Chapter 173: Mischievous as He Is
Xue Sui remained silent for a long time.
Li Zhao gazed at her intently, his long fingers lightly stroking his sleeve cuff, avoiding her gaze, and spoke in a low voice.
“This time, I am indebted for your help.”
Xue Sui’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she bowed to him.
“Your Highness cleared my aunt’s name; I should be thanking Your Highness.”
Her demeanor was perfectly courteous, displaying gentle deference.
Anyone who saw her like this would likely only think it was a casual meeting and greeting.
Who would have known that the mysterious Love Silk Gu had already taken root deep within his bones and blood like a persistent ulcer, growing and eroding, silently entwining with this woman’s aura, inseparable…
Li Zhao watched her quietly, then suddenly broke into a smile.
“Don’t lie to me. How much affection do you have for your aunt?”
Xue Sui was slightly taken aback.
Back then, everyone in the Xue family treated her coldly. Her aunt, who had entered the palace, had returned home for a visit when she was still a child. She hadn’t had much contact with such an important person and didn’t have many impressions, so naturally, there wasn’t deep affection. She wouldn’t have deliberately sought justice for her…
It was merely going with the flow.
Did this Your Highness think she stepped forward for him?
Xue Sui smiled slightly, not offering any verbal defense.
Li Zhao suddenly took a step closer, the faint, elegant scent of bergamot mixed with his innate coolness assailing her.
“You knew long ago what insidious methods the Xiao clan used?”
Xue Sui subconsciously raised her eyes.
The Crown Prince before her had a calm expression, dressed in a dark python robe, exuding natural nobility.
A premonition flashed through her mind. She subtly took half a step back, performing a slight courtesy.
“Consort Xiao was always adept at using such underhanded tactics. She cruelly harmed my aunt back then, and now she incites Princess Ping Le to do evil. The mother and daughter are of the same ilk; their actions are not surprising. A little deduction would reveal it…”
Li Zhao’s eyes deepened: “How much more do you know?”
“How much more do you wish to know?” Xue Sui met his gaze, her eyes frank. “We each have our needs; why pry so deeply?”
Li Zhao’s pupils darkened, and the corner of his lips curved into a faint smile.
“Xue Ping’an, we share the storms together, like the two wheels of a cart or the wings of a bird. Our fates are now intertwined; why distinguish so clearly…”
He paused slightly, seeing Xue Sui purse her lips, her expression guarded. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
“I have an impolite request.”
Xue Sui was exceptionally calm and also smiled faintly. “Please speak.”
Li Zhao: “From now on, when you speak to me, add ‘ya’ at the end of your sentences.”
Xue Sui couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Try it…”
“What is Your Highness plotting… ya?”
“Well said,” Li Zhao’s expression relaxed into a smile. “Say it like this from now on.”
“Is Your Highness ill… ya?”
“Continue…”
“Which string in your head is out of tune, ya?”
As the words left Xue Sui’s mouth, she frowned uncomfortably. Adding the particle changed her entire tone. Although she was questioning him, it inexplicably sounded a bit coquettish…
Seeing Li Zhao’s teasing smile, her mind felt like it had been struck by lightning.
“Childish!”
Li Zhao’s smile didn’t diminish, his eyes as bright as stars.
It was an extremely handsome face.
With sword eyebrows and starry eyes, a high-bridged nose, he wasn’t as stern and cold as during ordinary conversations. In his gentle smile, there was a captivating tenderness.
“Xue Ping’an, the Love Flowers you planted for me in You Huang Ju have sprouted. When will you have time to water them?”
Xue Sui’s lips curved silently. “Does Your Highness lack water?”
Li Zhao was momentarily stunned by her retort. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and a turbulent undercurrent seemed to stir in his calm eyes.
“Xue Ping’an, remember this for me—”
Before he could finish, hurried footsteps of palace servants echoed from a distance.
Li Zhao suddenly leaned forward, bracing his hands on the mottled corridor pillar, shielding Xue Sui in the narrow corner, his voice drawing closer.
“Speak like this from now on…”
Xue Sui gasped slightly. Seeing him flick his sleeve and leave after speaking, she finally straightened up and bowed gracefully, gazing at his receding figure.
“Farewell, Crown Prince.”
Xiao Zhao hurried over from around the corner of the palace wall and said softly, “Young Lady, the Princess Consort has sent someone to look for you.”
Xue Sui nodded and looked up at the towering, layered palace.
It was magnificent and resplendent, like a dormant beast, and they were all merely ants in its maw.
“Let’s go,” she turned, her skirt sweeping over the fallen leaves before the steps.
Her wide sleeves of woven gold brocade fluttered slightly in the wind, like a lone goose flying solo, resolutely charging into this gilded cage…
…
The setting sun dipped below the eaves, where beast-shaped ornaments adorned the corners. Li Zhao leaned behind a vermilion corridor pillar, and only after Xue Sui had walked far away did he slowly emerge and head towards Lin De Hall.
Lai Fu followed cautiously behind.
“Your Highness…”
He reminded him softly, “Your conversation with Madam Ping’an might be seen by those with ulterior motives…”
Li Zhao did not turn back, the hidden ripples in his calm eyes seeming to hold a myriad of thoughts.
“I have my limits.”
Lai Fu lowered his head and sighed to himself.
Unable to let go, yet unable to bear it, resisting yet drawn, and willingly accompanying her on this path of utter ruin.
