《The Vicious Princess Overturns the World》 Chapter 1: The Cruelly Deposed Empress Proofreader: Nie Qiao Feeling her withered hair with louses, Li Wanrou recalls it is Zhaohe Year 5. Since she was framed out of the empress'' chair by her own sister and fell into cold pce, it has already been four years during which Li lies paralyzed on the mmy bed. Icy coldness of the winter stings her whole body like pricking needles, which makes her breathe hard. Suddenly, the dark room brightens. The luxuriant shoes which set off theer''s nobleness, with embroidered gold phoenix and interspersed pearl,e into her view. Theing woman in mmted light dress, has a pale, cute face but upward canthus. Her long lovely eyshes like feather fan flutter tenderly and her voice is soft. However, the words are inexorable and sinister. "Sister, I''m always beside the emperor, worrying you are solitary in the inessible pce, with no one around but merely snakes and worms." Li Wanrou in a surge of irritation, frowns but spreads her brows soon, squeezes a ttering smile, and says, "Is Moer all right?" "He¡­" Li Shifu stretches tune deliberately, appears indifferent and fleers, "¡­is nothing but son of a bitch. The emperor disgusts him, how could he get through? He died in that winter when you were locked." He died? How did he die? Why should they cheat me! Li Wanrou''s heart tightens. Her head buzzes as if to explode. She fabulously yells, "Is Rongji crazy? Moer is his first prince! His son!" Had she lost herst value, should she be kicked off? Even the innocent baby? Was she certainly blocked, blinded and she misced her love? After being married to the then third prince Nangong Rongji, she has fended off the poisonous wine and the sword for him, but none of them canpare with a smile of Li Shifu in his eyes? She has been forced to vacate the throne of empress for Li Shifu, and now even Moer needs to give the throne of crown prince to her children! Why?! A surge of coolness rises in her mind, but she still harbors a glimmer of hope. "I want to see the emperor!" says she word by word, with her eyes cold and hard. "The emperor upies himself with countless affairs. How can he squeeze time to listen to you, a dying person? You are nothing but a humble life, and the stain that Ie from the same family as you have made me sick for years!" The light smile of Li Shifu slowly shows a hint of darkness, and her glittering eyes condescendingly spurn at Wanrou. She feels a sense of deep satisfaction in her mind. She is the only trueborn in the Hou Mansion, and the first one to know Rongji, but failed to marry him because his status was not high. Instead, Li Wanrou, the bastardy, took the most advantage and even robbed the throne of empress which should have belonged to her! With the pointed fingernails prated into palm, Li Shifu sneers and says, "You are just a bastardy, and Father keeps you just to pave the way for me. But you trample my road and rece my position. You should have died! It''s already my mercy to leave you alive till now!" Li Wanrou only thinks it incredible: it was at a time of crisis when she married Rongji-simply the ambushes set by various royal families often made her almost nevere out alive and she narrowly escaped from the gate of hell for many times. It''s rather funny that she has all the benefits in the eyes of others. Catching sight of the rage in Li Shifu''s eyes, Li Wanrou has to believe that even if it is Rongji, he would alsough at her wishful thinking. It is an impasse to ascend the throne of empress. She has paved the way for the bitch couple, and her destiny is to die. Not for a moment should their good future be dyed! She has vomited a mouthful of heart blood, and her eyes grow dark. She raises her middle finger in a tearing pain. The fingers twisting with purple veins have been half rotten. But Li Shifu, gently with a smile, shouts, "Bearer, take the instrument of torture!" Hardly has her voice faded away when several pce attendants came out of the darkness, carrying an iron te covered with numerous spindly barbs and hung with a hemp rope. Dragging Li Wanrou, they put the hemp rope around her neck and set the charcoal fire under the iron te with the fire licking at Li''s soft ankle with its red tongues at once. Li Wanrou is burned so much that she can''t help stamping her feet. But her whole body is paralyzed, only to be tortured with her hair pulled by the pce attendants, swaying back and forth, as if dancing in the fire. The big fire burns out her clothes and the ground is covered with blood. Li Wanrou is hung by hemp rope, out of breath, but somehow thinks of the spring breeze that stirred her heart that year. At the party she only cast one sight on Rongji but felt it like a glimpse of a passing beauty, and almost indulged in it. But now it is to put herself on the road to death, step by step. The pain is unbearable from head to feet, and Li Wanrou''s five facial features vehemently twist together. Through the big fire, she sees Li Shifu''s rampantugh, and the original harmonious sisterhood has vanished through her minds. If there is an afterlife, she must make the bitch couple suffer sorrowfully rather than die peacefully. Get them a perfect nuisance! "The emperor issues a decree, that the slut should be thrown into the disorderly funeral hillock, and can''t reincarnate as a human being this life, the next and the next life!" Some pce attendants already stepped forward to put out the big fire, randomly rolled Li Wanrou up with a broken mat, and threw it into the disorderly funeral hillock where littered with corpses. Chapter 2: Long Poisoned Proofread by Heli ¡°Ah it really hurts!¡± The whole body is overwhelmed by aches and pains, Li Wanrou considers that she seems to have descended into the hell, for that spiteful couple would not release her even after her death. However, once she opens her eyes, Li Wanrou finds that the htion of warm sunshine seems dazzling and blinding for her. Then she hears some cries. ¡°Mydy, fortunately, you¡¯ve waken up!¡± Furong sweeps tears with deeply worriedplexion. She promptly raises Li Yanrou up, and feeds her with medicine, but Li Wanrou overturns it at once. Furong freezes and says: ¡°It¡¯s thest one. No matter how we ask for the doctor, he is not willing to provide any more prescriptions, iming that you are well and just need to convalesce.¡± On her face is not the sour smell of rotten flesh, but faint flour of flowers, which makes Li¡¯s tightened heart feel rxed a lot while her astonishment has not been appeased. Furong has looked after her from a very young age and died from eunuch¡¯s torture within no more than one year. When she died, her flesh did not remain intact. Nevertheless, Li Yanrou was totally pressed by Li Shifu at that time, unable to even bury Furong¡¯s corpse. However, her face is so fresh and vivid, am I in dream? Li Wanrou stares at Furong¡¯s fair face in a daze. ¡°She is no more than twelve.¡± She thought to herself. Subconsciously, Li lifts her hands for a look and her eyes shrink fiercely. They be fairplexioned rather than rough and thick ones with bulged blue veins. The pale hands almost suggest her weakness. Her heart beats violently, and she asks hurriedly, ¡°How long have I slept?¡± Furong does not understand why herdy acts abnormally, and just replies worriedly, ¡°My deardy, you were praying for the First Madam in the temple and caught cold. If we had discovered you muchter, you would have fevered to be ina.¡± Temple? Pray? Coma? The recollection graduallyes back. She recalls everything. It was at the age of twelve when she prayed for Zhao¡¯s thirtieth birthday and got ill after three days¡¯ kneeling. Remembering that she hadplied with Zhao thoroughly to show her filial piety while she was finally put into such terrible condition, she is burned with inner fire of rage in her heart. At the moment when she feels nearly suffocated, she clenches her fists, determined to take revenge because God has given her the chance to restart. She will torture them herself to let them experience the aches and pains as well. ¡°Mydy, you have not recovered thoroughly. These days I¡¯ve asked them to spare your duly greetings, but Wang¡¯s attitude is getting worse and worse. Madam must be in bad mood as well. You had better go for it tomorrow.¡± Furong signs. It will be harder for her youngdy to live in the Mansion year by year. Thinking that the evil has been itching for her to decease in the deep dark room, Li Wanrou, with a frozen face, says coldly, "Even if I died of illness, First Madam might not be happy. It is only a matter of face and acting." Still, Furong is about to persuade her, but she suddenly zips her lip on after seeing the cid cold eyes of the youngdy. Li looks like a ferocious ghost just climbing out of the hell, gloomy and spooky. Her fairdy used to be gentle and weak. How could she look like so awesome and dignified even without anger after waking up from illness? Furong puckers up her lips and knits her brows, deeply in thought. She consoles herself that it is probably a good thing. Li Wanrou rises and washes herself. Her eyes reflected on the mirror are as sharp and cold as a sword, but her face is calm and serene. She touches her tender face and can¡¯t help beaming. The spring breeze outside the window is just pleasing. Li Wanrou watches the gorgeous peach blossoms on the trees. Raising her lips, Wanrou asks: "Where is Bise?" "She is the only one who knows something about medicine in the room, and mydy, you have told her to decoct medicinal herbs." Furong helps Li Wanrou to get up and puts a heavy fox-fur coat on her, sighing, ¡°Summer ising, mydy. Your body is still vulnerable to coldness, but the doctor asserted that you have recoveredpletely. What shall we do?" Li Wanrou could suffer spring and summer, but at the onset of autumn and winter, she will be subject to chilliness as if there were leakages in her bones. She will huddle by the furnace for warmth all night, with the charcoal fire near her for every minute. The chilly body was born with her. Old people in the Mansion all say that at that time Concubine Qin died of illness so early that her daughter, Li Wanrou, was like a stillbirth when she was born, with her whole body ck and blue. Li Wanrou lowers her eyes and brows. She had suspected this incident for many times before she was put into the cold pce--her mother was the daughter of the General, therefore, she always kept healthy. That she was born ck and blue must be a scheme, in which Qin Huanyan was poisoned by some evil. As the bead curtain rings slightly, Bise in a bright red dress drifts in, holding a bowl of steaming hot soup. Wearing afortable smile on herely small face, she says, "Please have the soup and then take a rest. Mydy, you need to greet tomorrow." These gentle words and considerate care are mollifying to people who ever hear, and Wanrou must also be consoled and moved if she were still kept in the dark. However, Li Wanrou remembers that she entered the pce with Bise, not believing anyone else. When she was about to give birth, it was Bise who drugged her with musk powder, drenched her with safflower and narrowly made her abort. Since then she became more and more rampant. Not only did she seduce the Emperor, but she repeatedly gave pillow talks as well, ordering the imperial servants to pull down a wall of the cold pce as soon as Li Wanrou was relegated to the cold pce. Every winter, Li Wanrou was cold and freezing numb due to the cold wind from all directions. She could not have gone through that without her determination that she must wait till Li Shifu got old and ugly. However, Bise smiles warmly in front of her. Li Wanrou beams towards her and takes the soup. One sniff at the soup and she knows that two lethal herbs have been added. The herbs are precious, but they be deadly once put together to boil. If a person drinks it for a long time, the internal organs of the body will be hollowed out although the surface of the body will keep normal as usual. No wonder the doctor swore that there was no need for her to take in plenty of tonics. Staring at her eyes reflected in the soup bowl, she bes resentful. When she raises her face again, she puts down the soup bowl and says suddenly, "Furong, fetch my colored ze jasper hairpin." Holding Bise¡¯s bun, Li Wanrou tucks the hairpin into it and smiles gently: "This suit of clothes really looks good on you, but your haircks some jewelries, which is not quite appropriate when you go to see your lover." The smile suddenly gets rigid on Bise¡¯s face. She restlessly casts a nce at the youngdy''splexion, finding that her face is as gentle as usual, and she says tentatively: "Mydy, please don''t tease me. My cousin isn''t my ..." "But I remember, your indenture is still in the Mansion. You are so indiscreet that you would be banished to a brothel if First Madam knows it!" Li Wanrou¡¯s face sinks suddenly. Furong, though surprised, persuades Li softly, "Bise was sent by First Madam and she hasn¡¯t made