The Princess Wei Yang Chapter 100 part1

Chapter 100: Fearless and Invincible

The bridal

chamber was filled with the smell of incense, and together with the thick scent

of perfume and powder, it made an overpowering mix that made her sick. Li

Weiyang attempted a smile and whispered something in Lao Furen’s ear, who

promptly waved her hands in dismissal. “Go, go.”

As Li Weiyang

left, only Li Changle paid her any attention; she briefly lifted her eyes to

glance at her, before resuming her conversation with Jiang Yuelan.

With the

breath of fresh air that came with her escape outside, Li Weiyang immediately

felt better. Baizhi asked curiously: “Xiaojie, why did you come out?”

“The

firecrackers outside are so loud, I’m afraid Min Zhi would be startled by

it, so I told Lao Furen that I’ll go check on him.” Li Weiyang said with a

smile.

Min Zhi was

her own brother, and at only 1 month old, he had already won Lao Furen’s heart.

Of course, not only Lao Furen was charmed; Li Xiaoran also sent people to enquire

after him around 3 times a day, so Li Weiyang’s excuse for leaving was fully

understandable.

As she

strolled past the pond, she saw that the numerous lotus flowers had wilted,

leaving behind dead leaves and empty ripples on the water. Li Weiyang suddenly

stopped in her tracks. “I want to walk by myself, Baizhi and Zhaoyue may stay

with me. Mo Zhu, bring the rest of them back.”

Mo Zhu knew

that her mistress’ mood was hard to predict, so she merely lowered her voice.

“Yes, Xiaojie.” She left with the other Yatous, so there was only Li Weiyang

and her trusted confidants at the lotus pond.

“Xianzhu is

smart.” A handsome man emerged from behind the trees casually, with a faint

smile upon his lips.

Li Weiyang

turned towards the source of the voice, wearing a similar smile as she

recognized its owner. “The banquet is hosted in the front courtyard. What has

brought you here, Qi Huangzi?”

Tuoba Yu

merely smiled. “I still owe you a formal apology, so I simply told them I would

like to rest in the flower halls. That’s how I found myself here.”

Li Weiyang regarded him with suspicion. “Apology?”

A sliver of

coolness flashed in Tuoba Yu’s eyes, but before he could explain himself, she

had already caught onto his meaning. “Haven’t you already apologised for that?”

Both of them

were speaking strangely, but Baizhi and Zhaoyue guarded their senses,

pretending as if they had overheard nothing.

Tuoba Yu

couldn’t help but quirk his brows in a smile. “I had thought you’d be angry for

a long time.”

“Even if I was very angry, seeing Qi Huangzi’s

effort in sending me money… as the receiver, I cannot possibly do nothing. On

the account of your sincerity, I have to forgive you.” She was not losing out

on the matters she had invested in, but since Tuoba Yu made such an attempt to

send her money, she definitely wouldn’t put on airs and reject it. Since De Fei

had tried to harm her previously, she would take this as a form of payment.

Tuoba Yu

looked helpless. “After what had happened that day, my Mu Fei was bedridden for

an entire 3 months; you should be appeased by that.”

There was a

trace of strangeness in Li Weiyang’s grin. “That’s merely interest repayment!”

“Sorry that

you had to show mercy!” Tuoba Yu smiled warmly, taking two steps forward. Li

Weiyang took a step back, leaving his hand hanging in the air. His smile

remained pleasant. “I only wanted to help you sweep away the leaves in your

hair…”

Li Weiyang‘s

smile was warm as well. “There’s no need for you to bother yourself.”

No matter how

strong Tuoba Yu was, a flash of hurt still crossed his eyes. “Do you hate me

because of what happened with Mu Fei?”

At the mention

of De Fei, some hostility surfaced in Li Weiyang, but she managed to cover it

up with a restrained smile. “Qi Huangzi, what are you saying? I’m only a small

pawn, too insignificant to make an impact on the game.”

