ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 128

The original intention was merely to present a congratulatory gift, but no one had antic.i.p.ated such an incident. The entire hall fell into a deafening silence, so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. Everyone turned their gaze towards Emperor Jing Ming, who was angrily questioning Xiao Man. The Emperor was truly enraged, and no one dared to intercede on her behalf.

Moreover, given the current state of Prince Sheng’s household, there was no need for anyone to plead for her.

Xiao Man knelt there, feeling the strange gazes from all directions. Her body alternated between cold and hot, her hands and feet icy, yet beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Only two words echoed in her mind: “It’s over.”

Everything was over.

At this point, saving face was the least of her worries. With the charge of deceiving the Emperor looming over her, it was uncertain if she could even keep her life.

Just then, someone suddenly cried out, “Your Majesty, spare her!”

The voice was all too familiar. Xiao Man’s expression shifted slightly. She turned to look and saw that the Princess Consort of Prince Sheng had knelt down, trembling as she spoke. “This is all my fault. It was I who instigated her to falsely claim the t.i.tle of the Princess, committing the crime of deceiving the Emperor. Man’er knew nothing of this; I forced her to do it. I beg Your Majesty to spare her life!”

After she spoke, she repeatedly kowtowed, each time hitting the ground with a dull thud. Before long, her forehead was bloodied and swollen, a terrifying sight.

“I beg Your Majesty to spare her life! Spare her life!”

Xiao Man knelt there in a daze, watching her mother, the Princess Consort, desperately pleading for mercy. Some of the guests at the banquet couldn’t bear to watch any longer and turned their heads away.

The atmosphere grew even heavier. The only sound in the hall was the continuous thudding of the Princess Consort’s head hitting the floor. Each impact was bone-chilling, making everyone fear she might split her head open at any moment.

Sitting next to Emperor Jing Ming, the Pure Consort suddenly spoke, “Your Majesty, in my opinion, since the Princess Consort was the one behind this, perhaps you could spare the County Princess’s life. After all, today is your birthday, and letting her continue to kowtow like this on such an important day seems rather inauspicious.”

The n.o.ble Consort cast a glance at her and sneered, “Pure Consort, your words are quite interesting. So, the crime of deceiving the emperor can simply be dismissed with a few kowtows? What if others follow suit and think they can get away with it in the same manner?”

Emperor Jing Ming ignored the two women and instead turned to Li Zhizhi, asking, “This girl falsely claimed your painting as her own. What do you think should be done?”

Li Zhizhi was slightly taken aback but quickly composed herself. Bowing her head respectfully, she replied, “I leave it entirely to Your Majesty’s judgment. I have no objections.”

The Emperor then looked back at Xiao Man, his expression cold and severe once more. In a stern voice, he scolded, “Taking something that belongs to others and claiming it as your own is theft. Someone as morally corrupt as you, a fraud, is unworthy of being part of the Xiao family! From this day forward, I strip you of the Xiao surname and revoke your t.i.tle as County Princess. You will be flogged twenty times and demoted to a commoner, never again permitted to marry into a n.o.ble or official family.”

“As for the Princess Consort of Prince Sheng,” the emperor continued, “you failed in your duties as a mother and committed the grave sin of deceiving the Emperor. This crime is unforgivable. You will be demoted to the status of a slave, flogged fifty times, and exiled to the borderlands to perform hard labor, never to return to the capital as long as you live. Let this serve as a warning to others!”

At these words, both Xiao Man and the Princess Consort were stunned. The Princess Consort showed a hint of relief, while Xiao Man’s face changed drastically. She hurriedly pleaded, “Your Majesty, please spare my mother. She has been ill for many years, her body is too frail to endure such punishment. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy.”

“Is that so?” Emperor Jing Ming said coldly, “Then I’ll show some mercy: you can take the punishment in her place.”

Xiao Man immediately fell silent. She had only been stripped of her surname and t.i.tle, reduced to a commoner. But the Princess Consort was to be made a slave—no better than a servant—and sent to a harsh and desolate place for hard labor, never to return to the capital.

That was impossible to accept.

Her silence made the situation all the more ironic. The Princess Consort, still bleeding from her forehead, lowered her head, her face as pale as paper. She slowly extended a trembling hand to grasp Xiao Man’s cold one.