blunders." She implies that it is not easy to punish the girl in case that it disturbs First Madam easily. Bise kneels on the ground and keeps kowtowing,menting: "My deardy, I have served you since my childhood. My loyalty could be tested and I have never had any evil plot!" Li Wanrou¡¯s voice turns gentle and she says, "Oh... is it? Since you are so loyal to me, then, drink this soup." Chapter 3: Cutting Meat for Healing Wound Proofread by Pro Meng Shunde Bise has hesitated for a long period with the broth in hand. On thinking about the lethal herbs in the broth, she shivers with cold feet and hands and is terribly horrified. She suddenly kneels, clutching the edge of Li''s clothes, and cries sorrowfully: "I am not intended to hurt you. It''s the Miss Li Shifu whomands me to do so. I am forced to do it." Forced? How could a scheming person like Li Shifu need to force someone to do such a thing? Bise must have been eager to tter her by doing that. Li Wanrou''s eyes are swift and fierce, and then she says softly: "What has my sister forced you to do? If you do not tell the truth, I will send you directly to old Madam." The Old Lady has been in the ancestral hall worshiping Buddha sincest summer, leaving behind the affairs of the backyard. The First Madam is now actually the boss of the family. Thinking for a while, Bise has to take the responsibility of the whole thing for the time being, saying that: "It is my fault. I said the wrong thing." "p her in the face!" ordered Li. Bise is stared by the dark eyes. Her heart tightens, eager to defend herself but afraid to offend the second madam. So, she has to keep silent and stand the violent ps from Fu Rong. Furong worries that if the first madam hears about it, things will go awful. She looks at Miss Li anxiously, who shows no change in herplexion. It seems Li has changed a lot since she survived the approaching death. The first madam would not put up with them. The clear and loud pping makes Li Wanrou''s rage gradually diminish. Her eyes also be a little clear. She says faintly: "Bise, you should understand who is you master! My second younger sister takes you in because I trust you and put you in an important position. That''s the reason why you can be her spy." She suddenly changes her tone with a deeper voice: "If I drive you away, what use do you have? Moreover, since you know so many secrets of hers, how can she let you live for long?" It is said that Li Shifu is a decent fairy beauty, but these years'' bloody events Bise dealt with in person have taught her that Li Shifu is spiteful and cruel. The thought disheartens her, and Bise subconsciously lowers her head and covers her turgid face with her hands, saying: "I only serve you and will be loyal to you." Li Wanrou waves her hand indifferently, and Bise leaves the room in a hurry. Looking at her back, Fu Rong asks uneasily: "Miss, do you trust her?" "Of course not. To survive, she would make a wise choice. Besides, her indenture is still in my hands." Marquis Household carefully selected two servant girls: Fu Rong and Bi Se for her. However, she has to give up one of them, which is a waste of her uncle''s effort and good will. Uncle is her only kinsfolk in this world. Li Wanrou lowers her eyes and brows to mask her pain. Sheforts her aching eyebrows, saying, "Forget it, I am going to sleep. Come and serve me." Midnight. A dark shadow shes quickly. Li Wanrou wakes up with a start with her subconscious vignce due to years of court life. She looks around carefully. Suddenly she senses coolness in her neck. Looking down, she sees a sharp dagger clinging tightly to her neck, and from the joint oozes blood streak. She is almost suffocated by the thick smell of blood. Li Wanrou feels a pair of cold eyes staring at her. She has no doubt that if she dares to call out, she will die the next moment. In the dim moonlight she could barely make out his stately facial contour, with a along scar wriggling from neck to chest, broken and bleeding. There is an arrow on his chest close to his heart, making the nearby area ck and blue. The arrow has been poisoned. However, the man doesn''t knit his brows at all. His dark eyes look cid, and the corner of his mouth is pressed. He says in a cold voice: "I will not leave till dawn." She is afraid that it won''t be that easy. The yard is full of spies arranged by First Madam. Once careless, she will be suspected and bear nders. Li Wanrou carefully looks at the man before her and finally discerns his face. His wan face bes paler owing to excessive loss of blood, but there is still an awe-inspiring neatness between his eyebrows. His mouth hangs down slightly, with an awesome air. His white robe turns red with blood, and a broken arrow is inserted less than a finger away from his heart. It is obviously he is too painful to exert his strength, but this man is terribly calm. A coolness invades her heart bit by bit. She could hardly breathe as if she were strangled by a big hand. It is him! The Crown Prince, Nangong Chengde! But how could it be him? In the previous life, Nangong Chengde passed away so early that Li Wanrou''s impression of him only rested on hearsay. It is said that he is long confined to bed due to illness. Despite of his talent, he isn''t valued by the Emperor so that Nangong Rongji takes full advantage of his illnesster! But there is no need for him to pretend to be ill to diminish his presence. After all, he is the Crown Prince, the rightful heir, the closest one to the throne. Why, on earth, should this be? Her meditation bes more and more deep. Nangong Chengde also feels confused in his heart. Usually, an ordinary woman should have been in deep panic, and begging for mercy. However, she is abnormally calm, weighing the advantages and disadvantages, and she even has the time to analyze. Seeing that Li Wanrou is about to get up, he presses the dagger harder with the clearer blood stain. He warns indifferently: "Don''t move any more, or I''ll kill you." "If I get killed, do you think you could get out of this house alive? With the poisoned arrow in your body and excessive loss of blood, do you think you have the ability to walk out of this yard before getting your wound dressed first?" Li Wanrou raises her head, grasps the de, and pushes it away violently so that she could stand up. Nangong Chengde sneers: "If I die, you will not live!" Without looking at Nangong Chengde, who stares at her coldly, Li Wanrou goes out to fetch some alfalfa burclover, and mixes it with some water, and then she also gets a scissor and a silver hairpin. "Sit down," she says Nangong Chengde suspiciously looks her up and down. There is no unreasonable assistance. Does she recognize me? No! No way! She is just amon girl in the deep mansion, and he seldom appears in public. The head aches more and more seriously. A sudden stun warns Nangong Chengde that he will end up here if he doesn''t get medical treatment at once. So he, much unwilling as he is, does as Li Wanrou said. Li Wanrou raises her eyebrows indifferently, and stretches out to cut the front piece of his clothes. Her eyes cross his stout chest. The flesh is torn open and white bones could be seen. The bones are dark and toxic. "What hatred does one have to do such a thing?" sighs Li Wanrou, and she fetches his dagger and puts it on the burning candlelight for a while before thrusting it into his chest and scooping out the poised flesh. Nangong Chengde''s brows gently quiver, but his face is still cold and calm. As if it is the carrion that is gouged out, and it seems that he is not the one whose heart was almost daggered. Then Li Wanrou shows some appreciation in her eyes and at the same time she elerates her action. She uses the silver hairpin to stitch a few needles near his heart. In doing that the blood is narrowly stopped. She takes some burclover juice and smears it on Nangong Chengde''s chest. Seeing that his face turns ruddy, she pulls out the broken arrow with great ease. The blood sshes over her face. She casually wipes it off and takes a piece of clean cloth to bandage his wound neatly. She once went to the battlefield with Nangong Rongji in her previous life, and because she could not bear the sufferings and deaths of those soldiers who were seriously ill, she devoted herself to the study of divine medicine. Although she is not proficient in it, she is much better than ordinary doctors. Nangong Chengde wanted to ask her, but the words out of his mouth be: "I am indebted to you. I will pay you back if there are chances. You cane to me with this jade pendant." The jade pendant is ssy blood jade. It takes a hundred years to find one. And it''s engraved with the words "Cheng De", which shows his intention and sincerity. Li Wanrou takes it pleasantly. It means hismitment, the Crown Prince''smitment. Its value is immeasurable. Chapter 4: Finish Him Off Proofread by Men Shunde When she wakes up the following day, Li Wanrou finds that the small window is open and a jade vase is on a console table by the window, in which peach blossoms are in full bloom, red and heartwarming. She would never expect that the allegedly weak Crown Prince has such tenderness. Pitifully, he died too early in his previous life. There isn''t record of his life even in historical books. While Furong is dressing her up at her order, Li Wanrou looks at herself in the mirror. Her cold eyes are as deep and serene as an ancient well, Without the innocent look that a rich family''s daughter should have. Seeing this, she unexpectedly curves her lips and smiles. Seeing that her master, Miss Li Wanrou, is in good mood, Furong takes the opportunity to remind her: "A grand Spring Feast is to be held in the Mansion today and somebodies of the capital city are alling to the feast. It is such a big asion that you should not miss it though you are not quite yourself today. After having rested for a few days I should have to see the damned first madam and Li Shifu, thought Li Wanrou, and it is such a big asion today that even Ouyang Rongji mighte. Having changed into a green gauze skirt that she favors, Li Wanrou smiles and says: "Let''s go." With flowers in bloom, spring is very much in the air. Approaching the garden, Li Wanrou suddenly hears a voice and she freezes. The voice is so soft and gentle that any man would be melted on hearing it. However, intense hatred rises in her when Li Wanrou hears the voice. It is Li Shifu who is talking! Li Wanrou suddenly pushes Furong into the rockery nearby and she herself manages to squeeze inside too, trying to peep through the crevice to see what is on in the garden. Li Shifu is sitting in the pavilion, smiling and talking. The man sitting opposite her has lustful eyes and disgusting smiles on his pale face. All of a sudden, Li Wanrou remembers that the man is Qin Qianshan, the legitimate son in the Mansion, and a kin nephew of the first madam. He idles all day long, doing nothing but going between brothels and pubs and there is a scandal that he has made a brothel girl pregnant. He is merely good for nothing! "Cousin, you may have seen my half-blooded sister Li Wanrou. Although she couldn''t be counted as an extraordinary beauty, she is still young and cute, whichmon girls fail to match. If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult for you to get her!" Qin Qianshan seems diffident. It is true that he really wants to have Li Wanrou, who must have turned into a beauty no less than his cousin Li Shifu, for she had a good face when she was in her childhood. However, he bes nervous at the thought of the stern face of the prime minister. "Once a girl loses her own chastity, she can do nothing but has to obey you. And then, Father would allow make her a concubine for you for the sake of face. What on earth are you afraid of?" Li Shifu looks at Qin with a sneer and feels contemptuous in her heart. She would not pay any attention to her useless cousin if it were not for getting rid of Li Wanrou who is such an obtrusive trouble! She takes out a handkerchief from her sleeve and waves it. With a smile of triumph on her small face she says: "This is her personal handkerchief, which is embroidered with her name. When the right timees, you can bring it out in public and say that you two have already privately pledged to marry, and no one will doubt it." Qin Qianshan is actually a lecher. Smelling the fragrance on the handkerchief, he promptly grabs it into his hand and smells it with his nose greedily. How sweet it is! Li Wanrou must be a ravishing beauty! With a cunning, cruel and eager air in his eyes, he nods his head: "Great! Don''t worry, cousin, it has always been easy for me to seduce women! See, with a little use of this handkerchief in my hand, it is enough to make the most virtuous woman beg me to possess her!" He touches the jade bottle in his hand. This is Ecstasy Incense often used in brothel. Once on bed, nobody can escape from his hand! Li Wanrou hears their dialogue clearly in the rockery. Her sneer on the mouth bes more and more