This new Furen, unexpectedly brought up old matter, preparing to send Li Chang Xiao to be a stepping stone.
It¡¯s just a concubine born daughter, Li Xiao Ran wouldn¡¯t take pity, at first Fourth Yiniang did not have any opposition, why did she suddenly changed her opinion? Li Wei Yang size up Fourth Yiniang and said lightly: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Yiniang don¡¯t like the Fifth Prince¡¯s principal consort?¡±During the banquet, the Emperor has already bestowed marriage for Tuoba Rui, the one he is marrying is the granddaughter of Maquis Yong Ning, Miss Wu, Fourth Yiniang previously has thought eagerly that this is a good marriage, a change of face and she hase begging to her here, it definitely has to do with this Miss Wu. Li Wei Yang thought, Fourth Yiniang ah, Fourth Yiniang, you want to bargain with me, but only a few words and already exposed your trick, such nervousness and fluster, a step taken by the pawn seems not like a step, I want to see, what do you still want now?
Fourth Yiniang¡¯s thoughts were exposed in an instant, she raised her head in shock, and saw the implied sharp smile hidden in her brow, was shocked and cannot not exined: ¡°That Miss Wu, was spoiled from a young age, her attitude is very bold, I already sent someone to check it out, the maids by her side need to be changed every six months, Maquis Yong Ning himself don¡¯t even know how many methods he has used to try disciplining her, even once locking her up in the ancestral temple to try and force her to change her bad habit, who knew that she would rather not eat or drink for three days, three nights yet unwilling to change her attitude, in the end when she was let out, she unexpectedly grabbed a scissor wanting to kill the wet nurse who told the old Maquis on her... towards her own wet nurse she is even like that, how would she like towards her husband¡¯s concubines?¡±
Li Wei Yang said nothing, Fourth Yiniang continued to speak: ¡°Xianzhu, if Fourth miss¡¯ temper is like yours, with Fifth Prince it is a good marriage, if nothing else, she is still the secondary consort of prince of first rank, but of all thing, Chang Xiao is a weak and ipetent person, she couldn¡¯t even learn half of my capability, how can she establish herself in the Fifth Prince¡¯s manor in the future? I¡¯m afraid she will die due to ill-treatment from the Princess Consort. Chang Xi is already of no help, I only have this one daughter by my side, I¡¯m afraid that if she is also snapped in, then what hope do I have in this lifetime? Xianzhu, Chang Xi¡¯s heart is not good, I am also someone who can easily offend others, these I admit, I am also not afraid of retribution, for the sake of surviving, I will do anything, but Chang Xiao has never harmed you, even always speaking on your behalf, even if you look upon her as a daughter of the Li Manor, help her once!¡± Fourth Yiniang suddenly kneeled on both legs, grabbing Li Wei Yang¡¯s skirt.
Bai Zhi hurriedly help her up, Fourth Yiniang deadsetly shake her head, Zhao Yue also came over, Fourth Yiniang is clearly afraid of her but yet unwilling to stand up. Until Li Wei Yang personally helped her up then she asked, full of hope: ¡°You... agree?¡±
Li Wei Yang signed and said: ¡°Fourth Yiniang want me to go to Lao Furen and plead on fourth sister¡¯s behalf?¡±
Fourth Yiniang look hesitantly at Li Wei Yang and said: ¡°Is Xianzhu willing to go?¡±
Li Wei Yang stared at her, as if seeing Qi Yiniang¡¯s eyes, yes, Fourth Yiniang is not a good person, but Li Chang Xiao has never done anything bad, in the past life, Li Chang Xiao did died at the hands of this Miss Wu, must her tragic ending be repeated this lifetime? Li Wei Yang nodded and said: ¡°I will try my best.¡±Fourth Yiniang smiled through her tears, as long as Li Wei Yang agree, then there is a thread of hope.
¡°It¡¯s just that Lao Furen also thinks that this is a good marriage,¡± Li Wei Yang thought for a moment and then said slowly, ¡°Therefore, if fourth sister really want to reject this marriage, why don¡¯t we think of some other method.¡±
¡°Method? What kind of method? If Lao Furen is not willing to help, then Chang Xiao will only have the road to death!¡± Fourth Yiniang began to get anxious again.
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said: ¡°Fourth Yiniang, if someone told Father, Fifth Prince has once requested permission to marry eldest sister from his majesty, now fourth sister is being married to him, it will inevitably draw criticism, people will think that the daughters of the Lis are not marriageable, must grab Fifth Prince as the only one, especially it would also make his majesty think that these daughters of the Lis being interchangeable, with the intention of being a social climber, it wouldn¡¯t be good.¡±Fourth Yiniang¡¯s eyes turned, immediately understanding, Li Xiao Ran is a cautious man, Fifth Prince has once asked for Li Chang Le in marriage and was severely reproved by the Emperor, if at this time the Lis still send the fourth daughter in marriage to him, it is inevitable that the Emperor would think that the Lis have some other intention, this instead turn into failing to steal a chicken, which instead ate the bait1, Li Xiao Ran was not one to make a losing deal.
¡°Even though the principal mother has the final say in the matter of a girl¡¯s marriage, but in our family, Jiang Yue Lan is after all the second wife, Father¡¯s opinion is the conclusive one, understand?¡± Li Wei Yang simply remind the other person.
Fourth Yiniang has already skirted past the curve, but she still has some misgivings: ¡°I have begged of Laoye before yet he said that Furen has the final say in the children¡¯s marriages, now if I go talk about it once again...¡±
Li Wei Yangughed and said: ¡°Rx, these words I will exin it clearly to Lao Furen.¡±
Fourth Yiniang was extremely happy, repeatedly thanking her, eased her expression and said: ¡°Xianzhu¡¯s generosity, I and Fourth Miss will remember it in our heart. Regarding the matter I just spoke about, Laoye did actually reject it, this Xianzhu has guessed correctly.¡±Li Wei Yang nodded, Bai Zhi spoke instead: ¡°Which of the Jiang¡¯s son has asked for Xiaojie¡¯s hand?¡±
Fourth Yiniang replied quietly: ¡°The fourth one.¡±
Jiang Nan? Certainly, even though he doesn¡¯t have an official position, he is still from a meritorious family, there is nothing wrong with his background. Li Wei Yang suppressed the oddness in her heart and said slowly: ¡°Then how did Father rejected them?¡±Fourth Yiniang smiled and said: ¡°Laoye naturally said that Xiaojie¡¯s marriage will be decided by His Majesty, it¡¯s just that the Jiangs are not willing to let go so easily, perhaps they may make a wave again, if they insist on going to get an edict from His Majesty, the matter of marriage will be finalized, Xianzhu, your days from today onwards will be trying.¡±
Bai Zhi frowned, Fourth Yiniang¡¯s words are not pleasant to the ears, but it certainly is a fact that cannot be changed. If Li Wei Yang is married into the Jiangs, what¡¯s waiting for her is definitely nothing good, first of all Guo Gong Furen would not let her off, while the fourth son of the Jiangs also detest her, this kind of marriage, what exactly are the Jiangs thinking?
Li Wei Yang smiled, light like the clouds: ¡°It looks like they really hate me.¡± Normally one would never use one¡¯s descendants¡¯ marriage as a bargaining chip, Guo Gong Furen will really do it imperiously.
Fourth Yiniang said with a rare sincerely: ¡°Xianzhu, Laoye can refuse the Jiangs but he cannot refuse the Emperor, you should n early, those people from the Jiangs... even if for the sake of Da Furen, will certainly would not let you off. If you are really married over, I¡¯m afraid before half a year, there will be unfortunate news about you.¡±
Bai Zhi scowled: ¡°They dare!¡±
Fourth Yiniang shook her head and said: ¡°This yatou of yours doesn¡¯t understand anything, it¡¯s not like this kind of things have never happened in the past, how incredible was that Zhou Xuan De in the beginning, he is the first rank of the most loyal subject of the previous Emperor, but his only daughter was bestowed by His Majesty to General Pang Chong¡¯s manor who are generational enemies of the Zhous, originally he wanted to mend the fence of the two families through marriage alliance, who knew that that Pang Chong is not appreciative, that Miss Zhou is like flowers and jade, was the capital¡¯s number one talented girl, with talents and looks way above others, did she not also... passed away four days after the wedding? That is the only daughter of a loyal subject of the Son of Heaven, Zhou Xuan De caused a ruckus in the Hall of Golden Chimes (throne room), yet Pang Chong said that his daughter passed away from illness, she was all well, where did the illnesse from?! Even the previous emperor was enraged and sentenced that Pang Chong for flogging on the spot, but what¡¯s use of that, Miss Zhou cannote back from the dead! Once married in, matter of life and death are held in their hands. Think about it, behind closed doors they can kill a person however they want, but only said it¡¯s death from illness when the door is open, when the time¡¯se, Xianzhu is alone there, that¡¯s calling to the heavens but the heavens doesn¡¯t answer, calling to the ground but the ground does not work, what kind of hopeless situation this is!¡±
These words, Li Wei Yang of course knew that it¡¯s real, she also knows, if she reveals a bit of nervousness, Fourth Yiniang would immediately change sides. Therefore she smiled slightly and said: ¡°Thank you Fourth Yiniang for the reminder, I know what to do in this matter, as for fourth sister, you can be at ease.¡±
Fourth Yiniang observed Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression, didn¡¯t see a bit of uneasiness and felt more at ease, smiled and said: ¡°Then I will take my leave.¡±On the way to He Xiang Yuan, Li Wei Yang head down the corridor, besides her Bai Zhi raised her head several times wanting to speak but stopped for some reasons.
Li Wei Yang has noticed her expression from the beginning, up until she can no longer bear it then she looked ahead and said lightly: ¡°If you have something to say, speak up.¡±Bai Zhi really couldn¡¯t hold it back, she spoke uneasily: ¡°Miss, don¡¯t you feel that Fourth Yiniang herself don¡¯t dare to disclose this news to you?¡±
Li Wei Yang stared ahead, smiling lightly and said: ¡°On one hand she certainly did because of fourth sister¡¯s marriage, on the other hand, it is Father who sent her to test me out.¡±
Bai Zhi became anxious: ¡°Laoye? Perhaps he really want to marry Miss over? Miss is his biological daughter, clearly he knows how the Jiangs feel about you...¡±
Li Wei Yang: ¡°Nothing but a concubine-born daughter, as long as there is enough benefits, would he resist on behalf of me?¡±¡°Miss?¡± Bai Zhi looked at Li Wei Yang in shock, she is afraid that Li Wei Yang would really fall into the same ending as Miss Zhou.
Li Wei Yang saw her face full of fear but she suddenlyughed and spoke with her tone calm: ¡°You don¡¯t need to think too much, if he really want to sell me off so cheaply, then he wouldn¡¯t have sent Fourth Yiniang toe test me out. From the look of it, Father want to see, just how much cards I have, whether it is worth it for him to go against the Jiangs.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s movement revealed a hint of thinking, the smile on her face however became full of sneer and chilliness.
Li Wei Yang has not yet reached He Xiang Yuan when she was requested to go to Li Xiao Ran¡¯s study.
Inside Li Xiao Ran¡¯s study, it is decorated with fragrant rosewood, carved and outlined in gold, luxurious and majestic, breathtaking. Of course Li Xiao Ran wouldn¡¯t arrive first to wait for his daughter. It wasn¡¯t until after Li Wei Yang has arrived in the study for half a sichen (one hour), that he changed his clothes at Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s room, then returned to the study, Li Wei Yang is already waiting in the study, Li Xiao Ran looked at her and was at a loss of words for a moment. Originally he thought that even if she is not in fear and trepidation, she would be full of caution, instead, she is sitting there drinking tea, not a single thought being revealed on her face.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face is full of thoughts, after being silent for a while then he spoke: ¡°The Jiangs has came to me to discuss marriage, wanting you to marry Jiang Nan as principal wife, the two families be allied once again.¡±
--Author¡¯s note:--
I thought about itst night, in fact it¡¯s good if Li Wei Yang married Jiang Nan, I think in less than 3 months, Jiang Nan would be dead for sure, then you guys don¡¯t need to worry...
Trantor: Pff...-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: AngEditor: TBDNext: Chapter 115 Part 1-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 115 part1
Chapter 115: Refusing to Avoid Embarrassment
1 - ¿» ¨C a heatable brick bed
2 - ×íÎÌÖ®Òâ²»ÔÚ¾Æ ¨C a phrase used to indicate that a person has ulterior motives
Li Wei Yang flinched, lifting her eyes to look at Li Xiao Ran. She had thought that Li Xiao Ran would attempt to beat around the bush, but he was unexpectedly frank. Was this an indication that her attitude towards Fourth Yiniang was making him uneasy?
Shadows lined Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face; obviously, he was in a bad mood. Li Chang Xi had been driven mad, Li Chang Le had embarrassed herself in public, and Li Chang Xiao was not a useful pawn. The only daughter he had left by his side was Li Wei Yang; with this sudden marriage proposal from the Jiangs, he was in fact, deeply unwilling.
¡°Ever since your Muqin died, the rtions between our two houses have drifted apart, but we are still a family. If we could fix the rtionship, it would be for the best. You have seen Jiang Nan before, he is young, athletic, smart and decisive. Although His Majesty had stripped him of his military powers, but the Jiangs are still...¡±
Li Wei Yang gazed at him coldly, interrupting him for the first time. ¡°Father, what is the meaning of this!¡±
She had never felt so much hate from him in that moment.
In the past, he had never enquired after her when she was in the countryside, and she had not resented him for it. For so many years, he was surrounded by his beautiful wife and concubines, blessed with offspring, so naturally he would not miss a daughter who was said to be his curse. Li Wei Yang also had no feelings towards him, so of course she was not upset at someone who wasrgely unimportant in her life. Ever since her return, he was neither good nor bad to her; although sometimes he was unfair to her, he had not shunned nor plotted against her. To Li Wei Yang, that was considered living in harmony already. She felt that between father and daughter, there was at least this amount of mutual affection.
Today, she suddenly realized that Li Xiao Ran waspletely cold-blooded. He would feel guilt, unease, and even pity, but for power and position, he would still willingly sacrifice his daughters and wives as his stepping stones.
Yes, he hated the Jiangs, but he did not have the confidence that he could deal them a fatal blow, so he could only offer himself up to appease the Jiangs. When the opportunity arose in the future, he would choose to eradicate his enemies mercilessly, but who knew how long he¡¯d have to wait? Although Li Wei Yang did not see the Jiangs as a threat, she was not about to use herself as bait to get revenge; she was not going to follow such a foolish idea!
Li Wei Yang carefully watched Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression, breaking into a cool smile after awhile.
¡°Father, have you forgotten how the new Furen entered our family? The Jiangs are up to their tricks again, are you going to drink it up happily just like that?¡±
¡°Li Wei Yang!¡± Li Xiao Ran had been hit on his weak spot, and in his fury, he picked up his tea cup, wanting to ssh the contents onto her. Upon seeing her amused, unsmiling expression, he realized that forcing her would not work.
¡°Yatou, you are my own daughter, Fuqin would of course hope that you could have a good marriage; don¡¯t you think that my heart would ache for you? But if you think that you can be stubborn to get your way every time, then Fuqin has misjudged you. I know that the Jiangs¡¯ request for you has malicious reasons behind it, but Fuqin believes in your ability, you will definitely be able to handle your husband and stop him from creating troubles. Additionally, your wedding was decided by the Emperor, so no one can go against it. They would also have to respect you for that, so what more can they do to you?¡± He lowered his voice before continuing. ¡°Fuqin will also stand on your side, I will not let anyone bully you. As long as I am the Prime Minister, they will not dare to harm you!¡±
He watched Li Wei Yang¡¯s nd expression; thinking that she had rxed her stance, he continued his persuasion. ¡°I know you are still remembering everything that happened with your Muqin, but she is dead already, so why bear hatred? You are a smart girl, you should know the rtionship between the Li Residence and the Jiangs; even if you break the bones, the tendons remain attached. That night at the banquet, if I did not speak on their behalf, the others will call me ungrateful, forgetting that Grand Duke Jiang had a hand in helping me climb up to where I am today... The families have such good rtions; it should not be ruined because of Jiang Rou. While the rtionship can still be mended, we should act first to benefit both sides. Do you really think they would allow you to marry over just to torture you? Then you¡¯re underestimating Jiang Dan. He is using you to express his goodwill, as a way of giving in to me...¡±
Li Wei Yang maintained her cool gaze, her respect for him diminishing by the second. With everything in such a messy state already, he still hoped not to fall out with the Jiang Family. In his heart, his political gain was still the most important... Indeed, Li Xiao Ran did speak up at the banquet, but it served to allow Jiang Dan to realize that Li Xiao Ran was still influential in the Emperor¡¯s heart. The punishment meted out by the Emperor also let Li Xiao Ran know that he alone could not impact the Jiangs. With such oues, both men were ready to give in to each other. Li Wei Yang sniggered; so Fourth Yiniang did note over to test the waters, but it was Li Xiao Ran who asked her to. Fourth Yiniang had also wanted to sell such information to get on her good side as well. The men thought that this marriage was a show of goodwill and repairing or rtionships. The women felt that this was a deration of war. Ha, suchpletely different interpretations.
¡°Fuqin, let¡¯s not discuss court matters first. Muqin is the first daughter of the Jiangs; for a certainty, they would hold her death against me. Now that they are demanding for me to marry into the family; perhaps Uncle is truly doing it for goodwill¡¯s sake, but to Grand Duke Furen, she has lost her daughter. Only demanding for a concubine¡¯s daughter aspensation? I don¡¯t think anyone would believe it if she said she wasn¡¯t seeking revenge.¡± Her voice was clear and calm. ¡°Why does Fuqin feel that sacrificing me is enough to dissipate the feud between the two families?¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s brow jumped; he was trembling in anger, till even the corner of his mouth twitched. ¡°Wei Yang, how can you be so immature! Fuqin has wasted so much words on you, all because I thought you had the ability to understand! If they had asked for Li Chang Xiao, I wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to send her over!¡±
Li Wei Yang only smiled in response; the more Li Xiao Ran was shaking in fury, the gentler her smile.
Looking at herposure, a chill filled Li Xiao Ran¡¯s heart.
What a mess of matters! If they were to continue bringing up past issues, it could only lead to a loss. He was notpletely ignorant of Li Wei Yang¡¯s temperament; a girl who dared to demand for a reward from the Emperor, who would really dare to expect her to lower her head before anyone? Even the Emperor had privatelymented that this Yatou was someone special, who dared to do what she wanted.
It was too bad that Li Wei Yang wasn¡¯t a son. If she was, with her innate capability and his influence, great things could be expected from such an individual in court. Li Xiao Ran softened a little. ¡°The Jiangs have mentioned another reason ¨C Grand Duke Furen is seriously ill, and they are not sure if she can make it. Jiang Nan is fourth in the family, but in the future, his brothers will ascend to higher positions and move away from the capital city with their families. Once you have finished your one year of mourning, the Jiangs will go through with the wedding. When that happens, so long as you handle it appropriately, the Jiang household will belong to you.¡±
Li Wei Yang nearly burst outughing, what did the Jiangs mean by this? Handing over the household to her? Even if the Grand Duke Furen passed away, there was still Da Furen; how would she tolerate an illegitimate daughter like herself to control the Jiang household? This kind of thinking was absurd.
¡°This marriage would implicate everyone in the Li Household; it would benefit our family greatly in court, and it is also our duty to uphold the family name. Whatever you may think, I have already agreed to this marriage. The Emperor is still angry; when he has cooled down in another one to two days, I will enter the pce to formally ask for permission. After the one year of mourning, the wedding will be held immediately. I believe with your capabilities, you will know how to survive well.¡± Li Xiao Ran was resolute, his tone brooking no further argument. He might have sounded warm, but he was as sharp as an icy knife.
Li Wei Yang was not flustered; she sipped her tea leisurely, offering a small smile. ¡°Fuqin, there is no free lunch in this world.¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression froze.
¡°I understand Fuqin¡¯s decision, of course. But I still reject¡ª¡±
¡°Are you afraid?¡±
¡°Afraid? No, Fuqin probably does not know this, when I was sent to the countryside, when I was beaten up by the vigers, when I was starved and frozen, when Muqin and Older Sister ganged up on me, and even when the fire had singed my eyebrows, I was never afraid, never feeling a shred of fear. The Jiang family, even if they are all wolves, I am neither fearful nor afraid! It¡¯s only that the timing of their marriage proposal is selected surprisingly well.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was as thin as ice on theke, emanating a cold aura. ¡°By rights, they were just admonished by the Emperor and should be reflecting on their mistakes behind closed doors, but instead, they immediately sent someone to propose marriage. It doesn¡¯t seem logical.¡±
She had voiced out Li Xiao Ran¡¯s doubts perfectly. This was what he thought initially as well; they could have done it earlier orter, but why propose marriage now, of all times...
¡°To outsiders, they must think that the Li family is very daring; helping a family which His Majesty had just decided to punish...¡± Li Wei Yang mused.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face darkened.
¡°The Emperor is frequently practicing his cultivation in his pce now, leaving most matters in the hands of the Crown Prince. In the past, the Jiangs have relied on their military power to establish deep roots in the court, not siding anyone else. But it is different now; they have just encountered a setback, and urgently require someone who would speak up for them in front of the Emperor. Or in another point of view, they require the support of someone who could ascend the throne one day. Right now, by creating strong ties by marriage, this could act as subtle warning!¡±
Choosing to back a royal prince was amon practice in the continuous struggle for power. The Li family never viewed the Crown Prince favorably, which Li Wei Yang was well aware of. Li Xiao Ran strongly believed that the Emperor would assign the Seventh Prince as his heir. However, for the Jiangs, if they backed Tuoba Yu, they woulde up short against his staunch supporter, Duke Luo. If Tuoba Yu were to ascend the throne, the Luos would definitely be awarded with military power! Where would that leave the Jiangs! But with the Crown Prince, it was a different scenario; his camp required such veterans for support.
With the loss of favour from Emperor, the Jiangs were attempting to reverse their luck by supporting the Crown Prince, which was nothing unusual. But the more Li Xiao Ran thought about the situation, the more fearful he felt. From this point of view, the Jiangs¡¯ timing made sense now. An additional marriage would bind the two families closer, and serve as a message for outsiders, including the Emperor: even the Li Family is supporting the Crown Prince. This would then force His Majesty to reconsider his decision to rece the Crown Prince with the Seventh Prince!
Li Xiao Ran could not help but feel cold and annoyed. Li Wei Yang was right; even the messenger from the Jiang residence was the Crown Prince Consort¡¯s rtive, Grand Duke Min. From this angle, it was clear that the Jiangs did intend to throw their support behind the Crown Prince! Even scarier was the fact that they were also prepared to implicate the Li family into this as well. He could judge that the Crown Prince did not truly have the capability to be an emperor, so His Majesty¡¯s prime candidate for the throne could not be him. Couldn¡¯t the Jiangs see as clearly as he did? What were they plotting? Or perhaps they were operating under some pretense and plotting an even darker scheme...
Wearing an expression as calm as still water, he mused for moments. ¡°Forget it, since there is still a year to go, there is no rush. You can leave first, and I will slowly consider it.¡±
He had originally intended to request for the Emperor¡¯s blessing for the marriage in a few days, but now, he flipped it around to say that there was no rush. It was clear that he wanted to carefully think about the machinations and schemes behind this marriage. What a sly old fox. Li Wei Yang fixed a chilly re on her father, apanied with a mocking smile. ¡°I will take my leave.¡± She replied, in an uncannily calm voice.
When she entered He Xiang Courtyard, Lao Furen¡¯s attitude waspletely different. She leaned back against her bed1, indicating that Li Wei Yang should sit next to her as well. She got to the point directly.
¡°I will never consent to you marrying over.¡±
Inparison with Li Xiao Ran, Lao Furen was more direct, not wasting her breath on empty words.
¡°Why, has your Fuqin punished you?¡±
Li Wei Yang knew that Lao Furen did not like people who were too sharp-witted, hence she pretended to hesitate, acting flustered and helpless.
Lao Furen smiled warmly at her, pping her on the back of her hands.
¡°This is not a good match, I will advise him to reject it.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled in return. ¡°I¡¯m afraid... Fuqin will not change his mind easily.¡± In the end, Li Xiao Ran did not care about this daughter of his. He knew clearly that they were on bad terms with the Jiang family, but still hoped to use her as a token of goodwill.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, there is no need to rush this. Moreover, since you are still in mourning, so there are plenty of reasons to reject them.¡±
Li Wei Yang was surprised that Lao Furen would support her outright.
¡°Let go of your worries, your Fuqin¡¯s character is something I understand very well.¡± Lao Furen noticed her dazed expression and felt a dart of pity for her. ¡°He is someone who views his pride as greater than the skies, but he won¡¯t really force anything on you!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled in agreement. ¡°Lao Furen is right! Your granddaughter is just worried, amidst the dark and intense struggle for power among the princes, the Jiang family chose this time to propose marriage. The drunkard¡¯s real intent is not the wine, but something else(2)...¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s eyes shed. She had been pleased with Li Wei Yang so far, but when it came to politics, this child was quite clear-sighted and admirable.
If only she had been born legitimate, her son would not choose to sacrifice her. Even now as he deliberated over the matter, he would send her over to the Jiangs in the end... Disying a smileced with deep meaning, she said, ¡°In my opinion, if you want to cut off your Fuqin¡¯s idea, the best way is to get the Seventh Prince to propose marriage.¡±
Li Wei Yang was stunned; with her intelligence, how could she not understand the meaning behind Lao Furen¡¯s words. Lao Furen knew that she did not want to marry into the Jiang family. As an illegitimate daughter, if she aspired to achieve a position in the Jiang residence, she could not rely on her family¡¯s backing and cleverness alone; she had to obtain the favor of her mother-inw. However, Grand Duke Furen had already formed a grudge against her, so it would be a miracle if she did not exact torture. As for the Jiangs¡¯ Da Furen, it wouldn¡¯t be any much better. So, if they wanted to object to this match, then they needed to let Li Xiao Ran realize Li Wei Yang¡¯s worth. If she could be the Seventh Prince¡¯s wife, or even his concubine, then his gamble could pay off.
However, it was easier said than done... Li Wei Yang was not that na?ve to think of herself as highly valuable, but she had no intention of selling herself off just to resolve an awkward situation, and certainly not to Tuoba Yu.
In her heart, Tuoba Yu was just a friend, an ally, but not someone she could entrust her entire future to. Especially not with a mother such as the constantly wary Virtuous Consort Zhang. For so long, the Seventh Prince had yet to choose his princess consort as Consort Zhang was very selective. Not to mention his princess consort, even his concubines would have to be of high birth and able to help her son; she was seeking perfection. She would dislike this choice of daughter-inw, not even as a concubine. This problem was vexing indeed.
Li Wei Yang lowered her gaze at Lao Furen¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Grand-daughter knows what she should do.¡± Her reply was appropriate; she seemed to have epted it, but in reality, she did not make any promises at all.
As she stepped out from the courtyard, Li Wei Yang smiled at Luo Mama. ¡°Luo Mama, was Muqin here just now?¡±
Luo Mama was usually a neutral party, but in the recent years, as Lao Furen¡¯s health declined, her status on the fence seemed to have shifted. Especially after the new Furen entered the household... Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile seemed to take on a deeper vor.
Luo Mama¡¯s heart tightened as she saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s small smile. Even though Laoye had never doted on San Xiaojie like he did with Da Xiaojie, with Third Xiaojie¡¯s current power and status in the family, Da Xiaojie could never hope to win her. Even after encountering these problems with her marriage arrangements, Third Xiaojie could not be shaken. She definitely was no longer the newly returned young yatou, who had to be polite to everyone! She held her head up and replied to her. ¡°Yes Third Xiaojie! Furen was indeed here just now...¡± she seemed hesitant to speak.
Li Wei Yang simply smiled. ¡°Just speak your mind, why is Mama being a stranger to me now?¡±
¡°Third Xiaojie, Furen came here to try to persuade Lao Furen to agree to this match...¡± Luo Mama replied slowly and hesitantly.
Jiang Yue Lan had finally made her move.
After her wedding, she had not contributed anything towards the Jiangs. This time, she needed to disy some loyalty, if not her father would suffer in court. She might have been married to another family, but she was still honor-bound to obtain glory for her maiden home. However, for everyone to be so worked up over this matter, it did not bode well.
¡°Actually, from Nubi¡¯s point of view, Third Xiaojie is talented and is able to survive anywhere. It is just that they are too anxious right now.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at her in the eye, speaking calmly. ¡°This water is getting more and more cloudy, but we need this excitement to make it fun. Mama, don¡¯t you agree...¡±
Luo Mama¡¯s heart froze.
Serving for these years at Lao Furen¡¯s side, what she should know or pretend not to know was clear to her. Regarding Li Wei Yang especially, she was crystal clear... Those enemies who had opposed Third Xiaojie had met with mishaps one by one. The first Da Furen had lost her life, Da Xiaojie and Fifth Xiaojie had suffered fates worse than death; they could never hope to make aeback. Who would have believed that such a demure and beautifuldy hid such a cruel heart deep inside her?
She might have seemed trapped in impossible situations, but each time, the unlucky one would be someone else...
¡°Yes, Third Xiaojie! In the future, if you have any tasks for me, Nubi will definitely carry it out for you.¡± Luo Mama changed her attitude in an instant, schooling her face into one of willing obediences.
¡°Of course, Lao Furen¡¯s care is in your hands.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s returning smile was gentle and humble.
Luo Mama felt conflicted, thinking of all those golden ingots that Furen sent over. She couldn¡¯t help but reconsider, perhaps she shouldn¡¯t write off Lao Furen for now, but wait and watch if it would be the new Furen or Third Xiaojie who had the tenacity and willpower tost till the end... She should just watch the battle between masters, instead of getting herself involved and ending up as an iplete corpse. Da Furen¡¯s lesson had taught her fear and ingrained it deeply.
When Li Wei Yang returned from He Xiang Courtyard, it was already time for lunch. She saw thevish spread on her table, all presented on delicate ceramic tes. The food was mouth-watering and appealing. There were still 3 to 4 types of broths not yetdled and served, as well as a few tes of pastries. ¡°Why is there so much food today?¡± she asked in surprise.
Each courtyard received their meals prepared by the central kitchen, but if the owner was wealthy, he/she would also have their personal kitchen on their premises, all the better to suit their cravings. Li Wei Yang had her own kitchen of course, and other than Lao Furen, her chef was the best, skilled in preparing delicate dishes. However, she had left instructions to prepare only 3 to 4 dishes today, so what was the chef doing?
The curtains parted, and a richly-dressed and handsome Gong Zi walked in.
Mo Zhu lowered the curtains and stepped back, admiring the side profile of Li Min De¡¯s attractive face. Her heart skipped a beat; it was a familiar face, but the more she gazed upon it, the faster her heart drummed wildly in her chest. She felt that such an elegant and beautiful person was a rarity, and she would never in her life be able to meet someone like that again. However, she felt that under his perfect fa?ade, his thoughts were deep and fathomless; she couldn¡¯t help but lower her head. Other than Li Wei Yang, she had never seen Third Shaoye smile at anyone else. Mo Zhu did not dare to harbour any wishful thinking.
¡°Did you instruct my kitchen to prepare more food so that you could feed off me?¡± Li Wei Yang chided with a smile.
Li Min De only grinned back in return. Bai Zhi had already cleaned and prepared a pair of chopsticks, so he washed his hands and replied cheekily, ¡°Nowhere in this entire household has more fragrant delicacies than here. Why, do you not wee me?¡±
You¡¯re not unwee, but I have no idea what kind of attitude I should adopt to handle you! Li Wei Yang sighed internally. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re wee, you¡¯re such a hard guest to invite!¡±
During the meal, both were silent. Li Wei Yang broke it first. ¡°Min De, you keep staring at me, do you have something to say?¡±
Li Min De was stunned; subconsciously, his eyes kept straying on Li Wei Yang, and he was caught off guard by her sudden question. It was awkward, but as she gazed at him with misty, questioning eyes, he became flustered. A re of heat filled his heart, and his first thoughts escaped from his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Jiangs have sent a matchmaker.¡±
A gentle smile appeared on Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips, and she suddenly pointed at Zhao Yue. ¡°Quickly bring this little traitor away, she couldn¡¯t wait less than a minute to inform you of any news at my side.¡±
Zhao Yue quickly fell to her knees, but Li Min De only smiled. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of me knowing? Do you really want to marry him?¡±
A small cough, and a re. ¡°Who says that I want to marry into that family!¡±
Of course he knew that she was not a willing party, if not he wouldn¡¯t be able to sit there so calmly. ¡°Then, have you thought of a way out?¡±
¡°Everything happened so fast, I need time to think about it.¡±
Li Min De¡¯s bright and sharp eyes danced on Li Wei Yang, an unreadable smile on his lips. ¡°Wei Yang, I have an idea ¨C¡±
This was the first time he had called her name, and it stunned Li Wei Yang. In the past, he¡¯d always addressed her as ¡°Jiejie Jiejie¡± (older sister), but thinking carefully about it, he seemed to have stopped addressing her as sister for the past half a year... In truth, he was not actually younger than her anyway. Today, his manner of speech was cool and calm, and she could not bring herself to correct him. This was also not the time to ponder; she frowned and asked, ¡°What ideas do you have?¡±
His grin narrowed. ¡°If they want you to be their daughter-inw, they naturally will have to pay a price. However, it¡¯s a matter of if they can afford that price.¡±
Li Wei Yang could see his determination and confidence, but there was still a shred of uncertainty in her heart. ¡°The crux of the problem is not the Jiangs, but Fuqin himself.¡±
¡°Then how do you look upon this man?¡± Li Min De had a small smile on his face as he asked her.
¡°Since he does not treat me as his daughter, I cannot respect him as well. So long as we don¡¯t make things hard for each other, I¡¯ll will not bestir myself.¡±
¡°A girl will not be with her Fuqin forever, so it should not matter if he is good or bad.¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed deeply. ¡°In the Li household, I seemed to have spent my entire life here, and such a sorrowful life.¡± She was referring to her past experience, but she realized with a start that she had blurted it out.
Li Min De simply lowered his head, giving no sign that he had heard her. Only then did she breath a sigh of relief.
After a few moments, Li Min De nced back up at her with a smile, selecting and serving a portion of vegetables for her. ¡°Those people are nothing, and an eternity is still a long way to go. I will be with you, slowly walking down that road.¡±
Li Wei Yang was startled, but try as hard as she might, she could not figure out what he meant. She felt veryforted. ¡°Back to our main topic at hand; my wedding matters are entrusted into your hands, be careful not to mess it up.¡±
¡°Yes, I will arrange it, don¡¯t you worry.¡± Li Min De found this line to be funny and horrendous at the same time.
¡°Hmm, no, I think I¡¯d better not miss the chance to witness Jiang Nan¡¯s doom, I¡¯ll be happier if I get to see it with my own eyes.¡± Li Wei Yangughed.
Li Min De remained silent. Actually, he was quite worried about the Jiang¡¯s Fourth Master. Anyone would love a pretty bride, but such a formidable one? He might not be able to withstand her.
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: JaslynnEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 115 Part 2-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 115 part2
Chapter 115: Refusing to Avoid Embarrassment
In the evening, Jiang Fifth hobbled into his courtyard, wanting to creep back into his house, but he suddenly saw a shadow waiting for him under the tree. A pair of deep and cool eyes were staring at him, with an unreadable expression.
Jiang Fifth was aware of how pathetic he looked, and he purposely rubbed his face to check if his disguise was still intact. He breathed a sigh of relief, before smiling in greeting. ¡°What is Xian Zhu doing here? Are you feeling unwell?¡±
Since Li Chang Le was injured, Lu Gong had remained in this courtyard. Li Wei Yang had found this suspicious; if Li Chang Le had recovered, why was there a need for Lu Gong to stay? Lu Gong had used the excuse that her wounds were not fully healed, that she needed time to condition her health. No one could question his motives outright.
Li Wei Yang smiled widely. ¡°Lu Gong left so early in the morning, have you eaten since then?¡±
Jiang Fifth did not have a single bite of food today, and his stomach was making its protest felt. He did not believe that Li Wei Yang was truly concerned about his wellbeing, however. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± He returned the smile.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than his stomach growled loudly. Jiang Fifth was d that he had his mask on, so that Li Wei Yang could not see his flushed face. How embarrassing! As he stepped into the house, he gave his betraying stomach a hard whack.
As Jiang Fifth dug into the meal, Li Wei Yang sat leisurely, watching him scarf down the food.
¡°Physician Lu, you should eat slowly!¡± Bai Zhi kindly handed him a cup of tea.
Jiang Fifth tipped the contents of the cup down his throat in a sh.
¡°Physician Lu, did the family who consulted your medical expertise forget about preparing a meal for you? How could they let you go hungry?¡± Li Wei Yang mused with a small smile. Lu Gong would leave the residence on the pretext that he had patients to see, and thankfully, the Li family was generous and did not mind. On the other hand, some officials had gotten wind that there was a skilled physician being hosted by Li Xiao Ran, and often came by to request for a consultation. As such, Li Xiao Ran actually felt honored for it.
Jiang Fifth put down his chopsticks, wearing a serious expression. ¡°I attend to the poor, and I do not take a single coin from them!¡±
¡°Oh, is it?¡±
Jiang Fifth knew that he was uttering rubbish, of course. The moment he¡¯d left, he was osted by his uncle Jiang Dan, dragged home and given a scolding. The Jiangs tried to force him to return to his army camp, but he attempted escape. When he was caught, they made him kneel in front of the family altar for the rest of the day as punishment. His second run for freedom was not easy, but sessful. Thank goodness only Jiang Nan knew that he was staying at the Li Residence; he wouldn¡¯t have dared toe back if it was otherwise.
¡°Ehmmn... Of course!¡± he felt a little spark of guilt.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile never faltered as she pushed the dishes towards him. ¡°You¡¯d better finish this!¡±
After a whole day of hunger, Jiang Fifth only felt satisfied after wolfing down 3 bowls of rice.
A servant brought another cup of tea, which Jiang Fifth downed. ¡°Tell me, Xian Zhu, why are you looking for me?¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing much.¡± Li Wei Yang replied slowly, not showing a trace of urgency.
¡°Xian Zhu, the clear-sighted do not im to be blind. Please be frank and speak your mind.¡±
Li Wei Yang fluttered her long and delicateshes, lowering her deep gaze. ¡°I¡¯d hope to ask a favour of you.¡±
¡°You need my help? What could I possibly help you with?¡± Jiang Fifth¡¯s curiosity was piqued.
Li Wei Yang merely gave a small smile. ¡°My family has arranged a marriage match for me, but I¡¯m not willing, so I wish to use sickness as an excuse. Physician Lu, you would probably have suitable medicine for that, right?¡±
What?! In a sh Jiang Fifth recalled his conversation with his mother: No matter how wild your Fourth brother is, he is about to take a wife soon. Out of curiosity, he asked about the lucky maiden¡¯s identity. His mother got a weird expression on her face as she told him: Prime Minister Li¡¯s Third Xiaojie.
At that moment, he felt that his mother might be overthinking things, but it was now proven true. Oh heavens, for Li Wei Yang to marry Jiang Nan? If these two individuals were to sh, they would bring the entire Jiang household down with them! Jiang Nan had so much hatred for Li Wei Yang; thinking of that very fact made Jiang Fifth shake his head. Li Wei Yang would not survive for more than 3 days after the wedding ¨C no wonder she hade to beg him for help.
He frowned and protested sternly. ¡°Such foolishness! You want to fake an illness to avoid marriage! This is unthinkable, any mistake on your part would result in the destruction of the Lis¡¯ honor and reputation; I¡¯d advise you to reconsider!¡±
Li Wei Yang found the situation amusing, but she did not reflect the humor in her expression. She onlyughed helplessly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t survive for very long if I went ahead with this wedding...¡±
This was a truth which Jiang Fifth deeply attested to, but he could choose not to help Li Wei Yang at all. In fact, he should be looking forward to her downfall. Moreover, if Jiang Nan were to discover that he was the one who aided her, he would definitely y the skin from his body. He wasn¡¯t that much of an idiot to agree!
Li Wei Yang pped her hands, and Bai Zhi quickly brought out a chest. Jiang Fifth opened it and was surprised to see it filled with jewels and treasures. This was bribery ¨C but on the other hand, if he didn¡¯t help her, she would definitely look for someone else to do it! That would cause more trouble; he should find a way to stall her, and at the same time pass news to Jiang Nan so that he take precautions! As he nced back up at her, he saw that her smile was brimming with confidence. ¡°I need to return home for these two days and preparing your medicine will take some time. Give me five days, thene to my residence to collect it.¡± He replied, cautiously.
¡°You have my thanks.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled back.
As they left Lu Gong¡¯s courtyard, Bai Zhi whispered to her mistress. ¡°Xiaojie, what do you think we should do next?¡±
¡°Follow him like a shadow, and do not get discovered.¡±
¡°Yes, Nu Bi will make the arrangements.¡± Bai Zhi lowered her head in obeisance.
Li Wei Yang had long suspected Lu Gong, if nothing had happened, she could have taken her time to observe and probe from the side-lines. But now, in this situation, time was a luxury she could not afford, and she would make use of him to serve her needs at the same time.
In the middle of the night, the old steward guarding the back door of the Jiang residence was startled by a swift horse. As he squinted and took in the rider¡¯s features, he sucked in a breath, turned around and sprinted into the residence, shouting joyfully: ¡°Fifth Shaoye is back, Fifth Shaoye is back!¡± Jiang Tian vaulted down from his horse and tossed the reins to his servants. Biting his lips, he strode into the main courtyard, and the servants scattered like flocks of hens so as not to block his path.
Second Furen was on the raised tform, and although she did not have any makeup on, she was as luminous as a pearl. Upon seeing Jiang Tian, she ran up to him and grabbed his hand. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re back! After you left, your grandmother¡¯s illness worsened. Go to her quickly!¡±
Jiang Tian was shocked and hurriedly rushed in, only to find the room littered with people. His elder brother Jiang Hai and his wife Madam Han, Fourth brother Jiang Nan, and right next to the bedside was his frowning uncle Jiang Xu and aunt-inw Da Furen, whose eyes were red-rimmed. Duke Furen was lying on her sickbed, as pale as snow and breathing weakly.
As Jiang Xu saw him, he seemed to have wanted to scream at him, but at thest moment, swallowed back his anger. ¡°You¡¯re back. Good.¡± He spoke coolly.
¡°Rou Er.¡± Duke Furen muttered, her eyes fluttering open.
Jiang Tian did not dare to speak; he quickly stepped up and held her skinny, withered hands. In such a short span of time, his proud and imposing Grandmother had been reduced to a frail olddy with snow white hair; such a shadow of her old self.
It seemed to take much effort to even nod her head and she could not form coherent sentences; only mutter unintelligible words. As Jiang Tian wiped away his tears, he only heard a repetitive phrase in a shaky voice: ¡°Rou Er...¡±
Her originally weak grip tightened like a vice at this moment, clutching desperately at Jiang Tian. ¡°Rou Er ¨C¡± Cold sweat suddenly beaded her forehead, and she closed her eyes. The gathered family members were thrown into a shock; Jiang Tian quickly took her pulse. ¡°Grandmother just fainted, it¡¯s alright.¡± He ordered his medicine box be brought to him, and administered acupuncture treatment. Thanks to his nimble fingers, Duke Furen finally eased into a more regr breath, albeit still weak, and recovered some of the color in her cheeks. It was only then that could everyone else rx
Why was Grandmother constantly calling his eldest aunt¡¯s name... Jiang Tian nced around the room; everyone¡¯s expression was troubled. Da Furen drew out her handkerchief and started sobbing into it, and the others were simrly upset. Only Jiang Nan was looking furious.
¡°Tian Er, how is your Grandmother?¡±
Jiang Tian could only shake his head. Duke Furen was like a spluttering candle in the wind; she probably only had half a year to live.
¡°Wastrel, did you hear that! You¡¯re the cause of your Grandmother¡¯s illness!¡± Jiang Xu roared with fury.
Jiang Tian was momentarily stunned; he thought that he was the one being chastised, and had wanted to kneel down in fright until Jiang Nan shouted back. ¡°Fuqin, I am simply not willing to marry that slut, so what wrong did Imit! You desire revenge, so use whatever ways to achieve it, but why offer the rest of my life as a sacrifice?!¡±
Da Furen attempted to grab him, advising in a low voice. ¡°No one is asking you to sacrifice your entire life! Lao Furen only wanted her dead, and after that, we will choose a younger and prettier wife to make it up to you ¨C¡±
¡°You are all mad!¡± Jiang Nan stalked from the room in outrage.
Jiang Xu sighed deeply, and Da Furen took this chance to intercede. ¡°Laoye, this method might be a bit overboard. Do we really need to make light of Nan Er¡¯s lifetime happiness?¡±
Jiang Xu shook his head. ¡°A son should obey his mother¡¯s wishes; what other choice do I have?¡± He also felt that this was a little extreme; how could his son¡¯s marriage be used as a tool for revenge? But Duke Furen was stubborn to a degree, and he was helpless! This was simply unheard of! He understood that Muqin had always held a grudge for the death of his younger sister, and could not rest until she witnessed Li Wei Yang¡¯s death. The only reason he agreed to the match was this advantageous alliance with the Lis...
This wedding must take ce.
Out on the veranda, the wind was howling. The entire residence was smothered in a nket of darkness. Jiang Nan¡¯s voice was as bitterly cold as the weather outside. ¡°Why are you back so suddenly?¡±
¡°For urgent matters, of course.¡± Jiang Nan sighed. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re unwilling to marry Li Wei Yang.¡±
Jiang Nanughed without a trace of humor, but in his mind, her lovely face lingered. However, as he thought back on the day of Able Consort Wu¡¯s death, he knew without a doubt that Li Wei Yang was behind it. As for the assassination attempt, he did not think that she was capable of orchestrating such a powerful move, but she must be linked to it somehow. That show was not just about killing the Emperor; it was a ploy to destroy the Jiangs. Of course, they had many enemies, but Jiang Nan¡¯s instincts told him it was Li Wei Yang, no doubt.
¡°At least both of you agree on the same thing ¨C your unwillingness to wed.¡± Jiang Tian muttered under his breath.
Jiang Nan whipped his head around. ¡°What did you say?¡±
In that moment, Jiang Tian saw the feral anger on Jiang Nan¡¯s face. He jumped in fright. ¡°I¡¯m here to speak about this issue. She requested from me a medicine which could help her feign serious illness, so that she could use this excuse to reject the marriage proposal. Well, it turned out to be a good thing, because you don¡¯t wish to marry her anyway!¡±
The expression on Jiang Nan¡¯s face was hard to read, and it made Jiang Tian feel strange. Based on his fourth brother¡¯s behavior, he was most unwilling to marry Li Wei Yang. But now that he raised this issue; that Li Wei Yang was willing to sacrifice her reputation rather than marry him, shouldn¡¯t he look relieved more than insulted ¨C wait, could it be that his fourth brother had really fallen for her, but was too proud to admit it? Jiang Tian was smart, immediately identifying the crux of the matter.
Oh, this was getting exciting!
¡°Fourth Brother, so this medicine, should I give it to her?¡± Jiang Tian probed, testing.
¡°Give it to her, why not! Since she would prefer to be embarrassed, then I¡¯ll ensure that she is not even fit to be my concubine!¡± Jiang Nan barked coldly. He could only be the one to decline Li Wei Yang, no woman could reject him! Li Wei Yang must have been very bold; since she would dare to decline to being his wife, he would make her regret it! As hatred raced through his heart, a freezing smile appeared on his lips.
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Chapter 116 part1
Chapter 116: A Trap! A Trap!
With Jiang Nanyin''s cold look, Jiang Tian couldn''t help but shiver. He really didn''t want to mingle into this matter, because Li Wei Yang''s gimmicks always gave him a terrified feeling that whoever is involved would be embroiled into trouble. However, his position is destined to stand with Jiang Nan. One stroke can¡¯t write out two Jiang characters; he can''t help outsiders.
¡°How about this, you do as I say.¡± Jiang Nan beckoned him and whispered: ¡°But, you can¡¯t tell anyone about this.¡±
After listening to his words, Jiang Tian¡¯s expression greatly changed: ¡°This ------ I¡¯m afraid the two families willpletely fall out?! Eldest Uncle originally wanted to bury the hatchet, if we pull this off ¡¡¡±
Jiang Nan coldly smiled: ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish, who said my father did it to appease the fight. He was onlyplying with paternal grandmother¡¯s desire. Grandmother is eager to see her die so I am doing this ording to Grandmother¡¯s intention. If she finds out, she wouldn¡¯t me me!¡±
But a man like you who¡¯s plotting against a young girl is actually disgraceful. Jiang Tian¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t bear this; he is born differently from other men of the Jiangs. They like guns and sticks, but he likes ¡¡ For this reason, he doesn¡¯t know how many times his father has given a beating yet he still refused to touch the art of warfare learned by his cousins. In his eyes, those who shouted didn¡¯t understand the appeal of medical skills. It is because of this that he is an oddity in the Jiangs. Others don¡¯t say it aloud but they think that he is a good-for-nothing scoundrel.. Even if he tries to seek Lu Gong as his master, the result will still be the same. Now, he is forced to be involved in the battle between the Jiangs and Li Wei Yang. He really thinks ¡¡ "Fourth Brother, Eldest Uncle said that the man''s mind should be used in the court. To fuss about a young girl is no victory at all."
Jiang Nan listened as he watched a pair of bright eyes stared at him for a long time until he felt goosebumps. He suddenly sneered and said: "She has humiliated us up to our doors and you are here chattering like women. Speaking of being cruel and merciless, you are not even as good as Li Wei Yang. If you don¡¯t dare to do this, from now on, I will never say anything good about you in front of the Second Uncle!" After that, he turned to leave. Jiang Tian quickly pulled him back and said: "Fine! I will help you!"
He felt difort in his heart because Li Wei Yang was a simple figure. When he thought of her eyes as deep as the ancient wells, he felt a feeling of hair rising from his back. In perceiving of danger, he has a natural intuition.
At the moment, Li Wei Yang is holding the rattle and ying with her young brother. Min Zhi wasughing as he was holding his rattle in his cradle. He held his head up and his ck eyes were sparkling. Not for long, he became tired of the rattle that he crawled out and reached out to Li Wei Yang. Even a baby of one year could urately judge people''s attitude towards him: whether they really like him or pretends to like him, or they hate him, this It is an instinct of a child who can''t talk. Li Wei Yang poked her finger on his small, chubby cheeks and he immediately giggled and looked happy.
Tan Shi showed a gentle smile as Li Wei Yang tried to teach her brother some words. Working on her embroidery, the needle in her hands never stopped.
Right at this moment, there were three knocks on the window outside. Li Wei Yang made a sideways nce and then told Tan Shi: ¡°Niang, I wille back soon.¡± After she finished speaking, she passed Min Zhi over to Mo Zhu and then turned to leave.
Tan Shi felt that something was off with her expression that she curiously stood up.
In the corridor, Zhao Nan was waiting outside. When he saw Li Wei Yanging out, he whispered: "Miss, I¡¯ve followed Lu Gong up until an alleyway where he disappeared. After half an hour, a young gongzi came out. However, he didn¡¯t know that I¡¯ve had quietly marked him so I was able to recognize him and follow him to the back door of the Jiangs. Unexpectedly, I¡¯ve heard many people calling him Fifth Young Master ¡¡ Unfortunately, the Jiangs¡¯ residence is heavily guarded; there are seven rows of guards, so I wasn¡¯t able to get in and find more evidence."
Li Wei Yang listened carefully, but smilingly said: "This is enough." Sure enough, Lu Gong is indeed a member of the Jiangs, but she did not expect that he would turn out to be the Fifth Young Master of the Jiang family, Jiang Tian, who appears one moment and disappears the next.
Zhao Yue who was following on the side spoke: ¡°Miss, do you still have to go five dayster?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slowly floated up in the corners of her lips, like a blooming rose shining brightly in the dark night: "Go, they specifically set a trap for me, so why don''t I go! This show would naturally be more fun the more people there are! Zhao Nan, you tell San Shaoye and say that everything works ording to the n.¡±
Zhao Nan lowered his head and said: ¡°Yes!¡± Immediately after, he disappeared into the darkness without a trace.
The next day, Lu Gong visited Li Xiaoran, saying that he needed to return to his residence to tend to some matters. Li Xiao Ran couldn¡¯t keep him, he still left. Li Wei Yang heard this and only smiled and didn¡¯t show much interest. Up until the fifth day before their meeting, Li Wei Yang only brought along Zhao Yue and Bai Yu as they left the household.
They took the chaise all the way to Lu Gong¡¯s residence and a young servant ushered them into the door yet said that Lu Gong had gone to the pharmacy and asked Li Wei Yang to change the ce. Li Wei Yang deliberately said: ¡°This ¡¡ I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not okay."
The young servant smilingly said: ¡°What is Miss afraid of. Our family¡¯s master is a physician, not some rascal. It¡¯s just changing the location to the pharmacy, there¡¯s lots of people there so who dares do something to Miss?¡±
Li Wei Yang only smiled: ¡°If your master is preupied, then we¡¯ll meet another time.¡±
The young servant paced forth and continued to smile: ¡°Miss, the carriage has already been prepared.¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her brows: ¡°Carriage? Surely it doesn¡¯t mean the Li family doesn¡¯t have any carriages?¡±
The young servant replied: ¡°Miss, your family carriage draws attention, isn¡¯t this announcing to the entire capital that you¡¯re arriving? How inappropriate, our master is taking this into consideration! Changing into a carriage to the pharmacy only takes half an hour, it¡¯s best that you go!¡±
Li Wei Yang nced at Zhao Yue and Zhao Yue spoke: ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry, Nubi is here!¡± Her face was filled with confidence.
The young servant coldly snickered inside yet showed a sincere smile on his face: ¡°Miss, this way please.¡±
Li Wei Yang went to the back door of the Lu residence. The carriage had already been prepared but it was merely a simple oil-covered cart. The coachman gave her a glimpse and saw Li Wei Yang dressed in a peacock cloak and with her the hat blocking off her appearance so he wasn¡¯t able to clearly see her face. But this wasn¡¯t surprising at all since the misses of big families that go out naturally has to be low-key. He jumped down and kneeled: ¡°Blessings, Miss. Our master sent me to escort Miss, please get on the carriage." Li Wei Yang bowed her head and stepped on the stool prepared by the coachman. The coachman was still looking around, Zhao Yue replied: "Lower your head, be careful or I will dig your eyes out!"
The coachman was terrified to the point that he didn¡¯t dare to take a glimpse of Li Wei Yang¡¯s appearance. With thending of the whip, the carriage charged forward.
The carriage passed through familiar streets and alleyways. Bai Zhi could see from inside that they were not taking the route to the market. She loudly asked: ¡°Why are we going this way?¡±
The coachman cheerfully replied: ¡°Our master¡¯s pharmacy is in this direction. Miss, no need to worry, we¡¯ll be there very soon.¡±
Bai Zhi looked at Li Wei Yang and Li Wei Yang in turn gently made a hand signal, Bai Zhi understood and nodded. All along the ride, Zhao Yue had been attentively leaving behind a trail and didn¡¯t open her mouth to speak a single word.
About an hourter, the carriage finally began to slow down. Bai Zhi lifted the curtains and jumped down and then helped Li Wei Yang off. In front of her eyes wasn¡¯t the pharmacy but a secludedpound surrounded by forests.
¡°Is this the pharmacy? Are you blind that you bought us the wrong way!¡± Bai Zhiined.
The coachman smilingly said: ¡°Nucai is only following master¡¯s orders, I don¡¯t know anything else.¡±
Bai Zhi angrily spoke: ¡°This courtyard is very quiet. What is it that your master can¡¯t tell us that he must force us to run all the way here!¡±
The coachman didn¡¯t respond and only paid his respects and retreated. Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°Forget it, we¡¯ll go in and see.¡± Once the three reached the entrance, swords were ced against the necks of Bai Zhi and Zhao Yue. Everything happened momentarily that they didn¡¯t even have time to call for help. Li Wei Yang coldly smiled: ¡°I wonder who invited me, whose way is it to receive your guests this way?¡±
The guards that appeared out of the air didn¡¯t utter a single sound. Only the leader spoke: ¡°Li Xiaojie, please enter. My master wants to speak to you.¡±
Li Wei Yang was expressionless yet she blinked her eyes towards Zhao Yue¡¯s direction. Zhao Yue could scarcely wait to nod her head. Li Wei Yang let out a chilling humph as if she was helpless and was forced to walk up the steps. She pushed the door open and walked inside. Since the room was in poor light, it was dark and nothing could be seen. She moved towards the right when the draperies suddenly lifted. Li Wei Yang took a step back and noticed a gongzi in an embroidered outfit.
¡°So it¡¯s you ---¡± Li Wei Yang snickered, ¡°When did the fourth gongzi of the Jiang start doing these kind of things.¡±
Jiang Nan¡¯s face looked even more handsome at this moment. It was just that his face now carried a sneer: ¡°Li Wei Yang, I¡¯ve told you before, you can never escape my reach ------¡± He originally thought of countless ways to fool her here because he heard she was known for being overly skeptical. He was afraid she was going to bring along many people so he specifically arranged twenty skilled guards. But now it seemed like he overestimated her; she was this trusting of Lu Gong. However, this was understandable, after all, Lu Gong saved her younger brother¡¯s life before. Ordinary people usually wouldn¡¯t suspect their saviors, Jiang Nan thought. To lure the enemy, one must use the most unthinkable people and ways.
Hearing him say those words, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t show much astonishment on her face. On the contrary, she slowly sat down, took the tea cup on the table, and gradually poured herself a cup of tea. Her expression fogged up with a trace of mockery, she said: ¡°Fourth Gongzi, you¡¯ve passed off as Physician Lu and abducted me here, are you bored with life?! Perhaps you don¡¯t know abducting the Miss of an official is punishable by execution? Or do you think the Jiangs have special authority, so you are free from punishments?¡±
Jiang Nan was stunned but he smilingly replied: ¡°You are such a clever person so how is it that you don¡¯t understand? I am not the one who abducted you now but you were the one who obediently walked in. How should I say this, it¡¯s you who came walking right into the trap.¡±
Li Wei Yang lifted her head up and looked at him: ¡°Oh? Walked into the trap?¡± Calm fleer floated in her clear eyes but sadly, he wasn¡¯t able to tell. She slowly said, ¡°Then, I wonder why Fourth Gongzi invited me over, what is the meaning behind this?¡±
Jiang Nan let out a sneer and said: ¡°Of course it is to see my soon-to-be concubine!¡±
Li Wei Yang was taken aback and nced at Jiang Nan from top to bottom, she said: ¡°Fourth Gongzi must be insane? Why do I have to see your concubine?¡±
Jiang Nan let out an unbridledughter: ¡°You are my soon-to-be concubine! Don¡¯t tell you think after we are here together for a day, you can still be the main wife bestowed to me by the Emperor?¡±
Li Wei Yang stare dumbfoundedly at him and spoke: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve lured me here to ruin my reputation?¡±
Jiang Nan¡¯sughter brought forth a chill: ¡°I can¡¯t just invite you here to entertain you.¡± Once the abduction of a Miss from a noble family is publicly brought to trial, it would be a death penalty. But he was positive that if he abducted Li Wei Yang, the Li family would silently put up with it and also marry Li Wei Yang to him as his concubine. No matter how valiant or arrogant Li Wei Yang is, she is still after all a woman so she would never sacrifice her own reputation. If her abduction was known, she could only resolve this by death. Compared to suicide, forbearing this matter and marrying to him as his concubine is a better option. So he was winning this gamble for sure!
Li Wei Yang leisurely let out a sigh. Her gentle intonation was like the jade green spring water that not a single trace of anger can be heard: ¡°Fourth Gongzi, I¡¯ve really overestimated you. I originally thought even though you are a little short-tempered and arrogant, you are still a hero on the battlefield. I would have never thought you would be able to think of such a degrading method. Oh, what a disappointment!¡±
Jiang Nan began to panic because he didn¡¯t expect her to be this calm. Soon he smiled; her calmness must be feigned. If she was imprisoned here for a night, regardless of whether or not he does something to her, by tomorrow morning, she wouldn¡¯t be able to marry into the Jiangs as a chaste woman. Of course, by that time, she wouldn¡¯t be able to marry other people and could only marry him, moreover, as his concubine! This way, this would appease Lao Furen and he wouldn¡¯t object.
He had never thought about marrying Li Wei Yang. Even if Li Wei Yang made him overly excited, even if each time he sees her, he would develop this feeling of subjugation, which he only felt on the battlefield. Moreover, she was the first person to make him develop this feeling. But he doesn¡¯t believe that just based on this, she as a lowly-born daughter of a concubine, is not qualified to be his main wife! Although his position was gone, but he was still the legitimate son of a meritorious family! Let alone, she actually feigned illness to escape the marriage! She doesn¡¯t want to marry, that¡¯s fine, then he must force her to marry him, especially as his concubine!
She can¡¯t help but remark that Jiang Nan¡¯s method was despicable and dirty. When used towards an unmarried Miss, it was extremely ruthless and simply brutal. But it was very effective to the point that Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t hold back her smile.
¡°Why are you smiling?!¡± Jiang Nan began to think Li Wei Yang was odd since she was still able to smile at this moment, ¡°Do you think your guards can save you? There is no harm in telling you, I¡¯ve already moved those guards away from here, they wouldn¡¯t be able toe save you! If you are smart, then behave and stay here until the morning. At least then, I can still give you a concubine status. If you decide to y tricks and try to escape, then we¡¯ll see a clothless An Ping Xian Zhu amongst the hobos.¡± Jiang Nan coldly exined.
Li Wei Yangughed as she shook her head. She almostughed until she coughed that Jiang Nan started to regard her as crazy. He was starting to feel goosebumps from herughter, he furily said: ¡°What are you doing?!¡±
Li Wei Yang was hardly able to restrain herughter and said: ¡°Fourth Gongzi, your actions are not synonymous with those of gongzis from a noble family. You are no different from the local ruffians. Take a look, for all these years, the Jiangs have nurtured such a person like you. I really feel bad for Eldest Uncle. If he knows of your behavior today, I¡¯m afraid he will be disappointed!¡±
The education Jiang Nan received from the battlefield was truly different from the ordinary gongzis of a noble family. Integrity and sense of shame were things he didn¡¯t care about. The most important thing to him is his pride and Li Wei Yang as luck would have it stepped on his dignity. Towards a girl like this, why should he show mercy. Heughed aloud: ¡°Perhaps, I should consider pushing up our consummation to tonight.¡±
Afterwards at this moment, a voice suddenly raised: ¡°What a great thought, but sadly, it is very brutal now.¡±
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Trantor: Jaslynn
Editor: Erica
Next: Chapter 116 Part 2
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Chapter 116 part2
Chapter 116: A Trap! A Trap!
Jiang Nan was surprised that he drastically turned his head back. He saw a heavy objectnded on his head causing him to stagger. He was being hit multiple times behind his head and in seconds, blood flowed down covering his eyes. Soon, countless men in ck rushed forward as they held him down by his neck. He fought hard against them but because of the pain from the attack, he felt dizzy and light-headed!
Li Min De coldly said: ¡°Tie him up tightly! Throw him into that corner!¡±
Jiang Nan couldn¡¯t believe it but he was already tied up that he couldn¡¯t budge at all and was thrown into a corner. Li Min De walked towards him and from above spoke: ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, reality is very brutal. You really shouldn¡¯t have target her, this daydream is a bit too early!¡±
Jiang Nan is a skilled martial fighter but he was caught off guard just now and additionally, they had more people so they were able to subdue him. Rationally, he should be able to free himself but as he struggled more, the rope used to tie his hands and feet seemed to have cut into his flesh. He couldn¡¯t free himself and as he became agitated, more blood flowed down his head and reddened his face even more.
He angrily bellowed: ¡°Li Wei Yang! You crazy yatou, what are you doing?!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at his disordered situation, her thin lips were tightly closed, revealing a silky icy smile, "You¡¯re actually not crazy, but if you want to abduct someone, then you should have found the right target ------ you can abduct any ordinary Xiaojie. If others find out, they would just call you a romantic flirt ------ but you took the initiative to provoke me, then that¡¯s not good!"
Jiang Nan was stunned. He suddenly realized something from this sentence. He suddenly gasped without closing his mouth, he finally reacted: "Li Wei Yang, you stinking thing, you set a trap ------"
"What did I?!" Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile became oddly warm, "I was just beating you at your own game. If you obediently stayed home and reflect on your misdeeds, then everything would have been fine. Now you¡¯ve sent yourself to my door. Ah, yes, in your own words, this is called walking right into the trap."
Jiang Nan didn¡¯t believe her. "What did you say?"
Li Wei Yang slowly said: "Fourth Gongzi, rather offend a gentleman than offend a woman. This phrase, you should remember it, keep in mind, otherwise, even the Heavenly Emperor can¡¯t help you!"
The overt attacks on the battlefield actually couldn¡¯t be used here. But this is ordinary because speaking of ruthless tactics, Li Wei Yang had seen more. Jiang Nan¡¯s stratagems can only be used on the battlefield and wouldn¡¯t be useful in the inner household. Yet he doesn¡¯t understand and dare y tricks in front of her. If he was smart, he would have been aware that she wouldn¡¯te defenseless. He can only me his own self-conceit and viewed Li Wei Yang to be very inferior and stupid! Clever people usually have this problem; they often like to underestimate theirpetitors!
Jiang Nan couldn¡¯t believe that he had been set up by the other party. He viciously stared at Li Wei Yang and threatened: "If you don¡¯t let me go ------"
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said: "Fourth Gongzi, why don¡¯t you understand your situation? If you ask me, I will consider it for you."
Jiang Nan red at her and then looked towards the cold-intentioned Li Min De. He suddenlyughed aloud: ¡°I don¡¯t believe you both would dare to do anything to me!¡±
Li Min De cocked his lips up; as he stood, his handsome and suave face discouraged others to look at him directly. He calmly spoke: ¡°We, of course, don¡¯t dare to do anything to you. But since we took the effort to invite you over, we can¡¯t invite you over for nothing, isn¡¯t that right?¡± His expression carried a trace of coolness.
Jiang Nan vigntly stared at him and felt that this person standing in front of him possessed a deep sense of animosity. He looked Li Wei Yang up and down and then looked at Li Min De. He suddenly showed a cold smirk: ¡°No wonder you¡¯re not interested in me, it¡¯s actually because you¡¯re already in an illicit rtion with this young man! You both are cousins, this is really filthy!¡±
Li Min De stepped forward, unexpectedly grabbed onto his cor, and gave him a punch,nding on Jiang Nan¡¯s nose.¡°What are you doing!¡± Jiang Nan could only feel an aching pain as if his nose was broken. Yet he couldn¡¯t fight back and could only look at the person with rage. He had never been beaten up by anyone! How could Li Min De dare to!
Without much hesitation, Li Min De continue to put out a punch: ¡°I¡¯m warning you, if you dare say anything that disrespects her, I¡¯ll give you two more punches until your teeth fall out! Also, remember this, it¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault but your own! Serve you right that you have to endure this!¡± As he spoke, he gave him three more punches. Hisst punch made Jiang Nan almost unconscious and couldn¡¯t breathe.
¡°You --- you lunatic! Stop it!¡± Jiang Nan had always been distinguished and noble but this time he was being attacked. Li Min De coldly voiced: ¡°Why do you deserve to be superior to others, what do you think you are? If you didn¡¯t have the Jiangs¡¯ reputation, where can you win the title of a long-standing victorious general?! It¡¯s only because your ancestors nted trees for the benefit of posterity, do you actually think you¡¯re really that superior!¡±
Of course, if he didn¡¯t have the Jiangs¡¯ prestige, Jiang Nan wouldn¡¯t even have the opportunity to exercise control over the military! These words actually affected Jiang Nan; he seemed like he was being lit on fire because no one dared to reveal his shorings directly to his face! Within seconds, he exploded: ¡°Shut up! You dare start a rumor --- you dare discredit me! I¡¯ve relied on my own capability for my military achievements, what do you, a fair-faced man, rely on?! You rely on your looks?!¡±
It¡¯s not pleasant to be called a fair-faced man especially when Li Min De hates it when others pay attention to his appearance. His smile turned colder: ¡°Who has the patience to discredit you?! You¡¯re narrow-minded and seeks revenge on the smallest things --- isn¡¯t it because she is not interested in you! You harbor other intentions! Which is why you must force her into a dead end without any reservations!¡±
¡°Rubbish!¡± Jiang Nan cared less about the aches throughout his body and raucously spoke: ¡°I am the dignified and imposing descendant of the great military family --- what other intentions would I have? Li Wei Yang is worth nothing! She is not even worthy to carry my shoes!¡±
Li Min De was greatly infuriated yet Li Wei Yang obstructed his path: ¡°Why be affected by this type of person? He was born with a golden spoon so everyone treat him differently just because his surname has Jiang in it --- even if he had military achievements, so what? If it wasn¡¯t for the Jiangs, do you think he would be bestowed the third-rank title of military warrior just from a few battles? Jiang Nan, you¡¯ve only used three years andpleted the unfinished lifetime journey of a forty-years old, do you really think you only relied on your capabilities? Or you deceiving us or yourself?!¡±
Jiang Nan¡¯s fury stopped abruptly and only his shoulders were slightly trembling. He couldn¡¯t deny Li Wei Yang¡¯s words because what she said was the truth. Even with his military aplishments, without his family backing, he must start climbing from the bottom. Even if he climbed up to forty-years old, he still might not be able to show his face to the Emperor. He couldn¡¯te up with words to refute her words so he felt even more enraged and couldn¡¯t back: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you lowly ---¡±
¡°Forget it.¡± Li Wei Yang chillingly spoke, ¡°With your appearance now, who is actually the lowly one here?! Does it matter who my birth mother is? Jiang Nan, the future is earned by one¡¯s own fights. If sessful, then you are a well-respected General of Wei Wu; if unsessful, then you are an unknown wastrel! What does this have to do with your background! You¡¯re right, I am born by a foot-washing maid, so what? Now I am the one standing and you¡¯re the one kneeling! I¡¯m speaking and you¡¯re listening! Since you¡¯ve lost then you should y no tricks and kneel. Don¡¯t call others lowly or else you¡¯re only humiliating yourself!¡±
Jiang Nan looked up; even though his eyes were filled with blood, he still desperately looked at the person he despised earlier. But he saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s pair of eyes emitting splendor, making her seemed shockingly admirable. He had truly never encounter such a woman like her, domineering, cunning, treacherous, and sinister --- what kind of person is she?!
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t look at him anymore and turned to speak to Li Min De: ¡°Did you bring the person here?¡±
Li Min De raised his brows and ordered: ¡°Bring her in.¡±
Jiang Nan coldly watched as they escorted a person in a coral cloak in. As she stepped over the threshold, her hood identally slipped off and revealed the features of an almond-shaped young girl. There were blush on her cheeks and a cross-like scar across her forehead that greatly damaged her face. Moreover, her eyes showed a murderous expression as if she wanted to eat someone. He couldn¡¯t help but shiver: ¡°Li Wei Yang, what do you want!¡±Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Fourth Gongzi, don¡¯t you want me to be your concubine? Then I should also send you a gift of equivalence.¡± As she spoke, she waved her hand. The man in ck quickly escorted the girl next to Jiang Nan. Jiang Nan began to feel extremely anxious: ¡°What is the meaning behind this!¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t answer him and instead said: ¡°Alright, you all can leave. It seems like it¡¯s about time.¡±
Everyone listened and left.
Mo Zhu, who entered with Li Min De, handed Li Wei Yang a bundle wrapped in cloth. Afterwards, she took off the coral red cloak from Li Chang Xi and then wrapped the cloak of peacocks around Li Chang Xi as Li Chang Xi stare with terror. As for Li Wei Yang, she smiled and then went into the inner chamber and put on the coral red cloak before she returned to her seat. She leisurely sipped her tea but Jiang Nan didn¡¯t care too much about her because this insane young girl was staring at him with her beautiful pair of eyes, as if she didn¡¯t know where to bite him first. He couldn¡¯t help but tremble because he had seen countless expressions but never this one, which seemed like it wanted to break him apart. Something shed across his mind and he shouted: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you lowly thing, you want to ---¡±At this moment, the door outside was knocked open with a group of people rushing in.
The leader was wearing the wardrobe of an official and his expression was austere. He looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight-years old. Jiang Nan quickly identified him to be the newly-installed capital administrator, Yao Chang Qing.
This Official Yao is young but he is well-known for his unyielding nature, hot temper, and adherence to principles; even his life is known to be hard. In the court, he does everything based on thew that he doesn¡¯t even buy what the Emperor says. Five years ago, he was already installed as the new capital administrator and the Third Princess¡¯ Prince Consort was drunkenly causing a ruckus on the streets. He was arrested by Official Yao and even with the princess¡¯ pleadings, he still took off the prince consort¡¯s pants and gave him a beating. The princess cried in front of the Emperor and consequentially, summoned Official Yao to scold him. However, he didn¡¯t buy what the Emperor was saying and in the end had the prince beaten again, which caused him to bed-ridden for half a year. The Emperor was infuriated that he didn¡¯t do him a favor and sent him far away to a small town. However, who would have known that he was able to climb up again and after the assassination attempt, the Emperor thought that he is still the perfect candidate for the capital administrator position. Even the royalties have to pay him respect --- this was the first odd event that ever happened since the start of Da Li.
Of course, inparison to his reputation for being fated to mourn his wife¡¯s death, this was nothing. At the age of thirty four-years old, he had already lost three wives. His first wife was his childhood lover and had excellent health. But after marrying for three years, she died. His second wife lived even shorter --- only a year. The third one ...... only three months. The fortune-teller told him that he has a hard fate so he must mourn the deaths of three wives to ovee his fate. But who dares to be his fourth wife, so no one dares to marry their daughters to him even if he is a good-natured person.Once Jiang Nan saw him, he quickly felt difort.
Li Wei Yang coldly said: ¡°Official Yao, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t dare to handle this case!¡±
Official Yao frowned since he had already recognized the person tied up. He did feel shocked but after that vanished, he reproached: ¡°What do I not dare to handle! There is no case in this world I dare not to handle!¡±
Li Wei Yang spoke: ¡°Then alright, today, this Fourth Gongzi of the Jiangs forcefully abducted my sister. If I didn¡¯t discover immediately, then my sister¡¯s innocence would have been ruined in his hands!¡±
Yao Chang Qing coldly nced at Jiang Fourth who was beaten heavily: ¡°Fourth Gongzi, is this true!¡±
Jiang Fourth almost snapped his own teeth: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you did this intentionally! Yao Chang Qing, don¡¯t be deceived by her!¡±
¡°I¡¯m deceiving others?¡± Li Wei Yang let out a humph, ¡°Are you iming your innocence? My sister was in Physician Lu¡¯s pharmacy, didn¡¯t you trick her here, perhaps she came to the wilderness by herself? Official Yao, look, my sister was doing well, but now she can¡¯t even speak clearly?! Which Miss of which family can calm herself down with such an encounter?¡±
Yao Chang Qing waved his hand and someone from his side immediately went over to check on Li Chang Xi yet was bitten by her, causing the person to bleed. This person was startled, he quickly reported: ¡°Official, this Xiaojie must have been provoked by something!¡± She didn¡¯t leave any empathy in that bite and in addition to her disordered hair and disheveled clothing, it seemed like she was bullied.
Yao Chang Qing felt uneasy because he hated wastrels bullying innocent young girls the most. He coldly ordered: ¡°Search a hundred miles within the vicinity to see what other evidence there are!¡±
¡°Yes!¡± The guards immediately went and didn¡¯t dare to look Li Wei Yang in the eyes. This kind of Xiaojie from a renowned family rarely show themselves. Now they get to see two, which was very unexpected.
Yao Chang Qing turned back: ¡°This Xiaojie, you are ---¡±Li Wei Yang slowly replied: ¡°I am An Ping Xianzhu and this is my Fifth Sister.¡±
Yao Chang Qing was taken aback and meticulously looked at the abnormal Li Chang Xi as he suddenly thought of theplications in this matter. One side is the prime minister and the other side is the Jiangs, what is going on? Not for long, the guards bought in a tremblingmoner. Once he saw Yao Chang Qing, he immediately kneeled and replied: ¡°Yes ...... it¡¯s Fourth Gongzi who told nucai to trick the person in the carriage over here ......¡±
Jiang Nan finally realized he fell into a trap, even his own people were bribed! Thinking more into this, he thought this was impossible! This carriageman is on his side; he couldn¡¯t help but remember how Li Wei Yang was wearing a cloak and no one could clearly see her face. Moreover, Li Chang Xi¡¯s stature was simr to Li Chang Le so no one can differentiate them from the back. Therefore, others would think the person bought here was Li Chang Xi! This carriageman didn¡¯t see Li Wei Yang¡¯s appearance from the start. To be more cautious, he didn¡¯t even tell him who the person was in the carriage. As a result, it was easy for others to misperceive!
Li Wei Yang watched the carriageman who was kneeling on the ground like a pile of dirt, she said: ¡°Official Yao, you¡¯ve heard, right? This carriageman and I are the witnesses! If you don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough, there are also other guards from the Li family, they came along with me and saw how Third Brother and I walked in. If we didn¡¯t arrive on time, I¡¯m afraid my sister¡¯s chastity would have been gone!¡±
The entire n was very simple. Li Wei Yang wore a cloak so others didn¡¯t know what she looks like. As for Li Min De, he followed behind and came along with Li Chang Xi. Afterwards, Li Chang Le and Li Chang Xi switched their cloaks; that way, once the Jiangs¡¯ servants arrived, it would be two people who entered the room. And in the eyes of the Lis¡¯ guards, Third Xiaojie and Third Shaoye entered the room together. It seemed very simple but the timing must be right especially if they want to let others to misperceive.
Originally, she could have been reced by Li Chang Xi from the start. But this can easily be found out along the way.
Jiang Nan bellowed: ¡°Yao Chang Qing, think about this carefully, why do I have to abduct a mental yatou!¡±
Li Wei Yang indifferently replied: ¡°Who said my Fifth Sister is a lunatic, she was frightened by you. Once she bes sober, she will be able to testify!¡±
Yao Chang Qing didn¡¯t hesitate any longer and decisively voiced: ¡°Why are you still standing here?! This kind of scum is Da Li¡¯s most shameless of all! Tie him up and we¡¯ll deliver his conviction!¡± The guards unanimously echoed and tied up both Jiang Nan and the carriageman. Jiang Nan fought back but none of them was gentle on him, no one looked at his bloodied face. There was nothing wrong with beating up such a scum who had abducted a young maid.
Li Wei Yang walked out of the room and then curtsied at Yao Chang Qing: ¡°Official Yao, I have a favor to ask.¡±
Yao Chang Qing froze and stopped walking.
Li Wei Yang quietly asked: ¡°This matter involves my Fifth Sister¡¯s chastity, I wonder if Official Yao can secretly handle this?¡±
Yao Chang Qing nodded and said: ¡°Xiaojie, don¡¯t worry. None of my men will let this out. But since this involves many, I must report it to the Emperor and have it handled by His Majesty.¡± Jiang Nan was different from wastrel Third Prince Consort. If this wasn¡¯t handled correctly, it would lead to anarchy. Yao Chang Qing wasn¡¯t afraid of the Jiangs but for the civilians, he must handle be cautious.
Li Wei Yang had already predicted this from the start and ended: ¡°We¡¯ve bothered you, Official.¡±
Li Wei Yang returned back into the room. Only the three of them were left in the massive room. Li Min De looked at Li Chang Xi and shook his head: ¡°Come, her illness hasn¡¯t recovered yet.¡±
Li Wei Yang let out augh, took out her handkerchief and helped wipe the dirt off Li Chang Xi¡¯s face. When she reached the corners of her mouth and noticed the bloodied bite mark on her lower lips. Li Wei Yang smiled and gently spoke: ¡°Fifth Sister, I¡¯ve already known your illness had begun to improve in the vige. At the very least, you understand what we want to do but you¡¯re willing to y along with us. That means you¡¯re willing to gamble for you future prospects, isn¡¯t that right? If you go ording to what I nned, then I¡¯ll help you secure a good marriage prospect. Perhaps, if you continue to want to go against me, I more than wee you to.¡± She cared for the very least about the Li¡¯s family reputation so what Jiang Nan was saying how a woman would quietly suffer to save her chastity is a ridiculous move. Thisint must be filed and it must be brought forth to His Majesty until he loses his life! But it seems like the victim must be reced by another!
Li Chang Xi stared abominably at Li Wei Yang. She gnawed her teeth but still wouldn¡¯t say a word.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°You¡¯ve been going against me from the start but now you should know, besides me, no one can help you leave that dpidated ce. When we see His Majestyter, what should you say?¡±
Li Chang Xi lowered her head and didn¡¯t speak a single word. Li Min De frowned: ¡°Actually, we can still rece the role of the victim.¡±
Li Chang Xi drastically raised her head and stared at them with her murderous eyes. Li Wei Yang continued: ¡°Fifth Sister, Fourth Yiniang had already told you about this and you¡¯ve willingly came along, so why pretend to act like you were forced here? You must have seen the capital administrator just now and you should be satisfied. We¡¯re each taking what we need, I¡¯m done with my words, you should weigh it in your mind.¡±
Li Chang Xi didn¡¯t say anything but the hatred in her eyes slowly lessened and became more tranquil.
Li Wei Yang had harmed her in the past but as she calmly thought it over, this matter didn¡¯t hold any disadvantages towards her! She finally nodded her head.
Outside the room, Yao Chang Qing couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the case. He only felt that he had never been affected before, he sighed: ¡°Usually it¡¯s fine but for today, if we don¡¯t have a result, the Jiangs and the Lis would skin him alive. I am not afraid of anything but these two families are not ones to be implicated with. If they end up fighting, then it will rm the civilians, and this will be the world¡¯sughingstock ......¡± In the end, the advisor suggested, ¡°This is not easy to handle, why don¡¯t Official go into the pce and ask for a verdict from His Majesty.¡±
Yao Chang Qing finally felt at ease, he immediately sent the booklet to the Emperor. His Majesty was infuriated since he had ordered Jiang Nan to reflect upon his actions at home, how could he instigate another matter! He must be unafraid of death! He immediately summoned everyone involved to understand the situation. Li Wei Yang was expected to be questioned but while she was waiting to be summoned in the guest room arranged by the capital administrator, the Empress summoned her first ......
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: EricaEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 116 Part 2
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Chapter 117 part1
Chapter 117: Confrontation in the Golden Hall
The Empress met with Li Wei Yang in the side hall, this meeting obviously beyond Li Wei Yang¡¯s expectation.
On both sides, tens of eunuchs wearing green brocade robes stood solemnly with hands cupped; Li Wei Yang leisurely walked past them tiptoeing her way up, the big hall filled with a certain kind of fragrance¡ªshe who had once lived in the pce knew that is the sandalwood precipitated from someone who has prayed to Buddha over a long time. And this Empress, for Li Wei Yang, she does know her a bit. She has followed Buddha for a long time, but it doesn¡¯t mean that she is a kind person.
Li Wei Yang did not look up, she bent down in a bow, and after bowing, both eyes are on the floor without moving: ¡°Royal subject¡¯s daughter Wei Yang greets Your Majesty, the Empress.¡±
¡°Raise your head.¡± A dignified female voice entered her ear, this voice so clean and cold, so hard, like a cold jade.
Li Wei Yang raised her head. The Empress looks to be over 40, her stature rather small, but with a chilly bossiness,pared to Virtuous Consort Zhang, Consort Rou and others, her looks are considered average, or perhaps in order to conceal this, each time that Li Wei Yang met her, she always felt that her makeup is too solemn; it¡¯s the same as well today, it¡¯s just meeting the daughter of a subject yet she is wearing the nine-tails phoenix buyao(dangling hair ornament) in her hair, twined with pure gold ne, when talking, that ne is also quiver with a slight sound.
Li Wei Yang quickly lowered her gaze; staring at someone else¡¯s eyes for a long period of time is extremely rude, especially when it¡¯s someone like the Empress.
The Empress sat upright in her seat, her gaze on Li Wei Yang noble and cold-blooded; when seeing her too calm of a face, the Empress¡¯s delicately and beautifully drawn brows couldn¡¯t help tightening slightly. She thoroughly inquired about Li Wei Yang¡¯s age, name and what seemed like regr family talk, but in fact was checking to see if her thinking is quick, her speaking is eloquent, even conferring her personality¡ªthose who are good at summing up people can, from the way she speaks, judge what kind of person she is.
Li Wei Yang did not show a trace of timidness, replying to the Empress¡¯s questions calmly, her speech slow, her attitude respectful, definitely not low.
¡°Very good, I have heard His Majesty speak of you before, meeting you today, are really a smart girl..¡± the Empress nodded slightly, even though her mouth said ¡°smart,¡± her face was still solemn.
Li Wei Yang only answered: ¡°Thank you Your Majesty for your praise, I don¡¯t deserve such honour.¡±
The Empress suddenly said a suspicious sentence: ¡°I heard something happened yesterday.¡±
Sure enough it came. Li Wei Yang smiled slightly: ¡°Not sure what Your Majesty is speaking of?¡±
The Empressughed but didn¡¯t answer; the rather small hall was instantly silent, only the lethargic calls of the thrush outside could be heard. In the light of the muggy afternoon, the Empress¡¯s regr clothes were thin and purple, a peony sewn on the front left, extremely delicate and charming, stunningly beautiful. The Empress¡¯s smile slowly disappeared, her voice quiet like water, slowly saying each word, each sentence: ¡°Someone has falsely used the fourth young master of the Jiangs for kidnapping the fifth miss of the Lis, is this true?¡±
Falsely used, these two words have already determined the Empress¡¯ attitude towards this incident. It makes Li Wei Yang feels like an all-over chilliness has rushed in, from the heart to the body; even the soul is cold.
She slowly raised her face, both eyes covered by hershes, unable to see any expression, her lips rising in a cold smile, she calmly responded: ¡°As Your Majesty said, the fourth young master of the Jiangs has kidnapped my sister.¡±
She left out these two words, ¡°falsely used;¡± the Empress¡¯s eyes instantly widened, staring with a bit of disbelief at the seemingly calm girl in front of her. Meanwhile, Li Wei Yang actually seemed as though she had no fear; in those ck eyes, a look shed quickly, so quickly that the Empress¡¯s heart suddenly became heavy.
She summoned her here to make her shut up about that incident, never to mention that matter again, but obviously, the other person doesn¡¯t seem to understand her hint, unwilling to change her original intention.
It was surprisingly hot in the afternoon, outside the hall is quite fine, but inside the hall where there is not a bit of wind, it was hot like fire; because of this, the Empress¡¯s mood be more agitated, she smiled coldly and said: ¡°With such an incident happening, it will be hard for your sister to get married, do you still want to be stubborn?¡±
Therefore, the Empress wanted to be selfish, hoping that the Lis will take a loss, then marry a daughter off to the other side as a concubine. This and Jiang Nan¡¯¡¯s initial thought, are obviously exactly the same, after all there is still not a person who doesn¡¯t care about their face and reputation; if it bes bigger, no one will gain anything. Jiang Nan, sure that Li Wei Yang is a smart person, unwilling to be a nun ormit suicide, and therefore will definitely be willing to be a concubine, thus unscrupulously behaved this way, but he would have never thought that Li Wei Yang would drag out a Li Chang Xi. Towards the abandoned-by-the-family Li Chang Xi, the situation ispletely different.
¡°Your Majesty, it¡¯s not Wei Yang being stubborn, but rather at the time the incident was seen by many people.¡± Li Wei Yang said gently.
The Empress was speechless; of course she also knew that this incident is hard to deal with. If it was not hard, Guo Gong Furen would not struggle with her illness toe and beg her; thinking of this, the Empress¡¯s dark eyes watched unwaveringly at Li Wei Yang: ¡°You are a smart person, as long as you change your words, this incident can be solved.¡±
Li Wei Yang did not get mad, she just smiled warmly at the Empress and said: ¡°Your Majesty, I will do as Your Majesty says, but what about Yao Daren? His public...? You do know that Yao Daren is stubborn and wouldn¡¯t listen even to the Emperor¡¯s words; when the timees, the two testimonies would not match, His Majesty would think that I am lying to the ruler. This crime, how can I take responsibility?¡±
The Empress immediately frowned, her expression solemn, almost getting angry: ¡°What you¡¯re saying, in order for you to change your testimony, Yao Daren must also relent?¡±
Li Wei Yang said in grievance: ¡°Your Majesty, I am stating the facts, otherwise what you want me to say, I will say.¡±
The Empress stared at her, not knowing what to say to her for a moment. To say that she disobeyed her edict, she did not say a word of disagreeing, but to say that she is meek, she didn¡¯t even agree to anything. This yatou, is really as Guo Gong Furen said, she is slippery. She couldn¡¯t help ripping thatyer of paper on the window and said: ¡°Don¡¯t you understand my intention? I want you to say that your sister and Jiang Nan were dating! Understand?!¡±
It¡¯s dating, not kidnapping! This is the Empress¡¯s meaning.
Li Wei Yang was shocked and said: ¡°Dating? Fifth sister and the fourth young master of the Jiangs were dating? I did not know at all! Aiya, this yatou is too bold, even saying that a date is kidnapping!¡±
The Empress suppressed the anger in her heart and stood up, her dress with the Zi Jin phoenix pattern pulling a slight sound, the pce maids on the side quickly bend down, not daring to raise their head. The Empress didn¡¯t look kindly at Li Wei Yang and said slowly: ¡°Do not skirt around it! I will repeat, when His Majesty asks you, you should know what you should say!¡±
Li Wei Yang bent like a bow and said: ¡°This royal subject¡¯s daughter solemnly respects Your Majesty¡¯s edict.¡±
After Li Wei Yang left, the Empress pressed her forehead; she is beginning to feel confused whether this yatou is really foolish or pretending to be confused. If she can persuade Yao Chang Qing, that old bone, would she still need her to change her testimony? As long as the witness changes testimony, then there can be an end to this....
A pce maid saw that her mistress was having a headache and couldn¡¯t help shaking her head; Her Majesty has physically and mentally exhausted herself for the Crown Prince for the past two years, to the point that she didn¡¯t even see through this little yatou. That person has clearly agreed to nothing, but she still thought that she had already achieved her goal...
From the start to the end, Li Wei Yang had been going along with the Empress¡¯ words, just repeating her, didn¡¯t even express a word that shows she will change, while the Empress had clearly misunderstood.
In the Emperor¡¯s main hall, members of the Jiangs and Lis, Yao Chang Qing, Jiang Nan, Li Chang Xi, the Crown Prince, third prince Tuoba Zhen, fifth prince Tuoba Rui, seventh prince Tuoba Yu are all there with not one person missing. It is obvious that this news had already gradually spread out. Li Wei Yang walked in slowly; Jiang Guo Gong Furen¡¯s chilly gaze was locked on her, vicious as if she wanted to eat her alive, but that body with the walking stick already exposed that she looks strong but in fact is weak.
Li Wei Yang took a nce at Guo Gong Furen, the smile on her face bing deeper; she had long guessed that this olddy woulde, and what¡¯s more, ording to her original prediction, her illness was not light.
The Emperor sat at the center seat and said sternly: ¡°Originally this case should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice and Intendant of JingZhao to investigate, but both families are my Da Li¡¯s cornerstones. Therefore I want to personally listen¡ªthere are so many people standing below, with so many eyes watching, there wouldn¡¯t be any injustice to anyone! Guo Gong Furen¡¯s age is high, you may sit. Intendant of JingZhao, you can try the case.¡±
Guo Gong Furen, wearing the dress and essories of a first rank madam, outwardly looking aged, thanked unsteadily for the seat.
Jiang Nan is expressionless, not looking at anyone; Li Chang Xi¡¯s head is lowered, looking as if she is sad, yet from an outsider¡¯s point of view, it seems as though she has recovered from the shock she has received. Only Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression is weird; he doesn¡¯t understand, howe Li Chang Xi is suddenly not crazy anymore? In actuality, there is nothing weird about this matter: in the past, Li Chang Xi has taken a big blow because of that incident, losing her mind, but Li Xiao Ran at that time had silenced everyone who knew of the incident. Now outsiders only know that the fifth daughter of the Lis had left to recover from an illness, but do not know just what illness she has, much less know the truth of the matter. Afterwards, Si Yiniang secretly hired a doctor to take a diagnosis; Li Chang Xi¡¯s craziness is originally not that serious, therefore slowly she would recover.
Yao Chang Qing said coldly: ¡°Jiang Nan, did you kidnap Miss Li?¡±
Jiang Nan looked at Yao Chang Qing coldly but didn¡¯t answer, Jiang Xu was secretly itching to give him a couple of ps, but his face revealed a heartbroken expression and said: ¡°Ai, it is this royal subject who did not teach well enough. In the past, when my niece Li Chang Le was ill, I instructed this undutiful child to go visit, who knew that he would have met the fifth daughter of the Li Manor... some back and forth, if I have heard something, definitely would not have allowed this undutiful child to do such offence to public decency!¡± Weeping as he spoke, ¡°Younger sister, I have failed you! Even if I die, I can¡¯t face you underneath.¡± His behaviour, naturally settled that these two were having a liaison, not kidnapping, this is seriously a big difference!
¡°Miss Li, do you have a personal rtionship with the fourth young master of the Jiang!¡± Yao Chang Qing asked.
Li Chang Xi, as if receiving a shock, stammered: ¡°I..I have never met him before, how can there be a personal rtionship!¡±
Jiang Xu immediately said: ¡°Chang Xi, it¡¯s already to this point, there is no need to hide! We are after all family, since you and Nan-er have feelings, why didn¡¯t you say anything earlier, uncle (maternal) will definitely help you!.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression dimmed; it is obvious that he is not willing to deal with this matter. After speaking with Li Wei Yangst time, he really doesn¡¯t want to be more rted to the Jiangs by marriage! Don¡¯t even speak about if there really is a liason, Li Chang Xi can only be a concubine! Since they have caused this issue, then if they are capable, they can handle it themselves!
Li Wei Yang spoke with a piercing cold: ¡°Uncle, even though your position is currently a general of third rank, today His Majesty is here, the chief interrogator Lord Yao Chang Qing is also here, the Crown Prince and other princes are also here, how could ite to Jiujiu judging for there to be a liason? Unless uncle has suddenly became the chief interrogator!¡± Not caring about how ugly Jiang Xu¡¯s face has be, her pair of eyes bright like precious stone looked at the Emperor and said loudly: ¡°Your Majesty, Your royal subject¡¯s daughter has something to say!¡±
¡°Speak.¡± The Emperor nodded.
A trace of cold shed through Li Wei Yang¡¯s beautiful pair of eyes, she sighed a breath of air and said: ¡°Originally I didn¡¯t want to speak of the truth but seeing uncle¡¯s behaviour today, the fourth young master has schemed a malicious interlinking n, wanting to discredit me; my lowly life is of no value, but it¡¯s a pity that fifth younger sister has been implicated innocently. If I don¡¯t speak and let it rot inside, even if I have been shattered, I cannot face her!¡±
Li Wei Yang spoke slowly: ¡°Replying to His Majesty, fifth younger sister and I are both concubine born, I was unlucky to have been born in the second month, and from a young age was determined by my principal mother to be bad luck, therefore sent to the countryside to be raised.¡± Speaking to here, Li Wei Yang has as silent expression, ¡°At age 6, the family that adopted me nitpicked me for not doing chores nimbly, a pair of scissors was hit in my arm; there is still a scar to this day. Even though I did not live well, I didn¡¯t dare to hold a grudge. I can only wait in anticipation, hoping that in the near future Father and Mother would think of me sooner and bring me back.¡±
Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang, recalling the time she was ying the fool with those people near the pig sty and couldn¡¯t help being surprised; so her past had been so hard. While Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face showed an embarrassed expression, he hoped that Li Wei Yang wouldn¡¯t speak of these matters, because he can see even the Emperor has a shocked look on his face.
Li Wei Yang, not caring about the shocked looks of the audience, continued: ¡°The things that I would speak of next, would hurt the prestige of the Lis; unless there wasn¡¯t any alternative, I would rather these words rot inside me rather than say it out loud. I have waited and waited, waited until Father had finally thought of me and brought me back to the capital to raise. After meeting Father and Mother as well as the sisters of the manor, I have thought that from then onwards I would be able to live life well. Afterwards, there were rumours that eldest sister was of great fortune and can match with a prince. At the time, I just treated it as a joke; when eldest sister offered advice to his Majesty, I have heard people say that eldest sister¡¯s marriage hase to nothing, but what does this have to do with me! No one thought that Mother would actually ce this wrong on Wei Yang¡¯s head and im that Wei Yang was not willing to give the strategy for healing disaster to eldest sister sooner, instead letting her embarrass herself in front of his Majesty, losing a good marriage match!¡±
¡°You speak of nonsense, my daughter is not such narrow-minded person!¡± Hearing this, Guo Gong Furen finally couldn¡¯t help yelling, her face shockingly sinister. She doesn¡¯t dare to admit to it, more so cannot admit to it! Admit to it, then they are admitting to Jiang Rou¡¯s mean reputation!
But Li Wei Yang has no look of fear, instead she asked coldly: ¡°Grandmother, if Mother has nothing to be guilty about, why did she died from insanity?¡±
Guo Gong Furen looks as if her tongue has been cut, her face bing ck and blue, her gaze as if she can eat someone. She cannot admit to it, because Jiang Rou did in actuality do too many evils and scared herself to death!
¡°Mother, because of this matter, made things difficult for me, not only me but even the concubine born fourth sister and fifth sister, each are like servants in the home! Fourth sister is still awkward and clumsy to this day, looking like a maid, fifth sister has been frightened by her until she became uneasy, often unable to rest, with no other alternative other than to send her to another courtyard to recover from her illness! Perhaps because too many evils were done, that Mother would say that the feng shui of the house is not good, searching everywhere and even saying that there are weird ghosts bothering her at odd times, unable to sleep day and night, then saying that the manor¡¯s concubines and daughters are all unlucky stars, but regardless of what crime Mother did, I have cared for her day and night, not daring to be careless, this was seen by everyone in the family... Mother was ill for a long time, even the imperial doctors can testify; she became ill due to too many worries, but grandmother felt that we did not take care of her well and forcibly took her back to the Jiang Manor, but who knew that not even half a month had passed, she had passed away. Grandmother is too angry because of Mother¡¯s passing, stubbornly insisting that because us Lis did not take care of her well enough thus harming her daughter. Then she targeted me, saying that because I was born in the second month, I have subdued her to death. But in reality, my father and birth mother, as well as grandmother at home are all well and healthy, with no illness. If speaking of subduing, howe I subdued Mother?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes are red, her face pale, her lips drained of colour, tears and anger are held in her eyes, even the Crown Prince seems to be unable to bear it.
Guo Gong Furen shouted angrily: ¡°Shut up! Shut your mouth!¡±
But the Emperor said coldly: ¡°No! Continue speaking!¡± Jiang Xu¡¯s face is unusually ugly, but in front of the Emperor, he can only do his utmost to control himself.
Li Xian Ran couldn¡¯t help sighing, if speaking of eloquence, perhaps he is inferior to this yatou. This kind of half truth, half false words, say it¡¯s not true but each word is real, say it is theplete truth, yet there is this feeling of something being a bit off; after all Da Furen harming Li Wei Yang is real, being harsh to concubine born daughters is real, having fears due to suspicions is also real, but... outsiders do not know, Li Wei Yang was never at a disadvantage!
Li Chang Xi lowered her head, finally understanding what is the difference between Li Wei Yang and herself: herself only knows how to be overbearing, but Li Wei Yang understood how to use the biggest resources to do things for herself. Just this incident alone, it is way out of her league.
Even though she has been scolded by the Emperor, Guo Gong Furen still couldn¡¯t help speaking angrily: ¡°You.. are spouting lies! Your Majesty, you cannot believe this yatou¡¯s words! She ispletely defaming us!¡± Saying this, she suddenly stood up, quickly moved a few steps to her walking stick to hit Li Wei Yang, but Li Wei Yang nimbly evaded, hiding behind Yao Ching Qing. Seeing that the walking stick had hit air, Tuoba Yu breathed a sigh of relief, while Jiang Xu¡¯s inwardly imed not good and hurried to hold Guo Gong Furen.
The Emperor watched this act, originally believing only one-third, now believed half of it! Because Guo Gong Furen is too domineering! Since she dared to take actions in front of him, what about behind his back? At this time, since he still hadn¡¯t realized Li Wei Yang was obviously trying to agitate Guo Gong Furen purposely, the Emperor¡¯s face finally showed some anger. He couldn¡¯t help saying coldly: ¡°Guo Gong Furen, you are already of this age, your anger is still this big. This is the main hall, aw court, not your Jiangs¡¯ inner courtyard!¡± His voice was iparably cold, carrying a hint of chill.
Guo Gong Furen was shocked, immediately understanding that she had fallen into a trap, as she got more worked up, others will believe Li Wei Yang¡¯s words more. In reality, Li Wei Yang¡¯s words were not exaggerated, it¡¯s all facts, it¡¯s just that she can¡¯t swallow this pill, almost as if she hated that she couldn¡¯t directly beat her to death! Leaning on her son¡¯s assistance, she then forced herself to stand still, only keeping her pair of eyes vermonously on Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang lowered her gaze and continued to speak, ¡°Grandmother and uncle have guessed back and forth, but can only suspect me, because I have received mistreatment, I am the one who always suffers, they think that my hatred towards my mother has not disappeared, thus purposely making it difficult for my mother, leading to her death from illness. But for these kinds of matters, I am only a weak and simple girl, how could I have done these? I am normally in my own courtyard embroidering, paying my respects to my mother every day on time, I can only do it from outside, even on mother¡¯s everyday life I am unable to get close to her, how can I harm her? But Grandmother has her mind set on something, what is the difference. Note there are many secrets in the world, but the walls have ears, besides such matter that is against thews of nature, if I have really done it, how would I know that there would be a person with a clear mind and heart who can see right through it? Why does Grandmother insist that I am the enemy, not giving a chance for exnation?¡±
Guo Gong Furen clearly knows that Li Wei Yang is trying to rile her up, yet was unable to control her temper of many years, her entire face almost turning purple, swept Jiang Xu¡¯s hand aside and rushed up to p Li Wei Yang, while Yao Chang Qing who was standing in front of Li Wei Yang naturally blocked with his hand. Who knew that Lao Furen didn¡¯t even care, and ¡°pa¡± that p actually fell on Yao Chang Qing¡¯s face; the Emperor seeing this, naturally fully believed the arrogant and despotic nature of this olddy. People are like this, they would rather believe that which they see with their own eyes; as such because of this, he fully believed all of Li Wei Yang¡¯s words.
Jiang Xu rushed to stop Guo Gong Furen while apologizing profusely to Yao Chang Qing: ¡°Yao Daren, really sorry, my mother was too worked up...¡±
Yao Chang Qing originally was not of good temper, but right now in front of the Emperor he could only suppress his anger and say: ¡°Forgot about it!¡±
Guo Gong Furen had a shoring¡ªthis shoring doesn¡¯t seem like much normally, but at this time, it had be her life¡¯s weakness: that is being protective, extremely protective! This person is especially obstinate and narrow-minded, and she firmly believed that Li Wei Yang caused her daughter¡¯s death; therefore, no matter what kind person Da Furen was, how much she had caused harm to others, Guo Gong Furen would turn a blind eye, only thinking that it¡¯s others who harm her daughter! Now hearing those words that Li Wei Yang said, how can she not fly into a fit of rage? me these years for going too smoothly, husband and sons are iparably outstanding, thus maintaining her unyielding temper. However, while in the past this has been her good fortune, but now this is her death warrant. With only a few words spoken, she was already out of breath, almost as if she couldn¡¯t even stand straight.
Li Wei Yang looked at her icily; don¡¯t me her for being too cruel and ruthless, this olddy let Jiang Nan toe for marriage clearly with the thought of quietly disposing of her in the Jiang family. You are heartless, I am disloyal; you do one, I do fifteen, it¡¯s just tit for tat!
Jiang Xu said coldly: ¡°Li Wei Yang, what are you speaking of this for! This is our family matter! Right now we are discussing a case!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Jiang Xu slowly,pletely unafraid: ¡°Jiujiu thought that Wei Yang wanted to bring it up? Could it be that Father marrying such a wife is a glorious thing! Could it be that the home unrestful, sisters uneasy are glorious things! Just what reason do I have to go and air the dirtyundry to outsiders! It is all because you were pressing far too much! Jiujiu keeps saying that this is a family matter, Wei Yang asks one question: when grandmother was scheming a trap, was Wei Yang ever thought of as your family member! When fourth young master wanted to ruin fifth sister¡¯s innocence, was fifth sister ever thought of as your family member!¡±
Even though Li Chang Xi personally hated this third sister, at the moment, she couldn¡¯t help but give an exmation of approval; this bearing, this ruthlessness,pletely surpassed all others, suppressing the thoughts of wanting to change this incident into one of a romantic rtionship... as Li Chang Xi thought, she suddenly saw Li Wei Yang re at her once. Immediately understanding, she wept mournfully: ¡°Bixia, please give me justice!¡± She was very worked up, her voice sharp, carrying a shrill full of grievance, causing people to feel a chill.
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: AngEditor: Caroll L.Next: Chapter 117 Part 2
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Chapter 117 part2
Chapter 117: Confrontation in the Golden Hall 1Grounds for divorce (Seven outs) (Æß³öÖ®Ìõ) : In ancient China, there are 7 grounds for which men can divorce their wife, namely: disobedient to the inws, childless, jealousy, adultery, disease, theft and talking too much.https://coborativechinesechat.wordpress/2015/10/15/7-grounds-for-divorce-%E4%B8%83%E5%87%BA%E4%B9%8B%E6%9D%A1-in-ancient-china/ This website is a good one that exin the grounds apanied by a hrious clip of court hearing for divorce
Chenqie: literal trantion - your concubine, means "I"Jiang Nan knew that Li Wei Yang would attack with full force, thus he has been controlling his temper all this time, but right now, his fingers seems to be stabbing into his palm, but he is unable to move due to being tied up, otherwise he would have already shed at Li Wei Yang with his sword! He turned his head, angry to the core: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you are full of nonsense!¡±Meanwhile his father, Jiang Xu, was forced to press down his anger, crying injustice and kneeling on the ground, tilting his head to look at the Emperor to exin: ¡°Your majesty, your majesty, this is just these two yatous¡¯ side of the story, Wei Yang this child has always been narrowed minded. Everyone has always put filial duty first, rulers have used filial duty to administer a country, this is the first time that your loyal subject has seen someoneins about their principal mother in front of everyone. This loyal subject do not know why she has such a grudge against my family, originally I did not want to argue against this junior but what she is saying is too extreme, Bixia, you must not be misled by her!¡±With the hat of not respecting the main mother, pressuring one until they can¡¯t breathe, Li Wei Yang sneered coldly and said: ¡°Bixia, Wei Yang of course understand the principle of filial duty! Ever since Wei Yang has returned home, I have been visiting mother daily to pay my respects, having never beente once! Afterwards, in front of grandmother (maternal) I have also said that Mother¡¯s illness is serious and cannot be moved but you all insisted on taking her away, did you forget? I am speaking of the principle of human rtions but Mother did not understand! Uncle (maternal), Wei Yang dare ask a question, showing filial obedience to one¡¯s mother-inw, is this not the principle of being a daughter-inw? Is it not the responsibility of the main mother to raise the children born from concubines with kindness? It is not the duty of the main wife to treat concubines well? Forgive my frank words, but not only was Mother harsh to the concubines, but on numerous asions, harmed Father¡¯s offspring, even paying her respects to grandmother (paternal) was only asional! No matter whether it is Bixia or the princes present, they are all someone who ce importance on filial duty and offspring. Putting yourself in these shoes, I ask, who would dare to marry this kind of woman? Such woman, disrespectful of elders, unkind to children, excessively jealous, hasmitted the grounds for divorce1. For my Li family, this is a disaster that can wipe out the n! For the pce, if the dynasty is unfortunate, then it would be a repeat of the disastrous end of the previous¡¯ dynasty¡¯s envy!¡±At the end of Li Wei Yang¡¯s words, Duke¡¯s Furen has already became furious, her face extremely red, trembling and unable to speak! Jiang Xu roared angrily: ¡°Nonsense! Seeing that you are young and unlearned, I couldn¡¯t bear to me you but I didn¡¯t think that you would be full of nonsense, ndering the Jiangs like this, besides, after speaking for half a day, it has nothing to do with the case at all...¡±Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t even nce at him and said loudly: ¡°Bixia, every matter has a cause and therefore there must be consequences, it is precisely because my family has this rift that it caused this scandal! In reality, today Wei Yang went to the other courtyard to bring fifth sister to Doctor Lu for her illness, fourth young master originally wanted to kidnap Wei Yang for revenge, who knew that he would kidnap Fifth Sister by mistake, if it was not for Wei Yang and Official Yao reaching in time, fifth sister¡¯s innocence would have been ruined! Not only this, fourth young master has been ordered by Bixia to reflect in istion yet he is moving about and forcibly kidnapping an official¡¯s daughter, this is no longer a family matter, this is viting statew! This is disobeying the royal edict!¡±Jiang Xu has never thought that Li Wei Yang is actually so eloquent and immediately said: ¡°Li Wei Yang! Whether Jiang Nan hasmitted wrong, Bixia naturally is clear on this, it is not up to you to cut in!¡±Li Wei Yang looked at him and said slowly: ¡°Uncle, no matter how glib you are, you cannot change the universal truth! The old adage goes: heaven, earth, king, family, teacher. King is in front of family, Bixia expanded territories, making great effort to create a prosperous society, a model of a wise ruler. The Jiangs¡¯ are, at high, the center of the court, at low, hold the position of the general, yet you do not consider the rtionship between the Jiangs¡¯ and Lis¡¯ and for selfish reasons, set up a vicious scheme to ruin a girl¡¯s reputation, to trap me into disgrace! Not to speak of violence, but trying to manipte his majesty into the palm of your hands, you don¡¯t even understand the basic of loyalty, what gives you the right to speak of filial duty?¡±The expression on the Emperor¡¯s face is indistinguishable between happiness and anger, if the person is familiar with the Emperor then they would know that he is already furious. Jiang Nan¡¯s actions, has in fact went past his bottom line!Jiang Nan scrambled to his feet, the anger in his voice seems to be reaching the roof: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you¡¯re making irresponsible remarks! Full of nonsense! You are framing us! When have I manipte Bixia, I was just....¡± He could not speak further, he is supposed to be reflecting in istion yet was captured by people at this time, even more with unrebuttable evidence!Yao Chang Qing immediately thundered: ¡°Bixia is in front, kneel!¡±Jiang Nan didn¡¯t care, he only use his eyes as if devouring someone to look at Li Wei Yang.¡°Fourth young master, you only think that all the things you have done have been wless without realizing that justice has a long arm.¡± Li Wei Yang said solemnly, ¡°There is no wind tight wall in this world! My fifth sister has been staying at the other courtyard all this time and have never met you once, this can be proved by everyone in the Li¡¯s! Since you have never met, how can there be a rtionship! At that time, the boy in the medicine shop, the cart driver, your Jiang¡¯s bodyguards, all saw with their own eyes that my Fifth Sister has entered the Jiang¡¯s carriage, there is even a handkerchief left in the carriage, that is something that my sister always carries with her, if not for something beyond her control, how would she leave something of hers in your carriage?!¡±
Jiang Nan roared: ¡°That¡¯s because you framed me!¡±Li Wei Yangughed and said: ¡°All witnesses have been taken into custody by Official; all under interrogation by torture, admitted that you kidnapped my sister! To say that I have framed you, doesn¡¯t that mean that I have bribed the boy in the medicine shop, the driver and all of your Jiang¡¯s bodyguards! Right, I also need you to send a carriage on your own to pick up a person, I also need to help you find a suitable ce tomit a crime! That small courtyard, is your Jiang¡¯s property! Most importantly, I need to convince my Fifth sister in order to use her chastity to frame you Fourth young master!¡±Duke¡¯s Furen was already seriously ill, once angered, would trembled, mouthful of spit stuck in her throat, could only ring murderously at Li Wei Yang, if she had the strength, the first thing she would do is have this wretch killed! Unfortunately she can¡¯t even speak, much less realize her wish. Li Wei Yang however has a glib tongue, a tearful voice, her acting excellent, her ending devastation is beyond description, that even Li Xiao Ran stared at her in surprise, here, there is no ce even for him to bring into y,pletely none at all!Li Wei Yang looked at the Emperor and said: ¡°Bixia, although Jiang fourth young master has merits, his morality is corrupted, conceited and contemptuous, not respectful to Bixia, he is a very dangerous person, Bixia, please punish him heavily!¡±Hearing thest words, Duke¡¯s Furen pressed a hand on her chest, spat out a mouthful of blood, grievously screeched a single ¡°wretch¡± then fainted. Jiang Xu could care less about maintaining hisposure in front of the emperor and rushed to catch Lao Furen, crying in anguish.The Emperor looked at all of this in shock, the Crown Prince and all princes are also in disbelief, Duke¡¯s Furen has spat blood?Li Wei Yang coughed slightly, Li Chang Xi immediately understood and immediately said: ¡°Bixia, it is true that this loyal subject¡¯s daughter has been dragged into this because of third sister, but every words and sentences uttered by my sister today are for the sake of seeking justice for me, therefore I cannot watch her bear being cursed at for me, didn¡¯t uncle (maternal) and grandmother said that fourth young master and I have feelings for each other, this loyal subject¡¯s daughter is willing to die in order to prove my innocence!¡± having said this, she quickly ran towards that pir to smash into it, everyone present was frozen in ce, Yao Chang Qing has been paying attention to her expression the entire time, seeing that the situation is not good, immediately ran over to stop her!At the critical time, Yao Chang Qing caught her and sat her down on the floor, Li Chang Xi was still sobbing. Although Yao Chang Qing is stringent, after all he is a man, there is some pity in his annoyance, his tone was still severe: ¡°To kill one self in the pce is a big crime, how can you be so pessimistic, that you dare to kill yourself in front of Bixia, unafraid of adding to the bad air of the pce!¡±Li Chang Xi wore only a in long white skirt, originally wearing a thickyer of powder covering the scar on her face, it was obvious that there is no blood colour to the face. Choking with tears, she announced to the world pitifully that she was plucked from the gate of the underworld. She spoke sobbingly: ¡°Please forgive me Bixia, this loyal subject¡¯s daughter did not intend to offend, it¡¯s just that uncle and his family are going too far! This loyal subject¡¯s daughter¡¯s words carry little weight, my life is thin like paper, aside from using death to prove my innocence, what else can I do?¡±For her to remain in the other courtyard, it is the road to death, the opportunity that Li Wei Yang gave her is just this once, she has to catch it! The Jiangs want to forced her to admit that she and Jiang Nan has feelings for each other, then she has to be a concubine! No! She does not want to be a concubine! Li Chang Xi nced shyly at Yao Chang Qing, a look of fragility, causing Yao Chang Qing¡¯s heart to be soft.He has buried three wives, all who are bold and strong women, all because everyone said his life is hard, only a woman like that can withstand it, but seeing Li Chang Xi like this today, a pitiful, weak and helpless young miss, a different feeling appears in his heart...Li Wei Yang¡¯s face carry an expression of sorrow: ¡°Fifth sister, if you demean yourself and easily take your own life, then aren¡¯t you failing father¡¯s love for you? Put your heart at ease, Bixia will give you justice, why do you need to hurt yourself like this?!¡±Li Chang Xi cried even more destely, everyone else looked at each other, this pair of sister, one coaxes, one coerces, naturally it is indiscernible strange.Li Xiao Ran is the most curious one, this pair of daughters has always been enemies with each other, how could they be so in sync today, that he has no way of saying anything, not even knowing what to say!The Emperor was shocked, just as he was about to say something, he saw the cold jade bead curtain at the main hall¡¯s entrance shed, Consort Lian walked in gracefully. She let the maid take off her cape, her voice cold: ¡°If chenqie was Miss Li, hearing these kinds of gossip, I would also be pessimistic. Such a good maiden and have not offended anyone, yet being turned into someone who has an affair, how many maidens in this world can handle this.¡±Jiang Nan turned his head fiercely and roared: ¡°Your highness! Please watch your words!¡±Consort Lian let out a fearful expression: ¡°Bixia... chenqie is afraid...¡±The Emperor shouted angrily: ¡°Jiang Nan! You are simply unrepentant!¡±Jiang Xu hurriedly kneeled and begged for leniency, even Jiang Hai who didn¡¯t dare to say a word before is also kowtowing furiously, yet the Emperor coldly said: ¡°Your son has disobeyed the royal edict, forcibly kidnapping an official¡¯s daughter, it is a grave offence and ordingly should be executed! Take him away!¡± He has already tolerated the Jiangs once, he cannot tolerate them a second time! Forcibly kidnapping Li Chang Xi is the second, letting Jiang Nan stay home and reflect yet he is running all over, not putting any importance on his royal edict! No, perhaps it is more urate that the Jiangs has not put him as Emperor in their eyes at all!Jiang Nan haven¡¯t even oppose yet and he was already forcibly led away by the guards.Li Xiao Ran spoke slowly: ¡°Bixia, this incident...¡± as if he was going to plead for leniency.The Emperor said coldly: ¡°Whoever plead for leniency, would be punished as well!¡± While the Emperor¡¯s word was cold, his gaze is sharp, but when he turned to Jiang Xu¡¯s face, it forced cold sweat out of his face.Yao Chang Qing nced at Li Chang Xi, his face full of pity and said: ¡°Bixia, this incident involved Miss Li¡¯s reputation...¡±The Emperor said warmly: ¡°Miss Li has been wronged. It¡¯s just that...¡± Sentencing Jiang Nan to death, Li Chang Xi would still have tomit suicide or live a life of nunnery in a temple...Li Wei Yang nced at Consort Lian, the other person immediately smiled and said: ¡°Bixia, everyone always say a hero saves a beauty, isn¡¯t there a marriage prospect in front of you?¡±The Emperor nced at Yao Chang Qing, nodded and said: ¡°Indeed so, Chang Qing, are you willing to take her as main wife?¡±A women who has been forcibly kidnapped, instead ofmitting suicide or bing a nun, there is still another choice, that is in a situation where she has been saved in the nick of time, she can choose to marry her savior. However, the savior has to be willing. Even though Li Wei Yang forced her way first to save the person, but the capital administrator is the second person to arrive, pushing it, can also count as a hero saving a beauty.Yao Chang Qing nced at Li Chang Xi¡¯s earnest gaze, his heart hesitating, in the end, unable to bear letting such a young maiden turn into a corpse, nodded and said: ¡°Your loyal subject obey your edict.¡±Poor Yao Chang Qing, how could he have thought that from the very beginning Li Chang Xi was aiming for him? Of course, in Li Chang Xi¡¯s heart, she has certainly thought about bing a concubine to the Jiangs, but marrying in using this manner, what kind of ending would she have? Even though she is not clever, she is not so dumb that she would send herself into the. Besides, if she changed Li Wei Yang¡¯s script on her own, she wouldn¡¯t even know what kind of tortuous ending she will fall to, she is not that stupid!Jiang Xu cannot care about Jiang Nan now, his face full of pain, he said: ¡°Bixia, please allow this loyal subject to leave.¡±The Emperor nced at the unconscious Duke¡¯s Furen and said lightly: ¡°With such a son, it is the bad fortune of the family.¡± He felt that the Jiangs wanted to kidnapped Li Wei Yang in order to take revenge, who knew that they would have kidnapped the wrong person,pletely ignoring his edict, this kind of family is too arrogant!Jiang Xu and Jiang Hai took Duke¡¯s Furen away, the Lis also took their leave, after the Crown Prince left the hall did he let out a breath and said: ¡°Luckily I did not plead for leniency on the Jiang¡¯s behalf, otherwise even I would be scolded by Imperial father!¡± All of the princes are here today because of this matter, in the end, not one of them could say a word, all just bing wooden pirs for two hours, it is too fantastic, even if you say it, no one will believe it!Tuoba Zhen who was watching the y from start to finish, said: ¡°Royal brother, have you experienced that greatness of Li Wei Yang?¡±The Crown Prince shook his head and said: ¡°I have never seen such an overbearing yatou! It¡¯s really...¡± He can¡¯t think of a word to describe it, this yatou is more malicious than his imperial mother, just now it is not because he doesn¡¯t want to say anything, it¡¯s intuitively wanting to avoid her attack, no, instead it should be said that he cannot even insert a single sentence in. Most importantly, this yatou is insistent that Jiang Nan is disloyal and not filial, disobeying the royal edict, this is the reason why Bixia wanted his life, the Crown Prince said heavily: ¡°In this incident, do you think there will still be a twist?¡±Tuoba Zhen shook his head: ¡°You know Imperial father¡¯s attitude, four years ago, fourth royal uncle¡¯s grandsonmitted a wrong, Imperial father has ordered him killed, even forcing fourth royal uncle to express gratitude for favour, the Dowager Empress pleading for leniency was of no use...¡± the implications behind these words, this Emperor is stringent ruler, he definitely would not forgive those who wronged him.Tuoba Yu looked at the direction Li Wei Yang left and lightly shook his head, risky, this time, this yatou took a big risk!Because Li Chang Xi¡¯s filial mourning period has not passed, therefore Yao Chang Qing promised toe ask for marriage after three years have passed, Li Xiao Ran is not afraid that he will change his mind, even though Li Chang Xi¡¯s looks has a blemish and is of concubine born, but no outsiders know of thest incident, she is still a daughter of the Prime Minister, he is already a man who already buried three wives, what is there to be picky about? For Li Chang Xi, this is a marriage arrangement that is more than satisfactory, of course as long as her life is lucky enough. Deeply, Li Xiao Ran know that today¡¯s incident has already be a big rip that cannot be repaired between the Lis and the Jiangs, he could not me Li Wei Yang, he is busy having to exin the situation to Bixia, therefore he remained in the pce.Li Chang Xi still has to return to the other courtyard to recuperate, when she made this request, Li Wei Yang looked at her in surprise, Li Chang Xi looked back at her coldly and said: ¡°Today, I am not helping you, I am helping myself! Besides, if I return to the Li manor, it is most likely that you would harm me again, I don¡¯t want to see you ever again!¡±The tone of her voice, revealed a hint of fear, it is obvious that she has been scared by Li Wei Yang today in the main hall.Li Wei Yang smiled slightly, not a bit fazed and said: ¡°As long as you don¡¯te to trouble me, of course I will treat you as a good sister.¡±Li Chang Xi, hearing the warmth in her voice, couldn¡¯t help shivered and turned her head to leave, in this lifetime, she does not want to see this person ever again! Too scary! She is simply a demon! No, if caught in her sight, it is ten thousand times scarier than being haunted by the devil!Li Wei Yang watched as Li Chang Xi entered the carriage without looking back, smiled slightly and said: ¡°Seen enough, still noting out?¡±Li Min De appeared from the side door of the pce and saidughingly: ¡°Letting her off so easily?¡± To speak the truth, he doesn¡¯t want to give Li Chang Xi such a good marriage prospect.¡°You feel that I would forgive her?¡± Li Wei Yang looked back and said smilingly, ¡°Marriage is one¡¯s own, after marrying over, it does not necessarily mean there will be good days, if she doesn¡¯t restrain her temper and nature, would Official Yao bear with her? Therefore, good days or bad days, it all depends on her ability; of course, the heavens need to give her a strong enough life.¡± Yao Chang Qing¡¯s life of burying wives, it is definitely real, moreover, his temper is not very good. But this road, is chosen by Fourth Yiniang and Li Chang Xi herself, they cannot me anyone else.¡°I¡¯m thinking, I understand why you chose her, it is to let the Lis and Jiangspletely break apart?¡±¡°This is not simply a matter of fighting until breaking apart, I think, right now the Jiangs not only hate me to death, but they also hate my father, this is the consequence of him having a foot in two boats.¡± Li Wei Yang smiled, her smile is one third mockery.Li Min De¡¯s smile under the sun is extremely beautiful, ¡°Putting Jiang Nan to death, have you achieved your goal?¡±Li Wei Yang smiled slightly: ¡°What do you think?¡±Her goal, has never been just targeting Jiang Nan, but rather this incident will bring up a string of disastrous consequences, of course, the Jiangs at the moment have not noticed this at all, when they do think of it, it would already be toote...
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: AngEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 118 Part 1
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Chapter 118 part1
Chapter 118: Feast Without a Feast
1 Inrge families, younger generation are often referred to by their birth order e.g Jiang Tian is the fifth son of the Jiang family hence he is referred to as number five.
Guo Gong Furen was dizzy all the way home, Jiang Tian quickly press a hand on her pulse, carefully diagnosing. ¡°Number five, what happened to Lao Furen, still not awaken for so long?¡± Jiang Xu asked anxiously.
Jiang Tian touched Guo Gong Furen¡¯s pulse, a face full of dilemma, ¡°Grandmother¡¯s age is already high, her temper has always been violent, this time with the stagnation of the five organs, a moment of indignation and helpless rage caused her to faint.¡±
Guo Gong Furen opened her eyes, her mouth opening and closing but not saying a word, as if she wants to die.
Jiang Tian saidfortingly: ¡°Grandmother, as long as you have woke up, there is no serious problem with your body. I will write a prescription, take it for a few days and you will recover.¡±
Da Furen held a handkerchief to wipe her tears, covering her skeptical look.
Jiang Tian measured out a prescription, left instructions regarding the patient¡¯s diet for everyone to know. After instructing, Jiang Xu called him to the study alone and asked bluntly ¡°Exactly what is it?¡±
Jiang Tian shook his head, ¡°Originally without what happened today, grandmother can still hold on for a year, year and a half, now, at most a month.¡±
Jiang Xu sat down in a chair, muttering: ¡°Such a cruel girl!¡±
He already understood why Li Wei Yang was so aggressive in the temple today, not only does she want Jiang Nan¡¯s life, she also want Lao Furen¡¯s life! This clearly shows that she long guessed that Lao Furen doesn¡¯t have long to live, thusing up immediately with a death warrant!
Jiang Hai frowned deeply: ¡°Father, I¡¯m afraid that that girl is not so simple as to only want to drive grandmother to death with anger, her real motive is ----¡±
Jiang Xu nodded, his voice imposing: ¡°She want Er Di and your brothers to alle back for mourning.¡±
Jiang Hai gritted his teeth: ¡°This girl! This move is really malicious!¡± After a thought, he said again: ¡°I¡¯m afraid she wouldn¡¯t seed that easily, as long as his majesty issue a decree---¡± Exempting a general who is stationed outside from keeping vigil beside the coffin, it¡¯s not as if it is unprecedented in the past!
Jiang Xu sighed a long sigh: ¡°In the past, his majesty would still believed us, with just a decree can exempt one from keeping vigil, but now, it is not possible. His majesty is currently watching us, otherwise he would not have wanted to execute your fourth brother due to this incident.¡±
Jiang Hai didn¡¯t care about the matter of keeping vigil, said hurriedly: ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now, Father, you need to save fourth brother! He was just impulsive!¡±
Jiang Xu shook his head heavily and said: ¡°I still feel that this girl still have a hidden move, we cannot act rashly.¡±
Jiang Hai really can¡¯t take it anymore: ¡°But that is your biological son, are you going to just watch him sit in prison for a month for his execution?¡±
Jiang Xu waved his hand and said: ¡°Leave, let me think about it for a while.¡±
Jiang Hai still want to say something, but Jiang Tian pulled at his sleeve, hinting at him to not speak anymore, the two brothers walked out of the study dejectedly, Jiang Hai said: ¡°If only San Di was here, he would definitely have a way!¡±
The third son of the Jiangs is widely known for being wise and resourceful, although his usual dazzleness cannot bepared to that of the impressive Jiang Nan, in reality amongst the five brothers, he is the one who received the most favour from their grandfather, even being raised by his side. If he was here, he would definitely have not fall for Li Wei Yang¡¯s trap! Jiang Hai can¡¯t help but worries.
Jiang Tian didn¡¯t dare to say anything, he identally became Li Wei Yang¡¯s stepping stone and was used cruelly by the other person, now he doesn¡¯t even dare to return to the Li¡¯s house for the fear of being caught by the other person, but while at home, he is iparably guilty, not a person no matter how you look from the inside and out.
¡°Grandmother... really cannot be saved?¡± Jiang Hai can¡¯t help but ask again.
Jiang Tian shook his head: ¡°I can only try my best to extend her life, but that is only for her to linger on.¡± He said, while thinking in his heart, Lei Wei Yang this scary woman, she is nothing short of a descending evil star, who dare to provoke her! That fourth brother also, it¡¯s just a loss of his position, could it be that without his position, he can¡¯t live anymore? Other people live well, only you can¡¯t take it and have to go look for trouble! Causing...causing the entire family to get scared along with you.
Jiang Hai didn¡¯t have any spirit, Jiang Tian¡¯s face is not good either, really not knowing what to say, between the two for exactly half of a sichen, no one said a word.
Li Wei Yang returned to He Xiang Yuan, Lao Furen saw her and asked hurriedly, ¡°How was it?¡±
Li Wei Yang curtsied, Lao Furen waved her hand for her to sit and also ordered a Yatou to bring some fruits and snacks for her to eat, Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Lao Furen, His Majesty has betrothed Chang Xi to the Capital Magistrate, Yao Daren.¡±
Lao Furen was stunned for a moment, then asked anxiously, ¡°That jinxed widower?¡± Thinking about it, this is a good marriage. Aside from this man whose life is a bit rough, his family background is suitable, besides, to go and be the main wife, it can¡¯t be considered to have wronged Li Chang Xi. Lao Furen looked and asked again: ¡°What about the Jiangs?¡±
Li Wei Yang said regrettably: ¡°Lao Furen, Jiang Nan was sentenced to immediate execution.¡±
¡°My goodness, both families are rtive too, seeing him like this is a bit ufortable,¡± Lao Furen seems sad on the surface but is actually d in her heart, ¡° This ismitting a sin mistakenly. I¡¯m afraid Guo Gong Furen can¡¯t take it at this age!¡±
Li Wei Yang took a sip of tea, nced at Jiang Yue Lan beside her who haven¡¯t said a word and said slowly: ¡°Isn¡¯t this because of his family who did those shameful things, they wouldn¡¯t reflect and instead hated on us, staging a formation to frame us, luckily his majesty is wise, not letting the traitors seed and giving justice for our family.¡±
Lao Furen smiled and said, ¡°Exactly so, getting caught with kidnapping an official¡¯s daughter, it¡¯s already a crime, it is natural to be judged as such.¡± In fact she feels a bit weird, for the emperor to change the judgement to banishment and exile, it can be considered to be giving the Jiangs a generous ending, why does this judgement feel so satisfactory?
¡°Good and evil will always be rewarded.¡± Li Wei Yang said without turning a hair.