Tuoba Yu shook

slightly, unsure if it was due to the wind, or the shock. He had used this

exact sentence as an explanation to De Fei; no matter how hard he tried to

convince her that she was an ally, De Fei refused to believe it. It was not her

fault, because who would trust that the series of blows aimed at San Huangzi

were orchestrated by a sheltered Xiaojie. Not to mention, De Fei was already

biased against Li Weiyang, seeing her as a threat. So, to temporarily appease De

Fei, Tuoba Yu had no choice but to pretend that he only saw Li Weiyang as an

unimportant chess piece used for his own benefit, so that she would leave her

alone. He never would have thought that Li Weiyang could find out what he did.

“Qi Dianxia,

there’s no need for you to panic. I’m not so capable to the extent that I am

able to arrange spies to watch De Fei. I merely understand De Fei Niang Niang’s

character very well; if you did not act indifferent towards me, she would not

have given up so easily.”

Tuoba Yu

couldn’t help but laugh. “If Mu Fei were to find out that you are the chess

player instead, she would have been frightened to death.”

“The chess

player is neither me not Dianxia, it is the deity above. Previously we had

managed to destroy much of Tuoba Zhen’s secrets, has there been any action from

him recently?” Li Weiyang simply smiled.

Tuoba Yu froze

and attempted to calm his thoughts, frowning ever so slightly. “San Ge’s movements

outside of court is not notable. He knows that Fu Huang’s health is not good of

late, so he invited a holy master to take a look. Initially, we didn’t care

much about this person, but in the past 6 months, Fu Huang’s trust in him has

increased, and he seems to have an influence on his actions.”

“Yin Tianzhao?” Li Weiyang’s eyebrows knit together.

“Yes,

Xianzhu’s information is really accurate.” Tuoba Yu nodded in amazement.

Li Weiyang

smiled bitterly. It wasn’t that her source of information was good; this Master

Yin was someone from her past that she knew very well. Previously, Tuoba Zhen

had made use of this Master Yin to gain the Emperor’s trust and love; he was an

important player in Tuoba Zhen’s path to power.

However,

according to her memory, Master Yin should not have entered the palace until

another 7 years later, but now… could it mean that history is about to be

re-written? No, ever since her rebirth, many things have changed. For example,

she entered the Li Residence half a year earlier than in her previous life, Qi

Yiniang and Min De had both managed to survive, and the birth of Min Zhi…

Perhaps her very existence is a paradox. If she had not forced his hand, Tuoba

Zhen wouldn’t bring such an important chess piece into play so much earlier.

“How is Dianxia prepared to deal with it?” Li Weiyang said with a smile.

A thread of

coldness unwound through Tuoba Yu’s eyes. “This type of despicable liar cannot

be allowed to remain, I have already instructed someone to raise a petition

against him. We definitely have to find a way to remove him from the

palace.”

Upon hearing

that, Li Weiyang couldn’t help but frown. This is exactly the same tactic that Qi

Huangzi had tried using previously, but the outcome? The Emperor had trusted

and depended heavily on Master Yin, so he was extremely unhappy when he

received the petition. He felt that his ministers had banded together to go

against him, so he heavily chastised the three ministers who had submitted it,

even removing them from their posts.

The Emperor’s

extreme attitude towards this matter made Tuoba Yu realise that Master Yin’s

position was not simple, and could not be shaken so easily. Three years later,

on Master Yin’s advice, the Emperor had totally distanced himself from Tuoba Yu,

and completely depended his divination lots to handle matters, thus effectively

allowing most of the power to be controlled by Tuoba Zhen.