gloomy, which makes Furong worried and nervous. "Miss, we had better go back... " "I sit in my courtyard, but the disaster can . Even if I can avoid him this time, how long can I hide?" Li Wanrou sighs. Li Wanrou does note out of the rockery until Li Shifu leaves. She looks around, finding no one there, and walks towards Qin Qianshan with confidence. Wearing a gentle and charming smile, she looks more enchanting with her pretty face and delicate skin. Qin Qianshan nces at her and can''t move his eyes any more. His heart beats faster and he calls out passionately: "Sister! Why are you here?" Her little face has turned into a pretty one as expected, and she is no less beautiful than his cousin Li Shifu. Besides, her temperament is pure and cold, which is rather different from anyone else. "Furong!" Li Wanrou timidly hides behind Furong and bends her head. Her earlobes are all red, which seems to show her shyness. Fierce-browed, Furong has no option but shouts out loudly, "Who are you? This is an inner courtyard where men are forbidden!" Qin Qianshan is too stunned to speak at first, then he realizes that this timid and shy cousin does not recognize him, so he wears a friendly smile and says: "I am your cousin Qin Qianshan." He secretively opens the jade bottle and pours some powder into his palm. Just before he is about to carry out his intrigue, Li Wanrou starts to speak sweetly: "It''s you, my cousin! I am sorry for what I did just now. Would you please give me a chance to make up for it by showing you around the Mansion since you are not very familiar with the ce?" Her soft voice almost melts his heart and he is more than happy to agree. He says with a smile: "Thanks for your kind help." When they approach the carp pond, Li Wanrou suddenly points to the center of the pood and exims: "Who is that there?" Looking in the direction of her finger, Qin Qiangshan moves close to Li Wanrou, and all of a sudden, he is pushed from the back into the water with high sshes. The carp pond is too deep for him to touch the bottom. Qin struggles a few times and falls headlong. Soon the dead body rises to the surface. Furong bends her head, not daring to look at the youngdy. She nervously asks, "Miss, we''re killing him! It will be found out! How about the corpse...?" "Go and get some hemp ropes! Be quick, and don''t let anyone see you!" Flustered, Furong goes to look for ropes and Li Wanrou gets some heavy stones back. When Furong gets the ropes back, Li Wanrou immediately takes off her shoes and takes the stone in her arms and then dives into the water. She ties the stones to the feet of Qin Qiangshan with the ropes, and seeing that the body sinks into the deep water without any trace, Li Wanrou then goes up to the surface of the water totally relieved. Furong is so frightened that her face turns pale. Today she just gets to know that the seemingly effeminatedy is a real hard-ass, whose disposition is iparable. She clenches her teeth and swears to herself she would rather die than betray her. After that, the two quickly go back to their own rooms to change out of their wet clothes and stay there quietly. Li Wanrrou then goes on to read her medical book with a cid face. There is no sign of panic on her face for killing a man just now. However, Furong is so scared that she bes restless. "Do you think that I''m scary?" Furong shudders and jerks back to herself. ncing at Li Wanrou''s gentle face, she feels more flustered and says tremblingly, "No!" "If I hadn''t taken my own initiative, their intrigue would have been sessful, and I would have been utterly discredited and seen as an unscrupulous slut, who would either die or suffer great pains! Qin Qianshan''s death is absolutely due to his own fault! Besides, we need not be afraid, since the dead body could not be found, no one will suspect that he is dead." In her previous life, she had been a good person for too long and she didn''t know that good people often ended most miserably until she died. She was shut up in the death jail, sexually harassed wantonly and excruciated repeatedly. In the end no one sympathized with her, and with her dead body not buried decently and no peace in death. She has sworn to pay off old scores, so what if shemits murder? At noon. Li Wanrou has just finished her lunch when she hears amotion in the courtyard, as if someone were about to break in, only to be stopped by Furong. "Everyone hase to the Spring Feast except my sister. I am very worried about her health condition ande to visit. You don''t have to stop me." It is Li Shifu''s voice. There is a deep concern on her face but a subtle hint of happiness in her voice. Unable to stop her, Furong could only watch the First Young Lady make her way straightly to the door and gently push the door open. Before going into the room, she deliberately takes a step back in order for those behind her to see the inside of the room clearly. "It''s very kind of you toe to see me, my dear sister! I am very sorry for not being able to get up to greet you due to my poor health." Li Wanrou is lying on bed, feeble and pale, with sweat on her forehead. It seems that her health is as poor as it is said. There are quite a few youngdiesing with Li Shifu, who look at Li Wanrou with different eyes, some sympathy, helplessness, disregard and some schadenfreude. Chapter 5: Searching the Mansion Revised by Men Shunde Li Shifu is stunned. She couldn''t believe her eyes. How could Li Wanrou lie here on the bed safe and sound? Where is my cousin Qin Qianshan! Where is the useless guy? Li Shifut tries hard to hold back her shock, manages to be calm and says with a gentle smile: "Yu''er, send somebody to have my newly-obtained hundred-year-old ginseng and the golden bird''s nest stewed, and then bring them here. They are good for my sister''s health." She says this in a natural and graceful manner. Li Shifu''s slender eyshes look like feather fans and her clean and clear eyes roll coquettishly. Her thin lips are red and cute and her white neck is as bright and smooth as jade. With the most engaging eyes, her whole body is full of noble temperament. Li Wanrou saw such an elegant and exalted appearance of Li Shifu for too long a time in her previous life. However, it makes her sick now. "How can I afford it? I am extremely ttered since you all havee to see me. If I epted such a favour from my sister Li Shifu, I would have been ¡­," says Li Wanrou. Li Wanrou looks around and she knows quite well that it is Li Shifu who invites all the youngdies toe here in order to catch adultery in the act, for it is a trap that she made for Li Wanrou and Qin Qianshan, the concupiscent cousin of hers. It seems that they are all kept in the dark. Just then, a servant girl rushes into the room, yelling out of breath: "Bad news! Miss! Bad news!" On hearing of that, Li Shifu''s heart sinks and her face darkens. A little feares over her and she reproaches: "How dare you shout in public? Don''t you know the rules that you have learned here?" In a daze for a second, the servant girl meets Li Shifu''s cold eyes. Kneeling down terrified with a pale face, she says: "The childe is missing¡­." "What!?" Li Shifu is so astonished that she moves back a step, her face turning pale. Holding her head with her hands, she says: "Sorry. Please you all move back to the hall. I have something urgent to deal with." The youngdies are in panic when they hear the word "missing". They are all in a hurry to leave the room with one another without any interest in staying for fun. Then, Li Shifu takes a deep breath and says coldly, "How is my cousin Qin Qianshan missing? I saw him in the garden a moment ago. He said he wasing to visit his sister Li Wanrou. How can a living man disappear? Is Dad informed of it?" The servant girl is Qing''er, Li Shifu''s confidant, who knows what is at stake today, so she replies immediately: "Yeah, I have seen the childe going towards this house, too¡­" Qing''er watches Li Shifu''s face and sees that there is a rage in her eyes, so she speaks more cautiously: "The childe is the apple of the eye of the madam of the Marquis Mansion. She went to Lord, the Prime Minister, as soon as she found her son was missing. Now, our Mansion has been searched thoroughly except¡­" Seeing the looks in the eyes of both of them, Li Wanrou sneers in her heart. What a cunning trick! "Do they really think that I myself have hidden him? Obviously, they intend to search my house." She pretends to be in a panic and says eagerly: "How could my cousin Qin Qianshan Li Shifu''s heart is filled with joy. The corners of her mouth curve into a mysterious smile as she looks at Li Wanrou''s pretty little face, which is now full of fear. Li Shifu has been waiting for this day for a long time! Li Wanrou should have died a long time ago, for the most beautiful girl in the Mansion should be no others but Li Shifu herself. The only person Li Wanrou should me is herself. Why should she have such an engaging face which blocks her way! "Your house has not been searched yet. To be cleared of suspicion, you have to tolerate it," says Li Shifu with a soft and gentle voice showing her sincere carefulness as if she is really a good sister. However, Li Wanrou knows clearly that Li Shifu''s heart is ck. But she is not as good as she was in her previous life in hiding her real intention, for she is too young now. "How should I have believed Li Shifu''s words easily in the previous life? Maybe because I had been lonely with no one to rely on since my childhood, I was longing for warmth and kinship. In the end I died in tragedy only because I had trusted the wrong person!" Li Wanrou sighs slightly and lowers down her eyebrows to hide her sneer. She says helplessly: "If it is known to the outsiders that every corner of the Mansion is turned over just for a man, how should Dad face others? What consequences we should take?" Even Li Shifu, who looks like the most dignified and gracefuldy, cannot help but be frightened if the mees. It is not that she doesn''t know the consequences, but no one will care about the details as long as Qin Qianshan is to be found out here. At that moment, there is a sudden sound of footsteps outside. Furong is pushed into the door and falls on the ground without standing firmly. It is the first madam whoes in on her little feet. The first madam turns her head, saying respectfully: "My Lord, servant girls all say that they have seen Qianshaning here. There is no reason that this ce is not to be searched." "She really cannot wait to put me to death", thought Li Wanrou. "It''s great of you toe here to see me, Dad. I am so sorry for not being able to rise to greet you due to my poor health. Please forgive me!" says Li Wanrou, and then she coughs unceasingly. She takes out a square handkerchief and wipes the blood off her mouth. Seeing that Li Wanrou tries hard to get up to curtsy him, Prime Minister Li feels his heart aches. However, his eyes quickly fall on the face of Li Shifu, whose brows knit. And then the words that finallye out of his mouth are: "Search, search thoroughly the whole house!" Thenes the madam of Marquis Mansion with a frozen look on her face. She goes to Li Wanrou, looking at her up and down and says sneeringly: "Sure enough, you have a seductive face. It is you who seduces my son Qin Qianshan. Tell me where have you hidden him?" The madam knows very well that her son Qin Qianshan is such a man who could not move a step further when he sees a pretty girl and she has been used to seeing that beautiful women tter and seduce his son. But now with her son''s safety as the top priority on her mind, she has no regard for the feeling of the Prime Minister. The madam of the Marquis Mansion turns into a rage when she sees that Li Wanrou says nothing with a face of timidity. She bes so impatient as she speaks that a cruel and loud p falls on the face of Li Wanrou. Her pretty little face is hit to the side so that Prime Minister Li sees clearly the marks of five fingers left by the p. It is just like the p on his own face! Prime Minister Li frowns and says in a deep voice: "Very good! The businesses in my Mansion should be intervened by an outsider. Do you really think I am dead?" What he says is so harsh for her that the madam of the Marquis Mansion cannot help but cringe. Though the Marquis Mansion has a history of over 100 years, it is declining now aspared with the promising Prime Minister''s Mansion. The title of the Marquis Mansion today is merely a session of the previous generation''s glory, which is hard to carry on. She murmurs and stammers, winking eagerly at the first madam. "My Lord, she is a little out of her mind in what she says and does due to her worries about her son''s safety, which is understandable. There is no need to castigate her for that," says the first madam. "Shut up! What is my Mansion is her eyes? Is it that Qianshan is her son and Wanrou is not your daughter? How do others think of my Mansion if what happens today is known to all? How do I face my