The cup in Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s hand identally made a sound, Lao Furen nced at her, her heart immediately jumped and said with a partially forced smile on face: ¡°Exactly as San Xiaojie said!¡±
Lao Furen smile scarscatiscally and didn¡¯t say a word. Originally she didn¡¯t want to get into a deadlock row with the Jiang family, but Guo Gong Furen¡¯s actions has always been domineering, she has bear with that old woman for many years, now it can be considered that she has let off some steam, even though she is worried about Jiang¡¯s family retaliation, but now she can be at ease that even herplexion has be better.
After Li Wei Yang left, Jiang Yue Lan also can¡¯t sit still, taking her leave shamefaced. Luo Mama said: ¡°Lao Furen, this San Xiaojie is incredible!¡±
Lao Furen said quietly, ¡°Just how old is she, that if as you say all of this was nned by her, is that not a monster. What kind of background is the Jiangs, that she can plot so easily? It¡¯s probably a coincidence.¡±
¡°As expected Lao Furen is wise, Nubi thought so as well. Although San Xiaojie is quite smart, it can¡¯t be to this level.¡± Luo Mama thought that this incident definitely has something to do with San Xiao Jie, she is just going along with Lao Furen¡¯s words.
¡°Jiang Xu is an official for a long time, this time he fell at the hand of a girl, all because of his children¡¯s debt!¡± Lao Furen sighed.
Li Wei Yang returned from Lao Furen¡¯s ce, Li Min De was waiting for her at her courtyard: ¡°Did Lao Furen me you?¡±
Li Wei Yang shook her head, ¡°She has bear with Guo Gong Furen for many years, such a rareeback, how can she me me, not to mention this incident is originally a trap set by the Jiangs, the one in the wrong is not me.¡±
Li Min De said quietly: ¡°What do you think, would the Jiangs have a chance to turn the table around?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡° Hard to say.¡±
Li Min De smiled smirked and said: ¡°This family has a lot of intelligence, perhaps they are thinking of some bad intentions.¡±
Li Wei Yang seems as though she didn¡¯t hear this, she smiled slightly and said: ¡°No need to worry about this, it doesn¡¯t matter what ideas theye up with, after all we do have irrefutable evidences, enough for the Jiangs to drink a pot. Right now they have to worry about how to handle Guo Gong Furen¡¯s funeral.¡±
Li Min De nced at the maids in the house and didn¡¯t say anything, instead he just smiled and waved his hand for someone to bring a basket of scarlet lychees, Li Wei Yang can¡¯t help butughed and said: ¡°Where did this fresh thinge from?¡±
¡°Saw it identally in the market.¡± Li Min De said in a rxed tone.
Lychees is not a specialty of the capital, how can it be sold in the market? At this time of the year, even the pce probably doesn¡¯t have it. Li Wei Yang blinked and pretended she didn¡¯t know, Bai Zhi ced the fresh lychees together with two cups of fragrant tea and two tes of snacks and said smilingly: ¡°Lychees are high on internal heat, Xiaojie shouldn¡¯t eat too much, you will be having a meal shortly.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, ¡°This is too much for me to eat, take one half to Qi Yiniang, you can have whatever is left.¡±
¡°Thank you Xiaojie.¡± Bai Zhi left happily.
After the maids have left, Li Min De said quietly: ¡°You took too much risk in the main hall today.¡± Although he was not there personally, Consort Lian has already sent news out, that even he felt uneasy when he heard it outside, Li Wei Yang is too bold! One wrong move would allow the Jiangs to bite back.
¡°This incident, the people that we need to tidy up have been tidied up, the ones needing to be get rid off has been gotten rid off, the case of Jiang Nan kidnapping Li Chang Xi has been finalized, with no possibility of overturning the verdict.¡± Li Wei Yang said half closed lids, touching the teacup in her hand.
¡°If it was not for him wanting to harm me first, I would not use such malicious move. In the court today, if I didn¡¯t say anything, then it would be easy for them to say that Jiang Nan and Li Chang Xi already have feelings for each other, then Jiang Nan would be regarded as yboy, Li Chang Xi will have to be married in as a concubine, then the ruse that I have painstakingly nned would end. For the sake of not wasting efforts, I naturally have to take some risk.¡± Li Wei Yang said slowly.
Li Min De nodded in agreement and said: ¡°I heard that you dug up Da Furen¡¯s past incidents in the hall?¡±
¡°I already knew that Jiang Xu is crafty and cunning, not easy to fool. Therefore first bring up Jiang Rou¡¯s matter, then add disrespect towards her mother-inw, persecuting harms to concubine-born children. In normal time, these matters don¡¯t mean much, but in the Royal family, aside from the Crown Prince, all are considered concubine-born, if the Empress did this, the Emperor would not have a single son remaining. It is precisely this way that the Emperor would feel worried while Guo Gong Furen would also fly off the handle, definitely worsening her condition, Jiang Xu would also hate me to death because of this. At this time, he would not have his normal rationale, then I can bring up the matters of Jiang Nan¡¯s going against the decree and kidnapping an official¡¯s daughter, say it with sincerity and seriousness that the audience would believe, let alone the victim? Everyone would believe, that it was Jiang Nan who captured the wrong person, and not me purposely setting a trap for them!¡±
Li Min De smiled slightly, ¡° I am worried about you. Jiang family is after all a family of merit, you cannot let them regain their rationale, turn the situation around.¡±
¡°He will not get this chance, just the things that Jiang Rou did alone, family principles are not just, teaching daughter the wrong way, spurning way of people, Guo Gong Furen shielded it very well, naturally she wouldn¡¯t admit to the faults, but Jiang Xu understood, the sacred heart is lost, Jiang Nan is dead for sure!¡±
There was no trace of proudness on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, just straightforwardly exining this matter.
¡°Speaking of which, there are many suspicious parts, how did you make it in time and managed to report to the magistrate, this part someone will definitely be suspicious.¡± Li Min De said quietly.
Who knew that Li Wei Yang would smile slightly, ¡°I want them to take this low loss, so what if they are suspicious, do they have evidence? Besides, my sister go missing, reporting immediately, this matter is of utmost importance, the capital magistrate personally made it in time, what is so unusual about it? It¡¯s not as if there was never such precedent before, the flowery tongues of the Jiangs cannot change this ending.¡±
Li Min Deughed, holding a peeled lychee to Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips: ¡°Try it, the juice is very sweet.¡±
Li Wei Yang subconsciously ate it, a trace of juice on the corner of her lips, Li Min De unexpectedly grabbed her chin with one hand while wiping it clean with his other hand, ¡°Don¡¯t be careless and dirty your clothes.¡± His lips nagging, yet his fingers linger on her face, Li Wei Yang froze, subconsciously pushing him away. However her eyes did not turn from the view, in these years, this youth has slowly grown up, gone were the boyishness of childhood, his handsomeness growing, while also showing the intimacy of his actions, now at the thought of it, seems quite strange, Li Wei Yang thought and couldn¡¯t help being surprised. Her face did not betray any hint of peculiarity, only smiling and said: ¡°I can do it, I am not a child.¡±
Li Min De¡¯s eyes darken yet he smiled and said: ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡±
Li Wei Yang lowered her eyes, not saying anything yet, Li Min De once again spoke: ¡°Forget about it, no need to speak. I know even though you didn¡¯t say it, you do feel that I am very dirty...¡± unknowingly, hurt appeared in his eyes.
Li Wei Yang was surprised and couldn¡¯t help saying: ¡°What are you talking about... I just...¡± just think something is off about you but these words, are a bit hard to say.
Li Min De looked at her, his expression brightening: ¡°You don¡¯t dislike me? Really?¡±
Li Wei Yang felt that if she say dislike, he would kill himself with a sword right there and then, immediately sweared: ¡°Of course not, I grew up with you, our feelings are amicable,¡± Howe these words sound so awkward, she is older than him, but all of a sudden it changed into him being the same age as her? ¡°Our Min De is so handsome, how can there be anyone in this world who dislike you?¡±
¡°In this world, no matter who dislike me, I don¡¯t care, instead, there is one person, to me is different from the rest, therefore, I would especially care about what she thinks.¡± After saying this, he stopped, his lips raising into a slight smile, ¡°you, are the only person I care about.¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at him quietly, a gleam in her eyes.
Li Min De¡¯s eyes contain a warm light, his expression a rare hint of shyness, obviously more gentle: ¡°Saying it this way, is it too strange?¡±
¡°Not strange.¡± Li Wei Yang was shocked, yet her face did not show any other expression, ¡°You originally was dependent on me.¡±
Li Min De smiled and said: ¡°Perhaps. Aside from my adoptive mother, there is no one else in the world who really cares about me, if I also lose you, then there is nothing left for me.¡± His smile dimmed a bit, brows furrowed deeply, in a moment, full of sorrow
Li Wei Yang looked at him, she only felt as though his voice floated from a far away ce, a distance of a lifetime. That voice carrying an unclear moodiness, that she couldn¡¯t help but feel sad.
¡°Min De...¡±
¡°I say these words, not for you to pity me, I only hope that, because of me, you would treasure yourself more, especially when facing dangers, do not cut off all of your line of retreats without hesitation.¡± Li Min De added in his heart, I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to like someone but everytime I see you, my heart is warm. When I don¡¯t see you, just thinking of you also make me feel that it¡¯s not that cold. Originally living in the Li family does not have much meaning, thinking of your look, thinking of when you are speaking to me, time, has went by just like that. How magical, why does such miracle appears in a person¡¯s life? Clearly it is the same sunshine, the same weather, the same scenery, but because of the addition of one person, it feels as though everything is not the same...
Li Wei Yang waspletely surprised, she suddenly realized, her own dangerous actions have caused the other worries, his voice spin through her head, winding around, repeating. Again and again, each word that was spoken were that clear, while the expression on his face, each frown, each smile, each raised eyebrow, each blink, still vivid. He told her, do not rashly take risk, because he will worry. These words, caused her to hesitate.
¡°The reason why I have always been sessful, is because I don¡¯t have any burdens.¡± Li Wei Yang said quietly, ¡°Now, I have mother, my younger brother, you, all of you are by my side, this way I would have weakness, I don¡¯t like weakness, especially weakness caught by others, do you understand?¡± Therefore she yed with Min Zhi but did not develop deep feelings for him, protect Qi Yiniang yet observe from a distance, not getting close. Min De always say that he is a unwee existence in this world, yet Li Wei Yang felt that she is really the person who shouldn¡¯t exist in this world, rebirth, changing fate, all that is left in her life is taking revenge these two words, but the road of revenge is determined to be a lonely one, she could be weak asionally but definitely should not be budged.
Facing her merciless words, Li Min De was not a bit surprised, he said calmly: ¡°But a person without weakness, do not have anyone or thing to care or be concern about, even though you can take revenge, then based on what do you continue to live for?¡±
After hearing that, Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression became peculiar, she looked at him deeply, then mumbled: ¡°Nothing is also good, because once there is something, then there is unwillingness to part.¡±
After a moment, she repeated: ¡°I do not want weakness.¡±
A gleam shed in Li Min De¡¯s eyes, showing a look of enlightenment.
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: AngEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 118 Part 2
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Chapter 118 part2
Chapter 118: Feast without a feast
1 Oriole is a type of bird
2Adding frost to snow [Ñ©ÉϼÓ˪] - a saying that is simr to adding salt to the wound
3º¬âÂŪËï:to hold malt sugars in the mouth and y with one¡¯s grandchildren: meaning a life of leisure in old age
4¡°Èðö°ÝæÌá± [Rui Ai Xuan Tang]: Rui means good luck, Ai means mist, Xuan Tang is a honorific designation for mother so put together it roughly means mother with good luck
Third prince Tuoba Zhen has been absent-minded all day. Since returning from the main hall, two Yatous came to help him change into casual clothing. These two persons were given by the crown prince, one gentle and amicable, the other beautiful and sweet, normally Tuoba Zhen treats them with kindness, asionally teasing them, yet today he has lost interest, not saying a single word upon returning, reclining on the couch, just slowly sipping tea.
¡°Dianxia, how about nubi massage your shoulder?¡± Bi Shui was soft and gentle, eyes rippling with tenderness of thousands words.
Tuoba Zhen gazed at Bi Shui¡¯s gentle face, reached out a hand and grabbed her small chin, rubbing it,, Yatou meekly lowered her head, her face slowly getting red.
¡°What did the Crown Prince say to you, let youe here to be my concubine?¡± Tuoba Zhen faced this gentle and exquisite face, an image of Li Wei Yang speaking floating in his mind, at that time, her eyes were startling bright, causing his blood to surge unwittingly all over his body, looking at the girl in front of him again, his interest suddenly gged, on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, never did a trace of gentle expression showed up on her face, yet that look shake one¡¯s soul.
Bi Shui¡¯s entire face is red, mumbling, unable to say anything, when the Crown Prince sent her over, he did say such thing.
Gui Xin carried a te of grapes in and said smilingly: ¡° Dianxia, you surely like to make fun of nubis!¡±
Tuoba Zhen smiled and looked at her, ¡°Oh?¡±
¡°Nubi doesn¡¯t want to bother with you.¡± Gui Xin first said and pinched a handkerchief smilingly, walked swaying in front of him, curtsied, then smiled yfully and leaned over, yet looking like a oriole cooing1 asked, ¡°Dianxia, nubi just heard from the people who came back with you, An Ping Xianzhu caused an uproar in the main hall, seeking justice for her sister!¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face sank, ¡°The news spread quite fast.¡±
Gui Xin looking pleased in her eyes, ¡°Look at Dianxia. Although nubis are in the inner courtyard, such a big case that even Bixia has to review, is there anyone who doesn¡¯t know about it.¡±
Tuoba Zhen asked hesitantly: ¡°Oh, what are they saying?¡±
This time Bi Shui spoked, not wanting to be outdone: ¡°Dianxia, the people are saying, the fourth son of Jiang family is overbearing and ill-mannered, abducting daughters of officials, luckily the capital magistrate came to the rescue, and instead seed in getting a good marriage between the two families, there are even people saying, An Ping Xianzhu spoke boldly in defense of justice, unafraid ofrger power, standing up for her sister, is a good woman who mean what she say, there are also people saying, Jiang family abused their power and bully people, arrogant and despotic, held monopoly over military power, bullying above the ruler, even more people are saying, Bixia execute thews justly without taking sides...¡±
Tuoba Zhen listened, a pondering smile on his face: looks like Li Wei Yang has already found storytellers to write scripts, just when the incident ur, it is already spread out in four directions, she really have some capabilities. Each time he underestimated her, only to discover today, this yatou¡¯s thoughts are deceitful, she is simply a schemer. An extremely outstanding schemer!
Just like at this moment, a sh of thunderbolt ripped through the vast sky, a bit of red breaking through the ckyers of clouds, followed closely by heavy rain falling. Tuoba Zhen was startled by the sounds of the rain, he walked over to the window and raised his head to stare into the distance, behind him, Bi Shui said: ¡°The weather today is weird, earlier it was a sunny day, now it¡¯s a rainstorm.¡±
Tuoba Zhen smiled and said: ¡°Yes, the change in the weather can be in a moment¡¯s time, only the person who grasp the early opportunity will win!¡± Li Wei Yang, you won this round, what about the next round? Will you win as usual?
Half of the month went by hasilty, there is a peaceful atmosphere in the Jiang¡¯s, now that Jiang Nan is locked up in prison, Jiang Xu only say a few words about this son, others wouldn¡¯t even speak of it, even rarely going to the prison to visit, of course, one can¡¯t even go visit, without the emperor¡¯s edict, no one can go visit Jiang Nan.
Everyone in the Li family went on with their days as before, Li Wei Yang went to He Xiang Yuan every day to pay respects as usual, the days doesn¡¯t seems to have changed much. In reality, Li Wei Yang is silently waiting, waiting for the results she want. Until the Jiang family¡¯s invitation has arrived then she discovered, that she was totally wrong.
¡°Duke Furen¡¯s 60th birthday, Li Lao Furen and Da Furen, An Ping Xianzhu and all the misses are specially invited to attend.¡± The Mama sent by the Jiangs to deliver the news smiled and quickly hand over the invitation.
Sixtieth birthday? Right now Duke Furen still have the mood to celebrate her birthday? Li Lao Furen burrowed her brows, a forced smile on her face: ¡°Oh? Holding a party?¡±
The messenger Mama, neither overbearing or self-effacing, smiled and said: ¡°Originally Duke Furen didn¡¯t want to make arrangement unreasonably, but the Empress Dowager in the pce decreed an edict wanting our Lao Furen celebrate.¡±
Empress Dowager?! The smile on Li Lao Furen¡¯s face is a bit stiff, she nced at the calm Li Wei Yang beside her, and reluctantly said: ¡°Of course, naturally we would go to inws to congratte!¡±
After the messenger Mama left, Lao Furen¡¯s cup was put heavily on the table, causing an audible snap: ¡°Howe this old hag still have the mood at this time! That grandson of hers will be executed in half a month time!¡±
Li Wei Yang lowered her head, thinking about her own matters, as if she didn¡¯t hear her, Lao Furen couldn¡¯t help spoke loudly: ¡°Wei Yang?!¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her head, a trace of something shing across her face, so quick that no one noticed anything, she smiled slightly and said: ¡°Wanting to take the opportunity to dispel the bad luck, this can be understandable.¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s expression, upon hearing these words, became a bit better. After all, she has a low opinion of that high and mighty Duke Furen. But if the Empress Dowager personally decreed the edict, ordering all Furens and misses with ranks must attend, then it¡¯s really unavoidable.
The smile on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, aftering out of the house, slowly fade away.
Her predictions were wrong, the news that came were not Duke Furen¡¯s passing, instead it is that she will celebrate her sixtieth birthday! The imperial physician she has bribed has clearly said, Duke Furen¡¯s life is not long, there is definitely no chance of recovery. Could it be Jiang Tian really the capability to return one from the dead? Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help clenching her fist, if Duke Furen doesn¡¯t die, then the rest of her ns has no possibility of carrying out!
¡°Wei Yang!¡± Raising her head, it is Li Xiao Ran standing in the courtyard.
He ising to pay respects to Lao Furen, Li Wei Yang smiled lightly, bending her knees to curtsey. Ever since that incident, these two people have not spoken a word to each other, when Li Xiao Ran sees her, he is always mild, as if being cautious. It is obvious, he med her for not speaking to him before the matter, but Li Wei Yang is not afraid, who could have predicted that a kidnapping would have happened, she was taken to the capital magistrate¡¯s office right after the incident, with no chance to collude to make a false testimony, how can Li Xiao Ran me her!
Lately, Li Xiao Ran has aged quite a bit, not speaking of the white hair on his temple, but also on his face, ayer of foggy aura, his energy and form is bad.
¡°Rise.¡± Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face is full of smile. There was already a huge misunderstanding between the father and daughter pair since the time the Jiangs wanted to talk about marriage, adding the matter of Jiang Nan is adding frost to snow2, yet today he is acting as if nothing has ever happened, smiling as if a spring breeze is stroking the face.... This kind of shrewdness, really make people unable toprehend.
¡°Lao Furen is inside, Father please go in.¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s words are light, ¡°Nv er will take leave.¡±
¡°Wait a moment!¡± Li Xiao Ran immediately cut off her words and ask Li Wei Yang, ¡°Do you think the Jiangs...¡±
He was waiting, waiting for the Jiangs¡¯ to take action, even if it is the other side taking revenge, but they didn¡¯t even move, making him feel... increasingly disturbed, therefore bringing his attention to Li Wei Yang, wanting to get something from her. But the indifference on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face make him unsure of what to say.
Li Wei Yang bring up a polite smile, ¡°Father, Duke Furen is holding a birthday party soon, what gift do you suggest we send?¡±
She is changing the topic, one with no intention to speak about the Jiangs.
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s brows furrowed, yet brought the topic back to the Jiangs, his voice carrying a tone of interrogation: ¡°Still have the mood to think about presents at this time?! Why didn¡¯t you think about it, after stirring up the ho¡¯s nest, are you going to just pretend as if nothing happened, why don¡¯t you think of some countermeasure...¡±
¡°Father, Nv¡¯er (your daughter) is only a girl of the inner house, how can I understand these things.¡± Li Wei Yang said coldly.
Li Xiao Ran was surprised, not so subtly sizing her up, the next moment immersing into deep thoughts, under the sunlight, Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression carry an unapproachable chilliness, he has never seen such expression of hers before, only after a while did he sighed deeply.
¡°Wei Yang still me father? I was also helpless!¡± He expressed a resignation and loneliness that only fathers have, as if he is hurted.
Li Wei Yang only smiled slightly but didn¡¯t say a word.
Li Xiao Ran did not expect the other side to bepletely indifferent, after a moment then exined to her in a deep voice: ¡°You areing of age soon, how can you not understand my helplessness... in the end didn¡¯t I didn¡¯t bear to agree to marry you over?¡±
That is the result of her warning actions, not him caring about the father-daughter rtionship out of the softness of his heart! Li Wei Yang furrowed her brows, a trace of disdain she couldn¡¯t hide.
¡°You...¡± Even though Li Xiao Ran¡¯s thoughts are deep, there is also a rare re of temper.
¡°Father, since you nned to sell out daughter in the beginning, why pretend to be a kind father?¡± Li Wei Yang looked at him coldly.
Li Xiao Ran simply could not believe his ears, is this still the over-cautious concubine-born daughter? How could she dare to...dare to speak such traitorous words to her father! He clenched his teeth angrily, red at her as if he want bite her in one piece.
Li Wei Yang looked at him and lightly smiled: ¡°Father, there is no gaining an advantage without paying a price in this world, you hoped to sell me out in exchange for a temporary peace, you should also look at whether I am willing or not. You have to know, with the fish dead and the broken, I can also create a scene, you saw that today, my temper has never been good, if I told Bixia that you sold your daughter for honour, that¡¯s not good.¡± Originally on the matter of Jiang Nan, Li Wei Yang did not intended to turn against Li Xiao Ran, but at the main hall, he did not speak up for her, with no intention of upholding justice, it¡¯s too much to an extreme!
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face suddenly turned green and white, showing astonishment and embarrassment. After all he has been an official for many years, he took several deep breath and quickly calmed down forcefully: ¡°Wei Yang, I am after all your father, you are also my daughter, blood conglomerate in water, indulge my wrongdoing, how can you speak in contradiction!¡±
Li Wei Yang revealed a an indifferent smile, ¡°Blood conglomerate in water, for benefits, you are able to continue coborate with the Jiangs. Anything I say, I think you wouldn¡¯t even listen to it. Father, that day in the main hall, not once have you spoken up for both of your daughters, thinking about it I also have chills!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was silent, working in the official circles, one originally do not think of good and bad, with every choice, one must do their best to maximize the benefits. At the time, he did not think about those two as his daughters, his flesh and bones, he only thought about if Li Wei Yang was not sessfully is hooking a capital offense on Jiang Nan, then in turns the Li family will also fall... that¡¯s right, he is ustomed to keeping a distance, even if it is his biological daughter, he would not interfere. But one can imagine, if Li Wei Yang lost at that time, he would simply drive her out of the Li family. That being said, his thoughts being exposed by someone, he still cannot ept that, only his mouth opening and closing, infinite anger seething in his chest, after a while then he forcibly controlled his expression, revealing an amicable smile.
¡°Wei Yang,¡± he let out an hurt look, ¡°I have let you suffered hurt before, I can promise to you, from now on such thing wouldn¡¯t happen again, I will try my best to stand by your side, protect you all.¡±
The words are nice, that is because now the original situation with the Jiangs cannot be maintained, thus he thought ofing to ask her for help, perhaps it is to continue using her to deal with the Jiang family, help him reap more benefits in the court, this old man, is still very egoistic.
Li Wei Yang thought in her heart but nothing was revealed in her face, only after a moment said: ¡°Father is broad-minded, thinking carefully, it is me who is narrow-minded. All of us are still counting on you, in the chaos of the court, please take care of yourself!¡±
There was a crack in Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face, he deeply understand, Li Wei Yang is telling him that they are one body, if he once again carelessly throw away this father status, then she wouldn¡¯t hold back either! This is simply a threat, but he cannot say anything, she is right, now that they have split with the Jiangs, if he continue to deal with the Jiangs courteously but without sincerity, then it¡¯s a joke! From an outsider¡¯s point of view, Li Wei Yang¡¯s attitude, already made clear what his attitude is, a cold smile break out on his face and he slowly said: ¡°Wei Yang, I understand your intention, from today onwards, Father will always stand by your side.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Then this daughter thanks Father first.¡±
Not far down the corridor, Jiang Yue Lan and Li Chang Le watched this act from afar, Li Chang Le smiled coldly and said: ¡°See that, in this family, we have no foothold.¡±
An untraceable mood sh on Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face, she lowered her eyes and said: ¡°Da Xiaojie¡¯s intention is?¡±
Jiang Tian didn¡¯te, she do not have enough medicine to stop the itchiness, she cannot bear it anymore, to the point of bing crazy, all of this are thanks to Li Wei Yang! A light of hate appeared in Li Chang Le¡¯s eyes and she said: ¡°Cooperate with our n, get rid of her in one act!¡±
Jiang Yue Lan was silent for a while, up until Li Wei Yang¡¯s figure has disappeared, she was still silent, in the end, she said clearly: ¡°Help me inform Duke Furen, I will do my best.¡±
Li Chang Le smiled smile slightly, even though her body already began to rot, but as long as she can see Li Wei Yang die, she is willing to bear this torture! Duke Furen¡¯s birthday celebration, Li Wei Yang as a granddaughter in name, must attend, at that time, it would be the best chance...
Since the Empress Dowager has already decreed it, the Jiangs¡¯ celebration is naturally prepared with care. Sixty years old to normal people, is reaching the point to hold malt sugars in the mouth and y with one¡¯s grandchildren3, the age to enjoy a leisure life, but to Duke Furen, this day has another meaning. Originally the eyes of the officials in the capital are sharp, who still can¡¯t see, the recent situation of the Lis suppressing the Jiangs, originally their attitude were to observe, but with the Empress Dowager¡¯s edict, it immediately make people feel that the Jiangs are still the almighty family as before, after all, the Lao Furens of other family celebrating their birthdays, there were never an imperial order specially ordered by the Empress Dowager to prepare it. What most surprising is, at this time, the Emperor even personally use a brush and ink, wrote a que for Duke Furen to congratte, this has shook the entire capital. Therefore on the day of Duke Furen¡¯s birthday celebration, the capital¡¯s officials, regardless of their post, all lined up to deliver their gifts! The gifts are ced in a hall, using the words ¡°piled up like a mountain¡± to describe it, it¡¯s not at all exaggerating. The Jiangs even ced forty banquet tables, the guests first enter the house, bow to the que awarded by the Emperor with the four giant words ¡°Èðö°ÝæÌá± [Rui Ai Xuan Tang](4), then go and take a seat that was already arranged.
This timeing to the Jiangs, members of the Li Family did note in through the main entrance, but rather was led by a Yatou sent by the Jiangs, walking in directly to the inner courtyard.
Jiang Da Furen was personally greeting guests at the secondary entrance, seeing the Li family members, she immediately revealed a smile.
¡°Li Lao Furen has personally arrived, pleasee in.¡± Compared to thest time meeting, this time, Jiang Da Furen is more enthusiastic, after Jiang Nan¡¯s incident, there is actually no difference in her face.
¡°Sixtieth birthday celebration is a big deal, naturally I woulde personally to congratte.¡± Li Lao Furen smile seems bit like she didn¡¯t mean it.
She originally didn¡¯t want toe, but first there was the Empress Dowager¡¯s edict, then there was the que bestowed by the Emperor, as if dering to the people, the Jiangs still have the Imperial care, it wouldn¡¯t do for her to note.
Jiang Da Furen weed Li Lao Furen into the main hall, after being seated, naturally someone served them boiling hot tea.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression was indifferent, there was no special expression on her face, however everyone in the main hall was looking at her in curiosity. Jiang Nan¡¯s matter was stirred like a wildfire, now that the injured party are almost all here, regrettably that Li Chang Xi as the victim is not here, otherwise it would be more of a spectacle! But what¡¯s odd is, Li Lao Furen speaks andughs calmly, Jiang Da Furen did her duties, Jiang Yue Lan smiling pleasantly, Li Chang Le looks delicate, but Li Wei Yang who hold most of everyone¡¯s attention, there is a slight smile on her face from the start, as if not at all influenced by the outside world, this whole family, is too weird!
Sun Yan Jun quietly walked over and sat down beside Li Wei Yang, and spoke quietly with an astonished look: ¡°You also came?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°The Empress Dowager decreed, all womenfolks of ranked officials must attend the birthday celebration, how can I note?¡± Not only attend, but also need to attend happily, otherwise it would leave it countless gossips/
Sun Yan Jun nodded and said: ¡°Yes, you must attend, otherwise a lot of people will gossip, did you see, a lot of people have arrived today, what I can see, it¡¯s more grandish than the celebration held by your family, the Crown Prince, Third Prince, Fifth Prince, Seventh Prince are all gathered outside!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly, the Emperor is particr about bnce, after ferociously attacking the Jiangs, naturally he needs to give them a boost, in case the Lis be expand too quickly, this is the way of an emperor, however today¡¯s banquet, is obviously not a good banquet...
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: AngEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 119 Part 1-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 119 part1
Chapter 119: Death of the Lucky Star
Happy new year everyone!
If anyone is interested in helping to trante, please reach out to [email protected] Chapters are a lot longer now and it takes quite a long time for us to volunteer hours to trante this novel. If you are skilled in both Chinese and English, feel free to send me an email!
The Ninth Princess, dressed in male garments, strutted behind Tuoba Yu as they entered the door. Tuoba Yu whispered: ¡°Don¡¯t cause any trouble today! Or else I¡¯ll send you back to the pce and let Imperial Father punish you!¡±
Ninth Princess quickly waved her hand: ¡°How could I?! Am I someone who can¡¯t weigh importance? Moreover, I¡¯ve snuck out to y before. Imperial Father actually knows but he is just turning a blind eye. As long as this doesn¡¯t get to the Empress Dowager¡¯s ears, everything is good.¡± She spoke like an old slicker.
Tuoba Yu admonishingly watched her. Ninth Princess looked handsome like Eighth Prince since they are twins after all. After changing into male attire, no one would notice any oddities. He was only thinking about why must a girl like her dress up like this, which was very improper.
Ninth Princess didn¡¯t care about improprieties. She only wanted to see this person and looked everywhere for him. When she finally located him, her eyes were filled with surprise. This person was handsomely dressed in purple, which made other gongzis look colorless whenpared.
Ninth Princess infatuatedly watched. The man unintentionally lifted his head up, causing light to show up on her face. At this moment, she almost forgot where she was as their eyes met. Ninth Princess¡¯ heart started beating faster that her breathing almost stopped.
Afterwards, Li Min De¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t stop at her face for long and quickly left.
He had already turned around to leave but Ninth Princess still continued to infatuatedly watch his silhouette until Tuoba Yu lightly coughed andughed: ¡°Still looking? He¡¯s already gone.¡±
From ancient times, young maids liked handsome and charming young men, especially like Li Min De, whose appearance is a rarity. Tuoba Yu could understand Ninth Princess¡¯ feelings but he didn¡¯t think Li Min De has mutual attractions towards his sister. He looked at Ninth Princess with sympathy: ¡°Little Nine, if you want to choose a prince consort, then you should find one that likes you.¡±
Ninth Princess was stunned as she lifted her head up to look at her own brother: ¡°Wei Yang Jiejie doesn¡¯t like Seventh Brother, so does that mean you can¡¯t like her?¡±
Tuoba Yu astonishingly watched his own sister as he froze.
That was right, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t like him or harbor any feelings towards him. No matter what he couldn¡¯t deny this point.
Ninth Princess naively spoke: ¡°Seventh Brother, there are countless beautiful Misses in the world. You can drag this matter past this year but you can¡¯t drag it past next. Sooner orter, you¡¯ll have to select a princess, why not change to another person!¡±
Tuoba Yu realized he was actually being squashed by this young yatou to the point of silence. There are many great women in the world but he only liked that one, what can he do? If it wasn¡¯t for his mother¡¯s disapproval, he would have made Li Wei Yang his main wife by now. But ...... in the past two years, no matter how much effort he put in, he could only persuade Virtuous Consort Zhang to not bother Li Wei Yang. To persuade her to like her and ept her was impossible. Additionally, his biggest challenge wasn¡¯t his mother but Li Wei Yang. She never said she wanted to marry him even though she helped him plot, which had induced his feelings towards her.
Ninth Princess blinked and said: ¡°See, you¡¯re like this too, so how can you talk about me! Moreover, I don¡¯t believe there is a man in this world that doesn¡¯t like me!¡±
Tuoba Yu watched his overconfident sister and couldn¡¯t help but smile. Yes, Ninth Princess is young, beautiful, and has everything. Most importantly, she is also innocent and kind, who would reject such a young girl? Even though his personality is cool and reserved, he understood how the world works. No man can reject His Majesty¡¯s arrogant princess, of course, Li Min De couldn¡¯t either.
Tuoba Yu smilingly encouraged Ninth Princess, making her feel happy again. Noticing her hopeful expression, he couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°But, what do you like about him?¡±
Ninth Princess naturally answered: ¡°Good-looking! He is so much good-looking than any of my brothers! Look, his nose is tall and straight, his back is upright, his eyes are spirited with energy and big. He is one of the best looking men I¡¯ve ever set eyes on!¡±
Tuoba Yu uncontroblyughed: ¡°I can actually understand this. Others have said the Third Gongzi of the Lis is much more beautiful than any woman.¡±
Ninth Princess immediately defended him: ¡°Who wouldpare him to a woman, they must be blind! His brows are beautiful like those straight brows nting upwards and outwards, emitting the air of a hero, how does he look like a woman! Oh, yes, his mouth. When he doesn¡¯t smile, the corners of his lips curled upwards. And when he does smile, it¡¯s like the sunlight on a spring day. In short, Seventh Brother you wouldn¡¯t understand!¡±
Tuoba Yu was amused by her. The young misses of her age are often baffled by appearances. In the end, she admired his appearance but she spoke of her love towards him so naturally without hiding anything. But, this was why Ninth Princess is so lovable. She is straightforward and never hid anything.
Ninth Princess looked at her older brother and curiously asked: ¡°But, what do you like about Wei Yang Jiejie? Her looks, or is it her intelligence?¡±
Tuoba Yu opened his mouth and actually couldn¡¯t utter a word. He meticulously thought about it. Li Wei Yang was indeed pretty but there are many beauties in the capital that she can¡¯t even be considered one; As for her background, she was merely a concubine-born daughter sopared to all the primary-born misses, she was slightly inferior; As for her kindness, she could never be associated with the words gentle and modest ......
Thinking back and forth, he actually realized he couldn¡¯t say what he liked about her. This was very weird ...... Tuoba Yu involuntarily froze and Ninth Princess had already forgotten about him as she chased after Li Min De.
Once Ninth Princess walked over, she couldn¡¯t find any trace of him. Ultimately, she saw Li Min De at the entrance of a garden.
Ninth Princess¡¯ heart fluttered a few times as her restlessness and embarrassment instantly faded away. Recing those was an indescribable excitement. She stared at the man in front of her and felt that he had no imperfections at all, his entirety fit her type which made her very happy. She couldn¡¯t help but think if she asked her Imperial Father to make him her Prince Consort, how would everything turn out, they would absolutely end up well ...... at this moment, she hadpletely forgotten how he had been acting cold towards her and only thought about the beautiful future.
As she watched him left, Ninth Princess followed hurriedly from behind.
¡°Li Min De! Stay there!¡± Once Ninth Princess said those words, she realized she was being too fierce. But she couldn¡¯t help it since she has always acted this way. Except towards her Imperial Father and Mother, she acted much more modest; she was also fairly polite towards Li Wei Yang. Hearing herself, she felt stiff and immediately changed her tone, ¡°I ....... I have something to seek you for!¡±
Watching his astonished expression, her hands hidden inside her sleeves slowly clenched tighter to restrain her excitement. Despite attempts to urge herself to calm down, she couldn¡¯t help but blush and bit her lip: ¡°It¡¯s not much, I just want to tell you, um, I came here without being noticed, Imperial Father and Mother don¡¯t know. But, you can¡¯t tell anyone it¡¯s me and not my Eighth Brother ---¡± She stuttered.
¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Li Min De smiled yet his expression was aloof, ¡°Princess, I¡¯ll let you be.¡±
It¡¯s not because he didn¡¯t notice but he just didn¡¯t care at all. Ninth Princess still hasn¡¯t noticed this yet. She just thought that it felt a little, a little awkward ...... why is it she obviously has such high expectations for this encounter but when they finally meet, they had nothing much to say? Did she have to keep on circling these boring topics? Ninth Princess squeezed her sleeves and when she was about to open her mouth, she heard him say: ¡°Is that all?¡± It was as if he was about to depart!
Ninth Princess immediately obstructed his path: ¡°Wait! ...... This is for you!¡±
She handed him a small pouch and then embarrassingly turned and wished to run away.
Li Min De instantly threw the pouch back without evenying his eyes: ¡°Princess, this can¡¯t be given to anyone, you should keep it, I can¡¯t ept this.¡± Li Min De smilingly said, his tone didn¡¯t reveal any hesitation and after, he turned to leave.
Ninth Princess stood in her spot as she watched him walk into the distance ...... she squeezed the small pouch really hard as she delved into a state of me and censure. He didn¡¯t ept it, he actually didn¡¯t ept it! He actually dares not to ept it! He obviously knew the meaning behind this small pouch! Ninth Princess almost wanted to cry and was raging red. When she was about to run after him, her small pouch was taken from her and soon after, she heard someone¡¯sughter: ¡°So embarrassing! You dare gift a small pouch to a man in broad daylight!¡±
Ninth Princess watched and then her expression changed: ¡°Zhang Feng, quickly return it to me!¡±
This young man was dressed in red, his face white and looks handsome. His eyes carried an expression that wees smiles. He gave Ninth Princess a nce and then looked down at the pouch in his hands. On the upper part of the pouch were green lotuses entwined with red lotuses. As it moves downwards, a multicolored blissful fish is seen with a lifelike head and tail. The fish also had prints on its body and beneath these prints were a linkage of five-colored beads, making it really adorable. He whispered: ¡°The fish represents the male while the lotus represents the female. Doesn¡¯t this sound exactly like that ancient poem: `Traveling south can pick lotuses, lotuses that are lush, with fish ying within.` With the Princess gifting such a thing, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s inappropriate ......¡±
Ninth Princess was abruptly infuriated because what Zhang Feng just read was a love poem. She didn¡¯t even meant that. She just learned how to make this small pouch and came here to give it to her crush. Who would have expected to beughed at by him now?
Zhang Feng is Duke Luo¡¯s grandson and also Seventh Prince¡¯s cousin. Since he was young, he often came into the pce to y and can be considered childhood friends with Ninth Princess. However, they had always bicker with each other. As long as they see each other, no one dared to be in the vicinity.
Ninth Princess charged forward without any thoughts. But Zhang Feng unexpectedly hid the satchel andughingly said: ¡°This will be my evidence. From now on, if you don¡¯t obey me, I will tell others about this incident. Of course, it¡¯s about how satchel was rejected!¡±
Ninth Princess¡¯ eyes were red and her face turned pale. It looked like she wanted to bite him but ultimately, she stayed silent and ran away ------ As Zhang Feng watched her run away, his eyes showed a hint of disappointment. The smile that he had also vanished and his expression gradually sank.
Li Wei Yang watched this scene from afar and couldn¡¯t help but shook her head.
Young Zhang Gongzi obviously liked the Princess but why did he use this way of expression? She was deep in thought and realized that she didn¡¯t understand the minds of these young boys at all and thus concluded that they were in a rebellious stage. It¡¯s probably like this. As she was busy zoning out, Sun Yan Jun whispered: ¡°Seems like your family¡¯s Third Gongzi doesn¡¯t like the Princess!¡±
Li Wei Yang was distracted and smilinglymented: ¡°Yes, looking at it, he doesn¡¯t like her.¡±
Sun Yan Jun sighed and said: ¡°Actually being a Prince Consort is not a bad idea.¡±
Li Wei Yang answered with a straight face: ¡°Yes, actually if you marry my Second Brother, it¡¯s not a bad idea either.¡±
Sun Yan Jun grunted and then realized what she had just said. She blushed and angrily said: ¡°If you speak more rubbish, I won¡¯t acknowledge you!¡±
The marriage arrangement between the two families had already been set. ording tomonality, Sun Xiaojie shouldn¡¯t be lingering out. But she had a lively personality and couldn¡¯t just sit at home. Luckily for her, she hailed from a warrior family so she didn¡¯t have much qualms. Moreover, Second Furen can¡¯t wait to have her marry into the family as early as possible. To avoid dys, everyone in her family turned a blind eye to her actions.
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Okay, then don¡¯t acknowledge me, once you marry into the family, you still ought to speak to me!¡±
Sun Yan Jun¡¯s face reddened like a cooked shrimp. To digress, she hurriedly said: ¡°Do you know, I¡¯ve heard father said, for the Duke¡¯s Furen¡¯s sixtieth birthday, His Majesty has allowed the Jiangs¡¯ two Gongzis to return home and celebrate! But I didn¡¯t see them so I don¡¯t know what they look like?¡±
Li Wei Yang stopped smiling and eventually said: ¡°Are you talking about Second Gongzi Jiang Yang and Third Gongzi Jiang Hua?¡±
Sun Yan Jun nodded: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what father told me.¡±
The rtionship between the Suns and Jiangs was not bad and Sun¡¯s father served in the military so his news must be urate. Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°That must be why Miss Gao didn¡¯te today.¡±
Jiang Yang¡¯s fiancee was the legitimate Xiaojie of Marquis of Xiang Yang, Gao Wan-er. Since Jiang Yang was going to attend, then Gao Xiaojie who was soon to be his wife must avoid meeting him.
Sun Yan Jun smilingly replied: ¡°Everyone says the Jiang¡¯s Gongzis are alluringly handsome. Today, I must use this opportunity to take a good look at him.¡±
Witnessing her excitement, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t hold back herughter.
Sun Yan Jun couldn¡¯t help but stare at Li Wei Yang. She noticed her dark eyes were radiating with color and happiness. She was a bit startled by this because usually Wei Yang was calm yetck the vivacity of a young girl. She was extremely clever and made small talk with others yet she¡¯ve only seen her smile but never her inner sincerity. Speaking of intelligence and schemes, she still hasn¡¯t learned a single one of her skills. But towards Sun Yan Jun, Li Wei Yang had always been sincere smiles.
Sun Yan Jun lingered over this thought since she didn¡¯t know what she possessed that weed sincerity. But she just didn¡¯t understand. People as scheming as Li Wei Yang had always been attracted to people who are much more innocent. It¡¯s like how moths always flutter around candlelights. The darkness always yearned sunlight, and it¡¯s that simple.
Right at this moment, a yatou walked over and greeted them: ¡°I see Xian Zhu is here, Furen has been searching for you everywhere to pay your respects to the Duke¡¯s Furen.¡±
Sun Yan Jun nced at Li Wei Yang with intentions to keep her mouth shut like cicadas in cold weather. Everyone knew of what happenedst time when the Duke¡¯s Furen scolded Li Wei Yang. Li Wei Yang could attend this banquet due to the Empress Dowager¡¯s status. Now that the Duke¡¯s Furen wanted her to pay her respects, everyone knew it was an opportunity for the former to torture Li Wei Yang. Sun Yan Jun whispered: ¡°Wei Yang, find an excuse to not go.¡±
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: EricaEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 119 Part 2
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Chapter 119 part2
Chapter 119: Death of the Lucky Star
Before Li Wei Yang opened her mouth to speak, a beautifuldy walked over with a face filled with smiles: ¡°Wei Yang, how did you end up here? I¡¯ve been looking for you for a while!¡± With a warm and loving expression, it seemed like she was a senior who took great care of her juniors. But she was only a few years older than Li Wei Yang so her words carried a bit of difort - she was the Li family¡¯s new furen, Jiang Yue Lan. She usually likes to wear in colored clothings but today she was theplete opposite. She dressed herself in a bright red dress with flowers and birds embroidered onto it. As she walked over, the front of her dress rippled, her face emitting a blissful expression.
Sun Yan Jun hurriedly greeted: ¡°Li Furen.¡±
Jiang Yue Lan lightly smiled: ¡°Sun Xiaojie, no need to act like a stranger. I came to invite Wei Yang to see her maternal grandmother, do you want to join us?¡±
Sun Yan Jun hasn¡¯t married into the family yet so she isn¡¯t a member of the Li family. Since Jiang Yue Lan used the words ¡°maternal grandmother¡±, it wouldn¡¯t be proper for her to follow along. But, under public scrutiny, the Duke¡¯s Furen wouldn¡¯t go too overboard, Sun Yan Jun thought. She nced at Li Wei Yang and surprisingly saw her smiling and nodding that she put her mind at rest as she watched both of them leave.
As they circled the garden and turned towards the inner courtyard, she noticed a white marble panel that revealed grandiosity. In front of it were bouquets of flowers and silks on a huge meadow field. They¡¯ve reached a small pavilion enclosed by beaded curtains with scented aroma lingering out in the air. Once Li Wei Yang walked to the entrance, she heardughter within.
Jiang Yue Lan smiled: ¡°This is the tea room where the Duke¡¯s Furen receives her friends and family.¡±
The parlor outside was much bigger and noisier. It was exceptionally quiet here. Li Wei Yang frowned and asked: ¡°Is Lao Furen inside?¡±
Jiang Yue Lan smiled: ¡°Yes, Lao Furen, your Eldest Sister and Fourth Mei, they are all inside.¡±
The serving maid opened the beaded curtains and Li Wei Yang saw how lively the entire ce was. Everyone was clustering around the Duke furen who sat in the master seat. She was dressed in her usual household clothes with her hair loosely worn in a bun held up by a jade hairb. Her demeanor showed extravagance and arrogance. And by her side was an eighteen, neen years old youngster who sat properly next to the Duke furen. Although he was seated, she could tell he had a rather tall body stature and he wore a jade green long dress, making him stand out in the crowd.
Li Wei Yang raised her brows and noticed the youngster lifted his head. Even though she had seen many handsome men before, she was still taken aback. The man¡¯s face was a blossoming lotus white with a red mole between his brows. His eyes emitted wisdom and hope. If she recalled correctly from her previous life memories, this person is ------
The Duke furen was justughing with Li Chang Le. Herughter was filled with power and didn¡¯t show any evidence of her illness. Following the sound of new arrivals, she lifted her head and saw Jiang Yue Lan leading Li Wei Yang in, she smilingly said: ¡°You both have arrived at the right time.¡± She turned to the man by her side and said: ¡°Hua-er, do you still remember your Maternal Grand Aunt and Wei Yang meimei?¡±
Frankly speaking, Jiang Hua had been apanying Duke Jiang out in the military for years so how could he recognize Jiang Yue Lan, who rarely stepped out of the household? And let¡¯s not mention Li Wei Yang who was raised in the countryside, it was impossible that they¡¯ve seen each other before. But Jiang Hua gave a slight smile and generously greeted them. He was still young but his demeanor showed his experience and maturity: ¡°Greetings to Maternal Grand Aunt and Third Cousin.¡± It was as if he knew all of them.
Jiang Yue Lan couldn¡¯t resist but praise: ¡°Third Shaoye is young and dignified, very different from others.¡±
Jiang Hua was only known as an idler in the military and was far like his three brothers who all had military aplishments. But at a young age, he was known for his erudite nature. At the age of 11, he was known as the top schr of the capital. At 15, the Emperor assigned him as a third-ranked schr. He had written lots of poetry and many were still widely used. However, this kind of talented schr resigned from his position because of Duke Jiang and has been willing to assume the role of mastermind behind the scenes. This was already a very peculiar situation.
At this moment, after receiving praise, he only nodded and didn¡¯t show a hint ofcent and boastfulness. Whether he did it deliberately or not, he gently smiled at Li Wei Yang. His smile rendered his face more jade white and the red mole between his brows eerily bought out traces of evil.
Li Wei Yang looked at him and thought: Seems like Jiang Hua¡¯s return must be rted to what happened in the court.
Li Wei Yang saw a closeby panel and began to walk over. He is a male guest after all so she shouldn¡¯t go too close. But the Duke furen nced at her and smiled: ¡°No need to be courteous, everyone is family in here.¡±
Li Chang Le and Li Chang Xiao didn¡¯t sit behind the panel and were only sitting a distance away. Li Wei Yang glimpsed at Li Lao Furen and saw that she nodded so she gently smiled and without persisting, she sat next to Li Chang Xiao. Jiang Yue Lan sat behind and gleefully asked: ¡°We¡¯ve heardughter outside the room, did something happy happen?¡±
Li Lao Furen¡¯s face was radiant with smiles: ¡°We were listening to how my inw was telling us some interesting stories about Third Gongzi when he was young!¡±
Jiang Yue Lan chimed in: ¡°Oh? What happened to Third Gongzi when he was young?¡±
Li Wei Yang gave Li Chang Le a glimpse and noticed that her face was filled with joy as she listened on. There was no trace of awkwardness in her expression. It was obvious that Li Chang Le and Jiang Third Shaoye were very well-acquainted.
Third Shaoye smiled faintly: ¡°A talent like Chang Le will eventually be the princess consort in the future. Eldest sister-inw, don¡¯t use me to amuse everyone. If you do care about me, then you should find me a beautiful wife!¡±
Han Shi only smiled and pointed at Li Chang Xiao and Li Wei Yang: ¡°How about this, why don¡¯t you choose one out of those two and I¡¯ll be the matchmaker between you two!¡±
This kind of unrestrained joke caused a change in Li Lao Furen¡¯s expression yet she didn¡¯t voice her anger. The wedding matter of unmarried women shouldn¡¯t be the subject of a joke. This Han Shi was very rampant! The teacup cover heavily dropped onto the cup releasing a crisp sound.
Jiang Hua gave a glimpse at Li Chang Xiao and saw that her face was very red from heryers of blush. But Li Wei Yang lowered her nce as she sipped tea as if she didn¡¯t hear a single word and has zoned out afar. He thought of his family¡¯s evaluation of Li Wei Yang and he smilingly replied: ¡°Eldest sister-inw, don¡¯t make me the subject of your jokes, you¡¯re making my two cousins ufortable!¡±
Han Shi gleefully asked: ¡°Since you don¡¯t like any of your three cousins, then it¡¯s hard to find you a wife! Or is it because you¡¯ve met someone you like while you were out all these years with Duke Jiang?¡±
Jiang Hua broke intoughter and eventually seemed restless that he stood up: ¡°Eldest sister-inw ising for me, I can¡¯t stay here any longer.¡± He turned back and smiled: ¡°Grandmother, I¡¯ll go out to the front.¡±
The Duke furen smilingly replied: ¡°A room filled with young misses, you sitting here is indeed awkward, go along then!¡± As she spoke, she suddenly tugged his sleeves and said, ¡°You¡¯re this old already, you must learn to take care of yourself.¡±
Li Wei Yang suddenly lifted her head and glimpsed at Jiang Hua. She noticed he was stunned and reacted with an odd expression. Then the Duke furen momentarily said: ¡°I think finding you a wife will let my heart rest at peace!¡±
Seeing his grandmother joking with him expressing her sentiments, he said: ¡°Yes, I will find you a granddaughter-inw out there!¡± As he spoke, he turned towards every to pay his respects and left.
After leaving for a while, Li Chang Xiao was still in her own world. Li Wei Yang coldly smiled and noted that the men of the Jiangs were all very good-looking. But looking at Min De for this long, she didn¡¯t have much affection towards seeing them. What she cared about the most was what the Duke furen just said moments ago.
Right at this moment, a yatou reported: ¡°Crowned Prince and Crowned Princess have arrived.¡±
The Duke furenughed: ¡°Our noble guests have arrived. Look at what I¡¯m wearing now, I must go change.¡±
Li Lao Furen looked at her and of course, to receive the Crowned Prince, she must change into her first-ranked furen attire. She spoke: ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll go and wee them first.¡±
The Duke furen nodded and said: ¡°Thank you.¡±
Li Chang Le smilingly said: ¡°Grandmother, let me apany you to your changing quarters and then we¡¯ll go out together.¡± The Duke furen nodded so she gleefully walked forward to support her steps.
Li Lao Furen stood up as everyone also did the same to walk out with her. But suddenly a yatou shouted and everyone looked back and noticed how a corner of Li Wei Yang¡¯s dress was drenched. On the ground was a teacup which was obviously knocked over when the tea tray was being removed. The yatou rmingly kneeled: ¡°Xian zhu, please forgive me!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Lao Furen and saw how she frowned. Han Shi rushed over: ¡°This yatou, how could you mess up such a small task! Xian Zhu, we are very sorry!¡± She spoke with a face filled with apologetic remorse.
Jiang Yue Lan also rushed over: ¡°How did this happen? Your dress is drenched! Wei Yang, why don¡¯t you change in our guest room?¡± After she finished speaking, she looked over towards Bai Zhi and said, ¡°Did you bring a backup attire for your Xiaojie?¡±
The Xiaojie of prestigious families must prepare backup attires for unexpected needs ------ Bai Zhi replied: ¡°It¡¯s in the carriage, Nubi will go retrieve it.¡± She glimpsed at Zhao Yue and thetter faintly nodded back before she left with ease.
Jiang Yue Lan caringly said: ¡°Wei Yang, I¡¯ll apany you to the guest room.¡±
She was showing her motherly affections and if she declined, it will show that she¡¯s unreasonable. Li Wei Yang smiled faintly and as if she didn¡¯t detect anything out of line, she nodded and turned to speak to Han Shi: ¡°Eldest sister-inw, I have to borrow your guest room for a bit.¡±
Han Shi smiled: ¡°Han Xiang, bring Xian Zhu to change her clothes!¡± A beautiful in-clothed yatou immediately walked up and spoke: ¡°Pleasee with me.¡±
The guest room was very quiet. Zhao Yue had been guarding from the outside and hadn¡¯t noticed anything rming until Jiang Yue Lan walked out with Li Wei Yang. The yatou named Han Xiang lowered her head and said: ¡°The Duke furen invites you both toe.¡±
Now? Li Wei Yang nced at Jiang Yue Lan and saw that she was very astonished: ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to receive the Crowned Prince and Crowned Princess?¡±
Han Xiang apologetically smiled: ¡°The Duke furen only gave these orders, Nubi don¡¯t know about anything else.¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly said: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Mother please go ahead.¡± She turned to leave, revealing that she had no intentions to go along.
Han Xiang was struck with awe as she blocked her path and bowed forward: ¡°Xian Zhu, the Duke furen said, if enmity is not settled amicably, there is no end to it. She has the intention to resolve the enmity. Xian Zhu, please reconsider.¡±
What do those words mean? Li Wei Yang turned to look at Jiang Yue Lan who seemed like she was deep in thoughts. Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t reply but Jiang Yue Lan walked forward: ¡°Wei Yang, it seems like the Duke furen intends to resolve the enmity between you two. Why don¡¯t you go and see what happens?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Jiang Yue Lan with a forced smile: ¡°Mother is telling me to go?¡±
Jiang Yue Lan awkwardly expressed: ¡°Wei Yang, you must understand my position. Ever since I¡¯ve be your mother, I¡¯ve never harmed you, so why do you have to guard against me like others? If you are worried, then you should bring your yatou along. Everyone in the room are female members of the family, who can harm you? You have too many suspicions.¡± Her expression was filled with unbeatable sadness.
Li Wei Yang blinked at Bai Zhi and Bai Zhi smiled as she lowered her head. Li Wei Yang slowly said: ¡°Since it¡¯s Mother¡¯s orders, I will go. Mother, you first.¡±
Jiang Yue Lan unnoticeably let out a sigh: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
Upon entering the room, she spotted the Duke Furen sitting on her bed as sheid against a soft pillow. Li Chang Le and other yatous were busy helping her change. Below her window was a five bat longevity pear blossom table and on it sat a burner releasing the scent of sandalwood, a calming aroma. The Duke Furen has changed into her festive attire and turned her head once she heard footsteps.
Li Wei Yang greeted the Duke Furen and thetter warmly spoke: ¡°I have a few words I want to say to you.¡±
Li Wei Yang lifted her eyes and saw Li Chang Le whose hands were trembling as she fixed the tail of the dress. The Duke Furen quietly took her hands as if she was extending Li Chang Le her energy, helping her calm down. The Duke Furen sighed: ¡°Li Wei Yang, I know you are the one behind everything, which includes the death of my daughter, the loss of 200,000 army soldiers, the punishments of Nan-er. Everything was plotted by you.¡±
Li Wei Yang watched her and slowly replied: ¡°Please forgive me but I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about.¡±
The wrinkles on the Duke Furen¡¯s forehead seemed to have been smoothened, she calmly said: ¡°You¡¯ve done it so why be pretentious?¡±
Though her voice was light, her words were deep. A gust of wind from the window blew in as the leaves on the ground flew around creating a sha-sha sound. Unknowingly, the room was enshrouded with cold intentions.
Jiang Yue Lan witnessed this scene and quietly retreated to the side.
Li Chang Le bit her lips: ¡°Li Wei Yang, besides you, me, Mother, grandmother is here. If you want to say something, there¡¯s no need to hide it. Let¡¯s be frank and put our cards on the table!¡±
Li Wei Yang smilingly said: ¡°Are we having a trial today? Grandmother invited me here to ask for the truth or to punish me?¡±
¡°Punish you?¡± The Duke Furen lightly sneered and dejectedly said, ¡°I¡¯m old, Chang Le is ipetent, my sons can only kill on the battlefield so in regards to the battles within the inner harem, no one can rival you, what is there to punish you for?¡±
Li Wei Yang responded, ¡°You are right, you are the undisputed elder, I don¡¯t dare to argue.¡±
She uttered a few ¡°pity¡± as if she was very sad and dreary. Li Wei Yang attentively watched her showing a rather odd expression.
This pair of old and young were scrutinizing each other with expressions showing dancing fire. The Duke Furen stopped talking for a while until Li Wei Yang thought she wasn¡¯t going to speak again that she suddenly said: ¡°I¡¯ve called you over today not because I want to be your rival but I was thinking we should resolve our enmity towards each other.¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly smiled: ¡°Wei Yang doesn¡¯t understand your meaning.¡±
Li Wei Yang lifted her face and declined toment. Momentarily, she responded in a low voice: ¡°Grandmother really thinks this way?¡±
The Duke Furen slowly let out a sigh and said: ¡°Frankly speaking, I still feel hatred towards you but ------ we must consider the overall situation. I want to resolve our enmity and from today onwards, we will mind our own business.¡±
Hearing those words, Li Wei Yang felt very strange. She observed the Duke Furen¡¯s expression as if she was pondering and also waiting for something.
The Duke Furen smiled, ¡°You are only a 15-years old young girl. You have to wed in the future. What is the point in fighting with your sisters?¡± She stopped temporarily, ¡°Once someone dies, their misdeeds dissemble. Rao-er has already left this world and I won¡¯t be here for long. To live until such an age, haven¡¯t I seen through all this? I don¡¯t want to seek revenge on you as long as you promise that you won¡¯t harm Chang Le and the Jiangs, I will also promise you that you can peacefully be your Xian Zhu until you die. But if you don¡¯t promise me, through all the Jiangs¡¯ resources, we will make your life difficult!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Grandmother, from the start, I was never the instigator.¡±
The Duke Furen coldlyughed, revealing that she didn¡¯t think of this, she said: ¡°You only have to say, you promise or don¡¯t promise!¡±
She was the same old unyielding person! Li Wei Yang spoke: ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to not promise.¡± But would Li Chang Le be able to do it? She held unbound hatred towards her and had already left a blood feud, how could this be resolved this easily?
The Duke Furen finallyughed and warmly remarked: ¡°You are after all 15-years old. If you are too stubborn, it¡¯s not a good thing, now this is all good.¡± As she spoke, she stood up, ¡°From today onwards, I hope you all can live together in peace, then I came rest in peace.¡± After, she looked at the red-painted fruit tter on the table and said, ¡°Now, bring my tter of jujube over.¡± She instructed her warmly as if she was her own granddaughter. If it were others, they would rush over to help her to show their loyalty. But Li Wei Yang simply raised her brows and didn¡¯t move.
Live happily together? This is indeed a very beautiful scene. Li Wei Yang looked at Li Chang Le and said: ¡°I hope so.¡±
The Duke Furen had finished changing and was slowly led over by the yatou as if she found it difficult to walk alone. She took a jujube from the tter in Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands. She only took a bite and sighed: ¡°At this age, I can¡¯t taste anything!¡± As she spoke, she didn¡¯t look at Li Wei Yang again and walked out.
The Duke Furen didn¡¯t say anything but only suddenly raised her head to look at him with expression of desteness. Ultimately, her body started trembling and she spat out blood.
All of the bloodnded on Crowned Prince¡¯s face.
Li Chang Le who was on her side shouted: ¡°Grandmother! Grandmother, are you okay?¡±
The Duke Furen fell backwards and sank into unconsciousness. As for the Crowned Prince, he was frightened to the point where he didn¡¯t know where he was with his face covered in fresh blood.
Everyone¡¯s eyes gaped wide open and within moments, everything solidified.
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: EricaEditor: EricaNext: Chapter 120 Part 1
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Chapter 120 part1
Chapter 120: Target of public criticism (Part 1)
Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy! With one-third of the world¡¯s poption on lockdown, I hope this will pass soon and everything will gradually return back to normal. Wish everyone well!
1 - Poison in Chinese is 2 words: Öж¾
The first to react was Jiang Xu, his expression extremely ugly and shouting: ¡°Doctor! Quickly get a doctor!¡± At this moment, he could care less about the frightened Crown Prince, much less the guests.
The Crown Prince was frozen at the scene, countless blood spots on his face, it wasn¡¯t until the Crown Princess beside him quickly brought up a handkerchief did he snapped out of it, taking a nce at the Crown Princess, he instead turned to hold the pale face Consort, Jiang Lan: ¡°Lan¡¯er, don¡¯t be afraid!¡±
Jiang Lan¡¯s face is unprecedentedly pale, she actually pushed aside the Crown Prince and quickly stepped forward, kneeling shakily in front Duke¡¯s Furen.
Li Wei Yang watched this act yet her expression turning strange, seemingly sneering but also seems to be full of emotions, from the views of an outsider, it seems as though she has suffered a fright, therefore unsure of how to react. What¡¯s happening in the hall seems like a scene from a y, while she is just standing there, quietly watching the y, from the start to the end, feeling an unusual calm.
Jiang Xu sent people all over to look for Jiang Tian but without any result, Jiang Tian seems to have dropped off the face of earth, that he actually did not show up for his grandmother¡¯s birthday celebration. With no alternative, he hastily summoned a doctor, everyone in the hall was watching at a loss couldn¡¯t help crowding around them, a strong pressureing down heavily, causing Li Wei Yang to feel that the atmosphere here has a kind of pressure that cause people to feel disgusted, she couldn¡¯t help taking a step back.
¡°Are you alright?¡± A voice suddenly sounded.
Li Wei Yang turned back but Li Min De has already passed several people to reach her side, a look of concern on his face.
Li Wei Yang shook her head, her gaze returning to the crowd. By the armchair surrounded by the Jiang¡¯s direct line of descendants, no one can get close, yet Li Chang Le also rushed over, as if in a panic.
Though the heavy crowd, Doctor Liu¡¯s words came through: ¡°Official Jiang, please ovee your grief, Lao Furen already stopped breathing...¡± In his line of sight came Jiang Xu¡¯s furious face along with Jiang Hai¡¯s loud voice bawling: ¡°Doctor Liu, don¡¯t speak nonsense, my grandmother was just fine just now!¡±
Hearing this, Doctor Liu¡¯s expression also became ugly, as a doctor, there is nothing more embarrassing than someone questioning his medical skills, under the cover of his sleeves, his hands shook nonstop and he spoke loudly: ¡°Young Master, no breath is no breath, can I even lie about this! If you don¡¯t believe it, see for yourself, there is not even a pulse!¡±
Jiang Xu, hearing that his mother has suddenly passed away, could only felt that his breath is stuck in his chest, unable to speak while the others are dumbstruck, never in a million years would they have thought, clearly this was a good day for a 60 years old birthday celebration, just now they could see that Lao Furen full of life and in excellent health, how could she die in just a little time?!
Jiang Lan suddenly cried with grief: ¡°Grandmother! Grandmother! What¡¯s happened to you? You were just fine, how could you just suddenly leave!¡±
The Crown Prince, seeing that his beloved consort full of grief and sorrow, hurriedly said: ¡°Doctor Liu, just what illness did Guo Gong Furen contacted, why would she suddenly throw up blood and then die?¡± He has just wiped the bloodstains from his face, but his expression did not turn better.
Jiang Hai hurriedly said: ¡°Doctor Liu, my grandmother has caught a cold a couple of days ago and was very sick at the time, it is before of this....¡±
Doctor Liu shook his head and said: ¡°No, this does not seems to be symptoms of amon cold...¡±
Li Lao Furen watched from afar, only feeling that something doesn¡¯t seems right, her heart beating wildly, raising an ominous sign. As if to prove her words, Doctor Liu¡¯s next words were: ¡°In fact, Duke¡¯s Furen was poisoned.¡±
Hearing this, Jiang Xu¡¯s face immediately changed: ¡°Poisoned?¡±
Doctor Liu nodded and took out a silver needle, tested the blood spat out by Duke¡¯s Furen, then held the silver needle up for everyone to see, his lips opening slightly, yet the wordsing out of his mouth were cold: ¡°Duke¡¯s Furen has indeed died from poison.¡±
Everyone looked at the tip of the silver needle, it has indeed turned ck.
Jiang Xu couldn¡¯t help closing his eyes, in a short period of time, cold sweat appeared his hands like rain, the two words(1) circling nonstop in his head, that is... poisoned! It¡¯s actually poisoned! Just who has such guts! That they dared to use poison at the birthday celebration!
Everyone nced at each other in silence, Duke¡¯s Furen is a madam of first rank and also the legitimate wife of Duke Jiang, the Empress Dowager has personally issued an edict ordering people to attend and celebrate her 60th birthday, yet on this birthday celebration, the originally healthy Duke¡¯s Furen suddenly died, the cause of death being poison. This matter rose like an earth shattering wave, once investigated, will embroil many. Yet here they are, standing here in this moment, personally watching everything that happened, it is set that they cannot stay out of it!
After a moment, the wind swept through the tower heralding a rising storm in the mountain, Jiang Lan, choked with tears, said: ¡°Crown Prince! Please give justice for grandmother!¡±
Sure enough, hearing this, the Crown Prince became enraged, struck the table and said: ¡°How preposterous! Who is it? Who has the gut to poison Duke¡¯s Furen? This much be investigated thoroughly to uncover the culprit!¡±
Once thismand was given, everyone was in an uproar.
The Capital Administrator and the Minister of Justice has appeared, Yao Chang Qing said: ¡°Your highness, this matter must be immediately reported to his Majesty and also seal off the Jiang residence to prevent the culprit from escaping at this time!¡±
Jiang Lao Furen¡¯s meals were taken care of by a specially assigned person, therefore it could not be a case of ingested poison food by mistake, everyone felt that this is definitely a murder, moreover a murder to provoke the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, aren¡¯t you wanting to celebrate Jiang Furen¡¯s birthday with great fanfare? Look at the result now! Thinking of it, it can be sure that the Emperor would be extremely furious.
The Crown Prince nodded and said: ¡°Someone immediately report to Imperial Father and also seals the entire Jiang residence, Official Zhang and Official Yao, both of you please interrogate carefully, you must get to the bottom of this!¡±
The Minister of Justice Zhang Hui¡¯s expression is imposing; he exchanged a nce with Yao Chang Qing while saying: ¡°Yes.¡±
On the other side, Li Min De who has been watching all of this silently said quietly: ¡°It seems this wouldn¡¯t end quickly.¡±
Li Wei Yang calmly look at the Jiang family, yet her gaze fell on the Li Chang Le crying with sorrow and said slowly: ¡°Of course, they haven¡¯t make a big fuss yet, how would they cease like this? We should be prepared!¡± as if this is all within prediction, Li Min De smiled slightly and didn¡¯t speak again.
Jiang Xu ordered someone to settle Duke¡¯s Furen in the side hall, ordered a family member to prepare mourning clothes and such, then invite all the guests to wait in the main hall, then arrange for the Capital Administrator¡¯s people to investigate the entire main hall, reception room, even Duke¡¯s Furen¡¯s bed chamber, in order to find out where was she poisoned and who poisoned her. The Crown Prince¡¯s consort Jiang Lan¡¯, eyes red, as if holding back the pain of her sorrow, was speaking with Jiang Xu and the rest, while Li Chang Le was crying nonstop into her sleeves, showing a sorrowful look, while everyone else has a look of being absentminded.
Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui looked at the sorrowful Li Chang Le and seems to want to go andfort her but recalling thest time when he saw Li Chang Le¡¯s bald head where there were even maggots crawling, he couldn¡¯t helped feeling extremely disgusted, no matter how much he pushed himself mentally, he could not make his legs walk over to that beauty, helpless, he turned away his gaze, towards the Tuoba Zhen who kept silent from the beginning, he said: ¡°Third Brother, when can we leave here? They could not possibly suspect us right?¡±
Tuoba Zhen withdrew his gaze from the Jiangs and said hesitantly: ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Crown Prince, the culprit must be ground before we can leave!¡± In other words, if the culprit is not found, then everyone must remain here, even if you are a prince.
Tuoba Rui humphed coldly and said: ¡°He¡¯s been bewitched by that Jiang Lan, listening to everything she says! Jiang Lao Furen couldn¡¯t possibly be poisoned by us, what¡¯s the use of arresting so many people; he¡¯s simply making aughingstock of himself!¡±
Tuoba Zhen didn¡¯t say anything, except his gaze couldn¡¯t help going to Li Wei Yang who is speaking to Li Min De, having not seen her for a few days, her face is unchangingly cold, expression low-key as usual, her clothes is not at all attention grabbing, but sitting there, she is already a curious scenery, eyebrows raised, elegant demeanor that reach the peak, every word, every action like a splendidly blooming sea of flowers, that he could not help voluntarily look at her. It¡¯s not that Li Wei Yang is exceptionally beautiful; rather it is because he already fell in love with this person, unconsciously chasing after her. In the end it is still Tuoba Rui who cut him off: ¡°I can¡¯t stay still, I¡¯ll go check and see if Yao Chang Qing has make any heads!¡± After saying this, Tuoba Rui stood up and head towards the solemn looking Capital Administrator.
Tuoba Yu is currently standing beside Yao Chang Qing, speaking to him: ¡°You can carry out a detailed investigation, one step further to narrow down this down, since Duke¡¯s Furen was poisoned, that means that the culprit is has the opportunity toe in contact with her, half of the people in this hall can be eliminated, because they cannot enter the inner house, much less poison Duke¡¯s Furen¡¯s food or items that shee in contact with.¡±
Yao Chang Qing nodded and said: ¡°Indeed so, after narrowing it down, we will focus on investigating the maids around Duke¡¯s Furen and see if we can find any clues from them.¡±
At this moment, Tan Xiang cried out in rm: ¡°Da Xiaojie, are you alright?!¡±
Everyone immediately looked at Li Chang Le but all they saw was Li Chang Le extremely pale, her entire body leaning on Tan Xiang as if she would faint any moment, Jiang Lan knows her from a young age and consider to be close, hurried forward and asked: ¡°Chang Le, are you alright?¡±
Jiang Da Furen frowned and quickly said : ¡°Chang Le¡¯s body has always been frail, today Lao Furen who have always adored her has suddenly passed away, I¡¯m afraid she could not withstand the blow, hurry and help her inside to rest!¡±
Jiang Lan thus ordered Tan Xiang: ¡°Help your Xiaojie to Xiu Lou where I previously lived in!¡±
¡°No need for the trouble, I will go rest in the guest room for a bit.¡± Li Chang Le, looking extremely frail, was about to leave the main hall with Tan Xiang when she suddenly saw Li Wei Yang stood up and said with a slight smile: ¡°Da jie, this... perhaps is not appropriate.¡±
Everyone looked at Li Wei Yang and saw an expression of difficulty on her face, Jiang Lan frowned and said: ¡°What¡¯s not appropriate about it?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s line of sight fell on Li Chang Le, her tone calm: ¡°Grandmother has just passed away, not of one us are not sad, the matter here has not been cleared up, therefore I feel that Da jie should bear a little longer, at least until we get to the bottom of the matter, besides, you care so much about grandmother, why wouldn¡¯t you wait until the culprit is caught before leaving?¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s body swayed, a look of disbelief on her face, said: ¡°Therefore what Third Sister meant is that even if I don¡¯t feel well, I must remain here?¡±
Jiang Lan, with a trace of frost on her beautiful face, turned to stare at Li Wei Yang and said: ¡°Anping Xianzhu, you being like this...it¡¯s a bit too harsh towards your older sister.¡±
¡°Consort Lan feels that I am too harsh?¡± Li Wei Yang repeated ¡°too harsh¡± these four words, as if unexpected but quickly her expression became serious and said: ¡°I just have rational doubts. Before getting to the bottom of things, everyone is suspicious, Crown Princess, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±
Hearing this, the Crown Princess was surprised, having never thought that Li Wei Yang would ask her, looking at her astonished, Li Wei Yang said calmly: ¡°Even though this is the Jiang¡¯s residence, the most respected is Crown Prince Dianxia, since even the Crown Princess is here, this matter, naturally we need to respect your opinion, why don¡¯t you say, should we let someone along leave this hall to go rest?¡±
The Crown Princess looked at Jiang Lan coldly, she can see that Li Wei Yang and the Jiangs are against each other, simrly, Jiang Lan and her are against each other, the enemy of an enemy is a friend, since Jiang Lan want to protect Li Chang Le, why can¡¯t she protect Li Wei Yang? A woman¡¯s rationale is this simply, just now she felt that Li Wei Yang is nothing much, but now she immediately felt that she has turned into someone whom she must be close with, she couldn¡¯t help revealing a cold look and said: ¡°Consort Lan, this is the Jiang¡¯s residence, we must respect their thoughts, we can¡¯t just randomly butt in. Besides, this matter involves Duke¡¯s Furen¡¯s death, this is simply not a small matter, of course my words are not because I am suspicious of Li Da Xiaojie, it¡¯s just that... Xianzhu is correct, everyone is a suspect, and we cannot easily indulge in them. Li Da Xiaojie need rest, of course she can rest in this hall, someone, give her a seat.¡±
Li Chang Le has never thought that the Crown Princess would cut in, her expression bing even uglier, she can only force herself to give thanks for the seat, just as she was about to walk over to the chair, it seems as though she identally staggered, Tan Xiang was unable to support her by herself, just as she was about to fall down, a hand came forward and helped steady her.
Turning back, she saw that it was Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang said warmly: ¡°Da jie, you must be careful.¡±
Li Chang Le simply hate this person to death but doesn¡¯t dare to re up in front of everyone, she nced around weakly, but Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face is solemn, Li Lao Furen¡¯s indifferent, her uncles and cousins are discussing the funeral arrangements, Consort Lan cannot go against the Crown Princess¡¯ words... in the end, she could only stare at Li Wei Yang with hatred and turn her head: ¡°Thank you.¡±
Her voice was extremely stiff while at the same time she quietly took a step back.
Li Wei Yang looked the revengeful expression on her face, smiled lightly, as if nothing has happened and said: ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡±
After this interlude, everyone in the hall can only dispersed to sit in their own seats, naturally the guests who can enter this hall are people with positions and power while themon guests are already under control outside. But for these people to just sit here, it is really painful, thus they prefer to stand up and observe the gifts that were originally offered to Lao Furen.
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s gaze fell on a special gift, he stood up and walked in front of thecquer screen and inspect carefully. Thiscquer screen has four panels in total, a delicate picture carved on each panel. The picture, covered in gold, silvers, jadeites, pearls, agates, is without a doubt a precious antique. He couldn¡¯t help saying: ¡°Imperial brother, this is your gift right?¡±
The Crown Prince was momentarily surprised and then walked over, took a look at the beautiful screen and couldn¡¯t helped saying with a sigh: ¡°Yes, this gift was prepared by Consort Lan on my behalf for three months, originally it was to let Lao Furen be happy, who knew that before she could see this screen, she is already gone, wasting Lan er¡¯s efforts.¡±
Having touch upon this sore point, Jiang Lan could not help wiping her tears and said: ¡°Dianxia, I grew up under grandmother¡¯s knee, and is extremely close to her, for my sake, please give justice for grandmother!¡±
Jiang Second Furen¡¯s expression became stiff for a moment but she quickly lowered her eyes, as if she heard nothing, Li Wei Yang saw all of this but didn¡¯t find it weird, everyone knew that the Jiangs ce importance on the distinction between legitimate born and concubine born, the sons have a lot of concubines but very few concubine born children. This Jiang Lan, is the only female amongst the Jiang¡¯s grandchildren, and also the only one born of a concubine, her position extremely awkward and delicate, yet Duke¡¯s Furen actually took her to raise her by her side, afterward send her into the Crown Prince¡¯s residence, that people can¡¯t help sighing. Now, looking at Jiang Second Furen¡¯s expression, Li Wei Yang is more certain, Jiang Second Furen do not like this Jiang Lan, and what¡¯s more, is really don¡¯t like her. Of course, this is not the main point that she is concern about so she quickly moved her gaze, as if she didn¡¯t feel anything.
At this moment, a guard quickly came in, everyone¡¯s eyes widen immediately, waiting for the result of their investigation.
Yao Chang Qing hurried asked: ¡°Just what has happened?¡±
The guard spoke loudly: ¡°Replying to the various officials, this subordinate has discovered a special item in the small parlor of the room where Duke¡¯s Furen entertains guests. On the tray are this year¡¯s newly offered jujubes, the rest aremon snacks such as lotus cake and butterfly cookies, there are also some seeds, preserved fruits, nothing that seems out of the ordinary, who knew that underneath the tea table, we found a dead rat along with a half bitten jujube on the floor, after questioning the yatous in the parlor, we find that someone would sweep the room every day, therefore if there is a dead rat, it would definitely be discovered and not left there until now, therefore this rat has to have died recently, we let the coroner dissect this rat, the result is that we found...¡±
Jiang Xu rushed ahead to ask: ¡°What did you discover?¡± After asking, he immediately realized that bypassing both the Minister of Justice and Yao Chang Qing to question this matter is inappropriate, but the one who died is his mother, therefore no one med him for that, Yao Chang Qing also nodded and said: ¡°Continue!¡±
The guard continued speaking: ¡°After the coroner dissected the rat, we actually found some jujube flesh in its stomach, thus bing suspicious of these jujubes, we turned back to inspect the remaining jujube on the floor and finally discovered with the poison came from.¡±
Since the incident has happened, the third young master of the Jiang, Jiang Hua, who has been silent this whole time couldn¡¯t help feeling his heart moved: ¡°Are you saying that the culprit put poison in the jujube?¡±
The guard immediately responded: ¡°Yes, after this subordinate discovered that the jujube has poison, I immediatelymand the coroner to investigate carefully, and discovered that amongst the other 13 pieces of jujubes, there are two that has poisons in it, thus it can be seen that there was not enough time for the culprit to act thus he cannot put poison on each jujube, of course, this also proves that this person is close to Duke¡¯s Furen, thus having this opportunity.¡±
Jiang Hua slowly shook his head and said: ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to put poison on every jujube, just need to be sure that the poisoned one has been consumed by my grandmother is enough! This person is very cruel!¡±
When they spoke of the jujubes, Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression has already changed, this change is very minute, aside from Li Min De beside her, no one else has noticed this.
The next instance, the originally frail Li Da Xiaojie suddenly stood up, a face white like the snow on the branch, slightly stumbling, Tan Xiang besides her hurriedly steady her, she said chokingly: ¡°Third Sister, why did you harm grandmother!¡±
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: AngEditor: Erica
Next: Chapter 120 Part 2
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Chapter 120 part2
Chapter 120: Target of public criticism
New chapter part this week! Going to try to keep with this release schedule and eventually we will bring back sponsorship to allow faster releases. It takes time to trante so thank you for readers¡¯ support. Stay healthy, safe, and positive :) everything will get better!
(1) ÑÃÃÅ (yamen) - term used for government¡¯s office in ancient times
This voice came out, everyone looked at Li Wei Yang.
Although the expression on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face didn¡¯t change much, the cold in her eyes is not much different from the icy snow: ¡°Dajie, what do you mean!¡±
The Crown Princess¡¯ brow twitched yet her face remained calm without a ripple: ¡°Li Da Xiaojie, you must not talk without consideration!¡±
Consort Jiang Lan suddenly stood up and said coldly: ¡°Crown Princess, you didn¡¯t let her finish, how would you know that she is speaking without consideration! Chang Le, continue!¡±
The Crown Princess humphed coldly and said: ¡°Might as well! Li Da Xiaojie, make sure you speak clearly, what you mean by An Ping Xianzhu hurt Duke¡¯s Furen.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s tears are flowing, as if she couldn¡¯t believe it herself, pointing at Li Wei Yang: ¡°You... you were the one who gave that te of fruits to (maternal) grandmother, you watched with your own eyes her eating those jujubes, aside from you, no one else havee in contact with those things...¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s look cooled, her gaze moving on her face unhurriedly and coldly said: ¡°Dajie, you spoke wrongly, aside from me who touched that fruit te, there is also our mother, she is the one who gave me the fruit te, besides, the yatous in this house must have touched the fruit te, otherwise this fruit te has flew into the house by itself?!¡±
Li Wei Yang spoke angrily: ¡°But they don¡¯t have a reason to hurt grandmother, mother and grandmother have always been closed, their yatous are loyal, they definitely wouldn¡¯t do such thing!¡±
Tuoba Yu felt something isn¡¯t right and immediately spoke: ¡°Da Xiaojie, you have no evidence, why would you purposely say such vicious words!¡±
Li Chang Le revealed a brusque look instead, her gaze like a sharp sword, itching to stab two bloody holes on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, she continued hatefully: ¡°I saw with my own eyes, everyone one in the house saw with their own eyes! Mother, didn¡¯t you see with your own eyes that my third sister gave those jujubes to Lao Furen?¡±
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face revealed a shocked look, after thinking over it carefully, answered: ¡°This... seems to be true!¡±
Li Chang Le nced again at the yatous who look after Duke¡¯s Furen, they looked at each other, recalling the situation at the time, but nodded in agreement.
¡°Biao (cousin) Xiaojie is right, at that time, only Xianzhu held the te the longest!¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Lao Furen took the jujube from her hands!¡±
¡°Right right right! Only Xianzhu has the motive to ce the poison! Moreover no one else could possibly harm Lao Furen!¡±
Fling enough dirt and everyone thinks that it was Li Wei Yang who ced the poison, because at the time in the parlor, only she has the chance to make a move, Li Chang Le is Lao Furen¡¯s biological granddaughter, Duke¡¯s Furen dies, then half of her back support is gone, there is no need to plot against her backer just for the sake of framing Li Wei Yang. The same can be said for Jiang Yue Lan, she was able to marry into the Lis and established herself so quickly due to the Jiangs¡¯ power, what reason does she have to kill Duke¡¯s Furen? As for the Jiang manor¡¯s yatous, there even less possibility. But it¡¯s different for Li Wei Yang, previously there was no end to the dispute she have with the Jiangs due to Jiang Nan¡¯s matter, especially when everyone has hear about when Duke¡¯s Furen cursed at her, perhaps she has nurse a grudge due to this, thus taking this birthday celebration to find a chance to kill Duke¡¯s Furen... this kind of deduction seems to be reasonable, the only one who have to the motive and opportunity to kill Duke¡¯s Furen, is Li Wei Yang!
Everyone¡¯s suspicious gaze, sharp like a sword, turned to Li Wei Yang, even Li Lao Furen has a look of disbelief: ¡°Wei Yang, just what is this?!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Chang Le coldly and spoke: ¡°Da jie, you said that I have poisoned grandmother? Just because I have once touched that fruit ce? Or it is because I don¡¯t get along with grandmother? Even so, I don¡¯t have to kill her in front of so many people, could it be that I am not afraid of it failing and implicating myself?¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s voice shook, as if she couldn¡¯t stand: ¡°Third Mei, I have never thought that up to now, you would still make excuses, perhaps you made a move while it¡¯s lively during the birthday celebration, wanting to escape punishment when it¡¯s chaotic, just now if it was not for the symptoms appearing on the dead rat, it would be hard for people to think that those jujubes were poisoned! Everything that grandmother ate has undergone strict inspections before being ced on the table, therefore there is nothing wrong with it! But this only went on until you entered the parlor, when you ced the poison there, then it¡¯s different!¡±
Li Wei Yang saw the cruel expression in Li Chang Le¡¯s eye, she suddenly sneered and said: ¡°Da jie, your imagination is very rich! Since you all say that I ced the poison, then what method did I use to put the poison? I must be carrying the poison with me right? Where is the poison? In my skirt?¡±
Li Chang Le looked at her in cold suspicious, speaking one word by one word: ¡°San mei, since you swore that you did not ce the poison, then do you dare to let someone check?¡±
Li Min De saw the determined look in Li Chang Le¡¯s eye and couldn¡¯t help sneer coldly, yet he only lowered his head and not spoke, this y is too interesting, Li Chang Le even thought of such method to frame Li Wei Yang, it¡¯s really thanks to that dumb brain of hers! Thinking of it, everyone are probably sure, that there is no one in this world who would use their own life to frame someone, Duke¡¯s Furen of course would not, therefore the culprit must be in the parlor, thus the only one who has hatred with Duke¡¯s Furen has became the target of everyone¡¯s criticism.
Tuoba Yu frowned, the first one to speak: ¡°Li Da Xiaojie, just saying it is not enough, you are demanding a search based on your guesses, this is too arbitrary!¡±
Li Chang Le didn¡¯t even nced at him once, just stared at Li Wei Yang overbearingly, a sh of bright hatred in her eyes: ¡°San Mei, do you dare to prove your innocence?!¡±Li Wei Yang looked at her, a light sneer gradually appearing on her face, that sneer in Li Chang Le¡¯s eye, made her thought that the other person has been pushed to the end by her so she couldn¡¯t help continuing: ¡°If you don¡¯t dare, this only prove...¡±
Li Wei Yang stood up slowly and said: ¡°I have a clear conscience, how could I don¡¯t have the courage?¡±
On Li Chang Le¡¯s face, a peculiar smile appeared, this smile caused the Sun Yan Jun who was watching from the side, to have a weird feeling in her heart, as if Li Chang Le has predicted that something will definitely be found on Li Wei Yang, but, how can that be? Sun Yan Jun walked over to Li Wei Yang, stopping in front of her and said: ¡°Li Da Xiaojie, you are so overbearing, do you want Li Wei Yang to be searched in front of everyone?¡±
Li Chang Le smiled coldly and said: ¡°Of course there is no need to be searched in front of everyone, there is Crown Princess present, as long as she is here, she can be witness, just need to pick a room and thoroughly search is fine!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s dark eyes passed over her face lightly, she smiled and said: ¡°Good! Since there will be a search, then you must search carefully, what if a fish escaped the? Da jie is so selflessly impartial, she probably wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Having said this, she looked at Jiang Yue Lan and others who have stayed at the parlor before, showing an interrogating look.
Li Lao Furen spoke: ¡°Indeed, this incident cannot set Li Wei Yang¡¯s crime based just on Chang Le¡¯s your suspicious, unless the person has been caught red-handed, it¡¯s a bit hard to convince people. But if you are only searching Li Wei Yang, that it is not fair, since you want to search, then you must search all of them.¡± She is obviously helping Li Wei Yang, but this is no small matter, if this was a normal person who experience this, they would have already been panic-stricken but Li Wei Yang has been very calm, Li Lao Furen couldn¡¯t help hoping, that she has some way of proving her innocence.
Li Chang Le sneered lightly with a bit of contempt: ¡°(Paternal) Grandmother, not only Third Mei, me and all the yatous in the house, even Mother, everyone need to be search! Why don¡¯t Crown Princess be the witness, what do you think?¡±
Crown Princess nced at Li Wei Yang, after a moment, said: ¡°What does Crown Prince think?¡±
Crown Prince nodded and said: ¡°This way then it is most fair, someone go and prepare an empty room.¡±
Crown Princess stood up and said: ¡°With me personally watching will be the most fair, oh right, is Consort Jiang interested ining along?¡±
Jiang Lan has no alternative, she could only stood up and said: ¡°Crown Princess, please.¡±
Everyone seeing this, a chill appearing on their faces. If something is really found in a moment, then that is plotting to kill a madam of first rank, ordingly should be sentenced to death, even though Li Wei Yang swore that she did notmit any crime, but if the evidence is found on her...
Li Lao Furen¡¯s expression is most worried, she can feel that today¡¯s incident is very weird. As if someone is purposely targeting Li Wei Yang, but, she just can¡¯t understand, Duke¡¯s Furen being alive is advantageous for everyone, regardless of whether it is Li Chang Le or the Jiangs, there is no need to plot against her in order to frame Li Wei Yang, how is this any different from killing the hen to get the eggs? No one here would do such stupid thing!
Li Chang Le is the first one to be searched, Crown Princess ordered someone to carefully search her clothes, sachet, even the hair essories on her head have been checked, but nothing was found, following was Jiang Yue Lan and the other yatous, simrly, nothing was found on them, thest one, was Li Wei Yang. Because everyone was suspicious of her, her search time was the longest, when she came out, it was already an hourter, everyone seeing Crown Princess leading her out, they couldn¡¯t help asking: ¡°Find anything?¡±
Li Chang Le looked sneeringly at Crown Princess, they definitely found it, she is confident of this! However, Crown Princess, under the eyes of everyone, shook her head and lightly said: ¡°Nothing, there was nothing.¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s smile seems frozen for a moment,ughter in her eyes, but there was a scowl on her lips. Her smile and anger are originally beautiful, but at the moment, it became a strange but delicate look, the more it appears, the more a chill appear in people¡¯s heart, she immediately look that that servant called Han Xiang, just now it was her to led Li Wei Yang to change her skirt that was soaked by tea...
But on Han Xiang¡¯s face, at this moment showed both a shocked and dazed look, something must have went wrong at a certain segment, how could nothing be found? Clearly she let the yatou put sew the poison into the crack of her hem! Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t think anymore, rushed forward a step to say: ¡°Although nothing was found, it is also not a proof of Third Mei¡¯s innocence!¡±
Li Xiao Ran scolds angrily: ¡°Chang Le! What are you saying?!¡± It¡¯s not that he wants to help Li Wei Yang, it¡¯s just that at this time, Li Wei Yang is tied to the Li¡¯s reputation!
Li Chang Le looked at Li Xiao Ran sorrowfully: ¡°Father, do you want me to watch grandmother who adored me since young to die wrongly?¡±
Li Xiao Ran said coldly: ¡°Chang Le, then what do you want to do! Let the Capital Administrator take your sister back to the yamen (1)?¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s pearl white teeth bit on her lip softly, as if unintentional said: ¡°Before this matter is cleared up, we can only wrong Third Mei.¡±
Li Lao Furen is the first to oppose: ¡°This can¡¯t do, where is the principle of having a youngdy from a big family enter a yamen!¡±
Jiang Xu¡¯s expression was cold as he said: ¡°Li Lao Furen, this matter concerns my mother¡¯s life! If you don¡¯t want to give an exnation, we wouldn¡¯t let it be!¡±
Crown Prince¡¯s face was troubled: ¡°Seems like, we will need to trouble An Ping Xianzhu to follow Official Yao to the yamen.¡±
Is the Capital Administrator¡¯s yamen a ce that anyone can enter? Li Wei Yang is a daughter of a big family and An Ping Xianzhu, if she enters the yamen, even if she cane out safely, she will turn into theughing stock of the capital. Tuoba Yu¡¯s brow furrowed, just as he was about to speak on Li Wei Yang¡¯s behalf, he heard Li Wei Yang spoke first.
Li Wei Yang, faced withyers of force, spoke slowly: ¡°Da jie, do you really want to find out the truth of grandmother¡¯s death?¡±
Li Chang Le¡¯s expression is cold, and said loudly: ¡°Naturally, I would not let the culprit go free!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression shows a shadow of a smile, Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t help getting angry. On the side, Li Min De¡¯s expression changed, in the end turning heavy like a bottomless abyss, and said heavily: ¡°Since Dajie is so persistent, I have an idea.¡±
Everyone looked at the Li third young master who is so beautiful that one cannot stare straight at him, his gaze is colder than the winter snow: ¡°As long as we do an autopsy, then we can find even more clues, then it wouldn¡¯t be just sticking to the so-called jujube, instead we can be one step further in knowing just what kind was poison was used on Duke¡¯s Furen, even who used the poison.¡±
Li Chang Le became paled, feeling her palms filled with cold sweats, yelled: ¡°I disapprove!¡±
This yell, have aroused the attention of the third young master of the Jiangs, Jiang Hua, his eyes looked over at this cousin carefully, as if falling into a deep thought.
Without waiting for someone to speak, Li Chang Le already realized her loss of control, she hurriedly said: ¡°Grandmother has already passed away, therefore should be properlyid to rest, why do we need to move her body? This is too disrespectful!¡±
Yao Chang Qing is also shaking his head, of course he knows that they should perform an autopsy, but from themon practices of the current imperial court, coroner is used for examining material evidence, while at the same time, only examines the surface of a body, not cutting open a body for examination. In the past, he hase across a case, a man named Zhou Cheng, after drinking alcohol at a friend¡¯s house, felt great pain in his abdomen when he returned home, throwing up continuously, even throwing up several poisonous worms from his mouth. Seeing that he threw up so many worms, he was scared into having a nervous breakdown that he died, while he was still conscious, he told his wife, Zhang-shi, that when he dies, she must cut open his stomach and see just what kind of worm is causing this, and find evidence to report the friend who did all of this.
Zhang-shi followed her husband¡¯s wish, after her husband¡¯s death, personally cut open his body for examination. When the neighbors learned of this, they reported her to Yao Chang Qing for destroying her husband¡¯s body. Even though there is a reason for this matter, Yao Chang Qing still had to arrest Zhang-shi, while, because Zhou Cheng¡¯s son, Zhou Jin, did not stop his mother¡¯s action of destroying his father¡¯s body, he was arrested as well.
Da Li¡¯sws only stipte: those who harms dead body, must be sentenced to four years of hardbour, wife hurting husband, should be sentenced to five years of hardbour, sons not being filial to parents, sentenced to death. These threews cannot be applied to this case, at the time of this incident, Yao Chang Qing and the Minister of Justice at the time, Official Shi, has differing opinions, he felt that Zhang-shi was carrying out her husband¡¯s wish reluctantly, Zhou Jin as a son, did not have any reason to stop her. Considering motive for this case, it¡¯s not a matter of cruelly hurting her husband¡¯s body, thus can be dealt with leniently.
But Official Shi felt that Zhou Jin hasmitted the crime of not being filial, while Zhang-shi should be dealt as a case of wife hurting the husband. The result of their confrontation is that the Emperor came to judge, the Emperor didn¡¯t think much, soonmented that this case should be tried in ordance to the Minister of Justice¡¯s views: both people should are punishable by death, unexpectedly, he once again encounter this kind of incident, he unconsciously looked at the current Minister of Justice, Zhang Hui, the other person is the apprentice that Official Shi is most proud of...
As expected, the next instant Zhang Hui suddenly said angrily: ¡°An Ping Xianzhu, do you not know that autopsy is humiliating the deceased? Or perhaps you are not clear that my teacher has once judged such case! The judgment passed by the Emperor at the time, do you not know of it?! Seeing that you are young and unlearned, I would not me you, do not continue to speak of nonsense!¡±
This case is very odd, at that time it was so sensational that even babies know of it. Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said: ¡°Dare to ask Official, at the time that the Emperor judged that Zhang-shi hasmitted a crime, why is that?¡±
Zhang Hui immediately said: ¡°Of course it is because she opened the casket and perform an autopsy...¡±
Li Wei Yangughed and said: ¡°No, it is because she privately dissect a dead body! Therefore destroying her husband¡¯s body, thus this is her crime! If she has done it through official means, and public dissect, then it wouldn¡¯t have been a crime, instead it would be seeking justice for her husband! What¡¯s more, although thews of the current court does not state that there must be an autopsy on the deceased, it does not state that there must not be an autopsy! Bixia¡¯s edict also just stated that a woman cannot easily destroy her husband¡¯s body privately, but it didn¡¯t state that one cannot ask for an official to perform an autopsy did it?!¡±
Zhang Hui was stunned, silent while thinking over carefully, he coughed twice heavily and said: ¡°Even though so, you still need the consent of the deceased¡¯s family! Official Jiang, do you consent?!¡±
Jiang Xu¡¯s face was livid as he said: ¡°Posthumous execution, separating bones from corpse, it is an ancient punishment! Of course this can¡¯t do!¡± Not to speak of dissecting the remains, even revealing the remains of a family in front of everyone for someone to check, it is considered to be an extreme humiliation, it is sphemy towards towards the family¡¯s remains.
Li Wei Yang looked at them coldly: ¡°Did you want to find out the cause of grandmother¡¯s death? Did you want to give her justice? Now what do you mean by blocking it in every way possible? I know, although thews of Da Li does not state that there must be an autopsy before burial, but you would rather see the culprit who murdered grandmother go free than to have an autopsy, what logic is this?! Perhaps you rather protect the culprit?!¡±
Jiang Hai said exasperatedly: ¡°Li Wei Yang! You¡¯re too much! Grandmother died suddenly , it¡¯s already unfortunate, you kept saying that you are seeking justice for my grandmother, but clearly you are trying to cause her to cut open after her death and received more torment, your heart is really vicious, how could you bear to!¡±
Li Chang Le said quietly: ¡°Yes Third Mei, your heart, how could it be so cruel!¡±
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: AngEditor: Erica
Next: Chapter 121 Part 1
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Chapter 121 part1
Chapter 121: Assassination Late At Night
Let¡¯s wee Marienawaty who started helping with trantions! It¡¯s her first chapter so please be nice :)
The Crown Prince also shook his head. In thew of this dynasty, there was never a requirement that an autopsy must be performed after death. The pretense is often to rely on preliminary visual inspection and physical witness evidence to determine the cause of death of the deceased. If the entire body is to be dissected, it is really too much to request.
He slowly said, "Anping Xianzhu, I¡¯m afraid this will not work."
Jiang Lan also hurriedly said, "Anping Xianzhu, you just want to find a scapegoat for yourself. Why did you make such a vicious idea that my grandmother¡¯s corpse should be dissected and make her uneasy, how could you make such an excessive request!"
With a voice of opposition, Li Wei Yang and Li Min De looked at each other from the bottom of each other¡¯s eyes, and it was so. The Jiang family¡¯s response was already in their expectations.
Li Chang Le cried out loudly: "Maternal Grandmother, your death is so tragic! Those who harm you didn¡¯t only just kill you, but also wanted to ughter your body! Even with your spirit, you must guide us and catch the murderer.¡±
It can be said that Li Wei Yang was the only one who has ever touched the jujubes and she is also the only enemy of Duke¡¯s Furen. Many officials and nobles that were present looked at the girl with horrified eyes. But she was only a fifteen years-old girl. She even poisoned and killed her maternal grandmother. Well, even if this maternal grandmother has no rtions to her, she is just an old woman. It is too vicious to kill her! Only Sun Yan Jun, although pulled away by her mother, Sun Furen, still looked at Li Wei Yang with a worried and concerned look.
Li Wei Yang slowly said, "Oh? Is it me who is proposing to find the murderer for this grandmother? Is it vicious? Or are you guys who say that you respect her very much and even now that she dies, she would not know the truth? Do you not fear that your maternal grandmother in the afterlife would me you for being numb and unkind?
Jiang Hai was furious: "Li Wei Yang, you are full of bullshit!"
Jiang Hua stopped him suddenly and said indifferently, "Anping Xianzhu, we need to discuss this matter carefully. So, after half an hour, we will give you a statement here." For the first time, Li Wei Yang took a nce at the third son of the Jiangs. His calmness and demeanor far surpassed his elder brother, and of course he surpassed the fourth son Jiang Nan. Her eyes gradually sneered: "Of course."
Jiang Hua suddenly said: "Chang Le is the grandmother¡¯s beloved granddaughter. We also want to hear her opinions on this matter. Can you let Chang Le enter the room? She has already been checked. She shouldn¡¯t have any poison with her."
This sentence, of course, was asked for Li Wei Yang. Hearing this sentence, Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes shed, but she just said, "Please."
She originally thought that Li Chang Le was poisoning Duke¡¯s Furen, but if that is the case, Li Chang Le should not have had the chance to throw away the poison but why weren¡¯t the people able to find it just now? Those Crown Princess¡¯ Mamas are very experienced in this area. Li Wei Yang can¡¯t help doubting that since she was cleared of suspicions, it means that poison is not with her anymore. So how did she poison it? Or did Duke¡¯s Furen take the poison that would slowly ur? It wasn¡¯t the te of jujubes that really poisoned her? The only thing Li Wei Yang was sure of was that when she thought of what Duke¡¯s Furen said when Jiang Hua was about to leave. Now that she thinks of it now, did it mean farewell?
Farewell to his beloved grandson, this only shows that the Duke¡¯s Furen knows that her life will soon end. At this point, Li Wei Yang was also very sure at first but today Duke¡¯s Furen appeared with a rosy cheek, steady tone and full of vitality. She almost thought that she was wrong. Duke¡¯s Furen must know that she was going to die soon! So, is she taking the drug herself or was Li Chang Le poisoning her? Or are they conspiring? But will Duke¡¯s Furen use such a stupid method to frame herself? Li Wei Yang lowered her eyes. She really wanted to know the answer.
After entering the room, Jiang Hua had suddenly darkened with cold light eyes. He coldly gave Li Chang Le a p, almost distorting half of her face, and then shouted to her, "It¡¯s you who did it, right?"
Li Chang Le was startled and stunned. Then, his next question seemed to be an understatement yet it instantly broke her calm appearance, exposing her heart full of panic and fear directly to the people in the room. Her face suddenly became extremely difficult. This fear has been on her mind since the death of Duke¡¯s Furen but she has been trying to hide it. She thought that the Jiangs¡¯ men wouldn¡¯t find out, but she didn¡¯t expect that Jiang Hua would immediately bring up the main subject.
At this time, Jiang Hua was no longer a smart and gentle cousin in her impression. He looked coldly at her face. In his eyes, there was no trace of affection. Li Chang Le was shocked and the other party showed in the garden pavilion that their closeness is simply an illusion. In his eyes, there was nothing! The calmness on Li Chang Le¡¯s face was gone. Instead, she was overwhelmed and her face became increasingly white: "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about!"
The light of noon passed through thettice windows, reflecting the dust flying, the look on Jiang Hua¡¯s face became colder and even began to blur, making people dare not look at him.
Jiang Xu frowned: "Hua er, what are you talking about?"
Li Chang Le seemed to have found a savior and immediately said, "Uncle, look at what he is doing! The real killer is out there but he is busy putting me on me!"
Jiang Hua coldly said: "Shut up!"
Li Chang Le trembled when she heard the sound, her scattered breathing became heavy and rapid and her expression became extremely frightened.
Jiang Xu and Jiang Hai looked more and more dignified, and could not help asking: "Old Three, can you find out who poisoned our grandmother?" They still don¡¯t understand what that p represents, not because they are stupid, but because Li Chang Le is the most beloved grandchild of Duke¡¯s Furen, how could she participate in this murder? They refused to believe it.
Li Chang Le¡¯s face became increasingly frightened.
Jiang Hua let out a coldugh, gave Li Chang Le a warning, and decided in his heart to recalcte the ount, but said: "The focus is not on who did the poisoning but on whom we want to be the one behind poison."
Jiang Hai puzzled, "What do you mean?"
¡°Don¡¯t you understand yet?" Jiang Xu groaned. "It doesn¡¯t matter who the real poisoner is now! What matters is what we can get from this!"
Jiang Hai shook his head and whispered, "Father, do you mean that we must frame this on Li Wei Yang?!"
Jiang Xu did not speak, but Jiang Hua sneered: "More than that! Do you know what is the situation with the Jiangs today?"
Jiang Hai gave a sigh, Jiang Hua sighed slowly, and said: "It is well known that the Lis sided with the Emperor today during his ascension of the throne and contributed greatly to the Emperor¡¯s victory. And the Jiangs had remained neutral from beginning to end." These words, like a hand, opened the past and slowly wiped out the chaos in front of him. Li Chang Le was taken aback but felt that as if something she could not understand began to surface, every texture was bing very clear.
For so many years, the Lis has been avoiding the fight for the throne and no one dares to force them to choose a side. This is because the Emperor is protecting them. In the future, Li Xiao Ran will be left to the next generation of emperors. Although Li Xiao Ran is a person who attaches great importance to power and is afraid of death, the Jiangs all have to admit that he has an upper hand in governing the country. However, in the matter of the Emperor ascending the throne, the Jiangs did not make the same contributions as the Lis. Therefore, although the Emperorter continued to appoint his grandfather, in the hearts of His Majesty, he had long been suspicious of the Jiangs. However, after all, the Jiangs was considered a founding family. And since they did not support any prince, they were regarded as lone officials so he didn¡¯t really treat the Jiangs badly. All these years, his grandfather has been cautious and diligent, for fear of being caught by the pigtail. But no matter how careful they were, they still left behind evidence. This time the incident of Fourth Brother has already made His Majesty very angry and his severe punishment has given us a very clear warning! He is telling us that if there is a little bit of indifference, Fourth Brother¡¯s ending is the ending of the entire Jiang family!"
"But the Empress Dowager also deliberately asked everyone to congratte our grandmother," Jiang Hai couldn¡¯t help but think.
Jiang Hua shook his head and said, "No! It just means that His Majesty is watching us at all times! This is not a favor but His Majesty wants us to understand what is the wrath of thunder and what is the grace of heaven."
¡°Moreover, with the death of grandmother, Second Uncle, Eldest Brother, Second Brother all have to return to Ding You.¡± Jiang Hua said with a long sigh again, "In the past six months, the conflict between the Jiangs and the Lis has be increasingly acute. On the surface, the Emperor has been protecting us every time. But in reality, who he has been protecting is actually the Lis. He lowered his voice and said, word by word: "What¡¯s more terrible is that we must not only beware of the Lis but also be careful about the people around the Emperor, including Consort Lian and Zhou Tian Shou. They are the ones who are beside him, and they are definitely not putting in any good words for us!"
Hearing Jiang Hua¡¯s words, Jiang Hai thought of what happened at the past banquet and the performance of Consort Lian¡¯s in Jiang Nan¡¯s case. The more he thought about it, the more he was shocked and finally he let out a sigh.
¡°You do know by now, right? But those two people aren¡¯t the most terrifying ones. The most terrifying one is Anping Xianzhu, Li Wei Yang!¡± Jiang Hua continued to analyze: "The death of our aunt, more or less has something to do with her; she was also the one who testified in the case of Fourth Brother, that is, she was the one who pointed her finger at the Jiangs. And, I guess, she and the two people in the pce, and maybe the Seven Prince have already formed an alliance, and their purpose is to attack and destroy the Jiangs!"
As soon as this remark came out, everyone was silent.
Others apparently did not take this step into ount after hearing this, their faces changed. Jiang Xu stared at his son in amazement and was speechless.
Jiang Hua returned to the capital just two hours ago, and he has made everything clear, and even made the connection between Tuoba Yu, Li Wei Yang, Consort Lian, and Zhou Tian Shou. This shows that although he is thousands of miles away, he has been paying attention to the wind and grass here.
Li Chang Le was dumbfounded and she really didn¡¯t understand. How can a simple Li Wei Yang be so formidable!
"The real purpose of Li Wei Yang¡¯s attack on the Fourth Brother is to anger our grandmother to death and seize the military power of the Jiangs. She must still have other ns next to slowly make us alone and without alliance! No, maybe she continuously instigated His Majesty and even provoked him to kill Old Four. Not only does she want to attack us, but I vaguely feel that she wants to push the Jiangs to a dead end! "
Jiang Xu froze at once, and he almost did not believe Jiang Hua: "She? Such a little girl, how could she think of such a n?"
Jiang Hua said: "The Emperor first killed Fourth Brother and then removed Second Uncle and our official positions. It was clear that he wanted to weaken the Jiangs¡¯ power. Even though we can bear that, what about our armies? Will they be patient? Or, at the right time, our enemies will find someone to provoke our soldiers and stir up the mes! Although Grandfather is cautious, after all, he had many generals at hand and with provocation, it can cause a rebellion to ur. Even if we do not, she will also have a way to make others think that the Jiangs have rebelled! As long as they are against each other, the two sides will be on fire, and war will be inevitable.¡±
After hearing these words, Jiang Hai was frightened,"Third brother, don¡¯t scare us!"
Jiang Xu stopped talking. In his memory, his third son was just a quiet existence, no trouble, no fuss, and even as he became older, he was very silent. Jiang Hai is not as good as Jiang Yang when ites to cultivation also he was not as good as Jiang Nan when ites to bravery. He didn¡¯t pay much attention to his third son before but the Duke valued him the most! Now, at this point, Jiang Hua still looked calm and arrogant, and analyzed the whole thing in an indiscriminate manner, making Jiang Xu admire his father¡¯s vision. If Jiang Hua took office, he would certainly not be able to exercise such ability, he would only be buried in the tedious affairs, wasting his talent! It is precisely because the Duke took him personally and gave him careful guidance that he could train such an outstanding counselor! It was obvious that he had clearly seen through Li Wei Yang¡¯s next move. Even more profound than she thought!
In front of Jiang Xu¡¯s eyes, not only did the appearance of Jiang Hua appear but also an image of him in the army when he nned and defeated their enemies from a thousands of miles away. He was smarter and more decisive than anyone else; he was also sharp-sighted and urate! Right! This is his son!
Li Chang Le was taken aback. She stared nkly at everyone in the room, feeling that her mind was not enough and she didn¡¯t understand it!
Jiang Hai couldn¡¯t believe it, saying: "His Majesty won¡¯t do this, he won¡¯t have a fall out with us and force us to rebel. And to say something disrespectful, wouldn¡¯t this be crazy..." Looking around, he wanted to be sure that there¡¯s no one here to eavesdrop yet he still lowered his voice. "Furthermore, if we do meet on the battlefield, who can beat us Jiangs in Da Li?"
Jiang Hua shook his head and slowly said, "Brother, you don¡¯t even know His Majesty the Emperor. Although the former Emperor had many sons and daughters, he favored Crown Prince Tong Xin only because he was clever since he was a child. He was quite insightful in state affairs. Beloved by the first emperor, after the emperor¡¯s death, Crown Prince Tong Xin immediately ascended the throne but he disappeared shortly afterwards, which caused the political turmoil in the pce and the decline of the country¡¯s national strength. He was soon reced by this current Majesty, who temporarily reced Prince Tong Xin for government affairs. He is not high-born and has a natural temperament so he suffered from the emperor¡¯s neglect at an early age and no one cares about him. It wasn¡¯t until the disappearance of Crown Prince Tong Xin that he was able to be the Emperor. It is because of such unbearable encounters that his character is dull and suspicious and unpredictable by nature.¡± Jiang Hua took a deep breath and said leisurely, ¡°Because of this, His Majesty¡¯s temperament is hard to really understand and even harder to predict. His emphasis on our grandmother¡¯s birthday is actually an indication of disaster. ¡±
"But no one is avable for him to use,¡± Jiang Hai was still unconvinced and emphasized again.
"No!" Jiang Hua interrupted him. "Of course there are people avable! Do you forget that there is still amander in the North? The current Duke Luo is a rtive of the Seventh Prince, and he has three brave and courageous sons around him. He also has 300,000 troops under hismand! Duke Luo has always supported the Seventh Prince! Li Wei Yang will certainly take advantage of the Jiangs¡¯ rebellion and push Duke Luo to this vital opportunity, which can give her the opportunity topletely destroy us! Additionally, Seventh Prince hasn¡¯t established his base yet so if he uses this opportunity to grow its roots, he would be able to build his authority and seize power! With just one move, a lot has already been calcted!¡±
After listening to these words, Jiang Xu didn¡¯t speak for a long time and finally sighed lowly: "Unexpectedly, Li Wei Yang is actually very cunning and vicious. We see that she took one step but in fact, her next ten steps have already been nned ahead. If you didn¡¯t remind us, we would have followed her script step by step falling into her n."
Jiang Hai couldn¡¯t believe it: "I don¡¯t think ...... Li Wei Yang is that evil! She¡¯s just a deep-thought girl."
"No, your Third Brother should by no means be underestimated." Jiang Xu shook his head: "She is no longer an ordinary deep-thought girl, don¡¯t you understand?"
Jiang Hai thought about Jiang Nan¡¯s affairs, and thought of Li Wei Yang¡¯s deep-looking eyes, his heart shuddered.
"What shall we do now?"-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: MarienawatyEditor: Erica
Next: Chapter 121 Part 2-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 121 part2
Chapter 121: Assassination Late At Night
"The top priority now is that we must use the death of our grandmother to build up momentum. I have a hunch that regardless of the Seventh Prince or Consort Lian, Li Wei Yang is the head of the group! So we first remove Li Wei Yang. And second, let His Majesty feel that the Jiangs¡¯ power has been weakened; the idea is to let His Majesty make a decree to allow Second Uncle to retain his official position in order to see results. And third is to save Fourth Brother. So, let¡¯s do this step by step.¡±
Jiang Hua spoke slowly, took another look at Li Chang Le, and then his eyes showed a fiery look. If he hadn¡¯t known that his grandmother¡¯s life would soon end, he would have killed the idiotic Li Chang Le with a sword. She possess such a beautiful appearance but was actually born stupid like a pig¡¯s head, he couldn¡¯t help but to frown. "Everyone knows that grandmother and Li Wei Yang are at odds with each other. Last time with Fourth Brother, Li Wei Yang held onto Fourth Brother¡¯s little braids and was unwilling to spare him that she openly debated with Grandmother in the Imperial court. Even the most good-natured person would have a lingering heart. When Grandmother died, the person that had a motive to poison was Li Wei Yang! Let¡¯s solidify her crimes!¡±
Li Chang Le was confused just a few moments ago. But now they were finally talking about the detail she was most concerned about, and quickly said, "But no one found poison on her!" She ordered her maids but why didn¡¯t Li Wei Yang¡¯s body have any trace of the poison? Where did it go?¡±
Jiang Hua slowly took a look at Li Chang Le, his voice with a hint of coldness, "Shut up! From now on, you must do as I say!"
Li Chang Le¡¯s mouth moved but she didn¡¯t dare to retort. She vaguely felt that if she dared to do bad things, this person would kill her mercilessly.
In the hall, Jiang Yang was left to greet other guests. His appearance was not inferior to that of his other brothers but he was a little feminine and his eyes were very gloomy, especially when they scanned past Li Wei Yang inadvertently. Although his face was stillughing, his eyes turned a little darker.
In the memory of Li Wei Yang, the second son is well-bred and he is a young man well-skilled in both military and schr arts. However, whenever he is inadvertent, he will reveal that he is staring at you like a venomous snake. This is aplicated yet distinctively ambivalent personality that he won¡¯t let others understand. What is unpredictable about him is not his facial expression, but also his mind, who always has terrifying ideas that it is said that he is also the cruelest among the brothers. He often collected people¡¯s skulls as admiration toys ---- this kind of viciousness is rare in the world.
The Crown Prince seemed to be absent-minded when he was talking to Jiang Yang. He had been sitting here for three full hours and he couldn¡¯t even sit still. The people outside must have been experiencing a much more difficult time. Because the main hall is filled with high-ranking nobles, there were drinks and refreshments but outside, there were none of these. He nced at the direction of the room from time to time with anxiety shown on his face.
Jiang Yang talked to him freely as if he didn¡¯t notice the absent-mindedness of the Crown Prince.
At this moment, Jiang Xu stepped out and apologized to the crowd: "I¡¯m sorry it has been so long! We have already discussed this matter clearly, our mother¡¯s body cannot be touched! But ording to Wei Yang and Official Yao¡¯s theory, there seems to be insufficient evidence. In this case, we can only ask Li Furen, Anping Xianzhu, and Chang Le, who were in the house at the time, to stay here at the Jiangs for the time being, and then ask Official Yao to send someone to investigate this case."
Although the Jiangs disagreed with examining the corpse, they were acting very generous towards the suspect, which made everyone feel that the Jiangs possessed a very generous heart. If they were another family, they might have forced Yao Chang Qing to send Li Wei Yang to the government court. And once there it doesn¡¯t matter whether you havemitted a crime or not!
The Crown Prince stood up and said, "What about the guests outside?"
Jiang Xu sadly said: "It¡¯s all because of matters in my family that have caused everyone inconvenience. I¡¯m really sorry. Since this matter has nothing to do with other people, Official Yao, please let them go."
Yao Chang Qing nodded. He also thought that the real murderer was in the parlor at the time and that the people outside were waiting for nothing. He said: "So the Duke¡¯s Furen ..."
Jiang Xu said: "Although it is important to arrest the killer, the current weather is really hot so I am afraid that we cannot prolong keeping the body here. We will investigate the killer and also handle the funeral."
Li Wei Yang looked at the other person¡¯s face coldly and shook her head gently. Once the Duke¡¯s Furen was buried, it was even more difficult for her to free herself of the allegations. They said that they needed to investigate clearly but she felt that it was not that simple! And why did the other party want to keep her at the Jiangs? This made her feel very uneasy. This kind of hunch came from her premonition, a premonition that the danger was approaching!
Sure enough, Li Min De said, "Lao Furen, I¡¯m afraid that this is not right."
Li Lao Furen certainly feels something was off too but in this situation, she is afraid that there is no room for them to negotiate. The other party has given in and has not asked Jing Zhao Yin to immediately arrest the person most suspected, Li Wei Yang and bring her to justice. Even if they asked Li Wei Yang to stay at the Jiangs for the sake of the grandmother¡¯s funeral, there was nothing uneptable for the granddaughter to stay. So even if Li Lao Furen wanted to prevent it, she couldn¡¯t.
Li Wei Yang gave Li Chang Le a nce. The opposite party abnormally said nothing and never mentioned that she was the murderer. This situation was very strange. The Jiangs were just anxious to have her convicted but in a blink of an eye, they changed their attitude and put on a tolerant look, showing that they are willing to investigate the matter slowly. Are they trying to drag this out? If she can¡¯t produce evidence to prove her innocence, she still has to ept her punishment. Is this the purpose of the Jiangs? Li Wei Yang was thinking quickly, she felt that she had faintly grasped, but passed by again.
Li Min De took a step forward but Li Wei Yang blinked at him. Li Min De paused for a moment, then came to understand and nodded inconceivably.
Other than Yao Chang Qing who stayed at the Jiang family, the guests who had originallye to congratte were disbanded. The Crown Prince was the first to leave with the Crown Princess but they thoughtfully left behind Jiang Lan for their use. For a woman, once she became a royal daughter-inw, she would no longer have any rtions with her maternal family. Although a loved one can return to pay homage, they can only stay for a while so receiving the grace of the Crown Prince, it naturally shows that the Crown Prince loves Jiang Lan very much. When Tuoba Zhen left, he saw Tuoba Yu standing next to Li Wei Yang and talking to her. He couldn¡¯t help but groaned and walked out quickly.
When Tuoba Yu saw Tuoba Zhen¡¯s strange look, he didn¡¯t take it seriously but just reminded Li Wei Yang: "You can be rest assured, I will find a way to help you get rid of these suspicions."
Now that the Jiang family can¡¯t wait to convict her, how can it be so easy? Li Wei Yang said lightly: "I will think of something for myself, you must be careful about Tuoba Zhen, I¡¯m afraid he will take this opportunity to cause trouble."
Tuoba Yu was stunned for a while, his handsome face was showing disbelief: "Are you afraid of what he is going to do?"
Li Wei Yang slowly said, "Better to be safe than sorry. We must always watch out for him in advance. Recently, we eliminated his own people. He must be restless!"
Tuoba Yu nodded and said, "I will be careful, but you should also be careful." In these words, it is difficult to hide his feelings, Li Wei Yang turned her head slightly and said: "Of course."
When Li Xiao Ran left, he instructed Jiang Yue Lan to take good care of his two daughters. After all, leaving his wife and two daughters here has many inconveniences. Jiang Da Furen smiled and said, "Prime Minister Li does not need to worry, Yue Lan was originally from the Jiangs. Chang Le and Wei Yang are also my granddaughters, so there is nothing wrong with them staying here."
The smile on Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face stiffened, even if it¡¯s inappropriate, what else can he say? If he wants to forcefully take Li Wei Yang away, he¡¯s afraid that someone will think he is trying to hide something and is trying to cover up for his daughter. He gritted his teeth and smiled, "Then I am bothering you to take care of my daughters."
Jiang Da Furen said lightly: "We are after all a family, this is rational." Jiang Nan suffered because of Li Wei Yang. Jiang Da Firen lost a son but the smile on her face was as gentle as ever, which made people feel goosebumps.
Li Lao Furen said a few words to Li Wei Yang, but ignored Li Chang Le who stood on the side. Li Chang Le didn¡¯t care and just lowered her head as if she didn¡¯t hear anything. Li Lao Furen and Li Xiao Ran left and the Jiangs began to arrange funerals.
ording to Da Li¡¯sws, all of Jiang¡¯s family members were to wait in the mourning halls day and night in turn to mourn for the deceased. No matter if it is day or night, cries must be heard to show the pain from the heart. From the beginning of the funeral, you can¡¯t discuss anything unrted to the funeral. No one is allowed tough and make noise. The chicken, duck, fish, and raw seafood that were originally used for the birthday party have all been removed. The simple porridge ispletely in porridge that you can see your own shadow on it and you can¡¯t even smell the slightest smell. Although Yao Chang Qing and his officials also stayed at the Jiangs, they and the Jiang family had no rtions or family ties so only his and his subordinates¡¯ diet was as usual. Although there were no grand meals, it was still a proper four-course meal with soup. Others, like Li Chang Le and Li Wei Yang, must start drinking porridge twice a day like the rest of the Jiang family.
Sitting in the room, you can still hear the cryings in the Jiangs¡¯ mourning hall. Li Wei Yang stroked her forehead with her hands. She couldn¡¯t stand the heartbreaking cry. In that hall, except for the Jiangs, how many were really sad? Maybe even Li Chang Le may not be really sad.
The yatou Shen Xiang, who was sent to serve Li Wei Yang, looked at Li Wei Yang calmly, only to find that she was as quiet as water, which waspletely different from the legendary Anping Xianzhu who rebuked her Official Mother and Uncle in the Imperial Hall; she was just like the ordinary misses of a noble family. And,pared to Li Da Xiaojie who has been picky in the other room, she is more easy-going. Thinking about tonight when she will turn into a wisp of incense soul, she weakened her expression and lowered her head. With the Third Shaoye and the Jiangs on one side and a stranger on the other side, she was quick to make a decision.
Bai Zhi is also observing this girl named Chen Xiang. She is very warm and doesn¡¯t talk much, but she understands the rules. First, she told Li Wei Yang that the hot water was ready to wash and asked if supper was needed or anything else. Then said: "Xian Zhu, if you need anything, please ask Bai Zhi Jiejie to call and there will be someone outside to help you ...... ".
Li Wei Yang looked at her respectful attitude and only nodded slightly.
Chen Xiang saluted and said softly: "Xianzhu, rest early, Nubi will retreat now."
"Go on!" Li Wei Yang smiled casually, her face was calm, but strangely emitted a dazzling brilliance. Chen Xiang lowered her head and retreated respectfully.
This time Li Wei Yang came to the Jiangs¡¯ residence with only Zhao Yue and Bai Zhi. At this time, once they see that Chen Xiang retreated, Zhao Yue snorted coldly: "Xiaojie, this girl is not weak at her martial arts."
"Oh? How is itpared to you?" Li Wei Yang raised her tea cup and asked indifferently.
Zhao Yue thought it over and said, "I¡¯m afraid it¡¯sparable."
It¡¯s not surprising that the Jiangs has such a martial master but they actually sent her here because they were afraid that Li Wei Yang might escape. Li Wei Yang groaned for a moment, but suddenly realized something that she couldn¡¯t help sneering. "Zhao Yue, let¡¯s rest early tonight."
Zhao Yue showed a confused look, but Li Wei Yang beckoned her without changing her expression and said, "Come here."
Zhao Yue affixed her ears, Li Wei Yang whispered a few words into her ears in a very light voice. Bai Zhi on the side said out loud, "Xiaojie, the tea is cold, Nubi will change it for you." Her voice was so loud that the people outside, no matter how good their ears are, there was no way to hear exactly what they were talking about.
"Third Shaoye!" In the other room, Chen Xiang knelt respectfully before Jiang Hua.
Jiang Hua said lightly: "Is everything ready?"
Chen Xiang said: "There is only one martial master beside the Xianzhu. Nubi is sure that I can subdue her by then."
Jiang Hai who stood beside him said: "Third Brother, what are you doing?"
Jiang Hua nced at his Elder Brother and slowly said, "Kill."
"At home?" Jiang Hai hesitated for a long while before he said, "If she died in the Jiang family, I¡¯m afraid it will bring countless troubles! Don¡¯t you say that she is allied with the Seventh Prince, and Li Xiao Ran, do you think they will let this go easily? "
¡°No, Li Wei Yangmitted suicide by fear of her sins."
"Fear her sins andmit suicide?" Jiang Hai said incredulously, "Is this --- proper?"
"How is it improper? A little girl poisoned her maternal grandmother and remained calm in front of people but she got scared at night, she would naturally hang herself. And of course, we would have a letter of her handwriting left behind confessing her crimes. This way, we can convince others. Also, if her maidservant can testify, it would be even better." When Jiang Hua was speaking, the red mole was very enchanting.
Jiang Hai¡¯s face was a bit pale. He has been suffering too muchtely. His eyes have turned red and he hasn¡¯t slept soundly for many consecutive nights. At this moment, he is still very worried. thinking this n was too risky since Yao Chang Qing was also here.
"What is Li Wei Yang doing?" Jiang Hua asked suddenly.
"After drinking her tea, Xianzhu said she was tired and that she was going to rest after dinner." Chen Xiang replied.
"She rested that early?" Jiang Hua smiled, and then seemed to think of something.
He turned around and walked to the window. The evening lights slipped through the window and fell on his face. His figure was tall and straight, his indifferent expression converged the youth and handsomeness, and his face showed a yful smile .......
"No matter what, Li Wei Yang must perish ... Moreover, Jiang Yue Lan may not be fully acknowledging alliance to us so we must guard against her too. We must keep her firmly in the palm of our hand to avoid future troubles!"
Jiang Yue Lan had always been helping the Jiang family prepare for their ns! But it was obvious that Jiang Hua was still skeptical of Jiang Yue Lan! Grandfather said that the Third Brother is the most cautious and thoughtful, that¡¯s really true! Jiang Hai couldn¡¯t help but think.
Jiang Hua said, "But ... the two yatous can¡¯t stay either to prevent them from saying something wrong. The one who knows martial arts should be killed, and we¡¯ll find a way to distract the other so she can be kept for future testimony."
In the evening, Jiang Yue Lan came to Li Wei Yang and told her that her earrings were missing. She couldn¡¯t find them everywhere and because she was a guest in someone else¡¯s house, it was inconvenient to bother the Jiangs. So she asked Bai Zhi to help her find them. Li Wei Yang reluctantly agreed.
As Jiang Yue Lan took Bai Zhi away, Zhao Yue whispered: ¡°Xiaojie ..."
Li Wei Yang shook her head gently, whispering in a low voice that only Zhao Yue could hear: "Did he responded yet?"
Zhao Yue wore a smile and said, "Third Shaoye just sent back news, yes."Li Wei Yang nodded and said, "Everything goes ording to n."
Zhao Yue nodded solemnly.
In the evening, Bai Zhi came back by herself. Li Wei Yang looked at her oddly. To be taken away by Jiang Yue Lan meant that there was a possibility that they wanted to use Bai Zhi as their witness. Since she was valuable, they would leave Bai Zhi alive. But Bai Zhi is back.
"Xiaojie gets thirsty in the middle of the night and I¡¯m worried that Zhao Yue¡¯s clumsiness will cause her to carelessly serve Xianzhu, so Nubi must stay with Xiaojie." Bai Zhi said softly. Although she didn¡¯t know why Jiang Yue Lan wanted her to stay, she intuitively wanted to stay with Li Wei Yang.
Zhao Yue smiled and said: "You are belittling me!"
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, "In this case, let¡¯s wait for it together." Bai Zhi showed a very confused expression, but Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and did not exin to her anything.
In the middle of the night, more than a dozen figures like ghosts, slowly approached the East Chamber where Li Wei Yang stayed ......
After bathing, Li Wei Yang opened the window and clearly watched the movement at the gate. There was no peace in her eyes. Only vignce and shrewdness remained, like a hunter dormant in the dark waiting for her prey!
Everything was calm, there was only the sound of wind blowing outside and asionally, there were one or two birdsongs.
Such boundless silence couldn¡¯t make one feel happy at all and instead only left behind waiting in the darkness.
Jiang Hua will definitely act tonight, but she is gambling in her heart ... Jiang Hua is a very smart person. He knows when to act on something. As long as she dies at Jiang¡¯s house, he will arrange it as if Li Wei Yangmitted suicide because of her guilt. ording to Li Xiao Ran¡¯s selfish personality, he would never investigate on this matter. As for her two Nubis who serve her, they were nothing in the eyes of the Jiangs. Everyone will think that the Li¡¯s Third Xiaojiemitted suicide because she poisoned her maternal grandmother ¡ªLi Wei Yang shook her head. Just as the other party understood her n, she also knew the other party¡¯s ns very well. To see who goes farther, then they will have to see who has the better luck! Moreover, this game can be regarded as a match between chess opponents and both sides are gambling. It is very interesting!
Zhao Yue slept on the eaves, and Bai Zhi was sitting not far away, quietly doing needlework. But it was obvious that she was in an uneasy mood and had been pierced by the needle several times. Li Wei Yang shook her head and walked over. She turned the wick brighter, and under the dim candlelight, her face floated with shing lights and shadows without sorrow or joy, just like a sculpture.
An hour passed slowly and Li Wei Yang took off her coat and rested her head on the pillow, as if she was sleeping soundly. There seemed to be a strange movement outside the house. Li Wei Yang changed a pose and continued to feign her sleeping.
Zhao Yue heard a slight movement. It was the sound of the de striking the paper window. The footsteps are light and well-trained.
There was a mocking smile on the corner of Li Wei Yang¡¯s mouth. To deal with us three women, he also had to use a dozen top masters. Jiang Hua was really cautious. Just now, she once thought that she had guessed wrong. Jiang Hua would not do it tonight, but it was obvious that the other party was here now!
"It turns out he had been guarding against him until this point!" She chuckled.
If Li Wei Yang is dead, although Li Xiao Ran will not investigate but Tuoba Yu would find the Jiangs to settle their ounts. Jiang Hua was aware of this yet he did not hesitate to prepare to kill her himself. He is definitely taking the less walked path and it was not an action any ordinary person would dare to take! It seemed like the current situation had really arrived!-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: MarienawatyEditor: Erica
Next: Chapter 122 Part 1-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 122 part1
Chapter 122: Pressing Every Step
1) ÎÄ·¿Ëı¦ - schrs¡¯ four jewels, which include calligraphy brush, ink stick, ink b, and paper
Zhao Yue nced at Li Wei Yang from the top to the bottom, and she could not help but smile. Xiaojie¡¯s anticipation was right. She flew up and down from the beam, but acted astonishingly fast, drifting like a ghost, and in a blink of an eye, the personnded firmly at the window.
