Chapter 65: Bamboo Forest Elegant Pavilion
Bamboo Forest Elegant Pavilion.
Ping Le watched as Empress Xie’s expression on the steps grew increasingly displeased, her smile widening.
She had understood from a young age that Imperial Father’s words were imperial decrees, and where Imperial Father’s heart lay, so too did power and wealth.
Therefore, when she was young, she greatly resented having to respectfully call this woman “Imperial Mother” and bow and curtsy before her.
Clearly, Imperial Father’s heart and eyes were filled with her Imperial Mother, and he doted on her and her brother the most. Yet, this woman had usurped the position, stealing the Empress’s rightful place, causing her and her brother to be relegated to “born of a concubine.” Even though her brother was outstanding in both literary and martial arts, he was merely a Prince, unable to become the Crown Prince.
Thus, she had understood from childhood where to direct her efforts and where to tread…
“Imperial Mother.”
Ping Le called out softly, her gaze provocative.
“Isn’t it tiring to stand on the steps? Why not come down and sit with Yu Shu for some tea?”
Empress Xie’s face was grim, but the nobility ingrained in her bones prevented her from lowering her neck.
“The Princess has difficulty with her legs and feet, but my health is perfectly fine. Standing on the high steps to watch the Princess is very comforting.”
Ping Le raised her eyebrows, “Imperial Mother is truly… Heh…”
She spoke with a hint of mockery, “If you ask me, Imperial Mother, the room door you’re blocking now is only visible to Yu Shu and a few old nannies. When Imperial Father arrives, it might be difficult to salvage the situation…”
At that moment, a shout came from outside.
“Prince Duan has arrived!”
Ping Le’s lips curved into a confident smile, she glanced at Empress Xie, stood up, handed her young daughter to the nanny, and calmly instructed.
“Take the Little Princess back to Chang Chun Pavilion to eat something, and don’t let her eyes be sullied by this.”
The nanny replied with a forced smile, “Your servant obeys.”
With the Little Princess gone, Ping Le became even more unrestrained. She glanced at the palace servants beside her.
“Take away the tables and chairs, I’ve sat enough…”
Before she could finish speaking, Li Huan’s voice came from the flower path.
“Ping Le, how can you be disrespectful to Imperial Mother?”
Ping Le saw that Li Huan had come alone and raised her eyebrows in slight displeasure.
“Imperial Brother, why hasn’t Imperial Father come? Didn’t I send someone to ask Imperial Father to preside over justice?”
Without the Emperor present, this play would lack excitement.
Ping Le wanted the Emperor to witness it personally, and with so many Madam and wives present, the scandal would surely spread throughout the court and country.
Only then could they strike a decisive blow and bring down the Crown Prince.
Li Huan frowned and gave her a warning look.
“Imperial Father is feasting with the officials in Ling Yan Pavilion, he doesn’t have the leisure to watch your antics! Hurry and take them away, the food and wine in Chang Chun Pavilion will get cold.”
Ping Le said, “Imperial Brother. The Crown Prince is drunk here and hasn’t come out for a long time. I fear something has happened…”
She desperately signaled to Li Huan.
She wanted him to understand that this was a good opportunity to strike at the Eastern Palace.
However, Li Huan seemed not to see, completely ignoring her, and turned to face the crowd.
“Imperial Mother has prepared a banquet in Chang Chun Pavilion. Why are you all not feasting and celebrating in the pavilion, but have come to this secluded place? Have you all drunk too much?”
He deliberately avoided mentioning the Crown Prince, his words spoken calmly and gently, yet they carried the weight of a heavy hammer, full of deterrence.
The Madam exchanged glances, smiled politely, and prepared to withdraw.
How could Ping Le’s carefully orchestrated plan be dismissed by Li Huan’s few words?
She shouted, “No!”
“Imperial Brother!” She stepped forward, staring coldly into Li Huan’s eyes, like a hedgehog bristling with thorns, very arrogant.