Qi Huangzi’s

supporters, including Luo Guo Gong, had attempted to change the situation by

gathering a few close ministers to congregate outside the palace, kneeling and

crying out. They had demanded that the Emperor dismiss Master Yin, or they

would remain on their knees until then. Usually this method could work, as

appeasing public resentment is often crucial. However, the Emperor had already

been ensnared by Master Yin, so hearing their cries made him extremely

frustrated and angry instead. He ordered his imperial guards to arrest all 42

ministers and throw them into the dungeons, and to flog them the next day. Even

so, Master Yin still harboured a grudge, instigating the Emperor to punish the

top 12 ministers again. After two days of flogging, 6 of the 42 ministers had

died, leaving 20 severely injured, and the rest did not dare to voice out

again. Qi Huangzi, who had originally been doted on, was pushed even further

away from the centre of power, and after an incident where he was framed by Tuoba

Zhen, no one dared to speak for him anymore.

Luo Guo Gong might

be smart, but he was not made to meddle in politics, and most importantly, he

did not have the ability to guess the Emperor’s moods; hence a matter which

could have been transformed into benefit turned into one down a path of no

return, destroying a future which had potentially great prospects.

Li Weiyang

studied Tuoba Yu, her smile deepening. “This… I’m afraid it won’t be

appropriate.”

Tuoba Yu knew

it was not the best idea, but ever since this Master Yin had entered the

palace, he had suggested all sorts of weird notions, so he could not sit idly

by and watch him grow his influence.

“If you want

to defeat Yin Tianzhao, it’s easy. The hard task is his backer.” Li Weiyang

said slowly.

Tuoba Yu

knitted his brows. “You are saying… San Ge?”

Li Weiyang

couldn’t control her smile from quirking. “You’re wrong, your San Ge is not the

one who can protect Yin Tianzhao. His real protector is Bi Xia.”

“My Fu Huang?”

Tuoba Yu was an intelligent man, and he seemed to have suddenly realised

something. “You are right. The one who really protects and trusts him is my Fu

Huang; so long as there remains a day he is in his trust, we cannot do anything

to him!”

“Yes, exactly.

Qi Dianxia, Bi Xia is fifty years old this year, and the women in the harem

number by the thousands. With so many beauties by his side, isn’t it wasted if

he can only look? Additionally, watching his sons slowly growing older and

stronger, it is only natural that he feels fear.”

Such words

from Li Weiyang was completely out of line; thankfully Tuoba Yu had already

arranged for them to remain isolated from others. Hearing it still surprised

him greatly, but she continued on, “Bi Xia firstly, wants to be immortal and

enjoy peace, and secondly, to remain fit and strong so that he can enjoy the

company of beautiful women and have a long line of descendants. He has pinned

his hopes for these two wishes on Master Yin, so since Master Yin is able to

treat his illness and make him strong quickly, it is no wonder that Bi Xia

likes him so much.”

Tuoba Yu did

not agree, though. “Those pills that he gave to Fu Huang, it is only

temporary…”

“Yes, it is

only a short term effect. But to a man at Bi Xia’s age, rather than suffer such

discomfort, even if it is false strength, he’ll accept it so long as he appears

fit. Also, how much does Dianxia know of Yin Tianzhao?” Li Weiyang said,

smiling.

“He is from

Min Zhou, a priest from Mount Xuanyuan’s Shang Qing Gong. Shang Qing Gong is

the ancestral home of Heavenly Masters, and Grand Master Zhang is the current

presiding leader living there. Master Yin knew very well how to deceive the

common people, so the locals believed that he could pray for rain and snow, and

heal illnesses. That’s why Fu Huang felt that he had acquired a treasure.”

Tuoba Yu reported his findings.

Li Weiyang

shook her head. “This Yin Tianzhao is nearing eighty years old now, but he has

a head full of hair and a rosy complexion, so he is definitely not without any

skill. As I know it, he also has a political mind; ten years ago, the rebel

prince Tuoba Yu tried to recruit him to his cause, offering him 50 bars of

gold. He was never swayed, which showed that he was smart and knew how to judge

who was in power and who wasn’t; or perhaps he did know some heavenly secret we

have no idea of.”

“Heavenly

secret?!” Tuoba Yu’s frown deepened. “I don’t believe he knows anything like

that! If he really knew, he wouldn’t be lured by Tuoba Zhen!”