At this moment, more than a dozen people outside the house had already fired their weapons, Chen Xiang quietly made a gesture to them, telling them that the people inside had turned off the lights and had fallen asleep, which was a good time to start. As long as they rushed in, quickly subdued the maidservant, and strangled Li Wei Yang, sess would be in their hands.
However, as soon as he entered, he was coldly questioned: "Who are you?!"
Li Wei Yang suddenly sat up, staring brightly at these menacing men in ck without showing any fear.
The leader, Chen Xiang¡¯s expression was faint; Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression was not afraid at all, how could this be---
"Why is it that your master is so scared of me that he risks killing me here?" Li Wei Yang sneered. Her voice was cold yet emitted a fascinating charm that belonged to a girl alone.
"Kill her!" Chen Xiang immediately ordered after deciding.
Everyone who had been frightened by Li Wei Yang had almost forgotten their purpose. They woke up like a dream, showed their weapons with their cold expression like a cold tide, with each wave higher than preceding waves. But at this moment, countless ck shadows quietly jumped out from the outside, the windows, the beams, and the bed, silently surrounding the more than a dozen people in ck. In a hurried manner, they heard a woman softly speak: "Disturbing people¡¯s sleep in the middle of the night, how annoying ..."
In the early morning of the second day, Jiang Yue Lan knocked on Li Wei Yang¡¯s door as nned. At this time, all the Jiangs were guarding the spirits in the hall as if they hadn¡¯t slept the entire night. Although Li Wei Yang was a granddaughter by name, she was actually an outsider. She did not take the initiative to ask, and no one asked her to stay up and guard, but the next morning, she still had to go to the mourning hall.
Jiang Yue Lan took a deep breath before telling the girl to go up and knock on the door, taking it for granted that she would see her ce tainted with blood. She almost closed her eyes slightly. I¡¯m really sorry, Xian Zhu. Although I have no hatred with you, our positions are different. If I was on your side, how can I rely on the strength of the Jiang family in the future?!! So I¡¯m sorry.
The door opened gently, but then something happened that scared her. A pretty girl came out of the room and said softly, "Furen."
These two words seemed to be a life-threatening sign. Jiang Yue Lan took a step back as her entire body tumbled backwards.
"Mother! What¡¯s the matter with you?!" Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t wait to arrive, just as soon as she was in the corridor, she saw this scene, and quickly came up to support her. She secretly med Jiang Yue Lan for herck of courage; it was just a few dead bodies yet she was frightened like this. She was just about to look up and scold Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s yatou for not taking good care of her mother, but when she looked up she saw Bai Zhi¡¯s gentle face, and was stunned.
"Mother, Da Xiaojie, what¡¯s the matter with you two?" A look as if she has seen ghosts, Bai Zhi added, but her face was deliberately surprised.
Li Chang Le looked at her with surprise: "You ... you ... why are you--" Why didn¡¯t you die?!! How can that be?!!
However, something happened that made her feel even more disbelief. Li Wei Yang was undressed and Shi Shi Ran walked out of the room. At this moment, the air in the garden was mixed with the fragrance of soil. The sky was pure, blue and quiet. The sun was shining on Li Wei Yang¡¯s white face. The sparkling waves in her eyes shed and everything reflected was clearer. However, seeing this face, Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t help but her heart was about to jump out from her chest!
Li Wei Yang was displeased: "Bai Zhi, since Mother and Da Xiaojie are here, why not invite them inside the room?!" Her voice was soft, her face pale as a spring flower, extremely beautiful.
Li Chang Le¡¯s teeth began to tremble in fear. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming, and then felt that she must be seeing a ghost. Finally, she began to suspect that Jiang Hua didn¡¯t do anything! A series of conflicting ideas took ce in an instant. Li Chang Le¡¯s face changed several times, but she could not control her shaking hands and feet no matter what.
At this time, Jiang Hua also came over slowly, but he was already mentally prepared, because all night yesterday, Chen Xiang didn¡¯t bring anyone back to him. It was only three weak women that he had to deal with ... it is easier to kill directly, but they can not leave obvious scars. So Jiang Nan calcted that if they strangle a Li Wei Yang, it would take at most an hour to clean up, but he didn¡¯t receive any news at all, which was very unusual. After finallying out of the mourning hall, he got here immediately, he had to see for himself!
But when he saw that Li Wei Yang was still alive, his heart sank suddenly.
"Oh, Wei Yang just got up a littlete, not only did I startle Mother and Dajie, but now even Third Gongzi is rmed too. It is my sin." Li Wei Yang looked guilty.
Li Chang Le clenched her lips: "You ... how did you sleep yesterday?"
Li Wei Yang sighed and said, "Of course not good."
Jiang Hua stared at her with an eyebrow, but heard her continue: "Since my grandmother died, I should go to the mourning for one night; I felt unease in my heart and I can¡¯t sleep as I keep tossing and turning. But the environment here is extremely well, it¡¯s very quietly, the yatous also served attentively¡ª " Speaking of the yatous, she suddenly expressed a doubtful expression, and said, "Speaking of it, I didn¡¯t see that girl named Chen Xiang when I got up early in the morning, yes, did any of you see her? "
Jiang Hua was the only one who remained calm at the scene, but his face and muscles were beating faintly. He looked down and took a deep breath, suppressing the momentary fear in his heart. Raising his eyes again, his eyes naturally detached again, and then said: "I don¡¯t know where the girl went to loaf on the job. I will order someone to look for herter, now, let¡¯s go to the hall."
Having said that, he was the first to leave the yard, and he didn¡¯t even need to nce into the room, because he knew that it must have been so calm in there as if nothing had happened. Li Wei Yang, he thought he had seen through her, but in fact, he never knew this deep-scheming girl! No, maybe he should think about this young girl as his opponent, not just a stumbling block! He had never encountered such a young girl that made him feel incredible! Let¡¯s wait and see, who canugh to the end!
Li Chang Le and Jiang Yue Lan looked at each other. Jiang Yue Lan smiled reluctantly: "Wei Yang, we¡¯ll wait for you in the lobby first." Then, pulling Li Chang Le along, she quickly left without looking back.
Bai Zhi sighed and said, "They¡¯ve been frightened. They thought they would see us dead. They really deserve it ..."
"Yeah, it¡¯s a good show. Seeing the expression of Da Xiaojie, it¡¯s like swallowing a dead fly ..." Zhao Yue agreed with a smile.
Li Wei Yang took a sigh of relief, do they think it was over? No, she has a big gift waiting for them!
At the entrance of the hall, the crying sounds were very light. After seeing Li Wei Yang, the wailings suddenly became loud and resounding. Li Wei Yang turned a deaf ear, slowly walked up, solemnly ced an incense in the pir. Everyone in Jiangs were all dressed in mourning attire, staring at her withplex expressions, but she acted as if she didn¡¯t even notice.
Among a group of people who hated her, Li Wei Yang could still show such a calm expression. No matter whether she was really fearless or just feigning, it was enough to startle the Jiangs. However, the thing that really surprised them was not over yet, when everyone was staring at Li Wei Yang, suddenly a person broke in: "It¡¯s bad! It¡¯s bad!"
Jiang Xu first stood up and frowned, "Why is there noise in the mourning hall?"
The person who charged in was filled with sweat - it was the steward of the Jiangs. He was terrified: "Official Yao --- something happened to Official Yao!"
Jiang Xu and Jiang Hua looked at each other, did not dare to dy, and hurriedly walked outside the hall. Everyone saw this and followed them.
Bai Zhi whispered: "Xiaojie, shall we go?"
Li Wei Yang raised his eyebrow and said, "Let¡¯s go, why don¡¯t we go? It¡¯s a pity to miss such a good show."
Everyone from the Jiang family arrived in the room where Yao Chang Qing lived, but they saw that Yao, who always pays attention to cleanliness, had no hair, stood barefoot at the door, and looked extremely ugly. Seeing this scene, Jiang Xu quickly went up: "Official Yao, you are---"
Yao Chang Qing didn¡¯t speak, raised his finger and pointed it into the room, Jiang Xu frowned, and looked in the direction he pointed ...
Looking at the direction, the study had the schr¡¯s four jewels(1). There is a blue and white porcin bottle in the upper left corner of the cab, and the orchid in it is blooming. This peaceful scene is like the countless peaceful mornings, but on the ground, on the table, on the window, it was full of corpses, and the most frightening thing was the female corpse, who didn¡¯t even close her eyes, staring at a hollow ce. When everyone saw this scene, they felt that the cold wind was rushing towards them, and they didn¡¯t dare to say anything, their bones were trembling slightly. Jiang Lan, who was not far behind Jiang Xu, screamed, her eyes fainted when she rolled her eyes, and her yatou quickly hugged her. Li Chang Le and Jiang Yue Lan looked at each other, and they saw the expression of horror in each other¡¯s eyes.
Jiang Xu was furious: "What the hell is going on?!"
Yao Chang Qing was also stunned. At this time, he sobered up and said: "I got up early in the morning and saw this person who wanted to kill me with a dagger. I struggled hard, but her arm broke off ......" When he spoke, it was as if he was in a dream.
Now everyone¡¯s face has changed. Official Yao lives in Jiang¡¯s house, but there was someone that wanted to assassinate him early in the morning? This is really too serious! Jiang Xu quickly said: "Who was keeping vigilst night, how could this happen?!"
The steward said neatly, "Lao Ye, Nucai has already asked those guards, and no one has noticed anything abnormal!"
Jiang Hua¡¯splexion suddenly turned pale. He couldn¡¯t contain the shock in his heart. The dead people in this room were clearly the dead men he sent out. There were eleven people together with Chen Xiang, all in the room! What¡¯s the matter! He almost suspected for a moment that it was these idiots who went to the wrong room and entered Yao Chang Qing¡¯s room! But how was this possible?!! Li Wei Yang lived in the inner residence, Yao Chang Qing lived in the outer residence and he couldn¡¯t find all of them even with eight poles. How did these people get here?!!
Not long after, Zuo Zuo rushed in with panic after receiving news that Official Yao was staying in the Jiangs and was assassinated! At this moment, he panicked, but when he got here, he found that Official Yao was unharmed, but was only frightened off a bit. Yao Chang Qing sternly said, "What are you doing?! Go investigate!"
Zuo Zuo went in immediately, and everyone saw him roll up his sleeves, touch the deceased¡¯s shoulders and arms one by one, and held his head again. The body was already stiff. In order to see the face of the deceased, she had toy the body back on the back of the chair. Li Wei Yang turned her head as if she could not bear to look at it. He almost wanted to hold Li Wei Yang and ask, what the hell is going on? !!
Bai Zhi screamed, "Isn¡¯t that Chen Xiang?"
The faces of the people changed greatly, especially Yao Chang Qing, who immediately asked: "Do you know her?"
Bai Zhi showed an incredible expression: "She is a yatou of the Jiangs! She disappeared yesterday. I heard that she has been serving at the Jiangs---"
At this moment, Jiang Hua¡¯s face became extremely ugly, while Yao Chang Qing stared gloomily at the Jiang family.
After a short while, Zuo Zuo came out, saluting respectfully, and then said, "Blood has solidified, and the body is stiff, so she must have died yesterday night."
Yao Chang Qing nodded, and muttered in his mouth, "They came to kill mest night, but they were killed before they even killed me, which is strange."
Li Wei Yang sighed and said, "Official Yao, this shows that you have the protection of God, I don¡¯t know who has eliminated these scourges for you. However, these people¡¯s odd deaths in the house really make others think this is strange."
Yao Chang Qing heard this and his eyebrows squinted tightly: "I obviously sent someone to guard the courtyardst night. How did these peoplee in?"
Zuo Zuo added: "Subordinates looked at the walls, small windows, and air ducts, but I couldn¡¯t find any traces. It is very strange--- I don¡¯t know if there is a secret pathway into the house of Official Jiang¡¯s residence......"
However, it is no secret that the pedigree of the family and the centuries-old family have secret pathways into their homes. It is like the secret pathway behind the rockery in the Li family¡¯s residence. Even though it leads directly to the residence, only a few people know about this and would never leak this out to others. Speaking cautiously, Zuo Zuo was in fact very frightened. This kind of thing could not have been said by him, but it was important, so he had to ask!
Jiang Xu¡¯splexion changed, and then he said, "There is no secret pathway to the guest room, and there is no secret door. There is no way to enter or exit this room without this door!"
When he said it with firm determination, Li Wei Yang curled her lips and raised her eyes to see Jiang Hua¡¯s solemn expression, and said lightly, "What¡¯s wrong with Third Shaoye? Have you been frightened?"
Jiang Hua suddenly raised his head and stared at her, revealing boundlessplexity in his eyes. He really wanted to know how exactly Li Wei Yang sent those people to Yao Chang Qing¡¯s room silently! With so many guards outside, how did she kill someone and send her in here?!! This is simply incredible! No, things must be considered from the beginning. Since Li Wei Yang was able to escape the assassination, she must have arranged people to protect her, but how did these peoplee in?!! Does she know where the Jiang family¡¯s underground tunnel is?!! How incredible!
However, Jiang Xu also thought about this. If anyone came in through the Jiang¡¯s well-connected secret tunnel, who revealed it? He gritted his teeth: "Official Yao is frightened, I will arrange other rooms immediately!"
Yao Chang Qing said that this was more than frightening and that this matter must be reported to His Majesty. Over a dozen people died in his room overnight, and there was a girl from the Jiang family...he almost suspected that to conceal the truth behind Jiang Lao Furen¡¯s death, the Jiangs wanted to deliberately kill him, but was knowingly stopped by someone. However, this kind of intention is very wicked!
In actuality, if the Jiang family really wanted to kill Yao Chang Qing, how could so many killers die inexplicably in his room? Yao Chang Qing turned a blind eye to such obvious doubts. He just felt that if there was no shelter and acquiescence from the Jiangs, these people wouldn¡¯t have been able to break through the many guards outside and enter his room. Now the Jiangs were still pretending as if they didn¡¯t know anything in front of him, how bold! But he can¡¯t leave now, otherwise he will look timid---
"Clean the room up immediately!" Jiang Xu snapped sharply, turning around and speaking to Yao Chang Qing again, "Official Yao, please."
Yao Chang Qing¡¯s face revealed a particr ugly expression. He said, "Thank you." He decided to immediately order all the highly-skilled officials in Jing Zhao Yin¡¯s government office toe over and guard, and never let the Jiang family have a chance! Twelve hours a day spent monitoring the Jiangs!
Everyone left in panic, except for Jiang Hua who walked in front of Li Wei Yang. He stopped suddenly, and said slowly, "My Fifth Brother, is he in your hands?"
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "What do you think?"
At that moment, Jiang Hua had affirmed his guess, "He told you the secret passageway?"
Li Wei Yang had a peaceful face, but looked angrily into Jiang Hua¡¯s eyes. "I and Fifth Shaoye are good friends. He told me some secrets, and it¡¯s not surprising, is it?"
"He will never say such things! What did you do to him?!! "Jiang Hua handsome¡¯s face was momentarily hesitant.
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Third Shaoye, you are really overestimating me. I am a weak girl with no strength, what can I do to your Fifth Brother?"
Jiang Hua couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He¡¯s seen many women in the past yet he had never met one who can still stand in front of him expressionless. Even though she didn¡¯t kill them with her own hands, she was the one who instructed it! This woman is simply outrageous! At this time, he had already forgotten that he was the one who sent those people to their deaths and instead med all this on Li Wei Yang!
Seeing Jiang Hua¡¯s intention to kill, Bai Zhi was afraid for a while, but stood up in front of Li Wei Yang. Jiang Hua raised his eyebrows, and his eyes were so cold that she took a step back involuntarily. Li Wei Yang held Bai Zhi aside, and said softly, "It doesn¡¯t matter, do you think Third Gongzi will touch me here? Official Yao still lives in Jiang¡¯s house!"
Jiang Hua¡¯s teeth can¡¯t help but make a slight noise. In every mind games, one must always control the opposite¡¯s party¡¯s mind. He thought he had seen through Li Wei Yang, but now he realized that what he saw was just the tip of the iceberg. He felt chills within him. After a while, he raised his spirit again and said, "Did you kill him?"
Li Wei Yangughed: "You said I killed Fifth Gongzi?" Then, a hint of irony flowed in her eyes, "No, Jiang Tian saved my brother¡¯s life, so not only did I not kill him, but I would treat him kindly. Now I am afraid that he is sleeping soundly so Third Shaoye does not have to worry. When I leave Jiang¡¯s house safely, it¡¯s when Fifth Gongzi will return home safely.¡±
"You think you can threaten me with his life---" Jiang Hua just looked at her coldly. The girl in front of her was wearing a very in blue mourning outfit, but she looked bright. Who could have thought that her intentions were this formidable.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile grew calmer: "I never threatened you. It¡¯s all because you first asked me if Fifth Gongzi was in my hands, and I told you that I invited him to be a guest. Third Shaoye, please don¡¯t misunderstand, I am very hospitable. Fifth Gongzi is willing to stay for ten days, half a month, or even a year, it doesn¡¯t matter. Ah, yes, I haven¡¯t had a meal this morning, so I¡¯ll go first. Farewell." As she said, she smiled slightly and calmly left with Zhao Yue and Bai Zhi.
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: EricaEditor: Erica
Next: Chapter 122 Part 2
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Chapter 122 part2
Chapter 122: Pressing Every Step
The steward nearby has been directing people to deal with the corpses. At this time, he came out and saw Jiang Hua still standing there. He couldn¡¯t help but walk forth to speak yet when he looked at Jiang Hua, he found that his forehead was blue and faint. There were a few light blue veins popping out.
The steward has been watching the five young masters of the Jiangs grow up and he knew that Third Shaoye is a very restrained person. His appearance now obviously shows how troubled he felt at heart, and he had to say, "Third Shaoye, are you fine?"
Jiang Hua softly said, "It¡¯s all right."
"But---"
Jiang Hua kept staring at Li Wei Yang¡¯s faraway silhouette as she walked until he couldn¡¯t see it anymore. The steward waited for a long time and didn¡¯t dare to speak again until he let out a long sigh and whispered: "Third Shaoye, those people in the room......"
When Jiang Hua heard this sentence, he turned back fiercely and the steward noticed a horrible inferno in his eyes that he was so frightened he swallowed the half sentence back. Jiang Hua coldly red at him for a long while, then waved slightly: "Find a ce to settle everyone."
The steward immediately instructed to wrap the corpses of the killers in sackcloths and lift them out. Jiang Hua was watching and became angrier and angrier. These eleven people were highly-trained talents that he had carefully cultivated. How could they all die so silently, in the middle of the night that he didn¡¯t even hear any noise¡ªhowever, he was to me for this. In order to kill Li Wei Yang, he ordered people to quietly remove the guards situated there. Now looking at the corpses, his eyebrows seemed to have possessed a murderous sh, and then suddenly darkened. He looked at the steward and gently said, "Do you understand the rules in the house?"
The steward hurriedly said: "Nucai understand, no news of this will leave this ce."
Jiang Hua stopped talking and walked away, walking quickly and hurriedly. His apanying servant, Wu Feng trotted after him. He panted and said, "Shaoye ... Third Shaoye ..."
Jiang Hua suddenly punched the wall with a heavy strike. Wu Feng was startled, and he fell to his knees with a plop sound: "Shaoye is angry."
Jiang Hua stood for a while and said, "Scram."
"But ......" Wu Feng hesitated.
"Scram!" Jiang Hua kicked him fiercely, and he rolled on the ground. Then he got up, gave him a careful look, and slowly retreated. Third Shaoye has never shown such a look, no, or in other words, everything in this world was under his control and he had never lost control!
Jiang Hua was standing alone, his head was buzzing, Li Wei Yang should be dead! How could she still be alive! How could Fifth Brother still be in her hands! He believed that no matter how severe Li Wei Yang¡¯s torturing methods were, Jiang Tian knew the severity of the matter and would never disclose the secret tunnel of the Jiangs. But apart from this possibility, he could not exin how those people were killed silently. In front of his eyes, he saw shes of Li Wei Yang¡¯s smiling face and light sneers. He walked aimlessly for a few steps, his heart was in a smoldering fire, and he was feeling very ufortable. Finally, he made up his mind hold Li Wei Yang ountable for the murder and take this opportunity to get rid of this scourge! In fact, he doesn¡¯t need to be so anxious. Once Duke¡¯s Furen is buried, the truth of this matter will never be known again. Li Wei Yang will eventually be charged with murder of his grandmother, and her name will be ruined! Just wait, wait!
During the funeral, Yao Chang Qing began to try his best to find evidence in the house. Now he ispletely on Li Wei Yang¡¯s side. No matter how he looked at the Jiangs, he found them to be very suspicious. However, he carefully investigated the killers and besides Chen Xiang, he couldn¡¯t find any traces of clues on them. He questioned every nubis again and checked every item; Nothing was found. The only way seemed to be on the autopsy, but no matter how he persuaded, the Jiangs insisted on not epting it. There was nothing he could do about the post-mortem.
The news of the Duke Furen¡¯s sudden death suddenly shocked the entire capital. Every morning, the streets outside the gates of Jiangs were full of dense sedans and carriages. On all of the sedans were white yarnnterns, and therge blue word "mourning" was written in front of them. The guests looked solemnly and brought the ceremonious offerings to the door. The filial Jiangs were so busy that they paid homage to their guests. Yao Chang Qing saw this scene, and naturally it was not good to disturb them anymore. He could only silently watch the days go by, and his heart was more worried.
His Majesty has already made a decree, and the case will be resolved within ten days. If this continues, after ten days, he must take Li Wei Yang with him to report back. Such a delicatedy, who is also his sister-inw; Although he has always been selfless and impartial inw enforcement, he didn¡¯t want to offend the Li family before marrying his wife. He just didn¡¯t know what to do.
Today is the day to bury the coffin. As soon as today is over, Li Wei Yang¡¯s murder charge will be confirmed. Yao Chang Qing nced worriedly at Li Wei Yang, but he couldn¡¯t see any sadness or anxiety on her face. She was just indifferent, just like the other guests who came to pay homage, with a touch of solemnity. He couldn¡¯t see a single speck of oddity.
Yao Chang Qing wondered, why isn¡¯t this Xiaojie impatient at all? Doesn¡¯t she know that after today, everything is over?
The eight servants put the coffin bar on their shoulders and lifted the coffin. The in-clothed Jiangs all cried in ordance with custom. But right at this moment, strange things started happening, and the eight strong men couldn¡¯t lift up the coffin. They¡¯ve lifted it several times yet still leaving the coffin on the bench untouched. Jiang Xu couldn¡¯t help but frowned. A coffin was only a hundred kilograms. Duke Furen weighed little and the total weight was no more than two hundred kilograms. With eight people, the average weight allocated to each person was not much, so how could it be unliftable?
A person amongst the guests, dressed in a uniform, walked out. It is the emperor¡¯s nobleman, Zhou Da Shou, and he looked soberly: "This is because the Duke Furen is not willing to leave, or she needs more crying!"
Under normal circumstances, the deceased¡¯s family must cry desperately. Crying until the liver and intestines are broken is of course the best. Of course, crying is to let the deceased see that the heart is soft and the coffin will be lifted.
Li Wei Yang looked coldly at Jiang Lan and other female rtives who could hardly cry. They were all drying up, and she couldn¡¯t help sneering, staring at the coffin with a hint of irony. As a person gets older, she will prepare a coffin early on. The coffin originally prepared by the Duke Furen has been stored in the Jiangs¡¯ side residences. When they went to retrieve it, the Jiangs discovered that countless termites appeared strangely on the coffin and had left it hollow. Where can they find one in this small amount of time? Fortunately, General Sun was kind and offered to sell the coffin he had prepared for his mother. It is not difficult to have Sun Lao Furen stay healthy for a year or more longer.
On the surface this is the case, but in fact, the origin of the coffin is not so simple. Li Xiao Ran first exined to the Sun family that he had a good golden silk coffin, which was already prepared for Li Lao Furen after her passing. Now that the Jiangs have encountered this, he felt that he should take it as a matter of course, so he was willing to give the coffin to the Jiangs. But because the two had a fallout, they let the Suns be the good person. After all, General Sun is a militarymander. Who would have thought that Li Wei Yang had already done something on the coffin? Unhesitantly wanting to be the good man, he went to the Jiangs with the joy of offering help.
At this moment, the Jiangs hearing what Zhou Da Shou said, cried even louder. Eight people raised the coffin again, but this time, not only did the coffin not lift, but the rope broke when it was lifted and the coffin fell back onto the bench. The Jiangs¡¯ cries stopped and the crowd was stunned since this is something that has never happened before!
Jiang Hua stared at the rope that had previously tied the coffin. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder, the rope was as thick as a thumb so how could it snap apart?
Everyone was fiercely discussing: "Duke¡¯s Furen doesn¡¯t want to leave!" "Yeah, perhaps there is something she wants to tell the family?" "It¡¯s hard to say! There was injustice so she is demanding revenge for her death!" "How ominous, never encountered such a thing in centuries!"
Amongst themoners, if there is a conflict between two families, there is a vicious method of cursing. It¡¯s to curse the dead in your family to have no one to lift them, which means that your family is not well-connected that no one will care about the dead. There are even more ruthless words: If your family is dead, you can¡¯t carry them out, that is saying your family is the graveyard, and the dead will not be carried out once you reach the graveyard. Everyone understood this, and when they saw the scene, everyone looked at the coffin in horror.
Li Chang Le, who was crying the most fiercely, had her eyes almost falling out! She grabbed Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s hand tightly, obviously very frightened!
Li Wei Yang said lightly: "Well, I¡¯m afraid that my grandmother had unheard grievances! In my opinion, you should open a coffin for an autopsy!"
Jiang Xu didn¡¯t speak with a calm face, Jiang Hai was furious: "Li Wei Yang, what do you really want that we must open the coffin for an autopsy!"
Li Wei Yang sighed and said, "Official Yao, what do you say?"
Yao Chang Qing said coldly: "Eldest Gongzi, I believe Li Xiaojie is innocent. If she is really guilty, why does she want to open a coffin for an autopsy?"
Jiang Hai snorted coldly, showing his face.
Jiang Xu calmly said, "Official Yao, letting others interfere with the spirit of our dead mother is something we can¡¯t bear to do. If Wei Yang wants to prove her innocence, she must find another way!" Then he summoned eight additional servants with bars. A total of sixteen people tied the coffin and went to lift up the coffin again, spending about an hour. The crowd suckled in their breath and finally the coffin was lifted.
Jiang Xu was relieved, but Li Wei Yang looked coldly, showing a smile that didn¡¯t look like a smile.
The Jiangs were crying again, this was called spirit crying. One was to express grief, and the other was to let the ghosts know that it was time to follow the coffin. The coffin carried by the sixteen people just left the bench and then after two clicks, the two bars carrying the coffin broke off, and the coffin fell heavily onto the ground.
This heavy fall made everyone¡¯s eyes pop out of their sockets. How could this coffin be so heavy! Is there really a ghost?!! Such a grieving ghost has never been encountered before. At most, it came out at night to give people a nightmare or to scare people. No one has seen it cause trouble in broad daylight which means there is a great grievance!
For a moment, the voices in the discussions at the hall almost overcame the voice of the Jiangs: "Official Jiang, let¡¯s examine the body!" "Yeah, this is not the case! The olddy is wronged!" "Yes, yes, I am afraid the killer is not Third Xiaojie. The olddy doesn¡¯t want to wrong the good people!" "Should do a post-mortem. Although it disturbs the spirits, it is better than letting the murderer go free!"
The method of releasing souls from purgatory is the best, but it takes the longest time. The minimum is three days, and the maximum is forty-nine days. The problem is in the summer, let alone forty-nine days, the corpse would start to rot after three days, so the only way to wash away the injustice of the Duke¡¯s Furen is to open the coffin for an autopsy, and naturally all troubles will disappear.
The words of these people turned the expressions of the Jiangs particrly ugly. The coffin will still be ced here, but it wouldn¡¯t be moved. In the summer, although it was iced, it would still stink for a few days. In this case, if they still insist on their opinions, it makes them very suspicious!
If no one had seen it, no one would have believed such a thing could happen in broad daylight. The servants were now all confused, they were afraid to move forward, and just stood looking from behind.
Zhou Tian Shou said coldly: "Official Jiang, I advise you not to be stubborn! If you are still firm in your decision, it is against filial piety! It is against God¡¯s will!"
Jiang Xu could hardly speak, and could only stare at the coffin with his eyes. He stayed silent for a very long time.
"Let¡¯s open the coffin!" At this moment, the Crown Prince walked in from the door, looking solemnly.
Everyone greeted and the prince shook his head, signaling that they didn¡¯t need to be this polite. The prince looked at the coffin and said, "Imperial Father knows that there are oddities in this, and I¡¯m specifically ordered to look into this."
Jiang Xu was startled, how could the news spread so quickly?!! It has only been half an hour, but it has passed to the pce. Has the emperor already been spying on the Jiangs, or was this matter already known to the whole city?!! Just as he was about to hesitate, the Crown Prince had already said, "Per Imperial Father¡¯s oral edict, if the coffin actually can¡¯t be lifted, then it proves that there must be grievances, and the coffin must be opened for an autopsy."
In fact, he originally wanted to enter the pce for the Emperor to execute the most suspicious suspect, Li Wei Yang. But Consort Lian told the Emperor news of this, saying that the Duke¡¯s Furen¡¯s coffin could not be lifted out. She exaggerated more and said that the murderer must be someone else. The Emperor immediately changed his mind and sent the Crown Prince over to open the coffin for an autopsy ...... The Crown Prince faintly felt that something was off, but could not refuse so he rushed over immediately.
"Since it is the Emperor¡¯s oral edict, Official Jiang, you must follow the edict." Zhou Tian Shou looked at him coldly.
Jiang Xu was still reluctant to rx, because he felt that Li Wei Yang had forced them into this situation and there must be something bad waiting for them after opening the coffin! The Crown Prince looked at Zhou Tian Shou and couldn¡¯t help but ask: "Taoist, what do you think?"
Zhou Tian Shou smiled slightly and said: "Wait for me to hear the words of the Duke¡¯s Furen!"
Everyone in the field held their breath, watching Zhou Tian Shou stepped in front of the coffin, and took a deep breath. Then he took out an ebony sword from his sleeve, closed his eyes, and said, "Reveal yourself! "The crowd stood by and saw him recite a few phrases.
Soon after, he wiped the de with two fingers and then etched an enchantment on the coffin. He then whispered but it sounded like the Lao Furen¡¯s tone; Even the sound was simr. "I am a descendant of the Jiang family. It is unforgivable to not find out the truth behind the matriarch¡¯s death, how sinful!"
The crowd¡¯s opinions have been divergent for a long time but right at this moment, a conclusion has finally been reached. The crowd can not help but be upset --- they were all surprised, angry, curious, and fearful. Someone immediately yelled, "Open! Open the coffin. "Yeah! Let¡¯s go!" "You can¡¯t let Lao Furen die in vain! The murderer must be revealed!" "Didn¡¯t you hear Lao Furen, it¡¯s filial to not open the coffin for a post-mortem!"
Jiang Xu looked around violently, but saw crowds moving inwards and didn¡¯t know who instigated the sounds. However, the sounds seemed to havee from several ces. There were men, women, elderly and children so it was impossible to distinguish!
Li Xiao Ran stepped out and said lightly, "Let¡¯s open the coffin for an autopsy, which is also the meaning of the Duke¡¯s Furen."
In the crowd, Li Min De was wearing a blue sacrifice and he was nodding his head to Li Wei Yang. Li Wei Yang lowered her eyes and showed a hint of coldness: you¡¯ve all forced me to reveal your conspiracies in front of everyone, even if you are ruined, you can¡¯t me me for this!
At this point, the Jiangs had no way to stop the coffin from opening! Jiang Xu silently stood aside and the faces of other Jiangs turned extremely ugly! In particr, Li Chang Le stared at the coffin tightly. She didn¡¯t know what would happen if the coffin was really opened! She was terrified, and she was about to faint in fear, but in front of everyone, she could only hold her handkerchief and could hardly utter a word. In fact, she abhorred that she couldn¡¯t scream aloud!
The coffin was about six feet long and two feet deep. The coffin cover was not nailed in. Instead, it was covered with a long strip of oil paper for a week. Yao Chang Qing pushed hard and found that the coffin cover was quite heavy. It was difficult for a person to open it. He immediately waved his hand and instructed people toe over to lift the coffin cover off.
"Begin the inspection!" Yao Chang Qing calmly ordered.
Everyone looked at them with their eyes wide open. Such an extraordinary sight is rare to see for centuries! Jiang Hua just stared at Li Wei Yang as if to see a flower bloom from her face. He could foresee that this coffin was like a box with disaster. Once opened, it would surely deal a great blow to the Jiangs ...... but now, he couldn¡¯t think of any ways to stop it!
-----------------------*****------------------------Trantor: EricaEditor: Erica
Next: Chapter 123 Part 1-----------------------*****------------------------
Chapter 123.1
Chapter 123.1
Chapter 123: The y of Reason
Yao Chang Qing gave an order to pull the curtain and cover up the entire autopsy process . Li Wei Yang was not afraid of the Jiangs¡® tampering . With Yao Chang Qing watching, it wouldn¡¯t give the Jiangs a chance to y any tricks .
Among the hundreds of industries in the Da Li dynasty, the post-mortem examiner is also one of those 36 industries . It is known as the ¡°post-mortem examiner industry¡±, which examines both autopsies and injuries . Even with decayed corpses, a highly-skilled examiner can verify answers via skillful techniques; Moreover, the poison leading to the fatality can also be deduced from the color of the bones . To put it bluntly, a post-mortem examiner is a job of technical skills that requires meticulous attention to details . Not just anyone can do it, so in the Da Li dynasty, the control of this business is extremely strict . If it is found that a post-mortem examiner is a fraud, it is the sin that will bring the ughter of the entire n .
The process of making a post-mortem takes more than one hour and everyone was very anxious in waiting . Li Chang Le has been clenching her handkerchief the entire time and she kept her head down without saying a word, obviously showing a lot of fear . As for Jiang Xu and others, they all looked very calm .
Finally, the examiner came out and he said to Yao Chang Qing: "Official, I have carefully checked and the Duke¡¯s Furen died seven days ago at noon . "
This was something that everyone saw and it was unsurprising . At that time, the Crown Prince sent over a painting . The Duke¡¯s Furen spurted out blood on his face and died right on the spot .
The examiner continued: "Whomever is poisoned, they would have a wide-opened mouth, a purplish or bluish face, dark purple lips, dark green hands, feet, and nails, and blood flowing from the mouth, eyes, ears and nose . I discovered that the Duke¡¯s Furen was indeed poisoned to death, and it¡¯s highly toxic, only¡ª "
Yao Chang Qing hurriedly said: "What is it?"
The examiner¡¯s face showed a very puzzled look: "It¡¯s just that there is one more weird thing . "
The Crown Prince quickly asked, "What¡¯s so strange?"
"I discovered that the poison in the Duke¡¯s Furen is not the same as the poison on the jujubes . "
As soon as the words came out, everyone was shocked, and a sneer appeared on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, saying, "Oh? What¡¯s the difference between these two types of poison?"
Jiang Xu scoffed angrily, "Full of nonsense! How can it be different!"
The examiner nced at the angry face of Official Jiang and he could not help but reveal a disturbed expression on his face . Yao Chang Qing said coldly: "Official Jiang, you openly obstruct the case, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not right?"
Jiang Xu was stunned, and then realized that Yao Chang Qing, who had always maintained a fair attitude, was now extremely resentful of the Jiang family . He thought of the dead bodies in the other party¡¯s room and suddenly understood what was happening . Then, he closed his mouth and gloomily said: "My mother was obviously poisoned by the jujubes . I really don¡¯t understand why you would say--"
The examiner looked at his head boss Yao Chang Qing, gritted his teeth, and said, "Officials, please take a look . "
As he spoke, he used the de to cut thin slices of the poisonous candied date as a testimony and spread the thin slices onto the paper . He took a sheep-made pen, and ordered a yatou to bring a cup of boiling hot water . The sheep-made pen was dipped in the boiling water and then dripped onto the slices . After soaking for a while, the examiner took out a snow-white rice paper from his arms, covered it with thin slices, and pressed it tightly with his palm . Then he ordered a candle to be lit, picked up the thin rice paper and dried it on the fire . He held it up towards the window and took a closer look, and then wiped it with the index finger on the paper . He turned and handed the white paper to Yao Chang Qing and said, "Official, please . "
Yao Chang Qing said lightly: "It¡¯s crimson, perhaps it¡¯s cinnabar?"
The examiner nodded and said: "It is true . This method of poison testing has been used in our medical profession for hundreds of years and it will never be wrong! The mark on this paper is red and its appearance is fine-grained . Only the touch of an expert can feel this .
Jiang Lan looked puzzled: "Cinnabar? Is it poisonous?"
The examiner replied: "Generally speaking, cinnabar can calm and clear the mind . They¡¯re best for restless minds . It is usually used in conjunction with Coptis chinensis, lotus seed hearts, and others to enhance the calming mind . It is also often used amongst wives but if one overdose, it is very poisonous and will cause great harm to the human body . So when it is used, it is usually strictly controlled . "
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "So, the poisoner put the cinnabar in the jujubes eaten by the olddy?"
The examiner said: "Anping Xianzhu, in fact, the poison in the jujubes is indeed cinnabar, but-" he paused and said, "The poison led to the death of the Duke¡¯s Furen is not cinnabar . "
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face showed a smile while Li Chang Le¡¯s head had a big bead of sweat . With the sweat, she felt much more itchy and she wished she could lift off the fake skin but she couldn¡¯t and she must hold back!
Yao Chang Qing looked at the slight red color on the white paper and asked, "What do you mean?"
The examiner smiled and said: "The bones of Duke¡¯s Furen are ck and that means the poison obviously contains arsenic . I¡¯ve once encountered a case and I remembered that the dog in the artist¡¯s house died suddenly that week . Painter Zhou thought that his maidservant poisoned his dog because he was too fond of this dog . He actually beaten the maidservant to death and was eventually sued by the maidservant¡¯s family . "
Yao Chang Qing nodded and said, "Yes, I do remember . "
Zhou Ke was one of the most famous painters of the time and he was the best at painting red-crowned cranes . Even the emperor liked him very much, so as soon as such a thing happened, he immediately became very enthusiastic . When he mentioned it, everyone nodded, "Yes, there is such a matter! "
The examiner said: "At first, I felt that the dog was not poisoned by the maidservant, so I deliberately asked for the dog¡¯s body to dissect it and found that there was a little cinnabar in its stomach, proving that it died by mistakenly taking too much cinnabar . However, its bones were not ckened at that time . Moreover, in some cases in the past, some bodies were poisoned by arsenic, and since no one imed it, I dissected them one by one and found that their bones were actually ck . ¡± In fact, there was no need to dissect at all . Once the body rots, the bones inside will be exposed, and it will be clear whether it is ck or not .
"I have been doing this for fifty years and found that all the people who died in arsenic have ck bones or there are signs of ckening . This is the case with the Duke¡¯s Firen . If Official don¡¯t believe it, you can go check it again . But the poison in the jujubes is cinnabar . Although misused cinnabar can also lead to death but the bones will never be ck . This point, I dare to use their lives to guarantee that the Duke¡¯s Furen was definitely not poisoned by the jujubes . It was arsenic or a poison containing arsenic content!"
"But I clearly saw my grandmother ate jujubes?" Li Chang Le immediately retorted .
The examiner shook his head and said, "The vast majority of the jujubes are in the stomach of the mouse . The Duke¡¯s Furen just touched it . How could she be poisoned by cinnabar?"
What is going on? The Duke¡¯s Furen was not poisoned by cinnabar in the jujubes at all? So the so-called usation of Li Wei Yang poisoning Jiang Lao Furen was all made up?! Everyone¡¯splexion suddenly became very excited .
Li Wei Yang said lightly: "Within a few minutes of entering the room, I¡¯ve spoken only four or five sentences with my grandmother . Except for touching the candied date, I didn¡¯t touch anything else . Can I prove my innocence now?"
Jiang Xu¡¯s face suddenly turned pale and finally turned into a reluctant calm: "This is natural, we will not serve injustice to good people . "
However, Li Wei Yang sneered and said, "Then, the person who entered the house before me would be the one most likely to have poisoned my grandmother, right?"
As soon as this remark came out, everyone at the mourning hall was shocked . Everyone¡¯s vision fell on the rest of the Jiang family .
The mourners of the Jiangs froze and the more emotional maidservants shouted: "Impossible, you mean that one of us killed the Lao Furen!" "How is that possible, Lao Furen has always been kind and we would rather beg for her longevity!"
Among them, Li Chang Le was particrly concerned, she said angrily: "Third Mei, what do you mean by that? How do you dare to speak nonsense in the mourning hall! I think you are just trying to ruin the Jiangs!"
"Shut up!" Jiang Hua snorted: "What the hell are you shouting for?" Li Chang Le was so scared to speak that he red at her warningly and turned to Li Wei Yang . "You mean that it was one of my family members who is behind the poisoning? But as others have said, our grandmother is the master of the family and we are all dependent on her . How could we harm her?"
Indeed, with the death of the Duke¡¯s Furen, the descendants of this family should be worried . The Jiang family will never get any benefits . This ispletely different from the ordinary people fighting for their family property and hoping that the olddy will die early . The longer the Duke¡¯s Furen lives, the more stable the Jiangs¡¯ standing would be .
"Third Shaoye is right . " Li Wei Yang said lightly: "But there were so many people in the house at that time . Who was in and out of the house, what they did, and how long did they stay --- all of these can be found out! I remember, there were four yatous standing next to Lao Furen, as well as Dajie and mother . I was thest one to go in and stayed for the shortest time . I didn¡¯t touch anything except the te of jujubes . Everyone else is a suspect . "
Obviously, there were suspicions in those who have been in there . Additionally, no one will go into the room of the Duke¡¯s Furen, so what Li Wei Yang said was rational .
Everyone¡¯s eyes inevitably gathered on the faces of Li Chang Le and Jiang Yue Lan . Jiang Yue Lan angrily spoke: "Wei Yang, how can you doubt your mother!"
Li Wei Yang smiled and looked at Jiang Yue Lan, whose facial expression had changed throughout, and said lightly: "Mother, I don¡¯t doubt you . "
Jiang Yue Lan was taken aback, and then automatically looked at Li Chang Le spontaneously . Since Li Wei Yang said that she didn¡¯t doubt her, that is to say, the person she was testifying against was ---
Li Chang Le said tly: "If I hurt my grandmother, I would be punished with thousands of swords and I would enter the eighteenyers of hell after death . I would never be reborn again . " When the Crown Prince saw her like the pear flowers with rainwater that he immediately forgot the ugly appearance of pus on her head and quickly said: "Li Xiaojie is after all the granddaughter of the Duke¡¯s Furen, how could she do this kind of thing? Obviously impossible!"
It can be said that the Duke¡¯s Furen is the patron saint of Li Chang Le . How could she kill her grandmother just to frame Li Wei Yang?! Everyone heard this and nodded one after another .
Li Wei Yang did not look at the Crown Prince and said: "Dajie, it¡¯s not me, not mother, nor you, perhaps it¡¯s the Duke¡¯s Furen herself?"
Li Chang Le almost shivered and shouted: "Who will kill her own self! It¡¯s nonsense! Li Wei Yang, you just want to wrong me, you are my sister, why do you aim at me? Why don¡¯t you think back on who persuaded our parents to bring you back from the countryside! You are so ungrateful!"
Li Wei Yang said with a sneer: "What are the reasons for Dajie to bring these things up? If it¡¯s not to change the topic, then it¡¯s to refute these usations . ¡±
"Your Highness, things are awkward . You can¡¯t just rely on Li Wei Yang¡¯s words! Since our mother is said to be poisoned by arsenic, you must search for evidence!" Jiang Xu said quickly .
Li Wei Yang said indifferently: "Uncle, do you want to say that it has been seven days since the issue and that most of the physical evidence is gone, so you can¡¯t find the real murderer at all?"
Jiang Xu said angrily: "Li Wei Yang, do you have a way to find the murderer?!"
Li Wei Yang looked around at people with different expressions and smiled: "As Uncle said, it has been seven days since the incident has happened . The arsenic on the murderer may have been destroyed already . To find out who¡¯s behind the poisoning is very difficult and I can¡¯t do anything about it! ¡±She said there was no way, but she looked at Yao Chang Qing and said, ¡°But I heard that there is a extraordinary dog in Official¡¯s house, which can recognize the smell of poison and urately distinguish the person who had once handled the poison, even if he or she had discarded the poison, changed clothes, or even bathed as there is no way topletely remove the smell . Is it right? "
Yao Chang Qing looked at Li Wei Yang with a pale face and a positive tone . There was a strange look in his eyes . It was right that he raised a wolfhound . This is a special breed obtained by a domestic female dog identally slipping out of the door and mixing with the male wolf . He was born different from an ordinary dog . Yao Chang Qing saw that it had a strange appearance and so he kept it . Later, as it worked on cases with him, he gradually discovered that the dog has an unusual trait and can often find the real murderer through smell . Yao Chang Qing did use it to find many real culprits but once the prisoner changed his clothes and bathed, the original scent would change . Where can this dog have such magical powers, and can he really tell?! But now that he saw Li Wei Yang being so sure, he couldn¡¯t help but to think that this method would be okay to try, and immediately said: "Okay, pull that dog!"
Li Chang Le shivered as a whole, but she stayed calm as it would be fine! Nothing will happen! She clearly has been checked, and those people can¡¯t find anything, and absolutely nothing will happen! In the crowd, Li Chang Le¡¯s personal maid Tan Xiang lowered her head at the moment, as if she had seen no one . Her ears kept standing tall, listening to the movement in the hall . She was the only one who knew the truth but she must remain silent and protect Da Xiaojie .
Li Wei Yang looked at her with cold eyes, but just kept silent . She lowered her eyes, and covered the sneer on the lips .
Not long afterwards, someone took the half man-height, majestic wolf dog and appeared in the hall . Everyone was frightened . Jiang Xu frowned: "Official Yao, there are many important guests here, in the case where this dog injures someone, what are you going to do? "
Yao Chang Qing said confidently: "No, this dog has been with me for eight years and has never hurt any innocent person!"
Jiang Xu looked at Yao Chang Qing like this and couldn¡¯t help but keep silent, turning his head to stare coldly at the dog .
It¡¯s a pity that the dog couldn¡¯t understand the angry staresing from Official Jiang . It just sniffed some fine ck powder scraped off from the bone, and then suddenly stood up emergently with his fierce eyes and barked loudly towards the direction of Lii Chang Le . It barked more fiercely and everyone was stunned . Soon, the person who was pulling the rope couldn¡¯t control the screaming dog and he identally let go . This fierce half-man tall wolfhound mmed opened its mouth and rushed towards Li Chang Le!
Chapter 123.2
Chapter 123.2
Chapter 123: The y of Reason
Li Chang Le screamed, "Save me! Quickly save me!" However, things happened so suddenly that people only had time to escape, no one could save her, and the wolf dog fell onto her, biting her wig . Li Chang Le¡¯s voice has turned into a scream . Jiang Hai stood the closest and was the first to respond . He was about to go up to help but his wife Han-Shi was scared by the terrible scene . Shakily, he quickly held her up and yelled loudly: "Go pull away that dog!"
Immediately, a servant held a wooden stick to attack the dog, but the wolfhound looked at the wooden stick without fear . But it became more fierce and it barked and bit Li Chang Le¡¯s arm . She screamed and rolled to the side and the wolf dog followed along, giving her no way to escape . She screamed loudly and the wolfhound barked as his two front legs pressed against her head and then it bit her forehead, tearing her face alive . Blood suddenly gushed out . The dog trainer also hurried up and grabbed the rope to pull the dog back, but the wolfhound was half a man tall so how could it be easily held back .
Li Wei Yang looked at it from afar, with infinite sarcasm in her eyes .
Yao Chang Qing was shocked . He had never seen his dog so crazy .
Li Chang Le hugged her head sideways, and the wolf dog opened its bloody mouth again to bite her shoulder and tore it so hard that she screamed and kept trying to grab onto the Crown Prince¡¯s feet who was not far away . The Crown Prince was so frightened that he didn¡¯t care about the manners and kicked her away with one foot, fearing that they would be bitten together . Li Chang Le¡¯s entire body kept rolling on the ground .
When Jiang Hua saw the situation was not getting better, he immediately drew his long sword to kill the dog . Yao Chang Qing shouted: "Don¡¯t touch my dog!" Jiang Hua ignored him, holding the long sword to kill him, Yao Chang Qing loved the dog sincerely so he went up and grabbed Jiang Hua¡¯s arm . Jiang Hua shouted, "This evil dog is hurting people! Let go!" However, Yao Chang Qing shouted simply, "Who dares to touch him!"
At this moment, the dog trainer finally caught the wolfhound, Jiang Hai shouted, "Saved!"
Everyone saw the scene in front of them, and they all took a breath .
Li Chang Le has be a bloodied person . Arge b of skin on her forehead is gone . Her shoulders and neck were bleeding nonstop . There were countless peanut-shaped teeth on her arms and there were many w marks on her body But this was not the reason why everyone looked at her . The real reason was that they actually didn¡¯t see how Li Chang Le ¡¯s face had been bitten by the dog but saw several cracks appear . Pieces of human skin fell down one by one, making the scene was unbelievable, as if seeing a draped beauty skin gradually cracking, and her true face, her skin had been ulcerated and purple, The pus was constantly flowing from the top, which looked very disgusting . This was simply the most disgusting and terrifying scene in the world .
Countlessdies anddies missed their manners and ran out desperately . Han Shi, who was not far away screamed and fainted . Jiang Hai quickly supported her, but she stared in shock towards Li Chang Le .
The whole hall was already in a mess . Even the Crown Prince and the Jiangs had incredible looks on their faces . A beautiful girl, like a fairy, had skin that kept falling off, obviously revealing the fact that it had a fake face wrapped around her face and her real face was actually ulcerated . The yellow thick juice made people almost puke .
Seeing the horrified expression of everyone, Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t care about the severe pain of being bitten by a dog on her body, but just desperately covered her face with her sleeve and screamed: "Go away, get out! Don¡¯t look at me! Don¡¯t look at all me!" For a beautiful woman, there was nothing more terrifying than being ugly in front of everyone . And she was not only ugly, but she has be much more terrifying than the ugliest woman in the world . The most terrifying ugly ghost! She has be synonymous to the most disgusting rotten person . . .
However, Li Wei Yang came to her at this time and said coldly: "This is the reason why the wolfhound pounced on her!"
Although everyone was frightened by this scene, they couldn¡¯t help but look at the ce she pointed at, but they saw a ck hairpiece, a phoenix hairpin actually broke, and several white ..., the Crown Prince asked: "This . . . what is this?"
The examiner quickly stepped forward and gently took a little with the tip of the needle . He resisted the nausea and smelled it before saying: "It is arsenic--"
Li Wei Yang sighed and said, "Sure enough, it¡¯s no wonder that we have all gone through a careful search, but we can¡¯t find any remnants of the poison . It turns out that you hid the poison in your hairpin and everyone neglected to search there!"
Li Chang Le suddenly raised her head and said sharply, "No! It¡¯s impossible--" She closed her mouth suddenly . She did poison Jiang Lao Furen with arsenic and it was right in her phoenix hairpin . She was originally going to leave the hall with the excuse of dizziness to dispose of the hairpin but Li Wei Yang refused to allow her to leave . Later, she had to be inspected . Fortunately, she spent a fortune to hire this craftsman to make this specifically delicate . The inside was hollow and the hidden arsenic was also very cleverly stored so no one can find it! In order to rid her fears, she wanted to discard this quietly but someone had been watching her room . She was afraid that she would lose the hairpin and get in trouble so she simply left it in her hair . Nobody knows! Why?! She turned her head and said loudly: "Tan Xiang, you betrayed me! You damn yatou, you betrayed me!"
Tan Xiang stayed there,pletely unaware of what was happening, and said in awkwardness: "Nubi . . . nubi didn¡¯t do anything!" She really didn¡¯t know what happened, how would she dare to betray her master?!
Li Chang Le stared at her fiercely but heard Li Wei Yang said: "Aren¡¯t you guilty yet?" Li Chang Le immediately got up from the ground and stretched out her hand to grab Li Wei Yang¡¯s face . Zhao Yue fiercely kicked her and she turned over on the ground!
Li Xiao Ran angrily said: "Wei Yang, how can you allow your own yatou to injure someone!"
Li Wei Yang nced at him, smiled coldly, and said sensibly: "Father, have you seen this clearly, this is not your daughter Li Chang Le, could my Dajie look this ghostly? She is clearly a monster, using Dajie¡¯s face pretending to be Dajie!"
Everyone heard this and looked at Li Chang Le in horror, almost speechless! Even Jiang Xu showed an unbelievable look on his face . Indeed, how could Li Chang Le look this ugly?! Absolutely impossible! They didn¡¯t know what happened to Li Chang Le¡¯s face at the time and the only people who knew about it were a few people such as Li Lao Furen, Li Xiao Ran, Jiang Yun, etc . At this moment, they were all calmed down by Li Wei Yang¡¯s stern words and almost thought that the woman in front of them was not Li Chang Le!
Jiang Yun couldn¡¯t help but think of the fact that Li Chang Le¡¯s face was destroyed and then miraculously recovered . She was almost certain that Li Chang Le was wearing a fake mask and this woman with apletely ruined face was not who Li Chang Le then who was she? But she did not dare to refute Li Wei Yang in public because of her guilty conscience!
Li Wei Yang vowed to say: "My Dajie is as beautiful as a fairy, and she is kind-hearted, how could she murder her grandmother? And she has no reason to do this! Unless the woman in front of us with a piece of human skin is not my Dajie!"
Jiang Xu said angrily: "Who is she if she is not Chang Le?!"
Li Wei Yang said with no expression: "Who knows! My Dajie returned to the Jiangs some time ago and stayed for four to five days . After she came back, she became a different person . Even her usual preferences have changed . I haven¡¯t asked uncle yet, where did you hide my Dajie, who is this monster?"
Li Chang Le could hardly believe her ears and shouted: "Li Wei Yang you are a bitch, I am Li Chang Le, if I am not the Da Xiaojie from the Lis then who can I still be?!"
Li Wei Yang looked down at her condescendingly and a dazzling cold awn shed in her eyes: "My Dajie is alluringly beautiful and unparalleled in beauty . You repeatedly say you are her, why don¡¯t you look in the mirror yourself! When your wig fell off at the hall, I started doubting you at that time, and now it turns out that you are a fake!"
Li Chang Le was almost mad and threw herself on Jiang Hua . Although Jiang Hua had seen countless dead people on the battlefield, he still took a step back in horror with her filthy and bloody appearance and leaned against the pir . However, Li Chang Le grabbed the long sword from his hands, turned and aimed at Li Wei Yang . She haspletely lost her mind now and could care less . Before she even approached Li Wei Yang, a collective dark item fell from the sky . She was caught off guard and she was covered in it at once . Before she could react, she felt tight all over as she was tied up and fell straight to the ground .
Yao Chang Qing shouted from behind: "Tie her up!" Then his guards went to remove thes used to catch people and tied up Li Chang Le with an iron chain without any sympathy . She was like a beast after being chained, she shouted frantically: "Li Wei Yang, you will die! You will die!"
Yao Chang Qing covered his mouth and nose and said, "This smell is really disgusting . "
After the mask was ripped open, the foul smell was even more indescribable . At first, everyone thought that the smell of the body powder on Li Da Xiaojie¡¯s body could suffocate people, and now they know it¡¯s just disgusting .
Li Wei Yang reminded him coldly: "Official, since we have already caught the murderer, we can¡¯t let her frantically bite people anymore . "
Yao Chang Qing was staring at the grisly monster, and then he recovered before he heard her words . He hesitated and said: "Shut up her mouth! So as not to let her speak rubbish!" When the guard approached Li Chang Le, he vomited in disgust . He had to close his eyes as he pushed the cloth into Li Chang Le¡¯s mouth . Li Chang Le nted her head and bit his hand . The painful guard shouted and hurried back . Yao Chang Qing said angrily: "Useless things, fast, hold her down?!"
Jiang Xu hurriedly said: "Don¡¯t worry! You¡¯ve only found arsenal, how can you conclude that she did it?!"
Li Wei Yangughed: "Is there anyone other than us in that room? If it weren¡¯t for her, did you poison your maternal grandmother? What¡¯s more, if she is innocent, why hide arsenic in the hairpin? Are you going to mix it in tea as sugared water?! It¡¯s the biggest joke in the world! I don¡¯t know what method she used to poison grandmother and then deceived me into the room . Using the identity of Li Da Xiaojie, she ced the tray of poisonous jujube in my hands, framed me deliberately, and then smoothly extricated herself!"
Jiang Hua sneered and said, "Since she did it all, why not use the same poison?"
Li Wei Yang looked at the post-mortem examiner but heard him slowly say: "Third Gongzi don¡¯t know this but once arsenic is ced on the jujubes, it will leave behind ayer of hoarfrost, which is easy to be discovered . The murderer expected that no one will perform a post-mortem, so they use different poisons to avoid being discovered that the jujubes are unordinary . "
Jiang Hua immediately asked: "How did she poison?"
The examiner pondered for a moment and said, "I found arge pinhole on the back of the Duke¡¯s Furen¡¯s left shoulder, which glows bluish-ck . If I guessed it well, it should be a tube-like object prated into the Duke¡¯s Furen¡¯s body . No, it is more likely to be needle-shaped, so it is not easy to be noticed and it is definitely not ordinary arsenic . It must be refined through many processes before it can be dissolved into poisonous juice . . . "
The examiner¡¯s guess was almost correct . Li Chang Le ¡¯s phoenix hairpin has a small organ that can be turned into a needle tip with a slight twist . The venom inside the hollow phoenix hairpin prates into the body of the person . The victim will only feel a sting, and would not even be aware of it . . .
At this time, a yatou eximed: "Yes, when changing clothes, Da Xiaojie said that one of the shoulders of the olddy was toorge so she had to alter the clothing and then I heard the Duke¡¯s Furen cried out . I actually thought she was identally stabbed by a needle . . . "
As soon as this remark came out, everyone believed in what the examiner had said . Jiang Xu suddenly remembered what Jiang Hua said in the study and immediately understood everything!
Li Chang Le said loudly: "I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t! I really didn¡¯t! Uncle, you have to believe me, I didn¡¯t do it!"
Jiang Hua stared at Li Wei Yang and said, "In the past seven days, she had countless opportunities to destroy the evidence . Why would she leave it on herself?"
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "There are so many people in the Jiangs . If she loses something or buries something, it is easy to be discovered . Once it reaches the ears of Official Yao, he will suspect her . It seems inappropriate to ce it anywhere so naturally, the least noticeable ce would be on her own body . After all, it¡¯s been searched once, and no one will suspect it anymore . Isn¡¯t this a simple rationale?
Jiang Hua sneered and said, "Isn¡¯t this exnation too far-fetched?"
Yao Chang Qing said slowly: "No, this exnation is not only not far-fetched but also very reasonable . For the past seven days, I have asked the guards to monitor the suspected people every day . Their actions were all reported to me, even It was just the yatou pouring out wash water or rouge . I asked people to check it in detail as I was afraid that the murderer would take the opportunity to destroy the evidence . Now it seems that she is very smart and she has been hiding the evidence in her hairpin . Who can find out?" In fact, his people were not really good, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have been unaware of Jiang Hua¡¯s assassins, but he will not admit it .
Jiang Hua did not answer Yao Chang Qing . He found out that Li Wei Yang had already calcted everything . Even Yao Chang Qing would send someone to watch Li Chang Le . He had already expected that he underestimated this woman! It is often said that taking one step leads to the next three steps yet she has already seen the next ten steps away!
"Let me go! Uncle! Father! Mother! Save me! I am innocent!" Li Chang Le shouted, trying to open the iron chain, trying to grab Jiang Xu¡¯s leg . But Jiang Xu saw the horrifying face and subconsciously took a step back . The Jiangs who had been standing behind Li Chang Le and supporting her now stared at her with a terrified look . Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t believe why it became like this . She climbed desperately to Li Xiao Ran¡¯s feet, however Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t even look at her . The official¡¯s subordinates dragged her back immediately, entangled all the chains, and she kept wailing like a beast, making painful noises .
Li Wei Yang looked at this beauty who had always shown hatred but she felt extremely happy in her heart . Her beauty was her weapon . As long as she blinked, countless men would fall down at her feet . As long as she spoke softly, others would feel that she is gentle and kind . On the contrary, no matter what she does, she is still malicious, selfish and cunning . In that case, she will let everyone take a look at what she was hiding under that beautiful skint . She looked at the Jiangs here, saying one word at a time: "Are there any more doubts?"
Jiang Xu¡¯s expression changed several times, and he seemed to want to say something, but suddenly he heard Jiang Hua clenching his fists and clucked: "God didn¡¯t shelter us, we didn¡¯t even realize that this monster was posing as Chang Le, which caused our grandmother to have been victimized, she really deserves to die!"
Li Chang Le originally thought that the Jiangs would rescue her . But she heard this sentence and could not help but feel terrified . She couldn¡¯t help shouting: "You are crazy! Do you also believe what the slut, Li Wei Yang said! We grew up together! I remember everything about you, if I am not Li Chang Le then who is! Father, you say a word, say a word, you used to love me the most, how can you refuse to say something?! "
This face has been ruined like this . The beautiful Li Da Xiaojie is just a hopeless case . Under the eyes of everyone, Li Chang Le had already be a nightmare for everyone . Even if she was proven to be Li Chang Le, she will only discredit the Li family . When others speak of her, they would only say that Li Da Xiaojie had poisoned her grandmother in order to injustice her sister . The Lis actually taught such a vicious daughter, which is really a disgrace to the family reputation . He raised his head and stared at Li Wei Yang, deadly . Staring at her, he finally realized that Li Wei Yang was simply forcing him to abandon his daughter, Li Chang Le . As long as he denied it, everything would be solved ¡ª
"She is not Chang Le at all!" Li Xiao Ran said: "Chang Le had a red mole behind her ear--"
"I have it! I have it!" Li Chang Le wanted to prove it, but Li Xiao Ran interrupted her coldly: "No, you don¡¯t!"
Li Chang Le¡¯s heart sank all at once and she didn¡¯t want to prove her identity again and suddenly said sharply: "Li Wei Yang, all of this was arranged by you, you are a vicious heart! You will be banished to the eighteenthyer of hell!"
The eyes of Li Wei Yang, like an ancient well, shed a trace of indifference . Eighteenthyer of hell? She had already been there and now it was Li Chang Le¡¯s turn!
Li Min De, who had been watching this scene silently, gently reminded: "Official Yao, Your Majesty is still waiting for you to report the case . "
"Take her away," Yao Chang Qing was originally shocked by the big show only to understand it now . He whispered something to the prince and after getting his approval, he waved his hand lightly andmanded his people to drag Li Chang Le, who was still cursing loudly, out to stop the farce from continuing . He then said to Jiang Xu: "I will leave someone here to search her room and see if there is any other evidence . "
After Li Chang Le was taken away, Jiang Xu was relieved . No matter what, as long as the Jiang family had no problems, everything was fine! However, at this moment, I heard Li Xiao Ran surreptitiously said: "Since this monster is not my daughter, where is my biological daughter?!"
Jiang Xu was furious: "If you want to look for your daughter, go home and find her! I haven¡¯t even med you for indulging the murderer to kill my mother!"
Li Xiao Ran sneered and said, "Indulged the murderer?! This fake Li Chang Le ran to the Jiangs from time to time . Since thest time she went to the banquet, she has been a fake! You actually helped her deceive us and say that she only had favus on her head so she had to wear a wig . She clearly colluded with you to murder the Duke¡¯s Furen!"
"Nonsense! How could I murder my mother?!" The blue veins on Jiang Xu¡¯s forehead jumped straight .
The examiner said: "Official Yao, there is something else very strange --- please forgive the sins of your subordinates before I dare to say it . "
"Say!" Yao Chang Qing frowned, and the other people in the hall werepletely dumbfounded . Today¡¯s y, one after another, hadpletely exceeded their imagination . First, Li Da Xiaojie was exposed to have possessed the poison and then her fake face was exposed . And now there seemed to be a hidden detail, even if it was a y on the stage, it was definitely not as exciting!
"No, Lao Furen was already suffering from severe heart failure . Even if she didn¡¯t get poisoned, you can live at most for a few more days . " The examiner said calmly .
When this sentence was said, everyone froze, and then looked at Jiang Xu . Everyone was thinking that Lao Furen was going to die soon . Before she died, she took advantage of her own impending death to rid of their biggest enemy, Anping Xianzhu and this idea was really cost-effective . There were even more nosy people who had begun to conceive the entire plot in their minds . The Jiangs first reced the real Li Da Xiaojie with a fake Li Chang Le and then murdered the Duke¡¯s Furen who was about to die, and nted her death on Anping Xianzhu . The mastery of such scheming was really terrifying! Now no one cared about whether the whole situation was reasonable or unreasonable . They just thought that this ethical drama will surely be the big news that will make a sensation in the capital tomorrow!
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Erica
Chapter 124.1
Chapter 124.1
Chapter 124: Death by a Thousand Slices
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes exuded a touch of coldness: "Uncle, how do you exin now?"
Jiang Xu¡¯s face was extremely angry: "Li Wei Yang, Lao Furen is my biological mother, will I kill her in order to frame you? Am I crazy?"
Li Wei Yang said coldly: "Uncle will not, of course, but the rest of the Jiang family may not be thinking the same . "
Jiang Da Furen had always followed the principle of non-speaking and non-intrusive, but now her face had inevitably discolored: "What do you mean?! What do you mean by others of the Jiang family?!"
Li Wei Yang sighed and said, "For the sake of my Fifth Sister, the two families will inevitablymit evil . Even though Uncle will not murder his biological mother but that doesn¡¯t mean Aunt won¡¯t resent me for the matter of Fourth Gongzi . Hard to conclude anything about the human heart ¡ª "
Jiang Da Furen has always been a tolerant person even though she had envisioned countless times to hack Li Wei Yang to death . But with those words, her whole face turned red: "I will never do this! Don¡¯t make unfounded attacks on me! "
Li Wei Yang looked at Li Lao Furen and said, "Grandmother, first, Dajie was reced by someone; I don¡¯t know where that monster came from . Later, Maternal Grandmother was suddenly poisoned and I was wronged as the murderer . Now that it has been proven that Grandmother had already been severely ill but Aunt and Uncle had both denied it¡ªthinking about it, we should know that there must be more to this . Let¡¯s just hurry back, I don¡¯t dare to stay here any longer . ¡± She said as she went to help Li Lao Furen .
Li Lao Furen almostughed out loud, but she said solemnly: "Let¡¯s go, since we are not wee here, we don¡¯t have toe again!"
Jiang Hai was impulsive and could not help to go up and teach Li Wei Yang a lesson, but his second brother Jiang Yang grabbed his arm: "Brother, calm down!"
Jiang Hai has always been the most stable among them, but now he is also showing an unusual impulsive behavior . This Li Wei Yang is really too capable of driving others crazy! Jiang Yang stared at Li Wei Yang with a somber face . His eyes looked at his prey like a poisonous snake, but because of the crowds of people here, he couldn¡¯t do anything and could only secretly swallow the venom .
Jiang Hua can be regarded as the calmest person in this room . If you ignore the blue veins that broke out in his hands, this matter still cannot be concealed . This version of them murdering the Duke¡¯s Furen created by Li Wei Yang was indeed marvelous and he was only afraid that it would soon be heard . People¡¯s mouths can¡¯t be controlled so it will only spread more and more . At that time, everyone will feel that the death of the Duke¡¯s Furen is rted to the Jiang family and they will all be charged with matricide . The centuries¡¯ long reputation established by the Jiangs was ruined by Li Wei Yang in a day! From now on, in the hearts of the people, the Jiangs are no longer the invible guardian gods on the battlefield but arge tree with a noble appearance and a decaying interior, which is dirty and disgusting .
Li Wei Yang is really cruel . There is something in the world that even if you ignore it, it would still continue to shrink . If you fight against it by yourself, it is oftenborious and ineffective, even counterproductive . Moreover, it is so powerful and permanent that it can almost determine the social status and interpersonal rtionship of the entire family and this is the so-called family honor . The Jiang family can turn a blind eye to gossip but if the entire capital is viewing the Jiang family this way, all their efforts over the past century will be over . Jiang Hua is the person in this hall who knows Li Wei Yang¡¯s purpose the best so he desperately restrained his anger and walked up with a smile: "Wei Yang, we are all a family, why should we allow outsiders to see us asughingstocks?"
This was already apromise . Seeing how Li Wei Yang forced them into this position, he begged her to show mercy .
Of course, Li Wei Yang heard his implicit suggestion . If she was a weaker person, she might have epted the offer . But she won¡¯t because she knew too well of the crazy desire for revenge in the heart of the Jiangs . Breaking their tiespletely, Li Wei Yang said coldly: "One family?" She turned to look at Li Xiao Ran, "Father, do you think so?"
Li Xiao Ran looked gloomy, but said: "I have no such shameless rtives in the Li family! Official Yao, please investigate clearly who is the murderer behind the Duke¡¯s Furen¡¯s death besides that fake . Also, please remember to help us find me my daughter, alive or dead!"
No matter how upright Yao Chang Qing, facing Prime Minister Li, who had a lengthy unknown years of experience and especially when he would also be his future father-inw, he simply bowed his head and said: "Yes, your subordinate must thoroughly investigate this matter!"
Li Xiao Ran snorted coldly, without looking at the unsightly Jiang family and said, "Your Highness, please allow your subject to leave first!"
The Crown Prince nced at the Jiang family, shook his head and sighed . The centuries¡¯ long reputation of a family n waspletely destroyed . He could imagine what rumors would spread tomorrow . No matter how powerful the Jiang family is, the family honor was ruined by this generation of descendants . Such a pity, it¡¯s really a pity . . . among the families of Da Li, the Jiang family was one of the most noble families who highly valued their own reputation . It was very unfortunate for them to fall to this point .
However, Li Wei Yang only helped Li Lao Furen and followed Li Xiao Ran . As they walked past Jiang Hua, she heard him gritting his teeth: "I have given in, please return my Fifth Brother!"
Jiang Tian was in her own hands, and the other party had many tricks that couldn¡¯t be used . Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Go to the back door and take a look . " As she spoke, she led the confused Lao Furen away .
Everyone watched the unexpected ending of the y and couldn¡¯t help but conceive a brilliant plot with great excitement in their hearts as they were ready to go out and spread it . At the moment, Jiang Xu has no time to take care of this because Yao Changqing is still chasing after him: "I will report this to His Majesty and at the same time interrogate the monster to see if she and the group of assassins sneaked into my room yesterday . Oh yes, and if it is found to be rted to the Jiang family¡ª " He didn¡¯t go on . Jiang Xu¡¯s brows jumped . Li Wei Yang had left but she had caused countless troubles to the Jiang family . This trouble wasn¡¯t something that can be resolved in a day or two .
He sighed for a long time, and almost felt that the person they provoked was not a young girl but someone who was biting onto them until justice was served .
Once they left the Jiang Estate, Li Xiao Ran helped Li Lao Furen into the carriage first and then looked at Li Wei Yang with a strange awe . A girl who looked very weak was actually a strategist who takes one step and thinks three steps ahead . This move not only destroyed Li Chang Le but also destroyed the centuries¡¯ long reputation of the Jiang family . Reputation is not a pain or an itch that a human being can feel . It will bring along lots of side effects, such as the appeal of the Jiang family, the prestige in the army, and even the status in the heart of His Majesty . Embroiling herself in a plot set by her, Li Wei Yang¡¯s efforts were really terrifying . She was fearless and wasn¡¯t at all worried about her life or the interests of the Li family .
"Wei Yang, when you do things in the future, I only hope that you can think for your Yiniang and your brother . " Li Xiao Ran reminded .
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Father is the Prime Minister, that¡¯s your concubine and that¡¯s your son, but you ask a girl like me to put in considerations for them . Isn¡¯t it too much?"
Li Xiao Ran was stunned and couldn¡¯t help but smile . Li Wei Yang clearly kicked the ball back to him . Li Min Zhi was the only son by his side . He would jeopardize his own life to ensure nothing would happen to him . After thest poisoning incident, he secretly arranged three times more men to protect Seventh Yiniang and even changed the people in the yard . He also heavily paid a Mama who knows how everything worked . But in order to prevent Li Wei Yang from getting crazy and to give her a little more burden, he kept this matter concealed . Now it seems that she already knew all of this . He had no idea what to do with this daughter of his! He can¡¯t kill nor keep her, forget it, he will look into this again! Li Xiao Ran nced at the gloomy sky . He couldn¡¯t help but sigh and said to the people waiting on the edge: "Let¡¯s go back . "
Li Wei Yang watched as Li Xiao Ran got on the carriage . She smiled and sarcastically said: "Always overcautious and indecisive, he clearly wanted to use me as a pawn and now he¡¯s pretending . "
Li Min De smiled silently and said, "He only values ??his position and power . Why should you care?"
Li Wei Yang stepped on the stool into the other carriage while saying, "Oh, did you do what I said?"
Li Min De also got into the carriage: "I have already thrown the person at the back door of the Jiangs . "
Li Wei Yang nodded, but Bai Zhi quietly said: "Xiaojie, Nubi still doesn¡¯t understand ---"
Li Wei Yang nced at her and raised an eyebrow: "Don¡¯t understand what?"
Bai Zhi whispered: "Nubi still doesn¡¯t understand who killed the Duke¡¯s Furen?"
Li Wei Yangughed and said, "Did you not see it all? It was Li Chang Le who nned and killed the Duke¡¯s Furen . "
Bai Zhi shook her head and said: "But Nubi feels that the Duke¡¯s Furen knows of this matter clearly . She seems more like the person who would frame Xiaojie behind the scenes . "
Li Wei Yang rarely looked at Bai Zhi with apliment, and said: "It is true, she originally wanted to frame me but she did not expect that her granddaughter had the same idea as her and she executed it before she did . "
Bai Zhi became more and more confused and couldn¡¯t help but nced at Zhao Yue who also had on an inexplicable expression .
Li Wei Yang was in a good mood and exined to her: "Look at this . " She then untied the sachet around her waist and handed it to Bai Zhi .
Bai Zhi took it and quickly poured out the content but it was a small box . She opened it and froze; it was just ordinary vani .
"This was when Jiang Tian was still in Li Estate . I often had nightmares and couldn¡¯t rest in peace . Jiang Tian gave it to me . He said it was a panacea used to calm the mind . It contained cinnabar ingredients . Only after I suspected Jiang Tian, I immediately reced the contents of the box but I kept the pill box . Others would have thought that I had been carrying the tranquilizer medicine but unfortunately they didn¡¯t find anything when they finally searched . "
Li Wei Yang said slowly, "The Duke¡¯s Furen would have known about this object on me and had set the trap and waited for me to step into it . Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t expect that her stupid granddaughter actually acted before she did and ordered Han Xiang to hide the needle that contains arsenic in the dress I would change into . I excused myself to change my clothes and sent Han Xiang away . Then I checked the skirt carefully, found the needle and handed it to Zhao Yue . When Li Chang Le heard people were saying there was poison in the jujubes and found out that nothing was found on me, she immediately changed her strategy and framed me for poisoning the jujubes . She didn¡¯t know about the Duke Furen¡¯s n so she would naturally leave behind traces . If they did a post-mortem, they would definitely find out that the poison in the Duke Furen¡¯s body is different from jujubes --- so she would be extremely opposed to it!"
Bai Zhi nodded and said: "If the Duke Furen had kept her informed early in the morning--"
Li Min De smiled faintly and said, "It seems that we have taken it for granted" and then pondered: "Just by the cinnabar in the box and the cinnabar in the jujubes, it cannot be proven that Wei Yang did it . There would have been a series of other tricks but unfortunately they didn¡¯t have the chance to use them . Such a meticulous n was not something that Li Chang Le¡¯s brains can figure out . It was the most reliable to not tell Li Chang Le and allow her to show the most authentic reaction . Unfortunately, the Duke¡¯s Furen didn¡¯t expect that Li Chang Le would actually do such a stupid thing!"
"She had been this kind of person all along!" Zhao Yue didn¡¯t take it seriously: "However, does Da Xiaojie have any aplices?"
"Of course, she didn¡¯t do it alone . " Li Wei Yang said: "Jiang Yue Lan and perhaps Da Jiang Furen were also involved in this matter . Jiang Yue Lan was obviously involved in Li Chang Le¡¯s n . Da Jiang Furen should know of the Duke Furen¡¯s n and she was the chosen executor . But unfortunately, Li Chang Le rushed out and it wasn¡¯t easy for Jiang Da Furen to act . Now I really want to know what the Duke Furen¡¯s had arranged besides the poisonous jujubes . It¡¯s such a pity that with her death, the only person who knows would be Jiang Da Furen . She wouldn¡¯t tell me . ¡±There was a trace of regret on her face . ¡±
"But if the mastermind is not her, have we caught the real murderer yet?" Bai Zhi said .
Li Wei Yang smiled: "I never thought about catching the real murderer . I didn¡¯t have the patience to see Li Chang Le again . Since she is looking for her own way of death, I musty out the most bright and memorable path for her . " Of course, her real purpose still lies with the Jiang family . The after effects of this matter were inestimable . Of course, the Jiang family hasn¡¯t really realized it .
As Li Wei Yang said, she opened the carriage curtain and looked out . The sunlight fell on her hand . Li Min De couldn¡¯t help noticing that her hand was very beautiful, her skin was transparent and white, and her pinky was curled slightly, which brought along an unclear trace ofziness .
"We could have killed Jiang Tian . " Li Min De suddenly said .
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly and said, "Hasn¡¯t been terrified to death already? What¡¯s more, without him, we couldn¡¯t have found the tunnel . "
Li Min De just looked at his hand and for a long time didn¡¯t say anything: "Saying this, you obviously --- just want to let him live . "
Li Wei Yang lost her smile and said, "For the sake of him not being entirely bad . "
Li Min De said sadly: "And Jiang Xu? If our people entered the Jiang Estate and took the opportunity to kill him---"
Li Wei Yang shook her head and said, "It¡¯s not that easy . We took him by surprise because of our advantage in knowing about the tunnel . If we fight in broad daylight, we would lose . Do you really think their military merits are made of y? "
"Then, what are you going to do next?" Bai Zhi handed Li Min De a cup of tea and Li Min De whispered through the tea mist .
Li Wei Yang looked back at him, and suddenly smiled . Her eyes showed cold intentions and a hidden murderous look: "Wait and see . "
--- JIANG ESTATE ---
When Jiang Hua passed by the study, he heard Jiang Hai, who had been the most stable, scolded loudly: "You wastrel! You daree back!" Although his voice was loud, he intentionally said it to the people in the study .
Jiang Hua looked towards the person kneeling on the ground . A heavy rainstorm had just passed in the evening . Jiang Tian wore a thin summer shirt and knelt in the rain . It was obvious that he had been kneeling for some time and the water on the ground had crept into his knees . Jiang Hua whispered softly: "Brother, this is . . . "
Jiang Hai didn¡¯t say anything, but the second son Jiang Yang stood beside him and said coldly: "Third Brother, Father had ordered to let the Fifth Brother kneel out here!"
Jiang Hua sighed . He knew that Jiang Tian was not in good health . The root cause of his illness was developed during his childhood . How could he stand kneeling in the rain like this? While sighing, she heard Jiang Second Furen hurried over, stood at the end of the corridor and didn¡¯t dare to speak . In this family, the master of the house was Jiang Xu . In addition, this time Jiang Tian did make a big mistake . She did not dare to plead for her son .
Jiang Yang apparently felt unbearable and couldn¡¯t help saying: "I¡¯m going to plead with Father . "
Jiang Hua raised his head and gently shook his finger: "You can¡¯t say it . "
Jiang Yang¡¯s heart sank: "But he can¡¯t let him kneel until dawn . "
Jiang Hua said: "Father¡¯s anger is not trivial this time . The more you persuade him, the more angry he will get . On the contrary, if you turn a blind eye, he will let him rise . " Jiang Tian is Second Uncle¡¯s only son so Jiang Xu would naturally not act too aggressively . But if we go and plead for him, it will fuel the fire . Several of them were talking outside and they all waited quietly . Sure enough, after half an hour, the door of the study opened, and a voice came from inside: "Scram inside!"
Jiang Hua immediately said: "Fifth Brother, get up!"
Jiang Tian was weak and sick since childhood, which was why he didn¡¯t love swords but loved medicine . Additionally, he was born with chills and he had to wear twoyers of pants in the summer . Now that he had knelt for this long in the rain, he almost couldn¡¯t get up . Jiang Yang gave him a hand before he finally got up and fearfully followed behind his three elder brothers through the doors . Jiang Second Furen watched from afar, extremely worried .
In the study, Jiang Xu looked gloomy and coldly said: "Clearly tell us now, how can you reveal the tunnel to outsiders? Did you really want to betray the Jiang family?!"
Jiang Tian was quiet for a long time and then he suddenly cried, "Uncle, I was scared, I was really scared by that girl . She is not a human at all, there was no mercy at all! If I didn¡¯t tell her, she ordered people to ensure I couldn¡¯t sleep day and night . She also tried all kinds of ways to torture me ¡ª "
"Useless thing!" Jiang Xu, in an instant rage, smashed the ck jade paperweight with a snap, "You can¡¯t even handle this matter, how are you qualified to say you are a Jiang!"
Although Jiang Tian loved to y tricks, he was definitely not a person who didn¡¯t know the importance and exposed the tunnel to outsiders, especially this outsider who was their enemy, which was equivalent to betraying the family! Jiang Hua slightly frowned and said: "You were not such a timid person before . "
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Erica
Chapter 124.2
Chapter 124.2
Chapter 124: Death by a Thousand Slices
Jiang Tian¡¯s tears and snots rolled down his face and he said, "This horrifying woman, she . . . she made people use a short knife to open a four-point long opening on the crown of my medicine boy and poured mercury into it . A red streak of white flesh jumped out, it was terrifying --- really terrifying!"
Everyone in the room shuddered . Mercury was far heavier than blood . They could separate the skin and flesh . Under severe pain, the flesh would rush forward and drill out of the knife wound . This kind of method was unheard of . It sounded cold and sweaty . It was really terrifying, Jiang Hua blurted out: "Did you see it with your own eyes?!"
Jiang Tian was stunned, and immediately said: "I . . . I watched them drag the medicine boy out and said they would pour mercury into him . Soon I heard screams andter they showed me the white flesh, I was too scared to look at it clearly . . . "
Jiang Hua sneered: "It¡¯s just a deceptive trick . If they really wanted to kill someone, why didn¡¯t they just do it in front of you? Isn¡¯t it more stunningly effective? They were clearly intimidating you! Gutless thing!"
Intimidation? Even the intimidation was also the cruelest intimidation in the world . Jiang Tian couldn¡¯t help but shivered slightly but noticed Jiang Hua was still calm . However, his red mole between his eyebrows had be more vivid . He smiled strongly: "I . . . I am indeed timid, anyway, you have already arranged countless secret guards so even if theye in from the tunnel, they would definitely not be able to hurt you all . Why should I lose my life! If I wasn¡¯t sure that those people can¡¯t kill you, I would be struck by lightning and I would have never said a word . ¡±
Jiang Yang shook his head and said: "That kind of scene is terrifying, don¡¯t me Fifth Brother . He is really scared enough, otherwise he won¡¯t say it all, this is also human nature . "
Jiang Hua sighed and lowered his eyes slightly: "It¡¯s really stupid . From the beginning, Li Wei Yang was not prepared to kill you . "
Jiang Tian hurriedly said: "No, they didn¡¯t show mercy at all! Look, my back has been beaten by rattan!"
Jiang Hua looked at him with hatred and said: "Li Wei Yang is a vengeful person . Not only will she take revenge, but she would avenge a hundred times and a thousand of times worst . This kind of person also has a characteristic . She would never forget the people who she owe gratitude to . You saved her younger brother and for this one reason, she wouldn¡¯t kill you! If you carried it at that time and said nothing no matter how they tricked you, you would still be safe and sound in the end . But you idiot confessed everything without being pressed!"
Jiang Xu¡¯s face was also difficult to look at; he stared at Jiang Tian with wide eyes .
Jiang Tian looked at Jiang Hua in surprise and said, "How would you know, just in case---"
Jiang Hua sneered and said, "Not in case! I can be sure of this! It¡¯s ridiculous that you have been fighting with her for so long but you still haven¡¯t even understood her personality yet! You couldn¡¯t even grasp her personality, no wonder you will fail!"
Jiang Tian froze: "Didn¡¯t you fail this time as well?"
Jiang Hua choked for a while, then smiled and said: "I want to get rid of her, there are many ways, you slowly wait and see . "
---
It was almost evening before Li Wei Yang returned to the residence . Once she changed her clothes, a yatou came to inform her that it was the Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu who had been waiting in the main hall for a long time .
Li Wei Yang said: "Please ask him to wait in the parlor . "
Tuoba Yu waited for half a cup of tea before Li Wei Yang turned into the yard and entered the parlor,ughing: "I¡¯ve let Your Highness wait for a long time . "
Tuoba Yu was garbed in a long dress and looked more and more beautiful under the candlelight: "Wei Yang, I went to the pce and personally reported the incident to Imperial Father . He was very angry at the death of the Duke¡¯s Furen and how the Jiangs shielded the murderer and framed you . He also said if there is evidence, the Jiangs must be severely punished . "
Li Wei Yang smiled absently: "No matter whether evidence can be found, His Majesty will not punish the Jiang family for now . "
Tuoba Yu froze for a moment and said, "With these events that caused such harm to their reputation, would Imperial Father still keep them?"
"Your Highness," Li Wei Yang sat down, lowered her eyes, shed her thick eyshes and said after a long time: "You must understand that as long as Duke Jiang is still alive and he is guarding the country gate for His Majesty, he will not move the Jiangs that easily . "
Tuoba Yu¡¯s face showed a disappointed look: "So, we still can¡¯t shake them?"
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly, and said: "It¡¯s not exactly that . Has Your Highness ever seen a tree being cut down? If you are going to cut down the tree during the healthy period ofrge branches and leafy leaves, then you don¡¯t know how much energy to waste . If it has been during a period where there insides have been emptied out, then the situation would be very different . If I want to get rid of the Jiang family, it¡¯s not a one-time job . I¡¯m not in a hurry so why is Your Highness this impatient?"
Tuoba Yu nodded and said, "You are right . " The aloof boy during their first encounter had now obeyed Li Wei Yang¡¯s words, and Bai Zhi and Zhao Yue were very surprised as they watched .
Li Wei Yang lowered her head to drink tea . There were some things she knew about without him explicitly saying them . For example, this time, he did a lot of work behind her back, but since he is an ally, she didn¡¯t have to express her gratitude .
Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang and knew that she was safe and sound so he should leave . But there was another important thing, he slowly said: "I must leave the capital for some time . "
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes and Tuoba Yu said: "Imperial Father ordered me to visit Nanjiang . "
Li Wei Yang stunned, Nanjiang? That¡¯s where Duke Jiang was . The old general was still the mainstay of Nanjiang . Now the emperor ordered Tuoba Yu to go . What did this mean? She thought for a moment, then smiled slightly, and said: "The road to Nanjiang is far away, there are many things in the world, Your Highness, you must be careful during this visit . "
Tuoba Yu only felt hot in his heart, thinking that she was very concerned about him . But when he realized the underlying meaning behind this sentence, he was shocked: "You mean, Imperial Father doubts me?"
Li Wei Yang said lightly: "No, I¡¯m not talking about His Majesty . In the past few years, you have removed many people under the Crown Prince and Tuoba Zhen . In my opinion, His Majesty has be more dissatisfied with the Crown Prince . He already has the thought of modifying the sessor but he is still hesitating . As long as the Empress is still alive, he will not easily abandon the Crown Prince . This time, it is a chance given to you by His Majesty and other princes would see this in their eyes and be even more jealous . By that time, if you suddenly suffer from a disease or die on the road, who would be the happiest?"
Tuoba Yu stared at her seriously, but saw Li Wei Yang slightly hooked her lips, and printed her smile between her brows and eyes . For a moment, he only felt as if there was a faint gentle pounce and even his thoughts were a little trance: "You mean Tuoba Zhen?"
Li Wei Yang smiled calmly: "I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not just Tuoba Zhen, I guess, the Jiangs has already formed an alliance with him . "
Tuoba Yu was shocked, but Li Wei Yang said: "Why is Your Highness panicking? Isn¡¯t this a very clear thing? The Jiang family will one day turn to Tuoba Zhen, but it¡¯s only a matter of time . It¡¯s just that for a highly regarded family like them, there was no need to rely on anyone . But with the recent series of blows, they have forced them to make a decision . The Crown Prince is mediocre is stupid . So it¡¯s only between you or Tuoba Zhen and they rather choose a prince with no power and no powerful matriarch so they can revive the Jiang family¡¯s prestige . On the contrary, if they are on your side, they will not get more than Duke Luo . "
Tuoba Yu said slightly, "You are right . "
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression was very leisurely, she said: "A lot of things are inly in sight . Since the Jiang family turned to Tuoba Zhen, they will naturally help him get rid of hispetitors . If you go to Nanjiang and they falsely use you of befriending the subjects on the frontier and intending to rebel, what do you think the result would be?"
Tuoba Yu frowned . During this time, he had also vaguely doubted the Jiangs but the Jiang family had always been low-key and never showed true support for Tuoba Yu . . . everything makes people feel it can be true or false, no one would have thought as no one would have noticed any connections .
Seeing him hesitate, Li Wei Yang showed a half-smiling expression and said in a cold voice: "You would certainly be bogged down in crisis on this trip to Nanjiang, but if handled properly, it would be an extremely cost-effective deal . "
Tuoba Yu frowned: "What does this mean?"
Li Wei Yang smiled and put a jade-like hand in front of him, paused for a moment, then waved decisively: "Your Highness, these four words(1) are for you, permanently rid of troubles!"
Tuoba Yu was shocked, but his face did not change: "I don¡¯t know what you mean by permanent trouble,"
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and waved to him . He walked over in doubt but Li Wei Yang opened his palm . Between the fingertips and the skin brought by the light touch, he clearly felt the few words that Li Wei Yang lightly wrote . Tuoba Yu was taken aback and the blood on his face faded instantly . However, he hesitated for a while and finally nodded at Li Wei Yang .
Three dayster, there was news that Li Chang Le was sentenced to punishment . Li Lao Furen couldn¡¯t bear to say: "It¡¯s a guilt of the previous life . "
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Since she is not from my Li family, why should Lao Furen be sad?"
Li Lao Furen sighed and said, "I don¡¯t want to see her being punished by the capital punishment in front of everyone . Help me see her for me . "
Li Wei Yang calmly said, "You mean¡ª"
Li Lao Furen nced at her: "What do you think is meant by me, then it¡¯s what I mean . "
Li Wei Yang lowered her eyes lightly and said, "Wei Yang understands . "
On the afternoon of the same day, Li Wei Yang ordered Bai Zhi to prepare a food box . Bai Zhi curiously said: "Where is Xiaojie going?"
Li Wei Yang nced at the food box and slowly said: "Go to the Jingzhao¡¯s Prison . " The Jingzhao¡¯s Prison is no different from ordinary prisons, only bigger . Li Chang Le was a high-profile criminal so it would have been hard for Li Wei Yang to see her but Li Chang Le¡¯s imprisonment was not decided by the Emperor personally . After all, she was Official Yao¡¯s future wife and sister, so she notified Yao Chang Qing of her visit and Li Wei Yang just walked in .
In the deepest prison cell, Li Chang Le was detained alone . The Li Chang Le now, had lost the beauty of her life . Instead, she looked like a female ghost with hair distributed over her face . Because there was no medicine, her ulcers had intensified . Now, people just don¡¯t want to look at it, but she still thought she was a beauty and showed an expression of superiority .
The jailer walked past her cell and smelled a strong odor .
There were all kinds of odors in this prison, but there was no way to suppress this terrible fishy smell . It was fishy, ??not the smell of the body odor, but the smell of something rotting .
Seeing Li Wei Yanging in, the jailer said with a gagging expression: "Xiaojie, you must note near, this crazy woman is so stinky!"
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, "It¡¯s okay . " She stood quietly at the door, looking at the person inside .
As soon as Li Wei Yang appeared, Li Chang Le threw herself in front of the railing and stretched out her hand as if to grab her and tear her up: "Bitch! Bitch!" She kept roaring, all her outstretched hands already rotten .
"Did they use torture?" Li Wei Yang asked left and right .
The jailer hurriedly replied: "This kind of criminal, without the orders of the Official, we dare not act . These wounds were all made by herself, it is very disgusting!"
Li Chang Le said sharply: "Li Wei Yang, you must die!"
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly and said, "Which time is it that you didn¡¯t provoke it first, I¡¯m just fighting back . Should I have bare my neck for your sword so that I can have a good death?"
Li Chang Le was full of hatred: "Uncle, they will let me out!"
"Let you out?" Li Wei Yang had no expression on her pale white face, and her/ dark eyes sneered .
"What do you mean?" Li Chang Le stared at her cautiously .
Li Wei Yangughed again .
"What the hell are youughing at?" Li Changle was furious .
"I amughing --- that you really are a stupid woman . And, I have to say, the stupidest thing I have ever seen in my life . "
"What are you talking about?" Li Chang Le desperately wanted to reach out and grab Li Wei Yang but it was a futile effort .
"Jiang Tian is still in prison, will the Jiang familye to rescue you?"
Hearing this, Li Chang Le cracked a gap deep in his heart and began to drip blood . And she was so angry that she was going crazy: "So what are you doing! Are you here tough at me?!"
Bai Zhi gave the jailer a silver coin, and he quickly backed away, leaving them with privacy . Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Give her the food box . "
"Do you want to poison me?" Li Chang Le said, every word seemed to be soaked in blood and full of hate .
Li Wei Yang stood motionless . After a long silence, she slowly sneered: "Kill you? The person who wants you to die is not me, but your biological grandmother . Your maternal grandmother was killed by you . Now your paternal grandmother wants you to die, isn¡¯t it very interesting?" Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyebrows, once deepened, seemed inexpressibly cold .
Li Chang Le¡¯s body was trembling and she suddenly became horrified . The original hatred was gone: "Wei Yang, Wei Yang! You let me go, please I beg you to let me go! I have admitted defeat, I don¡¯t dare to provoke you anymore, please beg them, let me go! I don¡¯t want to die, I really don¡¯t want to die! Wei Yang, I¡¯m your biological sister, seeing that we have the same blood flowing in us, let me go, let me go!" Her voice became more and more miserable, and every sentence was pleading .
"My biological sister . . . " Li Wei Yang sighed . "Every time I hear you call me so intimately, I feel sick! I have been sick of you for a long time, Li Chang Le . "
Li Changle looked at her in horror and suddenly realized the fact: "Ever since you came back, you were looking for revenge? You are avenging us for throwing you in the countryside ---"
With such a thought, many hazy events became clear in an instant, and they were juxtaposed side by side in an orderly manner that Li Chang Le was suddenly shocked .
It¡¯s terrifying, it¡¯s terrifying, very terrifying! Li Chang Le¡¯s body began to tremble because of hatred and anger .
Li Wei Yang said with a smile: "Although I didn¡¯t want you to live a good life since I came back, but for you to have fallen to this point today, you asked for it . Do you still remember the fire in the room on the mountain? Do you remember Zi Yan who betrayed me? Do you remember how my Fourth Brother was poisoned? One by one, which one did you not provoke?! Now what qualifications do you have to me me?" Everything in her previous life was already blurred in her impressions . At that time, she really thought that once she returned to the Jiangs, the sisters could get along in harmony . Yes, since she was born back to the Li family, she sincerely wanted to go against the mother and daughter . . . But if Da Furen in this life didn¡¯t force her to follow the same path and didn¡¯t do anything to kill her, she might still keep them alive . . .
Li Wei Yang looked at her, smiled, and said, "Now, I just give back what you have done . "
Li Chang Le couldn¡¯t pretend anymore and screamed: "You slut! You are just a slut, why should you sit on par with me? You should have died, and you should have died from birth! We did this to you because you deserve it!"
Li Wei Yang looked at her calmly, and then shook her head: "It seems that you still don¡¯t know what you did wrong . . . Oh no, it should be said that you are always so innocent, always so noble, and only others are sorry for you, without your share of sorry for others . . . Since you are obsessed, you will be punished! As for this food box, forget it!"
With a wave of her hand, she knocked over the box .
Li Chang Le looked at the debris of the food box with surprise . Li Wei Yang looked at her so condescendingly with a faint expression but with a force that was more hurtful than any contempt or ridicule and stared at her coldly without blinking . She coldly said: "I want to see if the flesh on your body is cut down one by one, whether it can really be cut into three hundred and sixty slices . Presumably, the scene must be very interesting . "
The slicing punishment was death by a thousand cuts, which was mainly reserved for people who hadmitted serious crimes such as rebellion and vition of human rtions . Although Li Chang Le¡¯s identity is in doubt, her crimes of murdering the Duke¡¯s Furen had been finalized . Yao Chang Qing¡¯s final sentence was that she was charged for the crime of murdering a kin so the punishment was extremely heavy .
"You shut up!" Li Chang Le screamed and threw herself over again but the jailer who hurried over and fling his whish through the railing straight across her cheek . Li Changle looked straight at Li Wei Yang and said fiercely: "Li Wei Yang, I wille to you when I am a ghost!"
"If you don¡¯t shut up, I¡¯llsh you to death!" The whip fell like a raindrop but Li Chang Le stayed hard next to her . She didn¡¯t shout in pain but she kept scolding Li Wei Yang . Li Wei Yang never looked at her again and turned around: "Bai Zhi, let¡¯s go . "
Bai Zhi was already terribly frightened by the strange scene, and immediately followed behind to leave .
Behind her, Li Chang Le still scolded: "Li Wei Yang! Youe back! Youe back to me!"
Walking out of the Jingzhao¡¯s Prison, there was bright sunshine outside . Li Wei Yang took a deep breath and turned towards the carriage . After the Li family¡¯s carriage left, a figure came out from the side and stared at her carriage with a sneer .
Li Wei Yang, you must be very proud, but your pride will notst for a few days . . .
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Erica
Chapter 125
Chapter 125
Chapter 125: Only A Confession
(1) ˼ (si) - to think, a thought
(2) Ò»Éú (yisheng) - a lifetime
Li Wei Yang was writing, writing very seriously although her characters have always been not that very beautiful . Because she had not been educated in the previous life, although she worked hard for a long time after, calligraphy is a skill to start learning at a young age . After carefully writing the word "thinking"(1), Li Wei Yang looked at it carefully for a long time, and shook her head .
"Xiaojie has been practicing calligraphy today!"
"Yeah, I heard that today was the day of Jiang Fourth Shaoye¡¯s execution . A lot of people went to see it!"
"Yes, I thought Xiaojie was going too!"
"Hush, be quiet! Xiaojie didn¡¯t mean to go!" Mo Zhu and Bai Zhi whispered to each other .
Li Wei Yang raised her head and nced at them, and said, "Gossiping in front of me?" Do these two yatous think she ispletely deaf? She basically heard everything!
Bai Zhi smiled and said: "Xiaojie, you didn¡¯t want to go to the execution site to watch?" Watching the enemy die is a very popr thing, why is Xiaojie not interested at all?
Li Wei Yang wrote another stroke, saying lightly: "What¡¯s so good about watching the killing of people?" Besides, the person killed must not have been Jiang Nan .
Both Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu looked at her with strange eyes . Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Zhao Yue, please tell them . "
Zhao Yue answered: "Xiaojie arranged people at the entrance of the prison, and one night three days ago, someone secretly entered the prison and reced Jiang Nan . "
The other yatous expressed shock on their faces, and Bai Zhi quickly said: "The Jiangs are so bold!"
The imperial prison is different from ordinary prisons; it is the ce where high-profile detainees are held and Jiang Nan was someone His Majesty personally sent in there . No one is allowed to visit, let alone allow any idle people to approach . Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Who can go to prison without the permission of His Majesty?"
Mo Zhu surprised: "Xiaojie means . . . "
"I didn¡¯t mean anything . " Li Wei Yang blinked . The emperor seized the Jiangs¡¯ military of 200,000 and had already ordered the Jiangs¡¯ children to return to the capital for mourning . If they really killed Jiang Nan, then they were forcing the Jiangs to stage an overthrow . So Jiang Nan was reced by someone, with the Crown Prince¡¯s assistance and the Emperor¡¯s acquiescence . Deals within the royal family had always been this sloppy . Whatever goes wrong, as long as they are willing, everything is done to maintain the stability of the imperial power . This is not surprising . Li Wei Yang had expected it early in the morning but she just wanted to confirm it .
"Xiaojie, we can find a way to expose them!" Bai Zhi gritted his teeth; she really hated Jiang Nan¡¯s opinionated virtue .
Li Wei Yang smiled quietly: "Although Jiang Nan is alive, he can only live in the shadow for the rest of his life, not to mention he can¡¯t go back to the battlefield to build a career . His life is a hundred times more painful than death . " With Jiang Nan¡¯s domineering and arrogant character, to abandon his identity as the fourth son of the Jiangs and to give up the name of General Wuwei to be a man in the city without telling anyone his identity and he can¡¯t inherit the glory of the Jiangs, everything has been ruined for him . Li Wei Yang thought it was very beautiful .
For Jiang Nan, this is the cruelest punishment in the world .
"But if hees to trouble you again?" Bai Zhi was a little worried .
Li Wei Yang smiled a little: "He wants to but the Jiang family would watch him wholeheartedly and prevent him from appearing in front of me again . I think he has been sent out of the city now . ¡± Of course, he must not be sent to the prosperous big city but to the countryside where the bird does not shit . They will definitely send people to watch him so that he can no longer cause any troubles .
Bai Zhi nodded and wanted to say something . There was a voice outside, "This yatou, don¡¯t you even understand? To keep Jiang Nan alive, is to keep a hold of evidence on the Jiangs . When this is revisited in the future, we can add on to their usations with one stroke . "
Li Wei Yang looked up and saw it was Li Min De standing at the door . His eyes nting, his eyes overflowing with jet ck and his neutral smile gave off a dazzling look . Even though it was a familiar face, Li Wei Yang felt that his body was inexplicably a bit tough and strong, making her frown lightly .
Li Min De was also staring at her . Because it was summer, the ice basin was specially ced in the house but still it did not decrease the amount of heat . Li Wei Yang wore a cherry-colored flower dress with a snow white face and she was extraordinarily morous . When she looked up, the white jade tassel butterfly on the neckline flickered slightly, almost enchanting his eyes .
Li Min De¡¯s eyes were so soft and gentle: "What is it, why are you practicing calligraphy?" He walked up to her and lifted up a word for a closer look . Li Wei Yang asked, "How is it?"
When Li Min De smiled, the smile was as dazzling as a bouquet of flowers blooming in spring . Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu looked at each other and couldn¡¯t help but retreated half a step . Third Gongzi dared not look at it more, fearing that it will hook his soul away . When Zhao Yue came in, she retreated out to talk to her brother .
"Here, the strokes are not strong enough . " Li Min De held her with his hands, as if to teach her how to write with his hands . Li Wei Yang was stunned and then quickly pulled her hands back without trace: "Aren¡¯t you going out? Why did youe back this early?"
Li Min De smiled and took a jade hairpin from his arms: "I saw it outside, I think it is very suitable for you . "
The jade hairpin was made of a piece of jadeite, and the finely carved hairpins were embellished with pearls . The green and white colors were interesting and extremely beautiful . Li Wei Yang was enchanted by the blueness and then said: "For me?"
Li Min De nodded and wanted to help her put it on but Li Wei Yang suddenly stopped his hand .
Li Min De didn¡¯t move, but held the hairpin in his hand tightly, his eyes fixed on her face, a strange look appeared in his eyes, "What¡¯s wrong . . . . . . "
Li Wei Yang¡¯s back was straight and her pure face vigorously concealed something . After a while, she smiled and said: "Min De, a jade hairpin like this can¡¯t be given away casually, it¡¯s much more inappropriate for me . "
"My intentions, you have always known . " Li Min De looked at her eyes, they were dark and transparent that he could almost see his face . His heart was hot and eager as he blinked towards her .
Seeing that something was wrong, Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu quietly retreated .
"I ... . . . " Li Wei Yang was stunned to meet his enthusiastic eyes .
However, Li Min De looked at her seriously and then revealed a thin smile like the sunlight shining on the ice . It looked very warm yet in fact it was full of anxiety: "You¡¯ve asked me before, who do I like? Now I will tell you the answer, do you want to hear it? "
Li Wei Yang was almost speechless . At this time, what she said seemed to be wrong .
"You once said that you will stay by my side anyway and never leave . " Li Min De stared at her brightly .
" . . . . . . " Li Wei Yang was surprised . It was a matter of a few years ago, but they were constion words after Third Furen passed away . But she didn¡¯t expect that the young man in front of her still remembers it until now .
"Are those promises still true?" He asked anxiously .
Li Wei Yang was dumb for a moment: "What I said ... . . . naturally will not change . But . . . but I can¡¯t ept your intentions---" Although it is difficult, she should still make it clear, right?
Li Min De¡¯s handsome face started to turn blue and began to turn white again . He seemed to realize what was challenging and asked awkwardly, " . . . . . . what you once promised ...... was just a joke?" Unconsciously, he squeezed his fist slowly .
Li Wei Yang looked at his expression and couldn¡¯t say anything negative . However, there was no way to answer yes . She lowered her head and slowly pushed the jade hairpin back to him, "This ... . . . you should give it to a girl you like . "
"You!" Li Min De looked at her with a trace of disbelief .
"This ... . . . this is something for the person you like . Giving it to me is very inconvenient, so I can¡¯t ept it no matter what . "
"The things I gave you will never be taken back!" Just like his heart, Li Min De said word by word .
"Min De . . . . . . "
Li Min De¡¯s chest swelled hurriedly, "At that time, you rescued me from the water, and you said that you will be my friend and my family from now on . After Mother died, you stayed with me and told me you won¡¯t abandon me and will stay with me all your life? Now, has everything changed? Why? Because I am no longer the helpless Li¡¯s Third Shaoye in the past? Because you think I am no longer your responsibility, so do you want to abandon me? You didn¡¯t take me seriously, did you? You asked me to find the woman I like, and I am telling you, I only like you! "
Li Wei Yang looked at him and opened her mouth but in the end, she couldn¡¯t say anything . It¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t want to love anyone but she didn¡¯t have the ability to love him . She couldn¡¯t ept anyone . Min De is a very good person, very good . At the most difficult time, he always stood by her side, but she couldn¡¯t love him . She wasn¡¯t prepared to ept anyone this lifetime . Her heart is already decayed and will not beat at all but he is different . He is still very young, so smart, so handsome, so talented, many girls like him . She can¡¯t reciprocate so how can she give him hope ... . . .
"I know you won¡¯t love someone, but can¡¯t you allow me---to love you?" Li Min De¡¯s face oozes with a bitter smile . I wonder if it is his own illusion but he feels that the body is moving away from himself . Never in his heart, There was panic and fear surging forward . He suddenly stepped forward, almost using all his strength, and took her hand .
Li Wei Yang was stunned for a moment but did not think about breaking free .
"I know, Tuoba Yu likes you, and Tuoba Zhen also really wants to have you, but you have never liked them . Then for me, since you have not explicitly rejected them, why should you push me away ... . . . " His eyes were red, the expression in his eyes slowly faded away and gradually turned dimmer, "In your heart, I am the easiest person to abandon ... . . . "
Li Wei Yang froze for a long time and ultimately broke free from him . She finally sighed softly, the guilt and uneasiness in her eyes kept surging, "You are a fool! I don¡¯t know how many women will like you, why should you like me?! When you know I can¡¯t ept it!"
Li Min De looked at her and reached out to touch her face yet touched empty air . A scorched look shed on his face, and finally heughed out loud . His dark, soft eyes were like the reflection in the mirror where it showed her face slowly: "You wouldn¡¯t even let me like you silently?"
"All I have for you is just affection from a family . " Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart was sour, her face was cold and warm for a while . She opened her mouth gently, and the bittersweet taste spread in her mouth . She couldn¡¯t help but grind her teeth to reply . Clever as she was but why did she not know that this young man who has always been like a younger brother in her own heart may have changed his feelings towards her .
At first she thought it was just a simple fascination for him . . . . . . But how did it turn into this?
There are a lot of words that she can¡¯t say and exin . She only wanted to drive him away . But in private, she couldn¡¯t bear to let this young man go, maybe it¡¯s because her heart is also nostalgic for warmth, but she still can¡¯t ept it .
"Am I delusional, aren¡¯t I?" While watching her say the words of family affection, he suddenlyughed so much that his eyes were filled with tears .
She just looked at him silently, and an embarrassing silence spread across the room .
After a long time, a very long time, his voice became extremely calm in vain: "If you like quiet, I will try to be well-behaved in front of you; if you like gentle people, then I will force myself to be gentle; you don¡¯t like others to force you, I will like you silently, guard you, even if you never ept my feelings, I can guard you for life . As long as you don¡¯t reject me, I can keep dreaming . But my heart is also flesh . I can be wounded and hurt . You know everything yet you pretend not to know and now use the words of family affection to summarize everything . Then what I did for you, what do those mean, what do they mean? In your heart, you¡¯ve hoarded space for a lot, revenge, hatred ... . . . when will it ever be for yourself, for me . . . . . . "
The pain in his eyes shocked Li Wei Yang . She thought ... . . . after a while, he would let go of this meaningless obsession, but she didn¡¯t expect him to think about his life for a long time . How long can he live? How can he say these two words(2) easily?
No, you must make him wake up! Li Wei Yang shook his head and said, "Min De, I will treat you as the most important person in my life, but not a lover . Wake up and take a good look around . There are too many girls around you who like you . You won¡¯tck someone like me . We are all rtives from beginning to end, this rtionship will not change, you will not leave me, I will not leave you, but I don¡¯t want your love, is this bad? "
Li Min De looked at her and his eyes were gradually drenched with despair: "Yes, never separate, but you said, you don¡¯t want me to love you . "
Li Wei Yang cruelly said, "Yes, I don¡¯t want you to love me, and never want you to love me! You just have to treat me as family!" Such a rtionship is the most stable and will never change . Like Min Zhi will never betray her, Tan-shi will never betray her, only such feelings are the most sincere and will not change easily! "You just need to think about it now and when you think it through, let¡¯s talk about it then!" Li Wei Yang said, returning the jade hairpin to him and turning to leave .
Li Min De¡¯s dark eyes kept staring at her, watching her leave . At the moment when the door was covered, a gold vase was suddenly swept to the ground by him, "W---" A loud noise sounded and the vase crashed into pieces .
He still stood there, his eyes slowly changing into ice cold . He firmly held the jade hairpin in his palm . The pain and ufortable waves in his eyes could be seen . Things given away can be returned but how about his heart, can it be returned so simply?
After this incident, Li Wei Yang felt uneasy and avoided Li Min De for several days . But soon, she discovered that things were beyond her imagination . However, in a few days, Li Min De¡¯s attitude had returned to its original state . When she met him, heughed as if nothing happened that day .
She could not help wondering when this teenager became so heavy in thoughts that she could not understand him anymore .
---
August 15th, Crown Princess¡¯ Birthday Banquet
Li Wei Yang had just dressed, but suddenly saw Zhao Yue rushing in from the mirror: "Xiaojie, someone sent a box outside, indicating that it was for Xiaojie and no one else was allowed to open it . "
Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows . If this thing was not special, Zhao Yue wouldn¡¯t have reported it . She turned back and said: "Who sent it?"
Zhao Yue lowered her head and said: "Nubi heard that the steward sent someone to report, but when he rushed to the door, he saw a carriage with a ck awning leaving, which also had the family emblem of the Jiangs . "
"The Jiangs?" Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but show a curious expression .
"Yes, Xiaojie, Nubi brought the box in . Does Xiaojie want to see it?" Zhao Yue asked .
Li Wei Yang nodded and said, "Bring it . " Zhao Yue clearly knew what was in the box, so she didn¡¯t go close to it . She opened the box far away, exposing the contents inside .
Bai Zhi nced, screamed, and retreated back half a step in fright . She collided with Mo Zhu who had just entered from behind . The tray in Mo Zhu¡¯s hand fell onto the ground and the green grapes rolled down . Mo Zhu couldn¡¯t care about Bai Zhi and quickly picked up the grape from the ground with heartache: "Bai Zhi Jiejie, this is the best grape of this year---"
Bai Zhi pointed at the box and looked shocked .
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Erica
hapter 125: Only a Confession
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In the box, there was a head which was held in ce with limestone . Although it was thoroughly cleansed and there is no drop of blood, it is indeed a head . Even though it has been treated, the rotten face and scarred face can be seen as Li Chang Le with just one nce .
Li Chang Le was sentenced to punishment three days ago . Li Wei Yang did not go to watch the torture . The Jiang family rescued Jiang Nan, but they would not rescue Li Chang Le, who had no more value, so she would definitely die . However, this head was sent to her .
Zhao Yue saw that Li Wei Yang did not show too much of a shocked expression, so she closed the box with ease: "Xiaojie, what do you think is their intention?"
Bai Zhi said angrily: "The Jiangs are bullying us to the extreme! They dare send this thing to us!"
Mo Zhu looked at several people in the house in shock . When she came inte, she was knocked down by Bai Zhi and was busy picking things up, so she didn¡¯t even see the head in the box . After being reminded by Bai Zhi, she found out what was inside . She was surprised and couldn¡¯t help thinking about it . Are the Jiangs openly provoking them?
"No, it¡¯s not the Jiangs, it¡¯s Jiang Hua . " Li Wei Yang turned around and looked at her face from the mirror . The uneven light and shadow in the bronze mirror made her shadow even more blurry .
"Jiang Hua?" Bai Zhi was taken aback . "Xiaojie, he is deliberately scaring you? Don¡¯t be fooled!"
Li Wei Yangughed, how could a person who plot the death of others be frightened by the scene of death? After staying in the cold pce for so many years, she has even seen lunatics eating their own arms because of madness . So she had experienced terrifying scenes before, how is this frightening? Whenever she feels that she is going crazy, she tells herself over and over again that she must live a long time and live longer than those who want her to die! She believes that Jiang Hua is a smart person, and he should have known what kind of personality she has so he wouldn¡¯t use such childish tricks to intimidate her .
Probably, it¡¯s because she mutually understands the workings of this clever man .
He did not mean to provoke but just to tell her that this game is very interesting and he also wants to participate in it .
Even more, he was asking: Li Wei Yang, do you want to y together? It¡¯s like an invitation, a death bet on life .
Li Wei Yang pursed her lips, Jiang Hua¡¯s mind may not be understandable by ordinary people . This kind of person is indeed talented and strategic and even has a bit of simrity to her in the style of doing things . Moreover, he was willing to take risks, which can be seen from the fact that Jiang Hua sent someone to assassinate her . He is an arrogant and adventurous person at heart . When necessary, he can ignore everything or even the consequences . Compared with other people in the Jiangs who value the honor of the entire family, Jiang Hua is an extreme dissident . Now Li Wei Yang has ignited his interest . He will take any possible means to defeat her even if that means for him to make a huge sacrifice .
Such a person is definitely more dangerous than the others in the Jiangs, much more dangerous .
One hourter, Jiang Yue Lan took Li Chang Xiao and Li Wei Yang to the Crown Prince¡¯s residence yet Second Furen didn¡¯t take her daughter to participate . After the marriage of Second Shaoye was settled, Second Furen immediately couldn¡¯t wait to marry Li Chang Ru to Marquis Nan An¡¯s second son . Now, she is only waiting for Sun Yan Jun to marry into the family, so she is very busy . What¡¯s more, on this asion, they no longer need to participate . . . . . . Now that the three year mourning period has expired, only Li Wei Yang and Li Chang Xiao, the two unmarried Xiaojies, Li Lao Furen had already begun to find suitable mother-inws for them; this was a good opportunity .
Li Wei Yang was wearing a light purple field yarn embroidered green bamboo branch Luo skirt, looks refreshing but simple, coupled with the already born beautiful, could not help attracting everyone¡¯s attention . Indeed, in the past three months, Li Wei Yang has already made a name for herself in the Capital and has be a well-known figure .
Li Chang Xiao wore a pink silk dress, which was bright and beautiful yet obviously ufortable in everyone¡¯s eyes . Jiang Yue Lan, as if nothing had happened, walked in with the two of them . At this point, Li Wei Yang admired this stepmother very much . After the incident of framing her with Li Chang Lest time, she never felt guilty when she saw her and was able to act happy . To be this tolerant is not something ordinary people can do .
The Crown Princess smiled and watched everyone salute to her . In such hot weather, she was still wearing clothes only the Crown Prince¡¯s main wife could wear . Li Wei Yang looked at her eyes and couldn¡¯t help but hide the regret in her eyes . If a woman is reduced to relying on clothes to show her status, it means that she has no status at home .
Seeing Jiang Yue Lan and others, the Crown Princess immediately called the girl to lead them to their seats and then turned to greet the other guests . Li Wei Yang nced from a short distance away, but did not see the figure of the Jiangs¡¯ concubine-born girl, Jiang Yue Lan whispered: "The Crown Prince¡¯s concubine has be pregnant, she¡¯s at a critical stage so the Crown Prince will not let her attend the banquet . "
Li Wei Yang sighed, no wonder there was a bit of reluctance in the Crown Princess¡¯ smile . She has only had two daughters so far . If the concubine gave birth to a son at one shot, then the status of the concubine would be even more precarious .
The banquet was set in the garden, surrounded by peony flowers blooming to the full bloom and not far away was the clear and calmke water . The willows on theke shore were fluttering in the wind and fluttered with the wind . The scenery was very beautiful . Several, forty notable guests were arranged in the first two rows . Of course, the male and female guest seatings were separated . Li Min De was also invited . He came to the banquet earlier than them . Right at that moment, he was talking to someone he knew . Li Wei Yang nced at him, then dropped her eyes and sighed softly .
Many people¡¯s eyes were fixed on Li Wei Yang as if trying to see through her . Liu Xiaojie whispered next to her, "This is the An Ping Xianzhu?!" She just returned to the capital from her grandfather¡¯s home and she was apparently aware of Li Wei Yang¡¯s glorious deeds just now . She had never seen the real person so she was very curious .
Dong Qin, the eldestdy of Marquis of Hou Chang, was born with apricot peach cheeks and eyebrows . At the moment, she covered her ruddy mouth with a fan, and whispered: "You haven¡¯t seen her? Such a famous woman, tsk tsk¡ª"
Liu Xiaojie spoke in a totally unbelievable tone: "But she doesn¡¯t look that formidable at all!" In the eyes of everyone, although Li Wei Yang was innocently victimized, she dared me her official mother and maternal grandmother in the court . No matter what the other party did wrong, her behavior is extremely rebellious and unforgivable! The women in the family, even if they have been wronged and injustices, must be tolerant to the end . You can ask your father and brother to speak for you, but you should never use your mother or other elders in court . Although it may seem unfair, this is the rule! Rules that everyone knows and dare not vite!
Therefore, towards Li Wei Yang, who dared to confront and sessfully break the rules and even received praise from the Emperor, everyone started to change their feelings . In the past, they may have felt that this woman was dispensable, but now they think she is an odd, unpredictable, and extremely rebellious traitor .
These people are of noble origin and abide by tradition yet they do not understand why Li Wei Yang dared to do this in front of the Emperor . Imagine someone who usurped the throne from his elder brother . He unjustly ascends the throne, what rules would you talk to them about?! How ridiculous! The Emperor will not me Li Wei Yang and will even appreciate her, as long as the person she opposes is not him, what else does it matter! He even saw his shadow on Li Wei Yang .
This mentality is very distorted and it can¡¯t be easily understood by ordinary people . So they can only attribute this to the pity of His Majesty for not punishing the poor little thing . Of course, she will encounter more troubles in the future . Therefore, apart from the strong wife, Sun Furen, everyone began to warn their daughters to stay away from Li Wei Yang .
Liu Xiaojie quietly observed Li Wei Yang . She originally thought that she was so arrogant and dared to confront everything so no matter how she behaved, she should give off a wild and unruly, domineering vibe . But Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were quiet, elegant, and very calm . This girl is so mysterious and odd! Not only Liu Xiaojie, this is probably amon feeling amongst all of the noble furens in the audience .
However, it is not just Li Wei Yang who is well-respected by many . There is a woman who is as famous as her . She is Marquis of Yongping¡¯s youngest granddaughter, Wu Le Ling, also known as Fifth Princess Consort, who does not allow the Fifth Prince to have any concubines . She is a very formidable figure . From the moment she married Fifth Prince, she killed all of his 13 gentle concubines and even moved his two side consorts to the outer residence . Fifth Prince asionally nces at beauties, and the concubine would order to dig out the eyes of the woman . Such an arrogant woman is also extremely rare . Therefore, she is crowned as the most fierce woman in the capital and Li Wei Yang¡¯s name is still not as notorious as hers . After all, from an outsider¡¯s point of view, Li Wei Yang had no blood on her hands . The Fifth Princess Consort was extremely fierce and her behavior goes against the virtues expected from a woman, which caused her maternal family to cover their faces when they went out . Therefore, at today¡¯s banquet, the Fifth Prince couldn¡¯t attend because of something and Wu Le Ling sat alone in the position and no one would talk to her .
Li Wei Yang regretted knowing all this . She used to only know that the girl was tough but she didn¡¯t know how hard it was . If she knew that Marquis of Yongping had such a powerful weapon, she would have acted early and married her to Tuoba Zhen? Now, the miserable person would have been the Third Prince, which would have been very interesting!
As Li Wei Yang thought about this, she regretted as she poured herself a cup of baihualiang, and tasted it lightly .
At this time, everyone had lost interest in her and turned their eyes towards Li Chang Xiao . Compared to the terrifying Li Wei Yang, her Fourth Meimei is as beautiful as a lily, gentle and demure, and elegant in style . Although she is concubine-borned, but now that the prime minister doesn¡¯t have a legitimate daughter, her identity ispletely eptable .
The Crown Princess observed this scene from afar and couldn¡¯t help shaking his head . Li Lao Furen obviously wanted to choose a son-inw for Li Wei Yang first, but he could see that every family was afraid of her like a tiger . She pondered in her heart that the Crown Prince and the Jiangs were very close, but whichever family would be in power, the queen¡¯s position would still be unknown in the future, why would she win over someone who wouldn¡¯t be loyal to her? Soon, she has made up her mind to introduce Li Wei Yang to a good suitor, even if it was to anger that family .
At this time, Ninth Princess walked in behind Tuoba Zhen with a smile on her face . She was wearing a two-colored emerald butterfly-patterned gauze dress and she looked very charming . Everyone greeted them yet she just smiled and greeted the Crown Princess and went to sit with Li Wei Yang . Li Chang Xiao quickly made a seat for her so she epted and sat down: "Wei Yang Jiejie! I¡¯ve been looking for you for the past several days!"
Ninth Princess has always written to Li Wei Yang and asked her to go to the pce to apany her but Li Wei Yang threw these letters, which ordinary women would see higher than the sky, aside and didn¡¯t even read them . Ninth Princess is no longer a child now . She is more sensitive and smarter than before . The reason she sat so close to her was not for anything else but for the handsome youngster opposite her . This point, Li Wei Yang felt uneasy from her heart since she doesn¡¯t like to be used by others, especially by the Ninth Princess, who she had helped in the past .
The girl¡¯s heart is always full of all kinds of wonderful fantasy . Ninth Princess captures the hearts of many famous sons, but she always insists on capturing Li Min De¡¯s heart .
Li Wei Yang subconsciously nced at Li Min De¡¯s direction, but the other party was obviously absent-minded, shoving Ninth Princess¡¯ intentionspletely aside . She involuntarily shook her head gently, and the flowers fell intentionally .
In the male seat, Tuoba Zhen had noticed Li Wei Yang and looked at her quietly, seeing her looking in the direction of Li Min and frowning . For some reason, he felt that the atmosphere between these two people was strange, so strange that he felt suspicious . But, they are cousins, aren¡¯t they? Even if there is no blood rtionship, it is impossible to change anything . The person he needed to guard against was Tuoba Yu . Of course, the Seventh Princess may never return again .
After drinking a cup of wine, Tuoba Zhen was really in a good mood . Jiang Hua beside him smiled and said, "Does Third Highness really like Anping Xianzhu?"
This question was asked abruptly and in fact, no one has ever asked him this before . Tuoba Zhen was surprised, he suddenly raised his head, and involuntarily brought three points of sharpness in his eyes: "What do you mean?"
Jiang Hua smiled slightly, his eyebrows and red moles were shining: "It¡¯s nothing, but it¡¯s based on the concern as a friend . "
The Jiangs took the initiative to ept the olive branch that Tuoba Zhen threw to them in the past, which was what Tuoba Zhen expected . Li Wei Yang forced them too tight ... . . . but this does not mean that Jiang Hua can spy on his mind . Tuoba really sank his face and said, "What if I say no?"
Jiang Hua handed over a cup of wine and nonchntly replied: "It doesn¡¯t matter whether you have affections or not, don¡¯t forget the big picture . "
Tuoba Zhen shed a chill in his eyes: "The big picture?"
Jiang Hua smiled and said: "Whichever is the most important, whether it is the empire or the beauty, Your Highness has a decision at heart . "
What if I wanted both? Tuoba Zhen thought in his heart and a slight smile appeared on his face as he chugged the wine .
Jiang Hua knows the other party¡¯s mind very well but he doesn¡¯t expose him . He looked at Li Wei Yang over there and thought of such a vicious young girl, he also wanted to have a taste . He wanted to dig open her chest to see what color is her heart . . . . . . Presumably, it must taste really good too .
It was as if the Crown Princess didn¡¯t see the dark waves underneath and so she smiled: "I am naturally very happy that everyone coulde and attend my banquet . It happened that the water lilies I cultivated by myself have also opened . Please go and enjoy them . "
Everyone stood up and walked to theke . The Crown Princess pped her hands, and the yatous removed some of the gauze that had originally surrounded theke . When they saw the scene at the heart of theke, they immediately marveled .
In the quiet heart of theke, several purple lotus flowers opened in full bloom, and the stamens were bright goose yellow-colored . At a nce, they only noticed the beautiful colors .
"Everyone is very lucky . This kind of flower only blooms seven days a year . It usually can¡¯t be seen . Today is my birthday, which is just in time for the flowers to open . " The Crown Princess said slightly proudly .
Li Wei Yang looked at the lotus and there was a slight surprise on her face . It turned out to be a sleeping lotus . This lotus has purple petals on the outside, many golden tentacles in the middle, and a stamen with a bud in it, which only opens right before it withers . It will only open in a moment . Some people say that the tentacles of fire lotus were designed to protect the stamen from sleeping peacefully so they called it the sleeping fire lotus . But there are no such species in the capital and the climate here is not suitable for its growth . Furthermore, such a delicate flower, ordinary people simply can¡¯t afford it .
Jiang Da Furen spoke with emotion: "Such a beautiful flower can be seen as a creation . If we didn¡¯te to the Crown Princess¡¯ banquet today, it would have been a regret for life . "
The Fifth Princess Consort couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Who is the gardener here?"
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "The flowers and nts here are all nted by myself . "
There were sounds of amazement all around¡ªthe Crown Princess was able to grow these rare flowers that countless ingenious craftsmen who had broken their heads to grow . How could it not be shocking?
In the praise of everyone, the Crown Princess¡¯ expression was even more proud . She said that she nted it in person, but in fact, she bought the seeds, and invited the best gardener to maintain it for twelve hours a day . If one was not good, she would just switch to another one until her flowers were sessfully grown . Just for the few flowers in theke, she spent almost a thousand pounds of gold .
However, Li Wei Yang just nced at it and lost interest in the sleeping fire lotus . Zhao Yue quietly pulled her sleeve . When she saw that the other party had something to say, she gently followed the person . The group retreated and Tuoba Zhen noticed keenly that he wanted to keep up . But he was held back by the equally happy Crown Prince . He wanted everyone to sing a poem to praise this beautiful sleeping fire lotus so he couldn¡¯t get away in the moment . Jiang Hua smiled slightly as he trailed behind quietly .
Following Zhao Yue¡¯s guidance, Li Wei Yang saw two people in the peony bush not far away . Over there, the Ninth Princess fainted in Li Min De¡¯s arms . How bold! As Li Wei Yang looked at them, she was taken by surprise .
Originally Li Min De was standing there in a jade tooth-white willow-patterned robe . The color echoed the uneven dots between the flowers that looked like andscape . Ninth Princess inexplicably rushed out and inexplicably fell and fainted in the arms of the other party . And right at this moment, she was looking at Li Min De¡¯s face with watery eyes .
Li Wei Yang almostughed aloud . This method was too clumsy . She covered her lips and whispered: "Zhao Yue, what did you want me to see here!"
Zhao Yue grieved: "It¡¯s a pity that Nubi feels that it would be such a pity to not watch this good show . "
"You---" Li Wei Yang shook her head .
There, the Ninth Princess didn¡¯t realize anyone watching and just grabbed Li Min De¡¯s arm: "I¡¯m so dizzy . " The Ninth Princess¡¯ yatous didn¡¯t know where to go .
Li Min De looked at her gently, "Ninth Princess is well, but it is just crowded . "
Ninth Princess nodded again and again . Looking at him wholeheartedly, she was thinking about some ideas .
Li Min De helped her and then handed NInth Princess Jiu a small bottle that held hydration pills, saying, "You will not be dizzy anymore once you take it . "
Li Wei Yang was stunned since she didn¡¯t expect it all . She didn¡¯t know when these two got along so harmoniously . Zhao Yue pouted, thinking that Ninth Princess was also pretending to be weak . She didn¡¯t know if her Master would be able to hold off . Originally she wanted Third Xiaojie to see how her Master resisted other beauties . Now that his attitude was that harmoniously, she regretted bringing Xiaojie, he should have refused!
Li Min De kept a polite smile on his face and Ninth Princess subconsciously ate a hydration pill from that small bottle . She was pretending to be dizzy but she was really dizzy when she saw his rare smile . But just after eating it, her belly began to whine and soon afterwards, Ninth Princess rushed out of the peony garden and ran into Li Wei Yang but she couldn¡¯t even say hello . She rushed to thetrine--
Li Wei Yang watched in surprise as Ninth Princess picked up her skirt and ran all the way,pletely losing her demeanor . Zhao Yue also looked at each other nkly, wondering what happened .
"It¡¯s just a littlexative pill, it will help her clear her stomach . " Li Min De¡¯s voice suddenly sounded behind them . Li Wei Yang was startled as she looked back at him .