“The Crown Prince’s safety is of great importance. If we don’t go in and find out what’s happening today, how can I, as his Imperial Sister, be at ease? Moreover, the nannies just saw a woman intrude and attempt to tarnish the Crown Prince’s reputation. We cannot stand by and watch such a seductive woman…”
“Presumptuous!” Li Huan interrupted her, his voice sharp.
“Imperial Father has also had a few drinks in Ling Yan Pavilion. Do you want to go and fulfill your filial piety?”
He was trying to enlighten Ping Le.
This matter was absurd and did not please the Emperor. No matter how displeasing the Crown Prince was, he was still the Emperor’s son and the Crown Prince appointed by the Emperor. The Crown Prince’s reputation was the prestige of the Li imperial family.
Such base tactics might not be able to bring down the Crown Prince, but they would certainly incur the Emperor’s great wrath.
When things reach an extreme, they reverse. Excessive actions would surely bring disaster.
However, Ping Le could no longer hear him.
She had gone all out to set up such a grand scheme, how could she admit defeat and give up?
Ping Le frowned, glanced at Li Huan, then at the palace servants beside her, and suddenly, holding up her skirt, she strode towards the steps.
Empress Xie and the palace maids naturally stepped forward to stop her, but Ping Le’s face was cold.
“Please, Imperial Mother, move aside—”
Before her voice fell, she forcefully embraced Empress Xie and pulled her aside.
The other palace servants seized the opportunity to surge forward and forcefully push the door open…
With a creak.
The world suddenly fell silent.
Empress Xie turned her head in astonishment.
Ping Le’s eyes widened too.
The onlookers held their breath.
“Who is making such a racket and disturbing my peaceful slumber?”
Inside the room, only Li Zhao was present, his face flushed, slightly tipsy, leaning against a Huanghuali wood couch carved with dragons and phoenixes. His loose robes were slightly disheveled, his hair a bit messy, and his expression weary.
Perhaps due to the lingering effects of the medicine, he appeared like a leopard drowsing amidst the vibrant flowers in the spring sun, exuding an indescribable charm, indolence, and nobility. His handsome features were at their peak at this moment…
Many young ladies blushed, their hearts pounding like thunder, and they lowered their gazes…
Especially Lu Xi, she subconsciously compared Su Jin, whom Ping Le favored, with Li Zhao, and her heart felt as if she had swallowed a fly, causing her immense discomfort.
One was like the moon in the sky, the other like the frost on the ground.
Su Jin, that Third Place Scholar, could be considered elegant compared to ordinary people, but in front of Li Zhao, he would likely instantly become an ordinary man, overshadowed.
She suddenly felt a pang of regret.
The Eastern Palace was a tiger’s den, and following Ping Le was like entering a dragon’s lair…
She was truly walking on thin ice now, it would be better to just marry Li Zhao…
After a moment of silence, Li Zhao seemed to be awakened by the intruders. He slowly raised his lowered eyes, tidied his robes, and slowly stood up, his tone carrying a hint of drunkenness and slight anger.
He glanced at Empress Xie.
Then he looked at Ping Le and Prince Duan, his dark eyes seeming to flash with a hidden light.
“So lively? Everyone is here. Is it that the flowers in Bamboo Forest Elegant Pavilion have bloomed exceptionally beautifully?”
Ping Le glanced at the nannies beside her, her expression solemn as she stepped over the threshold.
“Why is the Crown Prince sleeping here? Is there anyone in the inner room?”
Li Zhao smiled, “Imperial Sister is questioning me?”
The Crown Prince was the “ruler,” and no matter how favored a Princess was by the Emperor, she was still a subject.
The hierarchy between ruler and subject could not be disrupted. Ping Le had no right to question the Crown Prince.
She pouted, her arrogant demeanor slightly diminished, and bowed slightly towards Li Zhao.
“Your Highness, please forgive me. A palace servant reported that the Crown Prince was drunk and had not emerged, so we were worried about your safety and acted rashly. However… with such commotion outside, the Crown Prince didn’t notice at all?”
Li Zhao remained unfazed, raising his eyes to look at her.