fellow officials?" berated Prime Minister Li. Prime Minister Li does not really care about whether Li Wanrou lives or dies in his mind. What he does care about is his reputation. If it is known to the outsiders that a daughter of his concubine is tormented by the first madam, the consequences are imaginable! "Dad, I don''t mind them searching my house for nothing evil or dirty has ever been hidden here. Let them do it if they want to," says Li Wanrou. Her voice is soft but it is like a whip on the madams. In a deep voice, the first madam gives an order: "Search! Search the house carefully!" Prime Minister Li gives a nce at her coldly and then sits on the side of the bed with frowned brows. Old Maid Wang, a servant of the first madam, searches the whole room thoroughly in front of everybody''s eyes, and then she goes out to ransack the yard. Her face turns pale when shees back. Looking at the ferocious-looking minister, Old Maid Wang reports in a tremulous voice: "Nothing¡­, Nothing is found!" Chapter 6: Pay With Your Life Proofread by Men Shunde "What did you say? How can a living person vanish suddenly? Have you searched every coner of this ce carefully?" Li Shifu frowns. She really wishes she could do the searching herself! She knows very well that her cousin Qin Qianshan is the person who always does things efficiently. What''s more, Li Wanrou''s face is like the overpowering drug, and even her frown is extremely attractive. How could he escape from her attractiveness? However, she quickly realizes that she has behaved abnormal, so she pinches her palm hard and makes a deep breath. Then, she says apologetically: "I am sorry for my inappropriate behaviour for I am overwhelmed by the worries over Qin Qianshan''s safety." Perceiving the aggrieved look of his daughter Li Shifu, Prime Minister Li bites back the mes, forgetting all the unhappiness he just had. He goes up and pats her on her hand, saying lovingly: "Just leave it to me. It iste now and you should go back to rest." His words sound like that Li Shifu is above suspicion. Li Wanrou indifferently stares at the loving scene of her father with her sister Li Shifu, which makes her sick, and she knows long ago that her father is partial to her sister, but seeing such a scene makes her aggrieved so much that she even wants to get out of bed and tear their disgusting faces. However, since she has not got her revenge yet and her power is not strong enough, she has to hide the anger from her heart. Therefore, she lowers her eyelids to cover her cold looks, shakes her head lightly and says: "Dad, if the cousin gets lost for visiting me, I can hardly absolve myself from the me. But I haven''t been out of my room for days, ¡­" The implication is that she is above suspicion, too. The rummage and interrogations all treat her unjustly. She is also aggrieved. Just then, the madam of the Marquis Mansion yells angrily: "But for your ttering face, my son would note to this shabby ce. Even the servants in my Marquis Mansion all despise your ce!" No sooner had she said it than she realized she had made a mistake. Before she could say anything more, Prime Minister Li''s cold voicees over: "I don''t know that my Mansion is bing so shabby that even your servants despise it. And now even my daughter needs to be taught by you! Maybe only the magnificent Imperial Pce can be mentioned in the same breath with your Marquis Mansion. In that case, I might as well speak to the emperor to praise you." His voice is deep and cold. It is like a basin of cold water, pouring into the heart of the madam and quickly freezes into hard and gelid ice, which soon nibbles her life. In these years, Marquis Mansion has been inheriting the preceding glories and can''t bepared with the prosperous Prime Minister''s Mansion. Moreover, Prime Minister Li has the real power in his hands. The more she thinks about it, the more regrets she has and the more she hates the first madam. If the first madam did not connive at Qianshan''s involvement with the beautiful girls of the Prime Minister''s Mansion, how could her son Qianshan get lost? It is getting dark. They have been waiting for a long time before the servants who searched everywhere in the Mansione back. Nothing is found! Find him, alive or dead! How can the healthy legitimate son of the Marquis Mansion disappear in his Mansion? If it is known to the outsiders, does the face of Mansion still exist? Shocked and angry, Prime Minister Li stands up abruptly. With his fist striking on the desk, he orders: "Search! Continue to search! Report to the Emperor to ask for the assistance of the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards patrol the whole capital every day. No corner is to be neglected ¡­". With a woebegone and worried look, Li Wanrou advises: "If he is to be found in a brothel or a pub, his reputation will be ruined." Every word is for the good of Qin Qianshan. The look on Prime Minister Li''s face turns a little better, but he says: "You are not in good health, and you need a good rest. Don''t bother with anything big or small in the Mansion." What he casually says denies all the efforts Li Wanrou makes. "Not to bother with anything big or small in the Mansion" is to keep her away from the power center. She is in fact treated as an outsider! The anger in the heart of Li Wanrou almost burns her out. However, she just nods lightly and smiles: "Yes, Dad." She watches everyone leave her room, and then opens the handkerchief to wipe her bitten tongue carefully. Her eyes grow darker and darker. Furong has stood for a whole day dizzy. Now she manages to recover herself and calms down. She worriedly says: "Miss, if the corpse of the Childe is found, what should we do?" The pond in the backyard is unfathomable. When Li Wanrou in her previous life was pushed down and was narrowly drowned, she knew that things down there are impossible to be searched out. Therefore, she just shakes her head indifferently. "Is everything ready that I asked you to prepare?" When her eyes contact the dark eyes of Li Wanrou, Furong''s heart tightens and she nervously says: "Everything is ready ording to your order. But if the chicken blood we spilled on the grass in the yard is to be found ¡­" "No ''But if''!" Li Wanrou sneers, and gets herself dressed, quietly waiting for the night . Deep at night. Suddenly a few shrieks and curses from the Prime Minister''s Mansion woke up most of the people. Furong does not sleep, either. She has been nearby to find out the fact andes back with the news for her master. Li Wanrou is studying herbs in the room with an indifferent look. There is no panic on her face for doing something wrong. Seeing this, Furong calms down a little. "Something strange happened in Miss Li Shifu''s house. It is said that crows and bats all gather around her room''s window, which look like ghosts. Since the Childe has not been found, it is said that he is seduced by a beautiful demon. That is, the beautiful demon turns out to be Miss Li Shifu. It can be imagined that how irritated Li Shifu is. And Furong continues: "Even Miss Li Shifu herself is hurry-scurry, pleading not to revenge on her. She acts like an insane woman. I''ve been in the Mansion for more than three years, and I''ve never seen that this dignifieddy behaves in such an abnormal manner." Chapter 7: She Is Almost Killed by Poisonous Snakes and Scorpions Proofread by Men Shunde It is just a start. Li Wanrou sneers with the corners of her mouth perking up. It is only the beginning of her harvest. Besides, if Li Shifu didn''t take the initiative to hurt her, she will not have done it. After all, those who make the mistake will have to take the me. Now that her resentment is released, Li Wanrou feels rxed, saying to Furong, "Go and get the hot water ready! I would like to have a bath." After getting the hot water ready, Furong withdraws. Li Wanrou lies down in the bath tub filled with hot water in which there are some medical herbs. With dense water vapor covering her body, she feels ineffably pleased. Whenever she thinks of the picture of Li Shifu''s delicate face turning ferocious because of the incident, she couldn''t help sneering with her lip corners rising. It is a long way to go and Li Wanrou will never stop before she reaches her goal. Suddenly, she hears a sound of "hiss" approaching her. She listens with rm, and finds the sounding from all directions towards her. But when she looks back, there is nothing in sight. Then she suddenly realizes something and leans forward from the wooden bath tub to look down. There, the ground of the bathroom is thick with poisonous scorpions crawling, which makes her hair stand on end. When she looks to the door, there she sees some snakes rise to their full height with their venomous eyes looking at her up and down, as if they were about to swallow her in the next minute. But who the hell has put the snakes and scorpions in her room in the deep night? The first madam does not seem to y such na?ve tricks. Is it Li Shifu who releases her resentment by doing harm to Li Wanrou due to the whole night''s panic? It is really ridiculous! It is Li Shifu who has lifted a rock only to drop it on her own feet, which is irrelevant to Li Wanrou. It is seldom for Li Wanrou to show panic, but she has a natural fear and aversion to snakes and scorpions. It is to her limit of capacity that she manages to rify her mind in such a situation. It is natural for her to scream for help if she wants to be alive. However, if the snakes and scorpions are arranged by Li Shifu, she must have prepared something else. If so, when Li Wanrou begins to scream, the attendants lurking outside the door will rush in and see her naked body in bathing. Only a glimpse of her body will ruin her reputation. But if Li Wanrou remains there doing nothing, Li Shifu will be happier, for Li Wanrou will be killed by the snakes and scorpions without the effort of a soldier. If Li Wanrou dies, her father, Prime Minister Li, will give all his love to the surviving daughter, Li Shifu. For the sake of Li Shifu''s safety, her father will have to whitewash the case of Li Wanrou''s death. It is really a dilemma for Li Wanrou to decide what to do. With her teeth clenched tightly, Li Wanrou can do nothing but stares at the snakes and scorpions approaching her. The flicking scarlet tongue of the snake is particrly dazzling. Suddenly, just as one of the snakes leaps up with its tail rising in the air, a ck shadow shes in front of Li Wanrou, frightening her almost to death. With a tearing sound, something sshes into the water of the bath tub. When Li Wanrou opens her eyes again, the snakes and scorpions are all wiped out by a sword shing swiftly. A big snake, which is as thick as a man''s arm, is stabbed in the heart by the sword, copsing on the ground with its open eyes, which seem to have lost its aggressiveness forever. In front of her is a man with a sword, whose hand is as white as a jade with calluses due to years of holding a sword. Dressed in a dark ck robe, the man looks tall and handsome with extraordinary elegance. It is Nangong Chengde! How could hee here? It is his second visit here. Maybe there are more visits than Li Wanrou knows. His frequent and secret visits to the Prime Minister''s Mansion may have two exnations: he is entrusted by the Emperor with a secret task or he has an ulterior motive. However, it is known to all that the Emperor trusts Prime Minister and has entrusted him with higher responsibility. Then it must be thetter. It only takes a second for Li Wanrou to figure out everything clearly. Therefore, with her heart at ease, she lies down quietly in the water of the bath tub, fumbles for the half body of the dead snake cut by the sword, throws it out of the bath tub, and continues her bath. Her health is not so good nowadays. If she wants to survive those viins, she has to take hot bathes for at least half a month before she recoverspletely. Nangong Chengde has never heard of such a woman who could remain calm in her bathing when a manes in abruptly, which seems absurd to himself. However, it seems to her as if there is nothing unusual and she doesn''t take it seriously. He nces indifferently at the corpses of the snakes and scorpions on the ground, asking with his raised brows, "Don''t you want to know why I am here?" "If Your Highness does want to tell me, you would have told me earlier. If Your Highness does not want to tell me, it is not good for me to ask you. Why do you sound me out? In fact, I should thank you for your consideration of not making me embarrassed besides you saved my life. I take this as your kind return for me saving youst time.I will give your jade pendant back to you as soon possible," says Li Wanrou. In this case, Nangong Chengde should have been relieved for both of them call it even. Somehow, he finds that there is a sincere feeling for her in his mind, but he does not say anything. When things being over, shees out of the bath tub, and there is nobody else in the