His smile was the same as before and he didn¡¯t see anything strange . Of course, if you take this medicine, you will vomit and diarrhea for three months . She believed that this would let this girl know how dangerous it is to faint in the arms of a man .
Not far away, Jiang Hua looked at this scene in his eyes, involuntarily raised his lips and smiled, Li Wei Yang, you really are a very interesting person .
-----------------------*****------------------------
Trantor: Erica
Editor: Erica
Chapter 126
Chapter 126
1) ͨ·¿Ñ¾Í· Tongfang yatou is the lowest rank in concubine whose general purpose is to service the master in the bedroom .
(2) Ò»Âíƽ´¨ - The idiom used originally meant ¡°tnd one could gallop straight across¡± .
At this moment, a young and pretty yatou steadily walked in front of Li Wei Yang and saluted, then smiled and said: "Xianzhu, the Crown Princess would like to invite you for a chat . "
Crown Princess? Li Wei Yang froze for a moment, then the corners of her lips quirked up . She had originally prepared to say a few words to Li Min De, but before she could speak, he had already walked away .
Eh . . . what¡¯s this? Li Wei Yang, who was cast aside for the first time, felt a bit dazed .
"Xianzhu?" The yatou looked at her questioningly .
Li Wei Yang recovered herself: "Where is the Crown Princess?"
The yatou pointed to a pavilion not far away . Sure enough, she saw the Crown Princess sitting there with a few otherdies . Li Wei Yang looked at the arrangement and suddenly felt her scalp go numb . It wasn¡¯t that she was doubtful of the Crown Princess . It was just that the Crown Princess and the Jiang family¡¯s daughter were as ipatible as fire and water . Li Wei Yang knew that the Crown Princess would be amiable towards her, but being too friendly was not necessarily a good thing . . . for a moment, her heart hesitated slightly . Nevertheless, her steps did not slow their pace .
The air was awfully stifling . Although the clothes on her body were made from thin muslin, Li Wei Yang had only walked outside briefly, yet her entire body was dripping with sweat . There were ice cubes ced at the four corners of the pavilion and several yatou were waving fans, so it contrarily didn¡¯t seem hot out . The Crown Princess was sitting on a chair cushioned by a split woven bamboo mat, and the crowd had dispersed to admire the scenery elsewhere . She seemed to have lost her enthusiasm for other¡¯s attention at present and was somewhat listless . At this time, she was perfunctorily speaking to her mother Min Guo Furen and her younger sister He Lian . He Lian was wearing a water-blue skirt with lotuses around the edges, as her name suggested, sitting there simr to a solitary lotus flower . Compared to her elder sister, she was really much prettier . She noticed Li Wei Yang first and smiled: "Elder sister, Xianzhu is here . "
The Crown Princess recovered some of her spirits and straightened up: "Wei Yang,e here!"
Li Wei Yang calmly approached with a smile on her face: "I humbly greet the Crown Princess . "
"You, what are you standing on ceremony with me for? Come over and sit!" The Crown Princess
huffed and beckoned her over intimately .
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly and saluted He Furen . They were both second rank, but the other party was her senior . He Furen looked at the Crown Princess in astonishment, clearly not too used to Li Wei Yang¡¯s refined and courteous etiquette . ording to the rumors, this youngdy was extremely domineering and difficult to deal with, but He Furen heard the Crown Princess mention that Li Wei Yang had always acted out of self-preservation, and also felt that sort of difficult girl couldn¡¯t exist in the world, and that the rumors were only half true . She then smiled and nodded . He Lian had to stand up immediately because she had no ranking, and she could not sit and receive Li Wei Yang¡¯s courtesy . Smiling, He Lian bowed to her twice, looking slim and charming . After the ceremony, He Lian raised her eyes slightly to look at Li Wei Yang before lowering her gaze .
In a split second, it seemed that the entire pavilion had lost its color, and even Li Wei Yang as a woman, couldn¡¯t help but brighten her eyes and look at her a few more times . Although He Lian¡¯s features could not be called remarkably beautiful, but this delicate temperament . . . Li Wei Yang remembered that when the princess looked at her sister just now, she had a look of bitter envy .
Duke Min would presumably marry off his second daughter to the Crown Prince, and as this He Lian was concubine-born, bing a side concubine was sufficient .
Li Wei Yang walked over and sat down next to the Crown Princess . The Crown Princess involuntarily smiled as she regarded her intimately: "We allow you toe to the Crown Prince residence to visit often, but you refuse . "
Li Wei Yang said with a smile: "It¡¯s true that Crown Princess means well, but I¡¯m afraid that you would be the only one in the residence who would wee me!"
The Crown Princess heard this and sneered: "You don¡¯t need to worry about her . Taking it to heart would just add unnecessary concerns!"
Duke Min Furen coughed lightly, and then the Crown Princess remembered why she had called Li Wei Yang over . She smiled and said: "Wei Yang, the period for mourning a death in your family waspletedst month . The matter of your marriage was dragged on, but it cannot be avoided this year . "
The Crown Princess wanted to use a good marriage to narrow the distance between them, and instead of talking to Li Lao Furen, came to her, which showed that the other party understood very well about this marriage¡ªthe Li family was not in a position to decide . Li Wei Yang sighed and deliberately made a fussy expression: "Crown Princess, as a girl it is reasonable that I shouldn¡¯t say this, but among those people my father found, I didn¡¯t see a single one to my satisfaction . The sons of rich families are slightly better, yet in the residence there are concubines and tongfang yatou (1), a foul atmosphere everywhere . I¡¯m not willing!"
The Crown Princess was taken aback, but she nced at He Furen, and evidently He Furen was also greatly surprised .
The Crown Princess immediately thought that Li Wei Yang did not regard herself as an outsider, and couldn¡¯t help but feel pleased . She looked at her and rebuked: "How can such words be said lightly? Can it be that you want a husband who will not take in concubines or tongfang?"
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly, yes, weren¡¯t you going to help me find one? Then find one like this, someonepatible with the Li family¡¯s background who also won¡¯t take in concubines . This kind of household, I¡¯m afraid you wouldn¡¯t find it . However, from her mouth came: "Naturally, it ought to be like this . "
He Furen smiled and said, "Truly a silly girl . Only wanting one wife, you go take a look . In this world, few can be found . I can tell you that because thete emperor favored Consort Chen in those days, exclusive monopoly is very taboo now . You can just joke with us in private, but by all means say these words outside!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "Is Wei Yang a person who doesn¡¯t understand the gravity of things?¡± Nevertheless, it was a very amiable tone .
The Crown Princess became all the more satisfied, and almost felt that Li Wei Yang and herself were on the same boat, and immediately said: "Don¡¯t think about changing the subject, there is a suitable match for you at present . "
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help being astonished: "A suitable match for me?"
The Crown Princess said: "My younger cousin He Ran . "
Li Wei Yang thought for a while and said: "That¡¯s the one¡ª"
The Crown Princess nodded and said, "Yes, my second aunt from my father¡¯s side delivered a stillborn, and my second uncle¡¯s body was not good either . He passed away when He Ran was seven years old . He Ran was guarding arge family property but it was beyond his capabilities to manage and he had no one to depend on, so my father brought him over and he grew up with my brothers since childhood . Now that he is an adult, my father will return all the family assets to him . Now he¡¯s a person who is sought after by all the rich youngdies in the capital!¡±
Li Wei Yang did not expect the Crown Princess to actually choose such a person . This He Ran was actually very well-known . Originally, the title of Duke Min would be inherited by the eldest son . The second son He Chao left the ducal residence and only relied on the ten thousand taels of silver he had been given for his livelihood . This He Chao did not have other abilities, but his ability to make money was extremely formidable . In just ten years, he had already be the wealthiest person in the capital . It is said that when his family was at its peak, one third of all shops in the capital belonged to him . However, his health was very bad, and the wife he married was also short-lived . The two passed away one after another, leaving behind only one son, He Ran . He Chao had quarreled with his elder brother and left home, so when He Chao died, seven-year-old He Ran was left to face the winds and rain alone .
What happened next was foreseeable . He Chao¡¯s money-making skills were fearsome, but because of therge amount of wealth, it also attracted countless jealous eyes . So, when he passed away, those people ruthlessly came to deal with He Ran like wolves and tigers . When Duke Min learned of the incident, he disregarded the previous enmity and took He Ran back into the He family home, and moreover took stock of He Chao¡¯s properties one by one, and asking the He family n members to bear witness, established a written contract to say that the entire sum would be returned in the future . The orphaned He Ran then grew up in the He family, and Duke Min taught him with great care . To wait up until he grew up, He Ran was not only exceptionally handsome, but he also had an amazing memory, was clever and resolute, handling affairs deftly, a rare all-rounder .
Seeing her expression, the Crown Princess thought it looked promising and hurriedly said: "I originally wanted to wed you to the Crown Prince¡¯s brothers, but if this were to happen, you could only be a side concubine . With your character, you are not able topromise and be a concubine, and as for other prospects, those I like are already married . If you consider those around the same age, that only leaves him . " In reality, there was no shortage of influential official¡¯s sons, but those who dare to marry Li Wei Yang are few .
Li Wei Yang smiled . On this point, the Crown Princess was not wrong . He Ran had a lot of money, if one wanted moral character and looks, he had them . He is definitely an excellent choice . More importantly, he had no father and no mother . As soon as she married, she would be the matriarch and manage the household . For a girl with such a firm personality and formidable reputation as Li Wei Yang, marrying He Ran was the ideal choice . The Crown Princess didn¡¯t just arbitrarily find somebody to foist onto her, but considered it carefully . This surprised Li Wei Yang a little . Not only had the other party expressed goodwill, but was currying favor with her . She couldn¡¯t help wondering if she had overdone ittely, making everyone fix their attention on her .
Seeing that Li Wei Yang was about to open her mouth, the Crown Princess hurriedly said: "You listen to me first . He has not taken an official post, and although his status is not high, he is a dependable child . His Majesty summoned himst time and really liked him . If in the future ¡ª it¡¯s not that there aren¡¯t chances to go one step further . ¡± She reminded Li Wei Yang that if the Crown Prince ascended the throne, then He Ran¡¯s future prospects were guaranteed . ¡°What¡¯s more, how other people see the marriage is not at all important . What is important is that you feel it¡¯s good . What use is a good-looking face, it¡¯s substance that is the most important!" No mother-inw, noplicated interpersonal rtionships, what does this imply? Many prestigious aristocratic families have desperately wished to marry their daughters off to He Ran out of love for them .
Li Wei Yang said softly: "This . . . I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not in a position to decide . "
The princess smiled, thinking she had been shaken: "As long as you nod, I will tell father emperor to bestow this marriage . " The imperial household would not hinder He Ran . If Li Wei Yang married him, it was considered a good marriage and not too eye-catching . The emperor would not prevent it .
He Furen smiled and said: "And he is young and charming . If you wish to see him, I will call him over now . "
In private, she actually had her own ns in mind .
On the one hand, He Ran grew up by her side . She regarded him as her half-son, this was also to find a good marriage for him . Li Wei Yang¡¯s reputation is not good, but after interacting with her, she realized that she was an intelligent and farsighted girl, and most importantly, she is very remarkable, and firmly protecting the family property would definitely not be a problem . On the other hand, He Ran was about to enter the imperial court, but apart from the gradually declining Duke Min¡¯s ducal residence, he had no one to rely on there . If he wanted to advance further, he had to first find a strong supporter, and leveraging a connection through marriage was the best way .
The Li family had produced several generations of senior ministers, and many in the family became officials . Li Wei Yang was also a second rank Xianzhu . For He Ran, he could undoubtedly raise his position, and for the Crown Princess, she could take advantage and use the husband to ensnare the Li family . Through this marriage, the Li family would be tightly bound to the Crown Prince¡¯s residence . Her daughter would also gain an abundance of face in front of the Crown Prince .
For Li Wei Yang, her strong reputation made it difficult for her to find an appropriate match . Rather than wronging herself and bing a prince¡¯s side concubine, or entangling herself in a ducal or marquis family, it would be better for her to marry He Ran, though it seemed to be marrying below one¡¯s station, but He Ran had a wealthy family background, far more than the average person, and with the help of the Li family and Duke Min, He Ran¡¯s future was a smooth path going forward(2) . This was a transaction where both parties did not suffer any losses . She believed that with Li Wei Yang¡¯s cleverness, she would not refuse .
However, Li Wei Yang was in the middle of considering how to decline this marriage offer, when she saw He Lian smile and say: "Speak of someone and they appear . It¡¯s really too much of a coincidence . "
A young man entered from outside the pavilion . He was at a svelte and elegant age, born handsome and confident, his countenance gentle and tranquil, wearing a in-coloured robe, standing like a pine tree and the moon, and most importantly, at a nce one could see that he was a good-tempered person .
Li Wei Yang sighed, the Crown Princess really went to great lengths to find such a well-off, attractive and good-tempered man, and most crucially, he didn¡¯t have a father or mother . Actually, a great deal of effort was expended . Even if she didn¡¯t like him, she could not help but appreciate the kind gesture .
He Ran was taken aback when he saw this scene . Clearly, he didn¡¯t realize that this was a marriage interview, but since he was already there, he had no choice but to go up to salute the Crown Princess . The Crown Princess turned to him and made the introduction: "This is Anping Xianzhu . "
He Ran nced at Li Wei Yang indifferently, then lowered his head politely, and smiled: "I have long heard of Anping Xianzhu¡¯s noble character and rare temperament, and seeing it now it is indeed true . "
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "Cousin, you are right this time . . . " She was about to openly proim Li Wei Yang¡¯s good points, when Li Wei Yang stood up and smiled: "Mother is probably looking everywhere for me . Crown Princess, are you going back to the banquet now?"
The Crown Princess stared nkly at Li Wei Yang for a moment, and then looked at He Ran, who blushed and bowed his head . She was a little puzzled . Could it be that Li Wei Yang had not taken a fancy to her cousin? Impossible . Such a handsome young man, such an affluent background, not encumbered by anything, why not want?
She thought that it was because she had not hinted enough . If Li Wei Yang did not want He Ran to take a concubine, they could all agree on it ¡ª what other family would agree to such a condition, it¡¯s very likely that they wouldn¡¯t even dare to think about it! No, could it be that Li Wei Yang was shy? The Crown Princess closely examined Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression, but she didn¡¯t see any shyness . Contrarily, her own younger cousin was so embarrassed that he could hardly lift his head and his face resembled a ripe tomato .
Li Wei Yang said a few things and found an excuse to leave in a hurry .
The Crown Princess¡¯ face showed deep regret as she repeatedly urged her to stay, but it only made her leave faster .
Li Wei Yang finally extricated herself with great difficulty and let out a sigh, but as she walked past a rockery, she suddenly heard a voice ring out from a short distance: "Anping Xianzhu, what are you doing?"
Li Wei Yang frowned slightly and turned her head . The people around him had already knelt: "His Royal Highness Crown Prince, ten thousand well wishes . " The Crown Prince was wearing a bright yellow coiled dragon casual dress with silver thread lining the sleeves, and he stood tall and upright . His appearance is not very outstanding among his handsome brothers, but he had done well for himself for more than 20 years, and possessed a noble air worthy of the throne¡¯s sessor . Li Wei Yang watched as the prince approached wearing a smile, but in her mind was recalling His Royal Highness¡¯ history of bad luck .
Speaking of which, the Crown Prince had reincarnated well, especiallypared to Tuoba Zhen who was born from lowly origins . The Crown Prince¡¯s starting point was not better than others by only a bit . His mother was the Empress, and his maternal grandfather was the Emperor¡¯s great minister . He was a crown prince all his life, plus he was hardworking and studious, and his appearance was not bad . He was able to make many young women go crazy by stepping outside . However, what was most tragic was that the Emperor was excessively paranoid and his power too formidable, so he always suspected that his son was coveting the throne . This was not the worst of it . The Emperor would produce outstanding sons, and helped create many enemies for the prince . The Third Prince and the Seventh Prince each had their own strengths and thriving ambitions . Compared with these individuals, the Crown Prince, who would be considered a smart and capable man in an ordinary rich family, immediately seemed mediocre, ipetent and unfavored by the Emperor . Originally, it was because he had been the crown prince for many years that he became more and more anxious, and was incited by Tuoba Zhen to do many irreparable and confusing things before he finally lost the throne tragically .
He strolled over with a smile, his eyesnding on Li Wei Yang .
"Xianzhu, why not go to enjoy the flowers?"
Li Wei Yang lowered her head and said, "I just came out of the pavilion and disturbed the Crown Prince¡¯s peace . I ask Your Highness for forgiveness . "
"We¡¯re all family here . Why be so polite?!" The prince smiled from ear to ear .
Li Wei Yang was stunned for a moment, clearly not understanding where this so-called family came from .
The prince smiled and said, "Your cousin is my side concubine, so you are considered my sister-inw, isn¡¯t that right?"
Oh, so he was referring to Jiang Lan . The expression on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face was like a smile yet not a smile .
The prince came nearer, and the two were close, Li Wei Yang took a step back . The prince couldn¡¯t helpughing: "What, are you afraid of me?"
Li Wei Yang said lightly: "This subject dare not overstep . " Zhao Yue wrinkled her brows on the side . If it were not for the noble status of the person in front of her, she would have cut him down with her sword early on .
"On the surface . . . actuallyplies with etiquette . " The prince chuckled . "Why so aggressive that day at Jiang manor?"
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Trantor: joeyburbz
Editor: Erica
Chapter 126: A Frenzied Massacre
(1) ÃàÀï²ØÕë- a soft appearance but a dangerous
(2) ¿ÕѨÀ´·çδ±ØÎÞÒò - idiom meaning there¡¯s no smoke without fire .
Li Wei Yang knew that the Crown Prince was here to find fault with her . She smiled slightly, her face not betraying the slightest amount of agitation . She said: "Thanking His Highness for the praise . Catching the murderer who killed my maternal grandmother was my duty . "
"Oh, so it turns out that it was your duty to catch the murderer . It was also your duty to hound your elder sister to death and abuse your own mother, was it?" Each sentence was like a needle concealed in silk floss(1) .
"Before the Golden Hall, Wei Yang spoke rudely . I ask that the Crown Prince forgives me . " Li Wei Yang spoke very humbly . Of course, with her head down, the prince couldn¡¯t see the contempt on her mouth . "But that wasn¡¯t my elder sister, and Mother died of illness . What does that have to do with Wei Yang?"
"Look at you, as silver-tongued as ever! Anyway, I have never seen a woman like you . That day ¡ª although it was a bit excessive, could be regarded as extremely radiant . Even Consort Lian¡¯s beauty pales inparison, not to mention other people . They all looked dim and dull . There is no beauty like you beside me . ¡± The Crown Prince lowered his head until he was almost pressed against her face . Li Wei Yang lowered her cold gaze, holding herself back from identally giving this lecher a p in the face .
"You don¡¯t have to be afraid of me . Although I hope to cooperate with the Jiang family, I will not refuse the Li family . " Seeing that Li Wei Yang did not answer, the corners of his mouth perked up in an ambiguous arc, his low voice on the verge of whispering . "Look at your smooth skin and tender meat . Although it can¡¯tpare to your sister Li Chang Le¡¯s good looks, it has its own special vor . No wonder other people call it a small hot pepper . It really gets one¡¯s blood racing!"
The dignified Crown Prince actually was able to utter these kinds of obscene remarks . Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but despise him more . Today was the birthday banquet of the Crown Princess, and here he was openly taking liberties with a female guest . If words went out, the position of the throne¡¯s heir apparent would be in imminent danger . No wonder he was pushed to the ends of his tether by Tuoba Zhen . This person really did as he pleased . Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression did not change: "I¡¯m indebted to Your Royal Highness for your deep affection . Wei Yang is very grateful, but cannot bear to be thankful . It¡¯s just ¡ª Third Prince also said this, if Wei Yang obeys His Royal Highness, I¡¯m afraid he and you would have a fallout!"
"Third Brother?" The prince froze, "He won¡¯t fight me . "
"Oh?" Li Wei Yang seemed surprised . "He also said that one day he would bestow me with an Empress title ¡ª aiya, Wei Yang slipped up . Crown Prince, please don¡¯t take offense . The Third Prince is loyal and devoted to you . Come to think of it, it was a moment of indiscretion . Please don¡¯t tell him that I told you by all means, otherwise he will me me . ¡±
The Crown Prince didn¡¯t take a fancy to Li Wei Yang at all, but merely thought that Li Wei Yang was very strong . If she was obtained, she was bound to rope in the Li family in the future . Who knew that she would actually speak of this matter . Thinking of Tuoba Zhen, the Crown Prince paused . The crown prince title had been conferred on him in his childhood, and his residence was also separated from those of his brothers . All expenses were consistent with standards set for the heir apparent to the throne . It was naturally impossible to y together like other brothers . Later, when the Third Prince, Tuoba Zhen lost his birth mother, Able Consort Wu adopted him . Able Consort Wu approached the Empress from the beginning, so naturally the Crown Prince frequently associated with Tuoba Zhen .
Previously, the Crown Prince always felt that this third younger brother, who never showed his feelings on his face from a young age, would not be a simple character in the future . With his humble origins, it was impossible to climb any higher from then on . He would certainly be deeply grateful and pledge his loyalty, so the Crown Prince intended to support him and make him his own support . But listening to this, the other party actually had other thoughts . . . no, could it be Li Wei Yang attempting to incite disharmony? The Crown Prince stared at Li Wei Yang, as if carefully examining her, but the other party had a look of awareness at her own indiscretion, regretful and penitent, wishing she could find a hole in the ground to hide in ¡ª she was merely a woman who also bore no grudges with Tuoba Zhen . There simply was no need to y this sort of joke . The Crown Prince¡¯s face became more and more gloomy . He saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s nervous expression, and his heart couldn¡¯t help but move . He said smilingly: "Alright, no need to be so scared . Go back to the party . "
Li Wei Yang instantly changed and showed a hesitant expression: "Your Royal Highness, please forgive me . If the things from just now are passed out . . . "
The Crown Prince smiled ambivalently: "You can rest assured, I don¡¯t me you . "
Li Wei Yang let out a sigh of relief . The Crown Prince looked into her eyes and felt that the actions she had taken in the Golden Hall and at the Jiang manor had alle from Li Xiao Ran . Of course, how could a fifteen-year-old girl¡¯s scheming run so deep, it had to be Prime Minister Li¡¯s ideas behind it all!
At this time, the attendant on the side reported: "Your Royal Highness, the Third Prince ising . "
The prince frowned and looked not far off . Tuoba Zhen had reallye over . As soon as Tuoba Zhen approached, he felt that the atmosphere was a little strange . Both Li Wei Yang and the Crown Prince were looking at him . The Crown Prince¡¯s expression was very odd in particr .
Tuoba Zhen subconsciously sensed that Li Wei Yang must be sowing discord . Without exposing a single bit of his thoughts at that moment, he bowed his head and saluted: "Wish to pay respects to Royal Brother . "
As the prince looked at him, what Li Wei Yang said a moment ago came to mind, and his heart couldn¡¯t help ring up . But he was not a fool after all . Although he did notpletely believe Li Wei Yang¡¯s words, wind did note from an empty cave without reason(2) . He felt that he had better be a little more wary of Tuoba Zhen . He promptly gave a faint smile, and with a tone that could either be praise or ridicule said: ¡°What,e to look for Anping Xianzhu?¡±
"Royal Brother, I was just passing by . I saw you and Anping Xianzhu talking, so it was only right that Ie pay my respects to you . " On an ordinary day, Tuoba Zhen was definitely not so distanced and formal, but just now he clearly sensed the Crown Prince¡¯s strange mood, and spoke gently .
The Crown Prince looked at him coldly and said, "I should get going as well . If you have matters to discuss with Anping Xianzhu, please feel free . "
Tuoba Zhen let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly replied, "Thank you, Royal Brother . " As soon as the Crown Prince departed, Li Wei Yang also turned away to leave without even saying a word to Tuoba Zhen . Who knew Tuoba Zhen would urgently run in front of her, looking at her with a smile that was not a smile . This truly was a meeting of enemies on a narrow road .
"Li Wei Yang, you fancy He Ran?" Tuoba Zhen, who blocked her way, suddenly spoke .
Li Wei Yang frowned: "What does that have to do with you?"
Otherwise, how could you stay so long, Tuoba Zhen wanted to say but didn¡¯t, his expression growing colder . Li Wei Yang passed by him and went straight in the direction of the banquet . Tuoba Zhen also sped up, walking side by side with her . Then he smiled and said: "He Ran is indeed a good candidate, but what he can give you is really limited . "
Li Wei Yang froze for a moment and stopped walking: "Don¡¯t tell me you know what I want?!"
Tuoba Zhen observed her and said: "In short, it wouldn¡¯t be such a weak man like He Ran! The Crown Princess pushed this useless thing onto you, and it¡¯s really tooughable . "
Li Wei Yang replied with a grimugh: "He Gongzi is not as bad as you say, but I haven¡¯t settled on him either . I ask that Your Third Highness not make blind guesses . "
Originally, Tuoba Zhen was still secretly annoyed at his own irritation, so when he heard thetter half of that sentence, his heart was bursting with joy, but on the surface he had an uninterested expression: "If you don¡¯t like him, it would be better to turn the Crown Princess down . Otherwise, she will surely tie the red thread for you, and when the timees, it will be toote to cry!"
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Thanking Your Third Highness for the reminder! However, you had best keep thinking about assisting the Crown Prince, and as for the rest, no need to bother!"
Tuoba Zhen still wanted to speak, but at this moment, a scream sounded not far away . Li Wei Yang and Tuoba Zhen turned around at the same time, but they saw that the banquet not far away had already be a mess . In the original colorfully decorated garden, countless archers unexpectedly appeared in the open drawing bows and strings, ready to take action, and one of them raised his arm and shouted: "The Crown Prince colluded with Commander of the Imperial Guards Yang Zhan to rebel against the Emperor . This is Yang Zhan¡¯s severed head! Your Majesty issued an edict . Wipe out traitors for the country, and capture the Crown Prince!"
Seeing this scene, Tuoba Zhen let out an almost imperceptible sneer, but then his expression seemed to change dramatically . He immediately turned his head and roared: "Take your family¡¯s miss and find a ce to hide!" But his words were directed at Zhao Yue . After he finished, he drew his long sword and shouted to the Imperial Guards around him: "Protect the Crown Prince!"
However, the other party¡¯smander had already shouted: "Loose the arrows!"
Zhao Yue reacted quickly, dragging Li Wei Yang and Bai Zhi behind the rockery on the side . Tuoba Zhen swung his sword and blocked several flying arrows before quickly running towards the Crown Prince¡¯s location .
Li Wei Yang was terrified in her heart . This banquet was originally fine . Why was such a thing suddenly happening? In broad daylight, there were actually people who came to the Crown Prince¡¯s residence to carry out an assassination! No, what did the man just say, the Crown Prince was convicted of treason, and His Majesty wanted to arrest him? How could this be! Although the Crown Prince¡¯s position was a bit unstable, he wasn¡¯t stupid to the point ofmitting treason, not to mention he did not have any soldiers . The power to mobilize the Imperial Guards solely rested in the Emperor¡¯s hands, so what use was there in colluding with the Commander of the Imperial Guards? Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind didn¡¯t have a moment¡¯s pause . No, it was impossible! The prince would never revolt at this time, so who were these people? Why did they suddenly appear in the Prince¡¯s residence, and still use his name? Or perhaps they were assassins, and assassins who had been plotting for a long time!
Li Wei Yang was not far from the banquet . She could hear more and more blood-curdling screams and couldn¡¯t help feeling distressed . Looking out from the rockery, she just happened to see the charming Liu Xiaojie at the banquet cry out and run out desperately . However, those assassins clearly had no tender, protective feelings for the fairer sex, and lifted their long swords and swung down . The scene was so terrifying . It was at the moment of imminent peril that Liu Furen threw herself in front of her daughter, and the long sword split her at the waist . With her mouth hanging open, Liu Furen spat out a mouthful of gurgling blood and fell to the ground, actually cut in two on the spot .
Liu Xiaojie cried: "Mother!" In an instant, her soul had flown away . "Mother, Mother!" she called out to Liu Furen, and crawled over to hug Mrs . Liu¡¯s severed body, bursting into tears . But without waiting for Liu Xiaojie to finish crying, the long sword already cut off half of her shoulder . The blood spattered immediately, and the crying stopped abruptly . That scene was simply too frightening . Bai Zhi, who was behind Li Wei Yang, gave a small cry and promptly fainted .
Li Wei Yang knew it wasn¡¯t good, and quickly ordered Zhao Yue: "Hurry and go!" But before she finished this sentence, the assassins had found them . Maybe because they had not found the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, the assassins were extremely frantic, cutting down people as soon as they saw them . They immediately pounced towards them .
Zhao Yue immediately rushed out and used the soft sword from her waist to separate their attacks . However, more and more assassins rushed in and wildly attacked Zhao Yue . Although Zhao Yue¡¯s martial arts were outstanding, she was heavily outnumbered . Coupled with the task of protecting the already fainted Bai Zhi, it seemed she could not hold on . But at this moment, Li Min De arrived with Zhao Nan . Without saying anything further, Zhao Nan went to help Zhao Yue to beat back the enemy . Li Min De darted over to grab Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand and urged: "Hurry and go!"
The Crown Prince¡¯s banquet was different from anything else, and his secret guards could not easily enter . Originally, the martial arts of the Zhao siblings were thought to be enough to deal with any unexpected problems . Who would have thought that so many assassins would unexpectedly break into the Crown Prince¡¯s residence, and that the other party would hold the banner of stopping the rebels, leaving people no way to respond in time! These people were ruthless and precise . They killed everyone in their sights, and they seemed to be frantically looking for the prince . Amidst the chaos, Li Min De searched everywhere for Li Wei Yang without a second thought . If he hadn¡¯t incidentally heard Bai Zhi¡¯s scream, he would not have discovered that Li Wei Yang was here!
However, the assassins met them head on . Li Min De stared at them coldly and pulled out his long sword . His sword was three feet, four inches and three fen long, extremely thin and light . It could bend with ease, and ordinarily it could be worn as a belt . The soft sword was very simr to Zhao Yue¡¯s, but it was obviously sharper . The assassins rushed over regardless . Li Min De¡¯s expression was heavy, protecting Li Wei Yang with one hand and fighting them with the other . More than ten people were killed in the blink of an eye .
Li Wei Yang on the one hand was being pulled by him, and on the other, she was extremely astonished . Since when had Min De¡¯s martial arts skills improved to this degree¡ª
However, at this moment, she really couldn¡¯t think any more . The most important thing now was how to not be dragged into this inexplicable assassination . The other party simply killed on sight, regardless of whether you were the Crown Prince¡¯s people or not . In an instant, the banquet had already turned into a scene from Hell, with the countless screams and sounds of pleading blending into one . Li Wei Yang had guessed correctly . If these people were really sent by His Majesty to suppress the rebels, he would not willfully ughter the innocent like this . There were so many unarmed and defenseless women at this banquet . One was unsure of how many casualties there were . . .
At this moment, Li Wei Yang heard Zhao Yue cry out in rm and hurriedly looked over . In an instant, a sword tip had pierced Zhao Yue¡¯s back . With a "pfsh" sound, the long sword ran through her body, piercing through her right shoulder .
"Zhao Yue!" Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help mumbling, but found that she could not make a sound . Zhao Yue was her yatou . She has been with her for several years, but she was going to lose her life here?
Zhao Yue heard a mournful cry of fear . So it was Zhao Nan who had rushed over and cut down the assassin with one stroke, protecting Zhao Yue with difficulty .
"Be careful!" Li Wei Yang was solely preupied with the astonishing scene over there, but neglected the assassin not far behind . She heard Li Min De¡¯s sudden anxious shout . With a pull, her whole body fell into his embrace . Soon after, the assassin in front of them fell with a single blow . At this moment, the assassin toppled over, a cold, sharp light suddenly pierced the air .
The quickly approaching light was actually an iron arrow with a strange dark red tip .
Originally, the long arrow was aimed at Li Wei Yang¡¯s nape . It just needed a moment and that arrow would have pierced Li Wei Yang¡¯s body, prating her throat . Without dwelling on it, Li Min De instinctively covered most of her body, tightly protecting it . In a sh, he used his back to block the long arrow¡¯s trajectory¡ª
"Chi!"
The iron arrow passed through his chest from the back, and the tremblingtter half came to a stop . In Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes was iparable terror . Blood from his body trickled down towards the ground . His body shook, warm blood gushing from the wound . At this moment, the secret guards who had been guarding outside the Crown Prince¡¯s Mansion finally arrived and protected Li Wei Yang and Li Min De . Only then could Li Min De release his hands to put pressure on his wound, but every time he moved, the pain felt like skin and flesh being torn apart .
"Min De!" Li Wei Yang stared incredulously as he stiffly fell to the ground in slow-motion, but the iron arrow clearly punctured through his chest . Blood gushed out of the wound and gradually dyed his robes until his whole body was soaked in blood .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes looked at the bloody arrowhead . Such a ruthless technique¡ªif the arrow had shot her, how excruciating it would be . Under the sun, that iron arrow glistened with a cold light . At this moment, her heart almost sank into a bottomless abyss .
Not far away, Jiang Hua furrowed his brows angrily, almost, almost! He had just killed an assassin and snatched his bow and arrow when he happened to see Li Wei Yang not far away . When his thoughts moved, the iron arrow had shot out, but he unexpectedly did not seed! If it wasn¡¯t for that meddlesome kid! If it was not for him! Hmph! But getting rid of one was also good . That long arrow prated through the chest from the back, so there was no way he would survive .
Li Min De, who told you to interfere! Seeing that there were countless secret guards around the two of them, there was no way to start anything . Jiang Huaughed grimly, turned and disappeared behind the trees .
Li Min De opened his eyes, but he saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s face covered with tears . Bewildered, he reached out to touch her face, but reaching his hand out, he found that her face was stained by brilliant red blood . He realized that the blood was his own, and he couldn¡¯t help but let out a grievousugh .
Although it felt as if all the internal organs in his body had been painfully rearranged, he just clenched his teeth and told himself that this wasn¡¯t a big deal . Likest time, just bear with it for a bit and it would pass! Fumbling for her hand, he ced it against his heart and murmured, "I¡¯m by your side, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry . . . "
Li Wei Yang wasn¡¯t aware that she was crying . In fact, she had no tears at all since her rebirth, but now her tears flowed uncontrobly, and she hadn¡¯t even known that she¡¯d been crying . She only felt that her vision was a little blurry, and she almost couldn¡¯t make out Li Min De¡¯s face . All the more, she couldn¡¯t make out the chaotic mess of her surroundings . She couldn¡¯t even think that staying here was the same as staying in the midst of danger¡ª
At this moment, Tuoba Zhen was shielding the prince and leading the guards from the Crown Prince¡¯s residence, gradually encircling the assassins, annihting them one by one...
After half an hourter, the whole bloodbath finally came to an end, but the banquet at this time was already inplete disorder . The people who had a new lease on life looked at each other, but did not know whether they were crying orughing . At this time, a yatou staggered to her feet: "Crown Princess, the Crown Princess¡ª"
The prince scolded violently: "What¡¯s wrong with the Crown Princess?!"
The girl¡¯s cry almost shocked everyone¡¯s hearts: "Crown Princess . . . Crown Princess was killed¡ª"
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t care how many people died at the banquet . She didn¡¯t even care whether Li Chang Xiao and Jiang Yue Lan were able to escape . She simply ordered the secret guards to send Li Min De out immediately .
When Tuoba Zhen saw Li Wei Yang, he immediately said: "It¡¯s toote to send him out! Take him to the house, and the Imperial Physician will arrive soon!" He shouted loudly . Not only Li Min De, but too many people were injured this time . No, one should say that many more died . Sending the injured to leave now was tantamount to letting them die because it was toote to provide critical care, and the imperial physician would arrive soon!
The secret guards looked at Li Wei Yang, waiting for her to make a decision . Li Wei Yang violently awoke and gritted her teeth: "Take him in!"
Tuoba Zhen already knew that Li Wei Yang had secret guards around her, but this was the first time he had seen them in person . But he didn¡¯t care to be skeptical of these people and just looked her up and down: "Are you injured?"
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t look at him . Or one should say that, at that moment, she could not see anyone else in her eyes . She hadn¡¯t heard what Tuoba Zhen said to her at all . She was only concerned about whether Min De was safe and sound!
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Trantor: joeyburbz
Editor: Erica
Chapter 127
Chapter 127
[1] A concubine third in ranking after the Princess Consort and Side (Secondary) Consort
The Crown Prince had especially set up more than a dozen guest rooms for the injured guests to be treated . They were not ordinary people, so the entire Imperial Physician Court was dispatched . Among them was Imperial Physician Wang who often came and treated the Li family, so he was familiar with them . No need for Li Wei Yang¡¯s orders, he had gone ahead to examine Li Min De .
Li Wei Yang stood outside the door, her body feeling chills at times then feverish the next . She quietly watched as everyone ran back and forth, asionally hearing an ear splitting scream . She should go inside, but at this moment, she wished the cold wind would blow her back to her senses!
At that time, Jiang Yue Lan and Li Chang Xiao went to visit the Side Consort, who is currently pregnant, so they were not in the garden and fortunately avoided disaster . At the same time, the Crown Prince had Tuoba Zhen and many guards by his side, so he was perfectly fine . The most tragic victims were the defenseless nobledies, the young misses as delicate as flowers and jade .
This was originally the Crown Princess¡¯s birthday banquet . The majority of attendees were pampered young misses ofrge, influential families . It could be said that they were doted on and spoiled to no end . On any typical day, they did not leave their homes through the front door, nor sneak out the back . They did not even have the strength to run away when they encountered the assassins . A total of twelve people died .
The Crown Prince saw the tragic situation and couldn¡¯t help but grieve in his heart . He quickly ordered individuals to go announce the funerals to each household and arranged for survivors to rest in the guest rooms .
Li Wei Yang coldly looked at this scene, her mind racing . Once the Crown Prince settled the wounded, he personally entered the pce to report everything to His Majesty . Not only had the assassins entered the Crown Prince¡¯s residence in broad daylight and killed indiscriminately, they also imed to kill a rebel . A rebel, who is rebelling? The Crown Prince?
This was the Crown Princess¡¯s birthday banquet . The vast majority of attendees were aristocraticdies, but why were they massacred too? It was as if they killed to stir up hatred and grudges .
¡°Were you frightened?¡± A sudden voice interrupted her thoughts .
Li Wei Yang turned and saw that the person in front of her had changed into a moon-white brocade robe with a belt adorned with eight, precious and zed jade ornaments . His brows were sharp as swords, with a radiant, jade-like face¡ªit was none other than Tuoba Zhen himself!
¡°I was covered in blood . I was afraid I¡¯d frighten you, so I changed my clothes . ¡± Tuoba Zhen exined .
Li Wei Yang looked at him coldly without saying a word .
"I told you to hide in the rockery just now because that yatou brought the assassins . " Tuoba immediately spoke after seeing her remain silent .
Who could stand the bloody scene of people being cut in half by swords, blood sttering everywhere . Li Wei Yang said nothing about it . The terrible things she witnessed in the Cold Pce surpassed that . Zhao Yue had received rigorous training, but what about Bai Zhi? Although she had witnessed murder before, she had been psychologically prepared . This time, not even Li Wei Yang could stand the brutal scene, it left her involuntarily shaking, and now Tuoba Zhen had the audacity to put the me of drawing in the assassins on a yatou .
Tuoba Zhen looked at her pale face and unexpectedly yet softly said: "I will find out who did this good deed . "
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s personality is quite simr to the reigning Emperor . The rain that was drizzling in that moment before could suddenly be a thunderous rage . The sight of him humbling himself, as if he genuinely cared, would make anyone else feel blissfully happy . Li Wei Yang remained silent for a while before responding with a question: ¡°I heard Fifth Princess Consort Wu Yue Ling is safe and sound and even protected a few other women . ¡±
Tuoba Zhen paused and nodded: "It¡¯s true, but I think this matter is quite strange . Those assassins kill anyone they see, so how could they let her be? Isn¡¯t this strange?"
Li Wei Yang stared into his eyes and lightly said: "Your Royal Highness wants to say that this matter has something to do with the Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui . ¡±
Tuoba Zhen slowly said: "This . . . naturally, we need to further investigate . In any case, the Crown Princess unfortunately perished, the Crown Prince disheartened, and moreover, quite a few people died . Therefore, this must be carefully investigated . ¡±
Li Wei Yang stared at him intently . Her gaze bore into him as if she understood everything, making Tuoba Zhen almost unable to look directly at her, but he suppressed it and only said, "You can rest assured, I will arrange for someone to send you back safely . "
Li Wei Yang no longer looked at him and coldly said, "No need . " Then, she went over in the direction of the guest room, where Imperial Physician Wang was treating Li Min De .
Tuoba Zhen watched her turn away, dumbstruck . He was just in the flower garden and was met with the faces of aristocratic youngdies . There was not one person who wasn¡¯t crying and smiling, lucky survivors who even took initiative to find ways tofort and shelter him, but Li Wei Yang was different . Tuoba Zhen felt a bitter and sour feeling rise in his heart . He could not say what it was that he felt exactly, but he could not help but extend a hand . Before he could say anything, Li Wei Yang turned back: ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I would like to ask about . ¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face slightly contorted . He took a deep breath: "Say it . "
Li Wei Yang looked at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled: "Have you seen the members of the Jiang family since the ident? Are they hurt?¡±
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s breaths became uneven, but he quietly said . "The women of the Jiang family and your mother, as well as your Fourth Sister, were with Shu Consort Jiang[1], so they are safe and sound . ¡±
Li Wei Yang had a faint, somber trace on her face and softly mumbled: "So that¡¯s how it is . "
At that moment, Tuoba Zhen thought she had seen through everything, but Li Wei Yang¡¯s expressions were strangely calm . She turned and entered the guest room without a second look back .
In the room, Imperial Physician Wang frowned as he examined the wound on Li Min De¡¯s chest . The arrow had pierced him from front to back . Imperial Physician Wang was frightened by just the sight of it and was genuinely at a loss . How could he bear it?
Li Wei Yang asked Imperial Physician Wang, "How is he?"
Imperial Physician Wang sighed, "The iron arrow has been pulled out, but there was poison on the arrowhead . Removing the poison is not something that can be done overnight, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t make it until then¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang stiffened and lowered her voice, "He can! He will be able to make it through!"
Imperial Physician Wang nodded and cautiously said, "It¡¯s just this wound is too severe, even I don¡¯t have enough confidence . "
The wound was a bit off and fortunately did not pierce the heart, but faced with an unknown poison, it was really hard to say .
Li Weiyang looked at the unconscious Li Min De . A cold gleam gradually consumed her eyes like a terrifying me burning through the ice: ¡°I know how to save him . ¡±
Although Imperial Physician Wang said the patient was not allowed to be moved, Li Wei Yang insisted on taking Li Min De back to the Li residence . Others saw that she was so obstinate, but they were helpless . Zhao Yue was also injured, only on the shoulder and although not severely, Zhao Nan became the person in charge of the main guard . As soon as she got onto the carriage, Li Wei Yang told Zhao Nan: ¡°The Jiangs¡¯ route home must be obstructed . Force them to go through Yong Hua Gate . After that, you all will change your clothes and ambush them at Yong Hua Gate . No matter what you do, bring people back to me!¡±
Zhao Nan said: ¡°Your subordinate understands what Xiaojie means, but it is difficult to avoid confrontation, which will inevitably attract outsiders . ¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled indifferently . The mercilessness in her eyes could not be put to words: "Jiang Hua and the others must remain in the Crown Prince¡¯s residence and help them clean up the mess . I only need the masters of the Jiang family . Any of them will do! Of course, there is a way to not alert outsiders . When spooked horses run wild, one or two people might go missing, isn¡¯t this quite simple?¡±
Zhao Nan was surprised for a moment, then realized that Li Wei Yang was not joking and immediately looked down: "Yes, it will be arranged immediately . "
"This is all for your Master¡¯s life, there¡¯s no room for mistakes!" Li Wei Yang emphasized every word .
Zhao Nan was extremely efficient and thoroughly understood Li Wei Yang¡¯s intentions . Half an hourter, Jiang Tian was tied up in the Li residence dungeon . When ites to the Li family dungeon, it has been uninhabited for over a decade . There was dust everywhere and rats on the ground . It was truly disgusting . However, Li Wei Yang chose to hold Jiang Tian here like thest time .
Jiang Tian was shouting: "Li Wei Yang, you little bitch, you kidnapped me again!" He was confined in the Jiang residence for some time . Unable to bear it, he took advantage of the residence¡¯s busy affairs today to sneak out . Who knew that the moment he walked out, he was intercepted by someone . Once was one thing, but being to be kidnapped twice, wouldn¡¯t that mean he, Jiang Tian, was good for nothing?!
At this time, he only heard a click from the cell door, then Li Wei Yang walked slowly down the steps . There was blood on her soft dress, revealing that she had yet to change out of her clothes after returning to the residence . There was no light in the dungeon, but a torch was lit . The mes light up her jade-like face, and the cold, dark eyes bleak as an ancient well .
As soon as Jiang Tian looked up, Li Wei Yang¡¯s dark eyes fell on him like an arrow .
"As long as you treat my master, we will let you go . " Zhao Nan said coldly .
Jiang Tianughed loudly and said, "I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about!"
"My master was injured at the Crown Princess¡¯ birthday banquet and was poisoned . " Although Zhao Nan was impatient, he had to clearly state the situation .
Jiang Tianughed: "He deserves it! It¡¯s a shame, why aren¡¯t you the person dying, Li Wei Yang?! In any case, with fewer people to protect you, your death wille swiftly!¡±
After being disciplined by the Jiang Third Young Master, Jiang Fifth¡¯s courage fattened up . He knew that Li Wei Yang would not kill him because they approached him first, which was an indication that Li Min De¡¯s injury was not ordinary, and only he could save him! If Li Wei Yang killed him, Li Min De would have to be buried with him, but he would not save this person no matter what Li Wei Yang did . He only needed to endure!
Zhao Nan was furious . He lifted his leg and kicked him down, seized him by the cor and pped him more than a dozen times . Jiang Tian clenched his teeth from the pain but did not make a sound and only red back at him . Zhao Nan furiously concentrated all of his strength into a kick to Jiang Tian¡¯s chest .
Li Wei Yang suddenly spoke up and said, "Bring him in . "
Jiang Tian¡¯s eyes widened as he watched his Eldest Brother Jiang Hai being forced in . Jiang Hai was in a sorry state with his head down, covered in dust . Even one of his arms seemed to have been broken, leaving him with a strange posture .
"You¡ª! How dare you!" Jiang Tian was furious . Jiang Hai escorted Jiang Da Furen and Er Furen to the banquet . Of course, there was also Jiang Hua, the third son of the Jiang family .
In reality, Li Wei Yang originally intended for Zhao Nan to abduct the women of the Jiang family . Unfortunately, Jiang Hua stayed back in the Crown Prince¡¯s residence, so he was very careful to let Jiang Hai escort them back . Halfway there, Zhao Nan¡¯s people and the Jiangs¡¯ guards fought . Zhao Nan had seized the reins of Jiang Da Furen¡¯s carriage, but Jiang Hai unexpectedly stopped him . As ast resort, Zhao Nan ordered everyone to attack Jiang Hai and forcibly brought him back .
In regards to this, this was an ident, but to Li Wei Yang, whether they captured the two Jiang Furens or Jiang Hai, it achieved the same effect .
"You wouldn¡¯t dare kill my brother! You definitely wouldn¡¯t dare!" Jiang Tian furiously red at Li Wei Yang . He remembered that his Third Brother once said that Li Wei Yang was just bluffing, she would not dare to use torture!
¡°The Jiangs have many enemies, who knows who took this into their own hands?¡± Li Wei Yang sighed . She spoke calmly, but only she knew that her heart was burning nonstop . If she wasn¡¯t forced to hold back, the heads of the Jiang brothers would have fallen already!
¡°They will find out! They will find out! Eldest Uncle and Third Brother will definitelye here!¡± Jiang Tian immediately cried out .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips curved and said, "When theye, your bones will have be gray ashes . What can be found?"
Jiang Tian¡¯s face became even uglier . He could not believe it . Li Wei Yang actually dared to do such a thing! "You think the Capital is a ce where you can do as you please! There is still the Emperor, Imperial Guards, and you went to kidnap¡ª"
Li Wei Yang chuckled: "The Imperial Guards? His Majesty? Right now, they are busy looking for the assassins that attacked the Crown Prince¡¯s residence . They don¡¯t have the energy to pay attention to you all . The assassins even dared to enter the Crown Prince¡¯s residence . Why would they pay mind to a small, insignificant Jiang family? You can rest assured . I do a very good, clean job . Outsiders will only see this as a revenge case and say the former Minister of Rites of the previous dynasty was also randomly murdered on the side of the road . No murderer was ever found . I am only following suit, so what is there to fear?¡±
Jiang Tian did not expect Li Wei Yang to be this terrifying and was stunned speechless .
At this point, Jiang Hai who had been beaten unconscious suddenly woke up . When he moved, he felt terrible pain in his arm . He opened his eyes and saw the situation in front of him and could not help sneer: "Li Wei Yang, you want to use my life to threaten my Wu di? You little bitch, we won¡¯t do as you want, and in the end, you will have to send us back unharmed! "
Li Wei Yang heard these confident and arrogant words, but her face did not change and remained nk and frighteningly cold . She lightly asked, "Have you two carefully thought about it?"
Jiang Haiughed and said: "You little bitch, if you don¡¯t let us go within an hour, my Third Brother wille to your doorstep . What do you think will happen to you then? Think about it!¡±
Zhao Nan¡¯s face changed and kicked him down hard . Li Wei Yang waved her hand: ¡°Eldest Young Master, someone at the banquet saw the Third Young Master of the Jiang family with a bow and arrows . ¡±
When Jiang Hai¡¯splexion changed, Li Wei Yang continued to watch his face change . At this moment, she slowly exhaled and said, "I understand, I will certainly settle this with him, but¡ª Not now! Right now, I want a doctor to treat Min De . Since you are so stubborn, do not me me for being impolite . ¡±
Jiang Hai sneered . He had nothing to fear after having seen the terrible means of torture in the army . As long as he endured through the hour, Jiang Hua will receive news of their disappearance, and he will know that they are here . At that time, Li Wei Yang will be met with a dead end! He had confidence in Jiang Hua¡¯s methods and scheming, and this will absolutely not go wrong!
Li Wei Yang looked at the Jiang brothers¡¯ indifferent faces and smiled thinly: ¡°The Jiangs took part in this matter . So many people died . Are you happy? As long as you don¡¯t provoke me, I will not do anything, but you are the ones who like to chase after dead ends, so who is to me? Jiang Hua injured Li Min De, so I will demand a little interest on this debt from you . It¡¯s only fair . ¡±
Jiang Hai was not afraid of anything among the likes of whip, tongs, branding irons, or finger torture irons . In his opinion, they were mere child¡¯s y in the army . He thought Li Wei Yang¡¯s methods were no different . However, Li Wei Yang slowly began to say: ¡°At today¡¯s banquet, Liu Xiaojiie could not run because of her tiny feet, and so, she was killed . That scream is hard to forget . Did you hear it, Jiang Hai?¡±
Jiang Hai did not know what she was trying to say and just coldly stared at her .
¡°Her feet are small because men like women to have swaying figures and delicate feet, but they don¡¯t know that women desperately torture themselves to gain men¡¯s favor . I heard Liu Xiaojie still maintained the foot binding tradition of the previous dynasty . Eldest Cousin, I want you to have a taste of this footbinding tradition . ¡±
Zhao Nan did not blink . A long sword had cut Jiang Hai¡¯s left foot in half . Jiang Hai¡¯s scream almost overturned the roof . Li Wei Yang smiled and asked: ¡°Is this already unbearable? Come here, help Eldest Cousin up . ¡±
The guards in ckid a steel needle bed on the ground . They pulled Jiang Hai up and forced him to walk over the steel needles, step by step . Fresh blood flowed, forming long trails . Jiang Hai did not expect Li Wei Yang to be so cruel and cursed her without pausing for a breath . Li Wei Yang smiled, ¡°And the other side?¡± In the blink of an eye, only half of Jiang Hai¡¯s right foot was left . Jiang Tian heard his family¡¯s eldest brother¡¯s miserable wailing and desperately retreated for his own safety .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was like a blooming flower in the dark, secluded and beautiful, with a touch of emotionlessness: "In the Cold Pce, the eunuchs who stood guard at the gates were very bored, so they came up with a very interesting game . They heated up an iron te and forced Imperial concubines that had fallen out of favor to dance on the iron te . They even gave it a very poetic name and called it Bu Bu Sheng Lian (Step By Step Lotus) . " At that time, her legs had been cut off, so there was no way for her to dance . Those people forced her onto the iron te, crawling bit by bit . Her entire body was severely burned, and that kind of pain was far more terrible than the fires of hell .
Jiang Tian¡¯s eyes widened as he watched General Jiang Hai who braved the battlefields wailing miserably and involuntarily shaking . Li Wei Yang was not kidding, she was serious! She¡¯s serious! She did not hesitate to kill in order to force him to save a life!
With every terrible cry, it sounded less and less human . His feet had been cut in half, then he was forced to walk on a needle bed, leaving long blood trails . It was such a horrifying scene that even the guards in ck holding Jiang Hai down turned pale . Li Wei Yang continued: ¡°You all knew that there were innocent nobledies at the banquet but still helped the Crown Prince arrange this massacre . You all deserve to die . ¡±
Jiang Tian shouted, "No! We don¡¯t know anything! Let us go! Let go of my Eldest Brother go!"
Li Wei Yang smiled, "You don¡¯t know? Then I¡¯ll let you know . Only the Jiang family left unscathed today . Ah no, maybe your hypocritical Third Brother will be hurt a bit . The Crown Princess was killed in the Crown Prince residence . Twelve of the nobledies she invited died . There are others who were critically injured and bedridden, not knowing if they will live or die . That is twenty or thirty people!
¡°I assume the Emperor will investigate and find out that those assassins are connected to the Fifth Prince . After that, everyone will say: Ah right, why was only the Fifth Princess Consort unharmed and able to protect otherdies? Doesn¡¯t this prove that the Fifth Princess Consort came prepared?
¡°After that, with more and more evidence, even the Seventh Prince, who isn¡¯t even in the Capital, can be implicated alongside the Fifth Prince . Then, everyone will feel that the two colluded and forged evidence of the Crown Prince¡¯s rebellion . The Fifth Prince faked the Crown Prince¡¯s rebellion in the Capital to draw the bow while the Seventh Prince secretlymunicated with Duke Luo to cooperate from outside . Then Duke Jiang will send troops out to kill Tuoba Yu, a rebel, and you, Jiang Tian, will disguise yourself as a physician and bring the antidote that would save countless people . This would win back the Jiang family¡¯s reputation, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±
Jiang Tian waspletely stunned and looked at Li Weiyang with a horrified expression: "This is ridiculous, you made this all up!"
Li Wei Yang sneered . Yes, this was all nothing but spection, but now ¡ª she was almost certain . She slowly said: "The Fifth Prince has always been a foolish person, so this matter cannot be regarded as an injustice to him . I think the person flicking the reins behind the Crown Prince has grasped the Fifth Prince¡¯s fatal w and forced him to act first . You already anticipated the arrival of the assassins, so you cast an open and waited for him to advance . It can be said that the one who killed so many people is not the Fifth Prince, but those who set the trap!¡±
Jiang Tian backed away, almost backing into the wall .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile had a trace of regret from beginning to end: ¡°Of course, what I said is not entirely urate . In order to gain the Emperor¡¯s trust, you must have cited a lot of evidence, but who are you doing this for? The Crown Prince or Tuoba Zhen?¡±
The fear in Jiang Tian¡¯s eyes reached its peak . He did not expect Li Wei Yang would think so much of it, even asked about the key points .
Jiang Hai had almost passed out just now, but he was reined in by sheer willpower . He opened his eyes and managed to bite out: ¡°Little bitch¡ªkill me if you dare!¡±
Li Weiyang smiled at Jiang Tian: "I said that I would only charge a little interest, and look how anxious your Eldest Brother is . " Jiang Tian was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t say a word . Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile thinned, and he curled up into a ball .
Such torture is unheard of and never seen before . Jiang Tian swears he never wants to see Li Wei Yang again in this lifetime! He was about to promise to save Li Min De, but Jiang Hai¡¯s crippled figure reared, and he loudly insisted: ¡°You cannot agree! You dare agree¡ª¡° He had yet to finish his sentence when Zhao Nan kicked him in the chest .
He was worthy of being a man who braved the battlefield . He was quite tough . Li Wei Yang lowered her head and smiled for a moment, then raised her head and asked: ¡°Are you really not going to save him?¡±
Jiang Tian found his teeth ttering: "I . . . . . . I . . . . . . "
Li Wei Yang heaved a long sigh, "I remember the roastmb served at the banquet today . It didn¡¯t taste very good, the aroma was a bit strange . " She gestured and someone immediately brought over an iron grid . They stripped the bloodied Jiang Hai of his clothes and tied him down to it . Li Wei Yang lowered her gaze, ¡°Not long before Liu Xiaojie died, wide-eyed, she dered that the most delicious thing in this world is the taste of tender, newbornmb . I¡¯d think so, Jiang Tian, do you think so?¡±
Jiang Tian didn¡¯t know what she was going to do . He just watched in horror, but he didn¡¯t realize he had wet himself from fear . Jiang Hai, however, endured the severe pain without a word .
Seeing that Jiang Tian was afraid yet still unwilling, Li Wei Yang sighed, "Go ahead . "
Zhao Nan had already been instructed beforehand and began to heat the iron grid . Slowly, Jiang Hai only felt the burning heat rise from his feet . The feet that had already lost all sensation seemed to be able to feel again, but it was an extremely painful sensation . He was about to scream, but he was gagged with a rag .
Jiang Tian looked at the iron frame that cooked his Eldest Brother¡¯s flesh bit by bit . Zhao Nan held arge, iron knife and slowly sliced the cooked flesh on Jiang Hai¡¯s thigh and tossed it onto a tray . A gruesome, burnt smell wafted up .
¡°I know Eldest Cousin is a very heroic person, and he can still bear with this bit of pain . ¡± Li Wei Yang smiled dryly . Jiang Tian fearfully watched Zhao Nan bring the tray to him . He cried out and tried to stop him froming any closer, but Zhao Nan was getting closer and closer . Jiang Tian stared intently at the pieces of meat, desperately bent over and instinctively hurled . He almost vomited up bile .
Li Wei Yang said, "People say that when fighting tigers, it must be with brothers, and when fighting in battle, it must be father and son . You two have such a good rtionship . Naturally, you must eat meat together . ¡±
Jiang Hai prided himself in being a heroic figure . No matter what, no terrible punishment will make him pale, but now, he saw his limbs had be white, protruding bones . Of course, it was very painful . The fear was driving him insane! His eyes rolled back, revealing white as he lost consciousness .
Li Wei Yang smiled gently: ¡°Jiang Tian, there is a limit to my patience . Tell me, do you want¡ª"
Jiang Tian stumbled, throwing himself at her feet: "I¡¯ll save him! I¡¯ll save him! Don¡¯t kill me! Don¡¯t kill me!"
Li Wei Yang sighed . Her voice softened as if she was speaking to a lover: "You bear a grudge though . I¡¯m worried you will hurt my loved ones . What should I do now?¡±
Li Weiyang sighed, and his voice was soft as if he were a lover: "You have hatred, I¡¯m so scared that you hurt my loved ones, what should I do?"
Jiang Tian gritted his teeth: "I¡¯m afraid of death, I will never do that!"
Li Wei Yang smiled and stroked his forehead, "What a good boy . "
Jiang Tian flinched . Li Wei Yang said, "Send Physician Jiang to treat him . "
Jiang Tian was lifted up to his feet . He put on a tough look on his face and mumbled: "Let... Let my Eldest Brother... Can you . . . "
Li Wei Yang nced at him . His heart almost missed a beat, sending him into a panic .
Li Wei Yang gently told him: "I have said that the Jiang family has taken so many lives, so they need to pay a little interest . You can go . "
Jiang Tian didn¡¯t dare to say more, afraid he¡¯d anger Li Wei Yang . Her approach was unspeakable . If he said anything more, he was afraid she would not let him keep his life . He had seen Third Brother interrogate prisoners in the army before and felt that he was rather cruel, but Li Wei Yang¡ªshe surpassed him, no less . Having fallen into her hands, he was living no better than dead . He began to regret it, deeply regret it, why did he provoke her...
Zhao Nan ordered people to forcibly escort Jiang Tian away to treat Li Min De . Then, he looked over at the unconscious Jiang Hai: "Xiaojie, what about him?"
Li Wei Yang looked at Jiang Hai and smiled wryly: "I heard Eldest Cousin dotes on a certain beauty . ¡±
Zhao Nan did not understand the meaning of Li Wei Yang¡¯s words and only looked at her in confusion . Li Wei Yang sighed: "You don¡¯t need to know . Just follow my instructions . "
"Yes . "
-----------------------*****------------------------
Trantor: Chau V .
Editor: Chau V .
Chapter 127: Cruel Punishment
In the other room, Jiang Tian changed into clean clothes before going in to treat Li Min De . Once he finished his diagnosis and prescribed medication, he turned around to see Li Wei Yang standing behind him and panicked . However, seeing Li Wei Yang¡¯s calm expression and the absence of murderous intent, he finally spoke up: ¡°I neutralized the poison for him, but he was severely wounded, so he cannot move around, nor can he be around water . It¡¯s best to let him stay in bed, recuperate and do absolutely nothing at all . ¡±
Li Wei Yang nced over at the old physician that she had invited . He confirmed with her, ¡°I have checked . There are no issues . "
Jiang Tian let out a sigh of relief . No wonder Li Wei Yang dared to let him examine and treat Li Min De . It turns out that there was another physician present . If he had tampered with something just now, he would have been caught right away and lost his life . Li Wei Yang nodded: "I will send you off . "
Jiang Tian followed Li Wei Yang out, trembling in fear . Once he reached the door, he suddenly fell to his knees in front of her: ¡°Let me go, I¡¯ll never dare to go against you anymore! As long as you let me go, I¡¯ll leave forever and never step foot back into the Capital!¡± He was different from his brothers . He wasn¡¯t some hero from the battlefields . He was only a physician . When he was idle, he treated people and saved lives . When he was in a good mood, he would find a beauty to apany him . He absolutely had no reason to go against Li Wei Yang . He did not even measure up to others in terms of skill and ability, so he figured it was best to get out and go far, far away .
Li Wei Yang did not say anything . She just quietly looked at him .
Jiang Tian became even more afraid and kowtowed again and again: "I know you think I¡¯m a wayward rogue, but I¡¯m begging you to spare my life! I will never help Third Brother harm anyone again!¡±
Seeing a refined Young Master reduced to this state out of fear, Li Wei Yang smiled and suddenly motioned to Zhao Nan . Jiang Tian was scared to death and fiercely clung to Li Wei Yang¡¯s legs . ¡°Let me go! Let me go! Don¡¯t kill me!¡±
Zhao Nanughed and single-handedly plucked him up: ¡°Xiaojie said she won¡¯t kill you, so she won¡¯t kill you . Crying and begging isn¡¯t anything like a man at all! Hurry and stand up! Follow me out!¡±
Jiang Tian still could not believe it and looked at Li Wei Yang, afraid she would change her mind, but she only smiled: "Remember your promise, and don¡¯t return to the Capital in this lifetime, if not¡ª"
"There¡¯s no if! There¡¯s no if! I will nevere back!" It was not to say that he disregarded the Jiang family for his own sake . He was just an ordinary person . He did not want to offend the fiendish likes of Li Wei Yang, but he was not heartless enough to watch the Jiang family be forced down a dead end . Think of it as departing early to be reincarnated . In any case, the Jiang family was notcking in sons . Let them fend for themselves! Jiang Tian secretly made up his mind and followed Zhao Nan and left without looking back .
Bai Zhi quietly said: "Xiaojie is really letting him go?"
Li Wei Yang responded lightly: "They say Jiang Hua Jiang is the cleverest person in the Jiang family, but I don¡¯t think so . "
Bai Zhi looked at her Xiaojie, puzzled . She did not know what Xiaojie meant by this, but when she turned, Li Wei Yang had already gone inside .
Li Wei Yang still felt her heart race a bit when she saw Li Min De¡¯s wound and worried she would lose sleep tonight . The maids in Third Shaoye¡¯s room were his people . Seeing Third Xiaojie, they all withdrew outside . Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu also stood guard outside, not allowing outsiders toe too close .
Surprisingly, Jiang Yue Lan learned that Li Min De was injured and came to see him in person a few times but had been turned away by Bai Zhi and the others . Bai Zhi just thought she was pretending to be concerned and did not pay any mind to it, but Mo Zhu felt Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s expression was a bit strange .
¡°Did you see Furen¡¯s face? It¡¯s almost like she cares!¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a cat shedding crocodile tears for the mouse, pretending to be merciful! Forget it! Xiaojie said to ignore anyone whoes!¡±
Mo Zhu quietly said: ¡°Right . Our Xiaojie seems to be very worried for Third Shaoye¡ª¡±
Bai Zhi lowered her voice and told her: ¡°It¡¯s one thing to see it . Don¡¯t talk about it . Be careful, Xiaojie might punish you . ¡±
¡°Hmph . I¡¯m not afraid . I think Xiaojie speaks ruthlessly, but she really isn¡¯t like what everyone says . She treats Seventh Yiniang, Third Shaoye and Little Shaoye very well . ¡±
Bai Zhi gave her a side nce: "You only know how to talk!!"
Mo Zhuughed: "Who knows, the way Xiaojie treats Third Shaoye¡ª"
Bai Zhi stiffened . Her face immediately changed as she scolded Mo Zhu, ¡°Bold of you . How could you assume Xiaojie¡¯s thoughts?¡±
"I... I¡¯m just worried for Xiaojie¡¯s sake . Why are you being so fierce . . . ¡± Mo Zhu sighed . She didn¡¯t dare to open her mouth again after seeing Bai Zhi¡¯s solemn face .
Inside the room, Li Min De suddenly awakened from his unconscious state, opened his eyes and saw something bright reflected back . It was actually Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes . He did not quite believe it himself and forcefully propped himself up . He wanted to take a closer look . The wound on his chest could not bear any movement . The moment he moved, the pain made him let out a soft groan . ¡°Oh . ¡± Li Wei Yang rushed to support him by the shoulders and slowlyid him back down . She softly asked: ¡°Are you feeling better?¡±
Li Min De didn¡¯t answer . He felt dazed for a while before suddenly shutting his eyes and mumbled to himself, ¡°I was dead . Is this a dream?¡±
"Nonsense! You¡¯re still alive and well . " Li Wei Yang looked at him and smiled, her heart easing up a bit, ¡°It¡¯s alright . You¡¯ll recover soon . ¡±
Even the slightest movement prompted immense pain . His throat was dry and burning . He could hardly speak . He opened his mouth and tried to say something, but he didn¡¯t know where to start, ¡°Wei Yang...¡±
Li Wei Yang held his hand and gently interrupted him: "There are still many things to deal with . I may not be able to stay too long . I wille see you in the evening . " He squeezed her hand, a little nervous as he looked directly at her . He simply felt there was no way for him to grasp her in the palm of his hand .
Bai Zhi came in with medicine . Li Wei Yang personally took it and checked the temperature before taking a spoonful and bringing it up to his mouth . He opened his mouth and swallowed hard . His chest was in great pain, but there was a warm smile in his eyes .
"This matter has something to do with the Crown Prince, Tuoba Zhen, and the Jiang family¡ª" These words were clearly spoken .
Li Wei Yang gave him a pill and smiled: "Yes, it has something to do with them . I know . You don¡¯t need to be hasty . I just collected some initial interest from them regarding this matter . Once you have recovered, we will settle the tab with them . ¡±
Li Min De gave her a suspicious look: "My injury was quite serious¡ª" How could he uneventfully recover?!
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "I kidnapped Jiang Tian and forced him to treat you . " This was not something she nned to hide . "I also cut off Jiang Hai¡¯s feet and put him on a grilling rack . ¡±
"You . . . " Li Min De burst up . He sat up in bed so suddenly that the pain sharply dug into his internal organs . He instinctively curled up from the pain .
Li Wei Yang did not expect him to react so strongly in a plight of panic and fury, "What are you doing? Do you not want to live anymore?"
"How could you do something so dangerous?" He nervously squeezed her hand .
Li Wei Yang was stunned: "Did you want me to just watch you die?"
Li Min De shook his head, frowned and said: "The Jiang family wille knocking on the door . "
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "It doesn¡¯t matter . Jiang Tian has left the Capital . I¡¯m afraid he doesn¡¯t want to see me again in this life . As for Jiang Hai, I have sent him to a ce where he should go . "
"The best move right now is to kill and silence him . " Li Min De sighed, "It¡¯s just a bit risky . "
Li Wei Yang let go of his hand and stood up: "I can¡¯t dy it anymore . I¡¯m afraid Jiang Hua is at the door now . "
Li Min De clenched his teeth and told Bai Zhi: "Instruct them toe in . I want to get up . "
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face darkened with fury: "What are you doing? I did everything I could to pull you back from Lord Yama . Are you defying me?¡±
Li Min De shook his head: "Jiang Hua is not easy to deal with . I should be present . "
Li Wei Yang felt a bit touched and then said, "So stubborn . Are you deliberately doing this to upset or provoke me?¡±
Li Min De froze and looked at Li Wei Yang in disbelief, "You¡¯re worried about me, aren¡¯t you?"
Li Wei Yang was at a loss for words . She couldn¡¯t understand how anyone in this state could think about such trivial things . She calmed down, "If you don¡¯t rest up, I won¡¯t evere and see you again!"
Li Min De looked at her and didn¡¯t say anything for a while . He caught her hand in his own . A sweet and sly smile appeared on his face . "I should thank them . If it weren¡¯t for them, you wouldn¡¯t be taking care of me like this¡ª"
Li Wei Yang was stunned . He had caught her hand and gently ced it over his wound . Li Wei Yang only felt that it was hot there . The heat from his wound seemed as if it could burn through the palm of her hand, burning from the bottom of his heart .
Li Min De¡¯s face seemed to be dusted with rouge because of his fever, a portrait of beautiful peach blossoms on a branch in full bloom . He smiled, "You have to visit me in the evening . "
Li Wei Yang withdrew her hand and slowly agreed, "Alright . "
Coming out of the room, Li Wei Yang let out a long sigh . Bai Zhi quietly observed her expression but could not pick out the slightest emotion . There was neither happiness nor anger . She could not tell if Li Wei Yang had any kind of affection for Li Min De either . Perhaps it was not as Third Shaoye hoped, Bai Zhi thought to herself, sighing .
At this point, Zhao Nan had arrived at the door and respectfully said: "Xiaojie, Third Shaoye of the Jiang family is waiting in the main hall . "
Ah, so he had arrived at their doorstep . Li Wei Yang smiled thinly . This Jiang Hua wasn¡¯t slow at all .
Jiang Hua had been sitting in the main hall silently drinking tea . He didn¡¯t say a word . His face was quite calm, as if he was not aware that his brother disappeared . He only looked up when a maid announced that her household¡¯s Xiaojie had arrived and saw Li Wei Yang slowly walk into the main hall .
She had changed into pale, lotus pink and white clothes and looked delicate and gentle . Jiang Hua panicked a bit . He had looked down on her and resented her to no end but could not grasp any weakness at all . She had a reserved, meticulous temperament and cruel schemes . She appeared to act recklessly but had built up momentum for her schemes beforehand and had a delicate, pretty face . Everytime he thought about her face, the only thing he felt was the urge to humiliate her and see her beg for mercy and watch her lose her mind!
Looking at the person in front of him, it wasn¡¯t excessive to say that she was delicate and slender, but she also had a strong mentality . Among the people Jiang Hua knew, he simply could not think of a woman as beautiful yet poisonous like her . . .
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Trantor: Chau V .
Editor: Chau V .
Chapter 128
Chapter 128
Chapter 128: Lamb to be ughtered
Jiang Hua¡¯s expression was cold . He sat motionlessly, only his eyes swept over to Li Wei Yang .
Compared to an unrestrained, fierce expression, this ambiguous expression had theplexity of a forest shrouded in mist at night . It was even more frightening because one could never guess what he wanted, just like how you could never know what he would do next . In all fairness, Li Wei Yang looked forward to this because the man in front of her was like her and just as cruel .
If there were no grudges against the Jiang family, she might appreciate his decisiveness and skill in taking action, but he should not be too unreasonable, looking down on others and forcing them into a corner .
Li Wei Yang disliked this sense of superiority that the Jiang family members felt they were entitled to . It was as if everyone should bow at their feet . If anyone resisted in the slightest manner, they deserved to die . This truly did not sit well with others!
¡°Wee, Third Young Master . It is indeed an honor for this lowly one . ¡± Li Wei Yang slightly smiled and sat down . The maid immediately brought tea . Li Wei Yang gently picked it up but did not drink it .
Jiang Da Furen ran back to the Jiang family and only said she encountered a group of lunatics on the road . Fortunately, Jiang Hai and their guards risked their lives to protect her, allowing her to escape, but those people captured Jiang Hai and disappeared without a trace . The Jiang family had already reported it to Jing Zhao Yin and even dispatched all their forces to search, but those people came and went without a trace, so they were unable to find anything .
Jiang Hua was finally able to leave the Crown Prince¡¯s Manor and return . As soon as he heard about this, he immediately thought of looking for Jiang Tian¡¯s whereabouts and found out that he had gone missing . He immediately put two and two together, and he was fully consumed by rage . He headed straight to the Li family, intending to secretly infiltrate like Li Wei Yang had done and kill her himself . Who would have thought she had soon guessed his intentions and sent all the guards away and prepared to wee him as a guest . The only exception was that she did not receive him at the main entrance .
The more Li Wei Yang did, the more Jiang Hua felt it was unusual . He thought that since the other party had already made preparations, he would not seed if he wanted to strike first and assassinate her . He immediately withdrew the Jiang family forces that had been prepared toy down their lives and proudly came in through the main entrance .
Li Wei Yang sat not too far away from him . She even had the audacity to say: ¡°Why, does Third Young Master not want tea after a long journey?¡±
Jiang Hua suppressed his anger, but he was even more infuriated by her bright smile, so he raised his cup of tea and took a sip .
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°This is Yun Wu tea, the rarest and most prized in the Li residence . It¡¯s only used to entertain honored guests . I wonder what the Third Young Master thinks of it?¡±
Jiang Hua stared intently at Li Wei Yang, trying to find the slightest trace of fear or uneasiness, but unfortunately, he was disappointed, unable to find anything in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes . He had always been clever and cautious from a young age and had never been at a disadvantage, but this time, when he returned and met Li Wei Yang, he realized he was helpless and had fallen into her hands .
There is a saying on the battlefield: fight regardless if there is a trap . If amanding general is unable to see and clearly grasp the situation, then their defeat is well-deserved . Fortunately, he had never lost, but now, the situation had been reversed, and it seems he had be the one who was defeated . He had thought it would be easy to take care of her, but now, look how much trouble he had left for himself .
Li Wei Yang nced at Jiang Hua and slowly said, ¡°I haven¡¯t asked yet . What did Third Young Mastere for today?¡±
Jiang Hua suddenly stood up . He walked over to a table nearby and gestured to the Go board there: ¡°Shall we y a game?¡±
y a game of Go?! A subtle smile shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s face . If it were an ordinary person, the first thing they would do upon arriving is demand to know where Jiang Tian is, but the person in front of her obviously had other intentions .
Li Wei Yang sneered . Regarding calligraphy, painting and dance, she could notpare to other Xiaojies indeed, but when it came to ying Go, this was another matter altogether . It was not enough to y and practice Go from a young age . It was a bloody battle of wits, an army against an army, a general against a general, bows drawn and swords raised for glory .
She believed that she was not amb to be ughtered by just anyone . She slowly stood up and went to the table beside them and casually ced a piece in the center of the board .
Jiang Hua smiled, lifted a hand and countered with another piece in a swift action . His ying style was simr to his own personality: meticulous .
¡°I have something to ask about today¡¯s affairs . ¡± Jiang Hua looked straight into Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, cing emphasis on every word .
¡°Third Young Master, you answer me a question, and I will answer you a question . ¡± Li Wei Yang smiled .
¡°No . Xianzhu, if you ask a question, I will decide whether I will answer it . ¡± Jiang Hua nodded and lowered another Go piece onto the board, ¡°Likewise, you can choose to not answer a question that I ask . ¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and immediately understood his intentions: ¡°What agreement did the Jiang family and Tuoba Zhen reach regarding today¡¯s assassination? What weakness do you have over Wu Huangzi to have him in the palm of your hands? Does the Jiang family n to implicate Qi Huangzi?¡±
That was three questions .
The Go piece in Jiang Hua¡¯s hands froze . He was examining these three questions and considering which to answer .
In truth, every question Li Wei Yang asked was a trap . If he answered one, Li Wei Yang would use his response to exin the remaining two questions . First of all, Li Wei Yang had long been convinced that the Jiang family participated in this ruse . Secondly, she already knew that this was a scheme against Tuoba Rui and Tuoba Yu . If he answered the first question, it would be no different than exposing the pact between the Jiang family and Tuoba Zhen . Li Wei Yang naturally had an answer for this . She only wanted him to confirm it .
He could not answer the second question . If he did, it would put the Fifth Prince in the palm of Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands . He could not let Li Wei Yang confirm her suspicions and in turn, better grasp the Jiang family¡¯s actions . If His Majesty found out that the Jiang family had something in their hands, His Majesty would suspect that the Fifth Prince did not suddenly act foolishly . As for the third question, he absolutely could not answer it because it was rted to the Jiang family¡¯s next move . Once it was revealed, he would have no way to proceed .
Jiang Hua clenched the piece in his hand . He desperately needed to know if Jiang Hai and Jiang Tian were in her hands or not, how they were, whether they were dead or alive, and how to force Li Wei Yang to hand them over!
This was a frightening form of self-torment . Jiang Hua kept thinking about it and revisiting his thoughts . Although he tried his best to keep calm, he thought about which question to answer and how he could fool his opponent .
No, Li Wei Yang wasn¡¯t someone who could be easily fooled . Since she raised these questions, she would be able to determine whether or not he spoke truthfully . If he lied to her, there was a chance Jiang Hai and Jiang Tian were as good as dead .
Jiang Hua¡¯s ying speed visibly slowed down . The ck and white pieces fought fiercely on end . There were pieces within traps that were traps themselves, highlyplex stratagems . Li Wei Yang set another piece down and smiled faintly: ¡°Third Young Master has the ideal stratagem, quickly seizing many of your opponent¡¯s pieces in just one move . A pity, who knows if this is a decisive decision or a futile move in the end . ¡±
At this moment, Jiang Hua chose to answer the first question .
"If Tuoba Zhen ascended the throne, the Jiang family would gain military power andplete control of the 13 southern provinces of Da Li . " He smiled as he said so .
Li Wei Yang smiled . It was as she expected .
"Are the two of them in your hands?" Jiang Hua said coldly . ¡°Are you already working with Tuoba Yu? Are the schemes behind San Huangzi¡¯s defeat by your hands?¡±
Li Wei Yang just smiled: ¡°Yes, Tuoba Yu and I have already formed an alliance . ¡± She chose to answer the second question even though she knew he wanted to know the answer to the first question the most . However, he was the one who put out three questions and left it ambiguous, so she couldn¡¯t be med .
Jiang Hua lowered another piece, cutting off Li Wei Yang¡¯s path to retreat and slowly asked: ¡°Is Concubine Lian one of your people? Is the medicine that Zhou Da Shou presented to the Emperor poisonous? Do you really want to make Tuoba Yu the Emperor?¡±
These three questions seemed rtively simple, but Li Wei Yang knew all three were dangerous to answer, especially thest one . Jiang Hua already knew she and Tuoba Yu formed an alliance but asked her if she was genuinely helping him be Emperor to see what her cards were and whether she was genuinely helping Tuoba Yu or using him . If it was to use him, the Jiang family had a chance to find an opportunity to defeat her .
¡°Concubine Lian is one of my people . ¡± Li Wei Yang ced another piece down . He already knew the answer to this question, but there was no evidence . She resolved the battle on the board without the slightest difort, ¡°It¡¯s my turn to ask again . ¡±
She smiled slightly . Her expression remained calm and natural, her voice gentle and unrushed like a pleasant sound like a spider¡¯s web capturing its prey, ¡°Where did you send Jiang Nan? Where is Li Min Feng? How is Duke Jiang doing?¡±
Jiang Hua¡¯s hand briefly stopped . This was a game, but it could not be said to be an easy one . Li Wei Yang was evaluating him based on his answers, understanding him and looking for his weaknesses . In essence, this was a battle of wits, a bloody battle to determine who lives and dies . Everything she had done was beyond his imagination .
If he answered where Jiang Nan was, it was the same as delivering a fatal advantage to Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands . As for Li Min Feng, Li Wei Yang wanted his life . If he answered, he would be putting Li Min Feng to death . As for Duke Jiang¡¯s health... Now that he was 65 years old, Li Wei Yang is suddenly concerned for his health . There was no need to say that when there is a time and ce to express it . This damn girl did not loosen her grip in the slightest! He turned the piece back and forth in his hand, thinking about what Li Wei Yang said, lost in his thoughts . The ck and white pieces on the board seemed to transform into pawns and soldiers . You surround me, I will trap you, cutting down one another and killing .
Li Wei Yang noticed her opponent had fallen into a trance . She pointed at the board and said: ¡°The Third Young Master of the Jiang family prides himself in his wit and outstanding strategies, but on the board, you cannot deal with an inferior yer like me much less speak of bravely fighting and establishing meritorious service on the battlefield¡ª¡± In the blink of an eye, she lowered another piece . Jiang Hua watched wide-eyed as he was trapped by his opponent . He nned to break through the encirclement, but he was trapped in the northeast corner . He grew anxious by the moment, feeling the blood rising from his chest and everything in front of him almost blur away .
A bit of time passed . The mole on Jiang Hua¡¯s eyebrows were almost livid . He was furious to the point where his face had reddened . He wanted to ce the piece in his hand down to break the encirclement when he discovered the white pieces had a way to break out of the encirclement but had to kill the surrounding ck pieces first . There was too much linked to its surroundings . It was difficult to decide .
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes and looked at him: ¡°Third Young Master, don¡¯t just focus on ying . You haven¡¯t answered my question yet . ¡±
¡°We hid Li Min Feng in the town of Dian in Yun Province¡ª¡± Jiang Hua was forced to make a decision, but once he said that, he realized he made a grave mistake . He suddenly looked up at Li Wei Yang .
¡°So it turns out Duke Jiang isn¡¯t in good health!¡± Li Wei Yang smiled .
Jiang Hua heard Li Wei Yang¡¯s softly spoken words and everything in front of him turned ck . Bile rose in the back of his throat and he vomited up fresh blood .
The opponent¡¯s ying piece closed in with every step . He made a mistake, a grave mistake . He should not have avoided the third question . He avoided it and chose to sacrifice Li Min Feng but in doing so, he revealed that Li Min Feng was currently with Duke Jiang, so Duke Jiang must be ill and in poor health, which is why he did not rush back for Duke Furen¡¯s funeral and may not be able to hold up for much longer . In fact, Jiang Hua was no longer certain of the future himself . As his grandfather aged, the stranger and more irritable his temperament became . He was also injured and often fainted and needed to recuperate well, but the Jiang family could not ept that Duke Jiang had fallen . No matter how powerful the family was, it still needed its leader, they needed him! He was too foolish! Too foolish!
Jiang Hua¡¯s mind seemed to have be murky, chaotic, frantic, crazy... Li Wei Yang¡¯s previous question transformed into the sharpest dagger, cutting through any useless things and lies he might say . He vaguely felt like she had understood everything!
In his answer, the truth was always mixed in with some falsehood, but most of it was true . Now, he understood why Li Wei Yang asked these questions . It was not to get answers to the questions themselves but to extract information from him, no, even to strike down his confidence!
Li Wei Yang looked at her opponent with pity and softly said: ¡°Third Young Master, just admit defeat . "
¡°No, I didn¡¯t lose!¡± Jiang Hua wiped away the blood on his lips and spoke coldly . He asked three more questions . In turn, Li Wei Yang replied . It continued back and forth, even broaching on the subject of Tuoba Yu¡¯s forces and confidants, Li Wei Yang¡¯s cards, secrets they did not want their opponents to know, but they were aware . The answers were partly true and partly false . There was truth in the lies . It had to be carefully examined in order to extract essential information . He needed to guess the truth and lies from her words, but now, he only felt a throbbing headache .
Li Wei Yang observed him . Through these questions, she confidently grasped the situation and weaknesses of her opponent, gradually approaching many of the Jiang family¡¯s buried secrets . She had borrowed this opportunity to evaluate Jiang Hua¡¯s thoughts, observe and predict their next moves .
Jiang Hua spat out blood again . The pieces on the board were all surrounded .
Li Wei Yang stared straight at him, unblinking, and softly sighed again, ¡°Human willpower simply cannot defeat destiny . Fate is decided by the Heavens . Third Young Master, I am rather disappointed . How can someone like you be called talent?¡±
The words were soft and pleasant to the ear but full of regret and pity . Jiang Hua was strong-willed and always victorious from a young age . Seeing his greatest pride lost, he was furious . His veins throbbed violently, wishing he could break his head and die on the spot!
However, at this moment, a bird suddenly spread its wings and flew out from a tree . The sound broke through Jiang Hua¡¯s trance . He suddenly shook off his anger and looked at Li Wei Yang . He was stunned to see she had forced him into this hellish trance with every step, willing tomit suicide and die!
When he realized this, Jiang Hua¡¯s eyes were brimming with anger and hatred . The girl in front of him was dangerous and quite diligent . He was momentarily careless and almost died in her hands, falling into hellish trance .
Li Wei Yang saw he was conscious again and smiled regretfully: ¡°Third Young Master should throw away the fragrant sachet . Sometimes, if you think too hard, you will only end up hurting yourself instead . ¡±
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Trantor: Chau V .
Editor: Chau V .
Chapter 128: Lamb to be ughtered
Stunned, Jiang Hua then realized something . He originally wanted to use a game of Go as a medium to allude to the disputes in the world and trap Li Wei Yang in a trance . With the hallucination-inducing grass Jiang Tian once gave him, its unique fragrance could make those who inhaled it gradually lose their mind and fall into his trap . Jiang Hua was rather presumptuous and having taken the antidote in advance, he was not afraid . Once he set everything in ce, Li Wei Yang would naturally reveal everything, one by one, even releasing his brothers and Li Wei Yang¡¯s unrevealed card . What he wanted to know most was what she would do with the Jiang family next! However, he did not expect his opponent to be a chessmaster as well and a step ahead, having seen through his deceit!
When ying Go, prioritizing victory was forbidden . Jiang Hua strived for victory, so he did everything he could . He was so persistent that he lost himself and ended up being used by Li Wei Yang instead!
He sighed and tossed away the sachet he always had with him: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you are a respectable opponent . ¡± Not only are you respectable, such an opponent is difficult to find in a lifetime . With such frightening strength, he could not but eliminate her!
Li Wei Yang broke into a smile . The traces of her facial expression were like that of a painting, but the childlike innocence had gradually faded over the years . The youthful face had developed an air of excellence, raised eyebrows projecting a refined air, and a cold light that emanated from her being, chilling down to the bone .
¡°Such a high praise . ¡± Li Wei Yang herself knew that if she were on the battlefield today, strategizing and moving a dangerous ying piece, who knows how many times she would have died . However, once he was in the Capital, Jiang Hua who excelled at battle strategies was like a fierce tiger lost in the desert . Without its strengths, it could only die of thirst . Everyone must be in their home territory in order to wage a war and be guaranteed to be victorious . Jiang Hua had been away from the Capital for many years and was ustomed to devising strategies, his strategies were always victorious because Duke Jiang protected and respected him . Every one of his strategies on the battlefield could be carried out . He only needed to think about how to respond to the enemy, but here, that was not the only thing to consider .
Jiang Hua slightly trembled and retreated a few steps . The taste of fresh blood in his mouth was intense . He sat down next to her, picked up the cup of tea and took a sip . The warm tea made him feel a bit better . Li Wei Yang, he just discovered she made him excited and unnerved . Every strategy he set forth fell within her expectations . His opponent understood every single move beforehand . It would be the regret of a lifetime to not be able to meet such a person in this life . To some extent, she was like his soulmate . She knew him better than his father and brothers, even the Duke he always admired . In recent years, he always wanted to find a soulmate, but who knew the person right in front of him was someone who wanted to eliminate the Jiang family .
¡°You are not wrong . My grandfather was ambushed during a border trip a year ago . An arrow through the chest . Not long after, he would cough up blood . He barely survived after having invited many Imperial Physicians . ¡± Jiang Hua slowly said, ¡°However, holding up for three or five years will not be a problem . ¡±
¡°Oh, three or five years? Duke Jiang would already be seventy years old at that time . ¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was exceptionally gentle .
Jiang Hua clenched his teeth and resisted the chaos in his heart . He stood up again and resumed to stare intently at the board . He moved a piece: ¡°By that time, my filial piety mourning period will have passed . ¡±
The cold wind surged forward, prating the hearts of these two people . One looked down at the board, brimming with hatred . The other lowered their eyes as if wistful, only the sound of their breathing could be heard .
¡°I¡¯m afraid Heavenly intentions are unpredictable . ¡± Li Wei Yang smiled as she finally said this .
Jiang Hua could have been forced to die just now . It was a pity . Truly a pity . In fact, she felt extremely regretful . Just a bit more, just a little bit more, but if Jiang Hua died of anger then it had nothing to do with her . He didn¡¯t bring the fragrant sachet with good intentions . If she had not encountered this in the past, she would have never suspected anything .
Jiang Hua desperately suppressed the burning blood in his entire body . Today, he came and did not secure the slightest useful news . Instead, he revealed a lot of secret information . Although he wove lies into the truth, he believed Li Wei Yang would be able to clearly distinguish between the two . His hand shook as he raised the piece again .
¡°Bai Zhi, pour another cup of tea for the Third Young Master . ¡± Li Wei Yang said with a smile .
¡°No need!¡± Jiang Hua firmly shouted, putting down his final piece .
Li Wei Yang looked at him, smiled gently and calmly lowered her chess piece . Jiang Hua¡¯s face changed, ¡°I lost . ¡± He coughed up a few more mouthfuls of blood . He was in such pain that he fell to the ground and could not get up .
¡°Oh no, how could this be? Bai Zhi, why haven¡¯t you helped the Third Young Master stand up yet?¡± Li Wei Yang seemed incredibly surprised .
Bai Zhi saw this was very strange . They were only ying Go, how could it turn into a situation like this? She did not know that it was Jiang Hua who intended to harm others first, then he became desperate to win and fell into Li Wei Yang¡¯s trap . He was furious with himself . He even tantly lost at Go .
How could this be?! He swatted away the maid¡¯s outreached hands and said in a cold voice: ¡°No need to see me off . ¡± He quickly walked out without asking a word about the safety of his brothers .
Bai Zhi looked at Li Wei Yang, puzzled, but Li Wei Yang only smiled faintly: ¡°Put away the board . ¡±
Bai Zhi nodded and lowered her voice: ¡°Xiaojie--¡±
Li Wei Yang idly yed with a few Go pieces and said, ¡°If he came, demanding to search with great fanfare today, I would be at a disadvantage instead, but it¡¯s a pity this person is paranoid and likes to remain mysterious . This allowed me to be lucky and win a game . ¡±
Bai Zhi still couldn¡¯t understand, but Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t bother to further exin . She knew that when Jiang Hua returned, once he heard the news, he would fall gravely ill . Whether or not he could get up in the future depends on him .
Such an arrogant person cannot stand defeat, but Li Wei Yang was different from him . After living in the Cold Pce for so many years, she knew no one is ever undefeated . The important thing is to be patient when you fail and make preparations . Men of the Jiang family were extraordinarily talented . It is a pity such that smooth sailing is too good to be true, much like the lesson of the tall tree forcefully swayed by the wind .
Jiang Hua left the Li residence . When departing, he could not even climb up his horse, frightening the Jiang family guards . They quickly arranged a sedan to take him back to the Jiang residence . He just arrived at the door of the study when he saw Jiang Xu ring at him with a forlorn expression: ¡°Where did you go?"
"I . . . " Jiang Hua reluctantly calmed his mind and was just about to speak when he heard Jiang Xu say: ¡°Your Eldest Brother was found dead at Yi Cui Pavilion . "
Jiang Hua heard the bad news and felt his entire heart was about to shatter . His self-restraint was cast up away into the clouds . His face was cold: ¡°How could that be!¡± How could Li Wei Yang dare?
Jiang Xu¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed, giving him a frightening appearance: ¡°There is a rumor on the streets that your Eldest Brother has a good rtionship with the first-ss singer Liu Yun . Today, he came from the Crown Prince Manor and for some reason, countless people saw him go in, then get drunk and fight with other guests . That person took advantage of his drunken state and burned him to death at Yi Cui Pavillion...¡±
¡°He died . . . and was even burned to death...¡± That means there was no evidence left behind, except for the rumors everywhere! Jiang Hua could not believe it . How could countless people see his Eldest Brother go in!
Jiang Xu was extremely grief-stricken, his tears freely falling: ¡°Not only that, now the entire Capital is saying the Eldest Young Master of the Jiang family is out enjoying flowers during his grandmother¡¯s mourning period, getting drunk at a Pavilion . That he is an unfaithful, unfilial grandchild with no sense of righteousness, damn it!¡±
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Goodness! Damn it for goodness sake! Li Wei Yang, there is no woman who is as poisonous as you in this world . Jiang Hua suddenlyughed aloud, panickedughter like a goshawk strangled by the neck . Jiang Xu looked at him in horror: ¡°Hua¡¯er! What happened to you?!¡±
Jiang Huaughed uncontrobly as if he needed tough and cough up his internal organs . He suddenly fell backwards before Jiang Xu could catch him .
¡°Hua¡¯er!¡±
Jiang Xu was shocked and quickly reached out to catch him . Unfortunately, he was a moment toote . Jiang Hua fell down the stairs and onto the ground below...
¡ª
As for Jiang Yue Lan, she was rather surprised to see that Li Wei Yang was able to return safely . At that moment, she felt unspeakably bitter . Why didn¡¯t she die? Clearly, so many things had been done, but she still returned unscathed¡ª She calmed down and ordered someone to prepare pastries and went to visit Li Min De . As an aunt, she should naturally show some concern for the Third Young Master . However, more importantly, every time she saw his appearance, an indescribable feeling in her heart emerged .
A maid came in to report back . Jiang Yue Lan subconsciously touched her hair with a hint of anxiousness .
¡°Mother?¡± Li Chang Xiao looked at her a bit strangely but smiling .
¡°It¡¯s nothing . ¡± Jiang Yue Lan answered her with a smile . She did not want anyone to pick up on her thoughts . She called Li Chang Xiao here to avoid suspicion, lest others say that she, a young aunt, came to personally visit . This would not be good . However, Jiang Yue Lan was confident that she was innocent, and there was nothing for others to see .
Li Min De was sick, and Li Wei Yang had gone to He Xiang Courtyard . He had never liked a crowded room, so he sent the maids away and was resting alone . Although he wasn¡¯t in a life-threatening condition, he had a nonstop fever due to the severity of his injury in the past three days . The hot weather also meant the wounds were more likely to ulcer . Li Wei Yang often came to take care of him whether he was awake or not fully conscious . Lao Furen and Li Xiao Ran also came several times, but he was unconscious .
When Jiang Yue Lan came in, she happened to meet the physician treating him . Li Chang Xiao was concerned about Li Min De¡¯s injury and stayed at the door to ask more about his condition . Meanwhile, the maids led Jiang Yue Lan inside .
Through the gauze curtains, Jiang Yue Lan could vaguely see inside but could not make out his face at all . She told the maid: ¡°I have a few words to say to the Third Young Master . Head out first . ¡±
The two maids looked at one another but then remembered that there were also shadow guards around . Who would dare do anything to Li Min De? They didn¡¯t say anything and quietly withdrew .
Jiang Yue Lan saw them leave . As if possessed, she drew back the gauze curtain and looked closely at Li Min De, who was still unconscious and motionless . Her heart was moved . She had not seen him for days . These days, his ck hair was damp with sweat,ying t against his exposed neck, creating a stark ck and white contrast . It was truly a sight to see . If it was an ordinary person, his face would look pale and weak, but this face remained clear and handsome . On the other hand, the paleness from blood loss expressed a heartbreaking fragility that could not help but move others . She resented not being able to softly call out and wake him up . Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s heart pounded ceaselessly .
She was married to Li Xiao Ran at the age of 18 . Although he retained his refined disposition, he was still old, and even though he favored her immensely, he only talked to her about trivial things on any given day . When Li Xiao Ran opened his mouth, each and every time, it was to talk about the current situation, respectability and responsibility . Jiang Yue Lan knew what Li Xiao Ran was like in front of his concubines, practically singing of refinery and grace, but when it came to her, he always bore the solemn air of a husband . It made her respect and fear him, but she could not kiss or love him .
Before she was married, she thought about serving her stepmother wholeheartedly, taking care of her younger siblings and working hard, so her mother wouldn¡¯t randomly marry her off . She wanted her father to remember her hard work and give her a good future . Who would have thought she would be married off to Li Xiao Ran and live the life of a pawn . In the Li family, Lao Furen was suspicious of her and Li Xiao Ran was wary of her . She lived as cautiously as she had before . It was no different than before she was married . She could bear all of it . After all, it is the same for everyone, but why does the Li family have a Anping Xianzhu?¡±
She was clearly a lowly concubine-born daughter . How could she have unrivaled honor and prestige in the residence and even respected as a Xianzhu?! Even Tuoba Yu and others chased after her like ducks, their only wish was to wee her as a consort! Especially when Jiang Yue Lan herself, although her birth mother passed away early, she was still a legitimate daughter of the Jiang family, and yet she still had to live cautiously¡ªeven her marriage was decided by others!
She didn¡¯t want to be envious of Li Wei Yang, but she couldn¡¯t help herself . From the moment she stepped foot through the door, watching Li Wei Yang act step by step, watching her rebel step by step, Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s eyes almost dripped of venom . However, she knew she had to control her actions and wait until the right moment . So when Li Chang Le came to win her favor, she epted it . When Li Chang Le asked her to cooperate with the poisoning, she pretended to be reluctant when she even agreed to leave Li Wei Yang behind at the hands of assassins, as per the Jiang family¡¯s suggestion .
At that time, she only thought that she was jealous of Li Wei Yang . Now that she saw Li Min De, she found that the most poisonous snake in her heart was telling her that what she was most jealous about was not Li Wei Yang ¡¯s status and honor, nor her unprincipled demeanor towards others . Rather, what she was most jealous of was that there was always someone by her side, protecting her regardless of what she said or what malicious things she did .
That person was Li Min De, the handsome Third Young Master .
¡°Why? Even if it¡¯s an assassin¡¯s poisoned arrow, you would still block it for her? Was it worth it?¡± Jiang Yue Lan murmured softly . Li Wei Yang has no heart . You see her pretty smiling face, but can¡¯t you see she doesn¡¯t have any humanity? She knew how Jiang Hai ended up and was also aware that Jiang Hua was ill and bedridden .
The Imperial Court abruptly cast judgment . The Fifth Prince was found to be guilty of rebellion, intent on murdering the Crown Prince and implicating countless others . In such a short time, everyone in the Capital was left feeling uneasy . Tuoba Yu was originally implicated as well, but no one had foreseen that when the Crown Prince went to submit a memorial to the throne against Tuoba Yu¡¯s collusion with the Fifth Prince, he discovered that Tuoba Yu¡¯s own memorial was already on the Emperor¡¯s desk . He was even a step ahead of him and barely ten hours had passed . The Crown Prince had been waiting for a favorable opportunity for a while, but unfortunately, it had already been snatched away by Tuoba Yu .
The Crown Prince had no choice but simply stare at the Fifth Prince, intending to put him to death . In the end, the Fifth Prince and his faction were sentenced to death . Even Marquis Yongning, who was the Fifth Prince¡¯s father-inw, was not spared . However, the person the Crown Prince wanted to eliminate most and needed to eliminate¡ªcould not be eliminated . He had to say that the borate and painstaking efforts put into the assasination ultimately delivered disappointing results . It could be said to be a grand failure . Eliminating the Fifth Prince changed nothing in the overall situation, wasting so many of their forces...
Tuoba Yu wasn¡¯t in the Capital but grasped everything in the palm of his hand . He caught wind of it not long after the assassination happened and quickly recovered . Who would it be other than Li Wei Yang? Jiang Yue Lan sighed . How could a woman y the political game, even if she is young and gentle and in the hearts of many gentlemen? What kind of woman is not gentle? Li Min De certainly must have failed to understand this . That is why he is determined to follow through with Li Wei Yang .
Although she did not know what the actual rtionship between them was, Jiang Yue Lan had a feeling that Li Min De¡¯s feelings for Anping Xianzhu was a bit unusual... Others may not see it, but she had always subconsciously looked out for Li Min De and eventually noticed a difference . Perhaps, it was not something she saw but something she felt . At times, a woman¡¯s intuition is terrifying .
Li Min De opened his eyes . He did not know how long it had been since he was asleep . He only felt his mouth was dry and his throat felt as if it was on fire, so he gathered the strength to sit up and find a cup of water . Someone by his side hurriedly brought a cup of warm water over . Li Min De took two sips and felt much better . Thinking it was Li Wei Yang, he softly called out: ¡°My wound is hurting¡ª¡±
His voice was soft and fragile,pletely different from his usual solemn demeanor . It seems he was acting coy .
Li Min De barely said much before coughing violently . That person quickly took the cup of tea from him and gently patted his back . When Li Min De finally stopped coughing, he suddenly remembered Li Wei Yang had gone to He Xiang Courtyard . How could she be back so quickly? He suddenly looked up . It turned out to be Jiang Yue Lan with a gentle smile . He felt disgusted and immediately pushed her away, angrily saying: ¡°Where are the people outside?!¡±
He was badly injured, so his voice was hoarse, and no one outside heard him . Jiang Yue Lan quickly asked: ¡°What is it? Is it difficult to drink my tea?¡± Her voice was so soft, it was as if her tears were about to fall .
Jiang Yue Lan ced the cup of tea down beside her and gently said: ¡°Wei Yang went to see Lao Furen, what is Third Young Master hoping for? Why can¡¯t I take care of you?¡± She had always been self-sufficient and had never made a wrong move, but when faced with a face this young and handsome, she could not help but blush, her heart racing as she said so .
Li Min De slipped away like a viper and kept waving his arms, telling her to go outside as he continued to cough . Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face paled, but she forced herself to say: ¡°Third Young Master, I may not have been in this household for very long, I have seen many things . Today, I came with no motives and only have some honest words for the Third Young Master . Li Wei Yang is your paternal cousin, you cannot be together in any way at all . You might as well let these affections die . Don¡¯t waste your time . Think about it, if outsiders found out about this, both your reputations will be crippled¡ª"
She carefully observed the changes in Li Min De¡¯s facial expression with every word . She wanted to strike when he was most vulnerable . She didn¡¯t believe that Li Min De wouldn¡¯t understand the consequences . She didn¡¯t believe it that Li Min De would persist and keep his faith after knowing the consequences . He was simply too young and innocent to be bewitched by Li Wei Yang¡¯s charms .
Didn¡¯t men in this life like gentle and considerate women? Regarding the guqin, Go, calligraphy, and painting, and the gentleness of a woman, did she lose to Li Wei Yang on any of those factors? So those were untouchable emotions, but why couldn¡¯t she¡ª
Her voice grew softer and warmer: ¡°I understand your sentiments . You are just lonely, like me...¡± If he softens his heart in the slightest, she will be able to make an impression on him . Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t matter . The Li family didn¡¯t matter . As long as she wanted to do so, she could y with everything in the palm of her hands . Just like how she had been standing in the dark, secretly watching Li Wei Yang and the Jiang family fight to the death . She will certainly be victorious!
Li Min De¡¯s head was getting hotter and hotter . He suddenly felt dizzy and struggled to stand up but could not find the strength . The fragrance on that woman got closer and closer to him . In the midsummer weather, the strong fragrance melded with the smell of sweat reached him . The closer she got, the more disgusted he was . It almost made him vomit¡ªwhat was she to him even! Daring topare herself to Wei Yang! It wasn¡¯t clear where that strength came from, but when he pushed her arm away, the force was enough to send Jiang Yue Lan falling onto the ground .
The hairpin on her head and hair were in disarray . The tenderness on her face turned into anger: ¡°You¡ª¡± She quickly stood up . Arm extended, she knocked the cup of tea to the ground . The cup shattered with a crystal clear sound: ¡°Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t dare to do anything to you! I still have many ways for you to heed and obey me!¡±
¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± A voice suddenly came from behind like a gentle breeze .
Jiang Yue Lan panicked and turned around to see Li Wei Yang standing behind the gauze curtain not too far away . She was smiling as if she did not see Jiang Yue Lan there at all .
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Trantor: Chau V .
Editor: Chau V .
Chapter 129
Chapter 129
Chapter 129: Jealousy Turns Into Insanity
¡°Mother is in good spirits . ¡± Li Wei Yang casually walked over with a smile on her face .
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s heart gave a start, her face quickly bore a smile . ¡°I just came with your Fourth Sister to see Third Shaoye . ¡± Recently many groups of people have been visiting this courtyard so it shouldn¡¯t seem too weird or out-of-the-ordinary .
Li Wei Yang gave Li Min De a nce, saw that he was breathing very heavily, and faintly knitted her brow . Raising her voice, she said, ¡°Are there people outside?¡±
Servant girls immediately came inside, watching Li Wei Yang with fear . ¡°Third Xiaojie . ¡±
¡°Mother identally knocked over her tea cup, clear it away well, be careful not to cut your hands . ¡± Li Wei Yang indifferently said . Jiang Yue Lan¡¯splexion became even whiter .
The servant girls immediately began to clear the dregs . Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face slightly regained herposure, and she said, smiling, ¡°I should be going . ¡± Then, ¡°Third Shaoye, I¡¯lle see you another day . ¡± Saying this, she walked out .
Li Wei Yang said mildly, ¡°Mother, I¡¯ll see you out . ¡±
Li Chang Xiao who was outside had just entered when she saw Jiang Yue Lan and Li Wei Yang walking out one after the other and involuntarily showed surprise . Jiang Yue Lan softly said, ¡°Your Third Brother isn¡¯t well and is resting . Let¡¯se back another day . ¡±
Li Chang Xiao, at a loss, nkly followed the twodies out . But when Jiang Yue Lan turned towards the garden, she guessed that the two wanted to have a chat and said smiling, ¡°I¡¯ve been outside for a long time and will head back first . Third Sister, you can apany Mother . ¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded, her eyes watching Li Chang Xiao¡¯s departing figure . Her head then turned towards Jiang Yue Lan saying, ¡°Did Mother want to say something to me?¡±
Jian Yue Lan sighed . The servant girl beside her brought her a chair . Jiang Yue Lan felt the chair¡¯s handrail, letting out a pensive expression . ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve entered the family, but I¡¯ve never had a heartfelt talk with you . ¡±
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help a small smile . Jiang Yue Lan was from the Jiang family after all, her innatepetitiveness hadn¡¯t disappeared for a single day . In the two years since she¡¯s arrived in the Li family, she had yed not a small number of ploys in secret but had not once openly made herself an enemy, always hiding behind Li Chang Le . Is she finally stepping out in the open? But hasn¡¯t she realized that even though she has the status of stepmother, strength is what matters in the Li family? How highly does she think of herself?
¡°What advice does Mother wish to give?¡±
¡°Listen to yourself . With your status today, although I am the official wife, even I have to yield a bit to you . I had nothing to do and just wanted a chat with you . Why be so aggressive, keeping others at arm¡¯s length?¡± Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s whole face showed a look of suffering .
¡°Of course Wei Yang didn¡¯t mean it like that, it¡¯s just Grandmother has handed me a lot of tasks and I really don¡¯t dare stop¡ª¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression was calm and did not y along with Jian Yue Lan¡¯s ¡°talk¡± .
Jiang Yue Lan suddenly smiled, carefully sizing up Li Wei Yang and said, ¡°Other tasks? Like taking care of Third Shaoye?¡±
Jiang Yue Lan meant it casually, but to Li Wei Yang¡¯s ears, there was a hidden meaning to them . She smiled slightly, her gaze gracefully fixed on the other party, ¡°Third Furen entrusted me with Min De before she died . Moreover, his wounds this time were partly because of me . Therefore, there¡¯s nothing with me looking after him . Why, does Mother have an issue with it?¡±
Jiang Yue Lan, hearing this, unexpectedly fell silent, an inexplicable ache rising up in her heart .
Why, why did all the best things belong to Li Wei Yang? What did sheckpared to her? Why did she have to be married off at a young age to a man old enough to be her father, and also have to cautiously ingratiate herself with everyone else? Why couldn¡¯t she follow her own heart and be with a man that she liked instead of being controlled by others?!
Li Wei Yang watched Jiang Yue Lan . A ray of sunlight illuminated her body, her clothes were bright and magnificent, her beautiful eyebrows were gently raised, her every action faintly noble . It seemed as though no matter what time you saw her, she would always look this beautiful and gentle . She suddenly thought of what Jiang Yue Lan just said and her eyes shed with a hint of a smirk . .
Jiang Yue Lan was utterly sophisticated and seasoned, no matter how strong her inner turmoil, her face stayed calm andposed . ¡°Wei Yang, you don¡¯t need to read so much into it . As your mother, I don¡¯t want you to go down the wrong path and wanted to give you a reminder . I didn¡¯t mean anything else . Since I¡¯vee here, I¡¯ve slowly realized how close you two are . Your sibling rtionship has always been good and since this incident, it¡¯s gotten even better, this is a fact . ¡± Jiang Yue Lan suddenly changed her tone and lightly said, ¡°But you are quickly nearing marriageable age and always staying with him is getting inappropriate . Even if others don¡¯t talk about it, they¡¯ll still think it¡¯s suspicious, and if such rumours ever got out, how bad that would be . ¡±
She always imed that she was just concerned about Li Wei Yang, and if it weren¡¯t for that phrase just then, Li Wei Yang might have believed she had some good intentions . But now... she would never seriously consider the words of a woman with sinister intentions . Even if it was improper, so what? Who would dare say anything about it to Li Wei Yang¡¯s face? Among all the powerful families and great ns, which one didn¡¯t have a skeleton in their closet? If anyone dide to her seeking their disgrace, Li Wei Yang wouldn¡¯t mind sending two ps their way .
The rtionship between her and Min De was pure and innocent,pletely aboveboard, and never had any illicit incidents, what was there to be scared of?
Li Wei Yang thought this far, merely smiled a cold smile, and said, ¡°Mother is overly worried . In this household, no one other than Mother would think such . ¡±
This was certainly true . Whether it was Lao Furen or Li Xiao Ran, they all believed that Li Wei Yang took especially good care of Li Min De because of Third Furen . Moreover, they have been together since they were little and grew up together . It was natural that they would be closer to each other than with others . There was nothing toment on . However, in Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s eyes, probably because she herself had ulterior motives, there was something perverse about it .
¡°I know you¡¯re not very receptive to these words, but as a youngdy, you need to check your behaviour a bit more . I once heard that because the Xiaojie of the Imperial Censor Cheng¡¯s family was close to her cousin, it created much malicious gossip and she had no choice but to be a nun . Wei Yang, you¡¯ve be Xianzhu, you have excellent prospects, you should keep this in mind!¡± Jiang Yue Lan looked as though she were so flurried she couldn¡¯t breathe .
Li Wei Yang looked at Jiang Yue Lan . ording to the information she gathered, Jiang Yue Lan hadn¡¯t been ruthless since birth; on the contrary, she was actually just an ordinary young miss . Even though her family environment was a bitplex, forcing her to constantly watch her words, her character was fundamentally different from the former Da Furen that she had followed . At least her hands weren¡¯t bloody . So even though she was secretly spying for the Jiang family and sending them information, Li Wei Yang thought she was doing it out of self-preservation . But as things stood now, Li Wei Yang realized she was still a bit too merciful . The opposition that had lent their aid to the Jiang family once or twice and hadn¡¯t been found out, has finally gotten greedy .
¡°Mother, since you have the time to worry about me, you should go and find a doctor . ¡± Li Wei Yang said, smiling slightly .
Jiang Yue Lan froze, looking at her suspiciously .
¡°You¡¯ve been married for so long but you still haven¡¯t bore father a son or daughter . Grandmother is not pleased . She even told me today about giving father more concubines to avoid a situation where father¡¯s only heir is frail . ¡±
The rules of great sessive dynasties are: the official wife¡¯s position cannot be shaken, but taking concubines is perfectly right and proper . Li Lao Furen visited Marquis Dongchang¡¯s residence just yesterday, saw there were an impressive number of Dong family¡¯s concubines, and that their appearances were even more extraordinary . Each and every one was an umon beauty, validating the old saying: Marry a wife, marry virtuously . Receive a concubine, receive colour . The entire Marquis Dongchang¡¯s residence had many wives and concubines creating many branches full of leaves . Numerous young children were running here, running there . Returning home to see her own family, the children were all grown up leaving just one smiling little milk baby that didn¡¯t even have a ymate . It truly was very depressing . Lao Furen sighed a long sigh, and discussed with Li Wei Yang if there should be more concubines .
Traditionally, such a topic wouldn¡¯t be discussed with the Li family¡¯s Third Xiaojie, but Li Lao Furen didn¡¯t trust anyone else aside from her . Li Wei Yang also agreed with Li Lao Furen, and so the decision was made that very morning to give Li Xiao Ran a few pure concubines with good family backgrounds . But for Jiang Yue Lan, it was nothing less than a bolt from the blue . She suddenly realized that the opponent waspletely aware of everything she had done and this was her retaliation . Moreover, this retaliation was open and aboveboard, a kill without spilling blood .
Li Wei Yang indeed knew what a person¡¯s weakness was . Jiang Yue Lan originally wanted to tell her, under the guise of a warning, I have taken hold of your weakness so you better restrain yourself a bit . But then Li Wei Yang gave her a p from a ce unseen, warning her to watch her steps and to be careful of traps .
Perhaps it was because they had talked for too long, the air was a little heavy and Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face was a little flushed . She couldn¡¯t help but say furiously, ¡°Li Wei Yang, don¡¯t be so difficult!¡±
Li Wei Yang only said, as if thinking out loud, ¡°The Counsellor¡¯s family has a Xiaojie ¡ª Mother has probably never met her ¡ª named Zhu Yu whose beauty is outstanding and brimming over with talent, a piece yed on the pipa reaches the gods¡¯ domain . Unfortunately she fell seriously ill two years ago and her fiance¡¯s family broke the engagement . Her marriage ns have been dyed for this reason as well . Lao Furen has met with Zhu Furen a few times and because of their acquaintance, Zhu Furen recently came to visit . First, she and Zhu Lao Furen hadn¡¯t met for some time and sorely missed each other . Second, Zhu Xiaojie passed the age of bing a concubine, Zhu Furen wanted to . . . Mother please don¡¯t take offense, Father is an official of the highest rank, most are those that want to climb up the socialdder . ¡±
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯splexion went from red to white, she nearly lost control of theposed look on her face . If they wanted to take a concubine, they could take a concubine . The Counsellor was an official of the 6th rank, which was not that much lower than her own background, and if she gave birth to a son first ¡ª this sort of concubine was a matriarch¡¯s worst nightmare! Li Wei Yang was truly ruthless!
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t look at her expression, just said, smiling, ¡°Grandmother actually asked me for my opinion . I said to wait and see a while . If it is the daughter of a rich and powerful family, there is no harm inplying, and if average, then choose one that is of simr social status . Our family is not one where just anyone cane into, after all . ¡±
Saying this, Li Wei Yang finally earnestly asked, ¡°But Grandmother insisted on having this Zhu Xiaojie pay a visit, what does Mother think about this?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not impossible to have her pay a visit, but your maternal grandmother just passed away and there¡¯s much going on in the Capital this autumn . There¡¯s lots of trivial matters . If we want to receive guests, I¡¯m afraid we would be too busy . Let¡¯s dy this discussion for ater date . ¡± Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s tone was a little stiff and she seemed breathless . She then added, ¡°As for Lao Furen, I¡¯ll go talk to her . ¡± Saying this, she quickly left in the direction of He Xiang Courtyard .
Li Wei Yang watched her back, a cold smile on her lips . People, for the sake of survival, would be able to do anything . Jiang Yue Lanpletely understood that if she wanted to gain a firm foothold, she must not let a woman with a higher status than her enter the residence .
Back in the room, Li Min De wanted to sit up but had a throbbing pain in his chest . He miserably coughed, a coughing fit so heart-rending that a trickle of blood came out of the corner of his mouth .
¡°What are you doing...¡± Li Wei Yang had just returned when she suddenly heard his coughs, and couldn¡¯t help but quickly enter . Supporting him, she said, ¡°If you want anything, order the servants to do it!¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Li Min De exerted great effort to suppress the itchiness in his throat and turned to Li Wei Yang, smiling, ¡°I¡¯ve only suffered a minor wound, it¡¯s fine . ¡±
Li Wei Yang was still worried . ¡°You¡¯re still saying you¡¯re fine . You have no idea how scary that day was...¡± She suddenly couldn¡¯t continue on and creased her brows, ¡°Jiang Hua¡¯s arrow, sooner orter I¡¯ll have to return it to him . ¡±
Li Min De had been mostly sleeping for the past few days and now was more worried about the oue of the banquet . He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What weakness did the Jiang family get a hold of to be able to force the Fifth Prince to rashly rebel?¡±
Li Wei Yang made sure he was settled in a good spot before sitting beside the bed, and in a soft voice, exined, ¡°Tuoba Rui once took charge of repairing a canal, do you remember?¡±
Li Min De frowned and softly said, ¡°Huanan Canal?¡±
¡°Yes, Tuoba Rui was responsible for repairing the Huanan Canal . For about 3 years, hemanded more than ten thousand conscriptedbourers . With tens of thousands of funds at his disposal, he made a lot of moves; not only did he falsify his expense reports, he decreased thebour force, to the extent that he buried alive six officials that conspired to secretly report him . But that isn¡¯t the worst . What was even more dire is that someone discovered him in the Hecheng armoury . Think about it, a prince secretly collecting weapons and gathering manpower, what else could it be other than a rebellion? When the Jiang family heard about it, they were ecstatic and immediately sent men to Hecheng . Unfortunately, Tuoba Rui¡¯s men stole the initiative and destroyed the armoury and with it, the evidence . It seemed like a dead-end . But Jiang Hua came up with an idea . He sent someone to spread a rumour that there was a survivor of the armoury who was now hiding in the Crown Prince¡¯s mansion . They also wrote a memorial to the Emperor to report Tuoba Rui but then sent someone to secretly inform Tuoba Rui . With this, Tuoba Rui thought the rumour was true and quickly decided to strike first . He truly went all out, he sent all the dark guards that he had gathered to assassinate the Crown Prince with the intent of letting them die there . ¡±
¡°Truly a hopeless fool . ¡± Li Min De slowly said, coughing lightly .
Li Wei Yang heaved a sigh and said, ¡°Actually, he even sent a letter to Tuoba Yu, inviting him to coborate together . If he could get Duke Luo to deploy troops to his aid, once he took the throne, he would split thend in half following the river for Tuoba Yu to rule . ¡±
¡°Seems like his advisors have been bought . ¡± Li Min De said insightfully .
Li Wei Yang smiled . In her series of confrontations against Jiang Hua, she¡¯s given Jiang Hua enough could-be-truths, could-be-lies to analyze to give him a headache; in return, she¡¯s received numerous half true, half false news, causing her to constantly think deeply in the past few days . Deeply hidden amidst the 17 questions he had given her was the situation that had happened at that time .
Even though the Fifth Prince rebelled, Noble Consort Mei¡¯s family was well-established and strong with many members doing good deeds . The n to force the Emperor off the throne wasn¡¯tpletely stupid either . Originally, a dozen or so suicidal soldiers who were expert martial artists under themand of Tuoba Rui would be nted in the imperial guards using a fake edict . They would wait for an opportunity to kill the deputymander, unite with their allies within the imperial guards, and capture the thirty thousand imperial guards to let the Fifth Prince take control of them . After taking control, Marquis Nanyang and his three sons would personally lead the imperial guards and the soldiers who have been stationed in the Capital for many years to attack Chao Yang Men . At the same time, they would send assassins to the Crown Prince¡¯s residence, assassinate the Crown Prince and Tuoba Zhen, and thoroughly eliminate their political opponents . If these three steps were carried out sessfully, the Fifth Prince would, under the name of eliminating evil, lead armed forces into the city . Marquis Nanyang¡¯s son-inw, Shi Guang, would lead his personal guards and one-third of the imperial guards to eliminate hostile forces outside of the pce, preventing political opponents from attacking from outside in . The Fifth Prince would enter the pce and use the Crown Prince¡¯s head to force the Emperor to abdicate and give him the throne . When all the dust settled, even with the seventh prince¡¯s help, the Fifth Prince would already have the Emperor¡¯s edict and would officially be enthroned . With the power to move the entire empire¡¯s troops, there was no need to fear anyone anymore .
All of this was a beautiful dream, but what happened in reality was cruel . The Fifth Prince knew very well that he hadn¡¯t prepared enough yet, but if he let the Emperor believe the Crown Prince¡¯s report, his only path would lead to the gallows . So he thoughtlessly struck first, not expecting to fall into someone else¡¯s trap . Originally, the Crown Prince didn¡¯t have reliable proof on hand, but now he had conclusive evidence . First, Tuoba Rui was captured by themander of the imperial guards before he seeded, then there were all the assassins that had entered his residence were to be executed, and after that, Marquis Nanyang was beheaded before the battle . All could be described in 4 sybles: utter defeat .
To knock down enemies, the Crown Prince naturally spared no effort . In a few days, the Ministry of Justice had collected an enormous amount of proof . Someone discovered that the eunuch that was beside the Emperor excelled in martial arts and acted suspiciously, often doing underhanded deeds for the Fifth Prince . Before the rebellion, he would even sneak out of the pce to meet with the Fifth Prince . The two of them would meet in a secret room and discuss for half a day, conspiring to kill the Emperor at the critical moment if he wasn¡¯t willing to abdicate . Furthermore, several secret letters were found in Tuoba Rui¡¯s study, the contents of which all pertaining to the rebellion . How to take control of the imperial guard, how to get in contact with Marquis Nanyang¡¯s former subordinates, when to execute the n, etc . Every step, every strokeid out in detail . The Emperor was incredibly enraged and of course ordered the beheading of the Fifth Prince and Marquis Nanyang¡¯s entire family . Even the family of Marquis Yongning was exiled even though they were not involved . Of course, the arrogant and overbearing consort to the Fifth Prince, only a few months after marrying into the family, was also executed at the same time and became theughing stock of the entire country .
The one who benefited from this the most, other than the Crown Prince that eliminated his political opponents, was the Jiang family . During the turmoil, Jiang Xu ¡°happened¡± to be at the Capital discussing official business when he heard of the Fifth Prince¡¯s uprising . He immediately called all who could be called to enter the pce to ¡°rescue the king¡± . If it weren¡¯t for him, the Emperor would have been assassinated by the men the Fifth Prince had arranged for . Like this, the Jiang family once again became heroes, moreover, heroes that exterminated traitors .
Li Wei Yang had to admire Jiang Hua¡¯s ability . Regaining the Emperor¡¯s trust isn¡¯t something that could be done overnight, and yet he did it that quickly . Of course, Jiang Hai¡¯s death cast a giant shadow over the achievement, the Jiang family didn¡¯t even have time to be happy before falling into gloom .
Li Min De gently smiled, saying, ¡°Since we¡¯ve let him perform a heroic rescue, haven¡¯t all our efforts gone to aplete waste?¡± Indeed, if Jiang Xu regained His Majesty¡¯s favor, the matter that urred during the mourning of his parent would be overlooked .
Li Wei Yang smiled at him . ¡°Who said they could be pleased with themselves? I¡¯ve already sent news out . ¡±
¡°Oh? What news?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes gleamed and there seemed to be a me burning in her eyes . ¡°The news is, at the time the Emperor was doing fine in the pce when the eunuch at his side suddenly attacked him . Just in time, General Jiang entered the pce and saved the Emperor . The Emperor had been so scared he wet his pants, trembling under the Emperor¡¯s throne . If it weren¡¯t for General Jiang¡¯s dedication to his service, entering the pce to rescue him, the Emperor would have lost his life ¡ª This news has already spread all over the country, when the Emperor hears this, how do you think he¡¯ll respond?¡±
Li Min De was dumbfounded, thenughed, before all of a sudden coughing even more severely . Li Wei Yang promptly patted his back . ¡°Are you alright? Who told you to take pleasure in other people¡¯s misfortune, be more careful . ¡±
Li Min De hid his smile . It seems like just as always, he was the single elegant and beautiful young master in the midst of this murky world, ignoring his abnormally paleplexion, of course . Li Wei Yang looked at him and suddenly understood a bit why Jiang Yue Lan was like that . Ah, beauties, no matter if they were men or women, you couldn¡¯t resist them . Moreover, a single smile from him could obliterate a woman¡¯s ability to think . And this beauty wasn¡¯t from his skin, but an inner charm that shone outward that caused people to helplessly get caught up in his smile .
This was probably a magic that only Li Min De wielded . At least, Li Wei Yang hadn¡¯t met anyone else who could do the same . Jiang Yue Lan was thepanion of a man who was old enough to be her father . Not only was it lonely but also something she 100% did not wish for . Then before her suddenly appeared a young man so pretty that the surrounding world greyed out inparison, plus, his attraction negated resistance . It was a problem .
Li Min De softly said, ¡°Yes, the more the rumor makes the Emperor seem like a coward, the more it makes Jiang Xu seem brilliant and divine, and once it reaches the Emperor¡¯s ears, the more he¡¯ll be angry . He¡¯ll naturally think that while Jiang Xu did save him, he also took this opportunity to spread the rumors, hoping for more rewards . The avaricious and insatiable snake trying to swallow an elephant . Not only will Jiang Xu not be awarded for his meritorious service, he¡¯ll actually have a serious offense . ¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, saying, ¡°Exactly so . ¡± Not only would there be rumors, but she wanted bads to be made and sung across thend . As for how to get it to the Emperor¡¯s ears, she had plenty of ways . It was important to know that rumors and such were the most effective at rousing suspicions . Most of all, the Emperor was naturally prone to suspicion, he might at first haveplete confidence in the Jiang Xu that arose in the time when he was most vulnerable, but once he heard of the rumor going around outside, upon thinking of the Jiang family, he¡¯d feel a sense of humiliation at being spied upon . Li Wei Yang took hold of this and blew it up, easily blotting out the contribution the Jiang family had long been counting on . This would undoubtedly be a huge blow to the Jiang family . If Jiang Hua learned about it, he¡¯d need to lie down for a month again .
Li Min De shook his head, saying, ¡°No, we still need to be careful, they won¡¯t give up easily . Tuoba Zhen especially . ¡±
Li Wei Yang saw that hisplexion had gained more red, but it was a sickly red, and involuntarily ced her hand against his forehead . Only then, she discovered that his high fever hadn¡¯t retreated and she couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°You have such a high fever, what are you worrying about these silly things for? Quickly lie down . ¡± Saying this, she instructed a servant girl to fetch a basin of water and personally gently washed his face, neck, and palms . She felt that his face was scorching hot yet his hands were cold, and couldn¡¯t help but be even more worried .
Li Min Dey down but looked at her with the world¡¯s clearest expression in his eyes . Atst he smiled faintly . ¡°No matter what happens, you have to tell me everything, don¡¯t bear it all yourself . You¡¯ll get tired . ¡±
For some reason, when Li Wei Yang heard this verymon phrase, her eyes suddenly misted over .
At the time, she had only rescued him on a whim . No, perhaps she had another reason to . Over the years, they¡¯d experienced many life and death situations together . He was always by her side . Now, he was critically ill and injured, and yet when he talked to her, his expression was soft and gentle . A youth that she looked after had be a warm, rxing, safe harbor for her soul . No, perhaps now he was taking care of her, at every moment of the day .
This sort of predestined affinity, who could have predicted it?
He held her hand to his chest and softly said, ¡°You¡¯re here, don¡¯t leave . ¡±
He sounded like a child and Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart was a little moved . At some unknown point in time, Li Min De started to have a strong presence that made others fear him . The servant girls should have flocked to him like ducks due to his good looks, but there wasn¡¯t a single one who genuinely got along with him . Every time she visited his courtyard, she found everyone was fearful and respectful . Did this mean that Li Min De acted a different way in front of others? If so, how did he act?
She was very curious and wanted to know, but she was even more curious about something else . ¡°Jiang Yue Lan likes you . ¡±
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Trantor: Alice
Editor: Erica
Chapter 129: Jealousy Turns Into Insanity
Li Min De slightly frowned, wrinkling that good-looking brow of his and exuding a bit of childish innocence while softening his expression . ¡°I dislike her . ¡±
¡°Yes, so I threatened her . But just then, I saw her expression, it was a very strange expression . ¡± Li Wei Yang said softly, as if lost in her memories, ¡°It was fear . And not only her, but Chang Xiao and even Father . They don¡¯t say anything, but fear is written on their faces . It¡¯s as if they¡¯re saying, ¡®Look, that¡¯s Li Wei Yang, she¡¯s a monster, a monster that makes people fear and loathe her . All those who have offended her won¡¯t have a good future because she has deep schemes and uses vicious means¡ª¡± Her expression was mild but her voice was sad, ¡°Am I not very scary?¡±
¡°Eh?¡±
¡°I think . . . I¡¯ve be very scary . I¡¯ve gotten used to killing those who have betrayed me, gotten used to setting up traps to harm people, gotten used to doing something no matter the means . Even if it¡¯s Seventh Yiniang or Min Zhi, I protect them but I¡¯m okay with using them . Thinking back, I think I¡¯m very scary . ¡± Li Wei Yang looked at the drowsy Li Min De, not knowing if he would remember all that she¡¯d said once he woke up . ¡°I think I¡¯m very scary . How . . . did I turn out this way?¡±
Li Min De didn¡¯t say anything, merely calmly looked at her, his deep ck pupils always containing a sort of gentle look, gentleness that prated the bone .
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t need others¡¯fort nor did she regret her actions, she just didn¡¯t know if she would turn into a monster that killed without batting an eye .
¡°I think I¡¯m changing little by little, turning into someone that I can¡¯t even recognize . What will I turn into? If I do change, Min De, will you fear me too...¡±
Li Min De whispered, but firmly interrupted her, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of you . ¡±
Li Wei Yang nkly repeated, ¡°You¡¯re not afraid?¡±
¡°Everything is because they forced you to do so . Saying you¡¯re vicious while at the same time thinking up all sorts of ways to harm you . If you don¡¯t fight back, the one that would die is you . In such an environment, a noble young girl who didn¡¯t know the ways of the world would die a miserable death . If one hasn¡¯t been eroded by the rain and the wind, hasn¡¯t been polluted by the outside world, it just means that once the thing that was protecting them from the wind and the rain is gone, they would forever be bullied by others . ¡± He said each word clearly .