“I was taking a short rest after drinking. I couldn’t hear the noise. Does Imperial Sister find anything wrong with that?”
Ping Le glanced into the room and smiled faintly.
“Miss Xue Liu of Xue Mansion, whom my Imperial Mother personally enfeoffed as Ru Ren of Prince Duan’s Mansion, is missing. Have you seen her, Crown Prince?”
Li Zhao couldn’t help but laugh, a hint of coldness in his eyes.
“Imperial Sister is looking for someone and has come to me? Are you suspecting me of stealing Imperial Brother’s Ru Ren? How ridiculous!”
“I dare not.” Ping Le said humbly, but her eyes kept darting inside, wishing she could catch them in the act.
“It’s just that a palace servant reported that Miss Xue Liu intruded into the Crown Prince’s elegant pavilion, acted improperly, and engaged in illicit behavior. Imperial Brother must also be worried…”
As she spoke, she looked towards Li Huan.
Li Huan was very familiar with this kind of personality.
If something went wrong, she would drag someone down with her.
Xue Liu was his Ru Ren, but not yet married.
Ping Le threw the blame onto him, causing him to frown slightly before he smiled gently and looked at Xue Yuechen.
“Princess Consort is worried about her sister, and I share her feelings.”
Xue Yuechen forced a smile and bowed to Li Zhao.
“My Sixth Sister had an upset stomach at the banquet and went out to change. She hasn’t returned for a long time, so I came out to look for her. I didn’t expect to disturb His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Li Zhao curled one side of his lips, with a hint of mockery, and his gaze swept over them.
“Which palace servant reported this?”
As his gaze fell upon them, the palace servants all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
Li Zhao smiled, “Drag them away and bestow the Frost Blade Whip.”
The Frost Blade Whip was an extremely cruel punishment. The whip, with its thorns and salt, specifically struck vital points of the body. Few who received this punishment could endure it. This was one of the cruel punishments that Li Huan had specifically stated he wanted to abolish in his “Twenty-Eight Memorials on the Reform of Criminal Justice”…
After speaking, Li Zhao flicked his sleeve, moved aside the large door, and sat down steadily.
This meant he was allowing Ping Le to search, to prove his innocence.
This elegant pavilion was small, with one room inside and one outside.
Ping Le exchanged a panicked glance with the nanny. The nanny shook her head firmly, indicating that she had been guarding there the entire time and no one had come out from inside.
That meant she was hidden.
Ping Le hardened her heart and rushed inside, searching everywhere…
This was not a residence, so there were no chests or cabinets. The furnishings were simple and could be seen at a glance.
Ping Le searched inside and out, even looking up at the ceiling, not missing anything.
Silence surrounded them.
Everyone held their breath, watching the inner room.
Ping Le dared to search so openly, so she must have been completely confident. The nanny had reported hearing a woman’s “yiyiyaya” sounds from inside, so how could it be false?
But how could such a living person vanish into thin air?
“Impossible, absolutely impossible.”
Ping Le muttered to herself, a faint sweat breaking out on her forehead.
This was not just anyone, but the current Crown Prince.
If she couldn’t find such a woman, even with Imperial Father’s protection, she would inevitably face some punishment.
Moreover, she didn’t want to lose such a golden opportunity.
Where had Xue Liu gone…
Where was she hidden?
Li Zhao watched her lazily.
“What is Imperial Sister looking for? Why not say it, and I’ll help you look?”
Ping Le turned back, looking at his still flushed cheeks, and smiled coldly.
“The Crown Prince knows what he has done. If you have nothing to hide, why didn’t you answer when we knocked? You remained behind closed doors while so many people were talking outside? And palace servants personally heard lewd sounds coming from the inner room from time to time…”
Li Huan frowned, “Ping Le!”
Li Zhao seemed oblivious to the offense, baring his white teeth in a smile, like a wolf wandering in the wilderness, his eyes flashing with a deep light, staring at his prey, calmly sitting on a nearby chair.
“After the Frost Blade Whip is finished, then we can hear Imperial Sister elaborate on what kind of lewd remarks they were.”