If the outcome is but a mirage, will the Crown Prince face it calmly and accept defeat gracefully?
The clinking of cups and plates drifted from within Lin De Hall, accompanied by the rising and falling laughter of nobles and ministers…
The hall was brightly lit, with officials seated according to their ranks. The joyous celebration caused the golden silk curtains to sway gently in the breeze. Musicians struck bronze bells, singing melodiously, while dancers moved with light grace, performing a dance…
Li Zhao rubbed his temples and mustered his spirits to step over the threshold.
“Crown Prince,” a mellow voice came from his side as soon as Li Zhao was seated.
He leaned slightly, looking at Li Huan’s face, which shone with a clear radiance, his smiling lips curving upwards.
“Imperial Brother, do you need something from me?”
Li Huan said, “Earlier, all the officials drank together, praying for Father Emperor’s health and the prosperity of the nation, but you were absent. You must make up for this drink…”
He held a jade pot and poured wine for Li Zhao.
Li Zhao’s gaze was clear. “I’ve quit.”
Li Huan narrowed his eyes, his emerald thumb ring rubbing against the rim.
“I didn’t believe Fifth Imperial Brother when he said you went to Ci An Hall for the birthday to avoid drinking. Seeing this now, it truly is…”
“Imperial Brother,” Li Zhao interrupted with a light laugh. “Since the Hundred Flowers Banquet, I have abstained from alcohol. Has no one told Imperial Brother that I have been taking medicine?”
Li Huan was slightly stunned.
Of course, he had sent people to inquire about the Eastern Palace.
However, the officials and advisors in the Eastern Palace were all as tight-lipped as clams…
“May I ask what illness the Crown Prince suffers from?”
Li Zhao’s lips curved slightly. “Thanks to Princess Ping Le’s grace, it’s a heart palpitation ailment…”
Li Huan’s gaze swept over his pale lips, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes. “Then this cup of wine… Crown Prince, take a small sip, to accept Father Emperor’s good wishes…”
“Imperial Brother has always been filial,” Li Zhao’s smile deepened, implying something. “But my life is also very important.”
Their gazes met in the air, as if sparks were colliding.
Li Jian, sitting to the side, suddenly chuckled and reached out to grab a wine cup.
“Imperial Brother has worked for over a month for Grandmother’s birthday banquet; I admire you greatly. I’ll join the fun and toast you.”
He clearly saw the subtle tension and was trying to smooth things over.
Li Huan’s expression was gentle. “Grandmother’s birthday banquet, meticulously organized, is my duty. How can I accept my Imperial Brother’s toast? I cannot accept this cup of wine.”
Li Jian indeed only wanted to ease the situation.
Being young and not good at navigating such matters, he was refused by Li Huan. Looking at the wine cup in his hand, he was momentarily at a loss for words.
At this moment, Emperor Chong Zhao, seated at the head, suddenly spoke.
“You brothers are indeed harmonious. Come, I am happy today. With this fine wine, I will share this cup with you brothers, wishing the Empress Dowager eternal blessings, protecting Daliang’s prosperity for ten thousand generations…”
Prince Wei Li Yan and Prince Chun Li Jian both stood up and raised their cups in unison.
“Your son obeys Father Emperor’s decree.”
Emperor Chong Zhao stroked his beard and laughed heartily. “You brothers should be of one heart and mind, uphold the foundation of the state, and not disappoint my high hopes.”
He then looked at Li Zhao, who was sitting quietly, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily drooped.
“Crown Prince, today is the Empress Dowager’s grand birthday banquet, celebrated by the entire court. Do not spoil the mood.”
He spoke with an imposing aura, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
Li Zhao raised his eyes, glanced at Li Huan, and slowly raised his wine cup.
“It seems I have no choice but to drink.”
He said this to Li Huan, very softly, almost inaudibly.
Li Huan glanced at him, then suddenly cupped his hands in a bow.
“Father Emperor, the Crown Prince is unwell and should not drink. Your son will drink this cup on his behalf…”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s eyes showed displeasure, and he swept a dark look at Li Huan.
Li Zhao chuckled and raised his wine cup higher. “I will drink it myself.”
He picked up the wine cup and tilted it back, drinking it all in one gulp.
The strong liquor flowed down his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly…
Memories, like shattered ice, rushed back.
At his sixth birthday banquet, shortly after his Imperial Grandfather’s passing, his position as Crown Prince was precarious. It was then that an old minister from the Xiao clan, holding a similar carved wine pot, offered wine to him, a child, as a gesture of filial piety.
His Father Emperor not only did not stop it but watched coldly from the side.
During the winter hunt at twelve, he suddenly felt dizzy and fell from his horse. He wanted to return to his tent to rest, but his Father Emperor praised his Imperial Brother for his resilience and courage, never flinching in the face of adversity, and reprimanded him for being pampered and unfit for great responsibility.
Thus, he forced himself to continue. After returning to the capital, he fell gravely ill and nearly died…
At fifteen, the court held a grand ceremony to worship heaven. As the Crown Prince, he should have been the central figure, but his ceremonial robes were splashed with ink. He reported the incident and demanded an investigation, but his Father Emperor deemed it negligence on the part of the palace servants around Li Zhao. Not only were the servants beaten, but he was also confined to his quarters, and Li Huan stood in for him in the ceremony…
In these years, what he had drunk was more than just this cup of bitter wine?
There was also his Father Emperor’s suppression and his brothers’ schemes…