room. She puts on her clothes indifferently and walks over the corpses of snakes and scorpions with a cid look on her face. She is grateful to the Crown Prince, but that''s all. The members of the Royal family are birds of a feather. She will not get herself involved in the dangerous rtions with the Pce again. The handsome face of the Crown Prince consistently reminds her of a deadly enemy in the Pce, i.e. Nangong Rongji. If she wants to kill Nangong Rongji, she must be colder and harder than him. For days, the Prime Minister''s Mansion is covered with an atmosphere of deathly stillness. Outside a rumor goes that a monster in the Mansion has eaten the legitimate son of the Marquis Mansion with no bones left, which makes the Prime Minister Li burst into anger. Therefore, everyone in the Mansion is so careful in his or her work, for fear that they would be caught in doing something wrong and be driven out of the Mansion. Li Wanrou is convalescing in meditation in her house, meanwhile, each day brings her all kinds of news from outside, which make her fully at ease. The more abnormal Li Shifu bes in her anxiety, the more indifferent Li Wanrou is, for Li Wanrou knows clearly that only in this way can she get rid of her rival at the critical moment. Several months have passed and Li Wanrou has recovered her health to such an extent that her face has a fair healthyplexion with rosy cheeks, and her eyes have a determined look as if nothing could stop her. Furonges in with an invitation card in her hand. With a cautious look, she sees Li Wanrou taking her health tonic while peacefully fiddling with herbs on the ground. After a moment''s hesitation, Furong cannot help speaking, "Miss, it''s almost the end of the year, and a Pce Banquet is to be held tomorrow. The Lord gives an order that you join them to the Pce Banquet. Receiving no response from Li Wanrou, Furong bes more anxious, "Miss Li Shifu got things ready long before everybody else, such as gorgeous clothes and jewelry of step shake, which are all made ording to the rules of the Pce. Even Miss Nuanyu of the Second Madam''s house got things ready long ago. It is a matter of great importance to go into the Pce, for one may have his or her head cut off if he or she makes a mistake in the Pce," continues Furong. Li Wanrou nces at Furong with a smile. Furong is more and more worried about things with her. But it is not her responsibility to worry about such things as these. Going into the Pce is of great importance, of which the first madam should be in charge. If she, Li Wanrou, makes a mistake in the Pce, it is the first madam who would beughed at, showing her incapability in educating her children. Therefore, it is a shame to the Mansion. If Li Wanrou behaves so well in the Pce that she could be on a par with Li Shifu, the first madam would burst into fury, for Li Shifu is her only natural daughter. As expected, luxury clothes and jewelry are sent to Li Wanrou''s house one after another as it is getting dark. The luxury clothes and jewelry are so good that Furong couldn''t decide which ones are better. Meanwhile, Li Wanrou is busy with her herb medicine which she fiddles with the whole day without giving a glimpse at the luxury clothes and jewelry. "Tomorrow we''ll have harder work to do. Today is just the beginning. You may go and have a rest first," says Li Wanrou to Furong. It is more and more difficult for Furong to read the mind of Li Wanrou, so Furong has to put down the jewelry reluctantly and goes out. Throwing down the herbs violently on the ground, Li Wanrou could not make herself calm down. Tomorrow she is certain to meet with Nangong Rongji when Li Wanrou goes into the Pce, for which she can do nothing now. Now she needs someone powerful to rely on. It is only by relying on each other and supporting each other, can she proceed on her road and finally to get her revenge. Chapter 8: Confrontation in the Palace Proofread by Men Shunde Early the next morning, the first madam enters the house of Li Wanrou with a mammy who teaches behavior. Furong is wakened with a start from her dream, rmed and frightened. With a deadpan face, the first madam, Madam Zhao, shouts while pushing the door open, "It is soon to go into the Pce, and the mammy responsible for behavior in Pce arrives. It is disgraceful that your master is still lingering in bed!" There is a hint of contempt in the mammy''s eyes, for she thinks that Li Wanrou''s mother is not the first madam in the Mansion, and it is about time to go into the Pce, Li Wanrou hasn''t got herself ready, which is a shame on the Mansion. What is in her mind is that, in consideration of her birth origin, Li Wanrou must have never been to an important event like going into the Pce. Without knowing how to behave in the Pce, she will lose face if she does not learn the rules before going into the Pce. However, upon the opening of the door, Madam Zhao''s face stiffens, and her anger retreats. She could hardly believe her eyes. How could it be? Li Wanrou has already dressed up, in a red gold fur coat, which emphasizes her charming and gorgeous face with a kind of special beauty. There are some very expensive clothes sent by Madam Zhao, among which many are unsuitable for unmarrieddies to wear in the Pce. That''s the trap she set for Li Wanrou to be embarrassed in the Pce, but she didn''t expect that Li Wanrou makes such a wonderful choice. Is it her smart choice or her incidental one? There are quite some spections running simultaneously in the mind of Madam Zhao, but she wears a decent and caring smile on her face and forwardly pats the hands of LiWanrou. She says earnestly, "This is the mammy who will teach you the rules in the Pce. You have to mind your manners in the Pce today, so you must learn carefully without a slightest negligence." Every word shows the ineffable concern, but Li Wanrou knows Madam Zhao''s heart is bleeding. She must have regretted inviting the mammy to teach her. The mammy steps forward, and Li Wanrou bows at once, with a graceful and gentle gesture which is just as well as a concubine does in the Pce. Seeing her soft eyes and decent behavior, the mammy immediately has a clear judgement that Li Wanrou will enjoy her good time in theing days! Then she restrains her casual attitude and says with a smile: "you can call me Mammy Qin. Being in the Pce is not like that in your backyard. There are more rules and moreplicated people in the Pce. Any mistake will lead to your being beheaded. You are still too young to know that... " Mammy Qin teaches very carefully, and it is not necessary for Madam Zhao to stay any longer. So, she departs with her teeth clenched. Li Wanrou learns better and better. In fact, she has long been familiar with these rules deep in her heart. Nobody could know that she is a woman who has been in the Pce for many years. Although now with a younger and more puerile appearance, she has her original memory as well as the pce rules in her heart. The Pce is indeed a man-eating ce. How could she take it lightly? Seeing that Li Wanrou is serious and tireless in her learning, showing a subtle nobility as if she were born to be so noble and dignified, the mammy concludes that Li Wanrou must have a promising and bright future. However, it is known to all one nation can''t have two queens, and Li Wanrou has no one around to support her with her inferior birth origin, how far could she go? She gives out a sigh when thinking of these, and refrains from being hard on Li Wanrou again. When the sun is setting in the west, every household is lighted bymp-oil as little as a bean. But the Prime Minister''s Mansion is adorned with rednterns inside out. In the celebrative jollification, Li Wanrou boards the carriage to the Pce. Since Mammy Qin got an award of an ingot of gold this early morning from Li Wanrou, she could not help reminding kindly, "Miss Li, the masters of the Mansion are one as a whole and should enjoy the equality of treatment. But now you are alone arranged in thest carriage, which, in fact, runs counter to the one as a whole, and may beughable to others." It is more than beingughable to others. It is just as a p on her face, informing others that Li Wanrou is not a master but someone who could only be arranged to sit with other servants. The dignitaries in the capital are those who are very sensitive to everything. How could they fail to notice this clearly? But so what? Li Wanrou remembers clearly that Princess Qingqiu and Li Shifu have been together since their childhood and they are just like sisters. Who else can remember that Li Wanrou is the blood sister of Li Shifu? Those who remember would say that Li Wanrou does not deserve to be. Therefore, she only deserves hiding herself in the corner and a death with nobody around to care about her. After getting off the carriage, Li Wanrou follows the crowd into the Pce, walking gracefully with her head raised gently. She looks quiet and leisurely. There has been spection about her identity. Shunqing, the daughter of the family of the Minister of War, spectes deliberately, "She can''t be a daughter from a noble family. We haven''t seen her before. It is impossible!" Besides her is An Ruyi, the second eldest daughter of the family of the General, who mumbles with disdain, "Put away your little tricks. Who cares who she is?" Shunqing can''t stand the sour face of An Ruyi, who always behaves in that way, and retorts, "I mean that some humble people shouldn''t pretend to be noble to sneak in. This is not a ce that anyone cane in!" "You!" An Ruyig lowers at Shunqing but nothinges out of her mouth, for she has a short fuse and hates those who peddle gossip. But she has never once won her wrangling with them, and as a result, she is so angry that she can do nothing but stamps her feet. Just then, a pair of soft hands hold hers. She frowns and turns to look and sees ady witha delicate appearance---long and thin eyebrows, a tall nose, a small and fine chin, bright eyes and white teeth, who seems to be gentle at the first sight. But there is a hint of fierceness in her sharp eyes. She is absolutely not as weak as it is said. It ismon for rumors to spread from big families like Prime Minister Li''s Mansion. Li Wanrou, being looked up and down, smiles gently, and says with her eyes looking at Shunqing, "It is the Emperor who invites us toe. And my admission to the Pce is also permitted by the Emperor. However, you keep talking andining. Are you resisting the Emperor''s order? Any contempt for the Emperor''s power is a great disrespect to the Emperor. I believe you know it very well." Shunqing''s proud face instantly copses. She ruthlessly says coldly: "Now you are happy with your glib tongue. Remember not to break the Pce rules or you''ll cry to go back home!" After saying that, she hurries away. The Pce servants at the door all concentrate on their work without distraction. The conversations between dignitaries and noble people coulde into their ears, but not into their minds, which is the rule in the Pce. An Ruyi gives a cold ce at the indifferent Pce servants beside, then grabs Li Wanrou''s hands gratefully and says excitedly, "Thank you for helping me. Shunqing is a mean girl. She has always been speaking in an offensive manner, but no one can win over her in wrangling. Shunqing is nothing but has a glib tongue, whose heart is not cruel at all. However, Li Wanrou could never believe that Shunqing''s gossip has nothing to do with Li Shifu! Chapter 9: Meeting Her Deadly Enemy The Pce Banquet is held in the imperial garden. Although still in winter, one can feel the warmth of spring for the ground is covered with thick soft carpets besides the burning-coal here and there. The concubines are seated on the left-hand of the Emperor, who hasn''t arrived yet. But most of the princes have alreadye except the second prince and the crown prince. Along the way to the garden, An Ruiyi talks a lot with Li Wanrou pulling her by the hand. Nowadays the situation is in favor of the second prince, who is also popr among the unmarried daughters of noble families. When talking about the crown prince, An Ruiyi gives a sigh slowly, "The crown prince could recite the Three Character Primer at the age of three, and write poems at the age of four; he killed the enemy on the battlefield at ten, and became a renowned general at twelve. Unfortunately, he fell ill suddenly six years ago and he has not always been in good spirit ever since. It is a pity that he is a total wreck now with only a nominal title of the crown prince." But, Li Wanrou has seen Nangong Chengde, the crown prince, recently and knows that he is not a wreck at all. Instead he is a shrewd man with a deep mind and he is very powerful as well. Even Li Wanrou would feel scared when meeting him, and be frost-bitten when talking to him, for he is just an ice. When they are seated, Madam Zhaoes over and pats the hand of Li Wanrou with a forced smile, saying, "I didn''t expect that you are so good at interpersonalmunication on