Chapter 88: All Are Acceptable
“Where would the colorful parrot be kept?”
Fan Bing searched for the bird, muttering as he walked forward.
The sky gradually darkened. Few people were out in the Prince’s Mansion’s garden, and the few stone lanterns along the path were not bright. The dim, yellowish lamplight illuminated his flushed, wine-scented face.
“Chirp, chirp.”
He mimicked the bird’s call, walking further and further away.
Unknowingly, he had circled half of Moonlit Lake…
Suddenly, he saw light emanating from a house by the lakeside ahead.
He crouched, hiding among the flowers, and heard a soft, whimpering sound.
Didn’t they say that colorful parrot could imitate all sorts of human voices?
Could it be that Prince Duan kept the parrot in his room, overheard something he shouldn’t have, and learned to imitate a woman’s seductive moans?
A strange, wicked smile flickered across Fan Bing’s lips. He looked around to see if anyone was watching, then quietly moved towards the faint glow of the light.
–
Ping Le called for warm water to bathe and sent all the servants in the Prince’s Mansion away, then instructed Lu Lian.
“You guard the outside. No matter what sounds you hear, you are not allowed to come in. Do you understand?”
“This maid understands.”
Lu Lian had been by the Princess’s side recently and knew some of Ping Le’s private matters.
She responded, placed the pill on a low stool by the bathtub, and closed the room door before going out.
The Princess was concerned about her reputation.
Having been poisoned with such a shameful substance, she did not want any of her maids to see her in such a vulnerable state.
Lu Lian walked out and moved a little further away, leaning against a stone lantern, wishing she could block her ears.
Fan Bing, hiding behind the flower bushes, peeked out for a while. He tiptoed around the corridor pillars to the back window of the bathhouse, moved a large bluestone, and stood on tiptoe to look inside—
Good heavens!
He gasped!
When he first heard the strange sounds, he thought it was the colorful parrot calling…
Unexpectedly, when he poked a hole in the window paper with his finger and looked inside, he saw a scene that made his blood boil and his jaw drop.
Ping Le…
The most esteemed Princess Ping Le of the current dynasty.
Her skin, as fair as snow, was flushed with a deep crimson.
Her expression was hazy, her eyes unfocused, and her disheveled hair lay scattered on her wet shoulders…
Her post-bath body lay across the wooden couch beside the bathtub, her thin veil swaying, trembling slightly with her rapid breaths…
That was not even the main point…
Who would have thought that a dignified Princess, at her Imperial Brother’s birthday banquet, would be unable to control herself after drinking, and hide in a side room to do such… unrestrained things?
The rear garden of Prince Duan’s Mansion, by Moonlit Lake.
A slender, small woman paced by the stone railing.
She wore a crimson brocade cloak, its collar embroidered with an exquisite snow pear pattern, making her palm-sized face appear as pure and pitiable as a pear blossom blooming in early spring.
Li Fuyin, Emperor Chongzhao’s fifth daughter, Princess Wen Jia.
She had come to congratulate her Imperial Brother.
It was time to return to her mansion, but her Imperial Son-in-law, Fan Bing, was nowhere to be seen.
When a servant mentioned that the Imperial Son-in-law had come this way, she led her maidservant out to look for him.
Moonlit Lake was the largest artificial lake in Prince Duan’s Mansion. It was fed by live water from outside the city, with intricate channels. Its construction had consumed considerable manpower and resources.
Across the pool of clear water and the nine-bend stone bridge made of white stones, Li Fuyin could see exquisite arrow-pitching equipment set up in the waterside pavilion in the center of the lake…
A group of young ladies were gathered there, playing the game of arrow-pitching and laughing merrily.
That Fan Bing, he loved to mingle where there were many young ladies.
But looking around, she couldn’t see him…
Li Fuyin stood at the head of the bridge, her brows furrowed, her eyes filled with loneliness.
A voice sounded behind her, “Why doesn’t the Princess join the arrow-pitching game?”
Li Fuyin turned around.
It was a woman with kind eyes. Although dressed as a servant, her gaze held a unique brilliance, devoid of subservience.
Li Fuyin smiled faintly, “I dislike noise.”
The woman said, “Such refined amusement can cleanse evil and benefit both body and mind.”
Li Fuyin was taken aback.
She then realized she shouldn’t be discussing such matters with a stranger.
She asked, “Who are you?”
The woman curtsied, “My mistress wishes to invite Your Highness the Princess to speak privately.”
“Your mistress is…”
“Ru Ren Xue, who just entered the mansion today,” the woman said with a smile. “Ru Ren has just arrived and it is inconvenient for her to greet the Princess herself, so she asks the Princess to come over. Ru Ren said she has something that might interest the Princess.”
Li Fuyin didn’t want to go at first, but the banquet was tedious, and she didn’t like making friends. Fan Bing hadn’t returned for a long time and wouldn’t be back anytime soon, so she might as well go and see.