Li Wei Yang was thoroughly choked, unable to say out even a half a word .
¡°You asked me if I would be afraid of you . I¡¯m telling you now, I will never be afraid of you, no matter what you be . Killing people, harming people, even if you be a cannibal, I would never be afraid of you . ¡± Li Min De¡¯s tone was cold, but persistent like a sharp de, making you unable to doubt his words . ¡°I¡¯ve long before gone to hell already, what would it matter if I walk through it again with you? Why would it be scary?¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at him, and involuntarily began tough . Herughter became rxed, ¡°That¡¯s right, why was I confused? Perhaps I was worried that one day everyone would look at me that way, that would be true loneliness . ¡± What does it matter if she became alienated from others? If a kind heart couldn¡¯t save people, if a broad mind couldn¡¯t help people, then she would kill to stop killing, fight to stop fighting . Otherwise she would not be able to open up a bloody path to escape . After spending a long time pondering so, Li Wei Yang finally made up her mind .
Li Min De had said a lot and was clearly tired . He leaned his head on her hand, muttering, ¡°Working yourself up over nothing . ¡±
Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but smile even more strangely, however Li Min De truly was very sleepy and fell asleep .
Li Min De¡¯s body recovered very slowly, but it was still recovering . The Capital was in a mess while going through a series of purges and everyone found themselves in danger . Afterwards, things slowly calmed down and life resumed . But Li Wei Yang still had dreams . In her dreams, Liu Xiaojie¡¯s smiling face often appeared, looking a little shy, then a little curious, then the startling image of her dead body . It was strange, she wasn¡¯t scared for herself, but she was dreaming of someone that she didn¡¯t have any rtionship with .
She and Liu Xiaojie were hardly acquaintances . Even before the incident, they hadn¡¯t talked more than twice, but she still remembers that person . Perhaps, it¡¯s likely that she will never forget that day, because it was too tragic . A young and beautiful woman in a blink of an eye turned into a corpse . It was too cruel . Plus, the ones manipting everything behind the scenes weren¡¯t the Fifth Prince but were the Jiang family and Tuoba Zhen . Thus, these people must pay the price .
When Li Min De¡¯s health improved a bit more, he strongly requested to go outside for a walk . Li Wei Yang had Zhao Nan support him and specially wrapped a very thick cloak around him before letting him sit a while in the garden .
¡°Seems like it¡¯ll be autumn soon . The weather is getting colder . If you¡¯re cold, we should go back in sooner . ¡± Li Wei Yang urged again and again .
Li Min De cocked his head, distressed, ¡°I¡¯ve almost grown mold staying inside the house . ¡±
¡°Growing mold is better than worsening your wound!¡± On this point, Li Wei Yang brokered absolutely no arguments . ¡°I took great pains to bring you back safely and it wasn¡¯t to let you die . ¡±
Li Min De suddenly quietly looked at her, his pupils a deep ck . It was as if there was nothing to say and at the same time there were too many things to say and he couldn¡¯t figure out how to express them . Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart skipped a beat at his gaze and sheughed, ¡°Why are you looking at me that way?¡±
Li Min De was silent, his long eyshes sweeping down to cover his eyes, ¡°It¡¯s nothing . ¡±
This youth, she has to guess more and more what was on his mind, Li Wei Yang thought in her heart . ¡°Recently, there has been a lot of movement in the government and the people . I think Tuoba Zhen will make his move soon . I don¡¯t know what it will be, but I know he likes to stir things up, to revolt, to create conflict, and this is an opportunity to do so . ¡± She spoke slowly, trying to distract herself from her worry over Li Min De . She didn¡¯t like the feeling of not being in control .
¡°So, get well quickly...¡± She suddenly reached out and patted the back of his hand . ¡°I really need you . ¡±
Something clearly flickered in Li Min De¡¯s eyes .
Li Wei Yang softly said, ¡°Before this, we had a little disagreement, but that¡¯s all in the past right? You will always be by my side and I¡¯ll always be your most faithful family member . This won¡¯t change, right?¡±
Li Min De turned his head away, his pretty features obscured in the shadow of the sun, so she couldn¡¯t clearly see his expression .
Although he didn¡¯t say anything, Li Wei Yang intuited that he was a little angry . She said in a low voice, ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you, so don¡¯t be angry . ¡±
At this, Li Min De turned his head to look at her, showing an expression that was a little aggrieved, his breathing clearly tight .
¡°I¡¯m not afraid of death and not afraid of killing people, but I will feel lonely . I will think that everyone on this earth fears me . I don¡¯t want to be like Tuoba Zhen, so you have to stay by my side to remind me, remind me that I¡¯m still alive...¡± At this point, Li Wei Yang gazed at him . ¡°So, please don¡¯t ever be mad at me . ¡±
Li Min De looked at her for a long time, in the end, unable to say half a word to her, and could only gently ¡°Nn¡± in response .
Li Wei Yang stared at him, and involuntarilyughed, ¡°Look at you, you say you¡¯re bigger than me, but sometimes you need me to coax you . Isn¡¯t that just like a child?¡±
Li Min De immediately pulled his hand out of her hand, then frowned and stared at her .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes gleamed, ¡°We just agreed, no more getting angry!¡±
Li Min De dropped his expression and in all seriousness said, ¡°In the future, you have to remember those words, the words you said yourself . ¡±
Li Wei Yang raised an eyebrow at him and he said lightly, ¡°You said those words . You need me and you want me by your side forever . I didn¡¯t beg you, you brought it up yourself . ¡±
Was there a difference? Li Wei Yang thought and thought, but didn¡¯te up with an answer .
Seeing her eptance, he smiled, revealing two dimples . As he smiled, his eyes were deep, turned into crescents, seeming particrly harmless, as if on each eysh hung a smile . As if Li Wei Yang¡¯s promise was his greatest reward .
While the two of them talked in the pavilion, somewhere far away, the sight of them arose a feeling of loneliness in someone else .
¡°Furen, the wind is strong outside . Let¡¯s return . ¡± A servant girl softly reminded her, after ncing at her face .
Jiang Yue Lan abruptly turned around, her face was indeed wooden and pale . The servant girl gave a start upon seeing her face . ¡°Furen¡ª¡±
¡°It¡¯s ok, my head just hurts . ¡± Jiang Yue Lan didn¡¯t look at the scene anymore and briskly crossed the corridor towards her own courtyard . The two servant girls behind her looked at each other in dismay before being obliged to catch up .
Jiang Yue Lan reached her room . Suddenly she quickly walked to stand in front of her mirror, desperately staring at it .
Ah Luo and Rong Mama shared a strange look between them . They¡¯re not sure why, but since a while ago, the affable and introverted Furen had be restless and a bit abnormal .
Jiang Yue Lan looked at the person in the mirror . This person . . . was it really her?
The woman in the mirror, at first nce, seemed quite young, perhaps 18 or 19 years old, and good looking . But on closer inspection, through the tip of the eyebrow and the corner of the eye seeped out an unclear feeling of tiredness and age . No! This clearly isn¡¯t what she looked like! Where were her beautiful eyes? Where was her gentle smile? Her satisfied self-confidence? Where did they go?! Where did they all go!
Jiang Yue Lan examined herself in the bronze mirror, from her left side to her right, from her eyebrows to her chin . All of a sudden, she was furious . ¡°Ah Luo, fetch me my rouge!¡±
Ah Luo, trembling with fear, fetched the rouge and very carefully applied some on Jiang Yue Lan . After applying the rouge, Jiang Yue Lan was obviously unhappy with the simple, gold hair ornaments that she had personally styled . ¡°Am I really this old? Give me the ruby hair ornaments instead . ¡±
Ah Luo gave a start and hastily retrieved the hair ornament that Jiang Yue Lan had specified from the make up box . This ruby hair ornament was a lifelike peony flower . The surface was covered with a light gold foil, but the flower was indeed made from ruby . As expected, it was magnificent to wear and dazzling to the eyes, and made her look much lovelier and charming .
Rong Mama frowned . Her family¡¯s Furen was actually still very young, there was absolutely no trace of aging on her face . Usually, in order to appear dignified and noble, she had always dressed very solemnly and her hair ornaments were chosen to match . Why has she suddenly changed? She could not help but anxiously look at the Jiang Yue Lan sitting in front of the dresser, engrossed in examining herself from top to bottom . Even if she dressed up as beautiful as a goddess, who would look at her? Laoye? He¡¯s always appreciated light beauty, and not Furen that dress too bewitchingly .
¡°Ah Luo, have I gotten old?¡± Jiang Yue Lan continued to stare at herself in the mirror . Her tone was calm as she asked, but if you listened carefully, you would discover it contained a slight chill .
¡°Furen is young and beautiful . Those who are a bit older can¡¯t even match . ¡± Ah Luo immediately replied .
¡°Is that so . ¡± After listening, Jiang Yue Lan merely answered and continued to paint her eyebrows .
¡°Furen, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Rong Mama could not help but ask .
Jiang Yue Lan carefully examined her face in the mirror, as if seeking out any fine lines . Only after she didn¡¯t find any, did she let out a breath .
No, even though she is young and beautiful, as soon as she married Li Xiao Ran, everything was over .
That ideal and beautiful young woman, that hope for a harmonious and affectionate rtionship, that fancied dense honeyed feeling, it was all over .
She must diffidentlyply with a man old enough to be her father . She also must restrain her desire and be dignified just like a middle-aged Furen . But she clearly isn¡¯t a middle-aged Furen! Why does she need to act so mature, speaking in a manner that doesn¡¯t suit her age, and doing things only old women need to do? Clearly those new wives that got married to a young man all spoiled sweethearts, gentle and innocent . Why does her eyes only show worldly wisdom and indifference? Why?!
She was born so beautifully, it was certainly a gift from the heavens, but why can¡¯t she be like that person, freely living as she pleases? In the fuzzy bronze mirror, an image arose of a pair of youths, one male, one female, gently looking at each other . Jiang Yue Lan involuntarily tightened her grip on the rouge box . Li Wei Yang, Li Min De, I¡¯m living so miserably, how could you two be so happy together?
Li Xiao Ran quietly walked in, not uttering a sound, looking at Jiang Yue Lan from behind the mirror . Rong Mama wanted to sound a warning, but Li Xiao Ran waved his hand .
When Jiang Yue Lan once again sighed with feeling at the mirror, she suddenly saw a schrly and refined and clearly middle aged man¡¯s face . Her heart leapt to her mouth . She ced a smile on her face and immediately stood up . ¡°Laoye? Why are you here?¡±
Howe both the father and daughter have such a scary habit of standing behind someone! As Jiang Yue Lan spoke, a bold idea suddenly appeared in her mind . What if there was no Li Wei Yang, what if there was no Li Wei Yang...
Yes, if she was out of the way, everything would be different .
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Trantor: Alice
Editor: Erica
Chapter 130
Chapter 130
Chapter 130: Only Out of Self-Interests
The weather gradually got colder in the autumn . Bai Zhi knew that Li Wei Yang was born sensitive to the cold, so she quickly ordered someone to add another charcoal heater to the room .
At night, the moonlight shone through the thin screen of the window, faintly illuminating thecquered screen of andscape painting, matching the crackling charcoal fire in the hollow box . It added a pleasant warmth and peace of mind to the entire residence .
Li Wei Yang was resting on a soft, satin pillow . She squinted to see the moon beyond the window and slowly said: ¡°Tuoba Yu ising back soon...¡±
Right now, she is looking forward to Tuoba Yu¡¯s return and hoping the Jiang family will ept her grand gift .
Recently, in the Emperor¡¯s eyes, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s status has only been elevated . All the ministers in the Imperial Court were sensitive . They discovered Li Xiao Ran was being favored . The Emperor had no intentions to reward the Jiang family for their rescue, and the more he reprimanded Li Xiao Ran, the more this affirmed the ministers¡¯ judgment . For that reason, more and more people secretly joined his side, so Li Xiao Ran¡¯s strength continued to increase .
Li Xiao Ran owed Li Wei yang some gratitude for this . He didn¡¯t expect that the daughter who seemed to only raise chaos actually seeded in making the Emperor alienate the Jiang family .
Three days ago, Jiang Li sent in a request to return to the Capital to attend the funeral . The Emperor made a decision within a day . Therefore, in a few days, Jiang Li will have to hand over his military forces in order to return to the Capital . Looking at it this way, it seems Duke Jiang is the only one left who can support the Jiang family now .
Seeing that Li Wei Yang could not sleep, Bai Zhi whispered to her: ¡°Is Xiaojie worried about something?¡±
Among the maids, Bai Zhi is the cleverest and the most capable learner, but in the end, she was still a maid . There were many things she wouldn¡¯t understand . Li Wei Yang smiled and mumbled to herself: ¡°I¡¯m not worried, I¡¯m looking forward to it . It¡¯s not just us anymore . Jiang Hua has begun to take action . I¡¯m afraid Southern Xinjiang is no longer quiet, but it¡¯s more interesting this way . "
Bai Zhi gave her a puzzled look .
Li Wei Yang idly said: ¡°For over a century, Da Li¡¯s Southern Xinjiang region has been troubled by the Xuan Yuans of the kingdom of Yi Nan . They relied on strong men and horses and coborated with rich merchants in some cities along Southern Xinjiang . They invaded and looted from time to time . When the army arrived, they were nowhere to be found, so this source of the problem has never beenpletely eradicated . In the past ten years, the kingdom of Yi Nan gained a new ruler and has been busy building and developing cities, so the situation has been rtively stable . Naturally, Duke Jiang is not needed in Southern Xinjiang in the long run . However, when the Emperor was about to rece the general, Southern Xinjiang became uneasy again . It was no longer a matter of looting and destruction that brought the army to suppress the situation . Say, is it because the kingdom of Yi Nan purposely caused trouble or is there another reason?¡±
Bai Zhi was taken aback: ¡°What does Xiaojie mean?"
Li Wei Yang blinked and added softly: ¡°I¡¯m not trying to say anything . I just feel the Emperor sent Tuoba Yu there, not necessarily with the intention of testing Duke Jiang . However, if Tuoba Yu did not handle the situation properly, he would be falsely used of inviting disaster and forfeiting military spirit . I believe Jiang Hua must have made sufficient preparations and set a trap for Tuoba Yu to bury himself into, but no one knows who will ultimately fall into that trap...¡± Her voice grew softer by the moment until it seemed she had fallen asleep .
Bai Zhi nced at Li Wei Yang¡¯s quiet sleeping face and smiled gently . She tucked the quilt in for her and then quietly retreated .
Early next morning, Tuoba Yu really did return to the Imperial Court . As soon as he came back, he entered the Pce and submitted a memorial to the throne, using Duke Jiang of ¡°keeping the army to himself, letting the enemy go in fear of engaging in battle . ¡±
The Crown Prince was taken aback . He thought that he would not be able to find a suitable general to control the situation at Southern Xinjiang in the entire Imperial Court aside from Duke Jiang . Based on this, he came to the conclusion that if war broke out at Southern Xinjiang, Duke Jiang would take care of it, but he did not expect Tuoba Yu would return and submit a memorial the moment he returned .
However, the person who was most shocked was Jiang Hua . Given his arrangements, Tuoba Yu should have died at Southern Xinjiang under the crime of a rebellion . Tuoba Yu not only returned safe and sound but was full of vigor, stunning everyone with his actions .
The Crown Prince hurriedly ushered Jiang Xu, Jiang Hua and the others into the Pce, wanting to say a few good words for Duke Jiang, but the Emperor did not wait for them to speak . He was already furious: ¡°Take a good look at these memorials!¡±
Jiang Xu raised his head and saw four eunuchs carrying a copper-colored wooden trunk . The wooden trunk fell right at Jiang Xu¡¯s feet with a thud that startled everyone . The trunk was full of memorials . Jiang Xu trembled as he looked at Jiang Hua, but Jiang Hua subtly shook his head, telling him not to panic and settle down first .
The Emperor picked up a memorial and hurled it in Jiang Xu¡¯s direction . The memorial made a crisp, crumpling sound . Jiang Xu quickly fell to his knees . The Emperor coldly said: ¡°Senior General Zhou Wu Tian denounces Jiang Ming Yuan for revealing military secrets!¡±
Without waiting for Jiang Xu to exin, the Emperor picked up another memorial and continued in a loud voice: ¡°Huo Xing, a scribe under the Ministry of War, denounces Jiang Ming Yuan for withholding military expenditures!¡± Once again, Jiang Xu was shocked . The Emperor did not give him time to think and continued to read seven to eight memorials aloud, one after the other . All were memorials to impeach Jiang Ming Yuan . Every memorial fell hard on the Jiangs¡¯ heads, a painful blow every time . Jiang Xu trembled all over, and Jiang Hua was trying to suppress his resentment . He desperately bent down to restrain the anger within, not daring to let the Emperor see through his thoughts . Even though the Emperor read many of the memorials, the trunk was still full of memorials . One could see how many people had submitted an impeachment memorial!
But why? How could this happen?! Many of these people were old subordinates of the Jiang family . Why did they turn around and bite the Jiang family? How could this be? How could there be such strange things in this world?! There was never the slightest indication that they would act up!
The Emperor spoke every word through gritted teeth: ¡°Keeping soldiers as their own, wasting military resources,wlessly epting bribes, and avoiding the enemy in fear of war? Is there such a loyal subject in the world?¡± When speaking of this, the Emperor¡¯s voice became especially sharp .
Cold sweat broke out on Jiang Hua¡¯s forehead . He finally understood what Tuoba Yu had done . His spy reported that Tuoba Yu did not go inspecting the situation, but rather, he even went traveling and sightseeing,fortably having fun and seeking contentment . It seems he had been fooled by Tuoba Yu¡¯s pretense! He had simply been going around, buying people¡¯s loyalty!
At this moment, Jiang Hua finally recollected himself . Tuoba Yu had soon arranged for his soldiers to depart in two groups . On one hand, he leisurely departed from the Capital with the majority of the soldiers and horses . On the other hand, he had a hundred trunks of gold and treasures secretly transported to Southern Xinjiang beforehand . Li Wei Yang told Tuoba Yu to arrange for people to buy loyalty . Anyone who was willing to oppose going to war would receive unimaginable wealth . Those who were unwilling or pretended to surrender would be killed . They could drown or fall from their horse and die . As long as they refused to submit a memorial, they would be quietly eliminated in the case that they sought to leak the news .
Naturally, to prevent the Jiangs from finding out, Li Wei Yang screened every person for Tuoba Yu in advance based on the memories of her past life and information Tuoba Yu collected from Southern Xinjiang . Those who sought after fame and glory, those who acted out of self-interests, and those who would be loyal even in death and had to be eliminated¡ª so, only one person ended up being assassinated, the person who absolutely refused to surrender . For that reason, they managed to not alert the Jiangs .
Truthfully, Li Wei Yang had thought a lot about it . Jiang Hai was dead . Jiang Xu¡¯s moves to rescue the situation were denounced in turn . The Jiang family had fallen into troubled times and could not take care of things on every front . On this matter, Li Wei Yang would not be merciful . She knew this was the best opportunity, one that was particrly hard to find . Although Tuoba Yu initially hesitated, he ultimately agreed because if he did not take action, the Jiangs would make it difficult for him to return safe and sound once he arrived at Southern Xinjiang . If he had not been sufficiently prepared, he would have already died there . Now, here he was, standing in the hall as he coldly said: ¡°General Jiang, do you have anything else to say?¡±
Jiang Xu was furious . No matter how well he had established himself, he could not watch as his own father was suspected and criticized by the Emperor . Moreover, this was a false usation and clearly a scheme!
Jiang Hua tightly held onto his father¡¯s sleeve and internally sighed to himself: Oh Li Wei Yang, Li Wei Yang, you are truly cruel! He was bedridden for two months before he could even get up, and now, he understood why Li Wei Yang deliberately provoked him then . It was because he was arrogant and unable to ept his defeat, so he easily fell . Once he had fallen, he would have no time to revisit the arrangements at Southern Xinjiang . Everything had to be left in the hands of Duke Jiang . That way, it would be easy to give Tuoba Yu an opening . She began to prepare from that moment onwards... He whispered: ¡°Father, you cannot be angry¡ª¡±
With Jiang Hua¡¯s reminder, Jiang Xu broke out of his daze . He suddenly raised his head . Tears were already flowing down his eyes as he desperately begged: ¡°Your Majesty, your subject¡¯s father would never do these things, these are all false usations...¡±
¡°Then let him return to the Capital and exin!¡± The Emperor coldly retorted .
The Crown Prince¡¯s face changed the moment he heard this . He immediately said: ¡°Imperial Father, please reconsider, the situation at Southern Xinjiang cannot be without Duke Jiang at all! In case the kingdom of Yi Nan takes action, wouldn¡¯t there be no one left to stop--¡±
The Emperor¡¯s voice was as cold and resolute as before: ¡°You mean that without Jiang Ming Yuan, my empire will fall!¡±
Stunned, the Crown Prince said: ¡°Imperial Father, your son does not mean this! Imperial Father is a wise judge!¡±
¡°If he truly is loyal and whole-heartedly devoted, why did he not mobilize troops while Yi Nan caused trouble in those two months? Allowing Yi Nan to burn and loot several cities at Southern Xinjiang? I want to know what he has been doing there!¡±
Jiang Xu immediately said: ¡°Your subject¡¯s father has already made arrangements . In a few days, there will soon be a military campaign against Yi Nan¡ª¡± This was Jiang Hua¡¯s original n . He secretly sent someone to reach an agreement with Yi Nan, indulging them with three months of burning and looting . After that, Grand Duke Jiang will proceed to engage in a grand battle, Yi Nan will pretend to wildly flee, leading the Emperor to think that it was all due to Duke Jiang¡¯s efforts . In any case, the Emperor must be made aware of the tragic consequences of looting and witness the deaths of countless people in order to realize Duke Jiang¡¯s importance . That way, when Duke Jiang says he needs more time to prepare for the war, he will not have to shoulder too much of the me .
Jiang Hua could even act on such cruel methods like indulging Yi Nan in the ughter of ordinary people . He was no longer a strategist loyal to his country . Now, he could not wait to seize victory .
¡°When will he take action?! Why didn¡¯t he inform me?¡± The Emperor angrily said, ¡°A memorial is submitted twice a month regarding military campaigns, yet he speaks of trivial things! Not a single mention of his n!¡±
Jiang Xu quickly kowtowed: ¡°Your subject can vouch for this with his own life! The Jiang family is whole-heartedly devoted!¡± As long as Duke Jiang quells the war, there will be no use in investigating these crimes .
Tuoba Yu lightly said: ¡°The fact that Duke Jiang keeps soldiers as his own has been known to everyone . Hence, there is a saying among themon folk, ¡®The Emperor in the North, the General in the South . ¡¯ Could it be that he wants to evenly divide the world between him and Imperial Father!¡±
Li Wei Yang told him to say these words at the most critical moment . Sure enough, the Emperor was enraged: ¡°Transcribe! Immediately arrest Jiang Ming Yuan, return to the Capital for questioning! End . ¡±
¡°Imperial Father!¡± The Crown Prince quickly fell to his knees and approached the Emperor: ¡°Imperial Father, please give Duke Jiang a chance! Do not wrong a loyal subject!¡±
The Emperor solemnly told the Crown Prince: ¡°A chance? He already wants to evenly divide the world for it to be shared with me, why would I give him a chance!¡±
Jiang Hua hurriedly kowtowed: ¡°Your Majesty, please allow your subject to say a few things!¡± His official position was a humble one . If he had not been sent in by the Crown Prince, he would not even have the opportunity to meet the Emperor, but at this moment, he had to put everything on the line! ¡°Your Majesty, of course Duke Jiang cann return to the Capital and exin, but what happened this time might be a trap from Yi Nan . The general cannot be reced in the middle of a military campaign! Begging Your Majesty to allow the Jiang family another chance, so your subject¡¯s grandfather can atone for past mistakes with meritorious feats!¡±
Tuoba Yu frowned . He was hesitating . He had already said half of what Li Wei Yang had told him . He was considering whether or not to say the remaining half . At that time, she told him, if it came to a critical turning point, he only needed to remind the Emperor that Jiang Ming Yuan was once the Crown Prince Tong Xin¡¯s teacher . Of course, the Crown Prince Tong Xin had 14 tutors, not just Jiang Ming Yuan, but to the Emperor, at the height of his fury, this will remind him that Jiang Ming Yuan might have harbored dissatisfaction towards the reigning Emperor¡¯s ascension early on¡ª
However, Tuoba Yu could not bear to do so . If he mentioned this matter, the Emperor will be furious and certainly begin to purge those in the Imperial Court, uprooting all the people who once supported the Crown Prince Tong Xin . Then, it will be a storm of bloodied rain . This had happened four times since the Emperor ascended to the throne . Thousands of people died every time, ending in a cruel and bloody manner . Even if the Jiang family did not initially help the Crown Prince Tong Xin, the Emperor would never believe it and seek to kill a scapegoat! Because in his eyes, the Crown Prince Tong Xin, this person was on the other end of the spectrum as him!
Among the influential families that supported the Crown Prince Tong Xin, quite a few of them were Tuoba Yu¡¯s subordinates . If the Emperor took out his anger on them, then what was he to do? Li Wei Yang clearly wanted him to sacrifice these people to put Duke Jiang to death... When the time came, he discovered that he could not bear to .
It was a fleeting opportunity, and the moment Tuoba Yu hesitated, Jiang Hua had already provided a dozen reasons as to why Jiang Ming Yuan should not be recalled . Even the Crown Prince kowtowed again and again, pleading on Grand Duke Jiang¡¯s behalf .
The Emperor paused for a moment, ncing at Tuoba Yu¡¯s face . However, seeing that he was still dazed, the Emperor could not help but slowly say: ¡°Order the Deputy General to temporarily take over Jiang Ming Yuan¡¯s post, so he may return to the Capital and exin . ¡±
Rather than being arrested, he would be able to return to the Capital and exin himself . The Emperor¡¯s words were clearly at the limit of his concessions . If he truly wanted to capture Jiang Ming Yuan, a riot might break out in the army, and the script would unfold ordingly to how Li Wei Yang hadposed it . But now, the situation was much, much better than the worst case scenario . He only needed to return to the Capital to be investigated, it was just that¡ª
Tuoba Yu was shocked, realizing all of his efforts were drastically reduced to nothing in an instant . His face paled, but he did not say anything more and withdrew after the members of the Jiang family left .
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 130: Only Out of Self-Interests
In the Pce, Tuoba Yu came out from the hall and went to see his Concubine Mother, Virtuous Consort Zhang .
Virtuous Consort Zhang resided in Yi Ran Pce, located along the shore of Lake Bi Bo . Quiet and peaceful, the clear blue waters were indeed beautiful scenery . Since thest time when she was frightened, Virtuous Consort Zhang has been ill and bedridden, but her body has begun to recover after a summer . Tuoba Yu arrived at the courtyard and found Virtuous Consort Zhang sitting under a tree, ying Go by herself with her female attendants by her side .
Seeing Tuoba Yu had arrived, Virtuous Consort Zhang smiled: ¡°Back already?¡±
¡°Yes, I¡¯vee to greet Concubine Mother . ¡± Tuoba Yu sped his hands in salute, and Virtuous Consort Zhang immediately reached out to help him up .
Tuoba Yu nced at the Go board where the white pieces were surrounded by the ck pieces . He had a small smile: ¡°Concubine Mother truly has the mind and energy, if you want to y a game of Go, why not find someone to y with you?¡±
Virtuous Consort Zhang smiled and nced at her son before leisurely saying: ¡°These days, everyone in the Pce is running to Consort Lian, His Majesty hasn¡¯te by in months, let alone others . ¡±
Tuoba Yu looked at his mother . Above Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s red tinted cheeks were a pair of watchful eyes following him . He smiled bitterly: ¡°I cannot hide anything from Concubine Mother . ¡±
Virtuous Consort Zhang sighed: ¡°You sent Zhou Da Shou into the Pce and even gifted your Concubine Mother an opponent . Forget it . As long as it benefits you, what is losing a bit of favor worth?¡± After that, she carefully inspected the Go board and seemed to inadvertently ask, ¡°I heard you do not want to marry a Princess Consort and even dismissed your uncle¡¯s words?¡±
¡°Indeed . ¡± Tuoba Yu¡¯s expression was that of indifference, as if he had expected his mother would ask this question long ago .
¡°Why?¡± Virtuous Consort Zhang turned to look at him, her eyes cold . Tuoba Yu inwardly sighed . It was inevitable: ¡°The Imperial Court is in disorder, the matter of concubines can be postponed for a few years . ¡±
Virtuous Consort Zhang frowned, "How many years? How old are you to still have no heirs! What are you doing?! How could you still say postpone it!¡±
¡°Third Brother still hasn¡¯t married¡ª¡±
¡°He¡¯s different! He doesn¡¯t have a noble background, nor a mother¡¯s support . Neither of high status nor lowly, do you think you¡¯re the same as him?¡± Virtuous Consort Zhang scolded him .
Tuoba Zhen actually had a marriage arrangement two years ago . The Emperor bestowed this marriage himself . It was with the eldest daughter of Duke Ying, but this Xiaojie had disappeared with the incense before she was married . Tuoba Zhen was ¡°devastated¡±, hence the matter of his marriage was dyed year after year . Only Tuoba Yu understood that if the Emperor did not personally bestow that marriage, Tuoba Zhen would not even look at the likes of Duke Ying . That Xiaojie of the Ying family was perfectly healthy and doing well, yet she suddenly became gravely ill and died . This certainly made others suspicious, but what use would it be to say these things to Virtuous Consort Zhang .
In the past two years, courtiers also advised him to establish a Princess Consort . He could disregard their words, but the person standing here is his birth mother . Even if he is unwilling, he could only stand there and earnestly listen to her teachings . Of course, it is one thing to listen, whether or not he will do so is another thing . He would never marry anyone else!
¡°Are you still thinking about that Li Wei Yang?¡± Virtuous Consort Zhang asked, nk-faced . A hint of a blush appeared on Tuoba Yu¡¯s cold, indifferent face . He coughed ufortably and slowly let out words that fell upon ears like a p of thunder: ¡°I already said that if Concubine Mother does not agree to let me marry her, I won¡¯t marry a Princess Consort at all!¡±
This was not simply a statement but an assertion . Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s expressionless face finally changed as she angrily said: ¡°Have you truly been bewitched by that fox demon?!¡±
Tuoba Yu knelt on the ground and solemnly continued: ¡°I¡¯ve already said so; not only is she worthy of my love, she is also worthy of my respect . If it weren¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t be here today, nor would I be able to hold out against the Crown Prince and Tuoba Zhen! I will need her in the future as well, please Concubine Mother, I am asking for your permission!¡± He told Virtuous Consort Zhang countless times . Li Wei Yang was not only a Xiaojie in her boudoir, she was also a resourceful strategist, but Virtuous Consort Zhang refused to listen to his exnations .
Virtuous Consort Zhang stared intently at her son and recognized his stubbornness and refusal to concede and sighed to herself: ¡°You still insist on it¡ª I¡¯ve already said that it doesn¡¯t matter who you truly love or if you have a respectable background . Make her a Side Consort if you must, but you insist on making her Princess Consort...¡± She sternly looked into Tuoba Yu¡¯s dark eyes and forced out the words: ¡°Alright . Even though I admit that she is clever and will be useful to you, what about her reputation? She can be wronged, she can be fighting back, but she forced her eldest sister and maternal grandmother down a dead end, these are stains on her name that cannot be erased! You think I won¡¯t hear about the things outsiders say because I am in the Pce? Yu er, Concubine Mother always hopes that you can marry a Princess Consort who can help you, but it¡¯s different now . I only hope you can marry a Princess Consort who is a dignified, generous and ordinary Xiaojie . Li Wei Yang¡¯s hands are full of blood now, and everyone is talking about it . If she truly bes your Princess Consort, do you truly only want to marry her in this life?¡±
No matter how it is defended, Li Wei Yang¡¯s lethal reputation has reached everyone¡¯s ears, and everyone is talking . Tuoba Yu pursed his lips and remained in a stone-faced silence . Virtuous Consort Zhang sighed . The sharp gleam in her eyes turned deadly: ¡°Your Concubine Mother knows you like her, but Li Wei Yang cannot be your Princess Consort, nor be the Empress of Da Li, do you understand?! If you choose such a woman, you will be subject to endless critique . How can you fight for the throne? You¡¯re right, she is a powerful strategist, but she simply cannot be a gentle, virtuous wife! If you insist on marrying her, I will die here without closing my eyes!¡± These words were like arrowtips! Steeled and solemn down to thest word, each word burying itself into the heart .
Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s interrogation almost rendered Tuoba Yu speechless . ¡°Concubine Mother!¡± Tuoba Yu couldn¡¯t help but take a step forward, but he looked at Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s slightly reddened temples¡ªthough it wasn¡¯t very obvious, but ever since that incident, Virtuous Consort Zhang seemed to have aged overnight . The retort he prepared suddenly got caught¡ª
Virtuous Consort Zhang saw that her son hesitated and hammered the final point in: ¡°I¡¯ve said so much to make you understand that you are not only inheriting my hopes but the lives of countless people as well . If you lose your way, thousands of people who follow you will be hurt!¡±
Tuoba Yu could only remain silent, conflicted . Virtuous Consort Zhang quietly eyed him for a while before slowly saying: ¡°Li Wei Yang isn¡¯t too young anymore . You are right . She is a good girl, clever and decisive, so she should not be lonely for the rest of her life . You have two cousins who haven¡¯t married yet, and now that she has also reached a marriageable age, why not¡ª¡±
The cousins that Virtuous Consort Zhang were referring to obviously did not include Zhang Feng, the Ninth Princess¡¯s childhood friend, but rather his two handsome older brothers . Well-versed in the literary and martial arts, they were role models that youngdies in the Capital vied for . Virtuous Consort Zhang felt that Tuoba Yu¡¯s hopes will not be extinguished no matter who Li Wei Yang marries, but if she marries his cousin, it will be apletely matter . Even if Tuoba Yu liked her, he could not yearn for his cousin¡¯s wife . It was absolutely forbidden .
¡°Concubine Mother!¡± Tuoba Yu¡¯s heart felt cold all over . There seemed to be a bottomless hole in his heart, overflowing with bitterness: ¡°Concubine Mother! She won¡¯t agree!¡±
Virtuous Consort Zhang scoffed: ¡°How do you know she won¡¯t agree? You aren¡¯t her, so how can you decide this for her? Are you even certain that she likes you? You must know that she keeps saying she doesn¡¯t want to marry you!¡±
In the blink of an eye, Tuoba Yu stiffened as if someone had exposed the scar he always wanted to hide away . Virtuous Consort Zhang knew he was proud and arrogant, and these words were no different than a p to the face, delivering a hot and throbbing pain .
That¡¯s right . Li Wei Yang never said she liked him, nor mentioned that she wanted to marry him . It was all his imagination, he was only deceiving himself, so he couldn¡¯t refute anything .
Virtuous Consort Zhang looked at him and eventually said: ¡°You have to think carefully . ¡±
Tuoba Yu didn¡¯t say anything more and turned to leave .
Virtuous Consort Zhang turned back and faced arge tree off to the side as she said: ¡°Come out, Anping Xianzhu . ¡±
Li Wei Yang came out from behind the tree . Virtuous Consort Zhang gave her aplicated look: ¡°Xianzhu has heard everything . The reason why I called you here, Xianzhu, must be clear to you now . ¡± Li Wei Yang walked over to the Go board once again: ¡°It is very clear, extremely clear, perhaps too clear . ¡±
Virtuous Consort Zhang looked at her with anticipation: ¡°I hope you will advise my son to establish a Princess Consort as soon as possible and act, Xianzhu . ¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled vaguely and said, ¡°May I ask niang niang what you wish me to advise? Simply because His Seventh Highness likes me? Niang niang, don¡¯t you think this is ironic?¡±
She couldn¡¯t control her own son, so she wants Li Wei Yang to help her? Moreover, she was not asking, it was an order, but on what basis? Did she think Li Wei Yang was a soft persimmon? Why didn¡¯t she put her ability for bullying young girls to good use and fight the Empress and help her son onto the throne as soon as possible? Just now, behind the tree, she heard everything the two of them said and better understood Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s intentions, but what did that have to do with her? Whether Tuoba Yu refused to marry a Princess Consort or in regards to his feelings towards her, it had nothing to do with her . Why should she be held ountable for his decisions? This was the greatestughing matter under the skies .
They had a working rtionship, but Virtuous Consort Zhang had the impression she was responsible for Tuoba Yu and reached out to her . Could it be that she hurt her head?
Li Wei Yang was someone who was downright selfish, coldhearted and selfish to the extremes . Why would she do something if it wouldn¡¯t benefit her? It was a shame that throughout the ordeal, Virtuous Consort Zhang was convinced that Li Wei Yang was clinging to her son and didn¡¯t think that she wasn¡¯t interested in the great and mighty Seventh Highness .
¡°Niang niang, I will make it clear to His Seventh Highness, but as for what His Seventh Highness does, I have no way to stop him . ¡±
¡°Then marry Zhang Bo of Duke Luo¡¯s residence . He is already the Vice Minister of Rites at a young age and also among the best of the best . Countless girls want to marry him!¡±
¡°Niang niang, His Majesty has not even mentioned my marriage . What right do you have tomand me to do so?¡± Li Wei Yang could face her with a better attitude, perhaps even lie to Virtuous Consort Zhang to let this matter pass, but she tolerated this woman for a long time .
From the moment she entered the Pce today, that woman aggressively demanded she marry into Duke Luo¡¯s residence . She didn¡¯t even hesitate to use Tan Shi and Li Min Chi to threaten her . This Virtuous Consort Zhang has lived toofortably and can¡¯t wait to seek out trouble! Li Wei Yang felt that there are some people who want to advance another step after gaining an inch . If you let her have her way, who knows if she will take more provocative actions instead . That being said, Li Wei Yang doesn¡¯t have to be polite!
Virtuous Consort Zhang looked at her in surprise . Her face became even uglier: ¡°You dare talk to me that way?!¡±
¡°Niang niang, you are of the second rank . I am also of the second rank . In terms of Pce rules, I don¡¯t need to stand on ceremony, yet I still respectfully salute you . This is because I respect you as an elder, but this doesn¡¯t mean you can involve yourself in my personal life on a whim! If you really want me to marry into Duke Luo¡¯s residence, then go to His Majesty and see if he will agree!¡± Li Wei Yang said coldly .
Of course Virtuous Consort Zhang mentioned it, more than once even, but every time, she was interrupted by the new, beloved Consort Lian! Upon hearing Li Wei Yang¡¯s words, Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s eyes darkened with hatred . She pointed at Li Wei Yang, almost at a loss for words .
¡°Niang niang, I am helping your son approach the throne step by step . I¡¯m not doing this out of obligation . You are too anxious . What good does it do you? If I am truly angered, I may turn the other way and not help Tuoba Yu . What should I do? I suggest that you drink tea, admire flowers and raise birds when you are free . Don¡¯t mix up things that should not be mixed up, don¡¯t control things you can¡¯t control, otherwise, if you don¡¯t¡ª¡± The cold gleam in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes disyed no respect for Virtuous Consort Zhang . It was clearly a look of impatience .
Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s eyes reached a point where they couldn¡¯t get any wider . She had been honored her entire life, and no one had ever dared to talk to her like this, and Li Wei Yang even warned her that there was a possibility she could help someone else instead? How could this be?! She thought that although Li Wei Yang outwardly refused, she still loved him in her heart, why else would she help him? The essence of the problem was that Virtuous Consort Zhang could not let her be Princess Consort, which hurt Li Wei Yang¡¯s self-esteem . Virtuous Consort Zhang originally thought that as long as she intimidated her, even if Li Wei Yang felt wronged, she would certainly marry into Duke Luo¡¯s residence for Tuoba Yu¡¯s own good . Not to mention, water in irrigation channels would not flow to faraway fields . Her wisdom and strategies would still belong to them . But now, with her strong and unwavering attitude, Virtuous Consort Zhang suddenly realized she had misjudged this little girl all this time!
Li Wei Yang forced her to take a few steps backwards until she finally sat down onto the chair, but she couldn¡¯t even say a thing and only trembled in fury .
¡°Niang niang, I have been in the Pce for too long, so I should bid farewell . ¡± Li Wei Yang swept a hand over her skirt, brushing off non-existent dust . ¡°It¡¯s windy outside, please take care . ¡±
Li Wei Yang came out of Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s pce and saw Tuoba Yu waiting for her by the door . His face didn¡¯t look good .
¡°You heard everything?¡± Tuoba Yu stared intently at her .
In contrast to his vaguely eager expression, Li Wei Yang remained terrifyingly calm .
¡°I already said that Princess Consort would only be you . ¡± Tuoba Yu put emphasis on every word .
Li Wei Yang suddenlyughed . What she said next made Tuoba Yu feel like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him . He immediately fell silent, rendered speechless .
She stared into his eyes and only said one thing: ¡°What about the Secondary Consort?¡±
Tuoba Yu sighed the moment he heard it and immediately understood what she meant . However, it was impossible for him to only marry just Princess Consort . This has never happened in the 100 years since the founding of the Da Li dynasty . His identity and status already decided the fact that there cannot be only one woman by his side .
Li Wei Yang smiled . She already knew his answer and said: ¡°Your Seventh Highness, I hope we will treat this as if it never happened and cooperate at ease, what do you think, Your Highness?¡±
Tuoba Yu looked into her clear but cold eyes and could hardly say a word . Furthermore, Li Wei Yang was the most clear-headed one . If she knew it could not be guaranteed, it would be best to let go of it from the start . To her, he was simply foolish .
Over the past few months, many things happened . He had been openly fighting with the Crown Prince and Tuoba Zhen, countless dangers everywhere in Southern Xinjiang . Many things piled up making him extremely busy, with no energy to be distracted by anything else . For the time being, he could rest assured and take advantage of Li Wei Yang¡¯s assistance from behind . She was meticulous and made careful arrangements, making him think otherwise, almost thinking that Li Wei Yang loved him, like he loved her . However, that thought was only a thought . In truth, he knew in his heart that she had no feelings for him and was only working with him . He smiled bitterly . So when faced with his Concubine Mother¡¯s interrogation, and now faced with her t rejection, he could not refute .
He should really think about what he should do now .
¡°Earlier in the main hall, did you do as I said?¡± This was what Li Wei Yang cared about most!
Tuoba Yu¡¯s face slightly fell: ¡°Imperial Father ordered Duke Jiang to return to the Capital to exin everything . ¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile slowly faded: ¡°You didn¡¯t do as I said?!¡± She gave him so many opportunities, and everytime he always made a decision that disappointed her! It seems she could no longer have such high hopes for Tuoba Yu . This personcked the kind of mercilessness that an Emperor needed to possess, and what is frustrating is that it is Tuoba Zhen who always has this mercilessness! Li Wei Yang felt she needed to visit Consort Rou niang niang . . .
Tuoba Yu was about to exin the real reason to her when he was suddenly interrupted .
¡°Greetings, Your Seventh Highness . ¡± The sharp of an eunuch suddenly interrupted his thoughts . It was a servant who came from the pce gates and greeted Tuoba Yu . Tuoba Yu broke out of his contemtive daze and nodded .
Li Wei Yang nced at him and said nothing more . She saluted him, then turned and left .
Tuoba Yu waspletely dumbstruck . Li Wei Yang had always looked at him with anticipation and encouragement, but just now, there was clearly disappointment and coldness in her eyes as if she was looking at a useless thing . Did he disappoint her? Because he was too soft-hearted and let his enemy go?!
An unfamiliar chill invaded Tuoba Yu¡¯s body . He¡ªwould shepletely abandon him too?! No, this is absolutely impossible!
The Third Prince¡¯s Residence
In the study of the Third Prince¡¯s residence, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s desk was covered with paintings of beautiful women . Tuoba Zhen was sitting in a chair . There was only a single candle in the room, illuminating his solemn face and flickering . His eyes weren¡¯t on the paintings of the beauties but closed, thinking about something .
The spy reported: ¡°Virtuous Consort Zhang niang niang summoned Anping Xianzhu into the Pce today to talk . Anping Xianzhu encountered the Seventh Prince at the pce gates . ¡±
¡°What did they talk about?¡± Tuoba Zhen suddenly opened his eyes .
The spy broke out in a cold sweat and stuttered: ¡°This . . . I didn¡¯t hear clearly . ¡±
¡°Hmph! Useless!¡± Tuoba Zhen lowered his eyes and coldly scoffed .
The spy prostrated on the ground . Sneaking a nce at his master¡¯s solemn face, he tentatively asked, ¡°Does this servant need to go to the Seventh Prince¡¯s residence and investigate?¡± There was still a spy there .
¡° . . . No need . ¡± Tuoba Zhen tiredly closed his eyes and gestured for him to withdraw .
The spy held his breath and quickly yet respectfully retreated . Tuoba Zhen frowned, his eyes fixated on the paintings of the beauties on the table . All these women were prestigiousdies ofrge, influential families, chosen by his courtiers . Regardless of their appearance, they would be useful to him . Marrying any one of them would greatly enhance his strength .
In the past, he would definitely find and choose the most useful person and marry without the slightest hesitation¡ªeven if she was an ugly monster! He only needed to take advantage of the power in his hands to ascend to the throne and rule the world! But now, he looked at these unfamiliar faces and became even more upset . He suddenly flung his arm out and swept everything to the ground with a ¡°shua . ¡± The scroll paintings flew everywhere and got dirty at once .
Among all the scrolls, there was a portrait that he personally painted . At this moment, it finally turned up . He was stunned to discover that the woman he subconsciously drew looked a lot like Anping Xianzhu, Li Wei Yang . He looked at the lovely beauty in the painting and couldn¡¯t help but reach out . His fingertips gently traced the light ink lines on paper, deep in thought .
At this moment, a p of thunder interrupted his thoughts . It was going to rain soon . Tuoba Zhen walked to the window . His dark, solemn eyes looked up at the sky and dark clouds, the silence was like the calm before the storm .
Returning to the desk once more, he made up his mind . He picked up the scroll painting and suddenly tore it in half before sneering: ¡°Li Wei Yang, you want to marry Tuoba Yu? It won¡¯t be that easy! If I can¡¯t have it, no one will be able to either!¡±
¡ª
At the Li Residence, the autumn wind came, and the room seemed a bit chilly . Li Wei Yang could even hear the billowing wind outside as well as the thunder above in the clouds . The candlelight slightly flickered, casting her slender shadow on the in wall, making others feel unspeakably cold .
Li Wei Yang put down the book in her hand and stared at her shadow for a while . Bai Zhi said: "Xiaojie, do you want to rest?"
Li Wei Yang shook her head and said, "I¡¯m not sleepy yet . "
At that moment, Li Min De leapt in from the window¡ªas if he¡¯d done this many times, this action had been well-practiced . Li Wei Yang blinked and said, ¡°Your body hasn¡¯t recovered yet, and you¡¯ve already run wild, I won¡¯t look after you if you get sick again!¡±
Li Min De smiled slightly and said, ¡°How could I get sick? My body has fully recovered . ¡±
Strange indeed, who is the person that dies every night andes back to life the next morning, only to act like it was nothing! Li Wei Yang nced at him: ¡°What are you doing here?¡±
¡°I bought some small dishes from Mo Li Pavillion . Let¡¯s eat together!¡± He said with a grin . The food container held in his hand was still steaming hot . It seems like it was just bought . The corner of Li Wei Yang¡¯s mouth lifted, then immediately fell: ¡°Such a cold day and you¡¯re still running outside¡ª¡± Mid-speech, he casually opened the box and put a piece into her mouth .
With a mouthful of the aromatic snack, alright, she admitted, the Mo Li Pavillion chef indeed made more refined foods than her small kitchen . There was no way to refuse . Afterwards, Li Min De walked over behind her and smiled warmly: ¡°What book are you reading?¡±
¡°Not exactly a book¡ª¡± Li Wei Yang flipped to the cover .
¡°Jiang Hua¡¯s writings?¡± Li Min De was slightly surprised . Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°By understanding one another, a hundred battles can be won . While he is despicable, the military records are decently written, do you want to take a look?¡±
Li Min De made a disgusted face . Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°If you¡¯re not interested, then forget it . ¡±
Li Min De smiled and said: ¡°Reading his military records can¡¯t bepared to close surveince . ¡± He pulled a list out from his sleeve, ¡°This is everything he has done in the army in the past ten years, recorded in detail and perhaps more useful than military records . ¡±
It¡¯s much more useful to monitor his actions than to read his so-called writings . A hint of surprise appeared in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes as she epted it: ¡°How did you get this?¡±
Li Min De sighed and said: ¡°Of course, it took quite a bit of effort, but as long as it¡¯s useful, it¡¯s all good . ¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at him and smiled: ¡°Don¡¯t show off . ¡± As she flipped through the records in hand, there was amusement in her eyes: ¡°You definitely shouldn¡¯t be having someone secretly watch Tuoba Yu either . ¡±
She apparently knew that he had sent someone to keep a close eye on the Seventh Prince . Underneath the candlelight, Li Min De¡¯s light amber eyes were exceptionally clear and bright . The corners of his eyes curved up . He smiled in a cheerful, warm manner: ¡°He has such a cold, indifferent face and couldn¡¯t be more useless; you¡¯re really not going to reconsider and pick someone else?¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 131
Chapter 131
Chapter 131: Advancing Step by Step
"Do you think it¡¯s like going to the market to pick out vegetables? That it can be changed if I just say so?" Li Wei Yang squinted at him and suddenly frowned, "Your wound opened up!"
Li Min De looked down and saw streaks of blood seeping through his white clothes, but he didn¡¯t care: ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll go back and redress the wound . ¡±
¡°Let me see!¡± Li Wei Yang said immediately, but Li Min De didn¡¯tply and took two steps back: ¡°I said it¡¯s fine¡ª¡±
¡°Sit down! Let me see!¡± Li Wei Yang felt something wasn¡¯t right .
Li Min De quickly said: ¡°It¡¯s fine, I told you, it¡¯s fine really! It¡¯ste, I should go back soon!¡±
Li Wei Yang stood up in front of him, forcefully putting the teacup down on the table: ¡°Let me see!¡±
Li Min De was taken aback and finally sat down obediently . Li Wei Yang turned back and said, "Bai Zhi, bring the medicine chest . " In her residence, there were somemonly used pills, most of them mind-calming and fever-reducing pills, and some gold essence medicine for external wounds . In her house, there are somemonly used pills, probably Mind Calming Pills, and some Golden Sore Medicine . Bai Zhiplied and quickly went out and brought back the medicine chest .
Li Wei Yang removed Li Min De¡¯s outer robe . She didn¡¯t feel embarrassed though . Since the two of them were usually very close, she had long be ustomed to such a state: ¡°There¡¯s blood, the scab on the wound cracked . Wait a minute . I will change the dressing . ¡±
She pulled the blood-stained bandage off bit by bit . Although she was very careful, he still trembled for a bit before settling down .
¡°Don¡¯t move . You see, you keep running around, which is why you¡¯ll never fully heal . ¡±
Li Min De¡¯s wounds actually healed very quickly . If it was an ordinary person, they would have to be bedridden for half a year, but after just two months, scabs formed over his wound . Of course, because he never obediently listened, the scab would sometimes crack and asionally be inmed, but it¡¯s fortunate that as the weather got colder, his wound seemed to be getting better day by day .
Li Wei Yang saw that the wound under the bandage was worse than she thought . Not only had it cracked, it had be a bloody mess in the flesh . Recalling how hefortably spoke to her just now . . . She couldn¡¯t understand . . . Did he even know pain? She gently applied medication with her hands . The action made Li Min De¡¯s face pale even more, his delicate lips slightly curled up, and this slightly curved up mouth faced her .
Seeing that he seemed to be acting natural, Li Wei Yang suppressed the sourness in her heart and calmed down . She gently took care of the wound in a neat and efficient manner . Once she finished dressing his wound, she realized something: Li Min De was no longer the child from that time . Just looking at the lean body, full of strength, it made the difference between the two of them clear .
"Does it still hurt?"
¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt . . . It really doesn¡¯t hurt . ¡± Li Min De¡¯s amber eyes curved into waning moon crescents with a smile on his lips and radiant light in his eyes . He said it in a serious and rational manner, not a trace of deceit could be seen .
It might have been that his face was too beautiful or maybe because she was too tired . Li Wei Yang was a bit stunned for a while .
¡°Xiaojie, Nubi will take care of these bandages first . ¡± Bai Zhi said quietly and retreated, her footsteps soft .
These words rang out like a bronze bell . Li Wei Yang¡¯s face changed . She recollected herself and sighed: ¡°With such a beautiful face, it¡¯s no wonder Jiang Yue Lan hates me . ¡±
Li Min De made an aggrieved expression and held her hand . His eyes were clear and his gaze searing as he put her hand over his chest . His tone was gentle but more so wistful: ¡°Do you not like my face?¡±
His voice was low, and he sounded slightly hurt .
Li Wei Yang was stunned . When did he be so sensitive and vulnerable? Making a pitiful, wounded face at the slightest thing, knowing she would certainly be soft-hearted . She rarely became soft-hearted, let alone towards men, but Li Min De was a bit different . Perhaps it was because he had put his life on the line to save her, so it wasn¡¯t unreasonable for her to be soft-hearted sometimes . . . That must be it .
Li Wei Yang thought of it this way, unaware that there were some people who would advance ten steps each time you took a step back . Ever since Li Min De fell ill, he seemed to have figured out Li Wei Yang¡¯s weakness . To the girl in front of him, if he got angry, yelled at her, and provoked her, it would all be in vain, but if he softened his attitude, in a pitiful manner, cheating like this made it easier for him to be sessful . Think of it as a blessing due to illness . Li Min De closed his eyes, his dark, fullshes contrasted against his cheeks, making them seem paler . He seemed to be in thought, still holding her hand without letting go . Then, his bright eyes were focused on her as he said in all seriousness: ¡°Or are you mad at me? Don¡¯t worry, I will never let that old witche near you . ¡±
Who would be angry about that? Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t know how to react to this irony . Jiang Yue Lan was only a few years older than her and didn¡¯t quite deserve to be called an old witch yet . However, shepletely didn¡¯t see Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s hatred for hering at all . Who would have thought that Jiang Yue Lan, who was his aunt, actually liked Li Min De? It was unbelievable .
Li Wei Yang nced at Li Min De and sighed again . It was all because beauty invited cmity .
Early the next morning, Li Wei Yang went to He Xiang Courtyard for greetings . She had yet to reach the door when she heard bursts ofughter from inside . With a face full of joy, a maid greeted her: ¡°Third Xiaojie . ¡±
Li Wei Yang slightly nodded . The maid lifted the curtain, and she walked in, smiling: ¡°It¡¯s been a few days since Grandmother was this happy . ¡±
Jiang Yue Lan, Li Chang Xiao, and even Second Furen and Li Chang Ru were all present in the room . However, the thing was that they all had different expressions on their faces . Seeing Li Wei Yange in, Lao Furen smiled and said: ¡°Come quickly, there is good news!¡±
Good news? What good news could the Li family have? Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze swept over everyone and finally settled on Jiang Yue Lan . Sure enough, Jiang Yue Lan looked at her and smiled . Her lips were curved like a blooming flower, revealing a trace of self-satisfaction that couldn¡¯t be hidden: ¡°Hearing Lao Furen say this, it¡¯s a trivial thing really . ¡±
¡°You are delivering the foundation for our Li family, how could this be a trivial thing?!¡± There was a rarely seen look of gentleness on Lao Furen¡¯s face . Since the Jiang family¡¯s incident, Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s association has be somewhat shameful . Lao Furen was not as close to her like before, but she seemed rather satisfied with her right now .
Li Chang Xiao said: ¡°Third Sister, Mother had stomach pains non-stop yesterday in the middle of the night . A doctor was quickly called to examine her and found out she was pregnant, two months along!¡±
Jiang Yue Lan is pregnant? Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile slightly stiffened, but it quickly returned to normal and seemed very natural: ¡°Congrattions Mother, congrattions Lao Furen!¡±
Lao Furen had a big smile on her face: ¡°Yes, this is a happy asion . It¡¯s just that if you have stomach pains, you must be careful and not lose it . ¡±
Jiang Yue Lan subconsciously ced a hand over her stomach and smiled: ¡°Lao Furen doesn¡¯t have to worry . The doctor said that my body is a little weak, and it¡¯s my first pregnancy, so I will have some stomach pains . It¡¯s not a problem really, there¡¯s no need to be concerned . ¡±
Second Furen couldn¡¯t hide her forced smile and the provocative intent in her eyes: ¡°Be careful while you¡¯re pregnant, don¡¯t do too much!¡±
Lao Furen¡¯s face erupted in fury, ring at Second Furen as she said: ¡°Listen to yourself! Heavens bestow protection, the Li family will certainly have another son!¡± Then, she no longer paid attention to Second Furen¡¯s unpleasant face and said to Jiang Yue Lan: ¡°You are pregnant, and this is your first child . You must pay close attention and carefully pick out hardworking servants to look after you, only then will I feel at ease!¡±
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s ruddy cheeks revealed her slight embarrassment: ¡°Yes, this daughter-inw will give you a healthy grandson!¡±
Second Furen could not stand it . She was counting on Li Xiao Ran to not have any heirs . That way, her son could take over the household, but now, it was not worth mentioning the concubine-born Li Min Zhi, Jiang Yue Lan was pregnant, and if she has a son, Lao Furen will no longer hold the second household in her eyes . Thinking of her own son, she felt even more worried and couldn¡¯t help but say: ¡°It¡¯s only been two months, who knows if it¡¯s male or female, I feel that Eldest Sister-in-Law is fated to have a daughter!¡±
Second Furen¡¯s foolishness was her inability to hide her resentment for Jiang Yue Lan . It was easy to understand though . She is almost forty years old now, but she had to call an 18 or 19 year old girl Eldest Sister-in-Law . It frustrated her to no end . It would be a different story if Jiang Yue Lan wasn¡¯t capable of much, but she managed to genuinely win Li Xiao Ran over or so it seemed, and her fickle mother-inw even acknowledged her . Inparison to herself, it was even more of an eyesore .
Lao Furen forcefully set the cup of tea down onto the table as if she was about to angrily scold her but refrained in the end . She would lose face if she argued with a foolish woman at this time .
With a smile, Jiang Yue Lan said: ¡°Younger Sister-in-Law is not wrong . I¡¯m still young, even if this child is a daughter, there will be a son in the future, so Younger Sister-in-Law doesn¡¯t need to worry about this . I must say I¡¯m jealous of you, a son and a daughter is truly a blessing . I heard that Second Brother also has three more concubine-born sons these days . I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll meet them, if they enter the household, you will certainly be busier . ¡±
Half a month ago, Second Furen learned that her husband had three sons outside in the past couple years, but he continued to hide it from her, afraid she woulde to their doorstep and make a scene . He only told her now that the children had grown up and even asked Lao Furen to write the names of these three children into their family genealogy .
Lao Furen would not normally agree to this kind of thing, but considering her second daughter-inw was indeed someone who would harass them, this concubine-born son¡¯s request was notpletely unreasonable . This was only to protect the concubine-born sons, so Lao Furen agreed to it . For this reason, Second Furenshed out because she was unhappy with Lao Furen . Jiang Yue Lan only needed to say a few things, and Second Furen was trembling in rage as if she was about to explode .
Li Wei Yang nced at her Second Sister, Li Chang Ru . Li Chang Ru was thinking about what to embroider on her wedding dress and finally came to her senses . She saw her mother was about to get into trouble and quickly brought a cup of tea over, gently elbowing Second Furen as if reminding her to calm down .
Lao Furen scoffed coldly and ignored Second Furen . Looking over at everyone, her voice was warm as the spring breeze: ¡°I am very happy to see our family will soon be very lively! The most important thing now is Yue Lan¡¯s child . You have to take good care, don¡¯t overlook anything, and I need others to be mindful!¡±
This other was naturally referring to Second Furen, Jiang Yue Lan slightly smiled and bowed in response .
Li Wei Yang was gently smiling the entire time as if she wasn¡¯t aware of the significance of Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s child . Once everyone had left, Lao Furen had her stay back .
¡°Luo Mama, lead the maids out . ¡±
The atmosphere in the room soon became peaceful . Lao Furen looked at Li Wei Yang and lightly said: ¡°Wei Yang, I hope you understand my dilemma . ¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, ¡°Wei Yang understands . ¡±
Lao Furen took a red date and ate slowly as if savoring it: ¡°I know you are a clever child . Among the three sons, the second-eldest is not my child, and your Third Uncle passed away early, so only your father . . . He is now in his forties, and aside from your useless Eldest Brother, he only has Min Zhi . Min Zhi is adorable and clever, and I like him very much, but he is not a child of the official wife . Most importantly, no need to mention Seventh Yiniang¡¯s background, ridiculed by everyone in the Capital, this affects you and Min Zhi . I originally intended to find two noble concubines for your father . If they give birth to a son, the son would be handed over to Jiang Yue Lan to be raised, but now she¡¯s pregnant, so this is best!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and brought the te of light snacks over, ¡°We all understand Lao Furen¡¯s dilemma, so whether Mother has a son or a daughter, they are all descendants of the Li family . Min Zhi will have some ymates, so it couldn¡¯t be better . ¡±
Lao Furenmented: ¡°Of course . It¡¯s just that as long as Yue Lan doesn¡¯t have an heir, she won¡¯t do anything to Min Zhi, but if she has a child of her own, everything will change, so you must be more careful . You must remember not to bear harmful intentions, but you cannot be without caution either . ¡±
Li Min Feng lost his inheritance rights in the Li family . Jiang Yue Lan was the official mother of the family . If she had a son, he would naturally be the one to righteously inherit everything, but based on Li Xiao Ran¡¯s favor towards Li Min Chi, which surpassed that of Li Min Feng in the past, who knows who the heir will be in the future . After all, there has been a case where the concubine-born son was highly favored and snatched the eldest son¡¯s inheritance rights, so in the current dynasty, the official mother has always suppressed the concubine-born son . It was one thing for Jiang Yue Lan to be wary of Li Min Zhi, but what if she wanted to take action?
Li Lao Furen expected Jiang Yue Lan to give birth to a grandson and heir . At the same time, she hoped Li Wei Yang could protect Li Min Zhi . Given her position, the fact that she was still concerned for Li Min Zhi meant that she was still taking good care of him . Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Granddaughter understands . ¡±
When she came out of the room, Mo Zhu quietly said: ¡°Xiaojie, Furen is pregnant . ¡±
¡°En, news spreads quickly . ¡± Li Wei Yang smiled . It seems Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s pregnancy is also a big deal among the maids, and they were all rmed .
¡°Xiaojie, don¡¯t you feel worried at all?¡± Mo Zhuined . ¡°Once Furen has a child, she will be even more against the Fourth Shaoye!¡±
Naturally, Li Wei Yang understood this and feared that in Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s eyes, Li Min Zhi had already be an obstacle! It¡¯s just that she can¡¯t let these emotions be seen . She smiled and said: ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it . The boat will naturally straighten out when it reaches the bridge . ¡±
Ever since the news of Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s pregnancy got out, the weather had gotten colder, and Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s stomach was always troubled . The cold affected the fetal qi . The doctor was called over numerous times, Li Xiao Ran was angry every two or three days, scolding the servants for not carefully serving Furen, making the originally peaceful Li family turn into chaos . Everyone began to act cautiously, fearing that this happy event would turn into misfortune .
Li Wei Yang held a coal heater in her hands and leaned back into the chair, her voice was rather warm: ¡°Oh, that courtyard is in chaos again?¡±
¡°Yes, Xiaojie,¡± Zhao Yue calmly responded . ¡°First, a maid in Furen¡¯s courtyard broke a tea cup, and Furen cried out that her stomach was hurting . Laoye happened toe by to see her, and he said that the maid startled the unborn child, had her beaten 30 times with nks and then chased out . ¡±
¡°That maid¡ª¡±
¡°It¡¯s one of our people . ¡± Zhao Yue softly said, ¡°Furen has already chased away almost all our people this month . ¡±
Li Wei Yang looked calm, but there was hardly a hint of a smile in her eyes . She naturally had people in Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s courtyard, leaving behind some eyes and ears to ensure Min Zhi¡¯s safety, but it was obvious that Jiang Yue Lan had been clearing out these people one by one . It¡¯s not surprising that she would employ this tactic . It was just a matter of punishing a few servants, so outsiders wouldn¡¯t have the slightest clue .
¡°Is that it?¡± Li Wei Yang seemed to be contemting .
¡°There isn¡¯t anything else that stands out . In any case, Furen always makes a scene several times a day, either having a headache or feeling too hot . It¡¯s really annoying . The doctor has to make several visits a day, everyday . ¡± Zhao Yue said in disgust .
Li Wei Yang nodded and appeared to casually ask: ¡°Is the doctor that examined her pulse the person our household usually invites?¡±
"This¡ªNubi has checked, this physician¡¯s surname is He, but it is not the physician the Li family usually invites . Furen said this physician is someone that often sees her maiden family, so he knows Furen¡¯s conditions best, better than other physicians altogether, so Laoye especially invited him to examine her . ¡±
Li Wei Yang heard this and smiled slightly: "Have you investigated in detail?"
Zhao Yue raised her head slightly and said, "Yes, this Physician He is indeed a physician who has been with the Jiang family for many years . His medical techniques are often praised, so Laoye did not think much of it and personally invited him . ¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly said, "Send someone to keep a close eye on Physician He . "
Everything was going well . Keeping an eye on Furen is one thing, but why keep an eye on a doctor? Beside her, Bai Zhi couldn¡¯t help but wonder: ¡°Xiaojie suspects something?¡±
A cold light shed across Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes: ¡°I just warned Jiang Yue Lan that Lao Furen was about to give Father a few more concubines, and she suddenly became pregnant . Don¡¯t you think this is too much of a coincidence?¡±
Bai Zhi carefully thought about it for a moment . This is true, but the three doctors that came all discovered her pregnant pulse . This could not be faked . Even if it was faked, she still needed to give birth to a child after ten months . The Li family doors were tightly secured, so even if Jiang Yue Lan was capable, there was no way for her to bring a child in from outside? She definitely did not have the courage, so the pregnancy must be real .
Li Wei Yang looked at her expression and knew what she was thinking . She said in a soft voice: ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m paranoid, this is just too much of a coincidence . ¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 131: Advancing Step by Step
That night, someone reported back that Jiang Yue Lan fell on the way back from Li Lao Furen¡¯s courtyard and scraped her arm . Li Xiao Ran hurried over and carefully examined her and only felt at ease after confirming that it was not a big deal . When the Jiangs heard the news, they quickly invited a Feng Shui master to see if there was anything that Jiang Yue Lan was ipatible with . This kind of matter is alsomon, so Li Xiao Ran agreed, and this Daoist Zhao arrived at their doorstep .
Because the reigning Emperor is wholeheartedly spiritual, every household follows in his example . If something happens, they will invite a Daoist master toe take a look . In this manner, things can be even more ambiguous and chaotic . Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t like these people very much, but she did not object . After all, they also put in effort to make a living . As long as they didn¡¯te and target her, she would not hold it against them .
When Daoist Zhao arrived at the door, the Li family entertained him with good wine and food first . Once he had eaten and drank enough, he patted his belly and said: ¡°Prime Minister Li invited this Daoist to examine Furen¡¯s fetalpatibility?¡±
Lao Furen was surprised: ¡°How did Daoist master know?¡±
Daoist Zhao smiled and said: "The moment this Daoist stepped through the door, I saw a purple aura from the east, an auspicious sign! It must be that the Wen Qu Star cast a mortal incarnation down into Prime Minister Li¡¯s home . These circumstances are rarely seen in a millennium, how could I be mistaken?¡±
Li Xiao Ran is a civil servant and naturally valued a talented son¡ªthis child would be the eldest legitimate son and has been described as Wen Qu Star by the Daoist here before he was even born . Even if he suspected that it was an exaggeration, he was still happy and quickly asked: ¡°Is it really like this?¡±
Daoist Zhaoughed aloud: ¡°Of course, this Daoist has never spoken any nonsense before!¡±
While Li Xiao Ran was much happier, he was also a little nervous: ¡°But my pregnant Furen¡¯s condition has been unstable . A doctor came and examined her many times, but there is no use, so I invited Daoist master here to help find the reason? Could there be some ipatibility?¡±
Daoist Zhao nodded: ¡°Proceed with spirit-writing then!¡±
When Li Xiao Ran heard this, he wrote the questions to be asked on the yellow piece of paper and handed them to Daoist Zhao . He asked the gods for guidance on these questions and for them to be recorded and answered . Daoist Zhao didn¡¯t read them after epting the paper, gently curling his finger, the piece of paper suddenly caught fire, quickly reduced to ashes .
¡°I¡¯ve sent Prime Minister Li¡¯s question to the Heavenly Emperor!¡± Daoist Zhao looked serious . ¡°There will be an answer soon!¡± Once he said this, everyone saw the brush quietly resting on the sand straighten up without warning, smoothly gliding over the sand table . Everyone¡¯s eyes were fixated on the sand table with disbelieving expressions .
¡°Third Sister, this person really has spiritual abilities!¡± Li Chang Xiao whispered in Li Wei Yang¡¯s ear .
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, ¡°Daoist Zhao is a well-known medium, of course he has spiritual powers . ¡± However, he was stillgging far behind Daoist Zhou Da Shou in the Pce . This was a basic trick thatmon Daoist masters on the streets had under their belt, so Li Wei Yang hardly paid any attention to it . However, she wanted to know what Jiang Yue Lan ultimately invited this person to do . It would be stupid of Jiang Yue Lan to try and drive Li Wei Yang out of the residence by iming spiritual ipatibility . Li Wei Yang believed that no one in the Li family currently dared to do so .
Soon, the brush gliding like the dance of a dragon and phoenix eventually wrote a neat vertical line of characters on the sand table . Daoist Zhao was stunned . He knelt down and kowtowed, repeating words of gratitude . Everyone looked at him strangely, not knowing what had been written .
Daoist Zhao turned around and raised his voice to ask: ¡°Prime Minister Li, may I ask if someone has died in this house?¡±
As multi-generational families, which household hasn¡¯t had someone die, let alone one or two people . If they were to look into it, the true count could be hundreds or thousands of people . Not to mention the yiniangs who died one by one under the hands of Da Furen were resentful souls . Everyone¡¯s facial expressions became strange after hearing his question .
¡°This¡ªof course there is . ¡± Li Xiao Ran pondered for a moment before directly saying so .
¡°So it is indeed, the Yin energy is too heavy and is bad for the Yang energy of Wen Qu Star . If this continues, I¡¯m afraid Wen Qu Star will reincarnate in another ce . ¡± Daoist Zhao said solemnly, and seeing his expressions, Li Wei Yang knew what he said was nonsense but others couldn¡¯t help but believe it .
This is true for everything, it¡¯s better to believe something exists than not!
Li Xiao Ran nodded and said, ¡°Then, ording to Daoist Master, what should we do? Move my Furen out of the house?¡±
Daoist Zhao thought for a while, then said: ¡°No, let me carefully calcte it . ¡± His finger moved quickly, his mouth moving, mumbling as if he was calcting something, and soon, he said, ¡°There is a way, just find a person with a heavy Eight Characters birth weight to suppress it!¡±
¡°Heavy Eight Characters birth weight?¡± Li Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment, then he looked a little suspicious . ¡°I will write down the Eight Characters of everyone in the house and let Daoist master take a look . ¡±
¡°No, the servants are not needed, just the masters of the house . ¡± Daoist Zhao added . Li Xiao Ran ordered someone to follow suit . Soon, the Eight Characters of all the masters of the house were written down on paper and handed over to Daoist Zhao . After epting it, he carefully eyed it for almost an hour before slowly saying: ¡°Lao Furen¡¯s Eight Characters is 5 taels and 4 maces . This is the same as the saying, ¡®a clear and righteous fate to the end, raising talented and virtuous children, not short of food or warm clothes, that is a truly blessed person in the world¡¯, what good Eight Characters!¡±
Li Xiao Ran impatiently said: ¡°So whether¡ª¡±
Daoist Zhao shook his head, ¡°Not good, not good! Still not enough . Hm . . . Prime Minister Li, your Eight Characters are 6 taels and 2 maces, corresponding to the saying, ¡®Reputation is a blessing in life, literary efforts will be glorious, purple robes and golden belt of a minister, fame and glory for an entire lifetime!¡¯ Well, it¡¯s also a good Eight Characters weight, but it¡¯s not strong enough . ¡±
Second Furen was anxious: ¡°What about me and my daughter?¡± She didn¡¯t care about Jiang Yue Lan, but she saw that what the old Daoist said seemed reasonable and wanted to know the destiny of her own household .
Daoist Zhao said: ¡°Second Furen, your Eight Characters are 3 taels and 1 mace, and Second Xiaojie¡¯s Eight Characters are 4 taels and 2 maces . They are not very strong either . ¡±
There was a dignified look in everyone¡¯s eyes, and Daoist Zhao carefully redid his calctions: ¡°Fourth Xiaojie¡¯s Eight Characters are only 3 taels and 4 maces, not good, not good, too weak!¡± Then, he saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s Eight Characters and his eyes lit up, ¡°Third Xiaojie¡ªhm, the Third Xiaojie¡¯s Eight Characters is rare in this world!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at him coldly and smiled: ¡°Daoist said that it¡¯s rare in this world, so what is it exactly that is so rare in this world?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not lying, Xiaojie, your Eight Characters are 7 taels!¡± In truth, it was off by 2 maces than what Daoist Zhao said . Li Wei Yang¡¯s Eight Characters was actually 7 taels and 2 maces, which should correspond to: ¡®a destiny rare in this world, attained after ten virtuous lifetimes, will be born . ¡¯ But such a destiny is only found in an Emperor or Empress, this Xiaojie in front of him was only a daughter of the Prime Minister . Could it be that she will be an Empress in the future? No, that wasn¡¯t right, she initially had the destiny of an Empress, butter on, for some reason, this destiny was changed by anger and murderous intent . Xiaojie¡¯s future was rather ambiguous, he could not see much in it, based on this, he feared that the destiny of Empress was no longer there¡ªbut, these words Daoist Zhao dared not to say out loud regardless .
In all fairness, Daoist Zhao cannot be considered aplete swindler . He did not learn or practice at all, he simply had a bit of spiritual insight . His abilities were different from Zhou Da Shou, who is good with the elements and alchemy . His strength is reading destinies, weight of bones, and he can calcte people¡¯s futures based on their Eight Characters . It is not necessarily true that the heavier the character is, the better . Light characters are also very good, but in general, characters of heavier weight are often regarded to be better than lighter ones, so Li Wei Yang¡¯s weight of 7 taels and 2 maces is rarely seen in this world . However, her future is strangely shrouded in a bloody mist . Could it be that she had killed too many? Daoist Zhao felt it was getting stranger and stranger, but he could not openly ask, so he could only say that Li Wei Yang¡¯s Eight Characters was 2 maces lighter, but others were already fearful upon hearing it .
Shocked, Second Furen said: ¡°What? A girl born in February has an Eight Characters weight of 7 taels?! How is this possible!¡±
Daoist Zhaoughed: ¡°Indeed . Being born in February does harbor a murderous aura . Not to mention, this Eight Characters weight is just right . It will never be tainted by evil traces . ¡±
¡°Daoist Zhao means that¡ª¡± Li Xiao Ran frowned .
Daoist Zhaoughed: ¡°The courtyard where Furen lives has too much Yin energy, and the courtyard where Third Xiaojie has lived in the past couple years is the cleanest¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, ¡°Oh, Daoist means to say that I should give the courtyard to my mother?¡±
Seeing Li Wei Yang¡¯s dark eyes, its depth like a bottomless well, Daoist Zhao felt a little overwhelmed and quickly said: ¡°That¡¯s not necessary . As long as Third Xiaojie is willing to give Furen a room, let her be by your side, soak in the Yang energy and nourish the fetus at the same time, it will suffice . ¡±
When Li Wei Yang heard these words, she smiled nkly .
Bai Zhi cautiously said: ¡°Forgive Nubi for speaking, Master, but Xiaojie¡¯s courtyard is not very big, so Furen may suffer . ¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s best not to disturb Wei Yang! I will be more careful myself!¡± Jiang Yue Lan, who had been watching on the sidelines, suddenly spoke up . Although she was pregnant, she still had a delicate figure and a touch of sadness on her face . She always maintained the air of the mother of the household, but at this moment, she seemed weak and even more pitiful, as if afraid of being abandoned by Li Wei Yang .
Li Xiao Ran said: ¡°How can this be? Wei Yang¡¯s Eight Characters weight is the only thing that can save you! Can you bear to watch your child encounter misfortune?¡± He may not actually believe in Eight Characters in his heart, but more importantly, he was worried that there were people in the Li family that did not want this child to be born . Among them, Li Wei Yang was the first and foremost suspect .
She had a younger brother . She naturally hopes that Li Min Zhi can inherit the family mantle in the future, but if there is another legitimate son, Min Zhi will no longer have the right to inheritance . For this reason, Li Wei Yang must hope that this child will not be born . In Li Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes, Li Wei Yang is a deadly and scheming girl, who will act on some vicious means . In that case, it was better to let Jiang Yue Lan stay by her side . If something happened to Jiang Yue Lan, Li Wei Yang will be the first to be suspected . When others learn of it, the crime of harming the official mother is beheading, even if Li Wei Yang was daring there was no way she would do such a thing . Of course, Li Xiao Ran¡¯s concerns also included other wives and concubines in the family who were also looking up to her and envious . In order to suppress them, it was best to live with Li Wei Yang . Even to maintain her reputation, Li Wei Yang had to protect Jiang Yue Lan .
Li Wei Yang looked at her father and a sneer shed across her lips . This old man still didn¡¯t understand her . She didn¡¯t care about the Li family properties and assets . As for Min Zhi, she was concerned indeed . But the money in her possession now is enough for this child to live out a lifetime or two, if not more, she had no reason to covet what others had . Not to mention, if Min Zhi is capable in the future, everything she prepared would be wasteful . If he had no ability, there is no point for her to fight for him . Unfortunately, Li Xiao Ran did not understand this rationale .
¡°Wei Yang, your father is begging you . Just set aside a room . Don¡¯t be so stingy . ¡± Li Xiao Ran said in a humble voice .
Lao Furen looked at Li Wei Yang and frowned: ¡°Wei Yang, I will send someone to check everyday, I think nothing will happen . ¡±
That being said, Lao Furen also hoped to use her Eight Character birth weight to suppress evil spirits . Li Wei Yang smiled and said, ¡°Since Lao Furen and Father have said so, what else can I say? It¡¯s just that the responsibility of taking care of mother is not a light one, and I fear I cannot do it on my own . If there is a mistake¡ª¡±
Li Xiao Ran said: ¡°I will send someone to stand guard there, you can rest assured, don¡¯t waste time thinking it over . ¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, ¡°So then I will order people to quickly clean up the room in the east wing, where it¡¯s most spacious and sunny . ¡±
Li Xiao Ran nodded with satisfaction and said: ¡°Leaving everything to you then . ¡± The matter was sessfully resolved . Li Xiao Ran waved his hand . The steward took out a bag of silver and offered it to Daoist Zhao with both hands: ¡°A bit of money for Daoist to look after oneself, when my young master is born, there will be a gift . ¡±
¡°This really is too polite . . . ¡± Daoist Zhao reached out and epted it, but when he saw the insincere smile in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, he subconsciously shuddered and forced himself to say, ¡°I bid farewell then . ¡±
In the afternoon, Li Lao Furen ordered Luo Mama to personally bring yatous to clean up the living quarters for Jiang Yue Lan . Li Wei Yang only left Bai Zhi and Mo Yu in the courtyard while she brought Zhao Yue with her to Tan Shi¡¯s courtyard .
Zhao Yue said: ¡°Xiaojie, it seems that Daoist Zhao really spoke of spiritual powers!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Spiritual? What spiritual powers? It¡¯s just some superstitious tricks to fool Father, blocking our eyes with his sleeve as he pulls on the transparent silk thread around his fingers . . . ¡±
¡°Huh? Why didn¡¯t Xiaojie expose him?¡± Zhao Yue was stunned .
¡°If the n fails, the other party will think of something else, why should I expose them? She is guarding against me for the child in her belly, I am guarding against her acting on Min Zhi, we¡¯re only guarding against each other . Since she wants to step foot in here, she wants to seed at all costs . ¡±
¡°But Xiaojie, Nubi doesn¡¯t think that Furen simply wants to live here . ¡± Zhao Yue said . Perhaps she had been following Li Wei Yang for a while now, she had seen many of people¡¯s cunning pretenses and always felt that there was something that did not sit well with Jiang Yue Lan, but she couldn¡¯t tell what it was .
Li Wei Yang only smiled and said, ¡°No need to monitor her . ¡± Then, she entered Tan Shi¡¯s courtyard .
Tan Shi was praying in the small Buddhist hall . When Li Wei Yang entered, Tan Shi was kneeling on the ground with her hands sped in sincere prayer . She is praying for the Heavens to bless her two children to be safe and happy .
Li Wei Yang saw Tan Shi¡¯s sincerity and reverence and looked up at the sitting Bodhisattva above, the kind face watching over all sentient beings . Unfortunately, even now, not everything is equal . Sheughed aloud . To her, the Heavens and gods did not change anything . She doesn¡¯t believe in anyone, she only believed in herself . Every path she walked on was one that she chose . In this world, the only thing people could always rely on was themselves .
Tan Shi continued to sincerely pray . Her words drifted along with the incense in the house . She turned around to see Li Wei Yang standing at the door . She quickly got up and said, ¡°Wei Yang, why are you here?¡±
Li Wei Yang slowly began: ¡°Da Furen wants to move into my courtyard, so Luo Mama brought people to make arrangements . It was too noisy, so I went out . ¡±
Tan Shi furrowed her brow, ¡°Why does she want to stay with you? This really isn¡¯t proper!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, ¡°Maybe the feng shui of my courtyard is good?¡±
¡°This child, how can you still persuade me like this!¡± Tan Shi raised her voice .
¡°It¡¯s just that my Eight Characters birth weight is heavy and can overwhelm evil . It¡¯s nothing serious . ¡± Li Wei Yang tentatively said in a small voice .
¡°No! How could they do this! This is simply¡ª¡± Tan Shi is an honest person after all . She couldn¡¯t say anything more, but she thought that this was not right . Although she felt that the new Furen is a good person, why would she move in to live with Wei Yang? She had a bad feeling .
"Wei Yang, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to take good care of Furen . Since she got pregnant, if she isn¡¯t refusing food, then the fetus is disturbed every couple days . If she is with you, wouldn¡¯t you be forced to take responsibility? No, absolutely not!¡± Although Tan Shi was simple-minded, she genuinely felt that this matter was inappropriate and worried her daughter would be involved .
Li Wei Yang smiled gently, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mother . Lao Furen has taken charge of this matter . She has spoken, so how can I decline? Moreover, Da Furen may be living in my courtyard, but there will be specific people who look after her . I won¡¯t have to do anything at all . ¡±
Li Wei Yang can tolerate Li Lao Furen and Li Xiao Ran¡¯s unreasonable demands, but she will never let herself end up in danger, protecting herself is her first and foremost consideration . Perhaps, the more trouble Jiang Yue Lan caused, Li Wei Yang will treat it like she wants to die sooner . Yet no matter how Li Wei Yang tried to reassure her, Tan Shi continued to worry . Li Wei Yang no longer said much and carefully checked up on the guards in the courtyard and instructed the people by Tan Shi¡¯s side to carefully check Fourth Young Master¡¯s food and everything he maye in contact with . Only then did she leave .
In the evening, Jiang Yue Lan had moved to the room in the east wing along with four yatous to serve her and two old, experienced Mamas . The entire courtyard suddenly became much more animated . That Rong Mama kept intentionally fussing over the pillow and quilt, the tea, the room, there was ultimately nothing that she was satisfied with from beginning to end, difficult to please .
Zhao Yue stood guard in the gallery and vigntly watched her opponent¡¯s movements . Rong Mama coldly red at her and mmed the door shut .
In the house, Mo Zhu gently extinguished the candlelight and quietlyined: ¡°Their room over there is too bright, it¡¯s hard for Xiaojie to sleep with so many candles lit like that . ¡±
Li Wei Yang softlyid down on the bed without saying a word .
Mo Zhu was on duty tonight . Frustrated by the noise outside, she lowered her voice to say: ¡°Xiaojie, Furen is so arrogant, teach her a lesson for once and for all!¡±
Mo Zhu¡¯s intention was only to teach her a lesson, not make her miscarry . However, in the darkness of the night, Li Wei Yang expressionlessly said: ¡°When you do something, you may leave behind traces . If you aren¡¯t careful and someone grasps your w, you will lose more than what you gain . In any case, Jiang Yue Lan is living with me now . If something happens to her, everyone will immediately suspect me . ¡± This was also Li Xiao Ran¡¯s true intentions, a selfish old man indeed, Li Wei Yang scoffed .
She thought to herself, what exactly does Jiang Yue Lan want to do? Like Li Xiao Ran, want to protect her by herself? Still afraid of murdering her? No, Li Wei Yang felt that it was not that simple . Or she wants to make trouble for each other, but a pregnant woman, especially this child is also rted to her future status in the Li family . Will she take such an important child to risk?
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 132
Chapter 132
Chapter 132: The Big Wedding
In the middle of the night, there was a rush of footsteps and then sounds of dispute . Because of the quietness outside, hearing this sound at this moment was particrly clear . Li Wei Yang was sober at once, opened her eyes in the dark night, and watched the movement outside .
Zhao Yue¡¯s voice came across the door panel: "Why is Furen seeking Xiaojie when she is ill, you should go seek the doctor!"
"Where does this make sense! I¡¯m here to see Third Xiaojie, how dare you block my way! Get away!" It was Rong Mama¡¯s voice .
Li Wei Yang turned over and didn¡¯t speak . Mo Zhu listened with close attention and there was no movement inside; it was as if the people in the room were sleeping soundly, no matter what happened outside .
Rong Mama shouted outside: "Third Xiaojie, Furen is unwell, please go and see her!"
There was no movement in the room, Zhao Yue coldly said: "Our Xiaojie orders us to light a calming incense every time she sleeps . This kind of thing is very fragrant and helps one sleep naturally so how can she wake to your call . You should just find a doctor and not dy this any further!"
Rong Mama was full of resentment, this damn yatou, adamantly guarding the door that she can¡¯t even see Li Wei Yang¡¯s face! She said angrily: "Is it necessary for you to direct me, what kind of thing are you!" Wherever she went recently, she was well-respected by everyone and she had never been given a refusal of entrance! Unexpectedly, they were blocked from entering here!
Zhao Yue has been following Li Wei Yang for a long time so she has learned to be clever . She said: "Nubi is indeed nothing, but Nubi must also remind Rong Mama that this is the yard of Third Xiaojie and Nubi is Third Xiaojie¡¯s yatou . If you want to punish me, you¡¯ll have to leave it up to her . In front of Third Xiaojie, you are nothing! I advise you, if Furen is really feeling ufortable, go and see the doctor . Since she is pregnant now, if the time is dyed, it will be your fault, Rong Mama!"
"Lao Ye and Lao Furen had ced Furen under the care of Third Xiaojie!" Rong¡¯s Mama was very angry .
Zhao Yue smiled coldly and said, "Based on what Mama is saying, Third Xiaojie is still a young miss, how much can she know about a woman¡¯s pregnancy and raising a baby? Lao Furen had already said it, we are using Third Xiaojie¡¯s birth date to bring luck . Taking care of Furen is still your responsibility, our Third Xiaojie can¡¯t hold up these responsibilities!"
Rong Mama¡¯s face turned more and more ugly . Since Furen became pregnant, Lao Ye must visit every day, so Furen is the most precious person in this family! After staying here, their treatment should still be the same . Li Wei Yang must take good care of Jiang Yue Lan and cannot let her suffer any damage at all . This is her duty and she can never shirk her responsibility! But Rong Mama didn¡¯t expect that the other party didn¡¯t mean to take good care of her .
There were sounds of footsteps outside and it seemed that Rong Mama had left . Mo Zhu pouted her lips contemptuously and then used a small fan to gently fan the breeze on the incense pot in front of her so that the room was filled with the restful fragrance . Xiaojie hadn¡¯t been sleeping well and was often awakened by nightmares in the middle of the night . But every time when they asked, Xiaojie always avoided talking about what dream she had . Mo Zhu whispered in her heart, Xiaojie is enjoying peaceful days, what is bothering her so much that she was having nightmares every night?
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly and continued to sleep .
Jiang Yue Lan listened to Rong Mama¡¯s report and couldn¡¯t help but feel more resentful .
Rong Mama whispered: "Furen, based on Nubi¡¯s opinion, let¡¯s just forget it . Third Xiaojie is a diabolic person, we shouldn¡¯t provoke her . "
On her side, Jiang Yue Lan was getting angrier . She had always been cautious everywhere she went just to acquire a good marriage . Now she was married to Li Xiao Ran, she was the imposing First-Ranked Furen and she would have enjoyed the respect and envy of everyone . But in front of a lowly girl like Li Wei Yang, she was always lower by a rank . She hadn¡¯t felt that way before, but ever since she saw Li Min De looking at Li Wei Yang with that expression, she hated her wholeheartedly!
In any case, you must get rid of Li Wei Yang, otherwise she will never be able to raise her head high in this family like how she was before she got married! Jiang Yue Lan thought about it in her heart and a cold expression appeared in her eyes .
Rong Mama sighed slightly in her heart, her eyes full of unending worries: "Furen, Third Xiaojie will eventually be married in the future, why make it difficult to live with her? When she gets married, everything that wasn¡¯t yours will be yours, Furen, we shouldn¡¯t risk it!"
Jiang Yue Lan said coldly: "What if she gets married, doesn¡¯t she still have her mother and her younger brother in the Li family? Would she easily give in, you don¡¯t know her that well!" She said this out loud, but she wasn¡¯t really thinking about this in her heart . This was not the case . Indeed, Li Wei Yang will eventually marry and will not hinder her too much in the future, but every time she sees Li Wei Yang and Third Gongzi standing together, the poisonous snake in her heart wille out .
Yes, this feeling was wrong, even abnormal but she couldn¡¯t control herself! Why, why did she have to marry a man who was old enough to be her father . If her husband was handsome and young, she would certainly not like a man who was impossible for hers!
In the middle of the night, the doctor came, and even rmed Li Xiao Ran, who was resting in the courtyard of Fourth Yiniang . But when he came over, he went back after seeing nothing was serious . Of course, when Li Xiao Ran saw Li Wei Yang continuing to close the door to sleep, his expression also twisted for a moment, but he didn¡¯t reallye to the door to disturb . Subconsciously, he already had an inexplicable fear of Li Wei Yang . Since the other party has agreed for Jiang Yue Lan to stay here, she was already treating them with respect . He has a hunch that if they do too much, Li Wei Yang might not even mind giving him a lesson too . This yatou was such a cold-hearted person . Li Xiao Ran thought about this and naturally dismissed the idea of ??scolding her and instead just repeatedlyforted Jiang Yue Lan, who felt mistreated and then left .
Early the next morning, Li Wei Yang yawned while having breakfast . Mo Zhu said, "It¡¯s all because of the noise from them . "
Li Wei Yang nced at her, but she said nothing . Yet she knew in her heart that her insomnia had nothing to do with Jiang Yue Lan . Every time she closed her eyes, she would always dream of some past things, which didn¡¯t feel good at all . After drinking a small half bowl of congee, Li Wei Yang put down her spoon .
Outside the door, Li Min De probingly asked: "Can Ie in?"
Li Wei Yang looked at him with surprise .
Li Min De suspiciously said: "What¡¯s wrong, are you still sleeping?"
Li Wei Yang frowned: "Didn¡¯t I tell you that it¡¯s inconvenient and that you shouldn¡¯te?" Jiang Yue Lan lives here yet Li Min De still came over, which wouldn¡¯t look too good if this spread . So she asked him to avoid suspicion, but obviously, this guy didn¡¯t listen .
The wronged Li Min De said: "I just came to see you . "
Li Wei Yang tapped her forehead and said, "Why are you this disobedient?"
Li Min De¡¯s eyes were shining and his smile was pure: "I just heard the wind blowing loudly in the middle of the night yesterday and I was worried that you wouldn¡¯t sleep well . . . " The voice stopped abruptly, "What¡¯s wrong with your eyes!"
Needless to say, Li Wei Yang also knew what he was talking about . She saw it when she was freshening up . Her entire eyes were flushed red, apparently because she did not rest wellst night .
Li Min De hurried over and rushed in front of Li Wei Yang . Her fingers gently touched her under her eyes . He distressingly said, "Why do you always not sleep well!"
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t care and said: "Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve done a lot of bad?"
Li Min De looked at dark spots under her eyes, as if he didn¡¯t hear her words at all: "Wei Yang, I cane over to help keep watch at night, so you can sleep well . " His amber eyes flickered as they expectantly looked at her .
Li Wei Yang was speechless: "Where do you think you are that you can just mess around?" She pointed to the house opposite of them . "There are people watching over there, waiting to grab my hold of evidence against me!"
Li Min De smiled and said, "I can do it without anyone knowing it!"
Li Wei Yang: " . . . " She really didn¡¯t know what to say . In short, ever since Li Min De was injured, he seemed to have found a way to deal with her, and it had proven effective every time . She said in a serious tone: "Don¡¯t make trouble! The problem is not whether you will be discovered!"
Li Min De¡¯s eyes became brighter: "Did Wei Yang finally not treat me as a younger brother?! Do you think I¡¯m a man?"
It was weird how that sounded . Li Wei Yang caressed her forehead: ¡°Forget it, disregard what I said . Have you eaten in the morning, do you want to eat together?¡±
Before she even finished talking, Li Min De had quickly sat down on her side, and his movement was so fast that it was just a blink of an eye .
Li Wei Yang stared at him: "What the hell are you thinking about? Why are you bing stranger and stranger?"
Li Min De picked up the chopsticks brought over by Bai Zhi, and then answered without any grudges: "Because I worry about you . "
Li Wei Yang froze for a moment and then smiled bitterly: "Min De, you tell me what I should say to you . If you really travel too often to my room, people will start to gossip . Do you really want me to be the subject of gossip? Or are you making fun of me to entertain yourself?" Before she finished her words, Min De held onto her hands .
Li Min De looked at her quietly, with faint eyes, he said: "I will not cause you any trouble . "
His palms were hot, making her feel involuntarily odd that she immediately withdrew her hand . She unnaturally spoke: " . . . I don¡¯t mean that . " She was speaking about gossip but she didn¡¯t actually fear any of those things because she didn¡¯t care about those people at all . But she just felt that his attitude was wrong and she had already made it clear to him so he should also change his attitude . But he didn¡¯t change the way he acts towards her at all . He was treating her more like his beloved girl rather than a kin . What was going on? He clearly should have given up .
Li Min De changed the subject and then said: "Jiang Yue Lan lives in this yard so I am not at ease . I have already investigated the Physician He who treated her . He is indeed a highly-skilled physician but his medical virtue is not very good . Many years ago, he was bribed to give false testimony in Liucheng . There is a family in Liucheng and the old patriarch had just died . A woman appeared with a child to make trouble, saying that the child is also the son of the patriarch, but he is an illegitimate child . However, he is also eligible to receive a share of the property . This matter went to the government but there was not enough evidence to prove that the child was indeed his child . Finally, Physician He came out to help testify which helped the woman and the child receive a share of the property . Then, one year after the incident, the illegitimate son¡¯s biological father appeared . This proved that Physician He had collected money from the people and gave false testimony¡ª" His voice was low and his tone sounded ordinary, but Li Wei Yang knew he must have spent a lot of time to find out about this .
"So that was why Physician He left Liucheng?" Li Wei Yang asked right after .
Li Min De nodded and said, "It¡¯s true, because he couldn¡¯t stay there, through his disciple brother, he traveled to the Capital . Although this person¡¯s virtue is doubtful, his medical skills are really brilliant so he waster introduced to the Jiang family and became their family doctor . "
Li Wei Yang thought for a while and said: "Since he had a conviction in the past, I¡¯m bing more suspicious . " Jiang Yue Lan carrying a child had nothing to do with herself but she had to shamelessly move into this courtyard; this was very different . At this moment, Li Wei Yang suddenly remembered one thing: "Zhao Yue told me that someone came to you recently . "
Li Min De was startled and the smile on his face faded .
Her lips moved and Li Wei Yang said: "Your father seems to wish that you return home to your country . "
Li Min De looked down: "But I don¡¯t want to go back at all . "
Li Wei Yang wanted to say that he wouldn¡¯t be able to deny his own identity even if he didn¡¯t go back . But she felt those words were too hurtful . After careful consideration, guided gently and said: "Now, do you have no ns? After all, you have a different origin, don¡¯t you feel wronged if you spend the rest of your time here with me like this?"
Li Min De: "I don¡¯t want to see those people . "
Li Wei Yang stared at him stunningly: "What do you mean?"
The sunlight fell on his face through the mottled lotus window and he didn¡¯t speak for a moment . His face looked a bit lonely: "My biological mother is already dead, and the rest of the people have nothing to do with me . . . including the one who is rted to me . . . "
Li Wei Yang was silent for a long while, not knowing what to say . Her heart softened, she understood the bitterness of not having any family, but . . . she finally said: "But it¡¯s not a n for you to avoid this . I heard that your father is anxious to bring you home and he wants to protect you . If you stay here, this is after all beyond his authority to protect you . . . "
Li Min De¡¯s eyes blinked, and his long eyshes seemed to be dyed by the golden light from the sun . His hands covered her hands, and in his raised amber eyes, there was a humble-like pleading . "You just want to drive me away, wouldn¡¯t it be nice for me to apany you?"
Of course it¡¯s not bad, it¡¯s just that . . . she always felt that leaving him here was more dangerous . Sooner orter, those people wille to them and by that time, they will cause great trouble . Of course, returning home may not be safe as well . Or, let¡¯s just say that in this world, everyone is fighting for power and killing each other . If you want to survive, you can only enjoy peace by defeating all the enemies . Li Wei Yang was concerned to let him face the wolves alone .
"I won¡¯t go unless you leave with me . " He said solemnly .
Li Wei Yang was stunned for a while, but before she could react, he had to touch his cool fingers to her cheeks . That gentle and careful attitude made Li Wei Yang stunned, and then his handsome face was inching closer and closer . . . .
. . . Wait, there seems to be something wrong!
In this critical moment, she suddenly stretched out a finger and pressed it between Li Min De¡¯s eyebrows, preventing the other person¡¯s lips froming over . This guy was getting shameless, he dared flirt with her while she wasn¡¯t paying attention .
Li Min De turned his head silently and quietly said, "It¡¯s such a good atmosphere, we almost had it . . . "
Li Wei Yang was speechless, because she felt soft-hearted just now . . . it was intentional, clearly intentional, it must be intentional! She was annoyed in her heart, but just snorted coldly: "If you dare to be this rude next time, I¡¯ll just throw you out . "
Li Min De justughed and looked wronged, but his eyes became brighter and brighter .
"Okay, stop fooling around! If you want to see me in the future, just send me a letter directly . You don¡¯t have to run over here, didn¡¯t you see how many people outside were staring?" Li Wei Yang said .
Of course, Li Min De saw it, but he just came to visit his non-blood rted cousin . Of course, there will be asional behaviors that exceed the limits and there were people who he trusted so no one can see anything outside, who would dare say anything? If Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t marry someone because of this, he would just be happy¡ª¡ªof course, he can¡¯t say this in front of her .
"I¡¯ve been thinking that the old witch must have some other ns for moving in . " Li Min De subconsciously nced outside the door . Although there was a curtain, he still felt that someone over there was always monitoring their movements . .
"This is natural, the mystery is in her belly . " Li Wei Yang smiled slightly .
Jiang Yue Lan, who was residing in the east wing was delighted when she heard about Li Min De¡¯s visit, but when she saw that he was heading into Li Wei Yang¡¯s guest room and did note to greet her, the look on her face turned dignified and gloomy . She thought she would have more chances to see him when she moved here, but she never thought she had to watch him run over and pay so much attention to that little demoness!
Rong Mama looked at Furen¡¯s gloomy face and resentfully looked at Li Wei Yang¡¯s guest room . She didn¡¯t move for half a hour, and her heart was uneasy . Although Furen wasn¡¯t that old, yet she had always been very calm . She had never acted this strangely so she couldn¡¯t figure out how Furen became like this?
And Jiang Yue Lan had been looking at the guest room where Li Min De was with envy, jealousy, and resentment . She watched him go in and out and watched his figure left until she couldn¡¯t see him anymore .
"Rong Mama, help me get dressed . " Jiang Yue Lan seemed to get up and go out .
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 132: The Big Wedding
"Furen! No!" Rong Mama suddenly knelt on the ground . "Furen, you have to think about it! There are things you can¡¯t do, moreover can¡¯t think either!"
Jiang Yue Lan twisted her eyebrows: "Why do you even have to go against me? I just want to go out for a walk, what are you afraid I¡¯ll do!"
Rong Mama looked blue and white for a while, and finally opened her mouth in a low voice, but changed her way of address: "Xiaojie, I know you are wronged in this marriage, but sometimes people have to admit their fate . If you live stably with Prime Minister Li now, there will always be time for you to enjoy the future . But if you do this now, it will not end well for you . . . Do you remember the Xiaojie of the Fang family? The Fangs only said that she was dead to others, at that time, she was still not married, a beautiful Xiaojie who besottedly acted wrong once . . . "
Of course Jiang Yue Lan knows who Rong Mama was talking about, not only did she know, but she also remembered clearly .
Fang De Zhen was the daughter of Zhong Ji Dian schr of the Fang family . She only had a younger brother from a concubine in the family . She was famous for her alluring beauty and because of her noble origin and the Fang family was well-treated by His Majesty, she lived in luxury . Jiang Yue Lan still remembered that Fang Xiaojie had a delicate and pleasant melon-shaped face, slender and delicate brows, a faint mono-lid phoenix eye, and a small cherry mouth . When she saw others, she would smile which made others feel ted towards her .
After all, the Fang family only had this one legitimate daughter, so she was very spoiled and they allowed her to spend arge amount of money pampering herself . Every year, she would leave to evade the summer heat for half a month and would bring along ten boxes of silk and satin . It has been eight years since the incident and at that time, Jiang Yue Lan was only eleven years old and she admired Fang De Zhen who was visiting her mother . Fang Xiaojie¡¯s family had arranged a marriage for her and she was bestowed to the son of the ambassador to Fengjiang . They had arranged this when they were both young and it was a union of equal social rank . This Shaoye was handsome and tall and he was a character of both civility and martial arts . This would have been a wonderful family matter but who would have known that after the Fang family invited a teacher for Fang Xiaojie¡¯s younger brother, things turned into troubles . Fang Xiaojie actually fell in love with this young schr of unrecognized talent .
The matter is still spreading to this day so it was inevitably for descendents to add more details to the story . Everyone also shamefully described this love story between the noble and the poor, using words like "The Eldest Xiaojie secretly met with the schr, lost her chastity, and brought disgrace to the marriage alliance . " In the end, the schr lost his life and this Fang Xiaojie was also forcibly taken back to her hometown by her family and was locked up in the ancestral hall . No, perhaps she had already died . Jiang Yue Lan thought of this person, and suddenly trembled . Was this all caused by her not willing to admit to this fate?
"Xiaojie, don¡¯t me Nubi for talking . Nubi grew up watching you so I must not watch you make mistakes . " Rong Mama stopped speaking . Looking at the charming young Furen in front of her, it seemed that it was too cruel for her to admit her destiny . Young women all yearn for handsome young men . Why should others me them? "You should rest, if you need anything, call me . " Rong Mama sighed, and before she reached the door, a trembling and weak voice came from behind: "I can¡¯t help it . "
Rong Mama looked back: "Xiaojie . . . "
"You say it¡¯s dangerous to be unwilling, I . . . I also know, but this at least proves that I am still alive, and this will not let me guard an old man for the rest of my life . . . " Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s voice slowly became cold, "I don¡¯t want to guard him or else my life is over . . . "
Rong Mama¡¯s eyes intrepidly widened¡ª¡ªhow can this be done! She had already married Li Xiao Ran and now she regrets it . When Furen first mentioned the marriage, Jiang Yue Lan was not happy when she spoke about it but she was still satisfied . After all, it was the honor of a First-Ranked Furen and the countless glory and wealth in the future . But now that she has enjoyed the wealth, she wants a young and beautiful partner, how can there be such a good thing in the world! How can the Jiang family afford to lose face like this?! Thinking that she was just bewildered for a while, she forcefully quelled the fire and said: "Furen, don¡¯t think about it--" It was just a short moment, but her address has changed again . It was to constantly remind her not to forget her identity .
"I am not!" Jiang Yue Lan was excited, she threw a voice and said, "I can get what I want, I must get it, it¡¯s our own mere courtesy and vain that is making it hard for ourselves¡ª¡ªdeath is like the extinguishment of light, we would have nothing left, I am not afraid of anything, why don¡¯t you let me do as I wish ......¡±
Rong Mama looked at her with a horrified expression on her face and Jiang Yue Lan unexpectedly stood up, threw herself into her arms and tremblingly said, "Help me! Help me! I just can¡¯t quell my affections for him, I thought, for a person like him, no woman can have his heart but now I know it is possible! He is actually with her and it¡¯s also impossible for them, but he still likes her . Since she can, why can¡¯t I, I have nothing that can¡¯t bepared to her . . . "
Rong Mama looked at her Xiaojie who she raised with her own hands but she felt a little ufortable in her heart . After a while, she said: "Nubi¡ª¡ªwill try my best . "
In the guest room, Bai Zhi reported: "Xiaojie, Nubi has already told our yatous here that without announcing to you, no one can enter the Furen¡¯s house without your permission any time . "
Li Wei Yang nodded . Jiang Yue Lan had moved into the east wing and in order to avoid suspicion, Li Wei Yang¡¯s people couldn¡¯t go there often, avoiding any inexplicable rumors .
"Furen is also guarding against us, she uses her own cook, her own yatou, and never uses the people we arranged for her . " Bai Zhi continued .
Li Wei Yang pondered for a moment, her lips curled up, and said with a smile: "This would be the best . " However, Jiang Yue Lan lived in her yard while guarding against her, what was it for? Is it really for Li Min De? It shouldn¡¯t be this simple . Li Wei Yang was a bit iprehensible towards what Jiang Yue Lan was thinking .
Bai Zhi was also finding this very strange . She originally thought that Jiang Yue Lan wanted to take this opportunity to find Third Xiaojie¡¯s trouble, but she was only surrounded by her own yatous and her daily life couldn¡¯t be interfered by others so who would gossip about this . If something did happen to the child, even if she wanted to instill the crime on Li Wei Yang, she couldn¡¯t do much . In this way, wouldn¡¯t her work bepletely in vain? This kind of action didn¡¯t seem to be what Jiang Yue Lan would do .
The days passed by in a hurry, and the Li family was calm and quiet for a month until the big day came for the Li¡¯s Second Shaoye .
Early in the morning, Jiang Yue Lan was sitting in front of the bronze mirror, and her yatou was cleaning her face . Jiang Yue Lan looked at the woman in the mirror . Her face was pale, and she ordered the yatou to put on two moreyers of rouge, which made her countenance look much better .
"Furen, these clothes can¡¯t fit easily anymore . Nubi will loosen it two inches by the waist . " The yatou Chun Ju came smiling with a red dress in her hands .
Jiang Yue Lan stared at the luxurious dress, her eyes shed a few times . She even picked up the dress, flipped it in her hands for a long time and suddenly flipped the tray over to the ground .
Chun Ju trembled, and Jiang Yue Lan smiled deeply that it made Chun Ju feel chills .
"Furen! Please forgive Nubi!" Even though she said the wrong thing, Chun Ju didn¡¯t know where she was wrong .
Jiang Yue Lan reached out and stroked her hairpin, and said casually: "Are you saying I¡¯m fat?"
Pregnant women, eat more and exercise less, so they would naturally gain weight, was this any strange? But looking at Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s expression, Chun Ju shivered in fear, even making herself wrong . Her body was trembling in the beginning and had turned stiff now . It was getting colder and colder, until it froze into ice, and there was no trace of temperature .
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s eyes were cold, and there was a sarcastic smile at the corner of her lips . Her voice was as cold as ice and snow: "p your mouth . "
Chun Ju¡¯s body was stiff, but she didn¡¯t dare to say much, and began to p her face desperately . Jiang Yue Lan listened to the sound of her ps happily, eyes intoxicated . In the room, the sounds of ps continued as blood stains from her face gradually gathered on the ground . Every time Chun Ju pped herself, Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s smile became brighter .
After a hundred ps, Chun Ju¡¯s entire face appeared bruised, and Jiang Yue Lan slowly said, "That¡¯s good enough . "
"Furen . . . " Chun Ju raised her head suddenly, with tears in the corners of her eyes, and wept: "Furen, Nubi was wrong, please forgive me . "
"Get out! Kneel outside, when will I tell you to get up, that¡¯s when you can get up again!" Jiang Yue Lan said coldly .
Chun Ju couldn¡¯t help it . She slowly retreated with her sad face, and then knelt down in the hallway . Rong Mama said coldly, "Go far away . "
Chun Ju kneeled all the way to the courtyard and knelt, her face full of bruises, it was extremely pitiful .
Zhao Yue saw this and frowned, "Xiaojie, look . "
Li Wei Yang nced at the scene over there and said lightly: "We don¡¯t have to mind her . "
Bai Zhi frowned: "But the guests wille to the doorter, in case something happens, it wouldn¡¯t look good . "
Li Wei Yang said indifferently: "It¡¯s her own yatou who would cause trouble, so let¡¯s pretend we didn¡¯t see anything . "
Zhao Yue grew up in the heap of dead people from an early age . After rigorous training, she will do whatever the master tells her . Bai Zhi ispletely different . Her heart is soft . Seeing the trembling look of the yatou made her heart ufortable . However, she had always been very convinced by Li Wei Yang¡¯s judgment . Xiaojie said don¡¯t mind it, then don¡¯t mind it .
Poor yatou Chun Ju had been kneeling in the yard . She originally thought Li Wei Yang would intervene . After all, things happened in her yard, but the other party did not move at all . She originally thought that other yatous woulde and ask if something happened . But everyone who came and went seemed to have not seen her .
At this time, Li Wei Yang came out and she was going to entertain her guests in the front yard . Rong Mama, who had been standing under the corridor, gave Chun Ju a fierce nce, and Chun Ju quickly fell to Li Wei Yang¡¯s feet: "Third Xiaojie, please help Nubi! Nubi knows that you are wrong, please help me ask for forgiveness from Furen! Please spare Nubi!"
Rong Mama looked coldly and said nothing .
Li Wei Yang said lightly: "Mother is the kindest person . Since she punished you, you must have done something wrong . Even if I want to plead for you, I can¡¯t break Li family¡¯s rules . Kneel here and let¡¯s wait until Mother forgives you . "
She actually didn¡¯t intend to save Chun Ju at all? ! Rong Mama was stunned . She thought that Li Wei Yang would definitely say good things for Chun Ju . At that time, Furen would be able to give Chun Ju to Li Wei Yang, and Chun Ju¡¯s parents¡¯ contract was still held by Furen so they weren¡¯t afraid that Chun Ju wouldn¡¯t help them . But she didn¡¯t expect Li Wei Yang to not help at all¡ªit was so unexpected!
"Rong Mama, today is the big day for my Second Brother . I have to go out and greet the guests . Lao Furen said, if Mother is unwell, she doesn¡¯t have to go out today . " Li Wei Yang smiled at Rong Mama, Rong Mama indifferently said: "Sending Third Xiaojie off . "
Li Wei Yang stopped speaking, and gracefully walked out with Bai Zhi and Zhao Yue . Rong Mama kept watching her with cold eyes, and a trace of sarcasm appeared on her face . Do you think if you don¡¯t save Chun Ju, there are no other ways, Li Wei Yang, you are underestimating Furen!
Because the Second Uncle of the Li family could not rush back in time for his son¡¯s wedding, everything was arranged by Li Xiao Ran . In order to please the Lao Furen in the family and to quell the grievances of Second Furen, Li Xiao Ran specially ordered the house of Second Shaoye to be renovated that even the grass andndscape in the garden were specially asked to be taken care of, which made the whole house felt bursting with happiness . Early morning, the Li family¡¯s estate was covered with a thick red carpet from the main entrance to the side entrance to the second entrance .
The guests entered the door one after another, and gifts flowed in like running water . The excitement continued until dusk . Amidst the sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums, Li Min Kang watched the bridal sedan lifted from afar as he stood garbed with red silk all over his body . Even though there was only a slight smile on that square face, at this moment, he showed off a touch of joy from the ambiance around him .
The bridal sedan fell to the ground . Li Wei Yang heard some noise outside and stood with the acquaintances in the inner door to watch the noise . A matchmaker stood outside the bridal sedan, raised the curtain, and handed a red silk ribbon in the bride¡¯s hand . She helped her get off the bridal sedan, first stepped over a vermilion saddle, and then walked on the red carpet until they reached the wedding hall .
Some praisers shouted, "The auspicious time is here . " The matchmaker helped Sun Yan Jun stand to the right . Li¡¯s Second Shaoye was dressed in a suit, and he appeared to be tall and gentle . He was flustered for a while and went in the wrong position . When he came to the bride, someone immediately shouted, "Oh, how anxious!" Li Min Kang¡¯s face seemed to be red all of a sudden, and he quickly stood on the left side . They worshipped the world, worshipped their ancestors, worshipped each other, and then the master of the ceremony announced ¡°End of Ceremony¡± .
Li Wei Yang looked at it from afar and she just smiled . She knew that Sun Yan Jun under the veil must also have a smile on her face . In this world, not everyone can find a beloved husband . Compared with the countless noble children in the Capital, Li Min Kang is not the most noble, not the richest, not even the most handsome, and looks very ordinary but Sun Yanjun just fell in love with him, this was fate .
However, thisrge house looked like a cluster of flowers but even the fierce call signs behind these, there was no possibility of revealing this at all . Living in the Li family is like dancing on the tip of a knife, letting out bright red blood . Even when the pain is severe, one must dance to the end . Those wives and concubines are always fighting openly and bravely with the appearance of luxurious clothes and food yet behind these were loneliness and cruel fighting, can Sun Yan Jun bear it? Li Wei Yang thought about it, but found that Li Min De blinked at her in the crowd . She didn¡¯t know why but seeing his smiling face and shining eyes, Li Wei Yang smiled subconsciously .
At this moment, the matchmaker said loudly: "The bride and groom are sent to their wedding room . "
With the help of the matchmaker, Sun Yan Jun walked back . Li Chang Xiao quickly pulled Li Wei Yang¡¯s sleeve: "Third Sister, let¡¯s go quickly . "
As a rule, Li¡¯s female family will go to the newlywed room to apany the bride . Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Okay . " Then she nodded to Li Min De and followed Li Chang Xiao away . Li Min De watched her leave yet the smile on his face grew deeper and many of the youngdies who saw it began blushing .
When they arrived at the newlywed room, Li Wei Yang had not walked in . She heard Second Xiaojie Li Chang Ruughingly said, "Hurry up, everyone, let¡¯s take a good look at the bride . "
Li Min Kang held up his square face and just held back his smile as he lifted the veil .
Although Sun Yan Jun was a little shy, she couldn¡¯t help but nce at the groom and then quickly lowered her head after seeing him smile .
"Okay, okay, let¡¯s go out to apany guests!" Second Furen pushed Li Min Kang out .
As soon as the bridegroom left, the atmosphere in the room immediately became lively .
"The bride is really beautiful, and Kang¡¯er is really blessed!" Lao Furen smiled and sat down on the embroidered stool, carefully looking at Sun Yan Jun .
"No, when Sun Jiejie came that time, I thought, someone like her with good looks and character should oftene here . Heaven had answered by wish and ultimately she became our sister-inw, how delightful . " Li Chang Xiao shyly responded . Ever since she started following Jiang Yue Lan around, this honest yet dumb of speech Fourth Xiaojie also began to learn to speak .
Li Wei Yang also smiled and came forward: "Second Brother is blessed to have such a good wife . You can see that he just couldn¡¯t hold his mouth smiling just now . He has never been so happy in the past . " Sun Yan Jun had always been close with Li Wei Yang but now that there are others around, she couldn¡¯t say much and just sat on the newlywed bed, smiling with her brows curling .
"Kang¡¯er is usually too cautious, studying in the academy all day . ording to me, since he married a wife now, he should live at home in the future . " Lao Furenughed .
Second Furen whispered: "Yes, precisely, this silly boy never listened to my advice . Now that Lao Furen has opened her mouth, he has to stay . "
"Hehehe . " Theughters of these women in the room sounded particrly lively .
Amidst thisughter, Li Wei Yang saw that everyone¡¯s face was filled with joy . Such a smile has not been seen in the Li family for a long time . In fact, if they don¡¯t fight, they could all lead a good life . It was ridiculous and sad to watch them fight to death for such trivial benefit .
Under the long sleeves, the bride squeezed Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand and smiled at her . Li Wei Yang nodded as well . Sun Yan Jun signaled something and she naturally understood it .
Everyone talked andughed, and time passed quickly . After a while, the bridegroom turned around, and the redness on his face deepened as soon as he entered the door to see that everyone was still there .
Lao Furen smiled and said, "Look, Kang¡¯er is so embarrassed!" She was old and didn¡¯t know how many marriages of her grandchildren she could see . Naturally, she cherished this opportunity very much . Li Wei Yang inspected the words and smiled slightly: "Lao Furen is really happy today . It is better to let Second Brother and Second Sister drink a cup of their wedding wine in front of Lao Furen, is that okay?"
Li Min Kang¡¯splexion immediately became redder, as if he was bleeding . Without waiting for his refusal, Li Lao Furen already said, "Yes, yes . " Sure enough, she was very happy .
Everyone was having fun to see Lao Furen this happy . Second Furen immediately ordered the matchmaker to bring in a cup of wine . As they watched the pair drink the cup of wine, there was another round of cheerfulughter in the room .
Li Wei Yang watched and just smiled .
Everyone was talking lively, but suddenly heard a burst of rapid footsteps . Li Wei Yang was the first to hear the voice, and she frowned . At this time, no one would disturb so perhaps something happened?
Rong Mama came in a hurry . It was so cold outside that she had cold sweat all over her forehead .
"Lao Furen! Lao Furen! It¡¯s not good! It¡¯s not good!" Rong Mama walked to the door, but because she was too anxious, she tripped over the high threshold and fell to the ground all at once and almost rolled in .
"Shut up! Such a big day, what is not good!" Lao Furen could not help but sullen her face, and Second Furen rebuked immediately . Today is her son¡¯s big day, it should be thousands of good, how could there be bad things! Is this Lao Nu suddenly crazy?!
"Furen . . . Furen is showing red!" Rong Mama shouted without being concerned with anything .
"What!"
Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows . Jiang Yue Lan said that she was afraid her child might be disturbed by the presence of this many people, so she rested in her room . Who would have expected to hear such news now......
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 133
Chapter 133
Chapter 133: Continuous Traps
Under the moonlit eaves of the curved window in the courtyard, a thick ck shadow covered the empty garden, creating a suffocating feeling . Li Xiao Ran rushed to the front, practically the first person to run over to Li Wei Yang¡¯s courtyard, but the entire courtyard was in chaos at the moment and no one paid mind to him .
Even the bride and groom no longer carried about the consummation night as they helped Lao Furen quickly walk over . Li Wei Yang walked slowly the entire time . She asked Zhao Yue in a low voice: ¡°Has your Eldest Brother prepared everything?¡±
Zhao Yue nodded and said: ¡°Rest assured Xiaojie, that person admitted to everything . ¡±
Li Wei Yang briefly paused, then smiled and quickly walked ahead .
The two people gathered at the gate of the courtyard saw a yatou quickly running over with a basin of warm water . Li Xiao Ran¡¯s tone of voice changed: ¡°What the hell is going on!¡±
The yatou trembled and slowly turned back . Her small, pale face could be seen under the candlelight as she looked at everyone: ¡°Furen, Furen was just fine, then suddenly fainted¡ª¡±
The yatou¡¯s tone made Li Xiao Ran¡¯s heart tighten . He could not care about anything more and quickly walked into the room . Lao Furen nced at the Second Young Master: ¡°Don¡¯t go in, hurry and take your bride back to the room, this is a taboo!¡±
Li Min Kang froze for a moment, then hesitantly nced at Sun Yan Jun before nodding: ¡°Let¡¯s not stay and add to the chaos here, quickly head back . ¡±
Sun Yan Jun was very worried . She encountered this kind of thing the first day she married into the household . This was very inauspicious . She hoped Lao Furen would not have a bad impression of her because of this . She originally wanted to stay to see the situation, but her husband said to head back, so there was nothing more she could say . She could only turn her head back and give Li Wei Yang a small nod before leaving with Li Min Kang .
Lao Furen brought everyone else into the east room . Upon seeing Jiang Yue Lan, Li Lao Furen knew something serious had happened, blood seeping out from Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s clothes .
Li Xiao Ran quickly walked over to embrace her . Jiang Yue Lan stared at him, pale-faced and said with thest bit of her strength: ¡°Master, I beg you! I . . . My child . . . Must save him . ¡±
The tears that flowed down her pale face made Li Xiao Ran¡¯s heart ache . . . This was his son, the first son after Yue Lan married into their house, it could be said this son was the only hope, especially after he was described with the fate of Wen Qu Star, Li Xiao Ran even looked forward to it, but now . . .
¡°Hurry, go and invite Imperial Physician Wang!¡± Li Lao Furen urgently reminded them .
Li Xiao Ran awakened from his daze at once . At today¡¯s wedding banquet, Imperial Physician Wang had always been close with the Li family and so he also came to celebrate . Not to mention he was just in the other guestroom now . He immediately said: ¡°I¡¯ll go, I¡¯ll go and personally invite him!¡± After he had finished speaking, he left Jiang Yue Lan to Rong Mama, who came with Lao Furen, and quickly left . Rong Mama ran over tofort her with softly spoken words .
Li Wei Yang watched as Jiang Yue Lanid crying mournfully without stopping, but she did not bother to go over and only helped Lao Furen sit down, then ordered people to bring tea .
Li Chang Xiao looked very pale as she hovered near the bed, looking at Jiang Yue Lan as if she was about to cry . The Second Furen and Second Xiaojie could not keep the joy and smugness off their faces . When it came to revealing their true faces, this mother and daughter pair were second to none . At times, Li Wei Yang felt genuine admiration for them, betraying everything on their faces like this . If Second Furen didn¡¯t have the backing of her powerful maternal family and Li Lao Furen¡¯s tolerance, who knows when they would have fallen victim to hidden schemes, yet they even came here to make a scene for Lao Furen, an injustice for the eldest son . She will naturally be biased towards the son she gave birth to, but Li Lao Furen was a fair person nheless . Not only had she raised the concubine-born sons, she even married wives for them, wishing them good futures, and even readily forgave the Second Furen, who had no self-restraint, countless times, this itself was enough grace .
However, seeing Second Furen express her joy, Li Lao Furen had to give her a fierce re .
Second Furen had to lower her head, pretending like she hadn¡¯t seen anything . Everyone knew how much Lao Furen valued this grandson who was about to be born, but Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s mishap had nothing to do with their second household . Wasn¡¯t she staying at Li Wei Yang¡¯s ce? Li Wei Yang must be the one to me, Second Furen thought to herself, wishing the first household would fall into bigger chaos!
Jiang Yue Lan was crying on the bed and kept crying out in pain . A whileter, Imperial Physician Wang arrived, practically dragged in tow by Li Xiao Ran . Li Xiao Ran urgently said: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, everything is in your hands, you must save my wife¡¯s child!¡±
Imperial Physician Wang nodded and said, ¡°I will do my best . ¡± He came forward to check Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s pulse and slowly emerged from behind the curtains an hourter, solemnly saying: ¡°Furen¡¯s life has been saved, but the child is gone, s, what a pity, a pity indeed!¡±
When Li Xiao Ran heard that they were unable to keep the child, he almost fell over and was quickly supported by those around him . He inhaled deeply, anger hidden in his dark eyes: ¡°What on earth is going on!¡±
Rong Mama couldn¡¯t stop wiping her tears away: ¡°Master, everything was fine today, but that yatou Chun Ju misspoke this morning and identally angered Furen . Furen had Chun Ju go out and kneel in the courtyard . Nubi thought of having Third Xiaojiee and say a few words of reassurance, but who knew Third Xiaojie wouldn¡¯t even spare us a nce and left . Furen was angry for half a day, then she called Chun Ju in to scold her and became angrier the more she said . The result is¡ª¡±
These words pushed the me onto Li Wei Yang¡ªLi Wei Yang listened and indifferently said: ¡°Mother has be more irritable since she became pregnant, and the yatous around her are always scolded . In the past, I would naturallye to persuade a little, but today is Second Brother¡¯s wedding, and Lao Furen called me over to greet our guests early in the morning . I really didn¡¯t have the time to spare . Who would have thought Mother would be this angry over a trivial matter . . . ¡±
Li Xiao Ran red at her and said, ¡°Are you saying your mother is petty?¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed and said, ¡°Wei Yang does not mean that, but it¡¯s difficult to look after pregnant women . Wei Yang has already said that I am a youngdy who has not left her boudoir . How can I take care of Mother? But Father didn¡¯t believe me and even said that as long as I lent out a room, it was enough . Now that something has happened, you me your daughter . I¡¯ve really been wronged . ¡±
Li Xiao Ran knew that he was determined to move Jiang Yue Lan to this courtyard with ulterior motives . He originally intended to keep Li Wei Yang on guard and take advantage of her eight-character destiny to protect the child . His efforts unexpectedly amounted to nothing, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t me her . However, he couldn¡¯t swallow his anger either: ¡°Even so, you should not--¡±
Li Wei Yang looked to Lao Furen . Li Lao Furen frowned: ¡°Enough, enough, what are you ming a child for! Yue Lan paid too much mind to this, she shouldn¡¯t always be angry when pregnant . Now this happened, who else is there to me! As for that yatou, beat her to death!¡±
Chun Ju had been locked in the woodshed ever since the incident and was still unaware that her fate had been decided with just a few words .
Imperial Physician Wang suddenly said: ¡°Li Lao Furen, I have examined Da Furen¡¯s pulse before, and she was steady in her third month of pregnancy . Now that this happened, I wonder what the reason could be . . . ¡±
Upon hearing this, Rong Mama quickly said: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, you mean someone tampered with it?¡±
¡°Da Furen has always been in good health, the child was healthy too, how could this happen all the sudden? It doesn¡¯t make sense that this happened because she was angry with a yatou . ¡± Imperial Physician Wang exined . He was someone with experience . He wasn¡¯t paranoid, but this kind of thing often happened in the Pce . This had nothing to do with him, but Li Lao Furen wanted to beat that yatou to death, and as a doctor, he could not agree . If others had harmed Li Da Furen¡¯s child and caused an innocent yatou to die . . . For that reason, he chose to speak up, hoping to remind the Li family before they made their final decision .
Right at that moment, Jiang Yue Lan, who was lying in bed, suddenly cried out, loud and clear: ¡°Master, Master, you must find justice for me! That child was doing well, yet is no more after just one evening, someone must have deliberately harmed me!¡±
Wiping away tears, Rong Mama said: ¡°Furen, don¡¯t say anything more, quickly rest up and take care of your body . ¡±
Jiang Yue Lan was crying: ¡°What use is taking care of my body, my child . . . My child is no more...¡±
Rong Mama clenched her teeth and quickly walked over and prostrated before Li Xiao Ran: ¡°Master, you know that Furen is always in good health . Even when she gets sick, she won¡¯t need to take medicine . After Furen became pregnant, she only drank herbal nourishing soup . Although she asionally did not feel well, it was only due to the side-effects of pregnancy, nothing out of the ordinary, how could she lose a child without reason, someone must have had a hand in this!¡±
Li Xiao Ran looked over in Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s direction: ¡°You have been in the Pce for many years . Imperial Physician Wang, ording to you, what do you think the cause is?¡±
¡°I suspect that Furen has mistakenly used musk incense . ¡± Imperial Physician Wang slowly said .
¡°Musk incense?¡± Li Lao Furen suddenly stood up, her face turning pale .
Li Xiao Ran did not understand: ¡°How could there be musk incense?¡±
Li Wei Yang idly arched an eyebrow in an unhurried manner: ¡°Rong Mama, does Mother have a habit of burning incense?¡±
Rong Mama quickly answered: ¡°Someone who is pregnant absolutely cannot use musk incense, this is a taboo! Furen always avoided it, we Nubi definitely did not let Furene in contact with this either!¡±
Li Lao Furen¡¯s face was solemn as she looked at Imperial Physician Wang: ¡°Indeed, there is no musk incense here! Do you have proof behind your words?¡±
Imperial Physician Wang nodded: ¡°Furen¡¯s pulse is unstable, and there is a dry heat on her body . I have seen four of the previous Emperor¡¯s concubines give birth prematurely because they had mistakenly used musk incense . Furen¡¯s current condition is precisely like theirs . ¡±
Jiang Yue Lan looked at Li Xiao Ran . At first, there was a pitiful sense of expectation in her eyes, and in the end, only vulnerability remained, as if all her hopes were put into Li Xiao Ran¡¯s hands, depending on him for justice .
¡°Bring all the yatous that served by Furen¡¯s side here . ¡± Li Xiao Ran coldly said .
The decision to investigate was made . Li Wei Yang looked down and coldly smiled . Li Xiao Ran put more importance on having an heir than the average person . After what happened with the previous Da Furen, he resented those who wanted to harm his sons even more . He simply couldn¡¯t wait to catch the culprit now .
All the yatous in the room immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, heads sincerely bowed .
¡°All of you need to report in detail, which fragrant incense has Furen been using these days?¡± Li Xiao Ran slowly asked .
¡°Reporting to Master, everything Furen uses is recorded, Nubi is responsible for receiving items from the steward . Everything is written down in the ount books . ¡± Ah Luo was a maidservant by Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s side and respectfully continued: ¡°Furen has not used any incense since she became pregnant . Furen feared that even the sandalwood bead bracelets could affect the fetus, so Nubi removed and put them away . ¡±
Li Xiao Ran stared intently at Ah Luo: ¡°What Furen eats and wears everyday passes through all of your hands, no one else could have touched them! What else could it be if not for your carelessness?¡± He was furious, but he wasn¡¯t unreasonable . Li Wei Yang could not have tampered with Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s food and clothing, so how did Jiang Yue Lane in contact with musk incense?
Ah Luo did not panic . Seeing Li Xiao Ran staring suspiciously at her, she kowtowed and said: ¡°Nubi is indeed responsible for Furen¡¯s everyday necessities, others would not be able to tamper with them . Because it is a great responsibility, Nubi takes utmost care and absolutely would not make such a serious mistake . ¡±
¡°Master, Ah Luo is loyal to me and very attentive with her work . I believe Ah Luo . Besides, where did this musk incensee from? As for how it made its way to me, it is impossible that my people made a mistake . Although I have always treated others modestly, I will never endanger the life of my child . ¡± Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s eyes reddened as she spoke in a weak and pitiful manner .