such an important asion." Now the people around all turn their eyes on both of them, and Li Wanrou rises up, with a demure and respected smile, to serve Madam Zhao a cup of tea personally, saying, "What I do or say here all represents the dignity of the Mansion. Naturally I''ll be more strict with myself in order not to be a burden on you. Otherwise, I won''t be a filial daughter of yours." Madam Zhao frowns slightly and sighs, "Of course you are the most filial one. But there are many rules in the Pce, and remember not to wander around." Sitting next to Li Wanrou, An Ruyi, who is frank and outspoken, cannot wait any longer to join their conversation with a fast delivery of her speech, "Wanrou behaves with the utmost courtesy to others so that nothing could go wrong. Come and have a taste of this good wine unique in the Pce, which is a tribute from the western regions. This wine is only avable at every year''s Pce Banquet." Li Wanrou nods apologetically to Madam Zhao andes back to sit beside An Ruyi, raising her wine to toast with her, whispering, "Don''t worry." "I hate to see the arrogant faces of viins who are holding sway and Madam Zhao is such a person. Her daughter, Li Shifu, is strikingly the same in this way as her mother, and both of them have eyes on the backs of their heads," says An Ruyi with her hands waving carelessly. All of a sudden, she freezes, as if her mind were in a trance and her face blushes. Following her eyes, Li Wanrou instantly stops her breathing: a man in a ck robe embroidered with gold is approaching with a kind of unspeakable affinity. His features are handsome, with a smile, sharp but gentle eyes. He is a man with an inborn elegant gesture. Damn it! Itis Ouyang Rongji! Li Wanrou''s cheerful smile slowly turns into a dark and gloomy face, which is so cold that it makes one shudder. The look in her cold eyes is as sharp as the de of a knife. The corners of her mouth curve into a cold and terrifying smile. She could feel her own blood boiling and moring. She wants to kill that man, but not now! She wants Ouyang Rongji to pay for the lives, for the life of her poor child, and for the life of her own that would note back, with his blood! Just then, with a nce at the people being seated, Ouyang Rongji instantly meets the cold and gloomy look of Li Wanrou''s eyes and he raises his eyebrows with interest. Never before has anyone dared to look at him with such straight, cold and gloomy eyes. This girl, with a strange face, does not look like conflicting with him. But he feels that she has so much hatred that she would tear him to pieces. Li Wanrou manages to hold her anger back by putting her long fingernails into the palm of her own hand and biting her tongue with her teeth until it bleeds. When she calms down by degrees, she returns a courtesy but with a distant smile. Ouyang Rongji sneers in his heart, thinking she is just another woman trying to get his attention, and the cold and gloomy look on her face is only a little trick which will not deceive him. An Ruyi''s eyes are following Ouyang Rongji all the while with keen expectations. Seeing this, Li Wanrou could not help havingpassion for her. She has seen countless women infatuated with Ouyang Rongji, those of whom with clever tricks, like herself, can be left to the end but are doomed to death, and those with inferior tricks cannot live for a long time. In Ouyang Rongji''s eyes, women are only divided into two types, one is useful, and the other is burdernsome, who are good for nothing but have to be wiped out. She remembers that Ouyang Rongji once had a concubine who was as beautiful as a fairy. At that time, he slept with the beauty almost every night. The beauty also tried her best to love and care for him. But Ouyang Rongji killed the beauty with his own hand while they were making love only for the purpose of cutting off his own affection and shrugging off his own weaknesses. Li Wanrou shakes her head, "Do you adore the second prince?" "Shh! Nonsense!" An Ruyi denies but her earlobes secretly turn crimson, giving herself away. She looks nervously around and finds no one notices them. She gives out a sigh of relief quietly. "The second prince is genteel and graceful, and has real power in his hand. The number of girls from noble families who want to marry him is countless. He will not choose me...," An Ruyi says with gloomy eyes, a drooped mouth and a heavy sigh. Noticing every change of An Ruyi''s facial expression, Li Wanrou decides not to tell her her real intention before she is sure that An Ruiyi is her ally, for she cannot afford to be a loser. Therefore, she smiles without saying anything. "Herees His Majesty! Herees the Empress!" On hearing the two voices, all present put down their drinks and snacks and rise up to salute respectfully the Emperor and the Empress. When all the people are seated and begin to toast to one another, Li Wanrou''s eyes keep falling on Ouyang Rongji either by ident or on purpose, but what she is thinking about is Nangong Chengde. Since they parted that day, Li Wanrou has not seen Nangong Chengde again, as if in fact there is no rtionship between both of them except for the jade pendant which he has not taken away. Between Nangong Chengde and Ouyang Rongji, who is cruel and merciless, Li Wanrou wishes Nangong Chengde would be the winner in the battle for the throne. The Emperor has eleven princes. Except for the youngest one, none of them is not ambitious. It is said that the crown prince is seriously ill and bedridden. He is said to have difficulty to survive the illness, who should naturally not be regarded as the outstanding one among the princes. Li Wanrou sighs quietly, and once again concludes that good people could not live long, but those who have done bad things live the longest. Why is that? Chapter 10: The Crown Prince Has a Seizure A feeling of tightnesses over her chest. Li Wanrou kneads her head between her eyebrows to release the pain, saying, "I have a headache due to the wine I drank just now. Maybe I''ll feel better if Igo out for a walk to get some fresh air." An Ruyi, who is fascinated by the y on the stage, doesn''t even notice what she says. Seeing that, Li Wanrou shakes her head helplessly and leaves. In the pce, every brick or stone has the memory of her life when each day seemed like a year to her besides the countless intrigues she had to face. Now the memories of those days fade away by degrees, but her heart still aches when she is here in the pce. She managed to get through so many lonely days in so many years alone with no one to turn to. Besides, there were so many sworn enemies. She goes to the pavilion in the center of theke to sober up. Suddenly, a small boat approaches with some dots of light shining out, which attracts the attention of Li Wanrou. Only one glimpse makes her totally sober up with a shock. Why! How could it be Ouyang Chengde! The man lying across in the boat wears nothing but a loose robe and clogs in the bitter winter. His face is pale with no sign indicating whether he is alive or dead. The pain between her eyebrows is getting worse, and she subconsciously wants to go away in order to keep her nose clean. But the man''s deep dark eyes attract her, and she cannot help approaching the boat. Jumping into the river, Li Wanrou feels the piercing cold water like needles in her body. Her cold has just been removed and now she has a rpse. She is aching all over, but still keeps swimming to the boat. After getting on the boat, she quickly pulls down the thick curtains from the four sides of the boat, and then lights the silver charcoal, and takes off her fur coat to warm herself up by the fire. Then she takes the pulse of Ouyang Chengde, and finds that his pulse beating is abnormal, as if he were poisoned, and the toxin is deep in his body, but not enough to kill him. It is odd that the crown prince has been poisoned for years. Isn''t that he himself doesn''t know? Is it because of the toxin in his body that his disposition was changed greatly five years ago? But he was perfectly sane when she met him a few days ago. The more she thinks, the more doubts she has. It takes quite a long time before shees to a rough conclusion that Ouyang Chengde must have been poisoned by the Powder of Five Minerals. His pulse beating is sometimes weak and sometimes strong, and there are a few moments when she couldn''t feel his pulse, which is in conformity with the symptom of being poisoned by taking too much of the Powder of Five Minerals. But the Powder of Five Minerals is only made in the western regions. It is in her previous life that she asionally heard the name when she gave an interview to the envoys from the western regions. Because of its special effect, she could remember the Powder of Five Minerals. Moreover, what Ouyang Chengde wears is something which is permeable and ventted, and those who take the Powder of Five Minerals have an internal fire for a short period of time. Therefore, it is proper for them to wear less. Besides, their skin would tend to be so tender that any friction would cause damage to the skin so that clogs would be the right choice. Li Wanrou is surprisingly terrified to see that Ouyang Chengde is poisoned. She could not figure out who had done this to him, the legitimated crown prince, or at least he is now. Her face bes cold and serious and it takes a long time before she recalls how to detoxify the toxin of the Powder of Five minerals, which not only takes time but also would make the seemingly strong body of Ouyang Chengde weak and exhausted in no time. Taking out an acupuncture needle from her sleeve, Li Wanrou instantly inserts the needle into his body, and then, she takes out a Pill of Life which she just developed, and helps him take it. Having done all these things, Li Wanrou feels her eyelids are heavy with fatigue. Now that her fur coat is getting dried, she would like to put it on and go back home. However, with a nce at the frowning face of Ouyang Chengde, she refrains from leaving him alone. Therefore, she lies down beside Ouyang Chengde with her clothes on. With her eyes closed, she soon falls asleep. It is getting dark. When Ouyang Chengde graduallyes out from his stupor, he puts his hand on his chest as he used to, for he often has an epigastric pain, only to find that he is quite well this time. He rises up abruptly, seeing that Li Wanru lies beside him with her shoulders raised as if to be on guard against something. Her little face looks like she is ill and she looks haggard. There is a silver needle in her hand and there is no pain on his own forehead, so that Ouyang Chengde doubts that whether it is Li Wanrou who saved his life. He once took the Powder of Five Minerals in the pce. He took the damned Powder again when his illness attacked again, for it could kill the painfulness. It has been five years since he first took the Powder of Five Minerals. Five years ago, he fell off his horse and broke his leg when he was hit by a rolling rock from the hill. In order to stand up and walk well, he endured great pain these years. Now his legs are getting better, but he is addicted to the Powder of Five Minerals. He could not pass a single day without taking the Powder of Five Minerals. Otherwise, he would be some crazy maniac looking for it everywhere. He clenches his fists to make himselfe back to his sense, and then takes Li Wanrou in his arms and walks to his pce. There are many people in his pce, but everyone seems to see nothing at all when he goes by with a woman in his arms. Nearly half of the people in his pce are those who had followed Ouyang Chengde, the crown prince, fighting on frontier expeditions and pledged their loyalty to him. And the rest are chosen by special training. Each of them looks bellicose and formidable. Ouyang Chengde ces Li Wanrou in a side room in his pce and asks his attendants to get ginger decoction ready for her. Ouyang Chengde himself attends to her by her bedside, his eyes falling on her without moving. He has never expected that a woman woulde to his life, all of a sudden, and rescued him twice sessively, all at the crucial moment of life and death without showing any intention of great pride or taking credit. Moreover, Li Wanrou asked others to return for her the jade pendant to him many times, but he refused to ept it with some excuses each time. The deep dark eyes of Ouyang Chengde move a little, which is not often seen, with a sign of pain in the eyes. He could not forget how his mother died miserably on the grand bed in the pce. His mother worried about him even before she died. She even regretted that she would have left Ouyang Chengde alone in this lonely pce when she died, where each person tries to cheat others. Seeing the attendant brings the ginger decoction in, he drops his gaze, which is full of sorrow, and holds Li Wanrou in his arms, who is stitose, and then feeds her the ginger decoctionone a spoonful after another. "Hmm¡­." Li Wanrou wakes up leisurely, looking around with blurred