Li Weiyang

sighed, in the past, she only had her suspicions; why would the usually

reclusive Yin Tianzhao suddenly listen to Tuoba Zhen and come to the palace...

Apparently Yin Tianzhao knew how to read the stars and perform divination, so

could he have predicted that Tuoba Zhen was fated to become the Emperor..? No,

maybe both of them had established a deal, but she could not guess anything

solid, as Tuoba Zhen did not even tell her in the past. This man simply had

intentions so deep that she could not comprehend.

“Dianxia, would

you agree that Yin Tianzhao is good at summoning the weather?”

Tuoba Yu was

obviously not moved. “You’re referring to the incident where he successfully

prayed for snow to fall during winter, despite it not snowing at all

previously? He was just plain lucky!”

Li Weiyang

smiled and shook her head again. “It wasn’t mere luck, but neither is it his

powers like Bixia thinks it is. He simply managed to guess the accurate time of

snowfall, so he bought time by ordering a praying platform be erected, then choosing

the specific timing to start praying for snow; hence winning more of Bixia’s

trust.”

Tuoba Yu

initially only felt irritation and hatred towards this person, but after

hearing Li Weiyang’s words, he couldn’t help but suspect if this Master really

had some skill at predicting the future. However, Li Weiyang still had more to

say.

“Not only

that, I heard that two months ago, Bixia’s concubines Wang Mei Ren and Lu Mei

Ren became pregnant, almost at the same time.” Li Weiyang said softly. This

piece of news was brought to her by Li Min De; it had caused much uproar

amongst the commoners, as Bixia was already 50 years old and there were seldom

such good news from his concubines anymore. But to have these tidings so soon

after Master Yin entered the palace... it seemed like there was some hidden

link between the two.

Tuoba Yu

seemed to have realised the connection as well. “Ever since Fu Huang followed Yin

Tianzhao’s request to regulate his health and be more devout in religious

matters, as well as drink the tonic he prepared, he did seem to have increased

energy. He has recently been very doting to his concubines, so other than those

two, Zhang Zhaoyi is also pregnant.”

“Therefore, since Master Yin has such power,

how can Bixia not trust him? You all protest against his practice of Taoism and

consuming divine pills, but who else has the ability to summon rain and snow,

to help the commoners in their crops? Who amongst you all would have the means

to let Bixia have a few more sons? You all cannot, but Yin Tianzhao is able to

do so; and this is exactly the reason why Dianxia trusts and relies on him so

much.” Li Weiyang said with a smile.

“But this

person…” Tuoba Yu abruptly stopped, and a cool smile appeared, “San Ge really

can resort to any tactics.”

“Why would he

send a useless person into the palace?” Li Weiyang’s outstretched hand crushed

the fallen leaf in her grasp, her smile growing warmer.

A murderous

glint shone in Tuoba Yu’s eyes. “I can send him up to the heavens.”

“If you get

rid of Yin Tianzhao, Tuoba Zhen will simply send a second one!” Li Weiyang

gazed at the fragments in her palm.

“Then what

should we do?” Tuoba Yu couldn’t help it; he faintly felt that his ability to

see through others is nothing compared to the lady before his eyes. However, he

did not feel disheartened, as he knew that each and every person had their forte

and purpose. He was willing to use her strengths to make up for his

shortcomings, which was a rare thing to do.

With a puff of

air, Li Weiyang scattered the remnants of the leaf, saying calmly: “There’s no

need to submit a petition against him. Dianxia, please have your men submit a

proposal tomorrow, praising Master Yin’s achievements and push for a residence

of his own to be erected. Additionally, suggest to the Emperor to grant him a

post as a Minister of Etiquette, with the rank of First Officer. In this way, Bixia

will definitely be delighted.”

