Chapter 24 - ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 24
The spring day was late, the sun was shining, and the gentle willow trees by the lake were like fine silk. The new green leaves were just beginning to bloom. As Li Zhizhi followed the maidservant along the path, a gentle breeze with a hint of moisture in the air brushed against her. She lifted her head and immediately saw the young man in fine clothing under the willow tree. It was Liu He, or more precisely, the current Crown Prince, Xiao Yan.
Today, he was dressed in a deep blue silk robe, with striking features, finely arched eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes. Even though he was sitting in a carriage without saying a word, he exuded an air of n.o.bility, sitting high above others.
As they approached the Lan Yue Lake, Li Zhizhi’s steps gradually slowed, and she felt an instinctual sense of aversion that made her uncomfortable.
“Miss Li,” the maidservant urged.
Li Zhizhi took a deep breath, quickly averted her gaze, and forced herself not to dwell on those painful memories. She then slowly walked up to Xiao Yan, curtsied, and said, “Greetings, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Xiao Yan examined her, squinting slightly, and said, “You don’t seem surprised at all.”
Before Li Zhizhi could respond, he continued, “Ah, that’s right, you’ve already met the Eldest Princess.”
As he spoke, Xiao Yan’s lips curled into a faint smile, his eyes revealing a deeper meaning, making the sense of distance and condescension even more apparent.
In that moment, Li Zhizhi suddenly grasped the implied meaning in his words. Xiao Yan believed that she had deliberately schemed to get close to Princess Chang, hoping to gain favor with the princess. She looked up at him and said, “Your Highness, you must have misunderstood.”
Xiao Yan chuckled but didn’t respond. Instead, he said, “What an interesting game of pa.s.sing the buck, but I regret not witnessing it in person. With the Eldest Princess’s involvement, it must have been quite a spectacle.”
Li Zhizhi pressed her lips together and explained, “I didn’t know that A’yang would come to the Spring Banquet.”
“She did indeed sneak in,” Xiao Yan’s finger lightly rested on the carriage’s handrail, and he casually remarked, “But who knows what happened afterward?”
The disbelief from those around her was inevitable, and Li Zhizhi suddenly lost her desire to explain further. She knew that even if she were to talk endlessly, Xiao Yan would not believe her. Being misunderstood like this didn’t anger her much; it left her feeling rather weary because she had grown accustomed to it.
In her previous life, she had always been explaining herself, but it proved to be in vain. People were more inclined to believe in their own judgments, just like today’s Xiao Yan, who was similarly arrogant and insufferable.
Perhaps it’s because this place is too close to the lakeside, Li Zhizhi always feels mentally strained and uncomfortable, and she just wants to leave as soon as possible. She even has no interest in pretending to be humble and saying those insincere polite words.
She puts away her usual obedient smile and looks at Xiao Yan, deciding to be straightforward, “Since Your Highness has already made up your mind, what are your orders for summoning this common girl?”
To Xiao Yan, this sounds like she’s being exposed and can no longer pretend. In his impression, Li Zhizhi is a clever and tactful person who knows how to navigate social situations. If she didn’t use Xiao Rulei, he might not have disliked her.
“A’yang is simple-minded and doesn’t understand people’s hearts,” Xiao Yan lightly taps the wheel of the cart with his fingers. With the sun at his back, his phoenix eyes look deep and profound. He says in a calm tone, “From childhood to adulthood, there have been many people with various intentions trying to get close to her, but they all disappeared later. Do you know why?”
At these words, Li Zhizhi smiles, her eyebrows slightly curved, and her beauty is remarkable, reminiscent of peach blossoms in the mountains. She says, “Your Highness’s meaning is clear to this common girl.”
She lowers her head slightly, very obediently saying, “From today, this common girl will not exchange another word with Seventh Princess, and there will be no more private interactions. Please rest a.s.sured, Your Highness.”