After thinking for a moment, she nodded.
“Wen Jia should go and congratulate Ru Ren. Please lead the way, Aunt.”
Tan Qiu Courtyard was not far from Moonlit Lake. To facilitate Xue Sui’s attendance on Li Huan, Xue Yuechen had even arranged her courtyard to be very close to her and Li Huan’s residence, all built along the lake.
Also, to accommodate Li Huan’s preference for quiet, the lakeside was secluded and elegant, with few visitors.
As Li Fuyin entered the courtyard, she saw a young woman standing at the end of the large red celebratory curtain.
Seeing her enter, she bowed slightly and approached with light steps and a smiling voice.
“Xue Liu greets Princess Wen Jia. I apologize for troubling the Princess to come all this way personally.”
Li Fuyin asked directly, “May I know why Ru Ren Xue wishes to see me?”
Xue Sui stood in place and smiled slightly, “The Princess has someone she cares about, doesn’t she?”
Li Fuyin frowned, “Since Ru Ren knows my identity, she should know that I am already married with an Imperial Son-in-law, and… I have a daughter who is already five years old.”
Xue Sui smiled, “I know the Princess is married, and I also know that the person the Princess likes is not her Imperial Son-in-law.”
Li Fuyin’s face changed drastically, “Ru Ren and I are not old acquaintances. Why would you speculate without reason and ruin my reputation?”
Xue Sui narrowed her eyes slightly, her smile carrying a hint of mystery. She didn’t answer Li Fuyin’s question, but slowly walked forward. To the astonishment of the two maids, she suddenly grabbed Princess Wen Jia’s hand and roughly rolled up her sleeve.
On her fair arm, there were many mottled scars.
There were also several bruises, clearly fresh wounds, interspersed with old ones.
“What are you doing? You… you’re audacious!” Li Fuyin’s voice trembled.
Xue Sui did not allow her to pull back her tensed arm. Instead, she held it tightly, slowly unbuttoned her own robe, revealing her own scars, and pressed them against Li Fuyin’s arm…
“Fellow sufferers of the same fate. You and I are fated to meet. Shall we get acquainted now?”
Li Fuyin: “You—you—”
She wanted to say something, but her throat choked up, and she was too overcome with emotion to speak.
Xue Sui smiled, “No one knows the suffering in your heart better than I do. We are in the same boat. Why not save ourselves?”
Wen Jia’s eyes turned red, her shoulders trembling slightly. Like a frightened rabbit, she tried several times to pull her hand away, but could not escape the grasp of the delicate woman. Finally, thinking of something, her nose stung, and tears streamed down her face.
She had never imagined that her buried suffering and scars would be revealed by a stranger.
Li Fuyin’s birth mother was a beauty presented to the Emperor of Daliang by Xizi.
Xizi was a small border country that had previously relied on Daliang for survival. Later, relations between the two countries became tense, and her birth mother fell out of favor with the Emperor, being confined to the Cold Palace for a long time.
With her birth mother out of favor, Li Fuyin was also disliked by Ping Le.
Just as Xue Sui was mistreated by Ping Le when she was young, so was Li Fuyin.
Compared to the ten years Xue Sui spent in the Old Mausoleum Swamp, Wen Jia’s experience was even more tragic.
Ping Le had snatched her beloved Lu You’an away, and then, through a scheme by Ping Le, the Emperor had betrothed her to the son of a military officer in Jingzhao, Fan Bing.
This Imperial Son-in-law was unambitious, but he was addicted to alcohol and gambling, loved rare treasures, and often squandered lavishly with a group of disreputable friends in the marketplace and residential areas, staying out all night in pleasure quarters. He indulged in everything a dissolute young man enjoyed.
Perhaps due to his unfulfilled career, he would take out his frustrations on Wen Jia whenever he got drunk.
With Princess Ping Le’s instigation and Consort Xiao’s backing, Wen Jia was completely unable to escape their control.
For many years, she could only swallow her bitterness for the sake of her daughter, daring not to reveal a single word to the outside world. Even before Emperor Chongzhao, she had to force a smile…
She sniffled and bowed respectfully to Xue Sui.
“Since Ru Ren knows my suffering, why do you come to torment me further?”
Xue Sui gently held her shoulders, looking into her eyes with focus. Although she was also just a young maiden, she was half a head taller than Li Fuyin, appearing more like an elder sister, half-embracing her in her arms.
“You have worked hard all these years, Princess! You must take good care of yourself from now on.”
Li Fuyin initially just wept silently.
Perhaps the embrace was too warm, and Xue Liu’s voice was truly gentle. As she cried, she suddenly threw herself into Xue Sui’s arms like a child, sobbing uncontrollably, like a drowned rat.
Xue Sui gently stroked her shoulders.
“Cry. After you cry, pull yourself together and make them pay!”