Seeing that he intended to silence them, Ping Le’s face turned extremely grim.
“How can the Crown Prince abuse cruel punishments…”
Li Zhao said lazily, with a cool smile.
“When Imperial Sister was six years old, for amusement, you placed cats and dogs in a bamboo cage suspended high up, then ordered the rope to be cut, until they fell to their deaths…”
“At the age of ten, because a palace maid pulled a few strands of Imperial Sister’s hair while combing her hair, you had that palace maid’s fingers chopped off one by one. Without medical treatment, she died in excruciating pain.”
“At twelve years old, Imperial Sister unfortunately fell ill. Simply because the nanny attending to her spoke a little too loudly, you ordered someone to cut off her tongue and feed it to the dogs…”
“At fourteen, several servants in the imperial palace, in order to amuse Imperial Sister, tied up a faulty eunuch under the scorching sun and exposed him until he died of dehydration.”
“After Imperial Sister married, she did restrain herself somewhat, but I heard that last year, a cook in the Princess’s Mansion made the dish a bit too salty, not to Imperial Sister’s taste, so she was punished by kneeling on the ice in the dead of winter. Fortunately, the Imperial Son-in-law pleaded for her, and she was pardoned…”
“I heard that the cook was quite attractive, which is why Imperial Sister was displeased. Afterwards, she was sold to a brothel and tortured until she went mad… Does Imperial Son-in-law know about these matters?”
His tone was so calm that the onlookers all got goosebumps.
Ping Le’s face changed drastically, “Crown Prince, do not slander me!”
Li Zhao did not argue with her. He raised his eyelids and looked at Li Huan.
“I heard that Imperial Brother has achieved a great deal since taking charge of Jingzhao, especially valuing fairness and strictness. Imperial Brother, tell me, should such a subordinate who commits insubordination, sows discord, and slanders the Crown Prince be beaten or not?”
Li Huan looked at his smile and said calmly, “He should be beaten!”
Li Zhao curled his lips, waved his hand, and said no more.
The two nannies were immediately dragged away by the guards.
In the vast garden, apart from screams and pleas for help, no one spoke.
One after another, they cried out until the two nannies died in their heart-wrenching agony.
Bamboo Forest Elegant Pavilion was eerily quiet.
However, everyone felt a suffocating killing intent in Li Zhao’s eyes.
His Highness the Crown Prince, though appearing reckless and cruel, was not an impulsive and rash young man.
He easily resolved the crisis, cleverly turned the tables on Li Huan and Ping Le, and also intimidated everyone, establishing authority for the Eastern Palace.
He could be considered the big winner in this storm.
—
“Princess Consort, Mother, why are you all here?”
A clear and pleasant voice suddenly came from behind the flower path.
Everyone was startled.
Xue Liu!?
Everyone turned their heads, quietly watching the woman gracefully walk from behind the flower path, like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world, walking among a hundred flowers, unstained by the mundane.
She had a delicate frame, yet appeared calm, elegant, gentle, and generous.
This Imperial Garden was not lacking in beautiful women.
But at this moment, as she appeared before many beauties, she possessed a beauty that seemed to transcend the world.
Blooming but not fervent, cold but not arrogant. Amidst the women blooming like competing flowers, she quietly exuded a unique charm.
However—
What surprised everyone was not her beauty, but the child she was holding.
That was none other than Princess Ping Le’s treasured daughter, whom she doted on immensely—a daughter who, at the young age of four, had been conferred the title of County Princess, the Little Princess Tong Tong.
Ping Le’s body instantly stiffened, her ears buzzing.
Why was Tong Tong in Xue Liu’s hands?
She looked at Xue Liu’s smile, recalling what they had done to Xue Liu back then, and felt her blood run cold, rushing to her head, her hair standing on end…
“Xue Liu, let go of my daughter!”
This chapter is a bit long, please read it slowly…
Li Zhao: Long? I haven’t even finished speaking…
Xue Sui: It’s not very long.
Princess Ping Le (angry): I just want to know, what was that yiyiyaya about!! Someone tell me?