Tuoba Yu was

shocked. “We still have to reward him?!” In fact, his allies had previously suggested

this, but Tuoba Yu had never liked dealing with the supernatural, and

especially hated people like Yin Tianzhao, whom he felt was a scammer and liar,

so he never took any action as suggested. He never thought that Li Weiyang would

give the same idea.

Li Weiyang

smiled. “This is just the first tactic; we counter poison with poison. The more

Bixia favours him, the more you have to hold him up to the skies. The moment he

falls from his pedestal, it will crush him entirely. Bixia will feel that he was

making use of the favour shown to him, which is unforgivable. Additionally, the

people who recommended him in the first place would also be dragged in!

The second

step is to divert the trouble. Yin Tianzhao has his powers, but his pill making

skills are not up to the mark yet, so he still makes mistakes. Every pill he

formulates, he’ll let others try it first before sending it to Bixia. If

Dianxia intends to do anything, you can attack via the pills! Of course, if you

can convince Bixia that since Tuoba Zhen is the one who introduced him, the

pills should be tested by San Huang Zi himself. Furthermore, he should display

his sincerity and filal piety by consuming it in front of everyone; that’ll be

a great show to watch!

And the last

step is to strike at the root of the problem. Dianxia might not know much about

survival, but you should know that if you want to rise upwards, you should

understand the theory that you need allies to support one another1. Yin

Tianzhao has 9 disciples, but they all have average knowledge and talent,

except one called Zhou Tianshou. In terms of divination and weather prediction,

he has surpassed his master, so Yin Tianzhao is extremely jealous of him and

fearful that he would steal the attention. Due to that, Master Yin has refused

to bring him into the palace. If Dianxia is able to find this person and send

him in to replace Yin Tianzhao, Dianxia will have a different position in Bixia’s

heart, and Yin Tianzhao will be one step closer to death.

However, no

matter which step of our plan, there is no definite success. Dianxia must know

how to get along and make use of the people Bixia dotes on!”

鱼帮水、水帮鱼1 – fish and water are beneficial to one

another. Indicates a mutually beneficial relationship is needed for survival.

Tuoba Yu shook

his head for the first time. “I can’t stand the thought of working with these

people!”

Believers

would trust that they were the real masters of heavenly secrets, but

unbelievers would feel that it was all a sham. Especially Yin Tianzhao, because

other than the usual pills, he also gave the Emperor a red heart pill for

long-term consumption. This red heart pill had a blend of Chinese traditional medicine,

animal innards, Qiu Shi, etc, but the worse of all was the menstrual blood of

young girls; which was unbelievably disgusting. However, these pills have

proven to be an effective aphrodisiac, so by using them, the Emperor believed

in whatever Master Yin said about using yin energy to boost his yang energy. In

Tuoba Yu’s eyes, it was merely a harmful substance.

Li Weiyang

understood his feelings, and couldn’t help a smile. There’s probably no Huang

Zi of royal birth that could tolerate priests like this, as well as the

ministers at court too. But Tuoba Zhen was different, which allowed him an

advantage over them.

“When it comes

to pleasing Bixia, Qi Huang Zi hasn’t put in enough effort.” Li Weiyang stated

slowly. That year, when Yin Tianzhao entered the palace, Tuoba Zhen had brought

in a huge pool of young women as well. To aid in the production of the red

heart pills, many of the palace maids had been forced to have their menstrual

cycle come early; Tuoba Zhen was indeed ruthless and cruel, but it gave the

Emperor the impression that he was the most filial son, so his love for him

eventually took over that of the Crown Prince, Tuoba Yu, and the rest of the

princes. The Emperor did not know, however, that the first thing Tuoba Zhen did

upon his ascension was to kill all the priests at court and tear apart their

order, as well as get kill off all witnesses! Deep in his heart, he despised

them the same way as Tuoba Yu, but he had no qualms about using them in his bid

for power.

“Dianxia, do you really want to lose the love and trust Bixia has for

you?”

“Is it even

possible that a person like Yin Tianzhao can distance me from Fu Huang?” Tuoba

Yu did not understand why Li Weiyang would say such a thing, a confused

expression appearing on his handsome face, lit by moonlight.