Li Fuyin shook her head, her face filled with sorrow, “Ping Le and Prince Duan are siblings, and Consort Xiao is someone the Emperor cherishes dearly. I am useless, my words carry no weight, and I am powerless… Sixth Miss Xue, I apologize, I cannot help you with anything…”
Xue Sui smiled gently, her carefully made-up face resembling a demon.
“Then let me help you. Everyone in this world has their own destiny. Ping Le’s good days are also coming to an end.”
Tears streamed down Wen Jia’s face as she looked up, her pupils filled with terror.
“What does Sixth Miss intend to do?”
Xue Sui took out a clean handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from her face, “Blood debt must be paid with blood.”
Wen Jia shook her head repeatedly, crying and laughing.
This Xue Liu must be foolish.
A wild crow claiming to help a weak dog take revenge on jackals…
It’s useless.
There are people inside and outside the court who hate Ping Le.
But what can that change?
Nothing can change!
Both are princesses, but in their Imperial Father’s eyes, only Ping Le matters.
She was born superior, always stealing the spotlight, doing as she pleased, and acting with impunity.
Li Fuyin still remembered that when she was young and ignorant, she had a dispute with Ping Le and accidentally pushed her down. When their Imperial Father rushed over, he glared at her with a terrifying look as if he wanted to devour her. Not only did he scold her harshly, but he also punished her by making her kneel in public and apologize to Ping Le.
At that time, her birth mother had not yet been sent to the Cold Palace.
From then on, Li Fuyin knew that her Imperial Father could do anything for Ping Le. Punishing her unreasonably was a small matter; if pushed hard enough, her Imperial Father might even kill both of them for Ping Le…
Wen Jia slowly closed her eyes, “Sixth Miss Xue, we are both unfortunate people. You have hatred and resentment, and I understand it completely. But you and I… you and I cannot fight against them.”
Xue Sui was not surprised by her reaction.
Without the ten years in the Old Mausoleum Swamp, she wouldn’t have believed herself either.
“Who says it’s just you and me? We have many others. So many people who have been exploited, enslaved, and bullied by them. As long as we have the will in our hearts, we can seek justice.”
Li Fuyin was stunned.
Then she shook her head bitterly.
“I… I don’t have such high aspirations, nor can I do anything… Sixth Miss Xue, please don’t look for me again… I beg you. No one has ever hurt me, and Ping Le has certainly not hurt me. Please don’t harm me.”
Xue Sui straightened her shoulders and, very slowly, revealed a gentle smile.
“You are the Emperor of Daliang’s own daughter. Whatever Ping Le has, you deserve to have.”
Li Fuyin still shook her head, stubbornly trying to break free from her hand.
Xue Sui pulled her forcefully closer, looking her in the eye.
“You and your mother, Consort Zhaoyi, deserve imperial favor. You should make that damned Imperial Son-in-law die a terrible death. You should make Ping Le suffer the consequences of her actions, beg for mercy at your feet, and let the common people throughout the land know of her evil deeds. Her name should be carved on a pillar of shame, to be reviled for all eternity. Princess, you are so kind and generous, you should shine brightly and become the most esteemed Princess of the Daliang Dynasty…”
“I shouldn’t, I can’t, I can’t do it…”
Li Fuyin kept shaking her head.
Her voice gradually faded.
Xue Sui said in a deep voice, “As long as you want to, you can! Princess Wen Jia.”
Li Fuyin stared at her, her eyes clouded with tears.
She didn’t move.
But Xue Sui knew she was moved.
“Princess, no one is destined to be trapped in the mud, and no one is born to sink into darkness. Suffering is a tempering, not shackles. Heaven can do it, Earth can do it, Ping Le can do it, and so can you and I!”
Li Fuyin looked directly at her, and after a long while, asked, “What can I do?”
Xue Sui smiled, “You don’t have to do anything. Just accompany me to watch a good show.”
Li Fuyin was very confused, “Can Ru Ren please explain…”
Xue Sui’s voice suddenly turned cold, exuding a chilling aura.
“On the Spring Flower Banquet day, the Princess was also in the Imperial Garden. Do you know about the Bamboo Forest Elegant Pavilion incident?”
Li Fuyin nodded silently.
“Many rumors spread that day, but I never believed them. The Crown Prince and Sixth Miss are not that kind of people. It must have been Ping Le causing trouble. She’s always like this, she has to harm others to be satisfied…”
Xue Sui said, “Today, we will use her own methods against her.”
Li Fuyin was startled and began to understand.
“Are you saying Fan Bing and Ping Le…”
Xue Sui nodded, gripping her trembling hand tightly, as if to give her strength.
“Don’t be afraid. The Princess is the daughter of Emperor Chongzhao and a victim. No one has the right to point fingers at the Princess, a victim…”
Li Zhao: Why didn’t you let me come out to watch the fun?
Xue Sui: Don’t worry, there will be plenty for you. The play wouldn’t start without you…
Li Zhao: Alright, our motto is “vengeance for the slightest grievance.”