eyes for a quite while before shees to her sense. With her face changed, she cries out surprisingly, "Is this the crown prince''s pce? How on earth am I here?" "Well, you are awake?" With a kind smile, Ouyang Chengde says, "When I woke up, I found that you were asleep. I see that you must have caught a cold so that I fed you some ginger decoction, and then you woke up. It will take a while before the Pce Banquetes to an end. Don''t worry, I have the carriage ready for you." After a pause for a long time, he continues, "Don''t worry about being in the Prime Minister''s Mansion. Thanks for what you have done for me, and surely, I will make your stay safe and sound in the Mansion. Don''t let me down." Li Wanrou is a little flustered by his concerned eyes, so she keeps shaking her head and biting her tongue tightly in order to get her dizzy brain working properly. Although she doesn''t know why he bes suddenly so gentle to her, she does know that such a powerful ally as he is will surely make her way of revenge smoother. Now that he is her ally, she would not like him to die soon. She will help him detoxify the toxin of the Power of Five Minerals. She will not lose him! She nods seriously and says calmly, "You will help me to gain a footing in the Mansion, and I will help you to detoxify the toxinpletely in your body which has harmed you for a long time. We''ll just call it even. But, Crown Prince, you have been hiding your strength and biding your time for a long time. I think you will not mind if you keep doing it a little longer until one day you can rise abruptly based on your umted strength. When that dayes, I am sure their faces will be more ''colorful''!" Chapter 11: Lets Play the Scene Proofread by Men Shunde Nangong Chengde chuckles at her words, and then he puts down the soup bowl, loosens his grip of Li Wanrou''s hand, stands up, straightens his clothes, and gently dusts his cor with his right hand. "In that case, the carriage may not be needed. Let''s y the scene together in front of the dignitaries, who are carousing now at the Pce Banquet. A wonderful scene yed without a good actress like you would be boring." "Let''s go now. I have not been in public for a long time," says Nangong Chengde. Li Wanrou looks at Nangong Chengde as if in a trance. As he stands up, there seems to be a fire in his eyes. It is the fire of anger, and also the fire with the coldest chillness. Huh. What good allies they are! A washed-up crown prince and ady whose mother is a concubine. After drinking the ginger decoction, Li Wanrou feels much morefortable. She smooths her hair and says with a charming smile, "Then I should go first." Led by a maid servant, Li Wanrou walks gently and gets out of the crown prince''s pce. Coming out, Li Wanrou unexpectedly meets with the frozen chillness of the night breeze, which makes her abruptly think of the bed in the crown prince''s pce. She bites the tip of her tongue to calm herself down. How disgraceful it is to think of thefortable life even before starting to take revenge! She exims to herself. Theing days would be colder and crueler, of course, for her enemies. Before long, Li Wanrou arrives at the imperial garden, where she sees Li Shifu looking around and Madam Zhao with a gloomy face far away. Seeing Li Wanrou return to her seat, Madam Zhao frowns, asking, "Where have you been? The Royal Pce is not our own backyard. There are more rules and it is strictly guarded. You must be well-behaved and do not make me worry about you." But in her heart, Madam Zhao says to herself that, if she vites the rules or offends the Emperor, she must be dead, which is not important, for her life is as inferior as her mother''s, as long as she would not disgrace the family of Prime Minister Li. Li Wanrou knows clearly what Madam Zhao is thinking of. She sneers in her heart while saying with a trace of apology on her face, "I just went out to sober up because I drank some wine. I didn''t expect you would have worried about me. And I will not do it again. Please forgive me, mother.'''' Madam Zhao nces sidelong at her and nods, "Well, you had better know that." "Decentdies would not have wandered around at the Pce Banquet. They have all learned the rules,"says Shunjing loudly, who is eating a red fruit of tribute while shaking her head. Shunjing has never been a loser in the arguments before, but early today Li Wanrou won her over. Therefore, as expected, she will naturally try to find an opportunity to win back and give vent to the resentment in her heart. Her voice is so loud that it instantly attracts the attention of some nobledies around her, who turn their eyes to look at Li Wanrou, whispering. Li Wanrou smiles gently and deliberately takes no notice of her. Li Wanrou knows that Shunjing''s deliberate harassment is directed by Li Shifu and it is a waste of energy for her to argue with Shunjing, the daughter of the family of the Minister of War, for she is not only sarcastic but ignorant. Li Wanrou notices that Li Shifu, who keeps ncing at her not far away, is talking happily with Nangong Rongji. Li Shifu''sughter bes louder when she notices that there are few people with Li Wanrou. "The crown prince arrives!'''' A little eunuch''s shrill voice stretches a little longer. Hearing the voice, everyone present is a little surprised, lost in their own thoughts. It is not thetest news for them that the crown prince is confined to bed because of his illness. In the past few years, he has done nothing and seldome into the public attention, which gives rise to the opportunities for the other princes. But why does he suddenlye to the Pce Banquet in the imperial garden today? Under the gaze of all the people present, a handsome man steps in slowly, who is dressed in a ck brocade robe, on which a golden python lies with an imposing manner. But when they see his pretty and awesome face, they seem to understand something. The delicate face is pale and bloodless, with sweat on his forehead. He seems so weak as if he has difficulty in walking. The crown prince wouldn''t live long, which is the impression that everyone has at the moment. This guy is really a good actor! Nobody else could know the truth other than Li Wanrou, who once took his pulse. Though he is poisoned by the Powder of Five Minerals, he should not have been so weak as he looks now. Although he is a little surprised to see the crown princee here, the Emperor, as the head of the State, soon calms down, asking, "How are you feeling today, my son? Howe that you are in such high spirits as toe to the imperial garden? "Thank you for your concern, my father. I am feeling fine. It is difficult for me to fall asleep tonight, so Ie out to take a walk and happen to encounter a youngdy with gentle gesture and noble elegance. In order to get to know thedy, I follow her toe here." Nangong Chengde looks around at the youngdies present as he speaks. Finally, his eyes rest on Li Wanrou. "Oh? I would also like to see whose daughter of my ministers would have such attraction for my loving son." The Emperorughs and follows the eyes of Nangong Chengde, which triggers the curiosity of others. They all turn their eyes to thedy. It is Li Wanrou, ady whose mother is a concubine of Prime Minister Li. "You are the daughter of Prime Minister Li, aren''t you?" asks the Emperor, with his finger pointing to her. Prime Minister Li and Madam Zhao are about to answer on behalf of their daughter when Li Wanrou stands out and curtsies gently. "Yes, Your Majesty! I am the daughter of Prime Minister Li." "Good! She is elegant indeed! Prime Minister, it is lucky for you to have such a good daughter as she is!" says the Emperor. Li Wanrou''s natural attitude and decent behavior before the Emperor has won her thepliments from the dignitaries present including the Emperor himself. The youngdies who whispered about Li Wanrou just now all turn their heads and throw a contemptuous nce at Shunjing, whose delicate face bes red with shame. Li Shifu keeps a stiff smile on her face, with her hand tearing her gorgeous robe, which is almost torn into pieces and her eyes burst with the sparks of jealousy. A bitch she is! How dare she seduce the crown prince! Hum, does she want to be superior by relying on the crown prince? The focus of attention at this Pce Banquet should be on me! On Me! Chapter 12: Riding on the Back of the Tiger Proofread by Men Shunde Nangong Rongji nces at Li Wanrou again and again, sneering in his heart and hating the woman more than ever. "She fails to attract me and then she goes to hook up the crown prince, thinking that she has got someone higher in position. It''s a pity that the crown prince will not live longer," thinks Nangong Rongji, with a smile curling up at the corner of his mouth. And then, he bottoms up a cup of wine. The Pce Banquet is in no way stopped even though the arrival of the crown prince has caused a great stir. What is worth mentioning is that the Emperor says that Prime Minister Li would probably be the father-inw of his son when the Emperor has more drinks with Prime Minister Li at the banquet. This sentence said by the Emperor is enough to fulfil the purpose of the arrival of Nangong Chengde, which guarantees the basic requirements for Li Wanrou. Li is the Prime Minister as well as the Grand Minister of State. The next step for his promotion is only to be a kinsman of the Emperor. Therefore, the identity of Li Wanrou has already be somewhat noble. The ministers and dignitaries are all enjoying their wine and talks at the banquet, except for two, who have to take on forced smiles on their faces while feeling miserable. Seeing this, Li Wanrou feels very cool. "That''s bad? My revenge has just begun, and what''s worse is yet toe," thinks Li Wanrou. When theye back to the Mansion, the first sentence Prime Minister Li says to her is, "Wanrou, from now on, you can go with me to meet the dignitaries. You are old enough to look for someone suitable for you." The implied meaning of his words is very clear, that is, her greatest vale now is that the crown prince takes a fancy to her. Li Wanrou doesn''t feel any warmth from his words but bitter coldness. As a result, she bes more indifferent to his father. He treats her as his own daughter only when she could bring benefits to him. She replies gently, "Yes, father." She doesn''t take it very seriously, for she knows very well that she has to depend on her own to gain a footing in the Mansion though Nangong Chengde gives her some guarantee. "Congrattions, my sister! How lucky you are to be adored by the crown prince! But you have to be in a hurry. It is said that there is not much time left for the crown prince," says Li Shifu sincerely, putting her arms around the shoulders of Li Wanrou. It seems to others that Li Shifu really cares about her sister, but Li Wanrou knows clearly that she is reminding his father and her that whether Li Wanrou could marry the crown prince or not is still a question because there is not much time left for the prince. When the crown prince is dead, Li Wanrou''s value will be gone. Seeing the smiling face of Li Shifu, Li Wanrou smiles even more happily, and replies, "Thanks for your concern, sister. I will seize this opportunity." There is not much time left? Nangong Chengde can survive decades of years without problem as long as she, a great physician, is with him. It has been quite some time since the Pce Banquet that night, but the life in the Prime Minister''s Mansion seems more difficult for Li Wanrou. "Miss, the first madam knows very well that your health is not good, but she asks you to greet her every morning to present your respect to her. It is obvious that she is deliberately making things difficult for you," Furong says angrily, for she takes side of Li Wanrou, and is angry with the first madam whenever she thinks of what Madam Zhao does. Li Wanrou leisurely trims some potted nts of murrayapanicte, looking not angry at all. "It is not new for her to deliberately make things difficult for me secretly. Please send these potted nts to my mother for me afterwards, as a little gift from me," says Li Wanrou. "Well, Miss, the first madam treats you in such a way, but you ¡­want to give her ¡­" Furong feels it hard for her now to understand Li Wanrou. She doesn''t know when Li Wanrou has be ambiguous as if she were enveloped by mist, which makes it difficult for others to see her clear. "Miss!" Bise tiptoes to Li Wanrou and kneels down before her. Without looking at her directly, Li Wanrou asks, "Have you got the things I asked you to?" Bise nods her head promptly, and then Li Wanrou''s face looks better and she waves her hand, saying, "You are smart enough to make a good choice. Go and do as I told you." "Yes," answers Bise. Furong couldn''t understand a word from their conversation. She knows that she has no right to ask. Her duty is to serve Li Wanrou, who will not let her down. Seeing Furong is confused, Li Wanrou does not intend to exin anything to her. Li Wanrou says to herself while