The Princess Wei Yang Chapter 94 part1

Chapter 94: Climb the Dragon, Follow the Phoenix

攀龙附凤 Pānlóngfùfèng - lit. “Climb the

dragon, follow the phoenix.” It refers to climbing the political-social ladder

by clinging onto powerful individuals and their success.

In the context of the chapter, “climb on the dragon”

alludes to marrying Huangzi who may become Emperor one day, and “follow the

phoenix” implies becoming the Empress.

Dà jiùzi - Eldest brother-in-law

English reference: something will eventually slip through the cracks [of the wall]

Disciplining children of the house

Li Chang Le was

locked in a room, and no one was allowed to go see her. Once the funeral

ceremony ended, she was released.

She thought this

was the end of it, but then in the middle of the night, she was escorted to He

Xiang Courtyard.

Luo mama stood by

Lao Furen’s side. Aside from her, there were four other mamas Li Chang Le had

never seen before, who stood solemn and silent.

Lao Furen looked

at Li Chang Le. There was no warmth in her eyes, only a hint of contempt that

frightened Li Chang Le.

The hall was dark

and obscure with only one flickering lamp. Before Li Chang Le could mention it,

the four mamas had forced her to kneel down on the cold ground.

Lao Furen’s face

had always been kind and never seemed so grave: “Chang Le, you dare to have

illicit relations with a man.”

Color drained

from Li Chang Le’s face: “Lao Furen, don’t listen to Li Wei Yang’s accusations!

Your granddaughter would never dare to such a thing to humiliate the family!”

“There’s no need

to continue.” Lao Furen’s face slowly returned to normal, but her eyes still

harbored murderous intent, “With your Fuqin’s doting, you would dare to do

anything, including that. I once said stunning beauty is a calamity. Your Fuqin

had too much faith in you, which led to this disaster, making the Li family

lose all of our honor!”

Li Chang Le’s

eyes widened. While she was confined for three days, she had thought things

through. Li Xiao Ran would not be harsh on her, so she raised her head high:

“Lao Furen, since it has come down to this, San Dianxia will certainly marry

me!”

Lao Furen had a

blank smile.

Luo mama said:

“Da Xiaojie, you still refuse to accept that even if San Dianxia marries

Xiaojie, in this world, there is no wall that can keep out the wind.

Someday, others will find out about this, then what will you do, and what about

the Li family?” She waved her hand.

The four mamas

forced Li Chang Le down, making her panic. She used her all of her strength to

escape the hands holding her down, but she could not break free.

It occurred to

her something was wrong! Very wrong! Could Lao Furen want—

One of the mamas

brought a porcelain jar over. Under the hazy candlelight, the red-billed crane

on the jar seemed even more horrifying.

Lao Furen took a

handkerchief out from her sleeve and covered her nose: “Our Li family has

raised such a shameless Yatou, my efforts and kindness have been wasted on you…

Now, you must die for the Li family.”

What did Lao

Furen mean by this? Li Chang Le stared in disbelief… She struggled, lunging

forward and vehemently protesting: “I am Da Xiaojie of the Li family, I cannot

simply die without reason. When Fuqin finds out, what will Lao Furen say then…”

Lao Furen’s voice

was hostile: “Your Fuqin is usually wise, but he has overindulged you and

cannot distinguish between right and wrong, and now, he even let you live. Once

he has carefully thought about it, he will come to thank me.”

Li Xiao Ran

should get rid of this Yatou as soon as possible, but he still had hope for

her. Even if Li Chang Le was to be wed, there was no saying Tuoba Zhen will

still agree to marry her three years later. Who knows what calamity will break

out!

“I don’t believe

it! I don’t believe it! There is also the Jiang family, Lao Furen. Think about

it, Waigong and Waizumu love me. I also have two jiujiu. They were already

furious by Muqin’s death, if you dispose of me too, they will never forgive the

Li family!”

There was no

hesitation on Lao Furen’s face. She sighed: “You do not understand when to when

to retreat. Today, you have reaped the seeds you have sown.”

Li Chang Le’s

eyes widened. She could not believe it.