Xiao Yan’s gaze settles on her face as if to confirm the sincerity of her words. Afterward, he smirks and says, “Very well.”
“However, this common girl also has a small request.”
Xiao Yan casually responds, “I’m all ears.”
Li Zhizhi lowers her head and says, “I also request Your Highness to restrain Seventh Princess to some extent. After all, this common girl is of lowly status and dare not offend Seventh Princess. If one day she provokes her, this common girl will truly suffer.”
At these words, Xiao Yan’s phoenix eyes narrow slightly, and he stares at her for a while before smiling, “You are quite clever. Rest a.s.sured, if you don’t deliberately seek favor, A’yang won’t pester you.”
Li Zhizhi respectfully retreats, and once she’s far from the lake, she finally lets out a sigh of relief. She seems to want to release all the pent-up oppressive feelings in her heart. The gentle breeze carries the unique scent of springtime vegetation.
In fact, from the very beginning, Li Zhizhi sensed that Liu He held some grudges against her. It’s only now that she truly understands the reason behind it – he thought she wanted to use Xiao Rulei to climb the social ladder.
Li Zhizhi wants to laugh but holds it back. She knows that in the capital, under the Emperor’s feet, you can find numerous imperial relatives and officials with just a stone’s throw. She can choose to be close to anyone, but the one person she can never seek to be close to is Xiao Yan.
Because she vividly remembers an incident from her past life when she was still alive. There was a major event in the palace where it was rumored that the Crown Prince had offended the current Emperor and was stripped of his t.i.tle, confined within the palace, and eventually exiled to the Qushan Fuyun Temple for monastic practice. On his way, he fell off a cliff after an encounter with bandits, and his body was never found. Only a grave with his clothing and headgear was set up.
The news shocked the court and the common people alike. Even the servants and maids in the Li family were buzzing with rumors. Some speculated that the bandits were rebellious commoners, while others believed it was an a.s.sa.s.sination attempt orchestrated by certain people in the capital. There were also rumors that it was a staged fake death by the Crown Prince to escape…
But regardless of the truth, in any case, until Li Suwan married the Crown Prince of Prince Ning and Prince Ning was subsequently appointed as the new heir, there was no further news of the deposed Crown Prince.
…
Watching the slender figure of the girl disappear behind the flowers and trees, Xiao Yan leaned back in his chair and asked his attendant, “Do you think she’s given up?”
Xu Tingfeng hesitated for a moment and replied, “She should, considering how straightforward you were. If she still tries to approach Seventh Princess, it would be inviting trouble, and…”
Xiao Yan, lost in thought, interjected, “And what?”
Xu Tingfeng cleared his throat and whispered, “I can’t help but feel that… this Li Zhizhi is somewhat pitiable.”
“Hmm,” Xiao Yan finally showed a bit more interest and asked, “How so?”
Xu Tingfeng answered, “You previously ordered me to investigate her background, right?”
Xiao Yan recalled and said, “Yes, there was such a matter. What did you find?”
Xu Tingfeng continued, “Although the Li family publicly claims that she is an orphan who came to the capital to seek relatives and was adopted as a distant cousin, the information I gathered suggests otherwise. Li Zhizhi is indeed the legitimate daughter of the Li family, but she was taken away by a midwife when she was young and replaced with another child, the one we saw earlier. Li Zhizhi grew up in the countryside and was only recently recognized and brought back to the Li family.”
At this point, Xu Tingfeng seemed perplexed as he added, “It’s quite bizarre. After her return, her biological parents refused to acknowledge her as their own daughter and continued to favor the impostor, making their biological daughter act as a distant relative. The whole situation is unheard of, and the Li family is keeping it hushed up. If it weren’t for some effort and money I spent, we might not have discovered the truth.”
Xiao Yan had previously suspected Li Zhizhi’s background, and now he finally had an explanation. He showed a thoughtful expression and said, “People’s hearts are like this, driven by self-interest and avoiding harm; it’s not particularly unusual.”