Li Xiao Ran sighed deeply and said: ¡°I¡¯m afraid there is a possibility that a servant identally came in contact with it . . . ¡±
Rong Mama interjected: ¡°Master, this is not an ident at all . Furen is right, we servants are very careful with our work and have never been negligent . If there is actually an issue, then it must have happened after moving here¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang heard these words and scoffed: ¡°Rong Mama is saying that Mother¡¯s child is gone because I had a hand in it?¡±
Rong Mama quickly answered: ¡°Third Xiaojie, don¡¯t misunderstand, Nubi isn¡¯t trying to say that!¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly said: ¡°Before moving in, Lao Furen also sent people to check everything . Certainly there was nothing wrong . If you weren¡¯t talking about me, then are you saying that Lao Furen tampered with things?¡±
Rong Mama¡¯s face turned pale as a sheet: ¡°Third Xiaojie, Nubi certainly does not dare to suspect Lao Furen! It¡¯s just that the investigation was done in a hurry and may not be sufficient . Maybe someone took advantage of the chaos to act . If there isn¡¯t anything wrong with Furen¡¯s food, then it must be the furnishing, the decor here . . . It¡¯s best to carefully check at once . ¡±
¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then check the entire room . ¡± Li Xiao Ran ordered .
Li Lao Furen instructed several experienced Mamas to carefully inspect everything . The entire room was overwhelmed by an oppressive atmosphere, making everyone feel like something big was about to happen . The Li family in festive spirits moments ago was suddenly plunged into a suffocating crisis .
Luo Mama was the least biased person because she represented Lao Furen . After carefully inspecting the entire room three times, she walked over to thendscape painting on the wall to the left, took the painting down and solemnly inspected it but found nothing . The moment the painting wasid down, her hand suddenly froze . She brought the painting up to her nose to smell it, then her face changed . She brought the painting over to Imperial Physician Wang: ¡°Please take a look at it . ¡±
Seeing her strange expression, Imperial Physician Wang quickly said: ¡°Wait . ¡± He immediately took the painting and carefully examined it . Everyone held their breath and nervously looked at him .
After a while, Imperial Physician Wang came to a conclusion: ¡°Prime Minister Li, I found traces of musk incense on this painting . ¡± He handed the painting over . Li Xiao Ran tilted his head and eyed it, his brows knitting together...
Li Wei Yang continued to watch, her expressions calm and steady as if what had been said had nothing to do with her .
¡°This is just an ordinaryndscape painting . ¡± Second Furen said, confused as she was unable to spot a difference .
Imperial Physician Wang shook his head: ¡°Usually, if someone has ill intentions, they will put musk in the incense burner, so the fragrance of the musk incense will be strong and spread far and cause a miscarriage . However, it is easy to be discovered if they do this . The culprit is very cunning and mixed musk into the ink, so that the fragrance is subtle . If it¡¯s not carefully checked, it will not be found . ¡± Imperial Physician Wang took a small knife and cut off a piece of the painting as he spoke . Then, he ordered servants to bring a boiling pot of water over and put the paper in . The painting immediately began to fade . After a while, the paint had dissolved and a faint scent appeared . Imperial Physician Wang gestured to a yatou to bring it to Li Xiao Ran .
Luo Mama solemnly said: ¡°Please carefully smell it, Master . The scent on the painting is very faint and difficult to detect if you are not up close, but it¡¯s different when the paint is dissolved in water . Nubi boldly suspects that the culprit grated the solid musk incense into kes and added it to the paint . It will be difficult to detect once the painting has dried . That way, those who are not familiar with aromatics will not suspect a seemingly ordinary painting, even if they carefully inspect the entire room . ¡±
Everyone¡¯s faces changed after those words .
Rong Mama shouted: ¡°It¡¯s no wonder we servants couldn¡¯t find it . This painting was hung there, so who would go and check it?¡± With just a few words, she had helped the yatous that waited on Furen escape punishment .
Imperial Physician Wang said: ¡°Normally, you cannot detect it . Many painters like to add a bit of the finest grade musk when creating calligraphy andndscape paintings . The fragrance will linger, and if the painting is sealed, it canst for a long time . However, this is very troublesome for pregnant women . Most people will not notice this kind of painting, and even if they do, they will find that it¡¯s quite normal . If not for Luo Mama¡¯s careful inspection, we would have missed it . ¡±
Jiang Yue Lan burst into tears and wailed: ¡°So who tampered with this painting?!¡±
Li Xiao Ran angrily said: ¡°Investigate . Thoroughly investigate where this painting came from!¡±
Rong Mama pretended to be surprised yet fearful: ¡°Master, the painting and all the furnishings in Furen¡¯s room were not moved over . When Furen saw the empty walls in the new room, she ordered Nubi to find Liu Mama to open the small storeroom and ask for a painting to hang up . ¡±
Li Xiao Ran was furious: ¡°Liu Mama? Call her in!¡±
Li Wei Yang nkly looked on without saying a word as if she didn¡¯t know what they were trying to do .
Not long after, Liu Mama ran over, panting and out of breath, nearly falling over because she was running too fast .
¡°Liu Mama, who ordered you to bring this painting here!¡± Li Xiao Ran coldly demanded .
Liu Mama¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat and looked at Li Xiao Ran in confusion, then she saw that painting and suddenly remembered: ¡°Master is talking about that painting? Furen said the empty room did not look good, so she had Rong Mama find Nubi, saying that there was a need for some decor, not of particrly high value, so Nubi opened the small storeroom and let Rong Mama choose--¡±
The Emperor, Consort Rou, and Lao Furen presented Li Wei Yang with quite a few rewards . Among them were somerge gifts that were not particrly valuable, so Li Wei Yang did not keep them in her room, including somendscape paintings and mahogany chests that she handed over to Liu Mama to store away into the small storeroom behind the courtyard . Liu Mama was one of Lao Furen¡¯s people . Li Wei Yang felt more at ease after looking into her, but she had not expected her to open the storeroom for Rong Mama as she saw fit . Truly unbelievable .
¡°Liu Mama, you opened the small storeroom yourself?¡± Li Lao Furen frowned .
Liu Mama finally realized that something wasn¡¯t right . Although Lao Furen sent her to look after Third Xiaojie, there were already favored yatous in Third Xiaojie¡¯s courtyard . She wouldn¡¯t have a turn to speak . Third Xiaojie rarely let her take part in internal affairs, so she could only guard a pile of inanimate objects, unable to make anything out of it .
It wasn¡¯t so bad on most days, but recently, she saw Xiao Mama, who had also been sent to Fourth Xiaojie, walking around in gold and silver, she couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was unfair . At that time, Furen had sent Rong Mama to request a few things, she intended to gain favor, but she was afraid of Li Wei Yang, so she sent someone to ask for her opinion . However, Li Wei Yang had just entered the Pce, so she thought it was not a big deal anyways and agreed, allowing people to enter the small storeroom .
She had been worried that Rong Mama would choose items that were a little too special . Who knew she would only take a painting, so Liu Mama was relieved and said she would report back to Xiaojie . Rong Mama assured her it was just a small thing, no need to report back and estrange the mother and daughter . Furen will find time to inform Xiaojie herself . She even gave Liu Mama a gold bangle . Liu Mama understood her intentions and didn¡¯t say anything more . Now that Lao Furen asked her, Liu Mama felt cold sweat had broken out all over her head and only nced at Li Wei Yang, almost unable to say a thing .
Rong Mama coldly said: ¡°Liu Mama, back then, you told me that Third Xiaojie had already agreed!¡±
Liu Mama was shocked, her mouth agape as she stiffened: ¡°I didn¡¯t say that! Rong Mama, how can you say such nonsense! You obviously insisted that there was no need to report back . Furen will tell Xiaojie herself! How can you throw dirty water everywhere on me!¡±
Li Wei Yang interrupted her: ¡°Lao Furen, Father, I never gave this servant permission to give Mother this painting!¡±
Rong Mama loudly shouted: ¡°Master, Lao Furen! Would a small, insignificant servant dare to do so without Third Xiaojie¡¯s permission? Could it be that Liu Mama tampered with the painting?!¡±
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face turned rather ugly as he snapped: ¡°Liu Mama, someone nted musk incense on this painting, causing Furen to miscarry, did you know about this?!¡±
Liu Mama was already trembling . Seeing Li Xiao Ran¡¯s furious face, she couldn¡¯t say a single thing, obviously terrified .
There was mockery in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, but outwardly, she appeared to be angry: ¡°What are you shocked over! You still haven¡¯t exined yourself!¡±
Shuddering, Liu Mama immediately said: ¡°Nubi didn¡¯t report back to Third Xiaojie, Nubi really doesn¡¯t know anything, begging Master to spare my life, spare my life, Master!¡± She had never been a gossipy person and only knew her duties, she had no idea how this disaster came to be, so how could she not be afraid?
¡°Father, this is the Qing Feng painting of Liu Shu, a painter of the previous dynasty . It¡¯s a gift from the Princess . Why would the Princess harm Mother? The painting was put in the small storeroom for half a year . If someone did tamper with it, how could they have prepared ahead of time?! And cleverly tamper with the one painting that Mother happened to choose? Doesn¡¯t this seem suspicious?¡± Li Wei Yang argued .
Li Xiao Ran¡¯s expression became even more unpleasant . He quickly brought the painting out to examine closely and denounced: ¡°No, this isn¡¯t Liu Shu¡¯s work, it¡¯s fake!¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 133: Continuous Traps
Everyone¡¯s faces changed, so it turned out to be fake?!
Li Xiao Ran had closely studied calligraphy and painting . He pointed at the Qing Feng painting with a stiff face: ¡°Liu Shu was drunk every time he painted . It is precisely because of his entric personality that he titles the paintings contrary to convention . ording to convention, the opening title is written right to left, on the nk part of the painting, but he writes from left to right, inscribing it between the bamboo and stone . The calligraphy style is abination of Li and Kai, presented in a nted manner and each word is different in size, staggered in height, truly a special intrigue! Although this painting is almost an exact copy of Qing Feng, the title is written like ordinary paintings, from right to left! So, this is by no means Liu Shu¡¯s work!¡±
Li Lao Furen sighed deeply and said: ¡°The Princess would not gift a counterfeit painting, so someone must have exchanged them!¡±
Everyone¡¯s attention returned to Li Wei Yang once again, but she smiled coldly and said: ¡°So everyone suspects it¡¯s me? The food and clothing in the residence are all strictly managed . Who bought which medicine, who used which medicine, which doctor? The residence knows best . When have I ever even touched musk incense? Even the Calming Mind incense in the incense burner in my room is the lightest type . There isn¡¯t even the slightest of musk incense . I boldly ask: if I wanted to harm someone, where would I even get musk incense? This isn¡¯t an ordinary item . Since everyone suspects me, might as well visit every shop and ask if you have seen me or my yatous ever step foot into a medicine shop!¡±
¡°Third Xiaojie, may I be as bold as to ask if you are willing to be searched?¡± Rong Mama said coldly .
¡°Then search . ¡± Li Wei Yang responded indifferently . She had already expected the other party would do so! It was just a trick .
Luo Mama nced over at Lao Furen . Lao Furen nodded, and Luo Mama immediately left with people in tow . She returned an hourter and reported: ¡°Third Xiaojie¡¯s room is clear, there was nothing . ¡±
Li Lao Furen breathed a sigh of relief . She really didn¡¯t want Li Wei Yang to be involved in this matter .
At that moment, Jiang Yue Lan tightly clenched her teeth as if suppressing her hatred and cried out: ¡°Master, if it¡¯s not Third Xiaojie, then who tampered with this painting? You must find justice for Yue Lan!¡±
Li Xiao Ran had a headache, his voice was cold: ¡°Was nothing really found?¡±
Luo Mama immediately responded: ¡°Nubi carefully checked and found nothing . ¡±
Rong Mama suddenly interjected: ¡°Master, there¡¯s still Seventh Yiniang, there¡¯s no guarantee that it¡¯s clear!¡±
Li Wei Yang sneered: ¡°Rong Mama, Seventh Yiniang is an honest person, do you even suspect her? Or are you simply saying that there is musk incense on my Fourth Brother too!¡±
Rong Mama sneered to herself and feigned concern: ¡°Third Xiaojie, Nubi speaks honestly, does Xiaojie need to be so angry?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips slightly curved, her smile appeared like burning mes engulfing thick sheets of ice: ¡°Oh? You speak honestly? Then why do you want to throw dirty water on Qi Yiniang . ¡±
¡°It will be clear if this is throwing dirty water or not once she is called here!¡± Li Xiao Ran said coldly, waving a hand to have someone invite Seventh Yiniang over .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips rose into a smile,pletely cold and solemn, making others tremble within . She knew very well that she wasn¡¯t her opponent¡¯s only target! Looking at the weak, official mother lying in bed not too far away, Li Wei Yang sneered . Jiang Yue Lan, you are rather daring, not only did you use me, you even dragged Seventh Yiniang in . Fine, very well, so be it!
¡°Lao Furen, Master . ¡± Tan Shi greeted but saw that no one said anything in response, so she awkwardly stood off to the side . Liu Mama was kneeling down there, and Li Wei Yang had a cold expression . Seventh Yiniang felt it was a bit strange, but she didn¡¯t think much of it .
¡°Tan Shi, Furen miscarried . Were you aware?¡± Li Xiao Ran looked directly at her with an unspeakable sternness .
When Seventh Yiniang heard Li Xiao Ran¡¯s question and the displeasure in his voice, she quickly said: ¡°What happened to Furen? I didn¡¯t know, otherwise I would have alreadye to see her . ¡±
¡°That is not necessary . Let me ask you, has Wei Yang ever handed items to you?¡± Li Xiao Ran asked, clearly convinced that Li Wei Yang was using Seventh Yiniang to hide something away .
Imperial Physician Wang suddenly interrupted and said: ¡°One moment . ¡± Everyone gave him a strange look . He quickly went over to Tan Shi and said: ¡°Forgive my rudeness, Yiniang, please remove the fragrant sachet on you . ¡±
Tan Shi was taken aback, but then she subconsciouslyplied and took off the sachet .
Imperial Physician Wang smelled it, and his face changed . He immediately poured out the herbal pills inside the sachet, carefully tasted them, and then solemnly said: ¡°These are Liquid Styrax Pills . ¡± From the moment Tan Shi came, he had detected a very faint yet unique fragrance . Now it seems it is really the case .
¡°What is that?¡± Li Xiao Ran frowned .
Imperial Physician Wang exined: ¡°Some patients with ischemic chest pain or are prone to fainting will use Liquid Styrax Pills for relief . ¡±
¡°What are the ingredients?¡± Li Xiao Ran was quick to ask, appearing to have caught onto a critical point .
¡°It is stated in ancient books that musk incense can quickly seep into muscles and bone marrow to exert its full medicinal potential . Therefore, musk incense is one of the ingredients of Liquid Styrax Pills¡ª¡±
Li Xiao Ran was furious . Restless, he lunged forward to p Seventh Yiniang, but Li Wei Yang was a step faster than him . She signaled with a nce and Zhao Yue held Seventh Yiniang and avoided it . Li Xiao Ran swatted at empty air, and his face grew even uglier: ¡°Li Wei Yang! There is solid evidence, yet you still refuse to acknowledge your crime? Both mother and daughter are viciously cruel, even killing a little child, aren¡¯t you afraid of retribution?!¡±
Li Wei Yang signaled to Zhao Yue to protect the frightened Tan Shi and responded with hostility: ¡°Father, let¡¯s wait for him to finish speaking before acting!¡± She turned around and asked: ¡°Tell me, Seventh Yiniang, where did these pillse from?¡±
Tan Shi was absolutely terrified . Seeing that nothing could be concealed, she answered honestly: ¡°Ever since I gave birth to Min Zhi, I have been suffering from isometric chest pain . I always wake up in the middle of the night . I have gone to see many doctors, but there was no use . I didn¡¯t say anything because I didn¡¯t want Wei Yang to worry! Later on, when I went to visit Furen, I happened to meet Physician He . He said that these pills could cure my illness, so I took his advance and started to use them, but I didn¡¯t know what these pills are made of!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was furious: ¡°You didn¡¯t know, how could you not know? What you carried around is clearly used to harm people!¡±
Tan Shi was shocked . At that moment, she finally understood . Her legs went soft, and she fell to her knees, crying: ¡°Master, Lao Furen, I would not dare to harm a single hair on Furen¡¯s head even if I had such guts . Not to mention a human life, I am also a mother, how could I do such a thing!¡±
¡°Think it¡¯s over if you don¡¯t admit it? Someone find Physician He to address this!¡± Li Xiao Ran said coldly .
On the bed, Jiang Yue Lan continued to cry incessantly . She hadn¡¯t quite made an appearance the entire time, but she only said a couple things, not a single word of usation, and Li Wei Yang and Tan Shi were dragged underwater . One had to give her respect for that .
The whole room was silent . Everyone was waiting for Physician He to testify . Tan Shi kept looking at Li Wei Yang worriedly, but seeing her daughter had remained calm, she decided not to mind this matter too much .
Second Furen suspiciously eyed the panicked Tan Shi, then looked at Li Wei Yang, who was steadfast and calm . She grew even more suspicious, wondering whether the two of them were really mother and daughter . Why were they not alike at all? Compared to the honest Tan Shi, Li Wei Yang could be likened to reincarnated evil spirits . No, rather, she came to collect debts, why else was she unable to sit still in one ce? The more Second Furen thought about it, the more convinced she was that this was the case . She whispered to Li Chang Ru: ¡°When will this matter be decided? I want to rest early and look forward to tasting my daughter-inw¡¯s tea tomorrow!¡±
Li Lao Furen angrily said: ¡°Is this the time to be whispering about this! Not a bit of tactfulness at all!¡±
With the sudden scolding, Second Furen saw Li Lao Furen¡¯s stiff expression and trembling face muscles and did not dare to say anything else . She only looked away . Second Xiaojie quietly said: ¡°Mother, don¡¯t say anything else, Lao Furen is angry . ¡±
Er Furen who always ran her mouth kept her mouth shut . The entire room was dead silent again, and yet there were still guests outside at the banquet . Li Min De had to go to the front and greet guests . He had sent someone to invite Li Xiao Ran over three times, but he refused to leave, determined to wait for the result of this investigation .
Physician He is about fifty years old with a white beard and clever eyes . He used to have a spirited appearance in the past, but when he came in through the door today, he was trembling and kept his head down .
Li Xiao Ran felt somewhat anxious: ¡°Physician He, what are you doing with your head down?!¡±
Physician He responded: ¡°Replying to Prime Minister Li . . . I . . . I identally fell, I wasn¡¯t careful and injured my face, so I don¡¯t dare to meet anyone . ¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright . I invited you here today because there are important matters to ask about . ¡± Li Xiao Ran, ¡°Seventh Yiniang said that when you came to examine Furen, you gave Seventh Yiniang Liquid Styrax pills, is this true?¡±
Physician He¡¯s voice subtly shook: ¡°Of course it¡¯s true, it¡¯s true¡ª¡± He repeated it twice as if frightened and refused to even lift his head up .
Li Xiao Ran raised his voice: ¡°Physician He, raise your head!¡±
Physician He had no choice but to raise his head . His face was covered in bruises and even his nose was broken . How could he have fallen? He was clearly beaten to end up in such a state . Everyone was shocked . Li Lao Furen quickly said: ¡°Physician He¡ªwho dared to be so bold!¡±
Li Wei Yang frowned . She told Zhao Nan that he must not leave any injuries when seizing people, so who ultimately beat Physician He up? Could it be that Zhao Nan went against her orders? No . That didn¡¯t seem right . Zhao Nan never mentioned this, so he must not have evenid a hand on a single one of Physician He¡¯s fingers . She believed Zhao Nan had nothing to do with this .
Physician He fell to his knees with a thump andmented: ¡°Prime Minister, I don¡¯t dare to say more! I will die no matter what I say! I cannot offend the Third Xiaojie of your residence! I beg you to spare my life!¡±
Li Xiao Ran scoffed loudly and shot up to his feet from his chair . His gaze swept over to Li Wei Yang like a sword . Maybe he didn¡¯t know it himself . Although his eyes were sharp, there was deeply rooted unease and worry in them like the sharp tip of a sword trembling in the wind . There was fear in his heart reserved for Li Wei Yang, a terrifying fear, but he must punish her now . If he backed down, he would lose all his respect and authority as a father and the head of the household: ¡°Li Wei Yang, what did you do! Did you go and threaten Physician He!¡±
Li Lao Furen¡¯s looked as if she wanted to spit something out stuck in her chest, but her lips remained stiffly shut . She didn¡¯t say anything yet .
Rong Mama said: ¡°Physician He, how did Third Xiaojie threaten you? Speak truthfully, Master will find justice for you! You won¡¯t be wronged by bad people!¡±
Li Wei Yang let out a scoff: ¡°That¡¯s right, Physician He, how did I threaten you, why don¡¯t you just say it?¡±
Sweat broke out over Physician He¡¯s forehead . He knelt down on the cold grounded as if he was deeply conflicted .
Finally, Lao Furen spoke up: ¡°Speak truthfully, if it is true¡ªyou cannot hide it either!¡±
Physician He boldly nced at Li Wei Yang and deliberately straightened his back: ¡°Lao Furen, the other day, on my way back after treating patients, I was kidnapped by a group of thugs . They took me away and locked me up . They even tortured me and demanded I do as they say¡ªI refused toply no matter what, so they let me go . Afterwards, they bribed me with gold and silver, instructing me to say that Furen is not actually pregnant but using medicine that made it seem like she was pregnant to deceive other physicians that came to see her pulse¡ªI vaguely heard them say that their master was Anping Xianzhu . . . Seeing that I wouldn¡¯t give in, they even kidnapped my grandchildren, so I had no choice but to agree!¡±
Everyone in the room was stunned and became even more fearful . They all stared at Li Wei Yang with incredulous eyes .
However, Physician He continued to say: ¡°I did indeed prescribe Liquid Styrax pills for Seventh Yiniang . The pill actually contains very little musk incense, so it would not affect people with a healthy body, but Seventh Yiniang insisted, saying that it was not effective enough, and she still had trouble sleeping everyday . She made me increase the amount, so I gave her Liquid Styrax pills with a higher concentration, which this musk incense¡ª¡±
Everyone came to an understanding at this time . Li Wei Yang initially colluded with Seventh Yiniang to trick Physician He into giving them musk incense . Then, the musk incense was used to tamper with thendscape painting, killing the official mother¡¯s child . They even forced Physician He to denounce Jiang Yue Lan of her ¡°fake pregnancy¡± in front of everyone, then deliberately cause her miscarriage to wrong Li Wei Yang, truly a wicked mind!
Li Wei Yang nced at Zhao Yue and also saw the surprise on her face . She couldn¡¯t help but sigh to herself . Both brother and sister were guards with assassination skills . They aren¡¯t good at scheming . Jiang Yue Lan nned for every possibility . She was actually pregnant, but she purposely roused Li Wei Yang¡¯s suspicion, making her think that Jiang Yue Lan was only pretending to be pregnant, so that she would find out the ¡°truth¡± from Physician He . Zhao Nan found out about Jiang Yue Lan ¡°disguising¡± her pregnancy from Physician He, but it seems everything had been part of the n from the start, including Physician He¡¯s testimony, the cage had been cut loose, this was all part of Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s thorough trap .
Physician He took out a silver banknote: ¡°This is the banknote Third Xiaojie used to bribe me . If I genuinely epted it, I wouldn¡¯t feel at ease! Master, please take it back!¡±
Things hade down to this where the witness and evidence were present, there was no room for denial! Li Xiao Ran did not explode in anger, but his eyes burned with a frightening light, murderous intent even, but when his eyes met Li Wei Yang¡¯s cold eyes, his mouth quickly curved into a cruel and resentful smile¡ªforcefully interrogating Li Wei Yang: ¡°You wretched thing, do you have anything else to say!¡±
He made up his mind to use this opportunity to get rid of this out-of-control daughter for once and for all!
In Li Wei Yang¡¯s current situation, she had been forced to the edge of the cliff, but she continued to condescendingly stare at Li Xiao Ran, thinking about how cowardly and ridiculous he was . It was rather ironic to say it outright . Her father upied the position of Prime Minister, shouting this shouting that all day long and no one would say anything, but deep down, he was more cowardly than anyone else . He himself knew that there was something strange behind this matter, but he only wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of her . In the end, it was only because of her refusal to be controlled that made him even more anxious and afraid!
She lowered her head to hide her cold smile, then lifted her head and stared straight into his eyes . Li Xiao Ran only felt that her eyes had a haunting chill, deep down to the bone . He shuddered, the mes of anger suddenly vanished¡ªhe had never seen Li Wei Yang make this sort of face and was momentarily stunned .
Li Wei Yang faced him with a cold smile but slowly turned her attention to Jiang Yue Lan, her dark eyes bearing a sense of unpredictability: ¡°Mother, I hope you won¡¯t change your original ns now . ¡±
Her voice was soft and gentle, but there was a hint of mercilessness . Jiang Yue Lan seemed to experience a hallucination¡ªshe was about to fall into the depths of hell! No, how was this possible?! She was clearly the victor who was about to seed . She hardly believed there was anything Li Wei Yang could do to turn things around .
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Chapter 134: Debt to Collect Later
What kind of countermeasures did Li Wei Yang have . . . Jiang Yue Lan was tense and so nervous that she couldn¡¯t say a thing .
Li Wei Yang picked up the teapot on the table and poured herself a cup of tea . She sat down and mournfully said: ¡°Today is Second Brother¡¯s wedding . Who would have thought this kind of thing would happen? It is quite inauspicious . Maybe Second Sister-in-Law who has just entered the household will feel distressed . ¡± A regretful expression appeared on her face . ¡°It¡¯s just that the Heavens have already judged what is ck and white, wrong and right, and one mouth cannot change white to ck . ¡±
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s eyshes trembled like butterfly wings .
Li Wei Yang noticed her reaction and smiled even more cheerfully: ¡°Is Mother nervous? Don¡¯t be nervous, Wei Yang does not have any other intentions . I just hope Father will thoroughly investigate this matter . . . ¡± She put the teacup down and spoke slowly: ¡°Father . . . You believe that Wei Yang is guilty?¡±
Li Xiao Ran coldly stared at her, but Li Wei Yang simply faced him with a pair of unblinking eyes as deep as a bottomless well . For some reason, a basin of ice cold water put out the fire in his heart . He had been furious, but when he met those cold, quiet eyes and how unnatural they seemed, he only managed to firmly say: ¡°Indeed, unless you give me a reasonable exnation that can prove your innocence!¡±
¡°Physician He said I bribed him, may I ask if this is the silver banknote I gave you?¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyshes fluttered as she smiled, casually following up: ¡°Or have you exchanged it for silver already?¡±
¡°I refuse to be bought by you at all, so how could I go and exchange it?¡± Physician He felt that something was wrong . He paused and looked at Li Wei Yang¡¯s solemn expression and discreetly coughed a couple times .
¡°Very well . Since you don¡¯t know where you went wrong, Physician He, I will tell you . Frankly speaking, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen a lowly nobody who isn¡¯t afraid of death like you . I have never kidnapped you to buy your cooperation, the evidence lies with this silver banknote in your hand . ¡± Li Wei Yang smiled . ¡°The silver banknote in your hand belongs to Hui Tong Bank, but s, I¡¯ve never had any of their gold and silver banknotes . I wonder how you managed to acquire this silver banknote?¡±
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯splexion paled for a moment . She didn¡¯t expect Li Wei Yang to use an exclusive type of silver banknote . Didn¡¯t this mean that her opponent had been prepared to keep Physician He from going against her from the very beginning? It makes sense if you think about it . If Physician He did as he promised in advance and used Jiang Yue Lan, then Li Wei Yang would let him reap all kinds of benefits afterwards, but if he went against her, this useless silver banknote would be the greatest point of inconsistency, enough to prove Physician He¡¯s im of bribery false . However, the problem was that she had examined the silver banknote herself, and it did indeed have the Hui Tong Bank seal, so it couldn¡¯t be fake, but then how . . .
How could Jiang Yue Lan know that the backer behind Hui Tong Bank was Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu? Li Wei Yang had ounted for every possibility before using this silver banknote .
Li Wei Yang slowly said: ¡°The silver banknote was not exchanged for silver at all, so in other words, your im that I used money to buy your cooperation is simply absurd . As for your injuries, Imperial Physician Wang here can help examine you to see if you ultimately injured yourself or if you were beaten by others . ¡±
Li Lao Furen had to ask: ¡°Wei Yang, what do you mean?¡±
Li Wei Yang gave Imperial Physician Wang a slight nce: ¡°You are most knowledgeable in this regard, I don¡¯t think there is a need for me to boast my limited knowledge in the presence of an expert . ¡±
Imperial Physician Wang nodded and told everyone: ¡°I understand what Third Xiaojie is saying . Physician He, can you let me take a quick look?¡±
Physician He stood up all of the sudden, color draining from his face: ¡°If Third Xiaojie wants an examination, then so be it! Why bother with cold and provocative words? How could I be afraid of Third Xiaojie¡¯s scrutiny!¡± He seemed to be conscientious and free of guilt .
Seeing Physician He¡¯s expression, Li Xiao Ran frowned: ¡°Wei Yang, what on earth do you mean!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°If Physician He really had been kidnapped and beaten, his body must be covered in bruises because a normal, sensible person will know that inflicting injury on his face will be a dead giveaway to others, let alone this obvious that he cannot even hide it . They must cover up their tracks . If they wanted him to break and confess everything, they would strike in less noticeable areas . Physician He, you probably aren¡¯t just injured on your face . Why not let Imperial Physician Wang take a good look at you, in case you do have some hidden injuries!¡±
Physician He suddenly panicked . He seemed to subconsciously nce over at Jiang Yue Lan, who was in bed behind the gauze curtains . He immediately turned around and raised his voice with Li Wei Yang: ¡°You¡¯re spewing nonsense! Why would I hurt myself to frame you?! Why must I do that?!¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed softly, and her voice became gentle: ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who gave you that silver banknote, so you wouldn¡¯t have been able to exchange for silver, nor I did send people to beat you and cause those injuries . You deliberately injured yourself and even added injuries to your face so everyone would be able to see it . I just want to ask you one thing . Why are you doing this? Is it to help someone pin a crime on me?¡±
Everyone was taken aback . Their eyes began to suspiciously fall on Jiang Yue Lan .
Jiang Yue Lan was shocked . She pursed her lips, the rims of her eyes slightly reddenning: ¡°Wei Yang . . . Mother has said that you are not to me for this . Why must you point at the mulberry tree yet scold the pagoda tree? Are you saying Mother ordered Physician He to frame you? Such a thing . . . How could I do such a thing? You really . . . are too unreasonable!¡±
Li Xiao Ran hurled the tea cup down onto the ground and stood up at once . He stared intently at Li Wei Yang, his expressions stern: ¡°A mouthful of lies! What are you trying to do!¡±
Everyone else trembled at the sight of Li Xiao Ran¡¯s fury, not daring to speak, yet Li Wei Yang, who was still sitting on the chair replied without blinking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Father? Father lets Mother speak, but you won¡¯t let me speak? If others were to find out¡ªthey will say that Father is ying favorites . Remember, I am also your flesh and blood . ¡± She seemed quite emotional as she spoke, but there was not a single trace of sadness on her face . Li Xiao Ran naturally found these words unpleasant to the ear, and his face turned somber: ¡°Li Wei Yang, do you know who you are talking to?¡±
With whom? Of course, it was none other than her selfish, self-serving father that could not be reasoned with . In the past, he used to turn a blind eye to Eldest Furen¡¯s cruelty and violence, but at least she was nevercking in anything . Looking at him now, he did indeed want to get rid of her first and free his hands!
Li Wei Yang could understand his reasoning behind this . Li Xiao Ran liked the feeling of being in control of everything . At least the former Eldest Furen respected him and went along with his opinions on the surface, but Li Wei Yang was different . She always acted on her own ord and even turned on the Jiang family despite the friendship between the two families . Li Xiao Ran had never openly said it, but he was still furious . Although he benefited quite a bit from itter on, the dissatisfaction buried deep down in his heart would eventually boil over, sooner orter .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes widened, clear as the water at the bottom of the well . She solemnly eyed him, and then her lips curved . She was born delicate and beautiful . When the corners of her lips slightly rose, her expressions did not appear to be sharp anymore . However, in the eyes of others, there was a distinct chill as her lips formed a beautiful arc, every word was coldly delivered: ¡°Of course I know! But Father, do you know the hidden intentions of the woman you are protecting?¡±
A fierce gleam shed across Li Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes: ¡°Li Wei Yang, if you don¡¯t shut your mouth, I will punish you as per Li family rules . Don¡¯t me Father for being ruthless then!¡±
Li Wei Yang stood up and walked over, step by step, her form equal to his as she stared straight into his eyes . She did not appear humble nor overbearing: ¡°Do you need to be this angry, Father? Wei Yang is only reminding you to take a good look at the woman next to you, and don¡¯t make the same mistake again . ¡±
¡°What?¡± Li Xiao Ran thought he had heard wrong .
Li Wei Yang expressionlessly said: ¡°Do you remember how you used to indulge Eldest Furen in the past? When she harmed me, you said that you will be on my side in the future, Father, but in the short span of a year, Father haspletely forgotten . Could it be that beauty is of more importance to you than your children, Father?¡±
Anger broke out on Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face, but he quickly suppressed it and forced a smile out of anger: ¡°Very well, what a good daughter I gave birth to, daring to criticize me to my face! Do you still know what filial piety is!¡±
The two words ¡°filial piety¡± bore the weight of a thousand tons . Li Chang Xiao trembled in fear, unable to say a thing . She worried that things would only get worse at this rate and quietly tried to persuade Li Wei Yang: ¡°Third Sister, quickly apologize to Father, don¡¯t talk like this!¡± As a youngdy in her boudoir with a gentle temperament, she was naturally terrified .
While Second Furen and her family usually feared that there was not enough chaos in the world, she saw his sheer rage and didn¡¯t dare to utter half a word . She looked at others in the room, afraid to make a face that would lead to a misunderstanding .
The only person who was genuinely worried for Li Wei Yang was Li Lao Furen . In all fairness, she had a special affection towards Li Wei Yang, one that was particrly deep . In the Li residence, the former Eldest Furen considered herself to be above others . Although she was respectful andcent towards Lao Furen on the surface, she was cold and indifferent behind her back . For that reason, Lao Furen was not very close with her legitimate grandson and granddaughter . Second Furen could speak well, but she wasn¡¯t actually her daughter-inw and rather short-sighted . Li Lao Furen had always looked down on her . In the past, she would talk with Third Furen, but that child had an unfortunate fate . As for Fourth Yiniang and Sixth Yiniang, because of their low background, there was the asional encounter with only a few words of politeness and never a proper conversation . Her granddaughters came to greet and wish her well everyday, but she would have them stand shoulder-to-shoulder, ask one of her granddaughters a few things, and they would reply . They were nothing more than everyday routines, so there was no intimacy . The only exception is Li Wei Yang .
At first, Li Lao Furen had some intentions to use her to give Eldest Furen a hard time, but habits easily develop over time . Eldest Furen was toppled, yet Li Wei Yang was still by her side . In the Li family, whether it is to greet her in the morning or afternoon, there is a specific timeframe allowed, one could not run over on a whim . Only Li Wei Yang was different . She coulde whenever she liked . She would say that she came to pay her respects, but she actually came to talk and relieve Lao Furen of boredom . Afterwards, Li Lao Furen could not be separated from her . If she doesn¡¯te to He Xiang Courtyard one day, Li Lao Furen will feel that something is missing . She would send for someone to call her over, not only to relieve her boredom but more importantly, Li Wei Yang eventually came to upy a very important ce in her heart .
Seeing how aggressive Li Xiao Ran was, Li Lao Furen lightly coughed and said: ¡°Wei Yang is just a child, if there¡¯s something you want to say, you will say it eventually, why do you re and ruffle your beard?!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment thenpletely shocked . He hadn¡¯t expected Lao Furen to side with Li Wei Yang . This is the first time . Lao Furen used to maintain neutrality in family affairs and would not speak up, but now . . .
Rong Mama¡¯s face paled: ¡°Lao Furen, Nubi knows your heart aches for your granddaughter, but what about Furen? She was pregnant with your grandson, are you going to just let his life go to waste?¡±
Li Lao Furen looked at her coldly and said: ¡°When is there ever such unruliness in the Li family? When would an old servant have a turn to stand here and give me instructions?¡±
Rong Mama felt the cold indifference in Lao Furen¡¯s eyes . Startled, she immediately fell to her knees: ¡°Nubi momentarily spoke without thinking, asking Lao Furen for forgiveness! Please forgive this servant, Lao Furen!¡±
Lao Furen sneered and said: ¡°This house is in chaos . Where have the rules gone? Even servants¡¯ characters have been taken lightly!¡± This statement clearly meant that Jiang Yue Lan did not discipline the servants in the family well .
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s eyes reddened, prepared to let her tears fall when Rong Mama pped her own face hard, speaking without pausing for breath: ¡°It¡¯s Nubi who is wrong, it¡¯s Nubi who is wrong, Lao Furen, don¡¯t me Furen!¡±
¡°Enough, all thismotion is giving me a headache!¡± Lao Furen said as Li Xiao Ran immediately said: ¡°Rong Mama, shut your mouth already!¡±
Rong Mama who was crying had no choice but to stop halfway through, her face flushed, not daring to make a sound .
Li Xiao Ran interrogated Li Wei Yang: ¡°You¡¯ve spoken for half a day, those two points do exist, but it is possible that you deliberately used a fake silver banknote to deceive Physician He, in case he failed to do as promised . Or you are using the old principle of beating people yet sparing their faces as a feint, so these two points of inconsistency are not enough to prove that you are innocent . Is there more sufficient evidence?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°Evidence, what other evidence do you need? Father has turned a blind eye to such obvious evidence . What kind of evidence can this daughter provide that will be effective?¡± She spoke as if she had epted her fate, but the gleam in her eyes gave others another impression . Jiang Yue Lan thought so . She thought Li Wei Yang would have countless countermeasures, who knows where they were waiting for her, so she was also ready to fight to the end, but she didn¡¯t expect her opponent to admit defeat so easily . It was too hard to believe .
Li Wei Yang actually said that she had nothing else to say? This was strange! The more Jiang Yue Lan thought about it, the more suspicious she became . Her eyes quickly shifted to Li Wei Yang¡¯s face, trying to pick out clues from her face . However, Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t have any expression on her face at all, only indifference as if she wasn¡¯t paying attention to anything . No! There must be something wrong! Li Wei Yang wasn¡¯t a person that could be this easily dealt with!
It is such in life . If Li Wei Yang lost her voice trying to defend herself, then Jiang Yue Lan would certainly get what she wanted, but seeing her opponent¡¯s calmness as if nothing was wrong, Jiang Yue Lan was filled with terror from the bottom of her heart .
¡°Li Wei Yang, are you admitting to your crimes?¡± A strange light shed across LI Xiao Ran¡¯s eyes . He sternly looked at her .
With those softly-spoken words, the atmosphere in the room returned to its originally gloomy state .
Li Lao Furen looked at Li Wei Yang in surprise, but Li Wei Yang only quietly looked at her father with a trace of a sneer hidden away in her eyes .
¡°What are you waiting for? Seize her!¡± Li Xiao Ran¡¯s face turned solemn .
Li Lao Furen forcefully pped the table, raising her voice: ¡°Let me see who dares!¡±
Li Xiao Ran looked at his mother in disbelief: ¡°Mother, you have obviously heard everything, so why are you still protecting this yatou? Don¡¯t you know what kind of person she is? Harming her official mother, bribing a physician, killing her little brother, how could Mother still want to keep such a person in this house?¡±
Li Lao Furen was enraged: ¡°I refuse to believe that Wei Yang is such a person! I don¡¯t believe it at all! If you haven¡¯t fully investigated it, yet you made an usation, how could everyone be convinced?¡±
For the first time in so many years, Lao Furen spoke with such sternness and sharpness that Li Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment . Then, he became even more angry, the aggressively burning anger almost consuming everything as he quickly said: ¡°Lao Furen, I know this girl is good with ttery . You are blinded by her sweet and clever words, so that¡¯s why you believe she is innocent . Now that all the evidence is here, even if she speaks cleverly, there is no way to escape it! I can follow your opinions on other matters, but I must serve justice in this matter!¡± Then, he shouted: ¡°Is everyone outside dead, why haven¡¯t youe in yet!¡±
The blue veins on his forehead pulsed several times, unable to restrain his anger, loudly bellowing, he looked absolutely terrifying . Li Wei Yang coldly watched, but she didn¡¯t say anything as if she was quietly waiting for something to happen . Before the guards could rush in, everyone saw Li Xiao Ran fall to the ground . A yatou screamed . Luo Mama was the first to react, shouting: ¡°Quick! Quickly help Master up!¡±
Someone immediately rushed forward, supported him and helped him sit down in a chair . Li Xiao Ran gasped for breath for a while, his entire face had turned red, his anger leaving him at a loss for words . The yatous were busy taking out handkerchiefs, pouring tea and fanning him . The guards came in and seeing this situation, they could only look at one another and stand there, unsure of what to do .
Li Lao Furen felt pained for her son and quickly stood up: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang! Quicklye and examine his pulse!¡±
Imperial Physician Wang was also stunned by the turn of events . When he heard Li Lao Furen¡¯s voice, he immediately returned to his senses and quickly went over . He carefully examined his pulse and immediately frowned¡ª
In this chaos, everyone was anxious and afraid . When Jiang Yue Lan saw Li Xiao Ran fall down, she immediately struggled to get Rong Mama to help her out of bed and went over to him without any further consideration . Her footsteps were uneven, her face extremely pale like a prematurely born baby .
Li Wei Yang quietly eyed Jiang Yue Lan and scoffed coldly . Her opponent really was pregnant but set a trap in front of her very eyes, leading her to think that this pregnancy was fake, so when she exposed everything, it will naturally be a false usation . Hmph . It must have taken a lot of effort .
Jiang Yue Lan felt an intense stare on her back and suddenly turned around . Li Wei Yang was standing in the candlelight¡¯s blindspot, and behind her was an endless expanse of darkness of the night, pitch dark and terrible like death, and it seemed to being for her soon .
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s mind drew a nk as if a sharp awl was firmly twisted into her mind . She couldn¡¯t care about anything else . She didn¡¯t dare to look anymore and turned back around to tightly hold Li Xiao Ran¡¯s hand: ¡°Master, Master, please don¡¯t faint, please calm down¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled as if she wasn¡¯t smiling at all .
After examining his pulse for a while, Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s expression became more solemn by the moment: ¡°There is something wrong with Prime Minister Li¡¯s pulse¡ª¡±
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 134: Debt to Collect Later
Li Lao Furen got nervous, her worried eyes fixated on Imperial Physician Wang: ¡°How is he?¡±
Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s expression was rather unpleasant . Under everyone¡¯s suspicious eyes, he swallowed a bit and said: ¡°This¡ªI do not dare to say, Lao Furen, please invite a wiser Lao Ye!¡±
Li Lao Furen¡¯s expression changed upon hearing this . Disregarding etiquette, she quickly walked over and grabbed Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s sleeve: ¡°You have been treating my family for many years . You are our most trusted Imperial Physician, who else cane examine us but you! If even you have doubts, then how can I ask someone else?! If there is an illness, then treat it, please say it outright!¡±
Li Xiao Ran was still breathing hard . His face turned from red to white, the facial muscles under his eyes twitching, almost as if he couldn¡¯t stop himself from shaking . His eyes widened as he looked straight at Imperial Physician Wang: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, just say it!¡± He squeezed every word out with some difficulty .
Imperial Physician Wang nodded: ¡°In that case, please send everyone unrted to this matter away, Lao Furen . ¡±
Li Lao Furen looked around, then nodded at Luo Mama who immediately understood and instructed a guard to take Physician He away and dismissed all the servants for the time being . Only a few trusted individuals remained, which did include Rong Mama though since she was a key witness .
Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s face didn¡¯t look any better . He looked around and solemnly said: ¡°This matter is of utmost importance . I examined Prime Minister Li¡¯s pulse just now, and it is very weak and faint . I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not a good thing . Prime Minister Li, how has your health been recently?¡±
Jiang Yue Lan nced at Li Xiao Ran and answered for him: ¡°Lao Ye has been suffering from heat exhaustion these past three or four months . Every time he is exposed to the sun, he will feel weak and sweat profusely . His skin will appear flushed and often appear inexplicably . At times, he would experience panic, shortness of breath, dizziness, numbness in the limbs, and have less of an appetite than usual . ¡± She had just had a miscarriage and staggered, about to fall . Rong Mama hurriedly moved a chair over for her to sit down . Once she caught her breath, she continued: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, are you referring to these symptoms?¡±
¡°Suffering from heat exhaustion?¡± Imperial Physician Wang nodded, but then his expression turned into one of suspicion and surprise as if shocked by a terrible realization . Everyone anxiously watched him . Li Wei Yang only looked at them with somber eyes . Her face didn¡¯t betray her emotions, only tant indifference and perhaps even a hint of ridicule as if she had expected this . It¡¯s a pity no one paid attention to her anymore, everyone¡¯s attention was on Li Xiao Ran .
Li Lao Furen grew even more anxious: ¡°So what is going on, Imperial Physician Wang?¡±
Imperial Physician Wang said: ¡°Prime Minister Li, when did you begin to have these symptoms?¡±
Li Xiao Ran pondered for a moment and replied: ¡°The symptoms of panic and shortness of breath began half a year ago . The mild heat exhaustion was diagnosed three or four months ago, but I have gone to see countless physicians . They all said that it was because I was overworking, shouldn¡¯t be anything concerning¡ª¡±
¡°No, it is because Prime Minister Li has used too much cottonseed oil¡ªwhich is why these strange symptoms appeared . ¡± Imperial Physician Wang rambled, apparently hesitant .
¡°Cottonseed oil?¡± Li Lao Furen was even more confused . She didn¡¯t know what would cause Imperial Physician Wang to make such a face .
¡°Prime Minister Li, would you please let me check the personal belongings on you?¡± Imperial Physician Wang asked . Li Xiao Ran nodded as soon as he heard him . He removed the jade pendant by his waist and took out his handkerchief . After some thought, he took out a Tianyan agate snuff bottle and handed it to Imperial Physician Wang .
Snuff was introduced from beyond the kingdom a year ago . People are used to mixing finely ground tobo pounder with borneol, mint and other precious medicinal ingredients and aged it in the form of sealed wax pills tost for several years to decades . Inhaling snuff could relieve fatigue . This snuff bottle was a congrattory gift from the Jiang family after Jiang Yue Lan married into the household . Logically speaking, Li Xiao Ran definitely would not carry this kind of thing with him, but Jiang Xu understood him very well .
Everyone has their own likes and dislikes . Li Xiao Ran may be cautious, but he is no exception . When faced with their favorite things, one cannot resist . Li Xiao Ran liked beautifulndscape paintings the most, and second to that was collecting unique snuff bottles . This Tianyan agate snuff bottle was both .
The painted scenery on the bottle were the works of famous artists, in a faraway ancient times with steadfast and leisurely poetry . The subject of the painting is a fashionable schr, holding an exquisite, clear and luminous ss with his right hand and a book with his left hand, lying on his back amidst the rockery, his eyes hazy with the intoxication of wine, savoring its sweet aroma, watching the moon and drinking .
The strokes of the subject¡¯s clothes flowed like drifting clouds and flowing water, fully expressing the schr¡¯s leisure and elegance . Light and freeform brushstrokes in the background, sometimes sshed ink, sometimes dripped ink and flying white expanses . Its abstract beauty was just to Li Xiao Ran¡¯s liking . Although the agate snuff bottle had arge bore, the walls were very thin, and the contents of the bottle could be seen from the outside .
The most amazing aspect was that the artisan with skilled hands made so that there is no difference when looking at the front or back side . If he was to put the cover on and put it in water, the snuff bottle would not sink . It can be regarded as an excellent treasure, so Li Xiao Ran immediately held onto this snuffle bottle after he had initially inspected it and found nothing out of the ordinary .
Imperial Physician Wang carefully checked every item, and finally, his gaze stopped on the snuff bottle . He picked it up and closely examined it, smelling it again before he made up his mind . Finally, he said: ¡°It¡¯s this item . Although it is hardly noticeable, there is a cottonseed oil smell!¡±
Li Lao Furen was confused: "What is cottonseed oil, is it poisonous?"
Imperial Physician Wang looked at everyone and said: "Cottonseed oil is squeezed from cotton seeds . It is darker in color than other oils and can be edible after processing . However, the use of pre-processed cottonseed oil has a rtively high probability of harming the body . It is especially toxic to the liver, blood and gastrointestinal system . The most deadly thing is that it can lower men¡¯s libido for most men and their wives . An adult man that has used cottonseed oil for 40 days . . . Will no longer have the ability to have children . . . ¡±
"What do you mean! What do you mean by no longer have the ability to have children!" Li Xiao Ran suddenly stood up from the chair .
"That is to say, someone put something in the snuff bottle to hinder his father¡¯s bloodline¡ª" Li Wei Yang unexpectedly interrupted him in a regretful voice .
"Nonsense! What cottonseed oil! Impossible! Yue Lan was clearly pregnant!" Li Xiao Ran couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and turned violently thunderous .
"Prime Minister Li!" Imperial Physician Wang eximed, "I would never lie . If you don¡¯t believe it, you can find other doctors to examine your pulse . If I have spoken as much as half a word of untruth, I will never practice medicine from this moment forward!¡±
Li Xiao Ran waspletely stunned, struck hard by Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s conclusive words . His legs softened, and his whole body copsed into the chair again . He nkly looked straight ahead and muttered, "Cannot have children anymore?"
"Yes . Prime Minister Li, you cannot have children anymore . " Imperial Physician Wang slowly repeated .
Li Lao Furen waspletely shocked . Her body swayed . She stumbled and fell down onto a lounge chair nearby .
Li Wei Yang coldly looked at her father¡¯s copsed state without a single trace of sympathy . She no longer pretended to be a filial daughter in front of her father . In any case, they were only deceiving one another . She initially knew that there was something wrong with the gifts the Jiang family had sent, but she pretended not to know because she was waiting for this day . She didn¡¯t expect the Jiang family to use a lower-dose in fear that they would be discovered, so Jiang Yue Lan could still get pregnant . . . Fortunately, as soon as this revtion came out, everything changedpletely . Li Wei Yang only walked over to support Lao Furen, softly saying: ¡°Lao Furen, you must take care of your body . ¡±
Li Lao Furen gritted her teeth . Her voice sounded warped as if underwater, struggling and caught in circles before finallying out of the water: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, is what you¡¯re saying true?¡±
Imperial Physician Wang solemnly responded: ¡°I have been practicing medicine my whole life to save people . I may not have extraordinary medical skills, but I will never lie to patients . ¡±
The entire room was quiet . No one said anything once they heard this, but the face of the person speaking became even more chilly .
Jiang Yue Lan almost felt like her throat had been burned by fire: ¡°No, impossible, that¡¯s absolutely impossible! You¡¯re lying! You must be lying! How much silver did Li Wei Yang give you so that you would say such tant lies!¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need for Imperial Physician Wang to tell lies that could be easily exposed . We only need to find another physician to check, and we will know if what Imperial Physician Wang said is true or not . ¡± Li Wei Yang said slowly . No matter how many physicians they found, they would all determine that Li Xiao Ran¡¯s poor health is a result of the cottonseed oil . Then, no matter how Jiang Yue Lan tries to exin it, it will be difficult for people to believe that the child in her womb belonged to Li Xiao Ran .
¡°The Jiang family has no reason to do this! Both families are inws, so why should they need to¡ª¡± Jiang Yue Lan said resentfully .
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°The Jiang family has put in a lot of effort indeed . On one hand, they married Mother off to get Father and our Li family¡¯s attention . On the other hand, they gave away such a controversial gift . As long as Father does not have any more sons and since my younger brother, Min Zhi, is concubine-born, Father will certainly forgive Eldest Brother . At least no one will be able to threaten Eldest Brother¡¯s position as the legitimate wife¡¯s son . The Jiang family will naturally guard against you too, Mother, afraid that if you give birth to a legitimate son, you will threaten Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister¡¯s status . I¡¯m afraid that when they prepared this trap, they didn¡¯t expect Eldest Sister tomit an unforgivable crime and be executed, so there is no way to control the Li family . Speaking of which, if the Jiang family decided to act on Mother, then it may notpletely sever Father¡¯s ability to bear heirs because there will be other women to give birth for him aside from you, so they simply¡ª¡± She nced at Li Xiao Ran and revealed a regretful expression: ¡°Simply acted against Father,pletely cutting off our Li family¡¯s line of descendants . ¡±
When everyone heard this, the expressions on their faces changed . They looked at Li Wei Yang, seemingly pondering over the meaning of these words . It wasn¡¯t that their minds were slow, it was too much to ept all at once . If Lao Ye cannot bear children, then¡ª
Li Wei Yang slowly began to smile, but her lips had yet to curve up when it turned into a soundless sigh: ¡°There¡¯s one thing I still want to know . Why did Mother suddenly get pregnant when Father cannot have children? Does this child even belong to the Li family?!¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes shifted from Jiang Yue Lan to Li Xiao Ran, who was nkly sitting on the chair, unable to say a thing: ¡°Father, perhaps you should thoroughly investigate . Not how Wei Yang harmed Mother, but who the child in Mother¡¯s womb belongs to!¡±
¡°Li Wei Yang, you¡¯re venomously ndering me! You¡ªyou¡¯re deplorable, who would this child belong to if not your Father!¡± Jiang Yue Lan was immediately flustered, almost fainting as her eyes turned bloodshot, ¡°I have never left through the gates, nor have I slipped out the back, how could I¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed: ¡°It¡¯s hard to say . This child seemed to be conceived around the time of Maternal Grandmother¡¯s death . At the time, Mother stayed with the Jiang family for a few days¡ª¡±
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face turned white . She had indeed conceived the child with Lao Ye after returning from the Jiangs, but now Li Wei Yang was using the fact that she once stayed with the Jiang family to fabricate her involvement! She dropped everything and sank down by Li Xiao Ran¡¯s side: ¡°Lao Ye, Lao Ye, I wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to betray you, Li Wei Yang is lying about all of this to frame me, Lao Ye, don¡¯t believe her! She must have bribed Imperial Physician Wang, it must be it!¡±
Li Xiao Ran raised his head and sternly looked at Li Wei Yang for a while . He proceeded to nce over to Imperial Physician Wang and Li Lao Furen . Atst, he looked down at Jiang Yue Lan and gently said: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang has been examining me since I was a little more than ten years old . He has never deceived us . ¡±
That single statement cast Jiang Yue Lan into the depths of hell . Her entire body trembled as her breath quickened: ¡°Lao Ye, are you suspecting me?!¡±
A smile lingered in the depths of Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, but an unspeakable kind of pity appeared on her face: ¡°Mother, Father is kind to not talk about it . In my opinion, Mother should just be honest . ¡±
¡°Li Wei Yang . . . Where is your heart, how could it be so poisonous?¡± Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s voice was hoarse, every word forced out between clenched teeth . She suddenly understood the reason why Li Wei Yang appeared to give up earlier . Her opponent intentionally angered Li Xiao Ran to prompt his illness to break out . She had been waiting for all of this to happen, everything had been ounted for! Jiang Yue Lan thought she was clever, yet she fell into her opponent¡¯s trap!
¡°I¡¯m just saying, Mother, you insisted that you were pregnant, so you should exin who the child belongs to, don¡¯t you?¡± Li Wei Yang had an unusually calm expression, which seemed cold and merciless at first nce . She slowly continued, ¡°During the time that Mother was with the Jiangs, Mother had the opportunity to contact outsiders . . . ¡±
A sudden p of thunder could be heard from outside . Startled, everyone jumped, and momentster, lightning shed across the screen window as if simultaneously tearing apart Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face . The rain and wind beyond the window raged like no tomorrow, the heavy rain pouring down onto the earth, pitter-pattering with the beat of everyone¡¯s hearts .
The chill of the night reached down to the bones, everyone in the room was terrified . Only Li Wei Yang was calm yet unforgiving, looking down at Jiang Yue Lan from higher ground like looking at an ant seeking its own death . She quietly walked over to Jiang Yue Lan and visibly smiled: ¡°Now, can Mother give us a reasonable exnation?¡± Li Wei Yang spoke very softly . That statement echoed throughout the room, taking everyone by surprise .
A p of thunder, a sh of lightning followed, and under this light, Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face was of visible terror .
Imperial Physician Wang said: ¡°Third Xiaojie, nothing is absolute in this world, perhaps¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang wants to say that perhaps the medicinal side effects aren¡¯t as severe?¡±
Imperial Physician Wang closed his mouth . If he was to say that Li Xiao Ran may still have a chance of having children¡ªit really did seem baseless, he could not guarantee that under these circumstances, anything he said would be wrong . Not to mention, as a man himself, once suspicion has taken root in one¡¯s heart, it is hard to remove it . Li Xiao Ran will not believe it .
At this critical moment, Rong Mama suddenly fell to her knees and prostrated at Li Wei Yang¡¯s feet and cried: ¡°Third Xiaojie, it¡¯s all because Nubi was wrong, all because Nubi was wrong! It was Nubi who persuaded Furen to fake her pregnancy to frame Third Xiaojie! Everything is Nubi¡¯s fault!¡±
Fake her pregnancy? Li Wei Yang sneered . If she was actually pregnant, everyone will suspect that Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s child has unclear origins, especially given that Imperial Physician Wang¡¯s conclusion could not be overturned, but if it was a faked pregnancy, then it was part of a n to frame Third Xiaojie, Rong Mama certainly knew how to choose between two evils!
"Oh, faked her pregnancy?" Li Wei Yang seemed to murmur to herself .
¡°Yes, it was a faked pregnancy!¡± Jiang Yue Lan was about to speak when Rong Mama tightly held her back, ¡°Nubi bribed Physician He to present false evidence, he also prescribed medicine for Furen to make it seem like she was actually pregnant, everything was faked, Furen was not pregnant, she really wasn¡¯t pregnant, if Lao Ye doesn¡¯t believe it, ask Imperial Physician Wang to verify!¡±
Imperial Physician Wang coldly looked at Rong Mama: ¡°Earlier when I examined her, the Furen of your household clearly showed symptoms of miscarriage¡ªit was unmistakable!¡±
Li Xiao Ran suddenly stood up, his face turning green: ¡°Imperial Physician Wang, I will handle this matter, but please keep this a secret . I do not wish to hear any rumors of this matter outside of those present in the room . ¡±
After a moment of confusion, Imperial Physician Wang came to an understanding and nodded: ¡°Very well, I promise you . ¡± He turned and said to Li Lao Furen: ¡°I must go . ¡±
Lao Furen tiredly told Luo Mama: "Send Imperial Physician Wang out . "
After Imperial Physician Wang left, there was a strange silence in the room . Li Wei Yang smiled . She had been all too clear about what Rong Mama was up to, seizing Li Xiao Ran¡¯s pride to save face, there was no way he would look for another person to verify . If Jiang Yue Lan faked her pregnancy to oppress Li Wei Yang, then it was not quite the worst-case scenario, just a matter of the official mother oppressing the illegitimate daughter, but if she was truly pregnant, then it goes to show that Jiang Yue Lan had put a green hat on Li Xiao Ran .
Since Li Xiao Ran believed Imperial Physician Wang, he would never trust Jiang Yue Lan again . In his heart, he had long determined that Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s child was not his own . However, he will not allow anyone to check again and only epted the first possibility: that is, Jiang Yue Lan had framed Li Wei Yang, that is much better than being forced to admit that he had been cuckolded .
However, Li Xiao Ran is by no means a simple person . He is very suspicious and even more paranoid than anyone . . . Therefore, Rong Mama¡¯s actions were no different than drinking poisoned wine to quench her thirst . Of course, this y still has to go on, it¡¯s a pity that the person under the de had be Jiang Yue Lan now .
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t pursue the matter . She never rushed when it came to removing the weeds by its roots, she only said: ¡°Since Rong Mama has admitted to unjustly framing me, Father, how do you n to deal with it?¡±
Li Xiao Ran turned and eyed Jiang Yue Lan with a rather cold and vicious expression . Jiang Yue Lan trembled, involuntarily shaking out of absolute terror . She couldn¡¯t exin herself anyways, and he wouldn¡¯t believe in her anymore . . . It¡¯s over, it¡¯s all over, her wealth and glory, her marriage, everything that had belonged to her!
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 135.1
Chapter 135.1
hapter 135: The Prince of Mo Bei
[1] ÂÌñ - Literally trantes to "green hat"; A man is said to wear a green hat when his wife is unfaithful to him
[2] ɱ¼¦ÙÓºï - Literally trantes to "kill the chicken to alert the monkey"; This means setting an example for others
In front of the stage on theke, Li Wei Yang and Sun Yan Jun were listening to the y leisurely . The small tea table in front of them was full of fruit trays, filled with preserved plums, rose crisps, hibiscus cakes, soybean candy, fresh seeds, and dried fruits from the Capital¡¯s most famous dessert shop, which were all rare vors .
Sun Yan Jun loved eating them so much, and couldn¡¯t help but praise,ughing: "Wei Yang, you are enjoying your days here so much but outside is a total mess . You are so well-fed here that even the royalties in the pce are not as carefree as you are . "
Li Wei Yang listened and smiled and leaned on the cushion gently, saying, "Aren¡¯t you tired when you¡¯re tired and happy when you¡¯re happy? Why should you follow so many rules and regtions to make yourself ufortable . " In fact, she didn¡¯t like to listen to ys since they leave a bitter aftertaste but Sun Yan Jun liked it . Especially, as the newly-wed wife, she was always called by Second Furen to set rules . Her life was so miserable now and since Li Wei Yang had asked her toe, she naturally wanted to make her happy .
"Jiang Yue Lan is still kneeling in the ancestral hall, do you really not care?" Sun Yan Jun nced at the opera singer on the stage with a smile and asked softly .
Holding the warmer in her hands, Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "My father told her to kneel . He refused to forgive her so what can I do, we can only let her feel wronged and let her continue to kneel . "
Sun Yan Jun shook her head and sighed with emotion: "She kneeled on the cold floor for three days and three nights after her miscarriage but still managed to survive . It¡¯s not easy at all . "
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile looked very gentle: "Well, my father in the end is still reluctant to kill her . "
Sun Yan Jun wasn¡¯t as meticulous as Li Wei Yang and couldn¡¯t help say: ¡°Reluctant? Is Eldest Uncle really crazy? An unfaithful woman seems to have kept her reputation on the surface but who doesn¡¯t know the details?¡± Although Sun Yan Jun didn¡¯t know what happened, she heard bits and pieces and added her own takes so she outlined another version, a version that Li Wei Yang had been inducing everyone to believe .
When Li Wei Yang heard this, she just smiled and said, "Naturally, it doesn¡¯t mean that, you misunderstood . " Li Xiao Ran didn¡¯t want to execute Jiang Yue Lan because he just didn¡¯t want another of his wife to die . Additionally, Li Chang Xiao and others¡¯ marriage ns were about to be put on the agenda so if Jiang Yue Lan dies at this time, their marriage ns would have to wait another three years . After three years, all of them would be old misses and the Li family wouldn¡¯t be able to pass their days easily anymore . He must becent but he will never forgive Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s "betrayal", so he said nothing on the surface and ordered Jiang Yue Lan to kneel in the ancestral hall for ten days and ten nights, neither letting her die nor letting her live merrily . Kneeling for ten days, for a woman who has just experience a miscarriage, it is equal to taking half of her life . Of course, he also ordered people to take turns guarding there . If Jiang Yue Lan couldn¡¯t hold on, they would use ginseng soup to help her hang on to her life . Anyway, he wouldn¡¯t let her die .
At this point, Li Wei Yang admired Li Xiao Ran very much . His ability to torture people was even more vicious than himself . More importantly, he kills without blood and even his reputation wouldn¡¯t be affected . On the surface, Jiang Yue Lan was punished for scheming to frame others but in fact, he was punishing her infidelity in disguise .
"But will Uncle regret it? In case Jiang Yun use her words to sway--"
Li Wei Yang just smiled and said, "Naturally, if I were a man and my wife gave me a green hat [1], I would never forgive her . " Although this green hat was forced by Li Wei Yang, she knew the Jiang family tampered the snuff bottle but she had always been optimistic about her ns . Li Xiao Ran¡¯s infertility is a great thing for Li Min Zhi since no one will ever threaten her brother¡¯s status . Human nature is selfish, and Li Wei Yang only cared about herself and her loved ones . As for Li Xiao Ran, her father has never taken care of her, why should she care about him? Not being able to have children means that he must protect Li Min Zhi well, and he has to put in all his strength, which isughable thinking about it .
"Then --- what about Rong Mama?" Sun Yan Jun said curiously, "I heard that the uncle gave Rong Mama to you for disposal that day . When she dragged away, she kept swearing!"
"She can no longer speak . " Li Wei Yang smiled lightly .
A surprised look appeared on Sun Yan Jun¡¯s face: "Is she dead?"
Li Wei Yang nced at the naive face of Sun Yan Jun and felt that it was necessary for her to receive a cruel education once .
Zhao Yue said with a nk expression: "Xiaojie thinks the old woman is too noisy so she ordered people to cut off her tongue . "
Sun Yan Jun was shocked . She did not expect Li Wei Yang to be this formidable . If it was her, she would just have her beaten and then kicked out of the household . Cutting her tongue off seemed too cruel . Thinking of this, she said softly: "She is just loyal to her master . Strictly speaking, she did nothing wrong¡ª"
"Yeah, but to ask for the painting from Liu Mama, let Physician He prescribe medicine for the Seventh Yiniang, and even help Jiang Yue Lan set up her scheme, nothing was possible without her . I never said that she was wrong, but we just have different opinions .
Since she is the loser, one who gambles must ept loss and the result of life and death withoutint, what is the point of swearing at me? If I was in her position, I would have and slit my neck with a pair of scissors, why would I fall into the enemy¡¯s hand and be tortured? All of this is hers to me and has nothing to do with others . " Li Wei Yang plucked a piece of candy and gently put it in her mouth .
Bai Zhi smiled and said: "Second Young Furen, this is a good opportunity for Xiaojie to kill the chickens to alert the monkeys [2] . "
Li Wei Yang saw Sun Yan Jun¡¯s eyes were still unbearable, and couldn¡¯t help but say slowly: "If someone else treats me well, I will naturally return a hundredfold . If others take the initiative to provoke, then they can¡¯t me me . . . . " She nced at the courtyard not far away . She coldly said: "Not only Rong Mama, but also Liu Mama who betrayed me, I can¡¯t tolerate her! This time, I gave them a lesson and also gave everyone a warning, so that they wouldn¡¯t be mistaken, thinking that my heart was soft and tolerant . "
After all, Sun Yan Jun was young . After hearing this, she could not help but lower her head and thought for a long time . Finally, she had to admit that Li Wei Yang was right . If anyone could plot against her, her life would be really hard . Everyone was like this, bullying the good and fearing the evil . Li Wei Yang was acting fiercely to protect herself and her family . After the y was finished, Sun Yan Jun followed Li Wei Yang to sit in her courtyard, but found that outside the open door, many yatous were gathering together and whispering .
Sun Yan Jun looked curious: "What happened? What were you doing in your yard just now?"
Li Wei Yang smiled gently, and there was no trace on her clear face, she just said lightly: ¡°I just ordered my people to kick Liu Mama out after fifty strikes . As for Rong Mama, I ordered her to be thrown into a bag full of poisonous snakes and then let someone hit the sack with a wooden board¡ª"
The courtyard was as quiet as if no one was around, a few timid girls had already been scared to the ground, shivering nonstop . As soon as they saw Li Wei Yanging back, their faces suddenly showed fear . Li Wei Yang did not speak, strolling past them gently . Some of these people were bribed by Jiang Yue Lan or other masters to monitor her and now she wanted to let them know how a traitor will end up, which was precisely Li Wei Yang¡¯s motive behind this .
"Did you hear that just now, Rong Mama¡¯s pitiful screams!"
"What¡¯s more, my ears were deafening from her screams . It was really scary! I¡¯ve never seen Third Xiaojie this enraged . Someone who is usually so kind to be this vicious can be very poisonous!"
"That¡¯s right, I didn¡¯t see the figure anymore when it was dragged out!"
"She is to me herself; she could have plotted against anymore but she plotted against Third Xiaojie, she is not someone to provoke? Didn¡¯t you see that even Furen is being punished now, kneeling in the ancestral hall!" The yatou in the courtyard whispered privately .
Bai Zhi followed Li Wei Yang to the steps, and suddenly turned back, staring at the crowd all with different expressions in the yard, and said, "You have all seen it . There will never be any good end to evil behaviors . Don¡¯t count on the mastermind behind everything to save you . Once you are caught, you will die without a burial! Everyone be alerted, don¡¯t make any mistakes again!"
Bai Zhi is the most trusted main yatou by Li Wei Yang¡¯s side . She usually didn¡¯t say much so everyone was so scared that they knelt down immediately, their expressions worsen: ¡°Nubis don¡¯t dare to betray Xiaojie, Xiaojie please be rest assured, Bai Zhi Jiejie please be rest assured . ¡±
Bai Zhi coldly said: "That¡¯s good . Otherwise, today¡¯s Rong Mama will be you in the future . "
Sun Yan Jun couldn¡¯t help but look at her eyes . When did even the yatous beside Li Wei Yang be so formidable? Looking at the stunned expressions under the stairs, she had a hunch that there would be no one in this courtyard in the future who would dare betray Li Wei Yang . Because of today, they have experienced all the shocks they would have experienced in this lifetime, and no one will take the initiative to send themselves to death .
Coincidentally, Jiang Yue Lan had a miscarriage here, but there was good news in the pce from Consort Lian . Nowadays, the most beautiful concubine in the pce is Consort Lian and she is also the most favored by the Emperor . As soon as he heard that she was pregnant, the Emperor was very happy that he ordered a feast to be held and invited all his subjects and noble wives to enter the pce to celebrate . As a Xianzhu of second rank, Li Wei Yang was also invited .
In her lotus yard, Lao Furen leaned on the peony flower butterfly rich pillow sitting on the big brick bed, with a smile on her face, she said: "For this banquet, the pce has released news that His Majesty will choose a wife for the Third Prince and the Seventh Prince . " As she spoke, she looked at Li Wei Yang and said, "Wei Yang, what do you think?"
Li Wei Yang pretended not to know, and smiled: "It is presumed that His Majesty will choose someone from a well-established family with matching looks and talents for both princes . It seems that the tailor shop in the Capital will be busy again these two days . "
Seeing how she was acting ignorant, Li Lao Furen could not help sighing: "You don¡¯t have to feign confusion, I know your thoughts, and I also have the intentions to fulfill your wish . But unfortunately when I went into the pcest time, I mentioned this marriage to Virtuous Consort Zhang and she actually refused and said she will help you find a suitable match in the future . How insulting is it for her to think my child can¡¯t be married off? He¡¯s merely the Seventh Prince and even if he is the future emperor, our family is quite reputable . It might be a good idea to not marry into the royal family and be embroiled in troubles . ¡± Lao Furen has always been cautious and has never said such things . Today, it is obvious that Virtuous Consort Zhang made her feel belittled .
Li Wei Yang knew in her heart that Lao Furen was always proud . She took the initiative to mention this matter to Virtuous Consort Zhang and was thinking about her wholeheartedly but she didn¡¯t know that this wasn¡¯t her intention . She said softly, "Thank you for Lao Furen¡¯spassion, they look down upon us, there¡¯s no need for us to climb to them, let¡¯s just pretend this never happened and everything will be fine . "
Li Lao Furen looked at her seriously, seeing that there was neither worry nor regret on her face, she was relieved and said: "It is great you¡¯ve thought it through, otherwise you will be upset if you see something you don¡¯t want to see at the banquet . I would feel grievances for you to watch you feel that way . I know Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s thoughts, she looks down at your concubine-bred status . We don¡¯t have to pay too much attention to her . After a while, I will find you a good match . "
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: "Wei Yang understands the importance, thank you Lao Furen for your care . "
Lao Furen nodded, but at this moment, she saw Luo Mama walk in quickly from the outside and kneeled with her head down, saying: "Lao Furen, Da Furen, she¡ªshe hanged herself . . . and was just saved . "
Lao Furen stood up at once, then¡ªbut slowly sat down . In the past ten days, although the truth of the matter was not revealed, there were more gossips than snakes, worms, and ants rushing around in dark corners . Although the yatous were told to vacate at that time, they didn¡¯t know the truth and they were banned from talking about it afterwards . Yet they still gathered in groups of three and five in a corner and when no one was around, they would secretly gossip about it and add their own versions to the truth . Although Li Xiao Ran had made great efforts to rectify and he specifically disposed of a few of the leaders, the gossip was not cut off for a day . It was like endless spring grass that breeds endlessly .
"Wei Yang, go visit your mother for me . " Li Lao Furen¡¯s voice was silent for a while, and she said so atst .
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes and looked at Lao Furen . She didn¡¯t ask anything, just smiled slightly and said, "Yes . "
Li Wei Yang bid her farewell and left He Xiang yard without dy . The garden in front of her showed traces of winter, which revealed its sparsenesspared to before . The tiles were grey, the leaves were haggard, and the grass was only scattered with gray withered flowers . The courtyard was extremely quiet, and only one or two birds were heard . Such an environment always makes people feel inexplicably cold, but Li Wei Yang obviously did not care . She just walked through the dpidated scene, looking thoughtfully .
"Xiaojie, Lao Furen just told you now to go see Da Furen, what does that mean?" Bai Zhi said quietly . Why did Lao Furen talk about asking Xiaojie to visit Jiang Yue Lan after she finished talking about the banquet? This is something that has never happened before . ¡°Is it because of her hanging herself, did she forgive her?"
Li Wei Yang only smiled and did not answer .
The two came to the courtyard where Jiang Yue Lan lived . Since the incident, Jiang Yue Lan was sent to the ancestral hall to kneel for ten days before being carried back to the courtyard . She never came out again .
Seeing Third Xiaojie, the yatous in the yard looked at each other . A Luo came out of the house carrying a basin of water . When she saw Li Wei Yang, she was shocked and her hand was slipping . The basin of hot water was all spilled, and her eyes were full of fright: "Xiaojie . . . Xiaojie, why are you here?" She had on a damned expression full of fear .
Li Wei Yangughed: "Lao Furen asked me to visit Mother . "
A Luo was still stunned and she stood there motionless . Li Wei Yang crossed her and walked straight into the house .
The door was half-covered, and there was only a slit of sunlight that shone in . It was very quiet, and almost made people think that no one was there . Li Wei Yang walked straight over and saw Jiang Yue Lan sitting on the brick bed at a nce, wearing only a in white undershirt with plum blossoms . She wasn¡¯t even wearing an outer robe that made her face even more bloodless, except for the deep purple mark on her snow-white neck . It was as if she was telling everyone that she had just crossed over to the underworld and then was dragged back .
"Mother, how is your health?" Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice was clear and pleasant . In a quiet room, it was like a bell ringing in the wind, but it was soothing . Outsiders who listened in would never think that the two people in there have such great hatred towards each other .
Jiang Yue Lan was suddenly stunned and then drastically turned around to stare at Li Wei Yang with a venomous look . At that moment in her eyes, Li Wei Yang¡¯s cheeks were carefully carved with white jade, her pair of ancient well-like deep eyes blinked slightly, and the long and slender eyshes would give people a delicate and pleasant feeling . The aqua blue dress with sapphire butterfly tint was just right showing off her beauty and youth! She is obviously the same age as her but why is she decaying and dying here every day, but she is getting more and more livelier? Why is it so unfair?
Jiang Yue Lan looked at herself again and wanted to cry angrily . In just ten days, she seemed to have aged decades and her eyes were covered with fine lines when looking at herself in the mirror . Although it was as thin as a silk, she could still see it at a nce---she desperately smeared herself with grease and powder but she still couldn¡¯t hide her haggardness on her face . When she was pregnant before, she needed to nourish her body constantly so her body propped up like a balloon . Now, even though she had a miscarriage, her body shape couldn¡¯t return to its original shape immediately . Her waist was like an over-stretched pocket where she can only tighten it with silk straps . Hugging the loose fat tightly, she had never discovered how many shorings she had before, but today she discovered all of them . It was because of this sudden discovery that she felt extremely intolerable .
Jiang Yue Lan stared at Li Wei Yang with frustration, so desperate she just wanted to cry that her resentment and anger towards the other party became stronger . If there was a chance, she would definitely avenge herself---in fact, she and Li Wei Yang have no deep hatred, but it¡¯s because she likes Li Min De and that she cannot stand how Li Wei Yang lived a better life than her as a concubine-bred offspring . As a result, she and Li Wei Yang formed this so-called hatred . Women are such strange creatures; even a little jealousy will turn into a prairie fire at a critical moment .
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Trantor: Erica
Editor: Erica
Chapter 135.2
Chapter 135.2
Chapter 135: The Prince of Mo Bei
"Why are you here? Are you here to see how fallen I¡¯ve be?" Jiang Yue Lan looked at Li Wei Yang and tried her best to suppress her hatred, saying word by word, but the venom from her teeth was looming in her eyes .
"What is Mother saying, I just came to visit you . " Seeing Jiang Yue Lan looking behind her, Li Wei Yang smiled, "Mother does not have to wait, Father will note, nor will Lao Furen . "
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s eyes were obviously showing disappointment . She thought that she and Li Xiao Ran have been husband and wife for quite some time now and would still have affections for her . But who would have known that he was this ruthless and unjust that he believed Li Wei Yang so much and thought that his own child wasn¡¯t his . How could it not be his? Jiang Yue Lan wanted to sneer, but found that the smile surfaced on her lips but turned bitter .
She took a nce at the cold food beside the table and it was just cold buns and half a bowl of cold rice that even the lowest-ranked servants refused to touch . Li Wei Yang smiled slightly: "After Mother married into the Li family, you¡¯ve been eating delicacies . Treating you with such food is not serving you right . "
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s mouth sneered and the venom in her eyes gradually cleared up . Li Wei Yang¡¯s words aroused all her grievances . She couldn¡¯t help biting her teeth and the sneer in her mouth burst into a full bloom: "The triumphant king has defeated the bandits; I¡¯ve lost to you and it¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t as cunning as you were . When I rise again one day, you might fall into my hands and then, you will be much more miserable than I am . "
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, "No one even cared about your suicide ploy . Do you think --- it is still possible to rise up again?"
Jiang Yue Lan stopped suddenly, and a chill covered her heart: she wanted to say that she would win back Li Xiao Ran . However, Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile reminded her that Li Xiao Ran is so ruthless to her now, would he believe her words? Even if she knelt by his feet and pleaded, she might be shaming herself .
Yes,mitting suicide to gain sympathy was herst resort . If the other party doesn¡¯t even bother about her life, does she still have a chance to regain her position again? Jiang Yue Lan gritted her teeth and said, "I still have--"
"Oh, you mean, you still have your own maternal family and the Jiang¡¯s family . Ever since the incident, no one came to visit you . " Li Wei Yang said slowly but cruelly . "For them, you are just an abandoned child . Who cares about your life and death? I heard that your mother-inw is already nning to marry your second sister to Father as his new wife, saying that she¡¯s going to help you out . You don¡¯t know about this, right?"
This sentence pierced into Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s heart like a bloody red knife . At that moment, she immediately realized that her miscarriage disappointed her maternal family . She hadn¡¯t even given birth to a child yet after marrying into the family for more than a year . They couldn¡¯t wait to send another daughter to consolidate their position . . . how can they be so shameless! She is still alive, and she is the rightful wife of the Li¡¯s family! Uncontrobly, a cold tear came down from the corner of her eye, but Jiang Yue Lan turned away and refused to let others see it . She spit out a cold sentence after a long moment of silence: "I did lose, and I lostpletely . But I will never let you be even if I be a ghost! I will haunt you forever, making you feel uneasy day and night, and I won¡¯t let you live a good day!"
After listening to this, Li Wei Yang suddenlyughed . The smile on her face was very contemptuous and apparently she did not care too much about her opponent .
Jiang Yue Lan felt that theughter was like scoops of ice water pouring into her heart . She shivered involuntarily and felt defeated . "I... I... I . . . " She suddenly lost the strength of her struggle and became extremely discouraged . She burst into tears and fell down suddenly and then fell to Li Wei Yang¡¯s feet: "Third Xiaojie, I won¡¯t dare to fight against you anymore, just let me go! Can you give me a way out?"
Li Wei Yang looked at her with half pity and half sarcasm: "I never meant to put you to death, why should Mother be so afraid?" As she said, she told A Luo, "Help your Furen up, look at how she is acting now . "
A Luo hurried to help Jiang Yue Lan but she was pushed away, she said loudly: "I know that your willingness toe today means that I still have value? As long as I am here, Li Xiao Ran won¡¯t marry a new wife, nor will there be a neering in to threaten the status of Seventh Yiniang and Min Zhi . Now that he can¡¯t have children and I can¡¯t get pregnant anymore, Min Zhi will be the only son in this family, which is also beneficial to you . Isn¡¯t it? Let me go, I¡¯ll never be against you again . I will tell you if there is any situation in the Jiang family, no, I can even help you deal with them, as long as you let me continue to stay in this position and as long as you can help me prevent my sister from entering the family, I will depend on you!" Just now she just figured all out; who cares about Li Min De or her family, she, herself, is the most important . Li Wei Yang is not someone she dared to provoke anymore . Enemies she can¡¯t win against should be her friends . This is her way of survival for so many years . Instead of letting her family send someone to demolish herself, it is better to go to Li Wei Yang . There is still a way to save this . . .
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "A Luo, wipe the tears for your Furen . Her current body condition can¡¯t bear her crying like this . "
That means she had agreed! Jiang Yue Lan wiped her tears and stood up, but stumbled and fell to the ground . A Luo quickly went to help her and she immediately said: "I will not disappoint you for helping me . In the future, if the Jiang family have any movements, you will be the first one who I will tell!"
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile brought a bit of indifference and said, "I hope so . " She kept Jiang Yue Lan but it was because she could be put to good use in the future . Towards her enemy, her heart had already turned into ice and snow so there was no sympathy at all .
A Luo reluctantly helped Jiang Yue Lan to go to bed andy down . Li Wei Yang looked at her unsteady pace and couldn¡¯t help but raise her eyebrows . She just knelt in the ice and snow for a long time just after her miscarriage . Seeing her legs and feet were not as agile and she also heard that she asionally vomited blood . . . How long can such a person live, she should hurry up with her ns . Thinking of this, Li Wei Yang no longer looked at the people in the room, turned and walked out .
Inside the room, A Luo asked quietly, "Furen, are you really going to depend on Third Xiaojie?"
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s face was decayed and although her eyes were still hateful, she was already exhausted . She nced at A Luo and said, "It¡¯s not that I want to depend on her, but I have to depend on her . Me being alive now is useful to her so she is keeping me . If one day I be useless, no one will care for me anymore . Li Wei Yang is certainly irritating but what I hate the most is Li Xiao Ran, this cruel and unscrupulous thing . I am pregnant with his child but he didn¡¯t even ask me and punish me to kneel, causing me to live with this illness for the rest of my life . I will never forgive him . Even if I go to hell, I will drag him with me!"
Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s hatred has gradually shifted to Li Xiao Ran, who had ruined her life . Seeing her clenching her teeth, A Luo couldn¡¯t help but feel frightened and urged: "Furen, Laoye just didn¡¯t think it through yet---don¡¯t take all of this too seriously . "
Jiang Yue Lan snorted but said nothing .
On February 15, the pce held a morous feast . The Emperor was sitting on the throne with the Empress sitting by his side . Consort Lian was wearing a set of precious jewelry on her head and under the moonlight, they emitted an extravagance . Her position was closely ced next to the Emperor, which made it look like she was a little more honorable than the Empress . Virtuous Consort Zhang sat a level below her . This time, her whole person appeared very quiet, making people seem to be unable to feel the existence of one of the four main consorts in the harem . However, this was unsurprising at all . After Able Consort Wu was sentenced to death and Imperial Consort Mei is not in a great position because of the conspiracy of Fifth Prince, only Virtuous Consort Zhang and Consort Rou were left among the four consorts and Consort Rou¡¯s body was not always well, so she couldn¡¯t attend this banquet and so Virtuous Consort Zhang became more and more low-key .
The courtdies shuttled around and served a te of delicacies . The Emperor smiled and kept whispering to Consort Lian next to him . It was obviously that he pampered her dearly and within the subjects¡¯ eyes, they started nning something .
When Consort Lian was being favored, other women in the harem were also getting worried, for example, the most noble woman in the harem, the Empress . She sat aside, looking at the shy Consort Lian, her heart was full of jealousy, this child of hers . . . if she is a princess, she would be very happy but if he is a prince, it would be the rise of many troubles .
In the royal family, it is generally the eldest son who will be the heir to the throne . The current Crown Prince meets this requirement, but if the Emperor likes it, it is not a big problem to change the position, for example, if the Crown Prince makes a mistake . Originally, there were already many people around the Crown Prince who could be considered threats, but if there is another little prince who is much loved by the Emperor, that day will be even much more saddening .
But after all, even though the child could be a boy, it was just a baby so what is there to worry about . But the Empress felt that ever since Zhou Da Shou improved the medicine, the Emperor¡¯s body recovered greatly . It was certainly not a problem for the Emperor to live a decade or so longer . By then, it might not be known who will assume the throne . . . ultimately, the Crown Prince has be more and more displeasing to the Emperor! If the Crown Prince¡¯s position was robbed and even if the Emperor would not mistreat her since they have been husband and wife for many years, when the new emperor, who had no blood rtionship with her, ascends the throne in the future, she is afraid that her position as the Empress Dowager would just be in name only . Therefore, this child cannot be a prince no matter what, otherwise, she would not dare to imagine the future . . .
Although Li Wei Yang was sitting under the steps, she saw the Empress¡¯s expression keenly, but she lowered her head and smiled slightly . At this time, she suddenly realized that some fiery eyes were fleeting on her, and Li Wei Yang raised her head slightly and noticed Tuoba Zhen sitting not far away, with a meaningful expression that collided with her own eyes .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression froze for a moment, and Tuoba Zhen looked at her deeply, then raised his ss, smiled, and sipped it . Li Wei Yang suddenly felt a strange feeling in her heart . This person seems determined to have her . Is he really that confident?
"Wei Yang, what¡¯s wrong with you?"
The words of concern from Sun Yan Jun floated into her ears . Li Wei Yang looked back, saw her worried eyes, smiled slightly, and lowered her head . "I was just looking at the beautiful scenery tonight and got lost in it for a good second . "
"That¡¯s good . " Just seeing Li Wei Yang in a daze just now . . . she thought that she had something on her mind, Sun Yan Jun thought . But Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression had returned to its original state, making people see no signs of it .
Not far away, Jiang Hua looked at it all with his eyes and couldn¡¯t help but sneer . He suddenly let out a fierce cough and he covered up the blood on his lips, pretending nothing happened and drank a sip of his wine . Since he was enraged by Li Wei Yangst time, he had been sick in bed for three months . Beforeing to the banquet, he couldn¡¯t even get up in bed . But he still came, because he knew that Li Wei Yang would definitelye, and if he did note, he would look weak .
He originally thought that Li Wei Yang would notice him, but her eyes didn¡¯t look at him for a moment and she didn¡¯t even notice himing . Even with the asional encounter, he did not see a touch of human emotion in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes . The woman on the opposite side had the willpower and mobility that were not inferior to him and it was so powerful that it was scary and terrifying . Because of this, he can¡¯t lose to her! This cannot happen! Jiang Hua¡¯s fingers turned faintly white as he squeezed the cup . Although there were heat pans around him and he was still holding a cup of hot wine in his hand, he still felt that nothing could dispel the cold in his body .
Grandfather clearly said that he is the smartest man in Da Li, the bravest strategist, and the soul of the entire army, but why would he lose to an unknown little girl, this is not fair at all! Eradicating his viciousness and selfishness, Jiang Hua at this moment put all the faults on other people and didn¡¯t want to fail, but the facts behind his failure couldn¡¯t be changed . Especially when he saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s beautiful and calm face, it was as if a nerve in his head had suddenly broke . There was something in his head that kept shouting: beat her and kill her!
Jiang Xu reminded in a low voice: "Hua¡¯er, can you still hold it?"
Father¡¯s worries made Jiang Hua wake up suddenly . He smiled and suppressed the violent factor in his body . He said: "Father, rest assured that my illness haspletely recovered . There will be no problem at the asion today . "
Jiang Xu nced at him worriedly . Jiang Hai was dead . Jiang Nan could never see the light again . He had lost his two sons one after another, and even his nephew had disappeared . He never wanted to lose Jiang Hua again: "Your Grandfather is going back to the Capital soon, your Second Brother is already weing him back, so rx," Jiang Xuforted .
Of course, Jiang Hua knew that his grandfather Duke Jiang wasing back soon, but he didn¡¯t want his grandfather, who had always regarded him as proud, to see his declining appearance . Thinking of this, his fists clenched involuntarily, and now he believes that he may really be sick . He grew up in the army with his grandfather . Everyone praised him for his cleverness and strategic thinking, but few people knew that he was actually the most violent of the five boys in the Jiang family . At the age of six, he once wounded a ymate until heid in bed for half a year . The reason was because that person said that he was as pretty as a little girl! He was angry on the spot and disregarded their friendship . He rushed up to the other child and he broke the bridge of his nose and three of his rib cages . Finally, two adults were sent to pull him away . He regretted seeing his ymate hurt like that, but what made him uneptable most was that he had no restraint against the violent situation at that time .
Afterwards, his grandfather saw that he was in a low mood and didn¡¯t leave his room once, so he invited a famous doctor to see him . The doctor suggested that he learned to restrain himself and he also hinted that he might suffer from an aggressive disease . So all these years, he learned to cultivate his temperament, doing everything possible to suppress the violent spirit in his heart, but Li Wei Yang easily let him release the beast in his heart, and he was going to be driven crazy by her little by little .
Fortunately, this situation will soon change . . . Jiang Hua thought about this as a sneer appeared on his face .
Li Min De looked at everyone¡¯s dark, violent expressions, but raised his eyebrows lightly . Tuoba Yu, Tuoba Zhen, and Jiang¡¯s family all have bad intentions for Wei Yang . Should he do something to warn them? There was a smile on his lips, and Li Min De showed a habitual smile .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes inadvertently fell on Li Min De¡¯s face, and he couldn¡¯t help but slightly pause . Whenever such a smile appeared on his handsome face, it meant that he was beginning to plot against others . She would like to know who will be out of luck this time?
At this moment, the Crown Prince suddenly stood up and said loudly: "Imperial Father, your son has something to raise . "
The emperor raised his eyes, nced at him, and said, "Speak . " The attitude was a little lukewarm . It seemed that the Empress next to him was a little ufortable, but she could only suppress herself .
The Crown Prince seemed to care about nothing, and said with a smile: "The ambassador for Mo Bei has arrived in the Capital today and will present a gift to Imperial Father tonight . "
Mo Bei is a sparsely popted country to the north of the Da Li Dynasty . The people live by riding and shooting, and the folk customs are very rough . For many years, they have been fighting openly with Da Li in various conflicts and disputes, but war has not broken out yet in the past decade and the rtionship between the two countries is at a very delicate position . The Third Prince, Tuoba Zhen, saw this situation and offered to identify seven cities to be divided between the two countries for trade, and Mo Bei people can use their specialty products, such as horses, sheep, camels, mink, etc . , to exchange for Da Li¡¯s silk fabrics, porcin, gold and silver ware, tea and iron, etc . They will also be setting up special officials to control the price of the goods on both sides trying to make the transactions fair, so that the rtionship between the two countries can be quickly alleviated . It wasn¡¯t rare at all for a messenger from Mo Bei toe to Da Li .
The Emperor nodded and smiled on his face: "In this case, please summon the messenger . "
As soon as the words came out,dies who had danced in front of the crowd had danced back out . And in a blink of an eye, they saw the silhouettes of the empty ground in front gathered and the sound of drums roared . Soon, the musicians and drummers came out and started to y . The tall drummer with a mask on lifted a peculiar shape up to his head, and then the drumsticknded gently onto the drum surface . The sound seemed to be a sudden burst from a mountain stream, and it seemed like stones suddenly falling into the abyss . And soon, one after another, the sounds be more intense and exciting . The musicians next to the drummers also began to y the instruments in their hands . For a moment, the sound of the lute was added to the drums, but the sound of the drums was not attenuated at all . Instead, the whole instrument showed a state of fervor . At this moment, the sounds of the drum became more and more exciting and everyone seemed to see the scene of a massive array of battles rushing in front of them . The drummer has been sweating, his face dignified and his body moving artfully!
Li Wei Yang frowned, such an impassioned tune, and such a strange artistic conception that cannot be easily arranged by any ordinary craftsmen! This drummer---
At this moment, the drummer suddenly dropped the mallet and began stroking the surface of the drum with his hands, and desperately pping, but it was more intense and clear than the original drum sound! All the musical instruments seemed to stop for a while, and everyone who was ustomed to Da Li¡¯s soft singing and dancing performances stared at the people in front of them for a while, and they could not speak for a while until a momentter, the drum sound stopped abruptly . The crowd awakened .
The Crown Prince who had been sitting in his seat suddenly stood up and shouted, "Wonderful! The Fourth Prince was amazing!"
The drummer smiled aloud and quickly stepped forward to take off his mask and bowed to the Emperor of Da Li, saying, "Li Yuan Heng, the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei, greets His Majesty, the Emperor of Da Li . "
The Fourth Prince of Mo Bei, who imed to be Li Yuan Heng, was not very young . He had a sharp, angr face with a deep outline, and two thick ck eyebrows pressed against his deep eye sockets . The bridge of his nose and his sturdy lips all revealed his vitality . He wore a tall wool hat on his head, covered with gold and silver ornaments and jewels---under the felt hat was long ck hair, which was woven into tresses in ordance to the customs of Mo Bei . Wearing crimson or dark green jade beads was different from the young men who like to wear fine silk in the Da Li Dynasty . He was wearing a rare and unusual golden leopard fur and a scimitar with a gold sheath and an ivory handle around his waist, which was particrly eye-catching .
He seemed to invite the attention of the females . After he said this, he suddenly turned around and looked at the females . His eyes suddenly stopped in one of the ces .
Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Chapter 136: Marriage Candidate
He looked directly at the seating for female guests . Where would these youngdies have seen such a heated and straightforward gaze before? They all blushed suddenly and avoided his eyes one after another . Li Yuan Heng had no interest in this dull disy, but he unexpectedly noticed a youngdy at this moment . At a nce, she appeared quite different from the rest .
Li Yuan Heng was fairly young, but there were a lot of young women who adored him already . However, even if all these women moisturize their skin with goat¡¯s milk, none of them were born like her, with skin as white as snow . Her eyes, like the cold stars up above, brought a slight coolness with them .
Seeing that expression, Li Yuan Heng couldn¡¯t help but recall the cheetahs he¡¯d seen in the grasnds . Aloof with a faintly discernible air of mystery and darkness, the image formed a stark contrast with those other delicate youngdies . The juxtaposition puzzled him momentarily . Didn¡¯t the women of Da Li topple over with the slightest gust of wind? How could there be such a girl? Solely judging by her appearance, he could tell that her mentality was equally firm .
Who was she? Li Yuan Heng suddenly recalled the portrait that someone had sent him previously and immediately pieced the two together . Oh, so it was her! Delight secretly welled up in his heart!
Li Wei Yang could not help frowning when she noticed the other person¡¯s expression . This kind of directness and impoliteness was already no longer a problem of social norms, but rather the other party¡¯s gaze seemed to regard her as an object that was already in his pocket . Such a look was really insufferable .
Li Min De was the first to notice Li Yuan Heng¡¯s facial expression . Narrowing his eyes slightly, he regarded the other coldly .
"Fourth Prince has journeyed from distant parts to my Da Li . Naturally, we should receive him warmly . Come, have a seat . " The emperor smiled and waved as he spoke .
After Li Yuan Heng was seated, those around him were keenly interested in him, inquiring about this Fourth Prince one after the other .
At the end of the day, Sun Yan Jun came from a military family . She had heard quite a bit about this Fourth Prince of Mo Bei, and quietly said to Li Wei Yang: "This Fourth Prince lost his mother at an early age, so he was raised by his maternal grandparents . He¡¯s a master in horseback archery and is good atmanding soldiers . At the same time, he likes our culture very much . I heard that he specially invited teachers from here to teach him chess and music . At the age of sixteen, he had his own fiefdom and a personal army of fifty thousand soldiers . It¡¯s quite impressive!"
For a prince to unexpectedly have his own personal soldiers, moreover fifty thousand of them, such a thing was absolutely unimaginable in Da Li . After hearing this, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but give the prince a few more nces .
"Actually, a young 16-year-old prince without the support of a maternal n and chased out to a remote fiefdom should clearly be an abandoned child . But my father said that unlike other people, he has a very high status in Mo Bei, and he¡¯s secretly superseded Mo Bei¡¯s eldest prince . He¡¯s really a powerful figure!" Sun Yan Jun saw Li Wei Yang was interested and continued in a low voice .
It wasn¡¯t limited to thedies below whispering in hushed tones . Up on stage, the Emperor was also watching Li Yuan Heng . He said lightly: "Fourth Prince, I heard that there were some unpleasant disturbances when Da Li¡¯s travelling merchants passed through Mo Bei, is that right?"
Li Yuan Heng spoke calmly and unhurriedly: "What Your Majesty¡¯s says, I too have heard about it to some extent . There were some peoplemitting outrages using the name of the Mo Bei cavalry . Our Mo Bei territory is vast, the good and the bad intermingle, and with Da Li beside us, it¡¯s hard to avoid stirring up trouble . In the end, it is our own Mo Bei that is unable to constrain its own citizens . Coming to Da Li this time, I had suggested to my Imperial Father early on that if anyone causes trouble for Da Li¡¯s travelling merchants in the future, they will be severely punished under Mo Bei¡¯sws!"
Listening to this speech, Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but smile and shake her head, saying: "These words are so high-sounding, they make others unable to rebuke him . " This Fourth Prince could be seen to be a cunning fellow beneath the surface . She lowered her head, covering the smile at the edge of her lips .
The Emperor was clearly choked by this, and then said: "If you carry out a severe punishment, these people are bound to be curbed to some extent, only Mo Bei is vast and sparsely popted . When our travelling merchants pass through Mo Be, it¡¯s hard to avoid running into looters and plunderers . Moreover, these people are very familiar with the terrain, so it would be difficult to catch them even if officers and soldiers were dispatched . So how would you ensure the safety of Da Li¡¯s travelling merchants?"
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s face revealed a troubled expression as he said: "This ¡ª we can only do our best . "
At this time, Tuoba Yu smiled and said, "It¡¯s not as if there isn¡¯t a way . There are ry stations in all parts of our Da Li, which can provide convenience for travelling merchants . At the same time, attending to each other is possible . Since the Fourth Prince wants to establish friendly rtions, there is no harm in setting up this kind of ry station in Mo Bei to ensure the safety of travelling merchants and promote exchanges between our two countries . "
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s pair of eagle eyes were on Tuoba Yu . His face revealed a smile as he said: "What he is talking about, it wouldn¡¯t be too costly to set up ry stations in Mo Bei, and they could potentially connect all parts of the country, deepen rtions, and protect the travelling merchants of your distinguished country . It is indeed a good thing . ¡± His mind was also turning quickly . Setting up posts was also beneficial to Mo Bei, making it convenient for them to control the state of affairs within the various regions . And he could also use this opportunity to establish more bases of operation .
The Emperor was clearly satisfied, and said: "Fourth Prince of Mo Bei, can you handle this matter?"
Li Yuan Hengughed heartily: "This is something beneficial for both countries, so why wouldn¡¯t I be able to handle it? As long as His Majesty approves, I will immediately send people to survey the situation along the routes to determine road orientation and locations for the ry stations . After the ry stations are built, Mo Bei will send people to allocate money and grain for the expenses . However, for the management of the ry stations, it would be inconvenient for Da Li people to intervene . Please forgive me on this one point . "
This was natural . Although the idea was proposed by Da Li, if the management of the ry stations were handed over to Da Li, it would be tantamount to Mo Bei cing spies in their midst, so Li Yuan Heng¡¯s request was not unreasonable . Therefore, the emperor smiled and said: "It doesn¡¯t have to be all paid by you . We can provide half of the funds . After they are established, both countries will benefit greatly after all . "
Li Yuan Heng smiled and said: "Precisely, after the establishment of the ry stations, I hope that Your Majesty of Da Li will also have the chance toe as our guest, and give our people a glimpse of your graceful bearing!"
The emperor was even happier due to the ttery and burst into heartyughter .
Seeing the emperor in a good mood, smiles naturally emerged on everyone else¡¯s face . From the start, Li Min De had been paying close attention to the movements of Jiang Hua, Tuoba Zhen, and even the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei . He didn¡¯t know why, but he had a feeling that the Fourth Prince was not a good person . Now and then, his intuition was very urate .
Not long after, everyone left his seat to propose toasts, and the main hall became extremely lively . Li Wei Yang watched quietly with apparent disinterest . At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her and blocked her line of sight .
Li Wei Yang had been lost in her own thoughts . Given a sudden scare, she couldn¡¯t help but feel startled . Li Yuan Heng wasn¡¯t aware that he had scared her, and even asked in surprise: "What happened? Is there something wrong?" He was actually greeting her sincerely, but such an overly familiar attitude made Li Wei Yang frown involuntarily . She said coldly: ¡°I wonder what brings the Fourth Prince here?¡± This was the seating area for female guests . How could Li Yuan Heng leave the others toe over here? Just unbelievable .
Li Yuan Heng was evidently very popr with the youngdies . He would have never expected to be hated in the least this time . He subconsciously sat in the empty spot to Li Wei Yang¡¯s right, taking the initiative to offer her a cup of wine . Li Wei Yang just bowed her head slightly and caught sight of the wolf head tattooed on the back of his hand .
Mo Bei used the wolf as its emblem . Menmonly bore tattoos in the shape of wolves on their bodies . The wolf head on the back of Li Yuan Heng¡¯s hand was quite sinister-looking, roaring with its bloodied mouth wide open . Giving it a cold nce, Li Wei Yang withdrew her gaze soon after . She turned and said, "What is the meaning of this?"
"In our ce, all beautiful girls are able to drink . If you can drink, please apany me for a cup . "
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s eyes shed with a fiery light .
Sun Yan Jun was furious: "You¡¯re so ill-mannered . How can you be this crude!"
Li Wei Yang quickly noted Sun Yan Jun¡¯s remarks and hinted for her to not be impulsive . In Sun Yan Jun¡¯s world, right and wrong were separated by a clear barrier . When other people treated her well, she would repay the favour tenfold . If someone offended her friends, she would join hands to oppose theirmon enemy . But on this asion, it wasn¡¯t appropriate to raise an argument .
"It¡¯s just a cup of wine!" Li Yuan Heng abruptly frowned, pulling Li Wei Yang¡¯s sleeves as he came up . Sun Yan Jun was even more incensed . Without waiting for Li Wei Yang to speak, she struck without thinking . The strength of this strike was very small, but it shocked the two of them . Li Yuan Heng instinctively turned hostile and immediately raised his arm high to p Sun Yan Jun, but before he could move his hand, it had already been seized: "Fourth Prince, does the royal family of your country have a habit ofying hands on women?"
Li Yuan Heng was taken aback, and stared at the elegant young man who had suddenly appeared in front of him . He saw a pair of clear, pristine phoenix eyes under jet-ck brows, his expressive eyes like the flowing waves, unaware of heaven and earth . The most sacred moonlight in the skies above could not outshine these two irises . Li Yuan Heng had always thought of himself as a handsome youth . Seeing someone more outstanding appear and stand in his way, hisplexion immediately became ugly, going from blue to white then white to blue . He coldly asked: "Who are you?" He had always unted his literary talents and military strategy and had never had his wrist caught so easily . This teenager looked very young, but his strength was formidable, so much so that his joints faintly felt pain . This had never happened before!
As he tried to teach the other party a lesson yet was unable to shake him off, Li Yuan Heng couldn¡¯t help feeling utterly disconfitted . He yelled furiously, "You dare do this while knowing who I am . Are you tired of living?"
"People will know who was the first to be impolite! Why should I be scared?!" Li Min De paid no mind and answered with a smile, his face in glowing spirits, two pitch-ck eyebrows seemingly able to flutter and fly .
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s sharp eyes narrowed into slits . There wasn¡¯t another person in the world who would dare to speak to him in this way . This person was certainly not someone who would be ordinary in the future . Just who was he? He just wanted to rify when he suddenly heard Li Wei Yang say lightly: "Who he is has nothing to do with you . Fourth Prince, being this arrogant and despotic, are you looking down on the people of Da Li?"
Li Yuan Heng was stunned . He presently looked at Li Wei Yang, only to feel that the light in her eyes were flickering, as calm as well water yet as changeable as the rose-tinted sky . A single nce caused him to stare stupidly, and he secretly eximed: "This girl¡¯s looks can only be called pretty, but why are her eyes so outstanding, making people unable to tear their eyes away?" It was only when he regained his senses that he noticed several people around them were ring at him .
He suddenly realized that right now they weren¡¯t in the grasnds where the folk culture was as tough as nails . Where his four wives were carried away after he took a fancy to them . As long as he was able to snatch them, they would be his . In this so-called country of etiquette, his behavior today was obviously extremely rude ¡ª and it has clearly aroused public outrage . He turned his head, sparing no effort to shake Li Min De¡¯s hand away, and then squeezed out an awkward smile and said: "No need to be so angry, I merely have some admiration for you . If you don¡¯t want to drink this wine, I will just drink it myself!" As he said this, he held the wine cup in both hands and drained the cup in one gulp . "Thisdy must forgive me . I have an impulsive temper, and seeing your beauty, I felt somewhat at a loss for what to do . If I unintentionally offended you, consider this as my first visit to your noblend . Not knowing the etiquette, please spare me this time . "
He was so disrespectful a moment ago, but now he disyed such an unrivalled look of remorse that Sun Yan Jun was a little shocked . She stared at the other party suspiciously, for fear that he would do something offensive again, but he only had a face full of expectation as he looked at Li Wei Yang hopefully, as if waiting for her to say something .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression was indifferent, and she said: "Fourth Prince, I am not angry . Please go back . "
Although Li Yuan Heng saw that her smile was polite and modest, there actually wasn¡¯t even a trace of warmth, only coldness . And there was a faint feeling of being pushed a thousand miles away . He couldn¡¯t help feeling extremely upset . But he was not good in public, and only smiled angrily: "I didn¡¯t scare you on purpose . I just didn¡¯t understand the etiquette, that¡¯s all . Why do you hate me like this?"
"Fourth Prince, ording to Da Li etiquette, a man shouldn¡¯t touch a girl¡¯s body casually . It¡¯s extremely ill-mannered to reach your hands out like you just did . How can you me others for not liking you?" Li Min De¡¯s eyes shed and a sneer emerged on his lips, his peerlessly handsome face revealing a baleful look .
When Li Yuan Heng saw the hidden meaning in his words, heughed grimly . He turned his head to stare into Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes with his brown pupils, and lowered his voice to continue: "I am used to following Mo Bei¡¯s social customs ¡ª I won¡¯t be able to change in such a short time . "
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Fourth Prince, you are now far away from Mo Bei . There are only thews of Da Li here . If you still abide by the customs of Mo Bei, there will be some ipatibility . I believe that when you came to Da Li as an envoy, this was not your original intention . "
Unexpectedly, the lovely girl in front of him was quite difficult to deal with . Li Yuan Heng pretended to think about it: "I actually think that the customs of Mo Bei are much morefortable than those of your Da Li . If you go to Mo Bei, I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t want to return to this ce . Over there, we¡¯re very free and more respectful of the personal wishes of women . You know, the girls of your Da Li must not step outside their doors, but our Mo Bei women can ride horses and practice archery freely on the grasnds . The biggest difference between where Ie from and Da Li is that we don¡¯t waste a woman¡¯s youth . A woman can marry whenever she wants to marry . Unlike you, a daughter must get permission from her elders to marry, which isn¡¯t very good! Moreover, we also allow women to remarry after their husbands have died to avoid the situation where women are alone and their children are unsupported . Listen to me, you should learn from us on this point . "
Sun Yan Jun listened in shock, inexplicably appalled .
Li Wei Yang smiled faintly, and did not take it seriously: "Your marriages are very unrestricted, but women are not regarded as human beings . Although the Da Li dynasty reveres themands of parents and the words of matchmakers, at least they will not force women to remarry after losing their husbands . Actually your sons will inherit his father¡¯s women . The younger brother will inherit his elder brother¡¯s women . You must carry it out regardless of the wishes of the woman . Is this really freedom? It is merely the freedom of men . "
When she spoke, her voice was light and unconcerned, but Li Yuan Heng¡¯s eyes widened at once: "Could it be that you feel this is wrong? If you let a woman remarry to another person, wouldn¡¯t it cause a good family to fall apart, and also lead to blood mixing between the ns? That would be terrible!"
In the final analysis, Da Li¡¯s marriages were made ording to the family¡¯s social status and Mo Bei¡¯s marriages required women to remarry after their husbands died . Both sides had nothing to do with the woman¡¯s own wishes . Everything merely fell to the men to decide and the women wouldply . As for which side was more noble than the other, after Li Wei Yang heard him speaking of what was proper and expected, she decided to ignore him . She only said lightly: "There is no need for the Fourth Prince to be angry . It¡¯s merely a difference in social customs, and not worth arguing about . "
Li Yuan Heng looked at Li Wei Yang calmly, with cunning increasing in his eyes . The beauties he had seen in his life were as numerous as hairs on a cow . It wasn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t any who could stand up to the word "remarkably beautiful", but after a while, he would feel they were dull and colourless . All except the person in front of him . Although a woman, he had heard that she quite understood strategy . Only by taming this kind of woman would people receive the ultimate thrill: "After listening to these words, I feel even more that you are ¡ª interesting . " When he was done, he got up and left without a backward nce, leaving a flurry of discussion in his wake .
"Look, the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei actually came over to speak with Anping Xianzhu!"
"Right, look carefully . Her looks aren¡¯t bad, with fair skin and lively eyes!"
"It¡¯s still a far cry from that elder sister of hers! What¡¯s so great! If you ask me, the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei has poor taste . Aren¡¯t we all prettier than Li Wei Yang?"
"Hush, quiet down . She¡¯s looking over here!"
Li Wei Yang heard these remarks, but it went in one ear and out the other . She didn¡¯t take them to heart at all . Li Min De suddenly whispered in her ear: "Be careful of the Fourth Prince . "
Li Wei Yang nced at him and nodded slightly . Then Li Min De returned to the men¡¯s seating area as if nothing had happened and took the initiative to toast Zhou Da Shou . Li Wei Yang stared at his back and couldn¡¯t help falling into deep thought . The Fourth Prince of Mo Bei suddenly came over and spouted a bunch of baffling things . What was his purpose in the end? He kept on talking about marriage customs, so could it be that he wanted to take a wife in Da Li before going back? But if it was for marriage, he was bound to be matched with a princess, so what did it have to do with her? She wasn¡¯t so beautiful that she had the ability to make people pick her out from among a heap of other noble youngdies, right? Thinking up to here, she suddenly raised her head and nced at the seating on the opposite side, where Jiang Hua just happened to turn his eyes away . That expression, stripped of the usual calmness, rationality and indifference, had actually been reced by an indescribablyplicated murderous intent . Slowly flowing right in front of the eyes, it was subtle but made people unable to ignore it .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart moved slightly, as if she had grasped something .
Jiang Hua wanted to kill her . Li Wei Yang had long known it, but she hadn¡¯t expected that he¡¯d already lost control of his emotions to this extent . Li Wei Yang lowered her head, acting as if she hadn¡¯t seen anything .
---
Watching Li Yuan Heng sit down, Tuoba Zhen, who had been keeping an eye on his every move, suddenly got up and walked over to offer him a drink . Li Yuan Heng smiled slightly and drained the cup in a single gulp . Tuoba Zhen whispered: "I don¡¯t know what the Fourth Prince came here for . What do you n to do?"
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s eyes brushed past his shoulders, looking at the girl sitting not too far away . Speaking one word at a time: "I . . . I would like Your Highness¡¯s help . " Tuoba Zhen stilled for a moment, thenughed softly: "I don¡¯t know what the Fourth Prince needs my help with . If I can do it, naturally I will spare no effort . " Mo Bei¡¯s influence was something he naturally wanted .
Li Yuan Heng said smilingly: "I¡¯m here to take a wife . Moreover, I want the most intelligent and outstanding woman in all of Da Li . "
There was a hint of amusement in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes: ¡°The most distinguished in the Da Li dynasty is my royal younger sister, the Ninth Princess, nowadays the most beautiful is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wu¡¯an, and the most talented is the youngest daughter of Grand Secretary Zhang . I don¡¯t know which one Your Majesty has a preference for?"
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s face was determined: "What if I said I wanted it all?"
Tuoba Zhenughed brightly, and a trace of helplessness appeared on his handsome face: "You are truly a lion opening its big mouth! However, if you really want to marry these three, I naturally have a way to fulfil your wish . "
Li Yuan Heng said with a smile: "No need . In fact, I¡¯ve already taken a liking to a beautifuldy, and it¡¯s Anping Xianzhu!"
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s expression suddenly changed . For a split second, his eyes almost appeared sinister, but it was a pity that Li Yuan Heng didn¡¯t even notice . Tuoba Zhen suppressed the anger in his heart and said, "It¡¯s Li Wei Yang? Her looks aren¡¯t the best, and she¡¯s also mediocre in terms of talent . As for status, although she has the title of Xianzhu, it¡¯s only an empty name . The Fourth Prince certainly wouldn¡¯t know that her mother was merely a foot-washing maid who served Prime Minister Li . It¡¯s well known . As a prince of Mo Bei, are you not afraid of being ridiculed by marrying such a woman? Naturally, you should choose from genuine blue-blooded nobility, girls such as my royal sister!¡±
"That¡¯s not true," Li Yuan Heng clearly heard the unpleasantness in the other party¡¯s words . Li Yuan Heng¡¯s expression did not change . He was still smiling, but suddenly from his mouth came: "I dare say, if she had no ability, how could your emperor confer the title of Xianzhu upon her? ??I won¡¯t hide it from you . I dislike those sweet and delicate Da Li princesses and don¡¯t like those aplished daughters of prestigious houses reciting poetry andposing music at every turn . I like women who are smart and cunning! You also don¡¯t have to hide it from me . I have already heard everything about her, and I want her!"
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Trantor: joeyburbz
Editor: joeyburbz
Chapter 136: Marriage Candidate
Watching Li Yuan Heng sit down, Tuoba Zhen, who had been keeping an eye on his every move, suddenly got up and walked over to offer him a drink . Li Yuan Heng smiled slightly and drained the cup in a single gulp . Tuoba Zhen whispered: "I don¡¯t know what the Fourth Prince came here for . What do you n to do?"
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s eyes brushed past his shoulders, looking at the girl sitting not too far away . Speaking one word at a time: "I . . . I would like Your Highness¡¯s help . " Tuoba Zhen stilled for a moment, thenughed softly: "I don¡¯t know what the Fourth Prince needs my help with . If I can do it, naturally I will spare no effort . " Mo Bei¡¯s influence was something he naturally wanted .
Li Yuan Heng said smilingly: "I¡¯m here to take a wife . Moreover, I want the most intelligent and outstanding woman in all of Da Li . "
There was a hint of amusement in Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyes: ¡°The most distinguished in the Da Li dynasty is my royal younger sister, the Ninth Princess, nowadays the most beautiful is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wu¡¯an, and the most talented is the youngest daughter of Grand Secretary Zhang . I don¡¯t know which one Your Majesty has a preference for?"
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s face was determined: "What if I said I wanted it all?"
Tuoba Zhenughed brightly, and a trace of helplessness appeared on his handsome face: "You are truly a lion opening its big mouth! However, if you really want to marry these three, I naturally have a way to fulfil your wish . "
Li Yuan Heng said with a smile: "No need . In fact, I¡¯ve already taken a liking to a beautifuldy, and it¡¯s Anping Xianzhu!"
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s expression suddenly changed . For a split second, his eyes almost appeared sinister, but it was a pity that Li Yuan Heng didn¡¯t even notice . Tuoba Zhen suppressed the anger in his heart and said, "It¡¯s Li Wei Yang? Her looks aren¡¯t the best, and she¡¯s also mediocre in terms of talent . As for status, although she has the title of Xianzhu, it¡¯s only an empty name . The Fourth Prince certainly wouldn¡¯t know that her mother was merely a foot-washing maid who served Prime Minister Li . It¡¯s well known . As a prince of Mo Bei, are you not afraid of being ridiculed by marrying such a woman? Naturally, you should choose from genuine blue-blooded nobility, girls such as my royal sister!¡±
"That¡¯s not true," Li Yuan Heng clearly heard the unpleasantness in the other party¡¯s words . Li Yuan Heng¡¯s expression did not change . He was still smiling, but suddenly from his mouth came: "I dare say, if she had no ability, how could your Emperor confer the title of Xianzhu upon her? ??I won¡¯t hide it from you . I dislike those sweet and delicate Da Li princesses and don¡¯t like those aplished daughters of prestigious houses reciting poetry andposing music at every turn . I like women who are smart and cunning! You also don¡¯t have to hide it from me . I have already heard everything about her, and I want her!"
Tuoba Zhen was stunned by what he heard, and presently nced at Jiang Hua, who was rxing next to him with his eyes closed . Suddenly understanding something, he was actually speechless for a moment . It turns out that the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei liked to travel around, and had visited Da Li many times before and made friends with a lot of the Da Li nobility . . . If he took a liking to any other woman, even his own pampered royal younger sister, Tuoba Zhen would absolutely not be stingy, because Mo Bei¡¯s support was extremely beneficial for him to ascend the throne . But the other party he had his eye on was actually Li Wei Yang .
The one he liked so much, the woman he wanted to obtain to no end! In his mind, this unobtainable girl had be what he looked forward to day and night . This person could even be said to be a rare treasure . How could he be willing to give her to others! However at this moment, Tuoba Zhen looked at Li Yuan Heng¡¯s slightly smiling and tranquil expression . He suddenly realized that this man came prepared and was determined to win! Although Tuoba Zhen¡¯s heart was filled with unmatched resentment, his expression was the same as usual . After a pause, he understated: "So it turns out that you¡¯ve already made a decision . "
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s smile broadened a bit, neither hurried nor slow as he said: "Not sure if you would be willing to lend me a hand . "
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s heart shook and his brows quirked up slightly: "How do you want me to help you?"
"Your Highness probably doesn¡¯t know yet . A moment ago, I went to get a closer look at this youngdy, and it seems that she doesn¡¯t like me at all . To get her, one must use unusual methods . " Seeing Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face change, Li Yuan Heng paused and then said, "Could it be that you like her as well?"
Before, the Crown Prince¡¯s faction had done its utmost to eliminate the Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu to no avail . On the contrary, the way they handled matters was neither here nor there, and they were unable to settle anything . There were people at all levels of society who had already begun to talk about the strange matter that involved the Fifth Prince . After all, he hadn¡¯t been a fool . He obviously has the opportunity to plead His Majesty for leniency and redeem the situation, so how could he think of forcing the Emperor to abdicate? It was more likely he was framed by the real mastermind behind the scenes . After the Emperor who killed the Fifth Prince returned to his senses, he also had his doubts on the matter afterwards . Originally, Tuoba Zhen and Jiang Hua had joined hands and nned to get rid of the Seventh Prince in one fell swoop . At that time, even if the Emperor regretted, nothing woulde of it . If he wanted someone to take out his frustrations on, there would only be the Crown Prince .
For Tuoba Zhen, it did not hinder him and was even greatly beneficial . After all, in order to suppress his brothers, the Crown Prince could even kill his first wife . Once this sort of thing spread, this kind of heir apparent would not be supported by anyone . Originally, that matter ¡ª it had been the trap he had dug for the Crown Prince .
Unfortunately, not only did Tuoba Yu not fall, but he even got credit and received the Emperor¡¯s praise . Now that His Majesty hase back to his senses, if he were to investigate the Crown Prince¡¯s mistakes, he would not be able to set the snipe and m at each other . On the contrary, it was because the Seventh Prince still lived that he needed the Crown Prince as cover . Now that the Emperor¡¯s mind was clearly shaken, the civil and military officials of the Capital were uncertain, looking left and right . And among the people, rumors and gossip filled the streets . If Mo Bei¡¯s forces were willing to back him, it would greatly increase his odds of sess! Because of this, Tuoba Zhen was frightened for a moment and abruptlyughed . He said, "It¡¯s just a woman . Like a piece of clothing, what¡¯s so hard about taking it off? Since you like her, what harm is there in letting you have her!" Pausing, he leaned forward slightly and looked at the other party . He said: "But I must warn you . Li Wei Yang is definitely not easy to subdue . I¡¯m only afraid that you won¡¯t have any way to make her yield, and will unexpectedly be harmed by her . If you can¡¯t control her, are you still willing to take her as your wife?"
Li Yuan Heng was dumbfounded and frowned at the person in front of him . He only felt that in the midst of the other person¡¯s warm and jade-like smile there was a vague trace of coldness . He was startled, and only felt chills all over his body . He looked straight at Li Wei Yang on the opposite side . After a long time, he suddenly smiled and said: "We Mo Bei men are different from you, and have our own ways to deal with women . If she is obedient, that would be best . If she¡¯s not, a whip or a de can also tame her . You can rest assured!"
If a smart person like Li Wei Yang could be tamed by force, that¡¯d be great, Tuoba Zhen sneered in his heart . The Fourth Prince in front of him was clearly bewitched . Setting his heart on marrying Li Wei Yang, hepletely didn¡¯t care if he would be stabbed in the back by the other party . If he used a whip and a knife to deal with Li Wei Yang, the one who would lose his life in less than three days would most likely be him instead . Li Wei Yang had certainly never been lenient towards anyone . He smiled on the spot, took a step back, cupped his hands in salute and said: "Since it¡¯s like this, I¡¯d like to first congratte the Fourth Prince on winning the beauty to marry shortly . "
Just when he was about to leave, Li Yuan Heng said softly: "You... why do you all seem to be afraid of her?" Tuoba Zhen paused, but when he turned back he was smiling calmly . More than fear, it was simply fierce dread . If a man without skill was to take Li Wei Yang home, it was the same as returning home with a statue of Yama, the King of Hell . Wait and see, Li Yuan Heng would definitely pay the price, and Li Wei Yang would eventually belong to him, Tuoba Zhen . For his own things, regardless of how long it had been lost, he would get it all back in the end . He didn¡¯t answer the other¡¯s question, and just turned away and left .
When Li Yuan Heng saw him like this, he immediately stilled . It was only when Jiang Hua spoke that he recovered himself . Jiang Hua asked: "What¡¯s wrong?"
Li Yuan Heng frowned: "Why do I feel that everyone who mentions Li Wei Yang is a bit strange . Didn¡¯t you tell me that she is the smartest and most difficult woman to tame in all of Da Li?"
Jiang Huaughed: "It¡¯s because she¡¯s smart and arrogant that most men are unable to manage her . But Fourth Prince, you are different . Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re afraid of her?"
Li Yuan Heng looked at Li Wei Yang involuntarily, and sneered: "Look at her little arms and calves . I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t even be able to stand up to a single whip . What¡¯s there to be afraid of?"
Jiang Hua saw his eager appearance, but only smiled slightly, concealing his deep thoughts within his eyes . He whispered: "If you want to marry this beautifuldy, you should make your move today . "
Li Yuan Heng stared, then turned his head and said, "So soon?"
Jiang Hua just smiled, as if reminding him in good faith: "Everyone likes a good woman . If you¡¯re one stepte, they will be snatched up by others . You must know that at today¡¯s banquet, His Majesty wants to choose concubines for his sons . "
After all, Li Yuan Heng is from Mo Bei . He wasn¡¯t asplex as Jiang Hua . He nodded immediately and said, "Alright, I¡¯ll bring up the marriage with the Li family at once . "
Jiang Hua stopped him: "Don¡¯t ask in person . If Prime Minister Li finds an excuse to reject it, you won¡¯t have any way of redeeming the situation this way . In my opinion, you should tell His Majesty, and it would be best to let him act as a go-between . "
Li Yuan Heng thought for a while and agreed: "Good brother, you are right . It should be like this!" After speaking, he stood up and walked happily towards the Emperor . After he was announced by the court eunuch, he walked straight to the Emperor and knelt down seriously . After saying a few words, from Jiang Hua¡¯s point of view, he saw the Emperor¡¯s smile waver slightly . Then he seemed to think for a moment, and finally nodded . An anxious expression shed on the face of Consort Lian next to him, and then she quickly said something to the Emperor . However, the Emperor nced at Li Yuan Heng and shook his head . Consort Lian¡¯s face became more impatient . But at this moment, the Emperor suddenly said loudly, "Beloved Official Li, we heard you have a woman who has both integrity and talent,dy-like and well-mannered?" The Beloved Official Li who the Emperor spoke of was Li Xiao Ran . Hearing the Emperor suddenly call him, he quickly stood up, but when he realized what the Emperor had said, he stilled for a moment . Integrity and talent? Lady-like and well-mannered? In any case, it wouldn¡¯t be Li Wei Yang, right? Nowadays, she¡¯s the most formidable girl in the entire Da Li, and no one dared toe to the house to propose marriage . Was he talking about Li Chang Xiao?
But the Emperor brought up: "We are speaking of your daughter¡ªAnping Xianzhu . "
Li Wei Yang raised her head and looked at the Emperor . At this moment, she suddenly understood what the other party was going to do, and raised her eyebrows gently . Sun Yan Jun showed a nervous expression . There was a sense of foreboding in her heart . However, at this moment, everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the Emperor . No one noticed that from a moment ago, Li Min De¡¯s seat was empty . However, even if someone found out, they would just think that he was going to the toilet and wouldn¡¯t think of anything else .
At this time, Li Xiao Ran said respectfully: "This official is deeply ashamed, Wei Yang has been pampered since childhood andcked proper guidance . The so-called integrity and talent,dy-like and well-mannered are all undeserved praises, and aren¡¯t urate . " Temporarily feeling a bit dazed, he didn¡¯t know why the Emperor would suddenly ask about Li Wei Yang . Did he want to bestow a marriage on the princes? With Li Wei Yang¡¯s background, even if she had the Xianzhu title, she could only be a prince¡¯s side concubine . . . Could the Emperor be suggesting it on this asion? He felt that it wasn¡¯t good . Although he didn¡¯t like this daughter from the bottom of his heart, Li Wei Yang was surnamed Li after all . Her future was closely rted to the future of the Li family, they had to act with caution .
The Emperor smiled wholeheartedly, and apparently didn¡¯t care how Li Xiao Ran answered . After all, he just wanted a result and was preparing to continue .
Consort Lian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, ording to this concubine, Anping Xianzhu she¡ª" Before he finished, the Emperor had already waved his hand to stop her from talking . Consort Lian was very anxious, but in front of everyone, she dared not say more . Recently, the Emperor had grown more and more distrustful . Even if he wanted to help Li Wei Yang, she was not able to be too obvious . If it aroused his suspicions, it could harm the other party .
"Beloved Official Li is too modest . I am very familiar with the intelligence and wisdom of Anping Xianzhu . All gentlemen will chase after this so-called sweet and virtuousdy . We don¡¯t have any other meaning today . We only want to serve as a matchmaker for her . " Then the Emperorughed, "Just now, the fourth prince of Mo Bei told us that he had chanced upon Anping Xianzhu when he previously entered the Capital . Since then, he has been enamored with her, and has no thoughts for tea or rice, and won¡¯t marry anyone but her . Therefore, he came to me and asked him to marry Xianzhu as his concubine . For the sake of his deep love, I decided to take on the role of matchmaker . "
Upon hearing this, Li Wei Yang only felt it was extremely funny and greatly admired Li Yuan Heng¡¯s ability to lie through his teeth . Today they only met for the first time . How did it turn into him having no appetite, ming this official for not allowing him to marry? It was simply an enormous joke . Did the Emperor believe this nonsense? No, he didn¡¯t care about whether Li Yuan Heng really liked Li Wei Yang . The Emperor was concerned about the benefits that this marriage connection with Mo Bei would bring . Originally, he wanted to use the Ninth Princess as the chess piece for the marriage, but after all, it was his own daughter . He was a little bit reluctant to let her go to Mo Bei and endure hardships . So on the surface, today¡¯s banquet was for the princes to choose a concubine . His basic goal for tricking these refined youngdies intoing was to pick out a suitable marriage candidate .
It was all taking advantage of the situation, and even Consort Lian was kept in the dark . Li Wei Yang slightly lowered his eyes . She had still underestimated Jiang Hua . He was able to manipte everything up to this point . Whether it was Li Yuan Heng or the Emperor, they were all immeasurably pleased with themselves . They thought that they had reaped great benefits, not knowing that the real personughing behind the scenes was Jiang Hua .
Da Li was far from Mo Bei . It was a two month journey by road . Once she left the Capital, left the Li family¡¯s sphere of influence, and left Li Min De¡¯s protection, wouldn¡¯t everything be in the Jiang Hua¡¯s hands? He could send someone to kill her halfway, then ce all the me on the heads of the Mo Bei people, saying that they used this marriage to dishonestly gain the Emperor¡¯s trust . If a war broke out, the Emperor would be sure to ce particr importance on the Jiang family . Or he didn¡¯t have to bother at all . She grew up in Ping Cheng and was used to the mild environments in the South . Even if she had returned to live a pampered life of luxury in the Capital, if she went to Mo Bei, with sand as far as the eye could see and coarse folk customs, intelligence and wisdom were just pearls cast before swine . It was likely that before two years were up, she¡¯d be dead in a foreignnd . That way, without wasting the Jiang family¡¯s soldiers, Li Wei Yang¡¯s name would naturally disappear from the Capital . What a vicious idea!
Jiang Hua was smiling at the moment . He wasn¡¯t afraid that Li Xiao Ran would not agree . The Emperor exchanged one of his daughters and would naturallypensate him in other respects . Moreover, Li Xiao Ran gave careful consideration to the face of the two countries . By promoting the exchange, he was sure to receive the praises of the people . Indeed, it was a n with steady profit and no losses .
