ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 81
Upon hearing Li Zhizhi’s words, Consort Rong’s first reaction was disbelief. She said, “She is still a county princess with some status. Although the Sheng Royal Residence has declined, there are still some properties. I heard that an entire street in the East Market is owned by her. With such wealth, why would she steal a painting?”
“Because…” Li Zhizhi lowered her gaze slightly and said, “That painting was done by this common girl.”
“What?!”
Consort Rong showed a surprised expression and asked, “You painted it? Why didn’t you speak up when the emperor asked earlier?”
Li Zhizhi looked a bit shy and said softly, “At that time, when Her Highness presented the painting to the emperor, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to claim it on the spot. It would have overshadowed Her Highness.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Rong felt a bit relieved. Looking at her more favorably, she thought Li Zhizhi was right. In fact, she wasn’t usually petty, but in the presence of Pure Consort earlier, if Li Zhizhi had stolen her thunder, it might have made her unhappy.
Rong Fei felt that Li Zhizhi was quite tactful and amiable. She said, “You are indeed a clever and considerate person. No wonder Grand Princess Chang likes you so much. As for the stolen painting, what does it mean? Can you explain it to me in detail?”
Compared to before, Consort Rong was beginning to believe Li Zhizhi now.
Li Zhizhi sincerely replied, “To be honest with you, the painting was done by me during a cla.s.s in Mingyuan. It depicted the teacher, cla.s.smates, and many others who saw it at the time. However, the painting mysteriously disappeared later, and I didn’t pay much attention to it at first.”
“Oh dear, how can one not care about this?” Consort Rong disapproved as she pointed out, “Such a beautiful painting, stolen with malicious intent to harm you.”
“Your words make sense, Your Highness,” Li Zhizhi smiled and pursed her lips, saying, “Later, some cla.s.smates informed me that it was County Princess Rong’an who took the painting.”
“It’s really her!” Consort Rong sighed. “And then? Did you confront her about it?”
Li Zhizhi shook her head, saying, “I thought it’s just a painting, not worth making a fuss. Confronting her might strain relationships with my cla.s.smates.”
“Your temper is too soft,” Consort Rong frowned and said angrily, “If it were me, I would definitely ask her clearly, maybe even give her a good slap. Who does she think she is, resorting to such underhanded tricks? Even when I was poor, I never stole from others.”
Li Zhizhi laughed, saying, “Your Highness is straightforward.”
“I’ve always been like this,” Consort Rong shook her silk fan, lifting her chin slightly. “If she stole your painting and then sold it to me, if you had just admitted it earlier…”
She suddenly exclaimed, “Wouldn’t that make me lose face in front of the Emperor? That County Princess probably would have mocked me. Thinking about it, I’m relieved that you’re sensible. On one hand, I’m grateful, and on the other hand, I despise that Xiao Man even more. She must not know how she would be ridiculed.”
At this point, Consort Rong was suddenly furious, tightly gripping the fan handle, and said, “Rest a.s.sured, I will seek justice for you. Just wait and see.”
“This…” Li Zhizhi hesitated and said, “Wouldn’t it be too troublesome for Your Ladyship?”
However, Consort Rong replied, “Even without your influence, this palace would still have sought to settle the score with her.”
Upon hearing this, Li Zhizhi stopped persuading. She was pleased with this outcome. Consort Rong buying paintings from Xiao Man indicated a certain connection between them. Li Zhizhi didn’t want to act recklessly on her own; she preferred to use Consort Rong’s influence to expose Xiao Man.
Thinking about how Xiao Man had schemed against her numerous times in her past life, Li Zhizhi felt a deep sense of resentment.
After Rong Fei left, Xiao Yan, who had been silent on the side, looked at her with a seemingly smiling expression and said, “You’re quite good at deceiving people. It seems I was overly cautious.”
Li Zhizhi sweetly smiled and said, “Crown Prince, you’re joking. I still rely on you to take good care of me.”
Watching her cunning expression, Xiao Yan felt the urge to pinch her again.
Just as the two were conversing, the Grand Princess returned. She had an undisguised smile on her face, and her steps were light. Xiao Yan, seeing this, understood what had happened. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “He agreed?”
Li Zhizhi was a bit confused, “Who agreed?”
“The Emperor,” the Grand Princess took her hand and patted it gently, joyfully saying, “I just asked the Emperor to bestow the t.i.tle of Princess for you, and he agreed.”
“Princess?” Li Zhizhi was immediately stunned.
…
It was dusk, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites had finished their duties one by one. Li Cen walked out of the main gate of the ministry and encountered a colleague on the way. The colleague greeted him with a bow and a smile, saying, “Congratulations, Master Li.”
Li Cen was somewhat puzzled. Instinctively, he returned the bow without asking any questions. Before he could inquire further, several officials from the Ministry of Rites emerged as well. They seemed to have finished their duties too and, upon seeing Li Cen, greeted him with smiles and congratulatory gestures.
“Master Li, congratulations on this joyous occasion.”
“Indeed, please remember to treat us to a celebration feast.”
“Yes, yes, let’s go to Qingfeng Tower for a drink.”
A series of congratulations left Li Cen utterly bewildered. He began to suspect whether his long-standing official position was about to be promoted. However, he hadn’t heard any recent news about it. Could it be that the Ministry of Rites got wind of it first?
A thought flashed through Li Cen’s mind, and joy crept onto his face. He repeatedly bowed and said, “Thank you all for your good wishes.”