There was no

chance. How could her life be decided so easily? She thought that at worst,

Fuqin would marry her Tuoba Zhen, how could he take her life!

“Your mother

suddenly died, so you were grieving, grieving too much that you were careless,

caught a cold and died. You won’t die without reason, and you will earn the

reputation of a filial nu er.” Lao Furen lightly said, “It is much better than

your tainted body and reputation, so do not blame me.” She glanced at Luo mama,

who understood and signaled to the others.

The mamas

immediately pinched Li Chang Le’s nose in order to force her to drink the

medicine. Li Chang Le suddenly broke free and desperately tried to run outside.

Luo mama snapped: “Quickly seize her!” The mamas pursued her like wolves and

tigers and seized Li Chang Le, who seemed to have lost her mind, plunging the

entire room in chaos.

Lao Furen had not

thought she would refuse to give up and loudly ordered: “Hold her down and pour

all of it down!”

The four mamas

forced Li Chang Le down. Seeing the medicine come closer and closer, Li Chang

Le let out an ear-splitting scream. A mama quickly covered her mouth. Li Chang

Le was terrified, and the smell of the medicine made it difficult for her to

breathe. Suddenly, the doors were kicked open.

Someone strode in

like a gust of wind dispersing the clouds: “Lao Furen, what are you doing?!” Li

Xiao Ran paled and rushed forward to seize a mama’s arm, “Let go already!”

Lao Furen angrily

responded: “I am cleaning up the house! You shamelessly ask me

why?!”

Li Chang Le

fearfully dragged herself over to Li Xiao Ran: “Fuqin, Fuqin must save me, Lao

Furen wants to kill me!”

Li Xiao Ran did

not look at her and only spoke to Lao Furen: “Muqin, I have something to say to

you.”

Lao Furen frowned

and looked at Li Chang Le kneeling on the ground, her face tearstained and no

longer beautiful. She scoffed: “What is there to say?!”

Li Xiao Ran

looked to Luo mama. Luo mama immediately gestured to the other mamas, “First

off, confine Da Xiaojie in the room next door.”

The four mamas

lifted Li Chang Le, whose body had gone limp, and took her to the small room

nearby. Luo mama rushed over to close the doors and stood watch outside.

Lao Furen coldly

said: “Say it.”

Li Xiao Ran’s face

was solemn: “Lao Furen, one cannot act carelessly.”

Lao Furen’s

expressions did not change: “This shameless, little wretch here, you still want

to keep her and further humiliate us?”

Li Xiao Ran

clenched his teeth. He resented Li Chang Le, but there was something he had to

say: “Lao Furen, San Huangzi has promised he will marry Chang Le as Ce fei

three years later.”

“Ce fei?” Lao

Furen echoed, then voiced her dissatisfaction: “He even dares to say this! At

this time? Your Furen has just died, and he ran to the Li family to destroy

your reputation, yet you simply take his word?! He is a Huangzi, so it is not

my turn to discipline him, but Li Chang Le, that lowly wretch, I can still discipline

her! She has to die today!”

Li Xiao Ran

anxiously came closer and lowered his voice: “Lao Furen, please calm down. The

Li family has always been strict, so when faced with such an unfavorable

situation, how could I not feel conflicted?! But we must see the bigger

picture, I could care less if it were just Tuoba Zhen, but earlier, someone

sent a letter from the palace.”

Lao Furen

furrowed her eyebrows: “Wu Xian Fei?”

Li Xiao Ran

solemnly nodded: “Yes, Wu Xian Fei sent a jade ornament and said to use it as

proof of engagement. Three years later when the mourning period ends, she will

request Bixia to grant the marriage and marry Li Chang Le to San Dianxia as Ce

fei.”

Lao Furen had

been concerned about the situation in three years and even more concerned about

the rumors. Hearing this, she slowly sat down: “She is rather clever to marry

Li Chang Le off, give us an explanation, and even borrow the Jiang family’s

strength, hmph!”