But Xiao Man reacted with shock, flinching violently, her fear evident as she looked at her mother, as if she wanted to pull away at any moment. The Princess Consort’s lips quivered, and she weakly murmured, “It’s fine… It’s fine…”

“I’ve always been useless. I won’t be a burden to you anymore…”

Li Zhizhi didn’t listen any further. She quietly averted her gaze, and her eyes met with another across the room—it was Xiao Yan, who had been watching her intently for some time, though she didn’t know how long he had been doing so.

It’s strange—though he said nothing, Li Zhizhi could see a hint of concern in those phoenix eyes. It seemed as if he knew what she was thinking.

The next moment, Li Zhizhi mocked herself slightly. How could that be? No matter how capable His Highness the Crown Prince was, he couldn’t possibly have mind-reading abilities.

The farce finally came to an end. Xiao Man—or rather, Liu Man now—and her mother were taken away for punishment, and the atmosphere in the grand hall gradually returned to normal. The eunuch in red resumed reading the congratulatory doc.u.ments aloud.

The banquet continued until late into the night before it finally ended. The Grand Princess took Li Zhizhi back to the Princess’s residence. She was still somewhat upset, her face filled with anger as she vented, “Who would have thought she would do such a thing? Truly despicable. If the Emperor hadn’t seen through it today, who knows how long you would have been plotted against by her.”

Li Zhizhi, however, reversed roles and comforted her, “I didn’t really suffer any loss, so don’t be upset.”

“How could you say you didn’t suffer?” The Grand Princess chuckled helplessly and sighed, “Your temperament is too soft. That makes it easy for people to bully you.”

Upon hearing this, Li Zhizhi affectionately hugged her arm and smiled, “I have you, Mother. You can help me bully them back.”

The Grand Princess looked at her with a smile, then suddenly said, “What if your husband bullies you in the future?”

Li Zhizhi froze. The Grand Princess lightly tapped her on the forehead with her finger and said helplessly, “Silly child, after all, I’m getting older. How much longer can I protect you? A person’s life is long, and in the future—”

She didn’t finish her sentence because Li Zhizhi’s eyes had already reddened, tears br.i.m.m.i.n.g in her eyes. The Grand Princess, heartbroken, hurriedly hugged her and comforted her, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Good child, it was wrong of me to say that. I won’t mention it anymore, okay?”

Li Zhizhi shook her head gently, sniffing, as she hugged the Grand Princess and whispered, “It’s alright… I… I can protect myself and you too. I’ll become stronger in the future. I won’t let anyone bully us. You don’t have to worry.”

The Grand Princess stroked her smooth hair, both relieved and heartbroken. She sighed softly, “If only I could stay with you until old age.”

Li Zhizhi dried her tears on the Grand Princess’s shoulder, her mind drifting back to the events at the palace banquet. This was the first time Li Zhizhi had come face to face with the power of imperial authority. Liu Man had schemed meticulously, going to great lengths to lay her plans, fearful that even the smallest mistake might occur. Yet, in the face of the Emperor, all of it amounted to nothing. With just a few light words, he could decide life and death in an instant.

Li Zhizhi clung to the Grand Princess’s arm, thinking to herself that it was no wonder Consort Rong had once advised her: if she were to marry, it should be to the most powerful man in the world. It did make some sense.

…

After returning to the Princess’s residence, the night’s events had left the Grand Princess feeling a bit tired. She instructed Li Zhizhi to rest and retired to her own courtyard.

A maid helped Li Zhizhi wash and change into nightwear, but for some reason, despite lying in bed for a long time, she couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind kept circling around the events of the night—sometimes thinking of the words the Grand Princess had said, sometimes recalling the scene of the Marchioness kneeling and begging for mercy.

Unable to stay in bed any longer, Li Zhizhi got up, wrapped herself in a robe, and walked to the window. The moonlight filtered through the paper screens, casting a hazy glow. She raised her hand to push open the window, only to hear a m.u.f.fled groan from outside.

Startled, Li Zhizhi took a step back and asked cautiously, “Who’s there?”

The maid keeping watch outside, Hai Tang, heard her and asked in confusion, “Miss, what’s the matter?”

She quickly got up, draped herself in a robe, and carried a candle closer. The next moment, Li Zhizhi heard a familiar voice say softly, “It’s me. Don’t let her come over.”

Li Zhizhi: …

The voice came from just below the window. It was none other than Xiao Yan. Li Zhizhi was speechless. At this point, Hai Tang had already reached the screen, holding up the candle, looking at Li Zhizhi in surprise. “Miss, did you call for me?”