Finally, he cautiously inquired, “Gentlemen, may I ask what position I am being promoted to?”
“Promotion?” one official looked surprised, as if not understanding his question. “What promotion?”
Another quickly congratulated, “Master Li is getting promoted? That’s truly a joyous occasion! Congratulations, congratulations!”
The crowd congratulated loudly again, clamoring to go to the Qingfeng Tower for a feast.
The officials from the Ministry of Rites thought that Li Cen was about to be promoted, and Li Cen, listening to their conversations, also thought that he was going to be promoted. Overjoyed, he immediately led them to the Qingfeng Tower for a banquet. He even sent a servant back to inform Mrs. Li that he was getting promoted, hosting colleagues tonight, and would return home later.
Amidst the clinking of cups and the exchange of toasts, after three rounds of drinks, when everyone was content with food and drink, Li Cen suddenly remembered to ask another question, “Gentlemen, I wonder what official position I am being promoted to?”
The official from the Ministry of Rites who was questioned had a pair of drunken eyes and laughed heartily, “Hmm? Lord Li is joking. It’s you who is getting promoted. Don’t you know what position you are… hic… being promoted to?”
Li Cen couldn’t help but feel helpless, saying, “I really don’t know, that’s why I asked all of you.”
An official who was busy gnawing on a duck neck without lifting his head said, “That’s impossible, Lord Li. When you get promoted, you need to go through the Ministry of Personnel’s deliberations first, then report to the emperor, and only after receiving the imperial decree can our Ministry of Rites get involved. Before that, the Ministry of Personnel would send someone to discuss with you. Regardless, the Ministry of Rites can’t know the news before you.”
“Liu is right.”
Li Cen’s expression stiffened, looking at everyone, and asked in confusion, “Then why did you all congratulate me as soon as you saw me?”
Everyone looked at him, and the official eating the duck neck paused, saying, “What’s the matter, Lord Li, don’t you know yet?”
Li Cen’s heart tightened, realizing that he had misunderstood something, and with great difficulty, he forced out a dry smile, “Know what?”
“Yo,” another official rubbed his hands and chuckled, “You guys didn’t even tell Lord Li, and you let Lord Li treat us to a banquet. Look at what’s happening!”
Others realized it, and hastily said, “Lord Li, it’s about Miss Ling…”
“The emperor has decreed to confer the t.i.tle of Princess on Miss Ling!”
“What, what?!”
Li Cen stared in disbelief, while the officials from the Ministry of Rites continued to cheerfully praise, “Although the imperial edict hasn’t been issued yet, it’s already a sure thing. Lord Li is truly fortunate. Miss Ling acknowledged the Grand Princess as her adoptive mother, and now she’s being conferred the t.i.tle of Princess. This is a tremendous joy!”
“Yes, congratulations, Lord Li.”
“Congratulations, congratulations.”
Amidst the congratulations, Li Cen felt like he had been doused with cold water. He sat there dumbfounded, looking at the messy tableware, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
It was a good thing; Li Zhizhi was being conferred the t.i.tle of Princess, indeed a great joy. However, it seemed to have nothing to do with him.
His own daughter had turned into an adopted daughter, and the adopted daughter had become someone else’s adopted daughter. She hadn’t been home for over half a month. Was she still his daughter?
Was this joyous occasion still a joyous occasion for the Li family?
At midnight, a small sedan with a green canopy stopped in front of the Li residence gate. The gatekeeper noticed and quickly shouted, “The master is back!”
In no time, hurried footsteps echoed within the mansion, and chaos ensued. Li Cen stepped out of the sedan and saw Madam Li welcoming him with their two children, joyfully and attentively saying, “Master, come in quickly and rest, have a cup of tea.”
They didn’t notice the absent-minded expression on Li Cen’s face. The gatekeeper lit firecrackers on the side, making loud crackling noises. Startled, Li Cen shivered. Regaining his composure, he angrily exclaimed, “What are you doing? What is all this commotion?! Are you all insane?!”
He roared almost like a howl, his voice echoing through the quiet street. Everyone stood still, and Madam Li quickly explained, “Master, you’ve been promoted, and I thought we should celebrate and bring some joy to the mansion—”
“Celebrate what?!” Li Cen couldn’t hold back anymore. Unable to maintain his usual calm and elegance, he shouted angrily with red eyes, “Get inside! All of you, get in!”
Madam Li’s expression changed, puzzled, but she still tried to calm the situation, saying, “Master, what’s wrong? You’ve finally been promoted. Why such a burst of anger? Did someone upset you?”
“It’s all because of your stupidity!” Li Cen’s face turned iron blue. He slapped her in the face without hesitation. Madam Li cried out in pain, almost falling to the ground. Others rushed to support her, and Li Cen, gritting his teeth, continued, “It’s not about my promotion; it’s that Li Zhizhi has been appointed as a Princess!”
He recalled the strange glances and faint mockery from the officials at the banquet at Qingfeng Tower, the awkward misunderstanding he faced. Feeling utterly humiliated, Li Cen wished he could jump off the Xuan De Gate tower right then and there.
This matter is about to spread, becoming a topic of gossip for others, spreading through word of mouth. How should he face those colleagues tomorrow?
Madam Li was also stunned, covering her face tightly, looking at her husband in disbelief. The firecracker sounds continued to be noisy and jumping, echoing in her mind. The veins on her forehead seemed to be throbbing, crackling like loud slaps. .h.i.tting her face.