Li Xiao Ran’s

expressions were not pleasant either. He had never respected Tuoba Zhen and did

not intend to marry any of his nu er to him. Since things turned out this way,

he intended to confine Li Chang Le until the funeral ceremony was over, then

quietly marry her off, securing her reputation. The problem was Wu Xian Fei had

unexpectedly sent someone with a proposal and a jade ornament, so he had to

reconsider. If he insisted on refusing and took Li Chang Le’s life, he would

offend Wu Xian Fei, and things would worsen.

“I know you are

furious, but things have come down to this. Killing her will not accomplish

anything, whereas—”

Lao Furen did not

think so. She wanted to kill Li Chang Le. Doing so would gain an enemy, but

keeping someone like her would only bring nothing but trouble, much less Wu

Xian Fei and Tuoba Zhen. Aside from their self-respect, the Li family had

nothing to lose.

Li Xiao Ran

continued: “Still, my Da jiuzi - he’s on his way back to the Capital.”

Lao Furen raised

her eyebrows, suddenly looking up: “What did you say?!”

Li Xiao Ran’s

expressions seemed a bit unusual: “Jiang Xu will report back to the Capital in

a couple of days.”

Lao Furen

suddenly understood his intentions. Jiang Xu was Jiang Guogong’s eldest son and

the Feng Zheng Xi General guarding Xi jiang, the western border. He had not

returned to the Capital in ten years. His sudden return was hardly a good sign!

She stood up: “Why is he coming back?!”

Li Xiao Ran

quietly said: “At the time, it is not known, but I’m afraid it has to do with

Jiang Rou and Wei Guo Furen’s deaths.”

The Buddhist

prayer bracelet in Lao Furen’s hand snapped with a distinct sound, sending the

prayer beads scattering to the ground. The sound struck a chord in Li Xiao

Ran’s heart and left him uneasy.

“Lao Furen—with

Jiang Rou’s death, the Jiang family will not abandon their efforts. They are

about to raise an army and come to demand justice. Fighting over Li Chang Le’s

situation would only harm both families, so for now, we cannot turn our backs

to them.”

Lao Furen slowly

sat back down then looked up at the painting above and sighed. She did not care

about Wu Xian Fei, but if it were the entire Jiang family, this should be

reevaluated. Jiang Xu deeply cared for his meimei Jiang Rou, so her sudden

death may have led him to suspect them. If Li Chang Le also followed her down

to the yellow spring, the Jiang family will raise immeasurable chaos! The Li

family may have the Prime Minister, but compared to the Jiang clan’s deep roots

and hundred years of history, they did not stand a chance. The Jiang family

also had military authority, so the Li family would have to suffer either way.

In that case, it

seems Li Chang Le stays… Lao Furen felt her throat tighten: “That little wretch

dares to do such scandalous things. Are we just going to keep tolerating her?!”

Li Xiao Ran fell

silent, then slowly began: “To avoid other troublesome matters, we need to lock

her up. We will spare her life, and if the Jiang family asks, we will say that

there is nothing to negotiate. After all, she was the one who caused all of this.”

Within a large

family, even if there are many conflicts, not the slightest hint of discord

will be revealed in front of others. Moreover, the incident was closely tied to

the Li family’s honor, so they must not let outsiders know. Lao Furen wearily

sighed: “Just do it then.”

Li Xiao Ran

abruptly asked: “I was afraid this incident would anger Muqin, so I made sure

no one was to speak of it. How did you find out?” If Li Wei Yang secretly told

Lao Furen about it, then she was rather malicious.

Lao Furen sharply

reminded him: “You think you can hide everything from me? Just a few days ago,

you had reconciled with that little wretch, and yet you suddenly locked her up!

Isn’t it clear that something happened? Insolence!”

Li Xiao Ran

sighed and quickly apologized. He had the servants on night watch send Li Chang

Le to the temple in the mountains.

Li Wei Yang

rarely slept as well as she did that night. The next day, as she got out of

bed, Bai Zhi brought a jar of water, so she could wash her face. She smiled and

exchanged a few words with the Yatous, then sent them outside. She remained in

her room and practiced calligraphy until it was time to go and greet Lao Furen.