Li Zhizhi turned to her and smiled, “I’m feeling a little hungry.”

“Oh dear,” Hai Tang said, “I’ll go get something for you to eat right away.”

“Go on, be careful on your way,” said Li Zhizhi, dismissing Hai Tang. She turned back to the windowsill, asking, “Crown Prince brother?”

After a moment, sure enough, a familiar figure appeared. His tall, slender form still wore the usual black ceremonial robes. He looked as handsome and dignified as always—if one ignored the large b.u.mp on his forehead.

Li Zhizhi stared at his forehead for a while before bursting into laughter. “Crown Prince brother, what are you doing sneaking around like a thief in the middle of the night?”

Xiao Yan: …

He cleared his throat and said, “I was just pa.s.sing by, so I came to check in on you.”

Li Zhizhi looked skeptical. “So late? Mother has already gone to bed. Where did you come in from?”

Xiao Yan didn’t answer, trying to change the topic, “Why are you still awake?”

Li Zhizhi wasn’t buying it. She widened her eyes slightly, saying, “Could it be that you—”

“Climbed over the wall,” Xiao Yan confessed bluntly. He paused and then added, “Are you going to call for someone?”

This time, it was Li Zhizhi who was stunned. She certainly wouldn’t call for anyone. Setting aside the fact that it was strange for Xiao Yan to show up at the Princess’ residence in the middle of the night, if anyone found out, there’d be no way to explain it, no matter how many excuses she made.

Maybe this was part of Xiao Yan’s scheme.

Li Zhizhi’s bright eyes flickered as she smiled sweetly and said, “Crown Prince brother, why are you here? The Princess’ residence isn’t exactly on your way.”

Xiao Yan lowered his phoenix eyes and looked at her, suddenly asking, “Are you in a bad mood?”

Li Zhizhi froze for a moment. Xiao Yan rested one hand on the windowsill, leaning forward slightly as he carefully observed her. “You took down Xiao Man, so why aren’t you happy?”

The smile on Li Zhizhi’s face faded as she stared at him. “Crown Prince brother, do you want to hear a lie or the truth?”

“Naturally, the truth.”

Li Zhizhi suddenly smiled again. She took a step forward, closing the distance between them until they were less than an arm’s length apart. But she didn’t stop there, instead continuing to move closer—close enough to see the surprise and… a hint of panic in his eyes.

This amused Li Zhizhi. She thought of Mid-Autumn night when Xiao Yan had casually plucked the hairpin from her hair, looking so composed and infuriatingly smug.

Just as their noses were about to touch, Li Zhizhi, on a whim, gently blew on his face. “The truth is…”

Xiao Yan instinctively narrowed his eyes, his mind in turmoil, but his expression remained calm, waiting for her next words.

Li Zhizhi softly said, “I suddenly feel like life is very hard…”

Xiao Yan, still fixated on her light pink lips, as delicate as newly bloomed peach petals, murmured unconsciously, “Hard?”

“Yes,” Li Zhizhi smiled as she continued, “I’ve schemed and plotted so much, but things still don’t go as planned. Take Xiao Man, for example. I wanted revenge, but in the end, she still managed to escape with her life.”

Xiao Yan was silent for a moment before saying, “After all, her surname is Xiao. Though she deceived the emperor, it’s not a severe crime. Unless she committed murder or treason, no matter what, even if the princess consort hadn’t pleaded for her, the worst outcome would have been her exile as a slave to the borderlands.”

“That’s exactly why I’m upset.”

Xiao Yan gazed at her intently. “You want her dead?”

Li Zhizhi admitted calmly, “Yes, as long as she lives, it’s like a thorn in my throat. I can’t sleep or eat in peace.”

Xiao Yan frowned slightly, “Why?”

Li Zhizhi replied indifferently, “Because I hate her.”

Xiao Yan didn’t respond right away. Li Zhizhi paused, then smiled, her eyes curving, “Did I scare you, Crown Prince brother?”

“No,” Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, “I just think she’s not worth the risk.”

Li Zhizhi furrowed her delicate brows, “What if I insist?”

Her tone was slightly coquettish, almost playful. Xiao Yan’s phoenix eyes deepened slightly. After a moment, he said, “It’s not entirely impossible.”

“But if I help you, what will you give me in return?”

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