Seeing that his young guard still seemed puzzled, Xiao Yan continued, “For example, if you have a young horse that you’ve been nurturing with the hope that it will grow into a valuable steed worth a high price. But then one day, someone tells you that the horse isn’t actually yours and has been replaced with a flawed one, which can only be sold for a meager sum. Would you accept it?”
Xu Tingfeng instinctively wanted to shake his head but restrained himself and argued, “But how can you compare a child to a horse? A parent’s love is entirely different.”
“What about parental love?” Xiao Yan interrupted, his voice cold. “Is parental love not a form of human desire?”
He raised his eyes, his handsome face devoid of emotion, his dark and profound phoenix-like eyes radiating a sense of mockery and coldness, like a sharp blade, instilling an involuntary sense of dread. Xiao Yan spoke in a calm tone, “The ailment of the human heart, nothing surpa.s.ses greed, and it has always been this way.”
…
When Li Zhizhi returned, several people from the Li family were still waiting in the same place. Although it was spring, the weather was not too hot, but the sun was indeed scorching, leaving them with tired legs after standing for a while.
Seeing Li Zhizhi’s appearance, Madam Li showed a rare expression of relief and joy. She looked behind her to confirm that no one was following and then asked, “The Crown Prince summoned you. Is there something important?”
Li Zhizhi hesitated for a moment and didn’t immediately respond. Madam Li’s expression changed from relaxed to suspicious, and she asked, “Or are you going to tell me where you offended the Crown Prince?”
Li Zhizhi shook her head, and Madam Li couldn’t contain her impatience, demanding, “What’s going on? You’d better speak up.”
Li Zhizhi shrank back slightly, showing a hint of panic. Li Xingzhi, who was standing nearby, spoke up with annoyance, saying, “Mother, you’re scaring her.”
It was only then that Li Zhizhi spoke quietly, “I had a chance encounter with the Seventh Princess before, and the Crown Prince questioned me about her.”
Madam Li breathed a sigh of relief but still looked puzzled. She quickly asked, “You have a connection with the Seventh Princess. Why didn’t you mention it earlier?”
Li Zhizhi smirked inwardly but maintained her innocent expression, saying, “You never asked, Mother.”
Madam Li thought for a moment and realized that it was true. She hadn’t inquired much about Li Zhizhi’s affairs since she had returned to the Li family. She cleared her throat and said, “In the future, if such things happen again, it’s best to inform me in advance so we can be prepared.”
As she spoke, she remembered something else and asked, “How did you get to know the Crown Princess?”
Li Zhizhi answered, “It was also because of the Seventh Princess. The Crown Princess simply invited me for tea on the way.”
Madam Li couldn’t let it go and inquired further, “Did the Crown Princess say anything else?”
Li Zhizhi shook her head, “No.”
Seeing Lizhizhi’s timid and awkward appearance, Madam Li couldn’t help but feel some annoyance. She was convinced that Li Zhizhi must not be charming enough or had a poor way with words, otherwise, how could she have missed such a great opportunity during the Spring Festival banquet where the Crown Princess didn’t pay much attention to her?
As Madam Li sighed and calculated in her mind how to seize the opportunity to build a connection with the Crown Princess or even the seemingly foolish Seventh Princess, Li Zhizhi finally revealed the information she had withheld, saying, “Earlier, the Crown Prince told me…”
Madam Li eagerly asked, “What did the Crown Prince say?”
Li Zhizhi looked at her with interest, knowing that Mrs. Li was full of hope and expectations. After teasing her for a while, she finally spoke slowly, “The Crown Prince said that I shouldn’t think of trying to climb up to the Seventh Princess. If he finds out, he won’t be lenient.”
Madam Li’s expression froze in that moment, and it was truly a spectacular sight. Li Zhizhi could almost hear the sound of her mental abacus beads falling to the ground, and she almost couldn’t help but laugh.