Zhao Yue saw and

became anxious. She stopped Li Wei Yang in the doorway and quietly reported:

“The servants secretly sent Da Xiaojie away last night.”

Li Wei Yang did

not falter and nodded: “I know.”

When she came to

He Xiang Courtyard, Luo mama was leaning close to Lao Furen’s ear, whispering

something. Lao Furen looked up and saw Li Wei Yang and immediately dismissed

Luo mama.

“Your Fuqin is

too soft-hearted.” Lao Furen seemed a bit embarrassed. Her voice was a bit

strained, “San Huangzi is willing to take responsibility, but we must wait

until the mourning period for your Muqin ends before they can marry. Moreover,

it is not the position of Zheng fei but Ce fei, which is disgraceful, but it is

something we must accept. Therefore, I am rather conflicted, what do you think

should be done about this?”

Lao Furen’s

willingness to speak of this conveyed how much she valued Li Wei Yang. If she

insisted that Lao Furen take Li Chang Le’s life, it would be too abrupt and

cruel. Of course, Li Wei Yang was not that foolish. Likewise, Wu Xian Fei had

quickly intervened, and the pressure from the Jiang family was fierce, leaving

the two sides to warily eye one another. Naturally, they must spare Li Chang

Le’s life.

Li Wei Yang

pondered over it for a while, “You are the head of the household. In the end,

how this matter should be resolved is up to Lao Furen and Fuqin.”

She could not

help but sigh to herself. It was a pity she was a step behind.

Take for

instance, Li Chang Le. Her Muqin had died, and the funeral ceremony had not

ended before she had acted dishonorably. If it were a Xiaojie of any other

household, they would have no choice but to die, but she was fortunate to have

the formidable Jiang family to protect her. All of her wrongdoings can be

forgiven.

How could Lao

Furen not agree? She also sighed, “I am sick and tired of these things. A

family that is not righteous will eventually collapse. At first, Wu Huangzi

took a liking to her and was determined to make her Zheng fei, I was already

reluctant. Now in the light of this incident, it has tainted our Li family.

Someone like that must be disposed of, yet she is still alive. If not for the

Jiang family, your Fuqin would not be forced to compromise.”

Given the

disastrous granddaughter under their roof, one can sympathize with Lao Furen.

Li Wei Yang nodded as if lost in her thoughts. Lao Furen continue to say: “That

despicable, little wretch is foolish and only thinks about herself,

disregarding our family’s reputation. It is all good now, isn’t it? Now that

she has committed a heinous crime, she wants us to clean up the act and protect

her.”

Lao Furen was

rarely this saddened and disappointed. Li Wei Yang did not reveal her true

feelings, only advising: “Lao Furen, how can you say that? Dajie is still part

of the Li family. She made a terrible mistake, but we will not just abandon

her, not for her sake but for the Li family’s sake. We must think of a way to

settle this. As for Wu Dianxia, San Dianxia will have a way to silence him. On

our part, not much can be done by arguing, for us or Fuqin. A Xiaojie has lost

her virtue. If this spreads, her unpleasant reputation is not crippling, but it

will be troublesome. As for San Dianxia, it will be a fatal blow. His lifelong

efforts will be wasted, so he is even more concerned. Fuqin can use this

against him in the future. Few people know about this in our residence, and even

if they knew, they would not dare to make it known to others, but - Dajie,

someone needs to keep an eye on her, so nothing else happens.”

Lao Furen had

nothing to say. Li Wei Yang had addressed every aspect of the issue. She nodded

and told Luo mama: “Send more people to watch over that Yatou and ensure

nothing else like that happens again.”

Luo mama quickly

answered: “Yes.” She glanced at Li Wei Yang, San Xiaojie is really… She seemed

gentle and friendly, graced with a soft smile, but her words were like hidden

needles. Da Xiaojie wanted to regain Laoye’s favor and trust, but, pity she did

not have the chance. Forget that, she may not even be able to keep her life

now...

Lao Furen thought

about it some more and felt this matter was still not settled, but for now,

there was no other way. “Just proceed with that then.”

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Translator: Chau

Editor: Pending

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