opening a medical book on how to use nts of murrayapanicte in medicine, "To let me greet you every morning to present my respect to you is to make you difficult to sleep at night. It is good to kill two birds with one stone." "Furong, get my bath water ready, for I will go to bed earlier today. There are more people having trouble in sleeping tonight." With her slender fingers pressing between her eyebrows, she thinks to herself that there are a lot of things she has to think about, and there is a long way she has to go. Therefore, she must keep fit, not falling before the fall of those people. Moreover, she caught a cold at that night, which seems to have a rpse. She has to take much care of herself lest she should be troubled by it in the years toe. When she thinks of this, Nangong Chengde suddenlyes into her mind, and it has been some time since they met at the banquet. It is time now for him toe to the Mansion to have his toxin detoxified. "Each time he steals in, as if to have an affair with her." Chapter 13: The First Madam’s Power is Reduced Proofread by Men Shunde "How is Li Shifu these days?" Li Wanrou suddenly asks, fiddling with flowers and nts in her hands. Having found nobody nearby, Furong leans her head over and whispers, "I''ve heard from Yuhuan that Li Shifu sent an invitation to the crown prince the other day, but was rejected. She was so furious that she smashed many rare treasures. In recent days, she gets closer with the second prince and often goes to the second prince''s pce with some youngdies to enjoy the flowers there." Hearing that, Li Wanrou''s lips curve to a sneer. Nangong Rongji and Li Shifu are well matched, an adulterer and a doxy! Someday, she will kill them with her own hand to avenge the death of her poor child. "Miss, just now Old Maid Wang came here and said that tomorrow everyone would go to the old madam''s to say hello and apany her." Li Wanrou nods quietly. The old madam is her grandmother, who is still in good health in her eighties. The old madam is a woman of sense, exempting the people of the Prime Minister''s Mansion from the dawn greeting and dusk goodnight. But they should spend a few days with her each month. The old madam may have a little bit of love for Li Wanrou, which may be the only affection she could feel in the Mansion. The old madam is amiable and generous to all her children and grandchildren. She is well worthy of their respect. When night falls, Li Wanrou has supper and goes to her room as usual to rest in her own room. The only difference is that there is a smile on her face the whole day. "Ah!" A shrill cry cuts through the night, like that of a frightened bird in the woods, startling the others. The courtyard is soon full of mor. The attendants and maid-servants in the Mansion soon rush to the first madam''s yard. They are so frightened by the first madam''s scream that no one notices the potted nts of murrayapanicte in the corner. Thinking of the effect of murrayapanicte, Li Wanrou smiles more happily. With the quilt held more tightly, she turns over and continues her dream. Murrayapanicte is a kind of flower. Although it is not colorful, its fragrance is persistent and has the effect of soothing the nerves. But if people who often smell the flowers take the herb of Lysimachiachristinaehance, they will be confused and restless. They will often have nightmares at night, such as going to hell. The next day, Li Wanrou dresses up neatly andes to see the old madam, waiting outside her courtyard. The first madam and the second madam also arrive there with Li Shifu and Miss Nuanyu. Everyone looks fine except for the first madam, Madam Zhao, who looks pale and absent-minded. It seems that she was shocked and disturbedst night. When the old madam''s personal maid-servant sees that everybodyes, she leads them into the courtyard. The old madam just finishes her washing up, and now is taking a walk in the yard with the help of two maid-servants. When she sees everyone is here to see her, the wrinkles on her face instantaneously disappear. The old madam is Prime Minister Li''s mother. Now she is white-haired in her eighties, but no one present belittles the old woman, who hobbles. She is a descendant of a general, and acted with great vigor when she was young. Prime Minister Li owes much to his mother in his smooth official career and the high position he has got today. Even at the royal court, there are still many officials who are in awe of her stateliness. "Now that you are all here, go with me to take a walk in the back garden. Recently, there are quite a few odd things in the Mansion. Madam Zhao, you had better deal with them well." Although the old madam''s words are not very severe, they are hard on everyone''s heart. Madam Zhao, in particr, looks terrified and her face turns pale. "Wanrou,e to me and help me to walk." She waves away the maid-servants and asks Li Wanrou to help her. Knowing that the old madam still loves her, Li Wanrou feels warm at her heart. Therefore, she steps forward and holds the old madam gently by her hand. And all the rest follow them slowly behind. "A few days ago, Qianshan disappeared in the backyard. Later, Li Si (Prime Minister Li) asked the Emperor to send the forbidden army to help searching for him without any result. What do you all think of that?" the old madam speaks slowly. Although the old madam stays at home, she is well informed with everything in the Mansion. Madam Zhao tries her best to remain calm, and then answers cautiously, "Qianshan is naughty since he was a kid. Maybe he had a quarrel with his family and left home. My sister had doted on him and he was spoiled. So, he bes a little mischievous. Maybe he will return home in a few days himself. Though others are kept in the dark, Li Shifu,who walks beside Madam Zhao, knows very well what her cousin, Qin Qianshan, was going to do. She stares at Li Wanrou, who is walking with the old madam with her hand supporting her cordially. The smile on Li Wanrou''s face triggers her thought. She could not find any difference in Li Wanrou''s smile, whoughs and says, "I saw Sister Shifu and her cousin, Qin Qianshan, talking in the pavilion that day, who greeted me then and left. He seemed not in good mood. Sister Shifu, am I right?" Suddenly asked by Li Wanrou, Li Shifu is very uneasy. She wants to contradict her but she dares not to do so in front of the old madam. Therefore, she has to admit, "Yes, Cousin Qianshanined a few words to me and then left angrily." Hearing this, the old madam nods faintly, "Well, the madam of Marquis Mansion is indeed unreasonable." She pauses, looking back at Madam Zhao and then continues, "Well, Madam Zhao, how should you, as the hostess of the Mansion, permit an outsider to make an unreasonable scene in our Mansion? How should you permit her even to beat my granddaughter Wanrou? How should you, as my daughter-inw, not stop such a thing in our Mansion?" On hearing this, Madam Zhao is shocked and her legs tremble so much that she would almost kneel down. Though she usually acts like a tyrant in the Mansion, she dares not to act rudely in front of the old madam. The nce casted by the old madam as well asst night''s sleepless make Madam Zhao instantaneously speechless. "If you allow such a thing to happen again, you just serve as the first madam in your own house without the power of the hostess of the Mansion. Shifu is my granddaughter, Nuanyu is my granddaughter, so is Wanrou. All the people present are of one family. You said nothing when our own family member was bullied by an outsider, which is really a shame and makes the face of our Mansion hurt." The old madam''s voice is so severe that no one present dares to breathe heavily. A stream of warmth flows into Li Wanrou''s heart, who holds the old madam more tightly. "Please excuse me. I promise no such thing happens again," says Madam Zhao with her head lowered down. "Ruyu, since your sister hasn''t recovered from the shock she hadst night, you can help her deal with the affairs in the Mansion these days, so that she will not be too tired," says the old madam, looking at ady in brocade dress beside her, whose face is not outstanding, but there is a calm temperament between her brows. She is Qing Ruyu, the second madam of the Mansion. Madam Zhao is greatly surprised to hear what the old madam says, and the one behind her is Li Shifu, whose face changes greatly. Chapter 14: Good at Choosing His Time Proofread by Men Shunde But before Madam Zhao has time to say she could manage everything by herself alone, her eyes meet another stare from the old madam, which frightens her so much that she has to swallow the words on the tip of her tongue. The faces of both Madam Zhao and her daughter Li Shifu be gloomy, but they dare not protest, which makes Li Wanrou feel more than happier. She hase to this back garden countless times, but this time she finds the garden so charming and attractive. However, seeing that Madam Qing''s face is still as in as water, Li Wanrou thinks for a while. In her previous life, she was inexperienced and had no contact with Madam Qing, who left little impression on her. Now, it seems that Madam Qing is not ordinary. She maybe¡­ Li Wanrou is thinking in her heart with no changes on her face. "Well, anyway, it is in our Mansion that Qianshan is missing. We have to give an answer to that. Starting tomorrow, send more servants to search for him in the brothels and the taverns secretly, because young people would like to go to these romantic ces to have fun when they leave home. And, tell the servants as well as the maid-servants in the Mansion to be cautious in what they say and what they do. Don''t spread rumors to annoy me." The old madam does not dwell much on this matter. Looking at the youngdies of the Mansion, the old madam is so happy that her smile makes the wrinkles on her face disappear. She caresses Li Wanrou''s forehead with her dry, bark-like hand, saying, "The only one that makes me feel at ease these days is my granddaughter Wanrou. I hear that you and the crown prince are on good terms with. Come on, tell me about it. Grandma is old. And now, what worries me most is whether you girls have happy marriages or not, and live happily for the rest of your lives or not." However, Nangong Chengde''s face suddenlyes into Li Wanrou''s mind, which makes her blush. She says softly, "Grandma is really joking about Wanrou. Although the crown prince has a good impression of me, how can I marry up with a man of a high position? There are many beauties in the world. I dare not have such unrealistic dream." "Ha ha, my granddaughter Wanrou is the first beauty in the world. Whose daughter from other noble and distinguished families in the capital canpare with you?" Seeing the old madam and Li Wanrou talking andughing happily, Li Shifu is furious, clenching her fists tightly, even her beautiful nails are about to prate her flesh. Bitch! Li Wanrou has bewitched the crown prince, and now shees and bewitches the grandmother! Grandma always loves me the most. What makes you think that you can get grandma''s love? I''m the First Miss in the Mansion! You wait and see! In a few days, I will get your reputation ruined! You will be driven out of the Mansion by Grandma and despised by people all over the world! Grandmother keeps everyone for lunch with her before they go back to their houses. On their way back, Madam Zhao and Li Shifu do not utter a single word, whose faces are overcast with gloomy sadness. Madam Qing looks very calm, and Nuanyu, who walks beside her, is very happy. Of course, Li Wanrou is the happiest. She brings herself up the rear, walking while thinking. The goal of these days'' efforts has been achieved. If you want to stay firmly in the Mansion, you must first shake the power of Madam Zhao. In the Mansion,in addition to Prime Minister Li, the only person who has such an ability is the old madam. Today Li Wanrou has got what she wanted: Madam Zhao''s partial power is shifted to the second madam, but that''s not enough! In order to overthrow Madam Zhaopletely, Li Wanrou needs another ally. Thinking of this, Li Wanrou carefully fixes her eyes on the second madam, Madam Qing, in front of her. "Furong, get the water ready. I will take a bath." Li Wanrou is very joyful, because Madam Zhao and her daughter Li Shifu are upset today. The more painful and more ufortable they are, the morefortable and happier she is! "Li Shifu... Madam Zhao, I''vee to collect the debts of the previous life and revenge... " Li Wanrou''s delicate face seems to be a bit frosted. Suddenly, a dark figure appears behind the curtain in her room. Li Wanrou does not panic. Is this guy really the crown prince? He is good at choosing his time, that is, going out on a dark and windy night, anding to her when she is having a bath. Isn''t it that he is to take advantage of her deliberately? Thinking of this, Li Wanrou looks down at herself. "Ido have something worthy..." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!