Sure enough, Li Xiao Ran hesitated . At that moment, there was a fierce battle raging in his heart . If Li Wei Yang stayed in Da Li, she would likely stir up all kinds of trouble in the future . She was too intelligent, which was definitely not a good thing . Plus, she was so arrogant and obstinate . . . It would be better to marry her far away and from then on, her life and death would have nothing to do with the Li family . Even if she died in a foreignnd, it would be considered as loyalty to the country . This was safest for the Li family . But Lao Furen . . . in a sh his heart had already decided . This was the Emperor acting as a go-between . No one could me him . Even if Lao Furen knew, what of it? Li Yuan Heng was not a terrible partner . His position and authority were great, young and promising, he was a strong contender for Mo Bei¡¯s throne . Compared with marrying into the ordinary honorable families of the Capital, both assets or qualifications were significantly better . Moreover, for the Son of Heaven to bestow a marriage in the Golden Hall, it was a grace that could not be sought . In the same way, it was also a grace that could not be refused lightly . At this time, acting against the Emperor¡¯s wishes would absolutely not benefit the Li family . Looking back at Li Wei Yang, she was ying with the zed wine cup in her hand, her eyes lowered . There was neither joy nor sorrow on her face . Loathing suddenly bubbled up in Li Xiao Ran¡¯s heart . This girl¡¯s schemes ran deep . Each and every move, every word and action made people¡¯s blood run cold . The farther she married in the future, the better!
Everyone held their breath at this moment, and Sun Yan Jun¡¯s hand was clenched until it ached . However, Li Wei Yang to the side seemed totally unaware . There was a slight smile on her face, as she observed the amber liquid within the wine cup seriously . As if quietly thinking about her own worries, not worried about this marriage in the least .
Tuoba Yu tightly squeezed the wine cup in his hand and nearly stood up, but at this moment, he saw Virtuous Consort Zhang¡¯s meaningful nce . It was not only filled with warnings but even pleading . This was your mother begging you, she was saying . Like this, let her leave, she won¡¯t belong to you¡ªTuoba Yu¡¯s heart ached and almost could not speak . Could he prevent it? If he prevented it, what could he say? Let Li Wei Yang marry him? She wouldn¡¯t agree!
At this time, everyone only heard Li Xiao Ran shouting: "This subject obeys the imperial decree . Thanking my Emperor for his grace . "
Li Wei Yang raised her brows, an icy smile appearing on her face . Li Xiao Ran, it¡¯s easier to invite the devil in than to send him away . Selling off a daughter so cheaply, how could it be that easy!
££££££Start of author¡¯sments£££££££
Xiao Qin: I married Wei Yang off, married her to a pervert who would threaten his wife with a whip and knife
Edit: You really do this, you¡¯ll be killed ¨q (¨s^¨t)¨r
Xiao Qin: It¡¯s just empty talk, that¡¯s all, >_<,
££££££End of author¡¯sments£££££££
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Trantor: joeyburbz
Editor: joeyburbz
Chapter 137
Chapter 137
Chapter 137: Throwing Stones Down a Well
[Title] Throwing stones down a well: equivalent to kicking someone while they¡¯re down in English.
[1] See note 49 on the following page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astronomy#cite_note-46
[2] Junzhu is a title for the Emperor¡¯s niece, daughter of one of his brothers, in other words but it can also be bestowed as an honorary title.
[3] Metaphor for: words have power and can y a decisive role. The Nine Tripod Cauldrons are regarded as national treasures and symbols of power; only the Emperor was entitled to use all nine. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Tripod_Cauldrons
Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang. After all, he couldn¡¯t let her be sacrificed like this. Despite the Virtuous Consort¡¯s efforts to stop him, he went over in front of the Emperor. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on him, but he couldn¡¯t care less, he was about to ask the Emperor¡ª¡ª
At this moment, a eunuch was spotted rushing in and crying out: ¡°Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Ji Xiang Hall caught fire!¡±
The Emperor¡¯splexion immediately changed as he stood up from the throne. He could hardly believe his ears and sharply said, ¡°What did you say? Say it again!¡±
The eunuch¡¯s face was grave as if leading a funeral procession: ¡°Your Majesty, Ji Xiang Hall suddenly caught fire!¡±
Fearful looks appeared on everyone¡¯s faces upon hearing this. The Empress Dowager¡¯s pce is a remnant of the previous Imperial family, where it is humid in autumn and unbearably hot in summer. The pce itself was also slightly small and old, so the Empress Dowager is worried throughout the day. The Emperor noticed that his mother was unhappy and went to ask about it many times, but the Empress Dowager worried that the Emperor¡¯s grand and extravagant construction would deplete the Royal Treasury and insisted on not voicing her thoughts, until one of the Empress Dowager¡¯s personal attendants took initiative to share these sentiments with the Emperor, only then did hee to know off the situation. To ease the Empress Dowager¡¯s concerns, the Emperor decreed to use his personal funds to build a new pce for the Empress Dowager in the highest grounds north of the Royal Pce, called Chong Yang Pce with the hopes that the Empress will be able to rise like a phoenix and forever enjoy its happiness.
Speaking of Chong Yang Pce, not only did it signify the Emperor¡¯s filial piety towards his mother, it was also the first pce built with the Emperor¡¯s personal assets since the founding of Da Li. The day that construction for Chong Yang Pce began, the builders were digging for the foundation of the pce when a dazzling golden light suddenly appeared from underground. The builders did not dare to dig any further and went to report to the Emperor. The Emperor was so surprised that he personally came to the construction site and ordered the workers to continue digging and digging until a shining light broke out, nearly blinding everyone in sight, it turned out a phoenix had been dug out, with its golden shimmer, radiance and ancient patterns on the phoenix feathers, not a speck of dust clinging to it. Stunned, the Emperor thought that it was an auspicious sign and officially renamed Chong Yang Pce to Ji Xiang [Auspicious] Pce and enshrined the excavated treasure in the pce and sent people to guard it, and at the same time ordered the Imperial Astronomical Bureau [1] to choose a date and prepare to officially have the Empress Dowager move in.
Ji Xiang Pce was a manifestation of the Emperor¡¯s filial piety as well as a symbol of Da Li¡¯s glory and prosperity. It held a very special ce in the Emperor¡¯s heart. On most days, he sent people to guard it, not leaving it for a moment, plus there were no upants in that pce yet. Without heaters and candles, how could it suddenly catch fire and burn? It was unfathomable!
The Emperor descended the stairs with urgency and walked towards Ji Xiang Pce without a second look back. The ministers felt that there was something amiss with the situation and rushed to follow. They stood and watched from afar as the magnificent gold and jade pce was plunged into a sea of mes. The wind was strong at the moment, stoking the fire, and within moments, mes continuously shot up in the sky in a terrifying manner, ck smoke covering the sky as it lingered in the atmosphere. It was truly a terrible sight to behold.
The Emperor looked on with dread and could not believe that the pce he put in so much effort andbor to build would be destroyed. The eunuch beside him urgently said: ¡°Quick! All off you put out the fire! Quickly go!¡± Many pce maids and eunuchs flocked over as a result, but the Emperor simply stood there, motionless as if he had forgotten how to speak.
Consort Lian nced at the fire and a sneer shed across her eyes, but her words became even softer and gentle: ¡°Your Majesty, how could Ji Xiang Pce suddenly go up in mes?¡±
The Emperor snapped out of his thoughts and shouted: ¡°Zhou Tian Shou, Zhou Tian Shou! Come out here for me!¡±
Zhou Tian Shou, who had been called out by the Emperor, quickly emerged from the crowd, but there was not the slightest trace of surprise or panic on his face, sharply contrasting with those around him.
¡°Daoist, Ji Xiang Pce caught on fire all of the sudden, what is the meaning behind this?¡± The Emperor eyed the mes rising skyward and an ominous feeling emerged. He subconsciously frowned and asked this when he was in fact already quite worried and anxious.
Seeing the situation, Li Yuan Heng felt a bit frustrated. As he was from Mo Bei, he was not aware of the Da Li people¡¯s strong fears towards fire. Everyone believed that ghosts and gods originally created fire, the mes spreading for no reason. This is a warning from the Heavens to themon people, especially a fire at Ji Xiang Pce, this was not an ordinary ce. The Emperor¡¯s first reaction was that he had made a mistake, so the Heavens delivered judgment.
¡°Your Majesty, this humble Daoist has followed your orders and has been responsible for observing the sky andnd for signs, to avoid cmity and deliver warning in advance, but this humble Daoist did not notice any signs of such a big fire in advance, which is rather unusual.¡± Zhou Tian Shou pretended to say.
The Emperor revealed a face of surprise because the other party¡¯s words aligned with his own thoughts. He couldn¡¯t help but blurt out, ¡°So what is the Heavens telling me?¡±
Zhou Tian Shou pinched his fingers into a lotus hand sign and closed his eyes and meditated, not answering yet. The people around him grew anxious, but in the crowd, only Li Wei Yang had a small smile on her face.
Sure enough, everyone saw Zhou Tian Shou¡¯s eyes fly open, his facial expressions unchanged: ¡°Your Majesty has just bestowed a marriage. ording to this humble Daoist, Anping Xianzhu has a rare Eight Characters Birth Weight, which is very precious and cannot simply be matched with ordinary folks, let alone foreigners. Very well! Whether it is for Da Li or Mo Bei, this marriage is a big deal!¡±
Zhou Tian Shou spoke with an air of confidence that made the entire hall fall silent. The Virtuous Consort frowned and immediately spoke her mind: ¡°This old Daoist, always making a big deal out of everything!¡± She thought of it in this way and couldn¡¯t help but smile as she stepped forward: ¡°Your Majesty, Daoist Zhou is merely specting, Anping Xianzhu is just a girl, what kind of precious Eight Characters would she have? The Mo Bei Prince is a majestic descendant of royalty, why can¡¯t he be a match?¡±
Zhou Tian Shou coldly eyed the Virtuous Consort and said: ¡°Ji Xiang Pce did not catch fire earlier, nor did it catch fire at ater time. It happened right when His Majesty bestowed the marriage. How would Virtuous Consort niang niang exin this?¡±
Stunned, the Virtuous Consort immediately retorted: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean that this matter must be rted to the marriage, it might just be a coincidence.¡±
Zhou Tian Shou¡¯s smile became withdrawn, he ignored the Virtuous Consort and spoke to the Emperor instead: ¡°Your Majesty, do you remember the Minn disaster?¡±
This so-called Minn disaster was referring to Minn Junzhu [2]. Back then, Emperor Chao Ning Yuan personally bestowed a marriage on his niece, Minn Junzhu, marrying her off to the mighty General Wang Feng of that dynasty. This was a wonderful marriage, but on the second day that the marriage engagement was made, one of the walls of the Imperial Pce gates copsed for seemingly no reason. Many people said that Minn Junzhu¡¯s marriage was very inauspicious and should not follow through. However, the Emperor thought that the decree had already been made, so there was no reason to take it back. He still married Minn Junzhu to Wang Feng, but he found an excuse to keep Wang Feng in the Capital by having him guard the granary in the Capital, thinking that nothing would happen by keeping him under his eyes.
However, this Wang Feng became more arrogant and overbearing with the status of his wife¡¯s family behind him and didn¡¯t even hesitate to withhold military rations to fill his own pockets. When the enemy army reached the Capital, the Emperor opened the granary and discovered that granary wasspletely emptied, everything had been reduced to a mixture of rice husks, sand, dirt and tree roots... This was not quite enough to decideplete defeat, but this Wang Feng also happened to open the Capital gates, ushering the founding Emperor of Da Li into the city. The empire of the previous dynasty had fallen, half of it under Wang Feng¡¯s hands.
Consequently, their descendants regarded this as something the Heavens had warned Emperor Ning Yuan about, yet he refused to obey the Heavens¡¯ will. If he did not marry Minn Junzhu to Wang Feng, Wang Feng would neither stay in the Capital nor remain a resentful official who had to manage the granary, and everything would not have fallen into such a dire situationter... Perhaps this is just a far-fetched tale in the eyes of others. Even without Wang Feng, there were countless other corrupt officials who would eventually lead to the fall of the former dynasty, but in the Emperor¡¯s eyes, Zhou Tian Shou had spoken these words with such conviction and reason, precisely regarding his concerns, leaving him in an ufortable position yet aplete believer.
Although Li Yuan Heng did not understand Da Li¡¯s superstitions, he also knew that there was something wrong with this situation and quickly looked to Tuoba Zhen. However, Tuoba Zhen seemed as if he didn¡¯t see it, his head still bowed in silence. He impatiently looked around for Jiang Hua, but Jiang Hua¡¯s official position was low, so he had no ce to speak here. Jiang Hua could only whisper a few words into Jiang Xu¡¯s ear, but Jiang Xu shook his head.
If it was anything else, the Emperor might still listen to him, but a fire broke out right in front of him. Being a superstitious person, the Emperor will believe that it is a warning from the Heavens. If the Jiang family spoke up against it now, they might encounter misfortune, so they might as well keep their mouths shut. In Jiang Hua¡¯s eyes, eliminating Li Wei Yang is more important than anything, but in Jiang Xu¡¯s eyes, such a move would be too dangerous and not worth the risk just for a measly Li Wei Yang!
The Virtuous Consort was anxious. If Li Wei Yang was not driven away, then Tuoba Yu would not give up. She looked over at the Empress and Crown Prince and their nk faces and knew that they would put themselves first and refuse to participate in this matter. She couldn¡¯t help but grit her teeth before smiling to make peace: ¡°Daoist Zhou, it has been many years since the Minn disaster. It¡¯s simply a legend and obviously far-fetched if you put it like that, Daoist.¡±
Consort Lian coldly scoffed, her eyes beautiful and wavering as she replied: ¡°It¡¯s better to believe in it than to not believe. Such a terrible thing happened right under our noses, yet Virtuous Consort can still turn a blind eye? There are many beautiful women in Da Li, the Prince of Mo Bei can choose whoever he likes, must it be Anping Xianzhu? The Heavens have dered that this marriage cannot happen, so how can we proceed? Could it be that Virtuous Consort niang niang insists on destroying the fate of the Da Li empire?¡±
A waning smile appeared on Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips. Consort Lian has made progress indeed, speaking only to exploit weaknesses.
Surely enough, the Emperor coldly jeered: ¡°Virtuous Consort, did you hear that, why haven¡¯t you shut up yet! Are you intent on destroying my empire?¡±
The Virtuous Consort¡¯s face suddenly paled as she hastily said: "Your Majesty, this concubine does not dare, this concubine is just¡ª"
The Emperor waved his hand, cutting her off and said coldly: "Enough is enough, I don¡¯t want to hear it anymore. Mo Bei Prince, you can choose another beauty, Anping Xianzhu cannot marry you!"
This marriage is a bad omen, a very bad omen, the moment he agreed to it, Ji Xiang Pce was burning. Wasn¡¯t this a catastrophe? The Emperor remembered Li Wei Yang¡¯s ingenuity, and suddenly came to his senses. If he sent such a clever girl to Mo Bei, wouldn¡¯t he be bolstering their strength? If Li Wei Yang turned against Da Li, he might as well have sent Mo Bei a little helper! It would be a different matter if this was any other youngdies in their boudoir, women who didn¡¯t understand politics and how to fight for power would be mere decorations once they married over... The Emperor had a tendency to overthink and be overly suspicious. He finally made up his mind and decided to never let Li Wei Yang marry Li Yuan Heng!
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s face changed. He understood what the Emperor said just now and quickly said: "No, Your Majesty, I want her!" As he spoke, he pointed to Li Wei Yang in the crowd.
Li Wei Yang slightly lifted her head but merely nced at him in a distant manner.
The Emperor looked coldly at Li Xiao Ran and said, "My dear subject, you know what I mean. Since Wei Yang is your daughter, I want to hear your opinion."
The Emperor didn¡¯t want to speak directly to the Mo Bei Prince who didn¡¯t understand how things worked. This was for Li Xiao Ran to express his opinion on the matter. Li Xiao Ran naturally understood the Emperor¡¯s intentions. It was a pity that Li Wei Yang could not be sold off, but on second thought, now was not the time to offend the Emperor. He smiled and said: ¡°Mo Bei Prince, the Heavens have given us a warning, this marriage is indeed a bad omen. If you insist on the marriage, I¡¯m afraid it will invite disaster upon both Mo Bei and Da Li. Surely the Emperor of your country will not agree, so I believe that this marriage must be abandoned, please forgive me!¡±
Li Yuan Heng looked at the Emperor of Da Li with disbelief and looked at Li Xiao Ran again. He heard the people here speak, their words equal to the weight of Nine Tripod Cauldrons [3], regarding the Emperor¡¯s decree and unexpectedly continuously overturned, how ironic!
Li Wei Yang looked at the man who was originally going to marry her off with a hint of contempt in her smile. Originally, she had many ways to refuse this marriage, but it would have taken quite a bit of effort and be rather troublesome.The fire broke out just in time. It was like it was custom-made just for her, specifically for the purpose of refusing the marriage... No, wait a minute, the Heavens had never helped in this way, or rather, this matter was intentionally done by someone. Li Wei Yang thought about it and looked around for Li Min De, but he was nowhere to be found.
Where did this man go at such a critical moment?
The Emperor turned back first, and then Li Xiao Ran turned to look around and didn¡¯t recognize anyone. This Emperor and minister pair were very simr in this respect, only doing things that were beneficial to him, even if he wanted to be shameless. The Emperor got rid of the ominous marriage and turned to ask, "Has the fire in Ji Xiang Pce been put out?"
The eunuch hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, rest assured that everything has been done." This means that the fire has gone out.
The Emperor looked at the Ji Xiang Pce, where many people were gathered and couldn¡¯t help but sigh and turned back: "Return to your seats, the banquet will continue."
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Trantor: joeyburbz
Editor: joeyburbz
Chapter 137: Throwing Stones Down a Well
[1] Lit. Red-crowned crane; an archaic way of saying a generic form of arsenic. For convenience: https://baike.baidu/item/%25E9%25B9%25A4%25E9%25A1%25B6%25E7%25BA%25A2&prev=search&pto=aue
[2] Original: ðÑð³Ëª. A partridge is a short-tailed, brown game bird. Not sure about thest part tbh--¡°frost¡± or ¡°dew¡±--I went with Dew because it sounds more...literary.
[3] Œ¦Ê³
[4] Original: w¨¤n ji¨¦ b¨´ f¨´, lit. ten thousands lives of damnation.
Buddhist principle: ¡°Because of a grievance cannot be washed away, even after reincarnating and experiencing ten thousand lifetimes, it cannot be forgiven.¡±
tldr; eternal damnation.
Everyone looked at one another. Although the marriage at hand had been called off, Li Wei Yang did not appear. As long as Li Yuan Heng and the Imperial Mo Bei family persisted in marrying a young nobledy of Da Li, the great families will be troubled. There are a handful of unmarried girls that just turned of age in their own families, beautifully dressed up for the prince¡¯s concubine selection. If they happened to catch Li Yuan Heng¡¯s eye and were brought to some deste ce, they would have invested in a loss. The youngdies began to cover their faces with fans in fear that Li Yuan Heng would chance upon them.
Li Yuan Heng indignantly eyed the Emperor¡¯s back, and when he could no longer see him, he turned to stare intently at Li Wei Yang. He immediately chased after her, saying: ¡°I won¡¯t give up!¡±
Sun Yan Jun cautiously eyed him: ¡°What do you want to do!¡± Li Wei Yang took her hand and turned back with a smile: ¡°Fourth Prince insists on wanting me but not because you like me. Besides, we have only met by chance. It would be ridiculous to call it love at first sight. I suggest that you consider the intentions of the person who prodded you to propose marriage. Don¡¯t be a stepping stone for others. It certainly would not be a good thing for the people of Mo Bei.¡±
These were words of caution. Li Yuan Heng froze and his anger momentarily subsided. He looked at the girl in front of him in all seriousness. It was said that she was clever and strategic. While he hadn¡¯t seen that for himself yet, the part about her words finding their mark was true. His Imperial Father told him to bring a hostage princess back, but since this was a hostage princess, they would be reluctant to offer an actual princess. If Mo Bei was weak, Da Li would choose someone of low-birth and give them the title and status of a princess in response, but Mo Bei was quite strong now, so Da Li would choose at least a noble minister¡¯s daughter to marry him¡ªas for which specific candidate, it was up for him to decide.
Jiang Hua originally sent him a painting of a beauty, but he didn¡¯t seriously consider it. Later, Jiang Hua wrote him a letter, telling him many things about Li Wei Yang, making him curious about this girl. He knew that Jiang Hua did it for Li Wei Yang¡¯s own good, he would never mention this girl so frequently around him, but what about it? A girl that even caught the cunning fox Jiang Hua¡¯s attention naturally interested him too.
He saw Li Wei Yang with his own eyes today and his curiosity towards her intensified as a result. Looking at this cold-faced, cold-hearted person, she seemed calm and steadfast, not at all like girls of this age. His initial curiosity instantly turned into a fire zing across the meadow. He wanted to understand what kind of girl Li Wei Yang was. Girls have always flocked to him the moment they saw him like a bee to honey, why was she this cold?
Jiang Hua returned to his seat. For some reason, he coughed more fiercely as if he was coughing up his lungs. He spent his days lying in bed, thinking of every possible path. The y that had been carefully nned was easily destroyed by a mere fire. Li Wei Yang, you are a daring, impudent girl! You can evenmit arson in the Imperial Pce. If evidence could be found, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue, but thinking it over, he knew that if the other party had set their mind to it, they would leave themselves a way out... What good fortune, Li Wei Yang. It seems even the Heavens were helping her. Jiang Hua tried to suppress the anger in his heart and outwardly kept an indifferent face.
Tuoba Zhen handed him a cup of wine all of the sudden. Jiang Hua looked up.
¡°Third Young Master. While it¡¯s good that you have dedicated yourself for my sake, if you overdo it, it will be an annoyance.¡± Tuoba Zhen smiled as he spoke, but his words seemed to be reminding Jiang Hua to abandon his intentions to deal with Li Wei Yang. ¡°Her marriage will be taken care of by someone else. In the future, don¡¯t interfere.¡±
Tuoba Zhen had cruelly dealt with Li Wei Yang several times, yet somehow he always failed. At the moment, even he himself could not tell if he loved or hated her more. In any case, he would not allow others to covet what belonged to him. Even if she had to die, Li Wei Yang had to die in his hands. He could not borrow someone else¡¯s hands.
His words were rather unreasonable. As his ally, Jiang Hua naturally had the obligation to clear out obstacles like Li Wei Yang. That being said, as a prince, if Tuoba Zhen did not want to touch upon reason, then no matter how much you try to reason with him, it would not make a difference. How could Jiang Hua not understand this?
¡°My apologies.¡± Jiang Hua slightly smiled. ¡°This is something I did not properly ount for. It¡¯s a good thing that it didn¡¯t seed. Your Highness does not need to worry.¡± If Jiang Hua reacted angrily, Tuoba Zhen would have his ways to force Jiang Hua to let go of the matter, but seeing that he acted as if nothing happened, it seemed to imply that he was still holding onto it instead. Tuoba Zhen¡¯s eyebrows slightly lifted. Atst, he let out a coldugh and didn¡¯t say more.
The banquet went on as usual, but after the fire broke out, everyone¡¯s expressions were a bit forced. Only Consort Lian was no different from usual, her smile unwavering as she spoke softly to the Emperor. The warmth of her breath grazed past, and the displeasure on the Emperor¡¯s face gradually eased back to normal. He took her hand and said: ¡°My beloved consort always knows what to say.¡±
Li Wei Yang noticed this and smiled. Consort Lian has a stunning appearance. The Emperor may be wise, but he is still a man nheless. Consort Lian was also a civilian with no family influence or external pressure. The Emperor could favor her as much as he wanted, and it would not be an issue. Coupled with previous rumors of a celestial goddess that descended as a mortal, she was shrouded in an air of mystery, making the Emperor favor her even more.
On the tform, Consort Lianughed and said: ¡°Your Majesty is teasing this concubine again, we should be paying attention to the song and dance.¡± She lightly pped twice. A dozen women carryingnterns with the elegance of the Imperial Court gracefully appeared not too far away. The evening breeze blew past, creating a dazzling sense of a celestial fairy descending into the mortal world. These women who were shy as flowers began to dance at the center of the hall. At this moment, hundreds of silver shelves of varying sizes had been set up on the fireworks tform not far away from the main hall, the fireworks organized by color and decorated with ribbons of all colors, one massive and spectacr disy. As the beautiful women gracefully danced, the eunuchs immediately put out all the candles and oilmps in vicinity, lit the fuses, countless fireworks rose into the sky, crackling, beautiful lights each blossoming high in the sky and plummeted downwards, with more and more fireworks, they became a beautiful continuously constantly animated picture.
Ji Xiang Pce just burned down, so the Emperor was still upset, only Consort Lian dared to set off fireworks at this time, but the Emperor seemed to havepletely forgotten the unpleasant matter just now, looking at the sky and fireworks with great joy and said: ¡°My beloved consort is quite ingenious.¡±
The Empress¡¯s gaze turned to Consort Lian with a bit of resentment, but Consort Lian¡¯s smile only widened.
Sun Yan Jun whispered: ¡°Wei Yang, you see that? His Majesty especially favors Consort Lian, a fire just broke out earlier, and she even dared to set off fireworks in the Imperial Pce.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded and said: ¡°Consort Lian niang niang is very beautiful and clever. She has her intentions in doing so.¡± On one hand, it is to show off to others, on the other hand...
Sure enough, Consort Lian could be heardughing and saying: ¡°Look, Your Majesty, so many fireworks yet all is well. One can see that Your Majesty made a very wise decision, and it is in line with the will of the Heavens.¡±
The Emperor nodded. This is indeed the case. Ji Xiang Pce spontaneously burning down was strange, but now that he had canceled the marriage, no matter how many fireworks were set off, nothing happened. It appeared to have been a warning from the Heavens indeed. He suddenly felt d that he hadn¡¯t insisted on pushing his opinions. If his own unwarranted decisions provoked Heavens¡¯ fury, he would have had more to lose. He took and pulled Consort Lian¡¯s hand with a smile: ¡°My beloved consort is right indeed, I should have soon listened to you.
Once the Empress and Virtuous Consort heard this, their faces turned quite ugly, especially Virtuous Consort, who could barely control her anger, her grip tightened on the cup of wine in hand, almost spilling it out. She was usually the most dignified one, yet she couldn¡¯t restrain herself anymore. Consort Lian really acted too arrogantly. A few days ago, she even found an excuse for provocation and beat one of Virtuous Consort¡¯s close female attendants to death, to seriously aggravate Virtuous Consort.
Consort Lian subtly signaled to Li Wei Yang beneath the tform with a nce. Li Wei Yang smiled and inadvertently turned around, only to find that Li Min De was already back in his seat. Against themp not too far behind him, the person and candlelight ovepped. He had a natural extraordinary beauty, enchanting yet wicked for the most part. As if he noticed someone was looking in this direction, Li Min De suddenly looked up at her and smiled.
Li Wei Yang saw the amusement in his eyes and suddenly came to a realization. This person, daring and impudent enough to set fire in the Pce is one thing, now he could even act as if nothing happened... Li Wei Yang suddenly faltered and took a sip of the sweet pear blossom wine. Once the wine entered her mouth, her heart calmed down, but she couldn¡¯t help but worry.
¡°Pa.¡±
The cup of wine made a crisp sound as it fell onto the table, attracting many onlooking eyes. Virtuous Consort¡¯s face turned even uglier, but Consort Lian simply took a sip of wine before mildly asking: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Virtuous Consort jiejie?¡±
¡°I identally dropped a cup of wine.¡± Virtuous Consort forced a smile. In order to deal with Li Wei Yang earlier, she had lost herposure and must not reveal the slightest dissatisfaction.
¡°Oh?¡± Consort Lian nced at Virtuous Consort¡¯s face upon hearing this and nkly smiled: ¡°Virtuous Consort jiejie must be careful then. Don¡¯t spill good wine again.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything more after that as if she didn¡¯t care about Virtuous Consort¡¯s slip-up, turning all of her attention onto the song and dance in the hall.
Virtuous Consort¡¯s face paled, people around her had different thoughts, but only the Seventh Prince, Tuoba Yu, appeared worried. No matter how his Concubine Mother was, she was still his birth mother, how could he not worry?
Li Wei Yang noticed from afar and turned away with a sneer. In her eyes, Virtuous Consort had been leisurely throwing stones down a well earlier, unaware that her impending death was close.
After three rounds of drinking, the music and dance also began to subside. The cool evening breeze fiercely swept over him, but the Emperor was caught up in the moment with high spirits, the dragon¡¯s heart mulling over something before loudly saying: ¡°Consort Lian provided an excellent performance. Come, grant Qing Long wine as a reward.¡± The Empress and Virtuous Consort¡¯s faces simultaneously changed once they heard this. Qing Long wine is a secret brew belonging to the Imperial family of the previous dynasty. It could extend one¡¯s lifespan and nourish the body. For many years, only the Emperor had the exclusive right to enjoy it. Not even the Empress has had a taste, but it was granted to a concubine here and now. Absolutely uneptable, yet during this asion, no one had the right to speak a word about it.
The eunuch raised the Qing Long wine in his hands and ascended the steps one by one until he stopped in front of Consort Lian. Consort Lian smiled like a flower in bloom: ¡°Your Majesty, this consort fears that her body currently cannot drink much more¡ª¡±
The Emperor smiled and said, ¡°You only need to take a sip, then leave the rest to me.¡± Such a gift had almost reached extreme heights. The Empress suddenly recollected herself. She only let out a cold scoff, not saying a word.
Consort Lian smiled and epted the wine from the eunuch. She was about to drink it when she suddenly eximed: ¡°Your Majesty, look!¡± The Emperor nced over. A little winged insect had somehow fallen into the wine. He was about to be enraged when he noticed the wine soon turned ash gray. The Emperor knocked the cup of wine over and angrily shouted at the Head Eunuch: ¡°What is the meaning of this!¡±
The Head Eunuch Zhou Xiang was stunned. He fell to his knees and went over to where the wine cupid and picked it up to examine, only to see the dead bug inside. As if someone poured cold water over his head, he trembled from head to toe, his face ashen pale as he stiffly said: ¡°Your Majesty... This bug might have been attracted to the wine and drunk itself to death¡ªthis servant will immediately send someone to investigate.¡±
Amidst the guests, Chen Yuan Pan of the Imperial Physician Court quickly came forward: ¡°Your Majesty, please allow this official to examine it.¡± The Emperor nodded, and Chen Yuan Pan proceeded to carefully lift the little insect up. His face immediately changed as he said: ¡°Your Majesty, this insect is called Wine Fiend, and it likes to live in wine. It¡¯s highly unlikely that it died because of the wine. May Your Majesty allow this official to examine the wine in detail.¡±
Time passed, minute by minute. The faces of the Emperor, Empress and Crown Prince became more and more sullen. Li Wei Yang kept the amusement in the depths of her eyes hidden. At times, being an Emperor is worse than being a civilian, living in fear of assassination and being poisoned.
It was a while before Chen Yuan Pan said: ¡°This wine is poisoned.¡±
¡°No! Impossible! All the wines have been tested with silver needles!¡± Zhou Xiang cried out. The previous dynasty liked to have junior eunuchs personally test the wine, but this method was too cruel. Many poisons take effect over time, so it is difficult to immediately determine whether something is poisoned. To ensure that nothing slips by, silver needles, silver chopsticks and certain medicines provided by the Imperial Physician Court are used to test for poison. This Qing Long wine was brought forth after many procedures. How could it be poisoned?
Chen Yuan Pan shook his head and said: ¡°Arsenic[1] in addition to Partridge Dew[2] is still enough to poison a tiger. Arsenic is bright in color and has a slightly fishy smell while Patridge Dew is slightly sweet. When the two arebined, they temporarily suppress the toxicity of the other. It won¡¯t be detected by silverware, nor will it take effect immediately, so those who drink it will not be poisoned immediately. It cannot be easily detected, and the toxicity willpletely break out within three days. The toxicity will return with twice the intensity, the person who poisoned the wine is too cruel¡ª"
Consort Lian¡¯s face changed. She fell to her knees, then onto the ground with bright tears in her eyes: ¡°Your Majesty, having grown up in a rural area ever since this consort was a child, this consort is not knowledgeable, without ambition, a young woman who is unfamiliar with the ways of the world. Fortunately, the Heavens have bestowed wealth and honor, the Emperor is sincere and adores this consort. This consort once thought that these circumstances are enough to satisfy a lifetime. Who would have thought that there is someone who doesn¡¯t want this consort to apany Your Majesty. Please forgive this consort, Your Majesty, and let this consort leave the Pce in order to keep the dragon child in my womb¡ª¡±
The Emperor was furious: ¡°Get up at once! I want to see who dares to murder my beloved consort and dragon child in front of so many people!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at Consort Lian and blinked, thinking that she should add more oil to the fire. Consort Lian seemed to have an acute intuition, her tears falling like rain, the silk tassels hanging from her hairpin swaying to the sound of her distressed cries: ¡°Your Majesty, please don¡¯t escte this matter for this humble consort¡¯s sake. Don¡¯t look into it. After all, they are only jealous of this consort¡¯s favor, not because they want to harm Your Majesty¡ªso that the tragedy of the Second Prince won¡¯t be repeated, it¡¯s best to let this consort leave and save face for the Imperial family!¡±
Tuoba Yu, who has been quietly observing as the situation developed, thought to himself: not good. The Emperor¡¯s face twisted into uncontroble fury in a moment. Over the years, what the Emperor grieved and agonized over most was the death of the Second Prince, Tuoba Jing. The Second Prince, Tuoba Jing, was the Emperor¡¯s second son. He was two years younger than the Crown Prince, kind and generous towards others, loved by his mother and father from a young age, perhaps more so than the Crown Prince. However, he loved his Secondary Consort, Lin Shi, too much and neglected the Primary Consort, Liu Shi. Liu Shi was a vicious and scheming woman. Seeing Tuoba Jing lovingly with Lin Shi all day, she felt helpless yet resentful, and so sheced the meal with poison. However, it wasn¡¯t Tuoba Jing¡¯s time yet; he didn¡¯t die after having those meals, but he fell ill and was bedridden from then on.
The incident and the chaos that ensued made the Emperor red-eyed in fury and decree that Liu Shi be demoted to amoner and sentenced to death in her home. Tuoba Jing was taken back to the Pce to recuperate, but because the toxicity had entered his body, coupled with his regret and anguish, his condition worsened day after day. He held out for almost half a year, then he died. The Emperor¡¯s heart ached at the thought of Tuoba Jing. From there, he thought of the disputes between wife and concubine, bringing disaster to the Pce...
Although he was only in his fifties, his mental and physical strength have clearly aged, and his body got weaker with every passing day. He falls ill several times a year, and each time he falls ill, he bes physically and mentally weaker. It has been long since he was able to recover like he used to be able to. As a result, he became more lenient towards his concubines, but he did not expect that his tolerance would inadvertently indulge the murderer, leading the harem battles to grow fiercer and take ce right in the great hall, making the Imperial family lose all face.
Thinking of this, the Emperor raised his eyebrows and sharply said: ¡°Investigate! Investigate and get to the bottom of this! I want to see who dares to be this presumptuous!¡±
As soon as the Emperor¡¯s words rang out, he heard a sound from beneath the tform. It turned out a pce maid standing at the bottom of the steps had fallen to her knees, prostrating on the ground. It was the pce maid, Bai He, who used to serve the Virtuous Consort.
Virtuous Consort saw the situation, and a ¡°boom¡± rang out in her head as she cried out in her mind: What¡¯s going on with this yatou?!
The Emperor sharply asked, ¡°What is the matter?¡±
Seeing that the Emperor was questioning her, Bai He trembled from head to toe and said: ¡°YYour Majesty... Your Majesty, the poison...has nothing to do with nubi!¡±
The moment that this was said, Virtuous Consort abruptly stood up and scolded her: ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense here! Why haven¡¯t you made yourself scarce!¡± Then, she quickly turned back and said, ¡°Your Majesty, this yatou has been in an unstable state of mind, possibly cursed by something¡ª¡±
Consort Lian¡¯s face changed, and she said: ¡°Virtuous Consort jiejie, this maid is someone by your side, could it be that she has something to say!¡±
Virtuous Consort¡¯s face changed color as she red, her brows furrowed in anger. She forced her anger back down and said: ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying that you¡¯re suspecting me?¡±
The Emperor looked at her coldly and said: ¡°Shut up! Let her speak!¡±
The Empress and Crown Prince nced at one another, exchanging a look of mutual understanding.
Seeing the two individuals who thought of themselves as praying mantises, Li Wei Yang smiled in a carefree manner and leisurely watched them as if she was sitting in the audience, watching a spectacr y on stage.
Consort Lian coldly eyed the pce maid named Bai He and slowly said: ¡°Just now, you disregarded etiquette in front of the great hall, you could have been beaten to death. If you don¡¯t speak truthfully, then wait to be dealt by the Pce rules.¡±
¡°Nubi¡ªNubi wants to denounce the Head Eunuch! Nubi wants to denounce Zhou Xiang!¡± Bai He suddenly straightened up and gritted her teeth.
Zhou Xiang leapt to his feet and coldly said: ¡°Yatou, you have gone mad, make yourself scarce already!¡±
The Empress suddenly sneered and said: ¡°Zhou Xiang, you act this arrogantly in front of His Majesty. Is it because you have been Head Eunuch for so long that you really think of yourself as a master?¡±
Zhou Xiang¡¯splexion changed, suddenly at a loss for words, he only red at Bai He, giving her a warning look. But Bai He paid no attention to it, shouting: ¡°Nubi knows everything, it was Virtuous Consort niang niang who bribed Zhou Xiang, the Head Eunuch, and let him poison the Qing Long wine!¡±
As soon as these words came out, the entire hall went up in an uproar. Virtuous Consort was furious and yelled: ¡°This yatou has gone mad, I have never bribed Zhou Xiang, where did he pick up the courage to murder Consort Lian, under whose orders are you spewing nonsense!¡±
At this time, all the ministers in the hall had sweat breaking out on their foreheads, especially those who have been particrly close to Virtuous Consort or the Seventh Prince, their hearts racing, yet they all clenched their teeth and tried to sit upright, watching the situation develop with wide eyes. If Virtuous Consort did indeed do this kind of thing and it was exposed, the Emperor will explode in a thunderous rage...
Bai He forcefully kowtowed against the ground. Her forehead turned bruised blue when she lifted her head again: ¡°Niang niang, Nubi should not betray you, but you should have given Nubi to Zhou Xiang for pleasure in order to bribe him.[3] In the past three months, Nubi has not lived like a human being. Nubi couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. Between life and death, Nubi no longer wants to keep living with him!¡±
With that said, she pulled her clothes down and exposed her left shoulder. Such a move would be considered crude, but no one paid mind to it because they clearly saw Bai He¡¯s shoulders, some ces blue, others purple, covered in wounds, to the point where eachyer of flesh looked as if had been scratched by a wild beast, a terrible sight to behold, there is almost no ce where the skin had healed. Every word she spoke was relentless: ¡°Zhou Xiang is not human, he¡¯s a beast, he abused and tortured me in every way, niang niang, if it weren¡¯t for your own selfish desires, why would you give me to him! You pride yourself on tolerance and kindness, yet how could you treat a yatou who is loyal to you this way?¡±
Listening to this yatou¡¯s words and tears of blood, Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile flitted past in the depths of her eyes. This drama is getting more and more exciting... Virtuous Consort niang niang, when you pushed me down the fiery pit, did you ever think that I was also waiting for you to be damned for all eternity?[4]
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Trantor: joeyburbz
Editor: joeyburbz
Chapter 138
Chapter 138
Chapter 138: Virtuous Consort Tragically Dies
The practice of giftingpanions has long existed in the Pce . Masters often justifiably gift pce maids to eunuchs, but most of them are ¡°one in mind and heart, genuinely admiring each other . ¡± This is nothing special, but Bai He ended up in such a situation makes one shed tears on end . The noble young misses covered their faces, revealing sympathetic expressions .
The Empress revealed an expression of regret and pity and said: ¡°Maybe the Virtuous Consort wasn¡¯t aware that you led such a difficult life . She has always been kind-hearted, and she certainly is not one to turn a blind eye to a dying¡ª¡±
Bai He vigorously shook her head: ¡°Nubi went to beg Virtuous Consort niang niang, but she didn¡¯t hear Nubi out at all and even said that Nubi was ungrateful, to be able to follow Zhou Xiang is Nubi¡¯s blessing!¡±
The Empress seemed taken aback: ¡°Virtuous Consort knows too? She wouldn¡¯t help you?¡±
Bai He appeared quite indignant: ¡°Yes . Head Eunuch Zhou that His Majesty values, he is a first-rate confidant . Virtuous Consort niang niang gave me to him in order to draw him over, to obtain his loyalty! But Nubi cannot live like this anymore, might as well risk my life to get justice than dying in his hands!¡±
Seeing that the n went well, the Crown Prince was secretly rejoicing, but he outwardly frowned: ¡°If you have been wronged, why didn¡¯t youe forward and report it to my Imperial Mother, she is the master of the Six Pces . ¡±
Bai He mournfully cried: ¡°Zhou Xiang is very crafty, threatening to kill Nubi if Nubi revealed half a word . Nubi did not dare to speak! But yesterday, Nubi unfortunately overheard the scheme between niang niang and him and guessed that today would be the day Nubi dies, so might as well reveal everything at once, ask for His Majesty¡¯s mercy and grant Nubi an intact corpse!¡±
People became more horrified as they continued to listen . They couldn¡¯t believe their ears . How could such a thing exist in the Pce? This Head Eunuch was too arrogant!
The Emperor was also furious and pressed in asking: ¡°What on earth did you hear!¡±
Bai He burst into tears, her voice choked with sobs: ¡°Nubi . . . Nubi heard¡ª¡±
Tuoba Yu suddenly got up and shouted: ¡°Imperial Father, how could you trust the words of a pce maid? She must have been bribed by someone! Please don¡¯t believe her nonsense!¡±
The Crown Prince immediately frowned: ¡°Seventh Brother, I know you are concerned about your Concubine Mother, but everything will naturally be decided by Imperial Father, so listen first then you can speak!¡±
Tuoba Yu was not speaking for his mother¡¯s sake, he believed that the Virtuous Consort would not do such a foolish thing . She had known of the Emperor¡¯s love for Consort Lian and that Consort Lian was someone he sent into the Pce, to assist for his cause, so there was no point in turning against her . Although Virtuous Consort had quite a few disputes before, it had not reached the point of a life and death situation, much less the need for poisoning on this asion . Virtuous Consort loved her son with all her heart and acted on her emotions, but she wasn¡¯t this stupid!
The Empress sneered and said: ¡°Bai He, why don¡¯t you continue speaking?¡±
Bai He¡¯s tears continued to trail down as she said: ¡°Yes, Zhou Xiang was drunkst night and came back rambling, saying that Virtuous Consort instructed him to find an opportunity to poison Consort Lian niang niang¡ª¡±
Appalled, Virtuous Consort sharply said: ¡°What nonsense are you spewing, why would I do this? How could you bring up some drunken words to testify?¡±
Bai He gritted her teeth and proceeded to take out a small porcin bottle on her and said: ¡°Nubi is not spewing nonsense, Nubi has material evidence! This is acquired from Zhou Xiang, a mixture of the two poisons like the Imperial Physician said just now . If Your Majesty does not believe it, then test it out . Nubi is only a lowly servant in the Pce . If this was not given by a master, this kind of thing that cannot be bought with money, it will not be sold to Nubi even if Nubi sold herself, begging Your Majesty to be the judge of this!¡±
Indeed, arsenic and Patridge Dew are rare items that are forbidden in the Pce . They are not things that an ordinary maid can obtain . The pce maid¡¯s words shot through the Emperor¡¯s mind, his brows were vaguely twitching: ¡°Good! Very good! Virtuous Consort, you truly are daring!¡±
The Empress also deliberately expressed her regret: ¡°Virtuous Consort meimei, you¡¯vemitted wrongs, how could you do such a thing, even if you are jealous of Consort Lian¡¯s favor, you should not forget that there is a dragon descendant in her womb . In doing this, you refuse to even spare His Majesty¡¯s child?¡±
Consort Lian was so indignant that her face had turned pale . She knelt down beneath the Emperor¡¯s knees, tears falling like rain: ¡°Your Majesty, you must take a stand for this consort . Otherwise, this consort would no longer dare to remain in the Pce!¡±
The muscles on the Emperor¡¯s face involuntarily twitched along with the blue veins protruding from his temple, reflecting the anger from the bottom of his heart . The Crown Prince conveniently added some words: ¡°The heart of women in the harem is rather vicious . Imperial Father, if you do not severely punish them, there may never be a day of peace from now on!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression was of slight indifference, but when she looked at Consort Lian, she revealed a small, nk smile .
The Seventh Prince, Tuoba Yu knelt down and made his way over to the bottom of the steps, saying: ¡°Imperial Father, this son dares to use his life to guarantee that Concubine Mother would never do this kind of thing, the way she is towards you, the things she has done for you over these twenty years, Imperial Father knows best, didn¡¯t you always say that Concubine Mother is a gentle and honest person? Why would you listen to the words of a pce maid and simply believe that Concubine Mother is guilty?¡±
Virtuous Consort was also in tears, looking sad and pitiful as she said: ¡°Your Majesty, this consort is actually innocent . It was originally out of good intentions that I let Zhou Xiang take care of Bai He . Who would have known that someone would bribe Bai He to frame this consort? This consort has truly been wronged, I have no idea what I did wrong to be framed like this by someone¡ª¡±
Virtuous Consort did have intentions of using Bai He to bribe Zhou Xiang, but there was also Bai He¡¯s character to consider . Even if she had been beaten and scolded, how could she betray her master? And even dared to say that she poisoned Consort Lian, would she be so stupid to act in the presence of such arge crowd? There was no need to think about who would frame her for this kind of thing . If she was defeated, the Seventh Prince would naturally suffer losses, the ones with the most to gain is not Consort Lian but the Empress and the Crown Prince! Such poisonous hearts and minds!
¡°Hahaha . . . ¡± The Emperor burst into a chilling peal ofughter: ¡°Beloved officials, you have heard it clearly, revealing the tail in order to hide the head! Virtuous Consort, you said you are innocent, so I¡¯ll ask you . Zhou Xiang is the Head Eunuch by my side . You randomly gave him a pce maid close to you out of goodwill . Is it because they are of the same mind and heart? Or do you already have ulterior motives, poisoning Consort Lian and my flesh and blood in her womb today, and are you going to kill me tomorrow and make your own son the Emperor?¡±
¡°Your Majesty . . . Your Majesty . . . ¡± Virtuous Consort knelt on the ground, at a loss for words .
¡°Come!¡± The Emperor called out, and several guards came in from outside the hall . ¡°Detain Virtuous Consort first, she will be punished after she is found guilty!¡±
Several guards swarmed up and dragged Virtuous Consort out of the main hall . The Seventh Prince, Tuoba Yu, was nning to plead with him, but the Emperor sneered: ¡°Could it be that you colluded with your mother too?¡±
Tuoba Yu was shocked . He could only see the fierce intensity and coldness from the Imperial Father that had always loved him . He suddenly realized that his Imperial Father, who had always been gentle and amiable towards his Concubine Mother and praised him on end, was a man that ruthlessly turned the other way . He did not care about the slightest affections between husband and wife, nor father and son . In his heart, there is only the throne . Virtuous Consort gave her personal maid to the Head Eunuch by his side as a gift . Now that something major had happened, he had grown suspicious . In this manner, things will get out of hand . The Emperor suspected Virtuous Consort¡¯s motives as well as Tuoba Yu¡¯s involvement . . . Such a scheme must have been arranged by the Crown Prince and the Empress because they have the most to gain .
Tuoba Yu lifted his eyes and nced at the Empress with hidden satisfaction in her eyes . He lowered his head and said: ¡°Imperial Father, this son does not dare . ¡±
The Emperor scoffed coldly and said: ¡°Very well, take Zhou Xiang and Bai He down and lock them up separately, they¡¯re not allowed to form a joint confession! Once the banquet ends, the Chief Officer of the Ministry of Justice will personally investigate!¡±
Tuoba Yu returned to his seat and noticed Li Wei Yang, seated across from him, had a strange calmness in her eyes . There was no sympathy in her eyes, only ridicule . He immediately understood what she had meant: This is the result of your actions . If you had persecuted and eliminated Tuoba Zhen¡¯s people this morning, if he did not possess a woman¡¯s soft-heartedness, then the Empress and her people would not have been able to frame Virtuous Consort . It was his mistake, he was the one that harmed his Concubine Mother, his indecisiveness and moment of kindness that allowed things to end up in this state today .
At that moment, Tuoba Yu began to recognize Li Wei Yang¡¯s cleverness and foresight . She refused to give the enemy a single chance, even if most of them had already been eliminated, even if her hands were full of blood, she needed to win because she knew that if she gave them a chance to breathe, they would lunge and seize her throat like a wild wolf . Tuoba Yu felt difficulty breathing, his hand was shaking as he held the cup . He did not dare to raise his head and look into the Emperor¡¯s stern eyes because if he expressed the slightest hint of dissatisfaction, Virtuous Consort¡¯s fate would be sealed .
There¡¯s a chance, there¡¯s still a chance! Imperial Father only confined Concubine Mother for now, Wei Yang will certainly have a way to save his Concubine Mother! He just needed to consult her, there must be a way! There was still hope in Tuoba Yu¡¯s eyes . He simultaneously looked in Li Wei Yang¡¯s direction, his eyes brimming with anticipation .
Sun Yan Jun was sympathetic and whispered: ¡°You see, Virtuous Consort niang niang is really pitiful . She was just at the pinnacle, but now she has be a prisoner . Who knows how she will be treated, how awful it must be!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled coldly, her eyes gleaming as she indifferently said: ¡°Many thingse as a result of our choices . If she didn¡¯t have ulterior motives in the beginning in ordering Bai He to be Zhou Xiang¡¯spanion, Bai He would not have been abused and bear resentment, nor would she have betrayed her master in front of so many people . Do you think it will end well for someone who has betrayed her master? She would not have done such a thing unless she had been forced down a dead end . Of course, there must have been someone else who prompted and bribed her, but the real reason that led her to bet on her life still lies with Virtuous Consort . She was the one that sent her weaknesses into the enemy¡¯s hands . She was the one who created an opportunity for others . ¡±
The enemy will not be soft-hearted . They will seize every possible opportunity to attack you until you are beaten down, even then they will not let you go, choking you by the neck until you have stopped breathing altogether .
Li Wei Yang looked quite calm when she said these words . It seemed as if she was saying the weather was nice today and if it would be sunny tomorrow or not . However, Sun Yan Jun was quite surprised, lowering her voice to whisper: ¡°You mean, Virtuous Consort niang niang was framed?¡±
Li Wei Yang had tough: ¡°What else do you think it is? Virtuous Consort has lived in the Pce for so many years, would she be easily defeated by such a trivial matter? The matter of capsizing a boat in shallow waters is simply because the opponent has blocked your next move and cut off your retreat . ¡±
Sun Yan Jun was even more surprised: "If you knew the truth, why didn¡¯t you say anything?"
Li Wei Yang smiled: ¡°I¡¯m not only the person at this banquet who knows the truth, but what is important is not the truth but the will of the Son of Heaven . Those who are favored by His Majesty are innocent, those who are trusted by His Majesty are the victims, those who His Majesty dislike are out of luck, that is simply the reason . I think that the Seventh Prince finally understands this . ¡±
Sun Yan Jun was dumbstruck: "Tuoba Yu?"
Li Wei Yang blinked, a hint of a smile appearing in her eyes: ¡°The winner bes king, the loser a criminal . He is someone in a high position yetcking in perceptiveness and practicality . Only when he sees the terrible consequences of his momentary soft-heartedness, will he understand where he went wrong . ¡±
Sun Yan Jun didn¡¯t know what to say . She wanted to say that Li Wei Yang was being a bit too harsh, but there was a voice in her heart telling her that Wei Yang was right . If she was kind to the enemy, she was being cruel to herself .
After what had just happened, the ministers were very afraid, the entire hall was crowded yet silent as a sheet of paper .
Seeing that the hall had calmed down, the Emperor coldly said: ¡°Perhaps my beloved officials feel that what happened today was sudden, but this is not the case . I have a feeling that Virtuous Consort has been secretly making waves for a long time and even intended to harm Consort Lian for some time . It just boiled over today, that is also fine . Whether it is a nail in the harem or lying officials in the Imperial Court, I will not let a single person go . ¡± Once he finished speaking, he paused for a bit to observe the ministers¡¯ reactions . The ministers had their heads lowered, only the Crown Prince looked up at the Emperor with a slight expression of panic and unease on his face . The Emperor coldly scoffed: ¡°Does the Crown Prince feel that there is something wrong with what I said just now?¡±
¡°Imperial Father, what you said just now is true . Many ministers in the Imperial Court have clearly witnessed it . Virtuous Consort was too vicious today . This son proposes that her sins be announced throughout the world to make everyone steady their hearts and minds, so that there is peace in the harem . ¡±
The Emperor coldly smiled and said: ¡°Do as the Crown Prince says then . ¡± Once he had spoken, he flung out his sleeves and left his seat . He didn¡¯t even bother to look or say a word to the Mo Bei Prince, who had been watching the Da Li pce intrigues with great interest .
Li Yuan Heng appeared to be quite excited by this . Back in their Mo Bei, women also fight over their lovers, but most of them are resolved by physical fights . Such intrigues are rare . He could see that Virtuous Consort was the one who had lost the most today, but the winner is not necessarily the proud and smug Empress! On the contrary, Consort Lian, who has always been gentle and weak has won sympathy and obtained an even greater level of favor .
The Emperor had left, and the other concubines followed after him . The Empress nced at Consort Lian and smiled: ¡°You must have been frightened today . ¡±
Consort Lian gently said: ¡°Thanking niang niang for taking a stand for this consort . ¡±
The Empress slightly smiled and took the hand of the female attendant by her side and left .
At the pce gates, Sun Yan Jun had just gone up onto the carriage, and Bai Zhi was about to help Li Wei Yang up when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her, hurrying over . Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t need to look back to know who it was . Her movements stopped, and she turned around . It was Tuoba Yu indeed .
Li Min De looked on from afar, but there was a sneer on his lips .
Tuoba Yu had a face full of anxiety . He knew that there were many onlooking eyes at the pce gates, but he disregarded everything . Fortunately, there was light drizzle at the moment, so everyone hurried to get onto their carriages, countless bamboo umbres opened, so no one paid attention to this corner of the gates for the time being . Tuoba Yu gave Li Wei Yang a nod, and Li Wei Yang understood . She did not waste words and went with him to a more secluded corridor beforeing to a stop: ¡°There is no one here . Your Highness, if you have something to say, then say it . I still need to hurry home . ¡±
Looking at Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression, Tuoba Yu had some understanding that she had already known about everything that happened today! Suppressing the anger in his heart, he quietly looked at her: ¡°Are you . . . still angry?¡±
¡°Why would I be angry?¡± Li Wei Yang appeared surprised, lifting her head up to face him .
¡°My Concubine Mother was rude to you before, you did not pursue it either . I¡¯m begging you to help her out of trouble this time for my sake . ¡±
¡°You want me to help your Concubine Mother out of trouble?¡± Li Wei Yang arched her eyebrows .
¡°Correct . ¡±
¡°Based on what?¡± Li Wei Yang sneered: ¡°Virtuous Consort niang niang is so noble, I¡¯m afraid she won¡¯t be able to ept it and be saved by a little girl like me! Seventh Prince, you think I will lend a hand if you put in a few words, has Your Highness ever thought about why I should help you? Since you didn¡¯t take my advicest time, I thought our cooperation was over!¡±
She turned to leave after she had finished speaking, but Tuoba Yu suddenly stood in front of her: ¡°Don¡¯t go¡ªlisten to me!¡±
Li Wei Yang coldly stopped, Tuoba Yu gritted his teeth and said: ¡° . . . Concubine Mother¡¯s mistakes, I am willing to bear it all . It is all my fault that things have fallen to this point . If I had made up my mind earlier, Concubine Mother would not have been schemed against by others, so you¡¯re right, I¡¯m not qualified to ask you to do things for me . ¡±
Li Wei Yang just looked at him coldly, her brows without the slightest movement .
¡°I know that I have no way for you to trust me now, so I am willing to exchange all of my possessions in exchange for my Concubine Mother¡¯s life . ¡± Tuoba Yu¡¯s dark figure in the midst of the night harbored countless,plicated emotions . He liked Li Wei Yang and deeply understood this young woman . She never spoke with him in terms of feelings, she only spoke in terms of business . If he negotiated with his possessions and was able to save his Concubine Mother¡¯s life, then it is worth it .
Li Wei Yang chuckled and said: ¡°Do you think I¡¯m after money?¡± Money and possessions, you cannot bring them with you throughout your life nor in death, Tuoba Yu¡¯s gold, silver and pearls couldn¡¯t save Virtuous Consort Zhang from disaster . They were not useful enough for Li Wei Yang to risking up with a n to rescue someone . She was about to move and leave when Tuoba Yu said: ¡°Saying that is no different than pping me in the face, I have never heard such words before . . . There¡¯s no use in me being angry or resentful, I only have myself to me! Wei Yang, consider that I¡¯m begging you this time¡ª¡±
¡°Move . ¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes became even colder . ¡°Seventh Prince, these feelings are better off used on someone else, I can¡¯t afford it¡ª¡±
In these critical moments, Tuoba Yu hastily said: ¡°Wei Yang!¡± It was a sad cry with bottomless guilt, remorse and sorrow .
Li Wei Yang suddenly stopped mid-step . She turned around and looked at Tuoba Yu in all seriousness, who didn¡¯t know what she was looking at . Her heart was cold and merciless as ice . She could turn a blind eye to Virtuous Consort¡¯s misfortune, no, rather Virtuous Consort ended up like this was because she and Consort Lian joined hands because she was tired of Virtuous Consort¡¯s condescending actions and wanted to let her taste the feeling of being empty-handed . Of course, the moment she watched Virtuous Consort fall into the abyss, it meant that she hadpletely abandoned her alliance with Tuoba Yu . However, when she saw the state he was in, Li Wei Yang suddenly remembered she was once desperate in the Cold Pce too .
Watching loved ones lose their lives because you were too foolish and cowardly, that kind of pain is not something ordinary people can withstand . Tuoba Yu has never experienced it, so when ites, it will be vivid and all too clear . Likewise, his heart will be ame with his resentment towards the Crown Prince and Tuoba Zhen, and this resentment will eventually push him onto apletely different path than before . Thinking of this, Li Wei Yang suddenly smiled and said: ¡°Are you really asking me to save your Concubine Mother?¡±
Tuoba Yu¡¯s eyes lit up with hope, and he subconsciously took two steps forward: ¡°As long as you agree, I¡¯m willing to give anything in exchange!¡±
The smile on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face broadened: ¡°I only have one way, but to be honest, if it is not done well, not only will this n fail, it will also seal Virtuous Consort niang niang¡¯s fate . Are you willing to take the risk?¡±
Tuoba Yu had never been so grateful . He nodded quickly and said, ¡°I believe in you!¡±
The Emperor had confined Virtuous Consort Zhang, and Tuoba Yu used all means necessary to take care of what Li Wei Yang had asked him to do . Then, he anxiously stood outside Xuan De Gate and awaited the result of the matter .
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 138: Virtuous Consort Tragically Dies
The Emperor was in Consort Lian¡¯s pce when an eunuch came to the Emperor and reported: ¡°Your Majesty, Virtuous Consort niang niang sent an attendant with a box over, saying it was to be presented to Your Majesty . ¡±
¡°Virtuous Consort?¡± It was the only thing the Emperor asked about .
¡°Yes, Your Majesty . ¡± The eunuch obediently replied .
The Emperor coldly said: ¡°Throw it out . ¡± At that moment, Consort Lian softly spoke up: ¡°Your Majesty, this consort was overly emotional for a bit . Thinking back now, this consort wasn¡¯t actually harmed . Virtuous Consort niang niang must have regretted her actions . What do you say, how about easing the punishment? Or at least take a look at what is in this box . ¡±
The Emperor sighed and took Consort Lian¡¯s hand: ¡°You are sensible after all, Virtuous Consort has deeply disappointed me, if I didn¡¯t consider the fact that she had given birth to the Seventh Prince, I wouldn¡¯t have even given her a chance . ¡±
The eunuch sensed that now was the time and held out the box to the Emperor with both hands . The wooden box was delicately crafted from rosewood with gold traces . The Emperor felt it was vaguely familiar . Thinking about it, it seemed that this was the jewelry box he had given Virtuous Consort when she first entered the Pce . To think she had kept it up until now, his heart suddenly softened . He said to himself: ¡°I made some spections about today¡¯s affairs too, have I wronged Virtuous Consort?¡±
Consort Lian slightly smiled and calmly said: ¡°Your Majesty is right . ¡±
The wooden box opened with a snap . Everyone around them suddenly held their breaths . Consort Lian noticed that the Emperor was stiffly sitting there, his face pale and eyes fixated ahead like a wooden puppet . Consort Lian was curious . Thinking that Virtuous Consort had sent something unexpected, she tilted her head and inspected it . It turned out to be a knot made from red cord, shaped like a peach, two intertwining cords woven together to form a doubleyered knot, tightly secured . It was obviously a concentric knot, but it had been cut into two at the middle .
¡°Oh, it¡¯s a concentric knot! But why did someone cut this concentric knot¡ª¡± Consort Lian seemed confused .
Concentric knots are used to express the mutual love between a man and woman . Although Virtuous Consort is a part of the harem, she and the Emperor had naturally had some old stories between them . When Virtuous Consort first entered the Pce that year, the Emperor favored her for several years . He even personally tied a concentric knot with her as a token of promise, but he didn¡¯t expect to see that Virtuous Consort had actually cut the concentric knot . The Emperor¡¯s eyebrows twitched with a flicker of anger, she was threatening me, my actions made her heart turn cold, so she wanted to end it between us! The audacity! Thinking of this, he flung out his arm, sending the box onto the ground .
¡°Send a decree, immediately send for Virtuous Consort to see me!¡± The Emperor coldly ordered, but there was no affection on his face .
Virtuous Consort was as good as dead! Consort Lian revealed a look of regret, or rather she had long anticipated this . Was a person¡¯s fate this delicate? Virtuous Consort¡¯s fate was tied to a little concentric knot!
That night, the Emperor strongly condemned Virtuous Consort, rushed her with a heavy scolding, refused to hear her exin and even had her kneel in the rain all night . Virtuous Consort always had a bit of a self-righteous personality . After being treated like this, she felt extremely wronged . She couldn¡¯t figure out how the concentric knot she had sent ording to her son¡¯s wishes had been cut . . . Once she returned, she brought wine out and swallowed a piece of gold . After Tuoba Yu learned about this, he knelt at the pce gates for an entire day before the Emperor allowed him to invite an Imperial Physician, but by then, Virtuous Consort was at death¡¯s door . The Imperial Physician kept on saying: ¡°Late . . . It¡¯s toote . . . ¡±
Tuoba Yu almost fainted on the spot upon hearing this . Suppressing his grief, he looked at the dying Virtuous Consort, unable to say a word . Virtuous Consort died from swallowing white wine and gold, ultimately dying from the pain in her stomach . She didn¡¯t close her eyes even after herst breath, dying a tragic death .
Tuoba Yu came out of the Imperial Pce . When he was getting on his horse, he missed a step and fell down, rendered unconscious .
When the news came, Li Wei Yang was practicing calligraphy . She frowned when she heard about it, and then her brush paused .
¡°How could this be?¡± A trace of doubt appeared on her pale face .
Today, Li Wei Yang wore a light blue silk pleated overcoat,yers of her skirt spreading out like flowing water, sparkling in the light . At that moment, Li Min De¡¯s worried eyes rested on the folds of her cuffs . He happened to reach out and smooth them out, then indifferently said: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, was it not within your expectations?¡±
¡°I told Tuoba Yu to have his Concubine Mother send a sentimental item to the Emperor, let him remember old sentiments and remember the gentle, dignified and virtuous Virtuous Consort of those days . Although it won¡¯t immediately allow Virtuous Consort to escape her predicament, at least it would not make things worse . Why did it anger the Emperor all of the sudden? This is¡ª¡ªreally unusual . ¡±
Li Min De smiled and said: ¡°Your approach itself wasn¡¯t bad, it could have made the Emperor reminisce old sentiments . It¡¯s a pity¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang looked up at him: ¡°From the sound of your tone, it seems like you have some inside information about it . ¡±
Li Min De¡¯s smile broadened: ¡°It doesn¡¯t really count as inside information, I just happen to know a little more about it than you do . Although the news was blocked after the ident, it¡¯s impossible to keep something from being leaked out . It¡¯s said that that night, when Virtuous Consort sent the concentric knot over like you suggested, someone unexpectedly tampered with it . The concentric knot was perfectly fine until it was cut up, how do you think the Emperor would feel after seeing it? As a man, he would feel that Virtuous Consort isn¡¯t sensible and feel resentful, won¡¯t he?¡±
Li Wei Yang was surprised: ¡°Someone tampered with it? The Empress?¡±
Li Min De only smiled and leisurely said: ¡°Of course, the Empress and Crown Prince are just puppets under someone else¡¯s control, and the person behind them is hiding the shadows, secretly watching . ¡±
For some reason, Li Wei Yang sighed and said: ¡°It¡¯s Tuoba Zhen . ¡±
Li Min De¡¯s voice was mesmerizing: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Unhappy that Virtuous Consort couldn¡¯t be saved?¡±
Li Wei Yang was taken aback, then she immediatelyughed and said: ¡°She is only human and would have to die anyways . I only gave Tuoba Yu a chance, so he woulde to understand this . From the moment I came up with this idea, I have warned that it is dangerous to act rashly, but if you don¡¯t act, you will certainly die . ¡±
¡°I even thought that you¡ª¡± Li Min De¡¯s lips curved, mocking himself: ¡°You did it for Tuoba Yu¡¯s sake . ¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was no different from usual, one could see that she didn¡¯t care at all: ¡°Whether or not Virtuous Consort dies, it won¡¯t affect the endgame, so I don¡¯t really care . I only care about what Tuoba Zhen does next . ¡± Speaking of which, she suddenly paused and looked at Li Min De with a passive smile, ¡°But what surprised me is that you even dared to burn down Ji Xiang Pce and still managed to walk out of the Imperial Pce unscathed . It must not have been easy . ¡±
Li Min De revealed a charming smile: "Don¡¯t underestimate my connections in the Pce . . . "
¡°So, what do you know then?¡± Li Wei Yang had known of Li Min De¡¯s extraordinary capabilities for a while, but she didn¡¯t expect him to have eyes and ears in the Imperial Pce . In other words, there are Yue Xi spies in the Da Li Imperial Pce . It¡¯s not surprising though . Many countries have set up borate spyworks in other countries for several decades . The thing is, the Emperor of Yue Xi even handed over the spywork to Li Min De, it goes to show how much he loved and valued this son .
¡°I know that Jiang Hua secretly colluded with the Empress and Crown Prince, wanting to put you to death . But they are too naive, there¡¯s no way that their amateur tricks will be airtight . I realized something was wrong the moment Jiang Hua invited the Mo Bei Prince, but I deliberately did not act and let them proceed, in order to act at the most critical moment, only to fail when they are about to seed, so I can see their faces and see them vomit blood . . . ¡± Li Min De¡¯s smile was very kind andpassionate, making Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu by their side with no choice but to exchange a look with one another .
Acting at the most critical moment, strike to scatter the opponent¡¯s troops, this kind of mentality seemed a little twisted .
It turns out he already had his suspicions since the Fourth Mo Bei Prince appeared . . . It was Li Wei Yang¡¯s turn to ridicule herself: ¡°I thought my sources were well-informed, but it seems you have already guarded against the things that even Consort Lian had no idea of . ¡±
Li Min De stared at her and his voice softened: ¡°You¡¯re wary of Tuoba Zhen, so you would not dare to nt too many eyes and ears in the Pce . Consort Lian is your main source of information . However, there are times when the Emperor may notpletely trust her . In that case, you will need to use other people . ¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, her eyes like clear crystals with flowers quietly blooming underneath . She thought to herself,pared to Li Min De, she was too cautious . If he hadn¡¯t set Ji Xiang Pce on fire, she was afraid she would have to work much harder to get rid of the Fourth Mo Bei Prince .
Li Min De lowered his head and pointed at her writing: ¡°As with anything, as long as you persist, it will get better . Look, your writing was really ugly at first . Isn¡¯t this significant progress now?¡±
Li Wei Yang: ¡° . . . ¡± Can¡¯t you be a little more subtle?
Li Min De onlyughed . His eyes were bright as stars . He smiled and warmly said: ¡°I¡¯m only telling the truth . ¡±
Li Wei Yang had nothing to say to that . Although Li Min De was a man, when he smiled, his eyes would curve up, enough to seduce anyone¡¯s heart, making her unable to refute even when she wanted to . She carefully looked down at her writing and couldn¡¯t help but sigh: ¡°Drawing a tiger, only to end up drawing a puppy, my calligraphy is simply inadequate . ¡±
Not everything can be changed with hard work in this world . For instance, Li Wei Yang¡¯s calligraphy is a lost cause . Not much progress has been made even after practicing for so many years . Forget reputed families, she couldn¡¯t evenpare to youngdies of ordinary households . What a pity . She couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed . She lowered her brush and said to Bai Zhi: ¡°Alright, put it away . ¡±
Seeing her disappointment, Li Min De smiled and said: ¡°Today is the Day of Release, do you want to go out?¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her eyebrows and said: ¡°Day of Release?¡± Yes, today is the annual day of Release . How could she forget about this? There is a custom among the Da Limon folk on February 16th every year known as the Day of Release . On this day, every family must set some animals free, specifically at a designated release site, either in the suburbs or rivers as a way of umting good karma .
¡°Lao Furen said that she needs good karma this year, so she has already prepared birds to be released . She asked Xiaojie to release them for her . ¡± Bai Zhi ryed what Luo Mama had just instructed her to Li Wei Yang .
Li Wei Yang nodded, then reprimanded her: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡±
Bai Zhi felt a little wronged . She saw that Xiaojie was wholeheartedly focused on practicing calligraphy just now, so she didn¡¯t dare to speak for the time being .
¡°Go and prepare the carriage, let¡¯s not go too far and return once we¡¯ve set them free . ¡± Li Wei Yang said .
Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu knew they could go out after hearing this and immediately rejoiced . They hurriedly went to prepare the carriage . Everything was ready in less than half an hour . Li Wei Yang sat on the carriage and looked at a row of bird cages behind her andughed: ¡°Howe Lao Furen is like this, bringing well-cared for pet birds out to be released?¡±
This time, Li Lao Furen released a total of 18 birds . Apart from the six bird cages on the carriage, there were twelve more in the wagon behind them . Lao Furen originally had these bird cages hanging in the corridor . Some of them had been raised for several years . Each of these birds usually cost a few dozens of silver, all of them were rare species that were hard toe by . It¡¯s such a pity to release all of them this time .
¡°Fourth Brother suddenly caught a cold and is coughing a little . Lao Furen is distressed for him, so she said to release more animals to umte good karma . The Heavens will see her sincerity and allow Fourth Brother to recover soon . ¡± Li Min De smiled . When he spoke, his pupils retracted and emphasized his pale amber irises, making one¡¯s heart race .
Li Wei Yang felt a bit of warmth inside: ¡°With an elder¡¯s care, Min Zhi can be happy too . ¡±
¡°Indeed, even if there was no Lao Furen, Li Xiao Ran will protect Fourth Brother to preserve the bloodline and will not allow anyone to hurt him . ¡±
¡°But . . . He still has another son . ¡± Li Wei Yang suddenly said .
Li Min De smiled and said: ¡°From the moment you forced Jiang Hua to reveal Li Min Feng¡¯s whereabouts, he was as good as dead . ¡±
¡°Dead?¡± Li Wei Yang was dumbfounded, then she said: ¡°But the person I had sent failed to find him, which goes to show that Jiang Hua had lied about this . ¡±
¡°No, half of it is true, and half of it is false . It took me a while searching in the direction that he pointed . It took me a month to find him . The thing is, I didn¡¯t kill him, he killed himself . ¡± Li Min De¡¯s gaze fell on her like a cool breeze brushing the surface of ake as he spoke .
¡°What does that mean?¡± Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t help but frown .
¡°Meaning that while he was on the run, day and night, worried and uneasy, he ended uping down with an infectious disease . By the time my people arrived, he had stopped breathing . ¡± Li Min De said everything without a trace of emotion, simply stating the facts in a calm manner .
Li Wei Yang was a little surprised, then shocked before her smile finally returned: ¡°This is very good . ¡± Li Xiao Ran only had Min Zhi and will only have Min Zhi forever and now . In order to preserve his bloodline, he will cultivate Min Zhi¡¯s talents even at the cost of his life .
¡°This way, you won¡¯t need to do anything for Fourth Brother anymore . ¡± Li Min De added with a strange smile on his face .
Li Wei Yang looked at him, inexplicably a bit confused . This kind of confusion brought out a little unease rarely seen at her age onto her usually cold face . Li Min De¡¯s smile widened, but he didn¡¯t offer the slightest exnations for his words .
The carriage stopped by the side of the Wang Xiang building, the tallest in the Capital . Li Min De purposely chose a quiet and peaceful room, and the servants went to release the birds . Even Bai Zhi and Mo Zhi also followed them, joining in on the fun in setting the little birds free . Li Wei Yang leaned against the corridor rail and watched as the girls¡¯ faces filled with excitement, smiling softly . There were many people releasing animals downstairs, and Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes stopped on a young woman among them . In front of so many people, this young woman broke open arge, longevity peach . A little bird unexpectedly flew out, spread its wings and soared to the limits of the sky . Everyone looked up at the sky and happily pped their hands .
Li Wei Yang looked at the young woman who was around the age of 17 or 18 . She wore a wide robe with a thin scarf draped across her shoulders and bright red boots on her feet . She lookedpletely different from people in the Capital . Just as she looked at the other party, the other party also noticed her . She looked up and smiled at Li Wei Yang, revealing her gleaming teeth .
Li Wei Yang suddenly stopped smiling because she clearly saw that there was a man standing beside the young woman . It was none other than Li Yuan Heng, the Fourth Mo Bei Prince . At this moment, his gaze also shifted upstairs¡ª
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Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 139.1
Chapter 139.1
Chapter 139: The Art of Pursuit
[1] Sleeveless, halter top, equivalent to a bra. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudou
[2] Story behind it: http://.freechineselesson/chinese/chinese-idiom-ying-music-for-cow
[3] See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuling_jiabing
Knock knock knock. It wasn¡¯t long before they heard a knock on the door.
Li Min De stared at the person who pushed the door open and came in with disapproval and coldly said: ¡°Fourth Prince of Mo Bei, what kind of etiquette ising when you haven¡¯t been invited?¡±
Li Yuan Heng just smiled and said: ¡°Little brother, we have foughtst time, so I know your martial arts are not inferior, but you might not want to fight here, it wouldn¡¯t look too good!¡± His attitude appeared very friendly and even had an air of generosity that made people unable to hate him.
Zhao Yue and Zhao Nan both eyed Li Yuan Heng with wariness at once, the expressions on their faces didn¡¯t look good. There was also a young woman behind Li Yuan Heng, her round eyes looking around. It wasn¡¯t long before her eyes were fixated on Li Min De and began to shine with a strange kind of brilliance. She was born very beautiful. Her slender, arched eyebrows resembled two crescent moons. She had a small, straight nose and a pair of soft, red lips. Her eyes even had the likeness of ake in autumn, clear and bright. She could steal people¡¯s souls with just a single nce. Other than her skin, which was a bit rough due to the enduring winds and sandy environment of Mo Bei, she was most certainly a beauty.
Li Wei Yang noticed that her eyes were clear like flowing water, mesmerizing, and understood that she was interested in Li Min De. She subconsciously shook her head. How many times has it been this month? Every time Min De went out onto the streets, he always attracted a following of many youngdies who wanted a closer look. Some even boldly stepped forward to profess their love, and it was said that a little youngdy even tossed her dudou [1] onto his carriagest time... Such boldness, it goes to show how important beautiful appearances are. Those women who had never been close with Min De had tantly professed their love and hopes of bing a couple, hence Li Min De hated them to the extremes. In this world, no one will love on a whim. There¡¯s no need for further discussion, it is only out of vanity.
Thinking of this, Li Wei Yang had gained some understanding of how Min De felt. Being surrounded by a swarm of bees and butterflies was quite ufortable. No wonder he dealt with the Ninth Princess in such an inconsiderate mannerst time. It was kind of like what he had said: ¡°You get used to dealing with it after a while.¡±
¡°Anping Xianzhu, this is my meimei, Princess He Chang.¡± Li Yuan Heng noticed that Li Wei Yang had her attention on his meimei and happily introduced her.
In terms of personality, Princess He Chang seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve. She came forward and smiled at Li Wei Yang: ¡°I am the Sixth Mo Bei Princess, and this is the first time I¡¯vee to Da Li with my elder brother. Are you Anping Xianzhu? Gege said he wanted to marry you and make you a concubine! Would you be willing to go back to Mo Bei with us?¡±
Li Wei Yang was speechless. Li Min De sneered and said: ¡°I¡¯m afraid your gege hasn¡¯t woken up from his lovely dream. His Majesty canceled this marriage, so this is final, and there won¡¯t be any further changes.¡±
Li Yuan Heng refused to ept it: ¡°As long as I like Anping Xianzhu, I can just take her away. What does it have to do with your Emperor of Da Li? He manages Heaven and Earth, he even manages marriage and fate between people now? There¡¯s no need for his permission!¡±
Such horrible and vulgar words stunned everyone in the room. For the most part, in their minds, no one has ever been so daring, but the Prince of Mo Bei was not a Da Li subject though. There was nothing strange with the fact that he had no respect for the Emperor of this country.
Li Wei Yang lightly responded: ¡°His Majesty¡¯s permission may not be needed, but my permission is needed. I said this marriage won¡¯t happen, so it won¡¯t happen.¡±
Li Yuan Heng was stunned, as if he had been struck hard.
He Chang looked at Li Wei Yang strangely: ¡°Why? My gege has a lot ofnd, many servants too, and his cattle and horses are also the best in Mo Bei, the most fertile on the steppe. He doesn¡¯t have a Princess Consort yet, so if you marry in, you will be the Primary Consort, and all of his Side Consort will have to obey you! How dignified! Much better than living day by day here! You see, I can go out whenever I feel like it, but all of the youngdies here have to be apanied by a group of people whenever they step foot out the door, how annoying!¡±
Li Wei Yang looked at He Chang¡¯s face full of surprise and couldn¡¯t helpughing: ¡°Your gege¡¯s wealth is his own. It has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m not interested in managing cattle and sheep for him, nor do I want to manage his Side Consorts. I wish to peacefully live out my days in the Capital free of any obligations, do you understand now, Princess?¡±
He Chang made a disappointed face and even looked at her as if she was looking at a fool, as if Li Wei Yang¡¯s refusal to marry Li Yuan Heng was a great loss.
Li Yuan Heng apparently did not care about Li Wei Yang¡¯s refusal. He smiled and said: ¡°I know girls of your Da Li are very reserved. You are clearly unwilling to say that you are willing.¡±
Li Wei Yang and Li Min De looked at one another and saw the four words ¡°ying zither to cows¡± [2] in each other¡¯s eyes. Li Wei Yang smiled and only said: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, then please sit down and have a cup of tea. Let¡¯s be friends for now.¡±
If it was an ordinary youngdy, it was toote to avoid the other party, so it would be embarrassing to be generous now, but Li Wei Yang seemed at ease, obviously unconcerned with what happened in the main hall of the Pce that day.
The Fourth Prince of Mo Bei felt that he had a good eye for people and pulled his meimei to sit down as well: ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, no need to be courteous. Releasing animals with Da Li subjects just now is very interesting, but I feel thirsty after standing for so long.¡±
When Bai Zhi and Mo Zhi came into the room one after the other, they saw this strange situation and also heard what the people standing outside had said. They knew that a Prince and Princess of Mo Bei was inside the room and slightly choked on their words. Look at what their family¡¯s Xiaojie was doing, she was actually entertaining the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei whose marriage proposal had been rejected! Although this marriage had ceased to exist, did Xiaojie not feel embarrassed at all?
¡°Bai Zhi, prepare tea for the two guests.¡± Li Wei Yang ordered.
Bai Zhi quickly came forward and poured tea for them. Princess He Chang didn¡¯t care about maintaining the image of a beauty at all. She picked up the cup of tea, drank it and stuck out her tongue: ¡°Not as good as our family¡¯s wine.¡±
People in Mo Bei are good at drinking and have good brewing techniques as well. Their wine is quite strong, but it sells well in various countries. Li Wei Yang had known this for a while, so she did not find it strange when she heard it: ¡°Wine has the taste of wine, tea has the taste of tea. The tea here is brewed with water from the first snowfall in winter, so it has a particrly fragrant and gentle plum vor.¡±
Princess He Chang clearly didn¡¯t believe it, lowering her head to take another sip, then nodded: ¡°Indeed, it really does!¡±
With a smile, Li Yuan Heng said: ¡°I have long heard that Anping Xianzhu is extraordinarily talented. Your reputation has spread far and wide, and I had long admired you back in Mo Bei. At the time, I genuinely wondered if you were as clever and capable as the rumors said, and now I am relieved.¡± From his words, it seemed like he hadn¡¯t abandoned his intentions.
Li Min De¡¯s face did not look good. The Fourth Prince of Mo Bei wasn¡¯t actually stupid. Listen to these words, they were not inferior to those spoken by the gant, handsome gongzi of Da Li and even sounded a little more sincere than others. Based on what he said, it was clear that he would continue in his pursuit, would Wei Yang¡¯s heart stir? Thinking of this, he quietly observed Li Wei Yang¡¯s facial expression.
The smile on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face was very gentle. She slowly said: ¡°Your Fourth Highness is making fun of me. Everyone knows this method of brewing tea, it¡¯s not just me. Not to mention, I have not left home yet, so there¡¯s no chance that my reputation will spread to Mo Bei.¡±
Li Yuan Heng shook his head and called an attendant to retrieve a painting. He smiled and said: ¡°I said I¡¯ve seen you before. Xianzhu may not believe it, but when you see this painting, you¡¯ll know that I¡¯m not lying.¡±
He unraveled that painting as he spoke. Li Wei Yang nced over. It was a painting of a young woman with a lovely, delicate face, sitting before a game of Go, her eyes focused on it, contemting. Her expression was natural and at ease, and her eyes were gleaming. It was just what she looked like.
Li Min De¡¯s eyes changed at that moment.
Stunned, Li Wei Yang asked: ¡°Your Fourth Highness, where did you get this painting from?¡±
Li Yuan Heng responded: ¡°Three months ago, a good friend of mine in the Capital heard that I¡¯d being here to choose a bride and immediately had someone send this painting to me. He also told me many things about you.¡±
One had to admit that Li Yuan Heng was a very straightforward person on the surface. It was hard to find him annoying. Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°Is that person Jiang Hua, Third Gongzi of the Jiang family?¡±
Li Yuan Hengughed loudly: ¡°That¡¯s right! Four years ago, I toured Da Li in disguise and met someone well versed in literary arts and military affairs at Bei Ming Mountain. We were both like-minded and got along well, friends at first sight. I didn¡¯t know he was the son of a General until I returned to my country. Since there was no war at the border and someone led the troops in his stead, he was able to spend two idle months, ying around. He happened to meet me, and we became friends.¡±
Between his words, he did not shy away from his association with Jiang Hua, making him seem generous and uphold a clear conscience Li Min De, who had not spoken for a long time, looked at him, frowning. The Fourth Prince of Mo Bei came to prove something today because he naturally realized something. Seeing him continuously striving to win Li Wei Yang¡¯s favor, Li Min De felt even more annoyed towards this person.
¡°Fourth Mo Bei Prince is someone of high status, how can you trust others with just a few words?¡± Li Min De suddenly spoke up.
Li Yuan Heng smiled and said: ¡°Li Gongzi, I wouldn¡¯t blindly trust anyone either, even if it is a good friend. When I came to Da Li this time, I saw Anping Xianzhu with my own eyes. She¡¯s not only intelligent but also born beautiful, so I fell in love with her at first sight. What¡¯s so strange about that?¡±
Li Wei Yang is indeed a beauty. There are many other beauties in Da Li too, various types of beauties, each with their own charm, but they are not as good as what the Fourth Mo Bei Prince calls a cold-faced beauty. For the first time, Li Min De felt that the person in front of him was not that simple. They just happened to run into each other earlier, but this person brought a portrait of Li Wei Yang with him. How can there be such a coincidence? He must have followed them a while ago. One could not help but sigh in admiration. This Fourth Mo Bei Prince is an ostensibly open-minded person on the surface, but deep down, he was hardly a straw bag. He understood a woman¡¯s mind very well.
He first expressed that he had admired Li Wei Yang for a long time now, gaining a good impression. Then, he brought out the painting to show his sincerity and expressed his feelings for Li Wei Yang in front of everyone. He even talked about his friendship with Jiang Hua, leaving a profound impression on his audience. If the average person knew the grudges between Li Wei Yang and the Jiang family, they would leave out the part about Jiang Hua, but then once he has been exposed, it will make others highly suspicious. On the other hand, Li Yuan Heng talked about everything without reservation and seemed sincere, as if Jiang Hua had taken advantage of his enthusiasm and winning sympathy at the same time. If Li Wei Yang was an ordinary woman, she will naturally be impressed by him. This person should not be underestimated, Li Min De secretly warned himself.
Li Yuan Heng smiled and earnestly asserted: ¡°I don¡¯t like beating around the bush like the people of Da Li. I don¡¯t have any other intentions, I just genuinely like you and hope you can be my Princess Consort. If you don¡¯t like having other women around me, I can also make proper arrangements for them. I can even guarantee you that your son will be the one to inherit all of my property in the future.¡±
Li Min De smiled expressionlessly. This person¡¯s skills in chasing women are really high. He keeps saying he has no other intentions, but he acts intentionally in all kinds of ways and even expresses a look of utmost sincerity, making shocking and crude promises. Even if Li Wei Yang had a heart of stone, she will certainly be moved.
Li Yuan Heng obviously wasn¡¯t finished yet: ¡°I know that Mo Bei is not as prosperous as Da Li, but I intend to build avish mansion, I guarantee that thendscape inside will be exactly the same as where you are living now. I can even purchase goods from Da Li and transport them to Mo Bei for your daily use, but I know you are not a woman who is greedy for glory and will not care about these things, but this is from the bottom of my heart, and I hope you can ept it.¡±
Li Min De internally rolled his eyes. Li Yuan Heng really used every trick one after another. Li Wei Yang likes to drink rose water and eat Fu Ling cakes [3], all of which are the Capital¡¯s specialities. They would have soon turned moldy along the way to Mo Bei. Even if they found a chef to make it, the hellish likes of your Mo Bei is a ce where even the birds don¡¯t want toy eggs, so what will it be made of! Hmph, so what if you brought it from thousands of miles away? Did you really think that taking out a painting, saying a few good words can move Wei Yang¡¯s heart? How naive. What methods haven¡¯t I tried in the past year? The result is still failure. Wei Yang is smart and beautiful, and moreover, with her unfinished business and lofty ambitions, she would not bother to follow an ignorant fool like you for a lifetime.
He originally didn¡¯t intend to raise objections against the other party. Rather, he wanted Li Wei Yang to personally turn him down, so that the other party loses all hope, but he didn¡¯t expect Li Wei Yang topletely stun him with what she said next.
Li Wei Yang¡¯s face slightly reddened as she slowly said: ¡°Thank you, Your Fourth Highness, for treating Wei Yang so kindly, it¡¯s just that a marriage cannot be decided in such a reckless manner, please forgive me¡ª¡ª¡±
These words had a hidden meaning. Everyone in the room understood that Li Wei Yang retained a three-tenths sliver of hope and did not reject it on the spot.
Li Yuan Heng immediately rejoiced and said: ¡°I will be hunting in the suburbs tomorrow afternoon. I would like to invite Xianzhu to join me in relieving sorrows, would that be possible?¡±
No, of course not¡ªLi Min De gritted his teeth in secret, his face grim as if he was about to spit in disgust.
Li Wei Yang only smiled: ¡°Of course it is. But Wei Yang cannot ride and shoot on horseback, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be a joke to the experts.¡±
Li Yuan Heng was already so happy that he didn¡¯t know what to say and quickly replied: ¡°It¡¯s alright, I will teach you¡ª¡± Halfway through his words, he realized that he was a little too forward, he quickly added: ¡°My meimei¡¯s riding and shooting skills are very good too, she can just teach you. Right, He Chang?¡±
However, Princess He Chang over there was staring intently at Li Min De with a pair of wide eyes and peach blossoms all over her face. She didn¡¯t hear a single thing her gege was saying, the look he was giving her seemed to be cast away into a ditch. There was no response from her.
Li Wei Yang suddenly stood up and said: ¡°In that case, it¡¯s decided. It¡¯s not early anymore, we should be on our way.¡±
Li Yuan Heng immediately smiled and said: ¡°Yes, yes, safe travels, Xianzhu.¡± He had the look of satisfaction of being indulged by a beautiful woman. He personally escorted Li Wei Yang onto the carriage and still stubbornly refused to leave as he watched her carriage disappear.
In the carriage, Li Min De didn¡¯t look at her and only looked at the scenery outside the window. It was already sunset. The twilight cast a beautiful arc onto half of his face, but his eyes were full of boredom, an aggrieved look, enough to make hearts stir.
Li Wei Yangughed: ¡°What are you making that face for, are you ming me for ignoring you?¡±
Seeing that she took initiative to speak first, Li Min De slowly turned around, his eyes falling on her as he revealed a reluctant but lonely smile: ¡°I thought youpletely forgot about me.¡±
Seeing the two of them so intimate, no different than good friends. The kind of man could still be tolerated¡ª¡ªwas what Li Min De clearly had written on his face.
This guy was pretending to be pitiful again, Li Wei Yang subconsciously thought to herself. She smiled and pushed a cup of tea over: ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, drink the tea.¡±
¡°Wei Yang, you don¡¯t have to console me. I know you are very fond of that Fourth Mo Bei Prince. He is handsome and someone in a high position after all. Marrying him is indeed a good choice.¡± How strange. Gritting his teeth, he suppressed his emotions, secretly ndering him in his heart, what is good about this tall, dark and ugly kind of man!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand trembled. Sheughed a little strangely. It wasn¡¯t that she had a severe case of paranoia, but Li Min De spoke too resentfully. The hot tea unexpectedly spilled over, reddening and scalding her entire hand, making her frown. Before she could give Bai Zhi an order, someone else had grabbed her hand.
Li Min De¡¯s beautiful eyebrows tightly furrowed with an undisguised heartbrokenness: ¡°Why are you so careless?¡±
Li Wei Yang was about to say it was fine... Who knew that she would bepletely stunned the next moment.
Not just Li Wei Yang, the other yatous in the carriage were also stunned. The interior of the carriage was quite spacious, but they suddenly felt the temperature rise. Mo Zhu immediately covered her face but secretly moved two of her fingers and peeked through the gap until Zhao Yue expressionlessly blocked the two yatous¡¯ views.
Li Wei Yang was still speechless, Li Min De was actually sucking on her finger! Feeling the warmth inside his mouth envelop her finger, she was at a loss for words, but he didn¡¯t feel like it was enough, the tip of his tongue carefully licking her scalded finger.
In spite of having a thicker face and colder heart, Li Wei Yang¡¯s face became hot.
Does this person not know shame? The yatous are all here, yet he turns a blind eye and no one else¡ªAh! Her reputation of a lifetime was ruined in his hands!
Li Min De casually let go of her hand, distressed: ¡°Don¡¯t be so careless next time.¡±
Li Wei Yang struggled for what felt like half a day, breathing in and out several times. She reluctantly said: ¡°There must not be such unreasonable behavior in front of others, I will immediately kick you off the carriage next time!¡±
Li Min De¡¯s amber eyes flickered: ¡°I¡¯ll remember, to not do it in front of others.¡±
Li Wei Yang breathed a sigh of relief, but Li Min De continued to say: ¡°As long as no one else is here.¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s sigh of relief immediately turned into anger. When the reprimanding words came to her mouth, she saw his downcast eyes, his eyshes casting a faint shadow as that tender and aggrieved look in his eyes made her swallow her words. Maybe he was so good-looking that she was momentarily bewitched, leaving her stunned.
A hint of a smile crept up onto his face. Li Min De¡¯s eyes curved. This smile could even eclipse all the stars. Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart raced and deliberately looked away.
Li Min De seemed to notice that her face was a bit off. He couldn¡¯t pressure her too much, so he changed the subject and said: ¡°Wei Yang suspects the Fourth Prince, is that why you deliberately gave him a chance to get closer?¡±
Li Wei Yang frowned, then turned back. He was sometimes serious and other times, far from serious. She didn¡¯t know how to act towards him anymore. She faintly gave an ¡°en¡± in agreement, she apparently still had her mind on what just happened.
Li Min De smiled: ¡°Then tomorrow, I want to go too.¡±
-----------------------*****------------------------
Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 139.2
Chapter 139.2
Chapter 139: The Art of Pursuit
Happy Lunar New Year!
Hope the year of the ox will bring new fortune and surprises to everyone :)
Apologies for the dy - been spending some time with family during the New Year! The next 2 chapter parts (4 total) will be released in two weeks interval . The chapter parts after that will be released in a weekly manner .
(1) Qimen Dunjia - divination for military tactics and strategies originating from the Warring States period
(2) Chu Yun - ¡°out from the clouds¡±
When everyone else left, only Li Yuan Heng and Princess He Chang remained in the room . At this time, He Chang was no longer innocent, lively and quick-witted like before . She lifted herself up and personally poured a cup of tea, which she presented to Li Yuan Heng: ¡°Fourth Brother, this Anping Xianzhu isn¡¯t a simple person . You want to use her through marriage, but I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be that easy . ¡±
Li Yuan Heng slightly smiled . A woman like Li Wei Yang, who had deep, intricate thoughts and was cunning and deceptive, hates people who use their clever mouths to deceive her the most and likes people who act openly and generously the most . You can tell just by looking at her friends . She chose quick-witted girls who didn¡¯t have a calcting nature like Sun Yan Jun . They clearly could not help her much, but she still kept them by her side . This goes to show her utmost cautious nature, not readily trusting others and allowing them to intentionally approach her . If you want to convince her, you must make her feel like you have opened your heart and are speaking with sincerity . If she suspects a single word, it will be nearly impossible to get any closer .
Since Li Wei Yang suspected that he was instigated by Jiang Hua, he immediately made it clear to her and made it seem like Jiang Hua had taken advantage of him, so that the other party no longer doubted his intentions .
¡°Actually, if you really wanted a marriage alliance, the Ninth Princess is the most suitable person, so that you will have greater support when you want to realize your ambitions . ¡± He Chang continued to observe Li Yuan Heng¡¯s expressions and contemted aloud .
Li Yuan Heng scoffed: ¡°What would you know? A concubine-born daughter with nothing in her hands who could get where she is today has far greater value than the Ninth Princess! You haven¡¯t heard of her role, so you wouldn¡¯t understand . As far as I know, the reason Tuoba Zhen was suppressed everywhere, losing the forces and influence he umted over the years, is all thanks to her . Only such a woman will be most helpful to my ambitions . Furthermore, I¡¯ve reached an agreement with Jiang Hua, so I won¡¯t simply change to another candidate . No matter how difficult she is, I will seed!¡±
Li Wei Yang won¡¯t be easy to deal with, but it wasn¡¯t as if Li Yuan Heng hadn¡¯t thought of this . After the marriage proposal was rejected in the main hall, he had thought of going back on his promise to Jiang Hua and pick someone else, but every time he thought of Li Wei Yang¡¯s cold, gleaming eyes, his heart would feel boiling hot, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to calm down for a while . In the end, she wasn¡¯t a simple woman that would feel a thing if he came with beauty products or money .
¡°But I don¡¯t think that Jiang Hua is a good person¡ªhe¡¯s just borrowing our hands to remove a thorn in his eyes . Look at how he has been provoked by Li Wei Yang, it¡¯s enough to know that this woman is a cmity . ¡± He Chang still didn¡¯t drop the matter . Her charming appearance harbored a trace of confusion, which seemed to be that of jealousy as if she was unwilling, still hard to tell .
Li Yuan Heng took a sip of tea, and the smile on his face turned even colder . He said: ¡°Jiang Hua and I came together based on our own interests . If he actually joins hands with me, then it will be fine . If not, I also have ways to deal with him . ¡±
Princess He Chang knew that Li Yuan Heng had worked painstakingly for many years and even nted countless spies in all parts of Da Li . How could a corner of the world like Mo Bei satisfy his ambitions, the world is what he truly wants to get his hands on . That is why he wanted Li Wei Yang, who didn¡¯t seem to stand out but was actually a strategist behind Tuoba Yu . Based on her instincts, Li Wei Yang might have been very intimate with Li Yuan Heng earlier as if she was genuinely touched, but there was not the slightest hint of affection in her eyes .
He Chang is also a woman . She naturally knows how a woman looks when she has good feelings towards a man who admires her, but earlier, she didn¡¯t find the slightest emotion in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, not a single bit . On one hand, Li Yuan Heng wanted to marry Li Wei Yang because Jiang Hua¡¯srger than life descriptions of Li Wei Yang, and on the other hand, it was because of his male ego and desire to conquer . There are probably few women in the world that he could not conquer . He made up his mind to win her over, but in reality, he didn¡¯t think of Li Wei Yang as a real opponent . However, He Chang felt that the way Li Wei Yang handled the situation today, especially when she was powerless, proved that she wasn¡¯t someone who could be easily dealt with . How could she be taken advantage of so easily? She feared that anyone who approached her will lose everything they have and their lives .
However, she didn¡¯t dare to say these words to Li Yuan Heng because Li Yuan Heng had had very smooth developments in Mo Bei in recent years as easy as cutting bamboo . Even the Eldest Mo Bei Prince could not be his opponent, so he had lost some of his usual caution and meticulousness, perhaps even misjudging Li Wei Yang, which could be very dangerous .
He Chang was deep in thought and subconsciously frowned . Li Yuan Heng suddenly wrapped an arm around her and pulled her onto hisp and teased: ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re in love with that Li family kid and worrying that I¡¯ll kill him? How about I marry you over to sway him, what do you think?¡±
He Chang panicked inside and knew that he was testing her . She quickly put a sulking smile onto her face, her jade-like fingers gently poking his forehead as she said: ¡°Fourth Brother is really mean, you¡¯re obviously the only one in my heart, yet you say these words¡ªit¡¯s making me really ufortable . ¡±
If outsiders saw this kind of thing, they would be definitely startled . There are many filthy things in the imperial family . As for the supposed noble Princess He Chang of Mo Bei, her mother was only the newlywed wife of a weak tribal leader that caught his eye when the Mo Bei Emperor went out to patrol . He forcibly brought her back to the pce and less than ten monthster, her mother gave birth to her . She was not the daughter of the Mo Bei imperial family, but she grew up in the pce . Every day, she could only hug her mother as they both trembled in fear . The Mo Bei Emperor was particrly addicted to alcohol, and every time, once he finished drinking, he would take out his whip to indiscriminately vent . She and her mother were whipped many times for no particr reason . On most days, he appeared to be a generous and benevolent Emperor, but once he drank, he was no longer human .
Eventually, one day, her mother was beaten as she kept writhing on the ground, moaning in pain but not daring to beg for mercy . This was thest time she saw her Empress Mother . Afterwards, that weak womanmitted suicide and died, leaving her to live alone in the cold Mo Bei imperial family . In order to protect herself, she gave herself to the Eldest Prince, Second Prince and Sixth Prince . Whenever she met a man who could help her, she would use them in every way that she could and pay the price with her body every time . The generals and princes are tightly secured in her hands . In the end, the person she chose was the Fourth Prince, Li Yuan Heng, because so far he is the man most likely to take the throne, and she needed this man .
Because she wanted to live, she still wanted to live no matter how difficult life was . She even wanted to climb up, step by step, until she reached the highest point, so that no one would ever humiliate her again!
Because of the experiences she lived through, the moment she met Li Wei Yang, she suddenly realized that the other party was someone like her . While she used shamelessness, vanity and frivolousness to conceal herself, the other woman used indifference and coldness to protect herself, but deep down in their bones, they are one and the same . Their hearts were full of hatred and beyond the point of redemption . Once this kind of person has the opportunity to change their life, they will put their life on the line to tear open the enemy¡¯s chest until he bleeds out to thest drop of blood .
They were all women with blood on their hands, so she had already seen through Li Wei Yang on the first nce . When she raised her head, she seemed to be able to see through the depths of that person¡¯s soul, but she didn¡¯t know if Li Wei Yang could see throughyers of her self-defense mechanisms .
If Li Wei Yang felt the same way she did, then Li Yuan Heng¡¯s actions earlier were nothing but a charade in her eyes . She could even guarantee that Li Wei Yang would make all those people who poked fun of her and dared to fantasize about her pay a heavy price! Just like herself!
Li Yuan Heng was observing He Chang . He keenly noticed her absent-mindedness and reached out to hold her pale as snow wrist . Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand as she poured tea involuntarily appeared in his mind, all ten fingers looked slender, delicate and fair, softly stirring one¡¯s heart . He really wanted to know how that hand managed to secretly push forward each and every scheme, and how it could force the highly clever Jiang Hua to end up in his current situation . He subconsciously took He Chang¡¯s fingers in the palm of his hand and repeatedly yed with them . He felt that it was quite fun, and the taste is better than anyone he had ever tasted before .
Li Yuan Heng was looking at He Chang but thinking of Li Wei Yang . The more he thought about it, the more unbearable it became .
He Chang understood that his temperament was that of someone with a passion for hunting prey, yet she intentionally let her soft body gently press into his arms . Li Yuan Heng smiled a little and fiercely embraced her behind, going over to the divan nearby . . .
¡ª
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t tell Li Min De why she agreed to meet until they went out the next day . Li Min De surprisingly also refrained from asking .
It was just that it involved horseback archery this time . It was not convenient to bring Bai Zhi and Mo Zhi, so Li Wei Yang only brought Zhao Yue along . Li Min De only ordered Zhao Nan to follow them, which made Li Wei Yang turn back and curiously look at him .
Li Min De looked at her and exined: ¡°I can¡¯t bring as many people along this time . I always have the feeling that he is someone who will be hard to deal with . It will be very troublesome if he finds out that I¡¯m from Yue Xi . ¡±
Li Min De had exposed his shadow guards in front of others before, but few people in Da Li had a deep understanding of Yue Xi¡¯s affairs, including Tuoba Zhen . He only suspected that the Li family had their own hidden forces, but Li Min De was especially careful this time, so the situation must not be ordinary .
¡°Have you sent someone to look into Li Yuan Heng?¡± Li Wei Yang considered this possibility .
Li Min De nodded and said: ¡°Aside from the Eldest Prince who has the highest noble status and born to the Empress, Mo Bei has four other powerful contenders for the throne, including Second Prince Li Yuan Lin . His mother is a Da Li native . He himself is proficient in the art of Qimen Dunjia (1), someone who could secure the country and the martial arts abilities to keep the peace . He was highly regarded by the Mo Bei Emperor, but strangely, two years ago, when he went to patrol the Mo Bei border, he was attacked by stray bandits and died from a poisoned arrow . The Third Prince Li Yuan Xiao had 80,000 soldiers at the age of seventeen and guarded southern Mo Bei, a capable and powerful general indeed . However, he identally fell from his horse while he was chasing after bandits and died within three days after he was carried back to his territory . The Sixth Prince Li Yuan Jing had supernatural strength bestowed by the gods, capable of striking down thousands of weights . He was even knowledgeable and strategic . His grandfather was from a family recognized as the most meritorious subjects in Mo Bei . He was originally a strong contender for the throne¡ª¡±
¡°But he also died?¡± Li Wei Yang guessed what he was going to say next .
Li Min De nodded and said: ¡°Yes . The cause of his death is very strange . It¡¯s said that he fancied a lieutenant¡¯s beautiful concubine and waster killed by that beautiful concubine . Isn¡¯t it strange how a defenseless woman could strangle a person born with supernatural strength?¡±
However, Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°If the Second Prince is really as powerful as you said, how could he be easily killed by bandits? Were the royal guards that apanied him to protect him all big, dull bodies? Besides, that Third Prince is a strong general that knows how to ride horses . How could he even fall off his horse while guarding the border? Isn¡¯t it ironic to say that the fish drowned in water? There is also the Sixth Prince, who died in a more bizarre manner . ¡±
Li Min De smiled and said: ¡°That¡¯s right . ording to my investigation, all these things have something to do with the Fourth Prince . Therefore, he is also a ruthless character who is not inferior to Tuoba Zhen . ¡±
Li Wei Yang sighed and said: ¡°It¡¯s not surprising that a sessful person with great ambitions will not expose the exact details . ¡± On the other hand,pared to Tuoba Zhen, she felt that Li Yuan Heng¡¯s actions were nothing to be rmed about . At least he used his own schemes to deal with his opponents instead of borrowing someone else¡¯s knife to deal with a group of defenseless women and children . The scenes back in Crown Prince¡¯s Manor reappeared in Li Wei Yang¡¯s for some reason . She frowned and turned around: ¡°Let¡¯s go . ¡±
Li Min De smiled slightly . He heard that since Virtuous Consort¡¯s death, Tuoba Yu had not stepped foot out of his manor for more than ten days . He obviously must feel really miserable . On the other hand, Li Min De was very content . After all, nothing made him happier than seeing his love rival ashen-faced . He felt even happier especially since Tuoba Yu no longer came to bother Li Wei Yang .
Just seeing that flowery, powdered face unhappy¡ªLi Min De thought to himself, put in such a good mood that he forgot he was still better looking than that person .
After leaving the city and arriving at the agreed location, Li Wei Yang got off the carriage and saw Li Yuan Heng in riding clothes, pulling a white horse along as he stood there, waiting . Li Wei Yang smiled and said: ¡°Your Fourth Highness . ¡±
Li Yuan Heng smiled and said: ¡°I¡¯m very happy that Anping Xianzhu did not go back on your word . ¡± He Chang by his side also looked happy, but she secretly stole a nce at Li Min De as if she was actually infatuated with him .
However, at this time, Li Wei Yang looked over at He Chang without any trace of emotion . He Chang acutely noticed her gaze . The moment their eyes met, He Chang felt her heartbeat racing .
She saw through me! She definitely did! He Chang immediately understood . The infatuation for Li Min De in her eyes momentarily disappeared, reced by an all-knowing smile . She vaguely knew that Li Wei Yang had already seen through her pretense, so what about Li Yuan Heng? Did Li Wei Yang already know what he was going to do and intentionally came here? If this is the case, Li Wei Yang¡¯s mind must have terrifying and unfathomable depths . He Chang shuddered, but the smile on her face turned even sweeter as she ran over to grab Li Wei Yang¡¯s hand .
This cold sensation¡ªthe smile on He Chang¡¯s face did not change: ¡°Wei Yang, can I call you that?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled very kindly as if she liked Princess He Chang very much: ¡°Certainly . ¡±
Li Min De did not seem to see anyone else . He only had Li Wei Yang in his eyes . At this time, beneath the shining sun, her face was faintly rosy, her smile invigorating and heartwarming as her entire person emanated charisma . He rarely saw her smile like this, as if not guarding against anything, yet fully aware of everything . He was a bit curious, what exactly is Li Wei Yang going to do this time?
¡°Is there something on my face?¡± Li Wei Yang turned back when she noticed him looking at her strangely .
Li Min De¡¯s amber eyes flickered, ¡°No . ¡±
He Chang¡¯s gaze swept over Li Wei Yang¡¯s face before finally stopping on Li Min De . This man hasn¡¯t taken a single nce at her at all, how is this possible? She had never met a man who was not mesmerized by her!
At that moment, He Chang did not know that while her looks were exceptionally beautiful, they were still slightly inferior to those of Li Chang Le back then . Li Min De¡¯s contempt for Li Chang Le never changed, so what about her? But because He Chang had never failed, when she noticed that Li Min De didn¡¯t even look at her, she secretly felt a little angry . She turned this anger into an even sweeter smile, hugging Li Wei Yang¡¯s arm and pointing to the snow white horse and said: ¡°Wei Yang, look at the horse we brought from Mo Bei . It can travel thousands of miles in a day, a truly fine thousand-mile steed andpletely different from those soft-legged ones in your Da Li!¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and ignored it, but she heard Li Yuan Heng disapprovingly scold He Chang: ¡°He Chang, what are you saying!¡±
Princess He Chang stuck out her tongue and said in a yful manner: ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, gege! I¡¯m just kidding, Wei Yang is open-minded and won¡¯t go after me for it!¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes fell on the snow white horse . Indeed, as they said, this is a rare horse that is hard toe by . Not only is its body majestic and strong, its coat is gleaming white, and its ck eyes are bright and spirited .
¡°This horse is a gift from me . It doesn¡¯t have a name yet . ¡± Li Yuan Heng smiled warmly .
Li Wei Yang found that while the man before her had a deep and treacherous mind, when he wanted to capture a woman¡¯s heart, it was very difficult to refuse him . Thinking about it, it made sense . If it weren¡¯t for her previous life and experiences, perhaps she would readily agree . She thought up to this point, then curiously nced at the horse and said: ¡°Is it really for me?¡±
Li Yuan Heng nodded vigorously and said: ¡°You can give it a name . ¡±
He Chang jumped in first and said: ¡°How about Chu Yun (2)? Sounds very majestic . ¡±
Chu Yun, Chu Yun, Li Wei Yang thought of something and gave He Chang a small smile: ¡°It¡¯s a good name . ¡±
In the blink of an eye, He Chang almost felt that all of her thoughts were within her opponent¡¯s grasp . She smiled, but this smile was a little uneasy .
For the first time, she had the feeling of being seen through . . . But this kind of feeling is not bad, He Chang thought . She liked Li Wei Yang . She liked this girl who hides countless secrets like her . If they didn¡¯t stand on opposite sides, she would want to befriend her at any cost! If she is willing to stand on their side, then even better! Forget those men, she can trample them all under her feet! She believed that Li Wei Yang had the same idea!
Some people are rather strange . They might not have known each other for very long, but the moment they meet, they feel like they have known one another forever and go as far as to treat them as a confidant . Now that He Chang felt this way, it was very subtle and even led her to decide to keep this from Li Yuan Heng! Yes, she was not going to tell him because she wanted to see for herself what Li Wei Yang will do!
This is presumably going to be very, very, very interesting!
-----------------------*****------------------------
Trantor: Chau
Editor: Chau
Chapter 140.1
Chapter 140.1
Chapter 140: Heaven and Earth Are Torn Asunder
[1] ²»ÖªµÀÌìÓжà¸ßµØÓжàºñ - trantes literally as ¡°not knowing how high the sky is or how deep the earth is¡± . Refers to a person who thinks too highly of themselves; egotistical .
[2] Ò»ÑԾŶ¦ - words carry enormous weight
[3] ³Ô×ÅÍëÀïµÄ¿´×ŹøÀïµÄ An idiom that is used to refer to men who have their own wives while harbouring intentions towards other women .
"There¡¯s game in the grove up ahead . " Li Yuan Heng pointed at a ce not far away, where people often hunted . Although it couldn¡¯tpare to the royal hunting grounds, the children of powerful nobles in the capital often frequented that area .
Li Wei Yang nodded in tacit agreement . Receiving her approval, Li Yuan Heng hastened to order someone to prepare a saddle and whip, and then politely handed the whip to Li Wei Yang . Li Wei Yang smiled faintly and turned to the displeased young man behind her: "If you¡¯re interested, you can alsoe along . "
Li Min De raised his brows and asked Li Yuan Heng: "Your Royal Highness is fine with this?"
Li Yuan Heng beamed: "Of course, of course! I¡¯ve also prepared Li Gongzi¡¯s horse!"
He Chang observed the expressions of the few in their group . In her sights was clearly a deadlocked, three-person spectacle with Li Yuan Heng, Li Wei Yang, and that handsome gentleman . She sneered . Li Wei Yang, oh Li Wei Yang, it seems like you¡¯re not somebody who¡¯s easy to deal with! There is clearly an attractive young man at your side, yet towards my fourth brother you¡¯re neither close nor distant¡ª
"Great!" Li Min De¡¯s smile seemed subtle .
Although the four people and four horses were fitted with bows and arrows, Li Wei Yang and Li Yuan Heng chatted andughed in the front and appeared to get along well as if they¡¯re clearly not here to hunt . When Li Min De saw this scene, his handsome face could not help slowly icing over, frightening those around him . However, others from Mo Bei who saw it noticed nothing wrong . After all, women in Mo Bei were all like this, riding and shooting with the men, and they were even more fiercepared to men . In their view, this Anping Xianzhu was considered a bit too reserved .
"Li Gongzi, there is game over there . " He Changughingly pointed to a gray rabbit hidden in the underbrush . Before she had finished speaking, Li Min De had already shot an arrow forward but it hit nothing . The gray rabbit had long run off somewhere . He Chang wanted to tease him with a few words, but discovered that he hadn¡¯t even looked in the prey¡¯s direction since the beginning . On the contrary, his face had be a statue . The only thing that moved was his burning gaze . The direction he was looking in was precisely at the figures of Li Wei Yang and Li Yuan Heng up ahead .
He Chang couldn¡¯t helpughing delicately . Other people said that the royal family was filthy, which was true . But it was said that these two were paternal cousins, and the rtionship was still so ambiguous . There were rtionships that couldn¡¯t be spoken of in any ce . Her eyes blinked, and she deliberately urged her horse closer . Her smile became even sweeter and even carried a hint of allure . She tilted her head slightly and said to Li Min De: "People say that the scenery of Da Li is very nice . I don¡¯t know if Li Gongzi is able to be my guide?"
Li Min De didn¡¯t even nce at her . He hadn¡¯t even enjoyed a bit of the scenery .
His eyes were practically nailed to Li Wei Yang¡ªHe Changughed and said: ¡°Li gongzi, even if you are fond of your sister, you shouldn¡¯t stop her from making friends . ¡±
Only then did Li Min De turn around . Casting He Chang a sidelong nce, he whispered suddenly, "Princess He Chang, put away that deception . Do you think that I care about your cheap tricks?"
He Chang¡¯s face changed slightly and promptly replied: "I don¡¯t get what you mean!"
Li Min De¡¯s lips hooked up, revealing an ice-cold smile, but he suddenly sped up and dashed towards the woods in front . He obviously didn¡¯t want to give those two a chance to have any time alone . Although he knew that Li Yuan Heng wouldn¡¯t do anything to Li Wei Yang now, and Wei Yang would also not give him the chance, but in general, he still wasn¡¯t willing to see herugh so happily with other men .
Even though he knew perfectly well that it was a fake show of affection, it was ufortable in any case . He listened to the activity from that direction and overheard the conversation between the two carried over by the wind .
Li Wei Yangughed: "How long does Fourth Prince n to stay?"
Li Yuan Heng said with a smile: "Originally, I had nned to leave during thest two days, but¡ªnow I would like to stay a few days more . "
Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice sounded a little surprised: "Do you still have some unfinished business here?"
Li Yuan Heng naturally showed reluctance, saying: "Actually¡ªHis Majesty has bestowed a marriage to the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Nan An . "
Li Wei Yang listened, but only made a light "en" sound . Li Chang Ru was betrothed to the legitimate second son of the Marquis of Nan An . Speaking of them, the two families had a considerable rtionship . . . She muttered to herself: ¡°The daughter of the Marquis of Nan An is gentle anddylike, and her looks are good, a hard toe by noble Xiaojie of a prestigious household . " This was sheer nonsense . The Marquis of Nan An¡¯s legitimate daughter . . . had long been married off . Where would there be another one to marry this Prince Mo Bei? She suspected that the Marquis of Nan An had colluded with the Emperor and was going to use the concubine-born daughter as a stand-in . However, she was not about to tell this to Li Yuan Heng .
"You are pretty when youugh!" Li Yuan Heng didn¡¯t seem to hear her, and began to praise Li Wei Yang instead . Actually, Li Wei Yang rarelyughed, but her smile was quite beautiful .
There were probably no girls who looked unpleasant when theyughed . Li Wei Yang was very self-aware . She wouldn¡¯t forget how high the sky was or how deep the earth [1] was just because a handsome man praised her a few times . She only said faintly: ¡°Since you are already engaged, Your Highness should go back with the new bride soon . "
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s face reddened suddenly, but his voice suddenly became gentle: "But I¡¯ve never seen her, and I don¡¯t like her . The person I chose from the start was you . "
Li Wei Yang frowned and said, "But Ji Xiang Pce caught fire for no reason . His Majesty already rejected this marriage . Your Highness should understand that a word from His Majesty is worth nine tripods [2] . The decision is absolute and cannot be altered as one pleases . "
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s voice was particrly firm: "Of course I know, but I also want to tell you that I will wait for you here, wait until you agree . Moreover, the position of my main wife¡¯s is only reserved for you . "
For a moment, Li Wei Yang¡¯s tone was a little displeased: "One who marries bes a wife, one who elopes bes a concubine . Fourth Prince is so focused on confessing your feelings . Is this your way of getting me to elope with you?"
Li Yuan Heng¡¯s eyes were full of seriousness, which made his angr face lookpletely sincere: "No, this so-called eloping is only a concept you have over here . If only you would leave Da Li with me, you¡¯ll see that we don¡¯t have this saying where wee from at all . It was the same with my Mother Consort . Her family background wasn¡¯t much and she already had a husband, yet she loved my father emperor, so regardless of everything, she ran away at night to follow after him . No one ridiculed her, and others only praised her for her courage and determination . "
Li Wei Yang smiled, inly not very interested in the story . Li Yuan Heng was a little perplexed . Ordinary noble misses would be very moved after hearing these kinds of stories . Like those Da Li dramas that bored him to death, youngdies fell in love with talented and aplished schrs and would recklessly abandon their noble family status to elope together . Afterwards, the schr would be the top scorer in the imperial exams and return with the young miss in glory to everyone¡¯s delight . Wasn¡¯t this the type of tale that these women yearned for? No, perhaps an intelligent woman like Li Wei Yang was not one to be easily swayed by longings for romance . Then, he had to try harder in other respects .
He thought up to here and suddenly seemed to remember something, "I paid a visit to Brother Jiang Hua yesterday evening . During the conversation, I saw that his hatred towards you hadn¡¯t lessened . Moreover, Duke Jiang will be returning after two days . I¡¯m afraid that they will set up a trap to harm you . Jiang Hua is my sworn brother, while you are the person in my heart . I don¡¯t want you to be at odds, but if you were to hurt each other, I will definitely stand on your side . " Saying this, he handed over amand token . "Hold onto this token . You cane to a ry station at any time to find me . "
With such a look of deep affection, if she was an ignorant young maiden, she would definitely be moved by him . Between a sworn brother and a beloved woman, would the choice be the beautiful woman? These words seemed ridiculous somehow . Li Wei Yang took themand token, and her smile deepened slightly . To Li Yuan Heng, it seemed that she was really touched . "Then thank you . "
Li Yuan Heng smiled, appearing gentle: "Between ourselves, there¡¯s no need for thanks . "
This man, you simply give him an inch, and he¡¯d want a mile . Li Min De¡¯s eyes almost spewed mes .
"Li Gongzi . " He Chang, who came from behind, had chased after him with great difficulty . She informed him, "We found your quarry . Not only did you shoot it straight through the eyes, but it was also pinned against a tree ten meters away . How did you do it? Even our best marksmen don¡¯t have a way to shoot without looking!¡± Li Min De presumably hadn¡¯t seen the rabbit a moment ago . How was he able to distinguish its direction, He Chang thought . If not for his internal strength being abnormally high, his sense of hearing was more acute than that of an ordinary person .
Li Min De said indifferently: "Just a fluke," and reacted as if he didn¡¯t want to talk more .
He Chang frowned, she had never been this neglected . Even Prince Consort Rui Nian, her Third Sister¡¯s husband who dearly loved her Third Sister, couldn¡¯t help being confused by her . Men, they all eat what¡¯s in the bowl while looking at what¡¯s in the pot [3] . What¡¯s more, Li Wei Yang¡¯s schemes may be the same as hers more or less, but her appearance was definitely notparable to hers . ording to principle, even if Li Min De had loved someone else for a long time, it was only right that he shouldn¡¯t refuse this gorgeous woman . Perhaps there was a mistake in her previous perception . She looked at Li Min De¡¯s attractive side profile that gave people a sense of pressure and was somewhat bewildered .
While the four of them were not paying attention, the ground beneath their feet undted gently, and soon the whole ground shook violently . All the horses suffered a fright . Raising their hooves and whinnying, their bodies rose into the air and flung out vigorously! The split second that Li Yuan Heng reacted, he simply flipped off his horse to protect himself, rolling over the ground several times . At this time, he had no time to take care of Li Wei Yang . He didn¡¯t even remember to take a look,pletely forgetting his affectionate appearance from a moment ago¡ª
Wei Yang! Li Min De immediately drew in the reins of his horse and galloped towards her . Li Wei Yang had been the first to detect the earthquake, but her movement was slower than that of Li Yuan Heng by half a beat . She hadn¡¯t had time to dismount when her horse bolted forward . She hadn¡¯t even made a sound before the rapid tter of hooves already sounded from behind . Her body flew into the air as she was pulled off of the horse .
"Are you alright?" Li Min De had tumbled to the ground, but he was solely preupied with holding her protectively in his arms .
"It¡¯s nothing . " Li Wei Yang¡¯s body jolted, and she realized that she hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet . Her dizziness was a bit hard to bear because the entire ground was shaking . At this moment, they heard He Chang shriek . The attendants, who were a distance away, couldn¡¯t even control their own horses . How could they distinguish north from south? They were all like headless flies, running in all directions .
At first, the chaos was expected to pass as soon as the ground stopped shaking . But before Li Min De could help Li Wei Yang to her feet, a sudden violent tremor made aplete mess of things . Li Yuan Heng had also been thrown to the ground and hadn¡¯t even stood up before he heard a dull creaking sound overhead . He groaned to himself, "That can¡¯t be good" . Unable to care about the others, he rushed to roll to the side first . The next second was followed by an earth-shattering noise as countlessrge trees in the forest toppled over in an instant . Dust filled the air, covering everything!
Amidst the dust, Li Min De could not see anything, and still hugged Li Wei Yang tightly, protecting her under him . Li Yuan Heng eventually remembered something, and turned back to look for Li Wei Yang, but a big tree suddenly toppled over, cutting off his line of sight . At this time, he heard He Chang¡¯s screams, and the blood-curdling cries of the attendants who couldn¡¯t escape in time and were crushed by trees or trampled by horses in the midst of the chaos . . . He Chang was still useful and could not die here, Li Yuan Heng thought heartlessly, and turned around to save He Chang .
Li Wei Yang only heard a huge crash, as if the entire earth was trembling . She didn¡¯t even have a way of telling the direction, only feeling that everything around her had been split open . The animals in the forest fled one after another . The ones that didn¡¯t escape in time fell into cracks that had formed in the ground . Such an experience was truly frightening .
Li Min De has been shielding her, and hugged her tightly¡ªthere wasn¡¯t enough time for Li Wei Yang to think about why such arge earthquake could happen so suddenly . She only grabbed onto Li Min De¡¯s hand in the same way and hoped that he wouldn¡¯t get hurt, nothing more . So when a sharp stone cut into her left ankle, she only clenched her teeth without making a sound . She didn¡¯t want him to worry about her, nor did she want to distract him at this moment of life and death .
No one knew how long it took for the shaking to gradually subside . Although it onlysted for a quarter of an hour, in Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes, it seemed tost a lifetime . Even though the earth-rending tremors had finally ceased, her ears still rang, and she felt faint with blurred vision . It was only after she managed to calm down that she discovered the mess all around them . She didn¡¯t even know where the people from just now had run off to .
Li Min De listened for a moment . Finally sure that the earthquake had stopped, he then let out a long sigh of relief and hurriedly bent down to look Li Wei Yang up and down .
"I¡¯m fine . " Li Wei Yang hurriedly said . Although her entire face was ck, she was at least alive .
"To think there¡¯d actually be an earthquake¡ª" Li Min De made sure that she was alright before he turned to survey the situation around them . They were currently hidden in the gap of a huge boulder that should have fallen from the top of the mountain . And this mountain was no more than aparativelyrge knoll . It originally stood beside the forest, but unexpectedly now it was razed to the ground . After restoring some strength, Li Min De propped himself up, climbed out, and then pulled Li Wei Yang up from the ground .
Li Wei Yang stood with difficulty, but she couldn¡¯t even breathe easily as it was so ufortable . She held her breath, and coughed twice quietly . It was as if there were arge boulder pressing down on her chest, smothering her into a ball . Li Min De hurriedly turned back to help her regte her breathing, but before he could, he saw her gaze was fixed on his hand strangely . Staring nkly, he found that there was something soft under his hands . Only then did he realize that he had touched a ce he shouldn¡¯t have touched . He went red from embarrassment and withdrew his hand: "It seems like the people who were just with us ran off somewhere . "
Li Wei Yang wanted to re at him but didn¡¯t have the energy . She simply said: "Of course they¡¯d run for their lives . Not everyone is like you, who cane pouncing over when you could have died? Seriously, are you not afraid of death?" Speaking up to here, she noticed his look of indifference, she couldn¡¯t help sighing and turned to look elsewhere . "I wonder if anything bad happened to the people in the city . "
Naturally, who Li Wei Yang meant was Li Min Zhi and Qi Yiniang and also Lao Furen . Li Min De nodded and said: "They are at home, and if they feel the tremors, they would naturally run outside . They should be fine . " Although he said this, in his heart, he felt that this was not necessarily the case . However, now that they were overwhelmed with caring for themselves, he couldn¡¯t express these concerns to Li Wei Yang .
"Li Yuan Heng and them should still be nearby . " Li Wei Yang looked at the remains of a sika deer not far away . It was clear that they unintentionally rolled down from the top of the hill . Now, aside from the corpses of animals, they couldn¡¯t find the whereabouts of anyone else .
"Zhao Nan and his sister should be fine . They were following behind us the whole time, so they¡¯ll probably find us soon . " The best way now is to stay in ce and not move, and wait for others toe rescue us . But this ce seems to bepletely different from what it was just now, and even Li Min De couldn¡¯t be certain where they were . Perhaps the panicked escape together with the terrible earthquake just now had forced them into an unfamiliar valley .
Li Wei Yang calmed down, and she felt a sharp pain in her left ankle . She wanted to speak, but everything in front of her suddenly went ck . Her body involuntarily went limp, and she lost consciousness .
When he saw her suddenly pass out, Li Min De knew that she must have been injured a moment ago, but couldn¡¯t see where her wounds were . His heart tightened momentarily . With difficulty, he carried her on his back and searched until he finally found a ce that sheltered them from the wind to use as a temporary refuge . After waiting for a full hour, Li Wei Yang slowly opened her eyes and coughed weakly . ncing at him, she found that the two of them had still not been discovered . Then sheughed with difficulty: "I thought my body was quite strong . Who knew I was this weak!"
Li Min De red at her, but there was distress in his eyes . "You shouldn¡¯t have promised anyone earlier toe out to ride and do archery!"
Li Wei Yangughed in spite of herself: "Would there have been no earthquake if we¡¯d stayed in the city? This is just taking out your anger on somebody else . Aiya!" She yelped suddenly . She frowned and said, "Be gentler . "
Li Min De quickly let go . "Who told you not to say anything when you injured your foot earlier?" His eyes were slightly red, his hair was a mess, and there was ck mud on his face; he looked very disordered .
Li Wei Yang unconsciously smiled . She touched Li Min De¡¯s face and wiped it for him . "Look at your sorry state . I want those girls who like you to see this . They¡¯d trulyugh to death . "
He stilled, following which he averted his gaze and said, "Always disying an elder sister¡¯s arrogance, you know perfectly well that I¡¯m not younger than you . Even at this stage, you still have to make fun of me, otherwise you wouldn¡¯t be at ease, isn¡¯t that right?"
Li Wei Yang felt that he saw through her thoughts so easily, and she was speechless for a moment . Really, being alone with him for the first time, she didn¡¯t know what to say, so she purposely put up a rxed front to tease him: "I just¡ª"
"You just don¡¯t know how to face me, but I know that no matter how you treat me, my mind won¡¯t change . "
"It won¡¯t change¡ª" Li Wei Yang stilled for a moment, then mumbled as if remembering something, and let out a faint sigh . In this world, was there anything that would be unchanged forever? She didn¡¯t believe, would never believe it . The ones who believed in that were all fools .
Chapter 140.2
Chapter 140.2
Chapter 140: Heaven and Earth Are Torn Asunder
Li Min De didn¡¯t speak anymore . With a cold face, he took off her blood-soaked shoes . "We need to apply medicine . Bear with the pain¡ª"
However, Li Wei Yang noticed the injury on his shoulder . She suddenly remembered that when she had opened her eyes after the earthquake, he still had her pressed tightly under him, his unkempt hair hiding a pair of eyes that were full of worry . But like her, his heart was like a beating drum . . . Now, the clothes that covered his shoulders had long been torn, exposing a section of skin with a criss-cross of bloody gashes, and the wounds were hideously turned inside out . As it turned out, when he had fallen off the horse, he had injured himself . . . . . . It was a long time before she could make a sound: " . . . Why didn¡¯t you apply medicine?"
Li Min De replied straightforwardly: "It¡¯s not necessary for this kind of superficial injury . Your ankle is more important¡ª" He only had one bottle of medicine on him, and he couldn¡¯t waste it carelessly .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s heart suddenly ached: "It¡¯s my fault . I shouldn¡¯t have taken you with me¡ª"
Li Min De frowned: "You want to take a risk by yourself by not bringing me?"
Li Wei Yang stared at him in a daze until he finished the bandaging . When he raised his head, he saw that she was still watching him . His heart stirred, but he didn¡¯t stand up . He only lowered his voice and asked, "Then you . . . and Tuoba Yu . . . what¡¯s that all about?"
This was the thorn buried the deepest in his heart these days, one he couldn¡¯t pull out ore out and ask .
Li Wei Yang was stunned and wanted topose some cock and bull story, but in the end just said honestly: "I don¡¯t like him, and I have also never liked him . Moreover, I¡¯m not going to help him again . Even if you look at it and feel I was helping him¡ª"Looking up and seeing Li Min De actually smiling, she thought that the words she had spoken subconsciously were boring . She couldn¡¯t help pushing him, "Still not getting up¡ª" Only then did she notice that the wound on his shoulder was more serious . With a cry of rm, she hastily pushed him away to carefully look it over, but Li Min De took her hand and held it firmly . His hands were sticky with sweat, as if making up his mind about something, and opened his mouth to confess: "I¡ª"
"You also need to apply medicine¡ªwhat if you get a re-infection!" Without waiting for him to finish, Li Wei Yang hurriedly yanked her hand away . Li Min De stilled and shut his mouth .
Fortunately, Li Min De¡¯s injuries were superficial ones . Only after Li Wei Yang looked them over did she let out a sigh of relief . When she raised her head, he found that he had been staring at her eyes without blinking, looking at them, like . . . her heart started elerating for no reason, and she couldn¡¯t say what she was originally going to .
This guy, it always seemed like there was no way to deal with him .
He wasn¡¯t Tuoba Zhen, so he wasn¡¯t an personal foe; he was not Tuoba Yu, so he wasn¡¯t an ally, nor was he Jiang Hua, so he wasn¡¯t a mortal enemy . So in the end, what is he? A rtive? A person who would sacrifice his life and protect her? Were there rtives like that? Only then, did she notice that his breath was too close . With unprecedented pressure, it made her indescribably panicked . Her heart thumped fiercely, and her face became burning hot . She could only lower her jet-ck eyes, not looking at his face .
Hah, what should she do? The first time, she took the initiative to avoid his meaningful gaze . Li Wei Yang only felt that this situation was extremely bad .
"I like you, and it doesn¡¯t concern anyone else under heaven . Even you can¡¯t stop me . " Li Min De seemed as if he was talking to herself .
"I like you . For you, I can disregard everything . I like you . No matter how bitter or difficult it is, I want you to be happy . "
Li Wei Yang suddenly raised her head and stared at him nkly . At this moment, his handsome face was as distinct as a carved sculpture, and under his raised eyebrows were a pair of calm and steady eyes that could make people¡¯s hearts race . At this moment, he was staring at her unblinkingly, as if the person in front of him would disappear if he blinked .
"I can get injured for you, get hurt for you, die for you, and disappoint everyone under heaven for you . I couldn¡¯t care less about those things . I only want you to smile for me, remember that you have me by your side, remember I love you . So I don¡¯t regret apanying you here . Even if I died here today, I would not regret it . "
Li Wei Yang stilled . He spoke so seriously, like a vow, causing her heartbeat to unexpectedly start to lose its equilibrium . Massaging her heart, she warned herself not to be persuaded by a few words . He was so young, so handsome . There were countless girls who were head over heels for him, not at allcking her one person . She was also not that type of seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl, who would disregard everything and rush headlong into something for the sake of a beautiful young man . There was no stronghold she couldn¡¯t ovee and would not be shaken by anything . She was a person who existed for revenge . Love, this kind of thing, hearing about it was fine, but it mustn¡¯t be taken seriously .
"Min De, I already said¡ª" It took a long time before she restrained the throbbing of her heart, and spoke one word at a time .
Li Min De suddenly smiled and tossed aside the empty medicine bottle . He stood up, and overturned like it had been a joke: "I loathe saying these words the most, so I¡¯ll only say it once . Since you heard it, let¡¯s leave it at that . I will never annoy you by saying it again . Just treat it as if¡ªI never said anything!¡± After he said this, he walked in front of her and crouched down . Without turning his head, he said, ¡°The sky¡¯s going to be dark soon . Even if they don¡¯t find us here, if we keep heading south, we can find the road to go back . Let¡¯s go . "
Was he going to carry her? ! Li Wei Yang stilled and realized soon after that this was the best way . Her feet couldn¡¯t walk yet . If they travelled slowly on foot the whole way, they wouldn¡¯t be able to find anyone even if they walked until dawn . With no other choice, she ced her hands on his shoulders . He carried her, letting her soft body lean against his broad back .
It was fortunate that she didn¡¯t have to look at his face again . Li Wei Yang softly let out a sigh, which brushed past his ears and elicited a peculiar shiver from him . Li Min De stood abruptly: "Then we are off . "
He carried her securely and ran ahead at a brisk pace . Whether it was acting as if nothing had happened was fine or confessing, he was unable to control his emotions and couldn¡¯t help it . How could he be willing to make things difficult for her? There was no one who was more dear than her . For the entire way, he only wanted to walk together with her, merely wanted to carry her like this, and let her confidently depend on him wholeheartedly! It didn¡¯t matter what price he had to pay!
For a whole hour, Li Min De didn¡¯t say a word . Li Wei Yang sighed inwardly . She felt that she had been too blunt and hurt the other party¡¯s feelings and whatnot . After all, although he was always like confession, confession, his heart wasn¡¯t made of stone, which couldn¡¯t be injured . Maybe she should be more tactful in her speech . After all, he was acting for her sake wholeheartedly .
Li Min De did not know that he had thebel of ¡°had his feelings hurt¡± attached to him . The reason for his silence was precisely due to him thinking about whether his performance just now was too intense . Although he had said what was on his mind, everything had to be done step by step . This confession style that freaked people out needed to be improved for next time . Of course, the timing of the next one needed to be chosen well . His sorry appearance now was notposed or elegant enough . It would be difficult to move the person on his mind .
The two, thinking about twopletely unrted problems,psed into silence .
After Li Wei Yang¡¯s long sigh, she eventually heard someone calling her name . She said quickly: "Put me down . "
Li Min De did as he was instructed . He had just barely put the person down, when he saw Li Yuan Heng anxiously hurry over with a group of people .
"Xianzhu! It¡¯s good that you¡¯re alright!" Li Yuan Heng looked at Li Wei Yang with remorse . "When the earthquake happened, I saw Li gongzi rush towards you, so I went to save He Chang first . "
Li Wei Yang nodded and said, "I¡¯m fine . I don¡¯t know if Princess He Chang¡ª"
"My sister was thrown from her horse and identally broke some of her ribs . I already ordered someone to send her back without dy . " Li Yuan Heng replied immediately, "The brother and sister you brought with you were looking for you everywhere . In the end, it was thanks to their luck that we were able to find the right direction . "
Li Wei Yang also saw the sorry looking brother and sister pair, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw that they were uninjured .
"Xiaojie, are you hurt anywhere?" Zhao Yue quickly rushed over .
Li Wei Yang whispered: "It isn¡¯t urgent . It¡¯s an ankle injury so it¡¯s a bit inconvenient to walk . "
Li Yuan Heng was worried when he heard this and promptly said: "Back when I hunted in the grasnds, I would wrap my injuries by myself . Let me have a look . " After saying that, he was going to go over and lift open Li Wei Yang¡¯s skirt .
Li Min De¡¯s face changed colour, and he blocked the way: "There¡¯s no need anymore . This isn¡¯t appropriate . ¡±
Li Yuan Heng stilled . He smiled mockingly and switched to say, "I¡¯m sorry . I was anxious for a moment . Finding a doctor after we return would be fine . Let¡¯s hurry back to the city now . The earthquake from earlier caused a lot of damage . I¡¯m afraid that every family must have suffered losses . "
Li Wei Yang nodded and didn¡¯t say much more, and the party hurried back into the city .
Along the way, Li Wei Yang personally witnessed and heard a lot of news . For example, hundreds of people had already gathered outside of Puji Temple¡¯srgest gate, all of them refugees . For example, many buildings in the princely mansions had fallen apart . For example, dozens of rice shops and private banks in the capital had been robbed . For example, there were some who wanted to profit from others misfortune by charging into the ruined homes . . . Fortunately, the capital¡¯s magistrate entered the pce without dy to make a report and mobilized the imperial guard . For the time being, the situation was under control . But the way Li Wei Yang saw it, clearly the worst was yet toe .
Originally, she had thought that this disaster only urred in the vicinity of the capital . But in fact, when they arrived in the city, she heard Li Yuan Heng say: "I heard that this disaster covered more than half of Da Li . It was very severe!"
"Oh, then what about Mo Bei?" Li Wei Yang asked suddenly .
Li Yuan Heng shook his head and said, "As far as I know, nothing happened to the north . "
"Oh . " Li Wei Yang nodded lightly . "Then . . . in the south?"
Li Yuan Heng frowned, not knowing why an unmarried girl like Li Wei Yang was worrying so much . He muttered: "For the time being, no news hase from the south . " Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t open her mouth again andpsed into silence .
Finally arriving at Li manor, Li Wei Yang saw that the front gate was still in one piece and felt a little relieved .
"Xianzhu has made it home . There must be a lot of matters to handle . I will go first and pay a visit in a few days," Li Yuan Heng said straightforwardly .
Li Wei Yang nodded and watched him leave swiftly . Li Min De snorted behind him,pletely impatient .
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t say much anymore . She held onto Zhao Yue¡¯s hand as she resisted the pain in her ankle and entered Li manor . Standing at the entrance of her home, she perceived the rocks littered all over the ground and realized that the ce was not without damage . She noticed the housekeeper who came out to wee her with trepidation . Li Wei Yang¡¯s face remained calm, but her hands clenched involuntarily: "How is Lao Furen? What about Qi Yiniang and Fourth Shaoye?"
"Replying to Xiaojie, at that time, Lao Furen was ying with Fourth Shaoye in the garden . A corner of the pavilion suddenly copsed . Lao Furen used her own arms to shield Fourth Shaoye . She received a slight graze but nothing too serious . Qi Yiniang already carried Fourth Shaoye back . Fourth Shaoye was scared and kept crying . Fortunately, Furen was there at the time . She was the first to notice that something was wrong and called out, even rushing into the pavilion . If it wasn¡¯t for her pushing Lao Furen and rescuing Fourth Shaoye, and it would have been a terrible thing . " The housekeeper recounted the entire matter thoroughly .
There wasn¡¯t a shred of expression on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face as she listened quietly . So long as the people were fine . However, that Jiang Yue Lan would go as far as to save Min Zhi¡ªthis was something she didn¡¯t expect . "How is the damage at home?" Li Wei Yang walked all the way to He Xiang Courtyard . She needed to pay a visit to Lao Furen first rather than Qi Yiniang¡¯s ce because it was her duty as a granddaughter .
"Laoye¡¯s antique porcin, paintings and calligraphy suffered the most damage . " The housekeeper stammered, "The rest is still alright . "
Although the house hadn¡¯t copsed, all those precious porcin and antiques had directly fallen off the shelves . When people saw the contents of each room inplete disorder, it made their scalps go numb . Thinking of Li Xiao Ran¡¯s frightful expression, the housekeeper couldn¡¯t help but tremble from head to toe .
Li Wei Yang nodded and finally entered Lao Furen¡¯s courtyard with Li Min De . When she reached the doorway, she heard the sound of weeping and her heart tightened . She lifted the curtain hurriedly and went in .
As soon as she stepped in, she heard Lao Furen¡¯s stern rebuke: "What are you crying for! Shut your mouth!" The crying stopped abruptly and became a low sob .
Listening to her so full of energy, Li Wei Yang finally rxed and promptly raised her voice: "Lao Furen, are you alright?"
Li Lao Furen raised her head and saw that it was Li Wei Yang, and moreover she came back in one piece . She finally rxed her unresolved worries, saying: "Everyone is fine . We only lost a few possessions . Look, she¡¯s be a ghost from crying . ¡± Saying so, Lao Furen shot a hard re at Second Furen .
Second Furen sat in a chair and carefully wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief: "Lao Furen, I also don¡¯t want to either, but half of my house caved in . "
At this time, Jiang Yue Lan said: "I can divide my own yard out for brother-inw¡¯s wife . I only have a few people, and we can¡¯t use up such arge courtyard . "
Everyone in the room turned towards her . Jiang Yue Lan had been shut inside the courtyard . Later, the household had been busy entertaining guests, always like this closed off and unpresentable . Li Xiao Ran still let her out, but never acknowledged her again . The family also did not regard her as a person . Suddenly hearing her speak at this moment, Second Furen¡¯s crying stopped unconsciously, and she exchanged a look of dismay with Second Xiaojie next to her . The two of them looked doubtful . After Jiang Yue Lan met with misfortune, they did not bully her less . Why was she suddenly so kind? Could it be that she had some sort of objective?
Seeing Second Furen¡¯s skeptical expression, Jiang Yue Lan said lightly: "What¡¯s more, Second Xiaojie is about to get married and needs a clean room . I can make some space in the eastern wing . " She didn¡¯t do this to im credit but because it was advantageous to her own situation . Her situation nowadays was quite difficult . She absolutely could not do stupid things again!
Li Wei Yang nced at Jiang Yue Lan and said, "I¡¯ve heard about today¡¯s incident from the housekeeper already . I still need to thank Mother for saving Lao Furen and Fourth younger brother . " In fact, if Jiang Yue Lan was smart, she should hope that Lao Furen would die a bit earlier, Li Min Zhi even more so .
A smile emerged on Jiang Yue Lan¡¯s pale face, and she said, "I raised him for several days in any case, so I couldn¡¯t just look on and watch him die . " Saying this, she herself didn¡¯t understand why she had rushed over . It was simply baffling . When she saw Li Min Zhi¡¯s little smiling face, she could not help but take action .
Li Wei Yang smiled and stopped talking . She turned to ask Lao Furen: "How is Father?"
Li Lao Furen¡¯s face fell: ¡°This time, the capital suddenly experienced an earthquake, and many houses copsed . Even His Majesty¡¯s pce was not spared and suffered a huge loss . I heard that His Majesty suffered a great shock . He immediately got people to set up an altar and dered that all the aristocrats and ministers had to go to kneel together . "
Li Wei Yang raised her brows . Although natural disasters were unavoidable, everyone instinctively believed that it was the emperor himself whomitted a wrong, to the extent that the gods descended to fault him . There was that evening where a handful of fires had scared the emperor silly . Suddenly right after, there was an earthquake . With this act, it was even more likely the emperor felt that God was meting out his punishment .
"His Majesty certainly doesn¡¯t think it is his own fault . He feels that he is taking responsibility for mistakes in ce of the officials . " Lao Furen¡¯s face was filled with worry . "He took the princes, noblemen, the prime minister, the officials in charge of the Six Ministries, and even called many of the chancellors to the emperor¡¯s pce . All of them are kneeling along with him . Now by this time, they¡¯ve kneeled for one or two shichen . I¡¯m afraid your father¡¯s body can¡¯t bear it!"
Li Wei Yang held back the smile in her heart . Inside her head, she thought it was good if Li Xiao Ran could kneel for eight or ten days . Better still if he kneeled until his legs were crippled and could never crawl up again . That would unload some of her resentment . But on her face was an identical anxious expression: "Yes, we should prepare some ginger soup a bit earlier . " She nced at Jiang Yue Lan, but she saw the disapproval on her face and couldn¡¯t help but smile . Nowadays, the one who hated Li Xiao Ran the most was not herself but this Li Furen . Not to mention wastering her youth, Li Xiao Ran alsopletely abandoned her at a critical time . The enmity between these two had grown enormously .
After observing Li Furen, Li Wei Yang went around to Qi Yiniang¡¯s ce, resisting the pain in her ankle tofort the frightened mother and son pair . Then, she returned to her yard . When she saw that Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu were in tears waiting for her, she could not help jumping in fright .
Li Min De was dumbfounded: "What are you two doing?"
Bai Zhi sobbed: "Nubi . . . nubi was afraid that Xiaojie¡ª"
Afraid she wouldn¡¯te back? Li Wei Yang thought her fate was sturdy . How could she die outside just because of this? With a smile on her face, sheforted: "No harm done . See, didn¡¯t Ie back safe and sound?"
Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu nodded repeatedly, but still could not control their bawling . Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t say anymore and was supported back into the house, but her ankle was already swollen . Li Min De ignored Bai Zhi¡¯s startled gaze as he took off her shoes and massaged her foot tenderly: "I told you toe back and rest first, but you insisted on running over there . I said it was no problem if I just went . "
In front of Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were a pair of gentle and unfathomable eyes . Concern and reluctance to let go were written in them . Even if he knew he was kind to her, but really looking at him like this made her heart soft . However, she still could not ept it!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s brows tightened, and now she really knew what pain was . She bit down on her pale lips as beads of sweat trickled down her forehead: "You don¡¯t know how to wrap it . Let Bai Zhi do it . " It really hurt to death . There was no way to stop the pain with good looks alone, Li Wei Yang added in her heart .
He was indeed all thumbs and probably made it more painful for her . Li Min De¡¯s face flushed before releasing his hand . Li Wei Yang quickly shooed him away: "You¡¯re injured yourself . Still not hurrying to find a doctor to take a look?"
She couldn¡¯t look at his eyes anymore . If she looked, it would only cause her willpower to fall apart .
Li Min De stood up and retreated to one side: "I¡¯m fine . " Bai Zhi took over his task, and said carefully: "Xiaojie, you need to see a doctor . This ankle is severely swollen . "
Li Wei Yang thought that this was not caused by Li Min De . He wouldn¡¯t forcibly bandage it . She might as well do it by herself¡ª
Li Min De sat down on one side, his eyes still fixed on her, but what he said was: "Now you can tell me your n, right?"
When Li Wei Yang saw that he was unwilling to leave, she no longer dissuaded him . She smiled and said: "Such a big incident urred . Our original n will need to be adjusted . "
Li Min De frowned: "You mean this earthquake? Will it change the situation?"
Bai Zhi¡¯s movements were gentle and effective . Li Wei Yang breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Of course, if only Da Li is affected and Mo Bei and Nan Jiang are fine, it¡¯s hard to guarantee that there won¡¯t be a war . Even if there is norge-scale war, the looting of burning houses definitely won¡¯t be few . There are also the troublemakers in various regions¡ª"
Li Min De immediately thought of the key point: "Are you afraid of the Jiang familying back?"
A cold smile formed on Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips: "Something that you and I can think of, do you think they also wouldn¡¯t? Duke Jiang is afraid that he will note back . Moreover, the rest of the Jiang family is also waiting for him to be restored to his former post . After all such a major event ured, the emperor will reconsider the mourning period for a parent . Unique circumstances require unique solutions . There have been instances of this before . "
Amusement shed in Li Min De¡¯s eyes: "You¡¯re saying that we have apanied this Fourth Prince of Mo Bei to put on a y for the past few days . Should we put it to good use?"
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was full of mockery: "Yes, there is no free lunch in this world . Asking me to apany him on a hunt, he always needs to send me a little return gift . I am afraid that he will shed blood sorrowfully¡ª"
Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu nced at each other, and it became more and more unclear what Li Wei Yang was thinking . . . How could it be so easy for the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei to shed blood sorrowfully . How could it be that easy!
££££££Digression£££££££
Chapter 141.1
Chapter 141.1
Chapter 141: Preparing a Feint Attack
(1) Ñ× - the meaning for this character is ¡°me¡± .
The emperor hastily issued an edict for self-reflection and in addition, opened up the granaries to begin provisioning food to civilians affected by the disaster in various regions . The public sentiment of unrest was quickly pacified, and themon people who had nned to flee the disaster-stricken areas began to return to their hometowns to rebuild their homes . And the capital, which had sustained considerably lighter damage, was once more in the midst of renovations .
The situation had temporarily calmed down on the surface, but in reality, people in the capital were also beginning to get restless . First, the emperor issued an edict to order Duke Jiang, who was originally on the way, to return and defend the southern borders . In order to respond to the current political situation on that end, his attitude towards the Jiang family had proceeded to loosen considerably . In ten days, he had called Jiang Xu into the pce three times in session . Moreover, they discussed official business in the imperial study in private . For a while, discussion sprang up everywhere in the capital . Such news reached Li Wei Yang¡¯s ears, but as if she wasn¡¯t aware, she behaved withplete indifference .
This situation was originally within expectations, and there wasn¡¯t anything strange . Li Wei Yang saw that even Li Xiao Ran couldn¡¯t sit still . Twice every three days, he would summon advisers to his study to assess the situation, while she minded her own business and nursed her injuries, slept, and watched over the yatou as they made an inventory of the damages . Afterwards, shemented a bit over the broken antiques and vases . She asionallyforted Sun Yan Jun, who had suffered heavy losses, just like those noble youngdies in other families .
However, the Ninth Princess suddenly sent an invitation to Li Wei Yang . Li Wei Yang grasped the gilded invitation in her hand and thought for half a day before recalling that the meeting ce was in another courtyard .
"Xiaojie, are you going to keep the appointment?" Bai Zhi asked in a low voice .
Li Wei Yang sighed and carelessly tossed the invitation aside, saying: "The princess made an appointment, so naturally I have to go . I imagine she probably has something to tell me . "
A strange expression appeared on Bai Zhi¡¯s face . Why would the Ninth Princess look for Li Wei Yang at this time? Furthermore, the wording on that invite seemed to be very sincere, and it must have been asking for a request . But the danger of marriage was already gone, so just what did the Ninth Princess want to do?
Knowing that Li Min De would definitely stop her, Li Wei Yang did not inform him . Instead, she personally kept the appointment because her intuition told her that the Ninth Princess really had an urgent matter . Waiting until she arrived at the other courtyard, Bai Zhi supported Li Wei Yang off the carriage . Ninth Princess was unexpectedly waiting at the door in person . As soon as she saw Li Wei Yang, she rushed over with an anxious look in her eyes: "Sister Wei Yang! Come take a look at Seventh brother! His condition is really not good!"
Tuoba Yu? Li Wei Yang¡¯s gaze was indifferent for a moment, but she was not in a hurry: "Oh, what¡¯s wrong with Seventh Prince?"
"After Virtuous Consort niang niang passed away, he kept guarding her pce and refused toe out, and even refused to let anyone bury her . Until the earthquake happened, he was still holding onto Virtuous Consort niang niang¡¯s corpse and wouldn¡¯t let go . Later he was injured by a falling pir . His guards had to forcibly bring him out . " Ninth Princess¡¯s face was extremely uneasy . "But he¡ªin addition to a high fever and fainting spells every day, even when he wakes up, he still refuses to take medicine¡ªI want to report this to Father Emperor . However, both Father Emperor and Mother Empress are troubled over matters rted to the earthquake . I really can¡¯t bear to give them more worries, but I also have no other options!"
Tears involuntarily appeared in the eyes of Ninth Princess . Fearing that Li Wei Yang would be annoyed, she quickly raised her sleeves to wipe away the tears . "Seventh Brother has always been strong and he¡¯s never been like this . He narrowly escaped during the earthquake, but if it continues like this, he can only wait for death¡ª"
Li Wei Yang pursed her lips, and her expression returned to a smile: "Princess, heartache requires medicine for the heart to cure it . I have no way to bring Virtuous Consort niang niang back to life . What use is it to look for me?"
Ninth Princess quickly said: "That¡¯s not my meaning . I just¡ªknow that Seventh Brother likes you, so maybe he will listen to you! I want to ask you to give it a try, even if it¡¯s for the sake of my face, please help him!
Li Wei Yang looked into Ninth Princess¡¯s eyes, which were filled with tears, and could not help but slowly answer: "Seventh Prince is actually very blessed . He doesn¡¯t have Virtuous Consort at his side, but at least he still has a younger sister who cares about him like this . Unfortunately, I can¡¯t help him . Nobody can help him apart from himself . "
"It doesn¡¯t matter! Just go and see him! Just one nce! Take it as me begging you, alright, Wei Yang jiejie?" Ninth Princess¡¯s eyes were tearful . Li Wei Yang was clearly herst hope .
Li Wei Yang shook her head, sighed and said, "I¡¯ll visit him, but I¡¯m only going to visit a sick patient, do you understand?" Not to cure an illness . Those were two different things . She had no responsibility and obligation to shoulder the expectations of others, but she also wanted to know what state Tuoba Yu was currently in to be able to make Ninth Princess this anxious .
Ninth Princess¡¯ tears turned into a smile, and she said seriously, "Wei Yang jiejie, thank you . If you need my help with anything in the future, don¡¯t hesitate to ask!"
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, "Can¡¯t say for sure¡ªif I really need your help someday, remember your words first . "
Ninth Princess nodded solemnly, but her beautiful face was still glistening with tears . Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t say anymore and turned into the courtyard .
As soon as she entered the room, her nostrils were assailed by the smell of blood, and things on the floor were inplete disorder . Li Wei Yang nced around . Sure enough, she saw Tuoba Yu sitting on a yellow rattan chair in the middle of the room . His eyes were half open, and his expression was apathetic as he stared out into space . There was a lot of blood on the bandage dressings on his shoulder as well . It was clearly just like how the Ninth Princess had described it . He refused to let others treat him .
Li Wei Yang whispered: "Seventh Prince . "
Hearing her voice, Tuoba Yu suddenly red up and opened his eyes, but the moment he saw her face clearly, he turned his face and said hoarsely: "Didn¡¯t you give up on mepletely? Why did youe here?"
The indifference on Li Wei Yang¡¯s face made her into a different person from the one who was outside the room just now, and she seemed to have a bit of heartfelt care: ¡°Even if we can¡¯t be allies, I thought we were at least friends . Shouldn¡¯t I alsoe pay a visit and see how you¡¯re doing? Or do you not want to see me anymore?"
Tuoba Yu just smiled coldly: "Is human garbage like me even worth your attention?"
"What are you say¡ª¡±
"I¡¯m not a fool!" Tuoba Yu stared at her with pain in his pitch-ck eyes . "The Empress and the Crown Prince acted together to kill my mother, and I had no way to save her . What good is it for a useless person like me to remain in this world! You don¡¯t have to lie to me . I¡¯ve known for a long time . I¡¯ve failed to live up to your expectations over and over again . Even in front of Mother, I couldn¡¯t even say no . In your eyes that is already equivalent to trash, am I wrong?"
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, "Seventh Prince, do you me me for failing to save your mother? So you¡¯re going to give up on yourself in here and intend to die from refusing to treat your wounds?"
Tuoba Yu suddenly fixed his stare on her, the unparalleled chill in his eyes making his handsome face look unexpectedly hostile: "Even if I died, it¡¯s better than helplessly despising myself like this!" He had never suffered such a blow in all his years¡ªit could be called a crushing defeat . The result of his momentary poor decision to let go of the enemy even caused his own mother to perish within the opponent¡¯s trap! It was all because of him¡ªhe who had always been proud had absolutely no way to ept this fact!
Li Wei Yang no longer smiled . She looked at him coldly with a gaze that could freeze ake: "I originally didn¡¯t intend to tell it to you straight, since you have self-awareness . I don¡¯t need to repeat those kinds of sugar coated words! You¡¯re right that you only have yourself to me for the present! Long ago, I warned you that you had to be ruthless to your enemies in order to survive! But for the sake of a little benefit, worrying that your own people would be implicated, you let the chance to deal a fatal blow to the enemy slip! To the Jiang family, to the Crown Prince, to Tuoba Zhen, again and again and again! You are right . It is all your own fault! Virtuous Consort was killed by your own indecisiveness!"
Tuoba Yu¡¯s face paled in an instant . He didn¡¯t expect Li Wei Yang to reprimand him like this to his face¡ª¡ª
"What? Feeling guilty? Or regret?" Li Wei Yang sneered . ¡°Let me tell you, since you were born into the royal family, you should work hard and do your utmost to survive . Otherwise, take advantage of this time and quickly get lost! No one will keep you here! Because for trash like you, there are many people who can take your ce! Or I can tell you the end result now . You, the Duke Luo residence, the strategic advisers at your side, those who depend on you to survive, they will all die! One by one, they will continue to die in front of you!"
Tuoba Yu suddenly stood up . Because he used too much force, the bandages wrapped around his shoulders were soaked deep red . At this moment, he had already been driven into a rage . He rushed over and grabbed Li Wei Yang by the shoulders . Although his face was smiling, it was warped into something sinister and scared people: "Li Wei Yang! What do you know? What basis do you have to say that! For what reason!"
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were ice-cold . WIthout the slightest hesitation, she swiftly gave him a p across the face . The p was so resounding that Tuoba Yu was stunned silly . He subconsciously stumbled back half a step, and unexpectedly, his arms weakly released her .
Li Wei Yang looked at him apathetically: "Why do you think I chose you? Because Tuoba Zhen hates you, because the person he¡¯s most jealous of is you! Because you were born with everything he doesn¡¯t have! So I hold you up, help you, because I want to see what he looks like as he suffers . I want to see him crushed underfoot by the person he hates and loathes and looks down on the most! Not only that . Even though you weren¡¯t ruthless enough before, at least I still thought you were a man with an indomitable spirit who would stop at nothing, who wouldn¡¯t ce the me on others, wouldn¡¯t be unable to get back up because of one tiny setback! But what the hell are you like now! I am really blind to think you had the ability to fight with Tuoba Zhen . By the looks of it now, you will die in his hands sooner orter! So get lost, or you¡¯ll have to watch with your own eyes as Tuoba Zhen ughters your friends, your rtives! Watch him trample your residence t! Watch him as he ascends to the Emperor¡¯s seat!"
"Shut up! Shut your mouth!" Tuoba Yu turned around and unexpectedly drew the dagger at his side . The dagger that glittered like frost and snow reached Li Wei Yang¡¯s ear in a moment, but he suddenly stopped . It was unclear whether the emotion in his eyes was love or hatred, me or poison .
Li Wei Yang looked at the dagger that glinted with chilling light but smiled faintly . There wasn¡¯t any fear whatsoever: "What? Too harsh for your ears? I might as well tell you that Tuoba Zhen watched his biological mother die in his childhood, but for a greater cause, he could endure everything . He knew that Able Consort Wu killed his mother, but in front of his personal enemy, he could also smile and call her mother . Could you? For the sake of sess, Tuoba Zhen can wag his tail and beg for pity in front of the Crown Prince time and time again . Are you able to? For the throne, Tuoba Zhen will make use of everything that can be used . Eliminate all those who oppose him . Can you? Compared to him, you are just a coward! For a small thing, you are here to court death, your life has really been too smooth! Look at you now, you can¡¯t even hold a dagger steady . What qualifications do you have to vent your anger at an innocent woman like me . It¡¯s simply hard to understand .
Tuoba Yu quivered¡ªher words that reprimanded him severely shook him to the depths of his soul! Violently flinging the dagger aside, he gasped for breath¡ªdid he ever think about taking action for real¡ªtowards Li Wei Yang, how could he have made a move!
Tuoba Yu knelt down in front of her and buried his head in his hands . Even though the wounds on his shoulders were already oozing with blood, he waspletely unaware of it . He seemed to have lost the rage and vivacity he just had: "I¡¯m sorry ¡ªI . . . I¡¯m dizzy . I¡ªI¡¯ve never failed like this¡ªI watched mother concubine lose her life because of my own mistakes! Wei Yang, I¡ªI really hate myself¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang knew that the most suitable opportunity had arrived . The reason she came today was all for such an opportunity . She sighed, as if the former coldness had never existed . Contrary to expectation, she crouched down and spoke tenderly: "Seventh Prince, you are the Emperor¡¯s most beloved prince . This is where you have an advantage over Tuoba Zhen . I know that the death of Virtuous Consort niang niang will be an enormous blow to you, but if you are unable to recover, who can help her seek her revenge? Think about it . The Crown Prince and Empress, and also Tuoba Zhen, and of course there¡¯s Jiang Hua who¡¯s plotting all of this behind the scenes . All of them are waiting to see you make a fool of yourself . Do you want them to keep being this arrogant? Or do you want to be the person with the dagger tearing them to sheds one by one?" Her voice was incredibly gentle, carrying a bewitching power . Tuoba Yu slowly raised his head and gazed at her .
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was overwhelmingly beautiful, but there wasn¡¯t the least bit of softness in it . She slowly picked up the dagger from the ground and personally handed it to Tuoba Yu, then unhurriedly, protractedly let his hand grip that dagger . Tuoba Yu finally grasped it tightly, even though it was the dagger¡¯s sharp de that had already cut his palm open . Scarlet blood dripped down without his notice . He merely looked at the dagger seriously without saying a word, as if lost in his thoughts .
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly . She got up to open the door of the room without another nce at Tuoba Yu, who was still in a daze . Soon after, she gently closed the door .
Faced with the eager expression of Ninth Princess, Li Wei Yang said: "Let him be alone for a while . I think you will see him cheer up soon . "
Knowing the Crown Prince and the Empress¡¯ ns, it was clear that they were nning to use the death of the Virtuous Consort to deal a blow to Tuoba Yu . They knew that the mother and son rtionship between Virtuous Consort and Tuoba Yu had not been ordinary . They were aware that Tuoba Yu¡¯s only weakness might well be that mother of his . The reason why Li Wei Yang watched unfeelingly as Consort Lian fanned the mes and didn¡¯t stop it all for this day . She needed Tuoba Yu¡¯s power . When she contended against Tuoba Zhen, Tuoba Yu would be the knife that would pierce the chest of the other party . But this knife was too blunt . She had no choice but to polish him a little faster with her own hands . The ringleaders behind the death of Virtuous Consort were the Crown Prince and the Empress, and of course there was also Tuoba Zhen . One can imagine how deep Tuoba Yu¡¯s enmity was, and this hatred would erase hisst trace ofpassion and weakness .
This was the best way . Because Tuoba Yu¡¯s days ordinarily passed too smoothly, because he was too outstanding and never tasted defeat, people who didn¡¯t understand defeat had no motivation, and had no faith that there would be certain victory . . . in the future, everything would be different .
Li Wei Yang sat in the carriage . Flickers of sunlight asionally filtered through the carriage curtains and fell on her face, leaving behind wavering light and shadow . At this moment, she seemed to be a person who resided in the light and the darkness, her features indistinguishable .
"Xiaojie, nubi feels¡ªyou were a bit too cold towards Seventh Prince . " Mo Zhu said quietly .
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes and looked at her but smiled slightly: "He is merely an ally . Why would I need to bepassionate and softhearted towards him?"
Mo Zhu and Bai Zhi looked at each . Bai Zhi gave her a meaningful nce, which told her not to go on, but Mo Zhu still sympathized with the cold-faced yet inwardly affectionate Seventh Highness, and said in a low voice, "But he likes you so much¡ª"
"He initially liked me because I was useful to him, didn¡¯t he?" Tuoba Yu wouldn¡¯t like a person who waspletely useless . Just like that time he first saw her in the perg at the entrance of the vige, he had merely found her interesting but had no intention to help her .
Mo Zhu felt very strange and said: "Then towards Third Shaoye, you¡ª" She said halfway through, suddenly realized that she had said too much, and her face paled in fear .
Li Wei Yang heard this, but her expression became much softer . She did not answer Mo Zhu¡¯s words, despite the fact that this time, even Bai Zhi was staring at her curiously . As observers, did they feel she treated Li Min De differently?
Perhaps it was really different .
Li Wei Yang smiled, lowered her eyes, and then whispered: "Naturally, there is a reason for this . . . "
The two girls in the carriage pricked up their ears at the same time and listened attentively .
"He likes me for no reason . " Her voice was very light and soft, and the expression in her eyes was tender . She said with a heartfelt emotion, "Without caring about identity or about gains and losses, purely because I am me . And he likes me like this . Am I Li Wei Yang? Or someone else? Or what will I be like in the future? He doesn¡¯t care about that . It¡¯s really nice to be liked by someone like this . " She sighed softly, lost in thought, and didn¡¯t go on .
Maybe even she herself didn¡¯t know how to deal with such feelings . . .
Back in her own yard, Li Wei Yang ordered Bai Zhi to grind ink . At this moment, the window was half open and the wind rushed in, dispersing the fragrance of ink within the room . Li Wei Yang held the writing brush and stared down at the paper on the table . Her brows wrinkled slightly, unwilling to put the brush to paper .
The character was still so ugly . She even said she wouldn¡¯t write anymore, but she still couldn¡¯t help picking up the pen again .
The door squeaked, pushed open from the outside . The person who came in was Li Min De .
He threw a brocade box towards the table, then turned and walked towards her: "That guy sends gifts like three meals a day . Looks like he¡¯s really trying to deceive your maiden heart . "
Li Wei Yang hummed in agreement .
"The day before yesterday, it was a luminous pearl bigger than a chicken egg . Yesterday, it was an extremely hard to find Lantian jade annulus . Today, it¡¯s an ink stick that will never dry . It must have taken a lot of thought . " Li Min De said .
Li Wei Yang agreed again .
Li Min De couldn¡¯t help but ask: "He¡¯s still preparing to meet you tomorrow . Are you going?"
Li Wei Yang smiled, still hummed, and finally put down the brush . She had actually written a Yan (1) character . Li Min De¡¯s gaze twinkled a few times, and he simply took a seat on the table . Turning sideways, he carefully scrutinized the word she had written at close range, he suddenly raised his brows and said, "Is it almost the crucial moment?"
Li Wei Yangughed: "It is indeed . "
Li Min De gazed at her brightly: "When do we make a move?"
Li Wei Yang¡¯s smile was even lighter: "By my guess, the army in Mo Bei has now assembled at the northern border, and the other side will soon make a move . So the n to elope will probably speed up as well . "
"But will he believe you so easily?" Li Min De looked at her .
Li Wei Yang sighed, as if regretful, and said: "That¡¯s why we need to put on a performance . "
Li Min De looked at her and suddenly smiled faintly: "Actually, have you ever thought that this y would be a bit difficult for you? A girl experiencing her first love . Do you think it¡¯s simr?"
Li Wei Yang raised her eyes in astonishment .
Li Min De¡¯s gaze was abstruse and transparent, possessing an indescribable brightness . He looked and watched at her, speaking one word at a time: "Unless you know how to act like a girl in love towards a man, it¡¯s tough to convince anyone otherwise . "
Li Wei Yang would have never thought that he could actuallye up with such a statement . After her initial astonishment, sheughed . With a sigh, she said: "Right, a girl experiencing her first love . It¡¯s really not easy to act out . "
Chapter 141.2
Chapter 141.2
Chapter 141: Preparing a Feint Attack
(1) Eryue He (Chinese: ¶þÔºÓ), was a Chinese historical fiction writer . He is best known for writing biographical novels of three Qing dynasty emperors (Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong), all of which have been adapted into award-winning television series .
(2) ording to wikipedia, Records of the Grand Historian, also known by its Chinese name Shiji, is a monumental history of ancient China and the world finished around 94 BC by the Han dynasty official Sima Qian .
The news of a betrothal between Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince and the di-born daughter of the Nan An marquisate spread quickly . People called the two of them the beauty and the hero and said that theyplemented each other well . However, many others began to spread another story that Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince was quite taken with the third Xiaojie of Prime Minister Li¡¯s household, the brilliant and well-known Anping Xianzhu . It was said that the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei was very good-looking . Furthermore, he was well versed in both literary and military affairs, as well as a strong contender for Mo Bei¡¯s throne . Anping Xianzhu was not easy to marry because of her excessively overwhelming reputation . Therefore, she wanted to take advantage of the currents to push the boat towards Mo Bei and be the influential and distinguished Fourth imperial concubine . It was even possible that she could take the position of Mo Bei¡¯s empress in the future . Who would have thought that as soon as the emperor had agreed to the marriage, Ji Xiang Pce had caught fire . The emperor felt it was inauspicious and cancelled the marriage . Instead, he asked the old Marquis of Nan An to pick up a readily avable son-inw .
However, now that eyes were on the earthquake, His Majesty likely felt that it wasn¡¯t appropriate to set any other ns into motion . Moreover, the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei clearly didn¡¯t think much of the Nan An marquisate¡¯s Xiaojie, but was contrarily running over to Prime Minister Li¡¯s residence quite diligently . The gifts came like running water, which greatly disyed the wealth of Mo Bei¡¯s royal family, and it was clear to see that he was unwilling to give up . However, he failed to move Li Wei Yang, but made countless nobledies in the capital jealous to no end . They had started out thinking that Mo Bei was a ce of destion . How could itpare with the prosperity of the capital? For that reason, no one was willing to be married off there in the past . But now, they saw boxes upon boxes of gifts delivered to Prime Minister Li¡¯s residence, and their eyes were pinned to them . They discovered that they hadpletely missed out on an ideal son-inw .
Five days ago, an alms booth was opened in front of the Li manor gates . As a result, someone deliberately caused trouble and almost caused Anping Xianzhu to be injured . It just so happened that Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince was there, and by chance, the hero saved the beauty . Thus, it seemed that the unmoved Li Wei Yang no longer put on a stiff face that would repel people for thousands of miles . As a result, the Fourth Prince made another application, and asked the emperor to exchange his marriage partner . However, at that time, the emperor was hard-pressed by the earthquake situation and was not willing to change his mind so casually . The Fourth Prince of Mo Bei went to the imperial pce three times a day . The emperor was so vexed that he simply gave the Third Prince, Tuoba Zhen, full authority to handle the matter .
However, Tuoba Zhen naturally also refused to change the marriage partner, so after a good bout of tai chi, he firmly blocked the Fourth Prince¡¯s harassment . However, when the Fourth Prince dered that Li Wei Yang also tacitly agreed to marry him, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s face changed .
Tuoba Zhen came out of the Empress¡¯ Kun Ning Pce and had just reached Yong An gate, when he encountered a person he did not expect to meet .
The wless smile on his lips immediately hardened into an inflexible stiffness¡ª
Li Wei Yang!
Li Wei Yang lifted the corners of her lips slightly and regarded him coldly: "Your Highness . "
Tuoba Zhen smiled . It was still his usual gentle smile that gave people the impression of a refreshing spring breeze: "Why has Anping Xianzhue into the pce today?" Yes, ever since she had rejected his feelings three times, mutual fighting was like an inescapable fate¡ªbut he would make her understand that he would be the final victor . She would have to depend on him to survive .
Not intending to answer his question, Li Wei Yang merely greeted him coolly and walked past him . On the long pce road, there was only the sound of Li Wei Yang¡¯s unhurried footsteps as she walked by . Their sound gradually dispersed, knocking one by one against his heart .
"Anping Xianzhu . "
Li Wei Yang halted her steps, her beautiful light blue skirt fluttering with the wind .
"Perhaps you still owe me an exnation?" Tuoba Zhen could no longer restrain the throbbing of his heart . His ice-cold voice brought with it ample mockery, "I thought you were unwilling to marry Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince, so when there was a fire at Ji Xiang Pce I was not surprised . But now, what¡¯s this all about?"
Li Wei Yang turned back coldly, but saw Tuoba Zhen . She did not know when he had ended up behind her . The faint incense on his body was interspersed betweenyers of brocade satin robes, making her take half a step back in disgust .
"Are you so afraid of me?" Tuoba Zhen waved his hand, and the pce maids and court eunuchs tactfully retreated . Seeing that no one else was present, the venomous and gloomy smile deepened, "I actually forgot! Who are you afraid of now? A single Anping Xianzhu¡ªtricking the Mo Bei prince into going around in circles! No, or perhaps you are even ying all of us! Everyone outside is saying that the Fourth Prince has been bewitched by you until his soul and spirit had flipped upside down . Even the wife that the emperor bestowed on him has been pushed to the back of his mind . All day long, gifts are sent to the Prime Minister¡¯s manor . I hear rumors about the hustle and bustle every day! It seems that I have never seen through you . Double-crossing, back-stabbing and shameless¡ªthis is your true nature!"
Li Wei Yang regarded him coldly, as if looking at a freak . Tuoba Zhen¡¯s uncontroble shouting is entirely different from the usual suppressed and calm tone, as if he is already on the verge of losing control .
She smiled coldly: "Your Highness, originally I was not satisfied with this marriage, but now I feel that the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei is quite good . Say nothing of his good looks, he puts me first in everything . Are you satisfied with this answer?"
"Are you crazy?!" Tuoba Zhen¡¯s pupils contracted sharply and shouted subconsciously .
Li Wei Yang seemed to bepletely unaware of his mood, but just smiled and said, "What does it have to do with you?"
What does it have to do with him? Right, what was Li Wei Yang to him? What rtion did her actions have to do with him? Even if she hated Li Yuan Heng at first and now she was going back on that, it was all her own business, and it wasn¡¯t his, Tuoba Zhen¡¯s matter to care about! She was neither his wife nor his lover, so what was he feeling so indignant for! Tuoba Zhen knew this and had admonished himself countless times, but his reason and feelings were separated . He could not get rid of this intense feeling of humiliation in his heart . Li Wei Yang would rather choose an insignificant fourth prince of Mo Bei rather than choose him! For what reason!
His heart trembled violently, and he took a step forward, almost heard each other breathing . He looked straight at her and did his utmost to say calmly: "Li Wei Yang, first you refused to marry, and after that, you got so close to that guy . What the hell are you trying to do?"
Under normal circumstances, he would have urately discerned Li Wei Yang¡¯s true intentions . However, while he was immersed in extreme resentment and jealousy, he had no way to make an urate judgment . Now he didn¡¯t even know what Li Wei Yang wanted to do!
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, "Didn¡¯t I already say that I have a good impression of Li Yuan Heng? Because even though he also uses the same ruthless means to kill people like flies, at least he¡¯s a real viin, not a hypocrite . Your Highness, as for what I¡¯m going to do, you might as well wait a bit more . Perhaps you will understand quite soon . "
"Li Wei Yang¡ª" Tuoba Zhen smiled through gritted teeth, drawing near her desperately . Towering above her, he confined her between his arms, almost sticking to the wall behind, "I will not let father emperor alter the marriage partner . Even if you regret it, it will be the same . Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince cannot genuinely take you as his wife!"
This was what she was waiting for! Li Wei Yang suppressed the sneer in her heart, but her face remained unmoved: "Do you think I care about this kind of fake reputation? Your Highness, not everyone in the world is wrapped around your finger . "
It was still this kind of insufferable arrogance . Why was she never willing to bow her head to him! Even if he said some sweet words, there was no need for him to rack his brains because he couldn¡¯t get her, and so, he would rather destroy her! He hated that he would never catch her attention and hated that she always looked at him with such cold eyes even more!
Tuoba Zhen¡¯s gaze was electric, like the edge of a de, as he fixed his attention on Li Wei Yang . He knew that she could put on an act, and knows that her speech and words all concealed her twisting thoughts even more . How much contempt and scorn were concealed in these seemingly pure and innocent eyes!
When his mind buzzing, he grasped her chin between his fingers and leaned down¡ª
"Tuoba Zhen!" Li Wei Yang¡¯s lips hooked upwards . Her voice was soft but cold as frost . "In this ce, at this moment¡ªyou¡ªthe always noble and unppable Third Prince, are you going to dishonour the Anping Xianzhu?"
As if struck by lightning,Tuoba Zhen¡¯s movementpletely stopped . His knuckles became cold and stiff . He felt that it would only take one small movement for his bones to rattle .
Li Wei Yang knew him too well! He really couldn¡¯t do it! Because of his great undertaking that he constantly reminded himself about! There could be no moment of carelessness because of a woman! He slowly let go and lowered his hands weakly . He exhaled in defeat¡ªLi Wei Yang, clearly you anticipated my actions, but still forced me to lose control . You are really too vicious!
Li Wei Yang lightly dusted off her shoulders and gave him a contemptuous smile: "I take my leave . "
Tuoba Zhen stared nkly as Li Wei Yang walked off, as the pce maid standing a ways off hurried to keep up . Li Wei Yang¡¯s back gradually disappeared from the end of the alleyway .
Why, why could you firmly control everyone¡¯s minds! When you didn¡¯t like Li Yuan Heng, you dared to set fire to the pce in order to reject the marriage . Now that you¡¯ve taken a shine to him, you are ready to go back on your words and marry him! Where would there be such an easy thing! I absolutely will not let this marriage have anyplications whatsoever . You¡ªLi Wei Yang, will never be married to Li Yuan Heng! Tuoba Zhen clenched his fists, his face was terrifyingly sinister: One day, you will definitely be mine!
After exiting the pce gates, Li Wei Yang let out a sigh of relief . When dealing with Tuoba Zhen, every expression must be considered, and every sentence must be weighed in advance . If there was any oversight, it would be seized by the other party and used against her, allowing him to guess her true intentions .
So why wouldn¡¯t she prepare in advance? It seemed as if she had said many things, but in fact, every sentence was intended to mislead him into thinking that she was charmed by Li Yuan Heng . To be charmed by the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei¡ªthis line was enough to trick outsiders . However, to deceive Tuoba Zhen was not easy . Only by making it hard to tell what was real or a lie, preparing a feint attack, could he be convinced . After all, her acting skills were not good and she needed to continue to hone them .
In the carriage at the pce gates, a young boy in brocade robes was sitting at the front of the carriage waiting for her, looking as if he had been waiting for ages . She came to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager today and did not bring her yatou into the pce . She wanted to get on the carriage on her own, but after moving, she sharply inhaled in pain . The wound on her foot still hadn¡¯t healed, but she had been enduring it the whole time .
Li Min De¡¯s eyes shed slightly, and he reached out to catch her at lightning speed . With very little strength, he supported her by the waist into the carriage .
She became all the more stunned . When she looked up, she saw his attractive side profile and couldn¡¯t help but sigh . "I said before that I¡¯d be fine entering the pce alone . Why did you need to follow and wait for me?" she asked softly .
Li Min De didn¡¯t speak and only ordered the coachman to return to Li manor . Arriving at the manor gates, Zhao Yue immediately greeted them and helped Li Wei Yang all the way back to her yard . But just as she entered her own yard, there was the high door threshold that caused people to shrink back . Li Wei Yang held back the pain in her foot so that she could step across . Who would have thought that her entire person would suddenly be hanging in midair . She waspletely shocked¡ªsomeone who had been standing silently behind her this whole time had suddenly picked her up .
"Zhao Yue, close the door . " He dropped a sentence . Zhao Yue was given a fright and quickly shut the courtyard door . Tsk tsk, her young master was just too daring and was not afraid to let others see .
Li Min De strode, bypassing the corridor, and entered the inner room .
"Let me down," Li Wei Yang said hurriedly, not knowing why her face suddenly felt hot .
But he ignored her, and a voice came from the front¡ª¡ª
"Xiaojie . . . " It was Bai Zhi who greeted her .
His steps paused slightly, but he continued to move forward again, walking around the speaker withrge strides and instructed in a low voice, "Go find the doctor . "
Bai Zhi seemed to be ustomed to the sight . Without the least bit of reaction, she made a sound of agreement as if this was all to be expected, so much that it didn¡¯t seem like there was the intention to save her family¡¯s Xiaojie from hell or high water .
Li Wei Yang was enraged and almost yelled at him to quickly put her down .
Li Min De suddenly lowered his eyes and gave her a look . Looking into that pair of amber eyes and at the distress buried deep within them, she suddenly lost her voice .
When he reached the chaise longue, he stopped suddenly and put her down, and his lips moved slightly: "It¡¯s probably serious, right?"
Li Wei Yang gritted her teeth and said, "I¡¯m fine . "
He lifted his brows and said in a cool, ruthless tone: "You really dare to press your luck . Are you not afraid of crippling your foot?" Looking at her left foot that didn¡¯t dare to touch the ground, his face changed again, "Does it really hurt?"
She frowned . Just as she was about to speak, he suddenly crouched down and held her ankle in his hand and took off her shoes, revealing her swollen left ankle .
He stared at it for a while, then forcefully pressed down on it with his palm . She obviously wanted to endure the pain, but she cried out by ident . He stood up and whispered: "Not bad . "
She hurriedly responded: "I told you everything is fine!"
Li Min De frowned, a face that rarely showed displeasure or gloominess: "And I told you that you don¡¯t have to try so hard to put on an act . It¡¯s fine to just spread some rumors!"
Li Wei Yang looked at him and whispered: "Tuoba Zhen wouldn¡¯t believe it . Today I was in the pce and bumped into him coincidentally . I put a lot of thought into it, so hopefully I was able to deceive him by some degree . " Tuoba Zhen is a person with serious paranoia . If one wanted to deceive him, then she must say it with her own mouth .
Bai Zhi came in with the medicine box: "Xiaojie, the doctor will be here soon . Please apply some medicinal oil first . "
Li Wei Yang knit her brows and said, "I said that there is no need to involve so many people!" But after ncing at Li Min De¡¯s face, she refrained from saying her next words andpromised, "Fine, I still need to attend a banquet this evening . Don¡¯t smear on too much . The smell is too strong . "
Li Min De listened and couldn¡¯t help saying: "Are there still banquets in the capital now?"
Li Wei Yangughed and said, "Naturally there are, and it¡¯s impossible not to attend . Now that the disaster victims in the capital have calmed down temporarily, Princess Yong Ning is specially holding a feast to invite the noble madams and youngdies of the capital . The purpose is to get them to donate money . This is the Empress¡¯ intention, and moreover, she also made a point of mentioning it to me today . How can I not attend?"
Li Min De contemted intently for a moment and raised his voice: "Zhao Nan, you will apany Third Xiaojie there tonight . "
Ninth Princess was also going to attend today¡¯s banquet . More than that, for the sake of expressing caution, she specifically chose a roundabout way toe pick up Li Wei Yang . For the princess¡¯s imperial carriage to personally receive her, this kind of privilege was definitely not something that ordinary noble misses could enjoy . Li Wei Yang did not show any surprised delight, but instead caused Second Furen to be green with envy . By the time they reached Cheng Nan residence of Princess Yong Ning in the city, night had already fallen, and the cyan pcenterns swaying outside the courtyard of the residence created a very simple and unadorned atmosphere . Thest time she came, the treetops were covered in colored ribbons, and the pavilion balconies were all lit up . This time it was clear to see that things were more in . It could clearly be seen that with the recent disaster, the princess had no choice but to exercise restraint .
Because it was Princess Yong Ning who personally sent the invites, all the high-ranking individuals in the empire with titles came . There were even many noble young misses, but they all stood far away looking at them enviously because Ninth Princess Jiu stood next to Li Wei Yang the entire time, so no one dared to go up and make conversation .
Ninth Princess looked at the lively banquet, but from her mouth came: "Third gongzi . . . he¡¯s well, I take it . "
Li Wei Yang stilled, then stopping the wine cup in her hand, sheughed and said, "Why does the princess ask?"
Ninth Princess¡¯ eyes were inexplicably a little watery: "Father emperor is granting me a marriage . "
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes rested on Ninth Princess¡¯s body . These days, she had grown taller by a lot, and her figure also disyed a young woman¡¯s sweetness and beauty . However, there was a hint of worry on her face . She lowered her eyes and looked at the amber within the wine cup, as if she saw that man¡¯s eyes . There was a tinge of regret in her words: "Getting married, the princess is also at that marriageable age . "
"When my imperial mother spoke about this matter, I was crying and throwing a fit . Just like a child . " Princess Jiu suddenlyughed, but there was no mirth in her eyes . The cup of wine in her grasp went from one cup to another .
Li Wei Yang leaned over to confiscate the wine in her hand and smiled: "You¡¯ve probably had enough . "
Ninth Princess lowered her head, conveniently resting it on her shoulders, unconcerned about the looks people were giving them . She squinted and staring off into space, she said softly: "I haven¡¯t drunk too much . If I did, I could just not care about anything and go see him . Today, I haven¡¯t even passed through the door of marriage¡ª" The ending of this sentence dragged for a particrly long time .
Li Wei Yang nced at her young face out of the corner of her eye, and suddenly there was a bit ofplication that she couldn¡¯t speak of .
"You don¡¯t know how much I like him . . . even if he never ced me in his heart, I miss him day and night, thinking about him¡ª" Unsure whether it was from drinking too much, Ninth Princess¡¯s eyes were misty . Li Wei Yang sighed .
There was a suddenughter at the banquet opposite to them . It was not known which young miss had brought up some amusing topic . Li Wei Yang looked over, only to find that among the brightly coloured faces on the opposite side, surprisingly it was Mo Bei¡¯s Princess He Chang . Suddenly, her mood was like the unsteady light and shadow . What kind of things would happen again tonight . . .
££££££Digression£££££££
Editor: I can¡¯t understand what the heroine is trying to do .
Xiao Qin: Today is the foreshadowing, tomorrow is small **, the day after tomorrow is big **
Editor: In other people¡¯s stories, it¡¯s all kissy kissy between the female and male leads . In your story, people will die, ah Qin .
Xiao Qin: Please call me ¡°the one who kills people like scything x¡± Qin, thank you!
PS: This story is unfounded, and the babies who pester me excessively for details, don¡¯t ask me . I¡¯m not Er Yuehe (1) . What I¡¯m writing is not a historical novel, and if you ask me various things such as why Duke Furen sticks up her weakness, why the Jiang family can still attend all kinds of banquets and those kinds of questions, even Er Yuehe won¡¯t read it, go read Records of the Grand Historian (2) . Although it is clear that many plots do notply with the customs of ancient times, it must be written in this way to be enjoyable . If you write in strictly ording to the rules and logic of ancient times, then all the ancient female leads would have sunk into the river, without the slightest hesitation . If you stille to ask me for the particrs,e to ask me details, you can also drown me in a river, you have to... .
Chapter 142.2
Chapter 142: A Monstrous Cmity
So she came after all ¡ª Princess He Chang! It was said that she had broken a rib before but it seems she has recovered amazingly, or perhaps her fortitude is amazing ¡ª Li Wei Yang silently took her in. Surprisingly, He Chang didn¡¯t bring a single entourage to follow behind her and had ridden the horse toe here alone. Now she agilely dismounted from her horse and, grinning from ear to ear, said, ¡°Xianzhu, may I have a walk with you to chat?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and descended from the carriage.
The two walked along the bridge, the evening breeze blowing over theke, causing innumerable ripples in the center. He Chang took a small box from her sleeve and presented it before Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang extended her hands to receive it and opened the lid. Upon seeing what was inside, she couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Unexpectedly, nestled inside the box was a phoenix jade pendant. Under the moonlight, it emitted a faint gleam, dazzling the eyes.
¡°This is the phoenix jade.¡± Princess He Change exined, ¡°Father Emperor told Fourth Brother to give this to his future wife - no, it should be said, to the future Empress of Mo Bei.¡±
So Li Yuan Heng was already named the next Emperor of Mo Bei. Li Wei Yang smiled, so she didn¡¯t guess wrong after all. Then this personing here was truly too bold!
¡°This phoenix jade pendant is the only one of its kind in the entire world. How many people have gotten hurt when trying to steal it I don¡¯t know, plus in 100,000 years, the pendant has only ever been passed down to the Empress of Mo Bei. You understand the meaning behind my Fourth Brother giving this to Xianzhu, right?¡± Princess He Chang asked in this way.
Li Wei Yang just silently looked at her, as if unconvinced.
Princess He Changughed, ¡°Fourth Brother has four concubines but he hasn¡¯t married a main wife yet. This is because even though he had been looking for so long, he hadn¡¯t found a woman that he thought was good enough. But he¡¯s observed you for a long time and he feels that you¡¯re not only bright, capable, calm, and rational, but also that your personality matches well with his. So he thinks you are most suitable for this phoenix jade.¡±
¡°His Majesty has already given Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince a new bride.¡± Li Wei Yang replied simply. Her tone wasn¡¯t particrly happy nor excited in any way. With that, Princess He Chang¡¯s pupils widened a bit in surprise but very quickly smiled and replied, ¡°That was an act from your Da Li¡¯s Emperor, we don¡¯t acknowledge it. We¡¯ve already investigated that so-called new bride, she¡¯s just a weak indoors Xiaojie. I bet that once she arrives at Mo Bei¡¯s Pce, she won¡¯t survive past 6 months. Fourth Brother won¡¯t be satisfied marrying this sort of flower vase. The one he wants is you.¡±
A trace of annoyance shed over Li Wei Yang¡¯s face but quickly disappeared. She smiled, ¡°Princess, this phoenix jade pendant has such a significant meaning. Please excuse me for not being able to ept it.¡±
He Chang smiled, saying, ¡°Li Wei Yang, what will you do if you stay in Da Li? You can only be like those ipetant women at the banquet, stifling your own smarts and abilities. But if you go to Mo Bei, you will be able to do whatever you want and in the future, you will be the most powerful woman in Mo Bei.¡± When saying those three words, ¡°most powerful woman¡±, a bit of greed shed in He Chang¡¯s eyes, but she hid those feelings very well, her face all smiles.
Bing the most powerful woman in Mo Bei? Li Wei Yang coldly sneered in her heart. In this world, how could such a thinge cheap?
¡°What cost would I need to pay then?¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s face only showed a slight smile.
She really was a smart woman. He Chang sweetly said, ¡°The cost... You know that my Fourth Brother has a lot of enemies. They will definitely think of all kinds of ways to make trouble. You may have to n some nice strategies for Fourth Brother.¡±
Li Wei Yang knew it wasn¡¯t as simple as that. At the very least, Li Yuan Heng must have reached some sort of agreement with Jiang Hua for him to insist on having her! ¡°Just that?¡± She very slowly repeated again, ¡°I would just n some strategies for the Fourth Prince?¡±
He Chang¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change, but her eyes deepened. She said slowly, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not just that, but it¡¯s not time to talk about those things yet! What you need to do now is decide on this gamble. Are you going to bet or not?¡±
It was obvious that He Chang thought that this was irresistible to any woman. Although being married to the future emperor of Mo Bei meant countless dangers and fights, it also signified countless riches and immeasurable power. This was her life¡¯s ambition and thus she thought Li Wei Yang couldn¡¯t possibly turn it down.
Li Wei Yang pursed her lips in a smile, and self-mockinglyughed, ¡°You all have really overrated me.¡±
¡°A girl that can force the Jiang family into a desperate situation has given us no choice but to think highly of her.¡± As a matter of fact, if Jiang Hua hadn¡¯t leaked out a lot of the things that Li Wei Yang had done, they wouldn¡¯t have wasted so much time on her. Such a clever and sinister woman was just what Li Yuan Heng wanted. Princess He Chang yed with her hair, and charmingly smiled, ¡°To tell the truth, you¡¯re a girl who had the guts to make an enemy of the entire Jiang family. It shows you¡¯re truly frightening but also incredibly powerful. I really admire you and really like you, I really hope you will be my sister-inw.¡±
Li Wei Yang silently looked at her without a hint of a response.
He Chang disyed a smile as if they were good friends.
Li Wei Yang looked at her, then returned the box containing the phoenix jade pendant back to her.
Seeing He Chang¡¯s shocked expression, Li Wei Yang smiled faintly and said, ¡°Please tell the Fourth Prince that I need some time to think it over.¡±
He Chang narrowed her eyes. Was this a woman being reserved, or a tactful rejection? At this moment in time, she couldn¡¯t grasp what Li Wei Yang was thinking. Before, the way Li Wei Yang behaved towards Li Yuan Heng seemed to hold some sort of intention, but it was neither too close or too distant. Even Li Yuan Heng was thrown around by her, one moment praising him to the skies, another moment throwing him to the ground. Originally he was only a little interested in her but his heart was quickly captivated and desired her. Looking at it like that, it seems Li Wei Yang understood a man¡¯s heart. Although a kite flies high and far away, the line was firmly in her grasp.
He Chang originally thought that Li Wei Yang was the same sort of person as her, risking their lives to crawl up high. She wouldn¡¯t reject such a fascinating proposal. The reason why she didn¡¯t want to marry him before, even going to the extent of causing a ruckus with the Auspicious Pce was because she didn¡¯t want to marry beneath her station. She wasn¡¯t able to see the value of the Fourth Prince. Now that she knows that the Fourth Prince is to be the future Emperor of Mo Bei, she definitely would want to be with him. But now, she was confused.
He Chang purposely darkened her face, saying, ¡°Li Wei Yang, don¡¯t refuse this request only to be forced into giving inter. My Fourth Brother deeply respects you. If you continue to be like this...¡±
Li Wei Yang abruptly turned around, her gaze fixed on her, her voice deep as she said, ¡°Howe Princess is almost flying into a rage from shame?¡±
He Chang couldn¡¯t help but be stunned.
Li Wei Yang said, ¡°I just need some time to think it over. If the Fourth Prince doesn¡¯t even have this much patience and perseverance, then I¡¯d invite him to just return home.¡±
Li Yuan Heng was someone with an abnormal amount of persistence - one would know from the jewelry he sent every day. Those were all priceless. Being so generous illustrated how determined he was to win her over.
¡°Li Wei Yang! We will be leaving the capital three days from now, around 3-5pm.¡± He Chang suddenly said behind her.
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t pause in her steps and only said indifferently, ¡°Three days from now, I will be going into the mountains to pray for the victims of the cmity. My apologies for being unable to see you off.¡±
He Chang¡¯s brows wrinkled as she stared at Li Wei Yang¡¯s departing carriage. It was the first time she had felt uncertain, but she quickly startedughing. Li Wei Yang, ah, Li Wei Yang. To live life and turn out like that, you¡¯re truly awesome! If you were truly uninterested in bing Mo Bei¡¯s Empress, why would you tell me where you will be at that time?
The carriage arrived at the Li residence. Li Wei Yang descended from the carriage and turned around to instruct Zhao Yue to give the driver from Princess Yongning¡¯s residence a tip. Soon afterwards, she meant to enter when suddenly, she heard a peal of hoofbeats.
Zhao Yue excitedly called, ¡°It¡¯s Third Shaoye!¡±
Li Wei Yang unblinkingly stared at a not-so-distant ce to see Li Min De galloping from the north direction.
He didn¡¯t attend the banquet today, but all throughout the banquet, Li Wei Yang had been hearing many Xiaojie bringing up his name. His outstanding beauty was known to everyone but was unwilling to be an official. It is unknown which girl will be able to take a hold of his heart and marry into the Li residence. Li Wei Yang of course knew why he didn¡¯t want to be an official and at that moment silently watched him approach while riding his horse. His bright and beautiful clothes were glittering in the dimness of the night but all that couldn¡¯tpare to his shining, deep, and clear eyes, his face ¡ª
When Li Min De spotted her, his face showed a dazzling smile, causing those who saw it to almost go blind.
He pulled on the reins to force the horse to a stop, flew to the ground, and smiled again. ¡°Did the banquet go smoothly today?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, saying, ¡°Of course it went smoothly. So smoothly it couldn¡¯t have gone even more smoothly.¡± She suddenly remembered Ninth Princess¡¯s crying face and hesitated, but in an instant she smiled and said, ¡°Ninth Princess and Zhang Feng¡¯s marriage has been set.¡±
Li Min De¡¯s expression showed surprise for a split second. Afterwards he said, ¡°This ¡ª does it have anything to do with your n?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s steps paused for a bit, then as if nothing happened, said, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡± She originally wanted to tell him about Ninth Princess¡¯s state of mind, but now she didn¡¯t see the need. ¡°Is everything ready on that side?¡±
Li Min De perked up with a smile. ¡°Just wait and see the show three days from now.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded, saying, ¡°I hope they will all like this generous gift.¡±
Three days from now was the tenth day of the third month. On that day, Li Wei Yang had already washed, dressed, and prepared in the middle of the night. At day break, she entered the pce. The Empress Dowager had requested a talk with her today. When she reached the Empress Dowager¡¯s building, the Ninth Princess was already there. Seeing here, she merely faintly nodded and smiled before turning to the Empress Dowager and saying, ¡°Empress Dowager, look, Wei Yang Jiejie has arrived.¡±
Empress Dowager smiled and beckoned her over, saying, ¡°Come,e quick.¡± She had always highly appreciated Li Wei Yang plus Ninth Princess also really liked her. Today she wanted to select a few dowry items for the Ninth Princess. Consort Rou had unfortunately fell sick and the Empress was extremely busy. The Ninth Princess had taken the initiative to suggest Li Wei Yang to act as an advisor and although it didn¡¯t conform to the rules, as long as the Empress Dowager was happy, everything was ok.
The Empress Dowager nodded and an eunuch managing ceremonies standing to the side continued to read, ¡°A set of marten fur nkets, a set of fox pelt nkets, adorned python satin, 8 sets of shining satin nkets, twelve pillows, a rack of screens, a rack of bed curtains, a canopy, fifty liang of third-rate gold, fifty liang of light metal, ten thousand liang of silver, a thousand rolls of satin silk muslin, two thousand rolls of blue woven cotton ¡ª¡±
The Ninth Princess had been up since the early morning hours. Even if one could say her dowry was something Consort Rou should have carefully considered, the Empress Dowager unexpectedly wanted her to personally choose the things she treasured. Such grace had never been seen before, so no matter how tired and impatient she was, she must continue to smile and listen.
After reading for no less than an hour, they were hardly through a quarter of the list. The Empress Dowager sighed and kneaded her temples, saying, ¡°Listening really gives a headache. Wei Yang, what do you think is inappropriate to include?¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, ¡°How could there be anything inappropriate with the things Empress Dowager has painstakingly prepared? But the Ninth Princess always has her own opinions and perhaps she should personally take a look at all of the cloths to avoid any old pce traditions that she doesn¡¯t like.¡±
The Empress Dowager nodded. This time they indeed took out a lot of old cloths from the warehouse. Some had faded colours and truly weren¡¯t fit to be worn. They were too expensive to be used to reward people. Might as well ask the Imperial Household Department to exchange them. She nodded and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± With that, she felt another headache and pressed and pressed her temples. Li Wei Yang said carefully, ¡°Empress Dowager¡¯s headaches haven¡¯t been fully healed yet?¡±
From the side, the Ninth Princess quickly said, deeply concerned, ¡°Empress Dowager, it¡¯s all my fault. You¡¯ve tired yourself for my marriage. I truly feel apologetic.¡±
Because Consort Rou¡¯s body was not well and the Empress wasn¡¯t Ninth Princess¡¯s birth mother, this matter was being handled too half-heartedly. The Empress Dowager couldn¡¯t bear to watch any longer and took it into her own hands. In the past few days, just thinking about the dowry would cause a splitting headache. She shook her head, saying, ¡°It¡¯s an old illness.¡±
Li Wei Yang softly said, ¡°Wei Yang will be bold and offer you a type of peppermint cream. Perhaps it will help.¡± The Empress Dowager nced at her, her gaze revealing a bit of warmth, ¡°You have a good attitude. But this is an old illness. The imperial physicians have used not a few methods without sess.¡±
Already, not a trace of sadness could be seen on Ninth Princess¡¯s tender and pretty face. She looked at the Empress Dowager and spoiledly said, ¡°Empress Dowager, just try it!¡± Then, on her own ord, walked to Li Wei Yang to take the offered peony decorated little vase. She opened it for a sniff and felt the cool and refreshing scent of peppermint. She used her fourth finger to gently dip into the cream and softly rubbed it onto the Empress Dowager¡¯s temples for her, saying in a low voice, ¡°You should always try it at least...¡±
After a long time, Empress Dowager lightly let out a sigh, ¡°It really is veryfortable.¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled. This peppermint cream was different from a regr physician¡¯s treatment for headaches. That year, to ingratiate herself with the Empress Dowager, she exerted an extraordinary amount of effort to think of this secret recipe. Bringing it out now would of course have great effect. ¡°I had heard this recipe from my grandmother who fortuitously brought it up. I remembered Empress Dowager also had headaches and took a risk. If it was effective, that would be good, and if it wasn¡¯t effective, there would likely be no harmful effects to the body.¡±
Sure enough, the Empress Dowager was really happy and looked at Li Wei Yang with an even gentler expression, ¡°Thank you for your efforts.¡±
The atmosphere inside the hall seemed even more harmonious. Ninth Princess, smiling, personally peeled red-skinned tangerines and handed them to the Empress Dowager one piece at a time. When the time came to have a meal, Empress Dowager even said, ¡°Wei Yang, stay and have the meal with us.¡±
This was an unprecedented imperial favour. Li Wei Yang said smiling, ¡°Thank you, Empress Dowager.¡±
And so, ten or so eunuchs arranged two dining tables to form a square table in the middle of the hall and then ced silver-coated dinnerware on the table. The borately carved, old-fashioned wooden armchair to the east of the dining table was naturally for the Empress Dowager, while the slightly smaller chairs on either side of the dining table were for herself and the Ninth Princess.
A group of well-trained eunuchs started to ce the dishes. The aroma of delicious delicacies with all sorts of vours started wafting through the air. The food and drink here far exceeded the New Years extravagant dinner at the Li residence. And yet, this meal was specially arranged to be simple. The eunuch kneeled on the ground and said, ¡°The meal has been served, please begin.¡±
The Ninth Princess wanted to remind Li Wei Yang of the expected dining etiquette, fearing that she would make some blunder at the dining table and perhaps make the Empress Dowager unhappy. But she truly didn¡¯t expect Li Wei Yang to very urately walk to the ce that was meant for her, turn towards the Empress Dowager, bow her head, and thank her for the seat. Then she stood there, waiting for the Empress Dowager and the Ninth Princess to take a seat before finally sitting down. While they were eating, the Ninth Princess gazed at Li Wei Yang with surprised eyes. She was just too surprised. She didn¡¯t know how Li Wei Yang could disy such practiced yet elegant manners. The way she had her meal was even more dignified than her own.
This sort of bearing wasn¡¯t something that could be learned in a day. It wasn¡¯t just the Ninth Princess, but even the Empress Dowager gave Li Wei Yang a few extra nces, feeling that something was strange. But no one said anything. The Empress Dowager even felt that this was Li Wei Yang¡¯s inborn grace.
Throughout the entirety of the lunch, the hall was very quiet. Even the usually lively Ninth Princess didn¡¯t dare talk randomly. After lunch, Li Wei Yang retreated with the Ninth Princess to the screened areas at the two ends of the hall. An eunuch brought them water to wash their mouths and a warm towel to wipe their hands, then soon afterwards, brought up a small silver box, inside of which had a round cardamom and white sand for them to suck in their mouths. On one hand, it helped with digestion and on the other hand, it let their breaths carry a sweet fragrance when talking to each other.
The Ninth Princess quietly watched Li Wei Yang, observing that her movements were elegant and noble, her bearing dignified and natural. She could not help but think while she had grown up in the pce and had long ago memorized those types of movements, the movements she made were merely following a prescribed order. Even Consort Rou had once criticized her, saying she wasn¡¯t taking it seriously when learning the rules. At that time, she had even thought, it was just a daily habit, what sort of serious learning is there? But today, she saw Li Wei Yang¡¯s movements move like floating clouds and flowing water, appearing much more dignified and beautiful than Mother Consort¡¯s daily bearing. Even the old Mamas that have stayed within the pce for many many years may not be up to par... The uncertainty in her heart grew ever deeper but in front of Empress Dowager, she didn¡¯t dare ask a thing.
It was at this time that an eunuch with a panic-stricken expression abruptly entered and kneeled, saying, ¡°Empress Dowager, Consort Dowager Liu1 was travelling to Pu Ji Temple to burn incense when she was kidnapped by someone on the road! Now those female officials have all returned weeping and wailing and causing a big ruckus at the entrance of the pce!¡±
Consort Dowager Liu was a consort thete Emperor had married in hister years. Because she had entered the pce at a very young age, she didn¡¯t understand how to win favours and didn¡¯t receive the Emperor¡¯s love. Thus she didn¡¯t have any offspring and instead had a great rtionship with the Empress Dowager. Nowadays, she still isn¡¯t very old and can¡¯t constantly stay in the pce like the Empress Dowager. So on a fixed day every month, she goes to Pu Ji Temple to burn incense and pray for good fortune, which could be counted as a way to relieve her boredom. But who would have guessed that someone would be brave enough to kidnap this dignified Consort Dowager!
Empress Dowager turned pale with fright. ¡°Who on earth would dare do such a thing in broad daylight?¡± The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. She said with hatred, ¡°They truly must have eaten ambitious leopard guts!¡± As she talked, she felt the headache that had just gotten bettere back with a vengeance. She practically couldn¡¯t even sit steadily. The Ninth Princess hurriedly dipped her fingers into the peppermint cream and brought it under the Empress Dowager¡¯s nose for her to smell. After a while, the Empress Dowager felt like she could finally breathe again.
Ninth Princess promptly scolded the eunuch. ¡°You didn¡¯t exin very clearly. What exactly happened...¡±
The eunuch hurriedly said, ¡°All was well when Consort Dowager left from inside the Pce, but just when they started up the mountain, for some reason, a gang of viins rushed out. With no exnation, they attacked and snatched the sedan away!¡±
The Empress Dowager felt a chill run down her back and said with surprise, ¡°The sedan would have had the insignia of the inner pce! Who knew such a thing could happen. What does calling upon me do any good...¡±
Ninth Princess nced at Li Wei Yang, hiding her smile, her face full of remorse, and said, ¡°Empress Dowager, I¡¯m to me. Actually, today I chanced upon Consort Dowager when she was about to leave the pce and saw that she was bringing so many people and the insignia was disyed in full splendor. I said that in these troubled times, she shouldn¡¯t make such a disy. Consort Dowager deeply reconsidered, that important people can travel without such ir and not indulge in enormous publicity. If she had travelled as originally intended, the viins definitely would not have daredmit such a crime¡ª¡±
Empress Dowager was stunned, but soon after shook her head, saying, ¡°How can this be your fault? After the cmity, all events were to conform to the principle of simplicity. Moreover, who would think that such a thing could happen while on the road to pray at a temple!¡± Her tone was frigid and soon lowered, ¡°Does his Majesty know of this?¡±
The eunuch hastily said, ¡°The Emperor¡¯s health isn¡¯t too good today and summoned a doctor. Nucai still hasn¡¯t dared to make a report.¡±
The Empress Dowager frowned, saying, ¡°We can¡¯t make this situation widely known. Hurry and take my decree to look for Official Yin. Tell him to find Consort Dowager Liu before nightfall, or else he will be offering up his head!¡±
¡°Understood!¡± The eunuch hurriedly left.
Ninth Princess saw that the Empress Dowager¡¯s face was even more ashen, and busily said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Empress Dowager, Consort Dowager Liu always acts with a kind heart. The Heavens will protect her. There¡¯s no way anything serious would happen. Maybe it¡¯s all a misunderstanding¡ª¡±
A misunderstanding, how could such a misunderstanding happen? In the hundred-odd years since the country has been founded, such a thing has never happened before! A consort from the imperial harem has been kidnapped, and the kidnapped consort was even a Consort Dowager¡ª If this got out, people would beughing their teeth off! So after hearing her words, the Empress Dowager didn¡¯t have a trace of relief on her face. Consort Dowager Liu was only 14 years old when the previous emperor passed away... Over the years, she¡¯s maintained a very beautiful appearance and is still attractive even as she¡¯s gotten older. It¡¯s still unknown if these baffling viins were after money or beauty. If something bad actually happened, she was afraid she would have to ask her to be buried alongside the previous emperor.
The Empress Dowager¡¯s eyelids began to involuntarily twitch. She really couldn¡¯t think of anyone who would kidnap a middle-aged gentle olddy. Moreover, she was going to the temple so she would not have any riches and what would be the use of having the person herself? It simply was ¡ª too ridiculous! What do they do now? Don¡¯t talk about not being able to find her, if they did find her, it would be an even bigger problem!
Li Wei Yang nced at Ninth Princess, her eyes cast down, and with great difficulty suppressed a smile. She knew of Consort Dowager Liu, she was actually quite pretty and had a slim figure. She was a slender, tall woman. Although she had single-edged eyelids, her eyes nted upwards, although she was the Consort Dowager and could not wear eye-catching clothes, she always managed to show off with her style of dress without overstepping the rules.
In the year that thete Emperor passed away, she was very young. Afterwards, there was even a rumour that she had gotten close with some man. If it wasn¡¯t for the protection of the Empress Dowager, Consort Dowager Liu would have long been buried along with thete Emperor, not to mention she was living quite well these days.
The truth of the matter was, she first had Ninth Princess think of a way to change Consort Dowager Liu¡¯s insignia and make it as in as possible, to make it seem like it was just a normal nobledy¡¯s day out. Then she arranged for an identical imperial carriage and purposefully put it in front of their eyes... As for how to make them think that the two carriages were the same one was up to how well Zhao Yue had disguised herself as the servant girl driving the carriage...
At this moment, she heard the Empress Dowager let out a ¡°Aiyo!¡±. The female official next to them had inadvertently overturned a tea cup and the tea had scalded the Empress Dowager¡¯s hand. Empress Dowager¡¯s fury had reached a limit and she unexpectedly raised her hand and pped the female official. Naturally, every single one in the entire hall was startled. In the past 10 plus years, the Empress Dowager had never once hit a maid! You must understand that the master of the pce was the person who gave out punishments, you didn¡¯t need to make a move yourself. But today she had gotten angry to this degree¡ª
Ninth Princess stealthily winked at Li Wei Yang, don¡¯t say a word.
Li Wei Yang lightly let out a breath. Now, she just needed to wait and see if the next step had executed smoothly, then she would know if the entire n was a sess or not...
Of course, the Empress Dowager¡¯s worries weren¡¯t over. When she took a sip of her tea, the eunuch came again in a great flurry to report, ¡°Just now, the Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince took his people and in a great rush, headed north. However, they came across Crown Prince¡¯s hunting party as they were returning and identally collided with Crown Prince¡¯s carriages and horses. Yet, they didn¡¯t announce their status and merely continued north. The sky was getting dark and the bodyguards under the Crown Prince couldn¡¯t clearly see the other party¡¯s status. All of a sudden, they heard a female calling for help inside the carriage and, thinking they were viins, rushed forward to kill. They took the carriage, only to discover Consort Dowager was inside!¡±
Digression
Editor: Are you thinking of punishing the Fourth Prince because he kidnapped the Consort Dowager?
Xiao Qin: Do you think this is considered a crime? Here¡¯s some foreshadowing, next chapter will be to cut off Li Yuan Heng, cut off the entire Jiang family, just like that.
Chapter 142.1
Ninth Princess¡¯s breath was packed with the fragrance of alcohol and her face was flushed with a drunken blush. Tears suddenly filled up her eyes like they were on the verge of spilling.
Li Wei Yang, recovering from a momentary shock upon hearing her words, turned to a servant girl beside them and ordered, ¡°Please go to your family¡¯s princess and say...just say that the Ninth Princess is a light drinker and needs a ce to rest.¡±
The servant girl took in the circumstances and immediately sped off.
However, Ninth Princess shakily stood up. Li Wei Yang was afraid she was going to do something extreme during the banquet and quickly stood up to support her, but she merely stood there silently, tears suddenly rolling down her face.
A Xiaojie nearby cried in rm, ¡°Ninth Princess, why are you crying?¡±
Li Wei Yang¡¯s expression was tranquil as she replied, ¡°The Princess heard that the victims of the cmity lost their homes and were wandering, homeless, while also enduring starvation. She felt miserable and simply couldn¡¯t bear it.¡±
The others looked helplessly at the Ninth Princess, not really believing that she would shed tears for such a reason. However, in front of Li Wei Yang¡¯s ice-cold countenance, they could only look at each other helplessly, not daring to say a word. Rumour had it that the Emperor was arranging a marriage for the Princess with the Duke Luo¡¯s boy Zhang.
At this time, someone was heard whispering, ¡°I heard that the Ninth Princess isn¡¯t willing to marry and knelt in front of Consort Rou¡¯s doorway for quite a long time!¡±
¡°Ah? Weren¡¯t they childhood sweethearts? Why isn¡¯t she willing to marry him?¡±
¡°Shh! Who knows? Consort Rou, who loves to dote on her, actually grounded her inside the pce for three days and three nights!¡±
Li Wei Yang heard the gossip but ignored it, merely calmly watching her cry. In her heart, she could understand her plight. The man she loved and admired never once felt anything for her, how could she be ok? But Li Wei Yang also felt that it was okay to not be loved. You just needed to love yourself. If you don¡¯t love yourself, how could you ask others to love you? So, no matter how much sympathy she felt for the Ninth Princess, she really didn¡¯t have that frame of mind.
At this moment, Princess Yongning¡¯s female official Tao personally came and said with a smile, ¡°Nubi will bring Princess to a room.¡±
But Ninth Princess grabbed a hold of Li Wei Yang and wouldn¡¯t let go. Female official Tao awkwardly looked at her. Li Wei Yang said, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Grabbing and pulling like this at a banquet really wasn¡¯t wise.
Female official Tao nodded and called a passing servant girl to support the Ninth Princess. She herself lifted a red gauzentern cage to light their way and solemnly said, ¡°Please watch where you step.¡±
The backyard of Princess Yongning¡¯s residence was quiet at night. Li Wei Yang delivered the Ninth Princess all the way to the side room before stopping. ¡°I should be returning to the banquet.¡±
Zhao Yue had been constantly guarding her from a distance, obviously not rxing for even a moment.
Female officer Tao nodded and said, ¡°Thank you Anping Xianzhu.¡± She was about to order people to bring the Ninth Princess inside when all of a sudden, the Ninth Princess stood up and fixedly gazed at Li Wei Yang without speaking. After a long while, she stepped forward two steps and raised her hand to dismiss the others. ¡°You all can leave. I have things I want to say to Xianzhu.¡±
So, the Ninth Princess was pretending to be drunk. Li Wei Yang confirmed her suspicions and somewhat lifted her lips, asking her, ¡°Princess, have you sobered up?¡±
Ninth Princess¡¯s face took on a bit of an imploring expression. Female official Tao read the circumstances and instructed all the servant girls to leave. She said, ¡°Nubi will be keeping watch outside. The two of you please feel free to talk.¡±
After female official Tao closed the door, the Ninth Princess nced at Li Wei Yang, her gazeplicated. She suddenly said, ¡°Wei Yang Jiejie, I have something to beg of you.¡±
Li Wei Yang raised her brows, thinking to herself, why does that line feel so familiar? Does Ninth Princess think that everything can be solved by begging people?
The Ninth Princess¡¯s eyes were wet as she said, ¡°Wei Yang Jiejie, can you go to my mother and tell her not to marry me to that man? Mother has a lot of faith in you right now, she¡¯s even told me to be more like you. I¡¯m begging you, begging you, ok?
Indeed, Li Wei Yang and Consort Rou have been close recently, but it wasn¡¯t because they got along well like the Ninth Princess thought, but because they could help each other. Li Wei Yang looked at her, looked at this young princess and slowly said, ¡°This isn¡¯t Consort Rou¡¯s idea, but His Majesty¡¯s idea. I cannot argue against His Majesty.¡±
When the Ninth Princess heard her say that begging Consort Rou would be of no help, her eyes immediately reddened again, and choked out, ¡°Then, I really will end up marrying him? But I don¡¯t like him!¡± Saying this, she picked up her sleeve and gently wiped the corner of her eye. ¡°If it¡¯s like this, then I...I¡¯m better off dead!¡±
Li Wei Yang watched her cry, thest shred of pity disappearing from her heart.
With the ways of this world, countless people were busy making a living to survive, desperately enduring pain just to earn one more mouthful of food. Yet this princess before her eyes was using suicide as a threat just because her marriage wasn¡¯t what she wanted. She was truly too naive, inexplicably causing people to feel fed up and annoyed. Moreover, the man the Emperor wanted her to marry was her childhood sweetheart, a handsome, bright teenager that she grew up with, not some King of Hell that demanded her life. If she wasn¡¯t willing, she could have gone to the Emperor to desperately fight for what she wanted. Even if she lost, at least it could be said she fought for herself. But the way she lost control of herself at the banquet just now and the way she¡¯s pitifully weeping and wailing now, was all incredibly tactless.
The Ninth Princess suddenly raised her eyes, ¡°Wei Yang Jiejie, there¡¯s another way! If you will help me, everything could be resolved.¡±
Li Wei Yang stared nkly, her eyebrows slightly raised.
The Ninth Princess¡¯s eyes had a fire lit inside them, and said, ¡°I know that the person Third Gongzi trusts the most is you, you can ask him to take me away! He¡¯ll definitely listen to you!¡± She appeared like nothing was wrong, but only she knew how difficult it was to make this request. In the end, her voice seemed to fall into the dust on the ground, too low to hear. Because she herself knew how rude this demand was!
Li Wei Yang¡¯s eyes were startled. Only after a long time, she said, ¡°He won¡¯t take you away.¡±
The Ninth Princess didn¡¯t expect her to refuse so quickly like this and was speechless.
Li Wei Yang carefully said, ¡°If he liked you, he¡¯d naturally want to marry you, and you wouldn¡¯t need me to say anything. But he doesn¡¯t like you and yet you want me to force him. Dignified, respected princess, have you actually fallen to this point?¡±
In an instant, the Ninth Princess¡¯s face paled. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but froze again. Her face was a criss-cross of red and white as she said, quivering, ¡°I...I thought...I thought you wouldn¡¯t say such things to me...Why are you saying the same thing as Mother!¡±
Li Wei Yang gently shook her head, ¡°Because you have forgotten your status! You are a princess, the Emperor¡¯s daughter! All these years, His Majesty has not forced you to do a single thing you didn¡¯t want to do! Yet, he wants to marry you, against your wishes, into Duke Luo¡¯s residence, do you understand? What sort of people are in the Duke Luo¡¯s residence, what rtionship do they have with the Seventh Gongzi? With both feelings and logic, they have a deep rtionship with you and the Seventh Gongzi, but only through marriage can this rtionship be secured! Then his Majesty will be able to put his mind at ease and give Duke Luo a lot more military power!¡±
The Ninth Princess listened carefully, her face bing even whiter. After a long time, she said, ¡°They¡¯re all treating me like a tool¡ª¡±
Li Wei Yang smiled, but her smile was cold. ¡°Being a tool means that you have value. People without value are people who don¡¯t have people caring about them. Even the fact that I¡¯m standing here right now talking to you is because of your Ninth Princess status. If you¡¯re not aware of this, you can abandon this status, take off your magnificent clothes, and walk to the streets. See if a pretty young girl without a bodyguard like you can safely walk even three hundred meters! See if, without this life of luxury, you will starve to death on the side of the road just like those victims of the cmity!¡±
The Ninth Princess didn¡¯t make a sound, her long eyshes drooping down, quivering. Her heart seemed to be struggling.
¡°You should be rejoicing that your status is a Princess, otherwise, with your behaviour, would you have been able to peacefully live to this day? Even if you don¡¯t want your own life, do you want to implicate Min De and have him be a vagrant with you?¡± Li Wei Yang¡¯s voice carried a bit of cruelty. On the surface, she was lecturing her, but there was a voice in her heart that was repeatedly and decisively telling her:
Li Wei Yang, you¡¯re truly despicable.
You don¡¯t like Ninth Princess hanging around Li Min De, so you¡¯re using this to scare her.
You know that Min De¡¯s status isn¡¯t ordinary. Even if the Ninth Princess were to be with him, her life will still be luxurious with innumerable servants at her bidding.
You know that Ninth Princess is innocent and artless, she¡¯s just a little girl who was taking hold of thest shred of hope she had to beg a favour from you. Yet you¡¯ve stood in her face and scolded her like this.
You¡¯ve indeed helped the Ninth Princess a lot over the years, but she has also always been there to protect you. You¡¯ve clearly done so many terrible things, but which if the nobledies in the royal court dare to scorn you? For your sake, the Ninth Princess is even willing to knock on people¡¯s doors to argue with them.
You know that Zhang Feng truly loves the Ninth Princess. Even if she doesn¡¯t love him now, she will definitely feel content in the future. But she is also a person, not a tool without feelings. Because you don¡¯t have feelings, are you jealous of the feelings she possesses?
Li Wei Yang looked at the Ninth Princess and in the end, gently said, ¡°Think about it some more, what you should do.¡±
She¡¯s already walked halfway down this path, how could she flinch now?
She didn¡¯t want to make any excuses for herself. What¡¯s done is done, her purpose was also clear. She is despicable because she never was a noble sort of person. If she doesn¡¯t like something, she will stop it. Even if it¡¯ll hurt other people¡¯s hearts, even if it¡¯ll trample other people¡¯s feelings. If she had to make sure that everyone else was happy whenever something happened, then she, Li Wei Yang, would be unhappy! Min De doesn¡¯t like the princess at all. Rather than giving her some vague hope, it¡¯s better to be a bit excessive now so she willpletely give up! There¡¯s nothing wrong in doing it like this either!
Not making things difficult for the other party means making things difficult for yourself!
Li Wei Yang turned around, nning to leave, when Ninth Princess suddenly said, ¡°Wei Yang Jiejie, I¡¯m sorry. I was too out of line...¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t turn around. Ninth Princess¡¯s eyes were moist and glossy, her lips set like she hade to a decision, before saying, ¡°I¡¯m willing to marry him.¡± Her voice came to a halt and in a low volume said, ¡°Thank you.¡±
Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t say anything and walked straight out. There was nothing to thank, I didn¡¯t do it for you.
She thought that in her heart, and with an extremely nonchnt expression, walked out and said to female official Tao, ¡°Ninth Princess needs to rest for a while, please don¡¯t go inside and disturb her.¡±
Female official Tao nodded, saying, ¡°Then Nubi will bring Xianzhu back to the banquet.¡±
Li Wei Yang nodded and followed female official Tao back to the banquet. A drinking party was underway at this moment. Princess Yongning had already collected a lot of money and goods, and her usually serious face was revealing a rare smile.
Seeing Li Wei Yang approaching from far away, she nodded at her. Li Wei Yang said to female official Tao, ¡°My grandmother¡¯s body is not well. I¡¯ve already donated the treasures that were to be donated and I cannot stay for long. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±
Female official Tao nodded, saying, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry Xianzhu, Nubi will personally report this to the princess. Please also wait a little, Nubi will prepare a carriage for you.¡±
Li Wei Yang had sat in the Ninth Princess¡¯s carriage toe here, so now she needed to arrange a carriage to return. Li Wei Yang didn¡¯t refuse the other¡¯s good intentions and only said faintly, ¡°Thank you.¡±
Still feeling a bit of self-doubt, she nced behind her at the most animated ce in the party, and her gaze collided with Princess He Chang¡¯s. He Chang appeared like a bright and lively person. In the center of a group of nobledies, she perfectly yed the role of a passionate, lively, open, and even innocent and honest person. The role of a foreign princess who was curious about everything. On top of that, when it was time to give donations, she gave an unparalleled amount, appearing incredibly generous. This made people feel that she was very admirable and approachable, while she still radiated with a type of pride only royalty could have.
With that single nce, Li Wei Yang was sure that the other person was looking straight at her.
She didn¡¯t have to wait long before female official Tao arranged a carriage for her. Li Wei Yang boarded the carriage and with the Zhao siblings escorting the entire way, the carriage rocked out of Princess Yongning¡¯s residence and onto the street. Usually, the night market would be open at this time, but all was quiet. The evening wind was mixed with a mysterious chilly fragrance, causing her to fall into a bit of a daze.
The carriage crossed a bridge, the water underneath trickling calmly without a sound. Li Wei Yang lifted up the carriage¡¯s screen and caught sight of the moon¡¯s reflection rippling in the water below.
Although it¡¯s been so long, she still feels out of ce every time she attends one of these banquets.
Everyone else would beughing, enjoying the songs and dances, merrily drinking together, all talking about thetest rumour that came from who knows where. She¡¯s used to being alone. Every time she attends these events with lots of people, even though she¡¯s always smiling, she feels even more alone. What¡¯s the point of all this liveliness anyways? Thinking such, she couldn¡¯t help but gently let out a sigh.
As the wind blew against the carriage¡¯s screen, the carriage gave a creak before rolling to a stop.
Zhao Nan said from outside the screen, ¡°Xiaojie, someone has asked for the carriage to stop.¡±
Zhao Yue lifted the carriage¡¯s screen and Li Wei Yang saw a beautiful young girl holding a whip riding a fine steed outside the carriage looking at her.
Chapter 143.1
Chapter 143.1
The Empress Dowager¡¯s teacup mmed on the table as she stood up with a livid expression. For a moment, she almost thought that Consort Dowager Liu¡¯s old habit of flirting had urred once again, but she found that something was amiss when she gave the notion some thought.
After all, Consort Dowager Liu and Lord Jing were childhood sweethearts since they grew up together as children, but in order to suppress this arrogant younger brother of his, thete Emperor brought Consort Dowager Liu into the pce. That action broke up the pair that was meant to be and there were a slur of regrettable incidents that happened after. When thete Emperor passed away, Lord Jing was indeed very reluctant to part with Consort Dowager Liu. He woulde to see her annually and purposefully when he came to the capital, but it was only done formally. Since neither overstepped their boundaries, the Empress Dowager allowed it. Over the years, as the both of them got older, Lord Jing gradually forgot about this matter. Consort Dowager Liu sent two letters and received no form of reply, so it was natural for her to give up. With that, the matter was considered to be settled.
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager slowly sat down again. The matter between Consort Dowager Liu and Lord Jing was something that happened long ago. She was young at that time so it was understandable, but now that she was at an age where even the most charming singers of the pce were now gone, how could she have other thoughts like those?
I¡¯m probably overthinking¡ Then, it must be Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince who forcibly took the Consort Dowager away, but why would he take her- When she raised her eyes, she saw the Ninth Princess¡¯s paleplexion. Something seemed amiss, so she hurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
The Ninth Princess¡¯s voice trembled as if she was extremely frightened. Her eyes could not move, remaining frozen at one spot, ¡°Empress Dowager¡ Originally¡ Originally, I said that I would be praying with Consort Dowager Liu today, but since you asked for me, I sent someone to inform herst night that I would no longer be going with her¡ª¡±
The Empress Dowager¡¯s face froze for a moment before she suddenly understood what the Fourth Prince of Mo Bei was nning to do! The person who he coveted wasn¡¯t Li Weiyang nor the daughter of Marquis of Nan An but the Ninth Princess! Thinking about it carefully, the rank of Fourth Prince of Mo Bei should be matched with a Princess, but the Emperor was reluctant to let his daughter marry into a foreign country. Anyone else would be unhappy with the arrangement, but Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince did not reveal any of his intentions and instead, opted to remain! Obviously, the date of his departure was reported to be 10 dayster, but he left early and the abduction of Consort Dowager Liu¡ No, he wants to abduct the Ninth Princess. When what¡¯s done is done, the Emperor would have no choice but to admit him as his inw!
Furthermore, now that Mo Bei was in the preparatory stages of a war, there was still arge army gathering at the border. The Emperor had sent someone to spy on the Prince of Mo Bei, intending to keep him as a hostage. However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to expect that the said Prince would move one step ahead of time and even have the Ninth Princess. He obviously had the same ns as the Emperor¡ª taking hostages.
Great, this Fourth Prince of Mo Bei is truly something! The Empress Dowager was so angry that her hands and feet had gone cold, making her barely able to stand still. Li Weiyang winked at the Ninth Princess before she quickly went up tofort her, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Empress Dowager, weren¡¯t we able to stop them? As long as we can stop them, everything will be alright!¡±
The little eunuch stuttered, ¡°Consort Dowager Liu was rescued, the carriages and horses were also returned. It¡¯s just that Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince and Princess He Chang have long since escaped without a trace!¡±
The Empress Dowager said angrily, ¡°What are you all doing! Idiots! All of you are idiots!¡± Thinking about it, she thought that she might have insulted the Crown Prince in her statement. With that in mind, she sealed her lips shut, not uttering another word.
Li Weiyang lowered her head, looking very disturbed, but sneered in her heart. The act she yedst time was truly not done in vain¡ª Tuoba Zhen really believed that she liked Li Yuan Heng and even suspected that the person in the carriage was really her. He thought that she was going to elope! If they just thought about it, how could the Crown Prince bump into Li Yuan Heng so coincidentally while he was out hunting. Everything was no doubt nned out by Tuoba Zhen! Li Weiyang slightly raised her lips.
The Ninth Princess looked worried and said, ¡°Empress Dowager, thankfully, we have Brother Crown Prince with us this time. Otherwise, Consort Dowager Liu would be-¡°
The Empress Dowager sighed and said, ¡°Someone escort Consort Dowager Liu to the pce as soon as possible.¡±
The eunuch hurriedly reported, ¡°His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has personally sent Consort Dowager Liu into the pce. However, he first sent another to report the situation to the Empress Dowager as he was worried that you would be shocked.¡±
The Empress Dowager nodded in response. When she looked up and saw Li Weiyang, she couldn¡¯t help but have a headache; the girl shouldn¡¯t have heard about this. Her heart ushered her to hurriedly let Li Weiyang return. If she was to hint at it after the matter was settled, Li Weiyang would probably know better than to spread rumours around. The Empress Dowager was about to have the girl take her leave, but who would have thought that Consort Dowager Liu would stumble in at that very moment.
Chapter 143.2
Chapter 143.2
The Empress Dowager got up to greet her as Consort Dowager Liu was helped in by the maids. Tears welled up in her eyes as soon as she saw her. It was none other than the feeling of being sincerely surprised to see her close kin after experiencing such an inexplicable disaster. Hence, she rushed towards the Empress Dowager, almost about to cry.
Seeing Consort Dowager Liu being frightened to this state, the Ninth Princess felt a little guilty. She subconsciously nced at Li Weiyang, who was also looking at Consort Dowager Liu with a solemn expression, but she didn¡¯t know what she was thinking about. The Ninth Princess gritted her teeth¡ª she was not trying to plot against the Crown Prince and her Third Brother, but it was done to help the weak Seventh Brother. This time, her Seventh Brother had personally asked her to do the job well and she must obey Li Weiyang¡¯s arrangements throughout the n. She had to be determined, unable to fall short from a momentary twinge of soft-heartedness. Besides, whether it was the Crown Prince or Tuoba Zhen, they were both nning her marriage with no good intentions. This was something that her Consort Mother had repeatedly warned her about. From now on, she could no longer be foolish and treat those two people as her rtives. Although the Ninth Princess was a simpleton, she was not a fool. She suppressed her guilt and hurriedly added, ¡°The Consort Dowager is back! This is wonderful news!¡±
Li Weiyang looked at Consort Dowager Liu. Indeed, she wasn¡¯t injured, so Li Weiyang couldn¡¯t help but heave a sigh of relief. Although she felt a bit sorry for Consort Dowager Liu, she merely needed to be frightened instead of her life being at risk.
Consort Dowager Liu wanted to cry, but when she saw that there were outsiders present, she couldn¡¯t help but choke up her neck and tried her best to swallow the tears that gushed from her heart. Even so, the area around her eyes was reddening.
¡°Greetings, the Empress Dowager,¡± Although she had been tamping down her emotions, her voice was still trembling.
The Empress Dowager hurriedly said, ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re back safe and sound! Luckily, nothing happened to you. Sigh, how could this kind of thing happen-¡°
Consort Dowager Liu couldn¡¯t help it anymore as her tears fell like broken beads. In fact, she hadn¡¯t experienced that much of a fright. After the carriage was robbed, the other party rushed all the way down the mountain before she even had the time to see what was going on as she passed out not long after. Upon waking up, she heard the Crown Prince¡¯s soldiers outside the carriage, so she bravely shouted for help and was rescued. But if she didn¡¯t cry now, how else could she show that she had suffered? Therefore, she started sobbing even louder.
Watching her fall into a pit of sorrow, the Ninth Princess was very sorry towards Consort Dowager Liu. After all, she was not as ruthless as Li Weiyang. She lowered her head in shame, ¡°It¡¯s all because I have troubled Consort Dowager Liu¡¡±
¡°No,¡± Consort Dowager Liu stopped crying immediately. Her eyes were about to burst into sparks as she spoke with righteous indignation, ¡°It¡¯s this face of mine that caused trouble! If I had known, I would not have gone out to the banquet that day, lest I would be seen by that shameless person and nearly ruin my reputation!¡±
Everyone was stunned, including Li Weiyang. For a moment, everyone was almost speechless; what was Consort Dowager Liu talking about?
Consort Dowager Liu didn¡¯t notice the change in their expressions as she continued sadly, ¡°I¡¯m already an old woman, so why won¡¯t they let me go?¡± She said bitterly as her teeth chattered, ¡°This Mo Bei Prince is too wicked! At that time, I thought to myself, if he was to do anything impudent towards me, I was going to end my life right there and then to prove my innocence¡¡±
The Empress Dowager looked at her in amazement, feeling infinitely absurd for a moment. Could it be that¡ Consort Dowager Liu thinks that the other party was after her?
Li Weiyang was also very surprised as she suddenly realised what Consort Dowager Liu was talking about. She clearly felt that Mo Bei¡¯s Fourth Prince took a fancy to her beauty, which led to him blocking off the road and robbing her. Wasn¡¯t that too¡narcissistic of a thought?
The Empress Dowager coughed lightly before she said, ¡°No matter what, all is well as long as you are able toe back safely! Let¡¯s not talk about other things.¡±
Consort Dowager Liu became even more angry when she heard this and she almost yelled, ¡°He actually dared to im that the one in the carriage was his new wife; what courage and ambition! I have never seen such tant rudeness before! Empress Dowager, you must have His Majesty apprehend him back and cut him into pieces! You must cut him into pieces!¡±
The Empress Dowager was dumbfounded, but afterforting her for a long time, she sent Consort Dowager Liu away. Then, she nced at the Ninth Princess and said, ¡°Send County Princess Anping(1) out.¡±
(T/N: County Princesses refers to girls who were part of the royal family. Only the direct daughters of the Emperor were given the title of Princesses)
The Ninth Princess nodded, and after bowing to the Empress Dowager, she retreated with Li Weiyang.
Chapter 143.3
Chapter 143.3
As soon as they got out, the Ninth Princess smiled and said, ¡°Consort Dowager Liu is too strange. I was feeling pretty guilty just now, but after seeing her cry and listening to her reason, I was almostughing. She is already so old, so how could she think that Mo Bei¡¯s Prince is targeting her? Wow, that was just too ironic.¡±
Li Weiyang didn¡¯t smile. Instead, she said, ¡°This is also human nature. The only thing worth noting is that Consort Dowager Liu just hasn¡¯t slowed her pace down,¡± Since the n today was failed, Li Weiyang wondered what sort of regrettably horrific facial expressions would Consort Dowager Liu make once she realised that the Fourth Prince wasn¡¯t targeting her in the slightest.
Li Weiyang sighed and said, ¡°How can His Royal Highness the Crown Prince allow anyone else to focus on such things?¡± In fact, she was already taking special care of Tuoba Yu, so if the Crown Prince or Tuoba Zhen really wanted to take action, she¡¯d let them go ahead. Li Weiyang would rather not stain her hands and leave the grudges to those two. However, she guessed that Li Yuan Heng would also despise the Crown Prince by now.
The Ninth Princess nced at her before speaking with relief, ¡°Sister Weiyang, now that the Prince of Mo Bei has escaped, you don¡¯t have to avoid him anymore since he wouldn¡¯t dare to turn back! And he will never take a single step into the capital again in the future. Since he technically kidnapped the Consort Dowager, this issue will be out in public by tomorrow. How unfortunate that he will be theughingstock of every other country. Still, it¡¯s a pity that we didn¡¯t manage to apprehend anyone. If we did, the royal family of Mo Bei would be pissed.¡±
The Ninth Princess still thought that she was helping Li Weiyang get rid of Li Yuan Heng, even predicting that Li Weiyang was only giving him a small punishment that came with a huge warning. But if she was to give the matter a bit more thought, how could things be so simple?
Li Weiyang merely smiled and didn¡¯t give much of a serious exnation. The Ninth Princess thinks that the situation is over just like that? A good y shouldn¡¯t ever stop halfway; the show must go on.
Seeing that Li Weiyang was deep in thought, the Ninth Princess said once more, ¡°Escaping just like that without supplies and support, the Prince of Mo Bei will most definitely suffer. This can be regarded as a lesson for him! It¡¯s a punishment he has to take for always pestering you to no end! ¡°
Li Weiyang¡¯s smile became deeper, but she didn¡¯t say anything more.
At this moment, Li Yuan Heng was in an extremely embarrassing situation. He waited for a long time, but seeing that Li Weiyang was noting anytime soon, he guessed that she would not be going with him. Nevertheless, he was recently always reduced to a fuzzled mess by her. He didn¡¯t like the fact that she had managed to toy with his heartstrings so easily, so he simply obeyed Jiang Hua¡¯s order, cooperating with him to avoid the Emperor¡¯s line of sight. He left the capital early without saying anything and even took the Li family¡¯s carriage. It¡¯s a pity that he ran into the Crown Prince¡¯s carriage as soon as he walked out of the city gates. He knew that the Emperor wanted to take him as a hostage, so how did the Crown Prince find out that he was going to leave ahead of schedule? It¡¯s a shame that the two met on a narrow road, which left him no choice but to lose Li Weiyang and his guards, managing to only bring He Chang along with him as they escaped.
They ran all the way without resting. Behind them, the Emperor had ordered a thousand imperial guards to chase after him. In order to avoid the pursuing soldiers, Li Yuan Heng and He Chang changed their outfits and headed north the entire way. Even though the two of them were usually rich and well-clothed, their purses were still in possession of their servants. Now that both of them were penniless, there was no way they could manage to go far. Besides, with their pursuers searching every nook and cranny for them, they could only hide every time they were on their tail. After walking for 4 full days, they hadn¡¯t left the border of Da Li. Instead, the two remained stranded in Suicheng because of excessive investigation.
However, at this moment, a turning point for them appeared all of a sudden. First, someone inexplicably arranged food and lodging for them before obtaining a carriage. Li Yuang Heng was extremely vignt as he was about to grab hold of the mysterious person and ask for his identity, but suddenly, he recognised that the helper was from the Jiang family. Steward Jiang hurriedly handed over the required documents, telling them that the entire scheme was arranged by Li Weiyang. They had mistakenly attempted the kidnapping of the Consort Dowager, which was the reason the Emperor was sending his men after them. Now, all they could do from here was to disguise themselves and leave Da Li as soon as they could.
Chapter 143.4
Chapter 143.4
Li Yuan Heng was rather suspicious at first, but when he saw the exit documents, he stopped thinking about it altogether. After carefully checking the authenticity of the information, he was provided with some money, a four-wheeled carriage and was able to hire a driver to get on the road. The journey was light and easy, leaving the border of Da Li smoothly after relying on the documents to go through customs.
Stretching her head out of the carriage, He Chang suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Fourth Brother, we are leaving Da Li soon!¡± She was the most vignt at first, but the long-term depression and inexplicable fear of being caught by the soldiers slowly wore off. Coupled with the fact that she was about to see Mo Bei¡¯s army in front of her eyes, she began to rx her vignce a little.
Li Yuan Heng nodded before he added, ¡°One day, I will avenge the loss I suffered this time!¡± He had never been this embarrassed before, so he must not just let Li Weiyang go without any sort of retribution! Thinking of this, Li Yuan Heng¡¯s expression became more sinister.
In fact, they hadn¡¯t entirely rid themselves of Da Li¡¯s pursuers. These men seemed to be lingering ghosts as they kept following the pair closely. Li Yuan Heng knew that the Emperor specially sent the Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu to lead his troops in pursuit. Now that they had reached the junction of the two countries, it was the boundary where both sides were keeping an eye on closely. The initial thousand-man army had also merged with the 100,000 troops by the border long ago.
Although Mo Bei¡¯s 500,000 troops were already within sight, Li Yuan Heng didn¡¯t dare to take the risk of stopping as the carriage sprinted forward desperately. He had already decided that when he arrived in Mo Bei, he would attack Da Li immediately. A mere 100,000 troops were originally short-handed, and after the Da Li earthquake, the numbers would seriously drop¡ª it was nothing short of the best decision to attack at this moment! Once he marched his way into the capital of Da Li, he was going to chop off Li Weiyang¡¯s head to vent his hatred! To avenge this girl¡¯s teasing!
He Chang nced at Li Yuan Heng¡¯s gloomy expression and couldn¡¯t help shaking her head. She originally thought that Li Weiyang had a great n, but it turned out that she was just jesting with them. After all, didn¡¯t she allow Li Yuan Heng to seize the opportunity to escape?
That naive girl would know what terrible consequences that decision of hers will cause in the future! When Da Li¡¯s blood flows into rivers, Li Weiyang will definitely regret today¡¯s rash teasing! At first she thought that Li Weiyang was the same kind of person as herself, so she really looked up to her! Who would have thought that Li Weiyang was just an ignorant idiot who relied on her cheeky cleverness to tease and frighten others!
The carriage sprinted the remaining way towards the endless grasnds in front of them. Li Yuan Hengughed loudly, knowing that when he returned to the army, he was going to turn around and kill Tuoba Yu!
Just then, the sentries in Mo Bei had spotted them.
Looking at the golden g of the military that was adorned with a ck wolf¡¯s head, Li Yuan Heng couldn¡¯t help feeling ecstatic. The vanguard army at the front lines had already received the news and was waiting for the arrival of the Fourth Prince, but obviously did not expect that there would be pursuers right behind them. The carriage then rushed the entire way towards the troops before stopping hastily.
¡°There are 100,000 cavalry in the rear, how many of you havee?¡± Li Yuan Heng asked loudly.
¡°Your Highness, 500,000 men have already assembled. His Majesty already gave out an order, so we¡¯re awaiting Your Highness¡¯s further instructions,¡± Immediately, a General answered Li Yuan Heng¡¯s words as he saluted the Prince.
¡°This is an emergency, so no customary etiquette is required. Immediately set up your formation and prepare to engage with the enemy!¡± Li Yuanheng jumped out of the carriage, quickly turned around and got on a war horse. He Chang also followed him closely behind.
Hearing the Fourth Prince¡¯s order, a soldier immediately took out a horn and blew it.
At this moment, Tuoba Yu had already led the vanguard army close by. He watched Li Yuan Heng run to his men with cold eyes as he ordered loudly, ¡°Ry the order to set fire.¡±
The millennia of soldiers responded in unison. Immediately, they lit the torches in their hands and threw them on the grasnd before retreating. It was the end of winter, which meant that the vegetation had dried up. Paired with the dry skies and the wind, the fire was soon growing into a ze. In addition, the winds blew from the south to the north, instantly powering a raging fire that ignited the entire grasnds.
Li Yuan Heng said angrily, ¡°Hurry up and find someone to put out the fire!¡±
Chapter 143.5
Chapter 143.5
Tuoba Yu was really vicious. Everyone knew that a fire on the grasnds was the most troublesome thing to deal with because the fire would be fierce, fast, and scorching. In addition to that, the grasnd was in an open area and there were very few rivers. The fire would also break out in the area, spreading quickly by the wind. For the Mo Bei northerners, after a fire broke out, the livestock lying in range would spark another dark fire. Those could sometimesst for several months, leaving the hidden risk of resurgence which was extremely dangerous. However, the wind directions on the grasnd were susceptible to change, so the people of Da Li would never use a fire attack lightly. That was because a change in the wind direction would very possibly cause tragic casualties on their own side!
Furthermore, the 500,000 troops of Mo Bei gathered in batches and Da Li was never rmed. How could they suddenly think of using fire to attack?! Tuoba Yu was clearly just chasing after him, so why would he bring torches? Could it have been their strategy all along? Li Yuan Heng didn¡¯t have time to think about this. He only thought that he had a total of half a million people, so even if one person contributed to a mouthful of spit, he could definitely find a way to control the mes. But suddenly, he heard a loud bang. A string of tragic wailings erupted from his team. He looked back and saw that the carriage that took them the entire way here had suddenly exploded, spreading another surge of fire all of a sudden. Countless soldiers were already rolling on the ground as they let out cries of agony from the pain before he was even able to react.
That carriage, that carriage has been tampered with! Li Yuanheng stared in disbelief. It was with Jiang Hua¡¯s agreement to station troops from Mo Bei so that the emperor would reactivate the Jiang family¡ª how dare Jiang Hua use this sort of carriage to frame him!
Tuoba Yu was on his horse, looking coldly at the tumbling mes across him with stern eyes. Zhou Dashou wasn¡¯t wrong, after all. The direction of wind today would not affect Da Li and it would only cause heavy casualties to the people of Mo Bei! Moreover, the timing of the carriage exploding due to the hot temperature was just impable!
The mes had burned throughout the grasnd for thousands of miles and Li Yuan Heng ordered his soldiers to quickly put out the fire, but it was of no avail. He said bitterly, ¡°Jiang Hua, you good man! You¡¯re too great! It turns out that all this was an act when in reality, you coborated with them to harm me! Just wait and see! I must make you pay the price!¡± Obviously, he had already put everything under control. He even felt that the Jiang family deliberately lured him into the capital in order to kill him. Jiang Hua was too vicious! Whatever covenant they shared was simply a pretence for the Jiang family to regain power!
It was impossible for the Mo Bei soldiers to run with the wind since that meant that they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the fire. Hence, they had to run against the wind, falling into Tuoba Yu¡¯s encirclement. After this battle, 200,000 troops were detained and the remaining 200,000 were burned to death. Li Yuan Heng fled in haste with only 100,000 soldiers. Tuoba Yu won aplete victory without bloodshed from Da Li. This was a strange way of winning as even the soldiers of Da Li didn¡¯t know how they managed to win.
Tuoba Yu looked at the raging fire in front of him with gleaming eyes. He remembered Li Weiyang¡¯sst meaningful smile as it shed in his mind. He couldn¡¯t help raising his lips and said in a low voice, ¡°Li Yuan Heng, goodbye.¡±
The fire burned for an entire day and spreaded all the way to the north. With thick smoke billowing, it burned farther and farther, only extinguished under a heavy rainfall that urred in the evening. However, this battle had already severely damaged the people of Mo Bei. Within the next decade, they probably wouldn¡¯t have the means to start arge-scale war.
The capital of Da Li was rather peaceful. With a bang, the locked door of the Li family was opened again.
Bai Zhi held themp for Li Weiyang. The contrast of light and shadow swayed behind Li Weiyang as a sliver of pure moonlight shone on the courtyard wall. The dim shade of vermilion light seemed to be covered with a veil, creating a hazy and ethereal surrounding, as if they were in a dream.
Chapter 143.6
Chapter 143.6
Li Min De caught up to them with a smile that looked very ordinary. One nce at him and no one would be able to tell at all that he and Li Weiyang have just nned the deaths of 500,000 people, ¡°The steward of the Jiang family has left Da Li and he will nevere back again.¡±
Li Weiyang sighed and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this either. Once the fire burns through, Mo Bei will not merely lose their grasnds. In the next year, I don¡¯t know how many cattle will starve to death and how many people will be hurt. I¡¯m just bothered that just an earthquake in Da Li managed to attract 500,000 troops from Mo Bei. Jiang Hua did not hesitate to sell out the country in order to regain his military power and naturally indulge Mo Bei to obtain countless cities. That way, the Jiang family would be the ones to turn the tide, and that is something that I will never allow again!¡± Moreover, ording to their usual habits, wherever Mo Bei¡¯s army went, pandemonium would break loose. Killing innocent civilians, deflowering women and mutting children¡ª all of which were done by beasts.
With this fire, the Emperor of Mo Bei would have no choice but to bring his people far away in order to find a newnd to reign and prosper from. Even if this year passed and new greeneries started to sprout by the next year, Mo Bei, that lost half a million troops, would not be able to regain their strength.
Li Min De looked at her for a moment and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to give this credit to Tuoba Yu. In fact, I thought you had already given up on him.¡±
Li Weiyang didn¡¯t show any sort of emotion on her face and said coldly, ¡°Indeed, I have given up on him. But at present, he is the best candidate for the job. I would rather give this kind of credit to a stranger than to grant it to the Jiang family and Tuoba Zhen. On the contrary, the Crown Prince¡¯s reckless action this time gave Li Yuan Heng a chance to flee. It is conceivable how much he will be med if we were topare him with the other two.¡±
Hearing this sentence, Bai Zhi and Mo Zhu looked at each other in nk dismay, but Li Min De was shocked, ¡°I thought you were reluctant to let those innocentmonfolk suffer.¡±
Li Weiyang smiled, ¡°I have only one purpose¡ª and that is to make sure the Jiang family has no chance of rising up ever again,¡± Even if Tuoba Yu really desired the throne, he would never get it! As for everything else¡she merely managed to help out while she worked on her own goals. Li Weiyang didn¡¯t have any intention to be a saint nor a saviour.
Li Min De just smiled. To grant Li Weiyang¡¯s wish, he could do anything. He smiled and said, ¡°Li Yuan Heng is a petty person like no other. Now, he probably feels like Jiang Hua betrayed him, so he will most definitely collect that debt very soon.¡±
Zhao Yue had been following them without making a sound, but she finally couldn¡¯t help it. She asked, ¡°But, shouldn¡¯t he take revenge on our Lady first?¡±
Li Weiyang turned around. Upon looking at Zhao Yue¡¯s confused expression, she said softly, ¡°No, he is a very arrogant person and thest thing he can tolerate is betrayal. He is the only one who can betray others in this world but he won¡¯t allow others to betray him. He and I were not friends in the first ce, so it¡¯s not surprising for me to string him along. However, Jiang Hua sent 500,000 of his men to their deaths. He¡¯s going to think that Jiang Hua schemed an entirely borate n against him. So tell me, how do you think he¡¯s going to treat the Jiang family? He¡¯d probably want to tear them into pieces, don¡¯t you think?¡±
Although Li Weiyang had been with Li Yuan Heng for a short time, she had already seen through the other party¡¯s character. He was the same as Tuoba Zhen¡ª results were the most important thing to them. Jiang Hua ¡®destroyed¡¯ the other party¡¯s great cause, resulting in losing half a million men. He would lose his rights to seed the throne of Mo Bei and was probably afraid of receiving his impending punishment once he went home. It was conceivable how much he would despise Jiang Hua, perhaps going as far as to handle this revenge before dealing with anything else.
Jiang Hua, you are the one who tried to harm me, so you can¡¯t me me for being vicious. Plus, what you have always wanted was my life, so I will naturally repay you in the same way. Li Weiyang looked at the night sky and her voice became softer,¡±It¡¯s almost spring, it seems. The wind doesn¡¯t feel that cold anymore.¡±
Chapter 143.7
Chapter 143.7
At the Jiang Residence, on an early morning two dayster.
Jiang Hua suffered from headaches every night and wasn¡¯t able to fall asleep without burning some incense. Even so, he would still wake up early. He faintly heard the crowing of chickens outside the window and subconsciously opened his eyes. He called out the name of his personal servant, but there was no answer.
Outside the room, the skies have yet to brighten, but the candles in the room were burned fervently. He sat up from the bed, locking eyes with two corpses in the room, both of whom were the girls on night watch duty. With his gaze fixed on them, a chill rose from his back as he quickly got up from the bed. Before he even had time to put on his clothes, he walked out quickly and was met with a yard full of corpses. He didn¡¯t even spare a nce at the servants, practically dashing his way out. As soon as he reached the door, he saw that there were guards all over the ce, all of whom had their throats slit.
The ornaments and jaspers above the corridors were shining ever so brightly, but Jiang Hua couldn¡¯t help but bend down and vomit. Presently, he had to straighten up and walk on until he reached his father¡¯s yard. The green tiles and red walls, the lush flowers and trees, the singing of birds; they were all very clear to him¡
A bird stopped on the nearby window sill. It tilted its head and quietly watched the meandering trail of fresh blood slowly flow from the floor of the room, stopping only at the threshold of the room as the liquid wasn¡¯t able to flow out.
Upon passing through the threshold of the room, Jiang Hua staggered. His entire body was knocked down by the threshold as he tripped over it, falling in a rather embarrassing way. When he raised his head and looked at the person on the bed, he couldn¡¯t avert his gaze as his eyes began to freeze in ce.
Jiang Xu and Madam Jiangid side by side on the bed, both of them dead in their ces. The items in the room were intact and the door was closed tightly. However, Jiang Xu¡¯s head seemed to have been chopped several times. It was iparably terrifying¡
When Officer Yao Changqing arrived at the Jiang Residence, two hours had already passed. In this unusually quiet mansion, the truth got out when the small hawker in charge of delivering food entered through the back door that morning. Once Yao Changqing got the report, he didn¡¯t even have time to sit in the sedan chair as he galloped all the way and rushed into the Jiang Residence. He saw hundreds of corpses along the way and was horrified for a moment.
No, there should have been about 40 to 50 people here. If the killers weren¡¯t the Secret Guards of the Jiang family, then, what happened? Despite everything else, he couldn¡¯t bother with those matters now; what he needed to do was to check if there were any Jiang family members that remained alive! He didn¡¯t know where the Master¡¯s room was, so he led the guards in a search before finally finding Jiang Xu¡¯s room.
Just as they entered the room, there was a smell of incense in the room despite the fact that there was blood all over the ce. It could be said that the killer had used some medicine¡
Yao Changqing¡¯s eyes scanned through the room. He nced over the two corpses on the bed before his sightnded in the corner of the room. There was a dusty shadow in that corner, seemingly a person who buried his head in his arms, struggling in vain like a dying butterfly. He sat in a ce where the sun couldn¡¯t shine. The sunlight that shone in a nearby spot was dazzling, entuating his dark shadow that made the atmosphere very gloomy.
¡°Third Young Master-¡± Yao Changqing was stunned as he stared at the figure, ¡°What happened?¡± Why did the entire Jiang family die overnight? Why? Jiang Xu, Jiang Li, Jiang Yang, the two Madams of the Jiang family¡The killers didn¡¯t even spare the chickens and the dogs of the Jiang family either. What kind of hatred was there to achieve this level of brutality? And why did Jiang Hua survive alone?
Chapter 143.8
Chapter 143.8
Despite what it seemed to be, it was not done out of kindness. Leaving Jiang Hua alone in this world was more akin to an extremely cruel punishment by letting him live to see all his rtives die. But how did the other party do it? The Jiang family was centuries old and they had many Secret Guards hiding in the dark, making the family rather heavily guarded. Jiang Xu and Jiang Yang, who originally nned to greet Duke Jiang but returned halfway; even Jiang Li who returned home only half a month ago¡ª they were all generals that had skillsparable to Gods. How could they be killed just like this without them being aware of it? What kind of terrifying force was this?
A series of questions circled in Yao Changqing¡¯s mind, which made him nearly lose himself in confusion. He had no choice but to step forward and ask Jiang Hua, fully intending to know the truth from him.
Jiang Hua slowly raised his head and stared at Yao Changqing. His gaze indicated that he saw him, but it also seemed like he didn¡¯t. Perhaps it was neither as he didn¡¯t really care anymore and merely stood up.
Yao Changqing went up to stop him, but Jiang Hua¡¯s strength surged from nowhere. The officer was knocked to the ground whilst the other roared angrily! It¡¯s Mo Bei! Jiang Hua knew that this stunt was from Mo Bei since those people left behind a wolf totem! On his father¡¯s face, a wolf totem was carved!
Yes! He, Jiang Hua, had close contacts with the people of Mo Bei. It could even be said that he had already betrayed his own country, but this was no simple betrayal that only idiots would think about! The line of capable and admirable royal family members had long since declined, so there was no doubt in his mind that they were going to be reced one day. The Jiang family had made great achievements for generations and also produced arge number of talents. Therefore, why couldn¡¯t they be the ones to take over the royal lineage? Even though Jiang Hua thought that way, never once did he mention his thoughts to anyone; not even his grandfather.
Jiang Hua had been secretly contacting the people from Mo Bei and Nanjiang. No matter who they were, as long as they were useful, he contacted and used them all! Mo Bei had arranged a group of secret forces in Da Li for many years and it was none other than he, Jiang Hua, who trained them! He trained those men with his own hands just for their skills toe in handy someday! He had strategies whereas Li Yuan Heng had ambitions; one of them wanted the Jiang family¡¯s eternal glory while the other desired the hegemony of Mo Bei.
They were close partners. Although they were wary of each other, when necessary, he secretly helped the other nurture some secret weapons. The end result was a group of men capable of killing without blinking an eye to deal with the Eldest Prince of Mo Bei. In exchange for the men, the other party also sold Mo Bei¡¯s military newspaper to him for suitable benefits! They could very well be considered traitors, but at the same time, they were all maniptors of the war! It sounded unbelievable, but it was nothing but the truth!
Even if Li Weiyang was the one who forced him into this state, Jiang Hua never thought of using this team of deadly soldiers. That was because these Mo Bei people must not appear in the capital only unless it was absolutely necessary! He wasn¡¯t going to give up the scenario he¡¯s been nning for years just because of a stupid woman! But now, look what Li Yuan Heng had done! He actually used the Secret Killers trained by Jiang Hua to kill all the members of the Jiang family in turn! Yes, everyone was dead except him, Jiang Hua! It was actually quite ironic how ridiculous of a fact this was!
Chapter 143.9
Chapter 143.4
Li Yuan Heng was rather suspicious at first, but when he saw the exit documents, he stopped thinking about it altogether. After carefully checking the authenticity of the information, he was provided with some money, a four-wheeled carriage and was able to hire a driver to get on the road. The journey was light and easy, leaving the border of Da Li smoothly after relying on the documents to go through customs.
Stretching her head out of the carriage, He Chang suddenly smiled and said, ¡°Fourth Brother, we are leaving Da Li soon!¡± She was the most vignt at first, but the long-term depression and inexplicable fear of being caught by the soldiers slowly wore off. Coupled with the fact that she was about to see Mo Bei¡¯s army in front of her eyes, she began to rx her vignce a little.
Li Yuan Heng nodded before he added, ¡°One day, I will avenge the loss I suffered this time!¡± He had never been this embarrassed before, so he must not just let Li Weiyang go without any sort of retribution! Thinking of this, Li Yuan Heng¡¯s expression became more sinister.
In fact, they hadn¡¯t entirely rid themselves of Da Li¡¯s pursuers. These men seemed to be lingering ghosts as they kept following the pair closely. Li Yuan Heng knew that the Emperor specially sent the Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu to lead his troops in pursuit. Now that they had reached the junction of the two countries, it was the boundary where both sides were keeping an eye on closely. The initial thousand-man army had also merged with the 100,000 troops by the border long ago.
Although Mo Bei¡¯s 500,000 troops were already within sight, Li Yuan Heng didn¡¯t dare to take the risk of stopping as the carriage sprinted forward desperately. He had already decided that when he arrived in Mo Bei, he would attack Da Li immediately. A mere 100,000 troops were originally short-handed, and after the Da Li earthquake, the numbers would seriously drop¡ª it was nothing short of the best decision to attack at this moment! Once he marched his way into the capital of Da Li, he was going to chop off Li Weiyang¡¯s head to vent his hatred! To avenge this girl¡¯s teasing!
He Chang nced at Li Yuan Heng¡¯s gloomy expression and couldn¡¯t help shaking her head. She originally thought that Li Weiyang had a great n, but it turned out that she was just jesting with them. After all, didn¡¯t she allow Li Yuan Heng to seize the opportunity to escape?
That naive girl would know what terrible consequences that decision of hers will cause in the future! When Da Li¡¯s blood flows into rivers, Li Weiyang will definitely regret today¡¯s rash teasing! At first she thought that Li Weiyang was the same kind of person as herself, so she really looked up to her! Who would have thought that Li Weiyang was just an ignorant idiot who relied on her cheeky cleverness to tease and frighten others!
The carriage sprinted the remaining way towards the endless grasnds in front of them. Li Yuan Hengughed loudly, knowing that when he returned to the army, he was going to turn around and kill Tuoba Yu!
Just then, the sentries in Mo Bei had spotted them.
Looking at the golden g of the military that was adorned with a ck wolf¡¯s head, Li Yuan Heng couldn¡¯t help feeling ecstatic. The vanguard army at the front lines had already received the news and was waiting for the arrival of the Fourth Prince, but obviously did not expect that there would be pursuers right behind them. The carriage then rushed the entire way towards the troops before stopping hastily.
¡°There are 100,000 cavalry in the rear, how many of you havee?¡± Li Yuan Heng asked loudly.
¡°Your Highness, 500,000 men have already assembled. His Majesty already gave out an order, so we¡¯re awaiting Your Highness¡¯s further instructions,¡± Immediately, a General answered Li Yuan Heng¡¯s words as he saluted the Prince.
¡°This is an emergency, so no customary etiquette is required. Immediately set up your formation and prepare to engage with the enemy!¡± Li Yuanheng jumped out of the carriage, quickly turned around and got on a war horse. He Chang also followed him closely behind.
Hearing the Fourth Prince¡¯s order, a soldier immediately took out a horn and blew it.
At this moment, Tuoba Yu had already led the vanguard army close by. He watched Li Yuan Heng run to his men with cold eyes as he ordered loudly, ¡°Ry the order to set fire.¡±
The millennia of soldiers responded in unison. Immediately, they lit the torches in their hands and threw them on the grasnd before retreating. It was the end of winter, which meant that the vegetation had dried up. Paired with the dry skies and the wind, the fire was soon growing into a ze. In addition, the winds blew from the south to the north, instantly powering a raging fire that ignited the entire grasnds.
Li Yuan Heng said angrily, ¡°Hurry up and find someone to put out the fire!¡±
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