Li Weiyang sighed,

but she did not answer the question. “I’ve heard that Bixia has had problems

sleeping of late, so he has taken to ordering different princes stand watch for

him, sometimes sending them supper, is that true?”

Tuoba Yu was

taken aback at Li Weiyang’s accurate information, and he could only nod.

Li Weiyang let

out a breath; it seems like the Emperor’s habits had never changed. “I have

also heard that Tuoba Zhen would be extra nice to the eunuchs who bring the

edict, treating them as if they were equals. Whenever it came to his turn, he

would be found reading petitions late into the night, sometimes even staying up

and attending court the next day. Since the eunuchs had gained benefits from

him, they of course would report this to the Emperor. Other than that, they

would also tell him that other princes would be asleep at this hour, so even if

you’d really sacrificed your sleep for court matters, Bixia would think

otherwise. Because they would not bother telling Bixia what you’ve done, but

rather, they might actually speak ill of you.”

Tuoba Yu gazed

at Li Weiyang in disbelief, he had his men in place beside Bixia, but no one

had brought him information like this…

Li Weiyang’s

returning smile under the moonlight seemed extremely cold. “Eunuchs are human

too, if you have always treated them like servants, ordering them around, they

might turn against you easily. If Dianxia could treat them with the same amount

of respect you would with the ministers at court, I believe that they wouldn’t

be used by Tuoba Zhen. Of course, after Qi Dianxia has achieved your goal,

these people are up to you deal with.”

No minor

detail should be missed out, and Tuoba Yu was very clear on that. His agents

repeatedly had pointers for him, but no one had thought of such a fine and

small detail, because most people simply looked down on eunuchs. They felt that

granting them gifts of gold and silver would be enough; to treat them with

respect was more than what the royal princes could tolerate.

“So, Dianxia

should probably re-think your attitude towards these eunuchs from today

onwards.” Li Weiyang smiled, reminding him once again.

“I will

remember all that you’ve said.” Tuoba Yu was an intelligent man, but at the

same time, he was proud. Previously, he would never have agreed, but he had

realised that if he let his pride get into the way, one day Tuoba Zhen seize

the correct moment to destroy them all! When it came down to survival, it was

only human to follow their instincts and fight!

“I trust Dianxia

will know what to do tomorrow?” Li Weiyang asked tentatively, her deep eyes

reflecting the moonshine.

Tuoba Yu

inhaled. “I will listen to your advice and withdraw those petitions against Yin

Tianzhao, and submit the ones calling for his promotion instead. I will also

send men to find that Zhou Tianshou.”

“I shall wait for Dianxia’s good

news.”

Tuoba Yu

studied Li Weiyang fixedly, finally smiling. “You…” but did not know how to

continue. “I don’t have much power on your side, so please take care of

yourself.” He finally said, in a soft voice.

He never

felt that he was all powerful, and would be able to ease Li Weiyang’s troubles.

But right now, he realised that he had neglected to consider the hearts of the

common people at many occasions, and she had to remind him of that. So how

could he even promise that she would be free of worries?

Li Weiyang

knew that her point had been driven home, so she smiled gently. “Dianxia,

please take care.”

Once Tuoba Yu

left, a young man slowly came out from behind the artificial mountain. His

brows were thick and straight, his hair dark as ink and like a graceful flower,

and his gaze was devastatingly bright. Although his beauty was slightly diminished

under the cover of the night, he remained eye-catching. Li Weiyang saw him

covered in dust and could not help but giggle. “If I did not know you were

hiding in that tunnel, I would have gotten a fright.”

Li Min De frowned.

“His secret guards are too useless, what if it had been someone else who had

been hiding here?”

“Other than

you, who would know this hidden tunnel? Stop the pretence, you’re hiding here

purposely to mock at him right?” Li Weiyang said with a sigh.

“That’s not my

intention.” Li Min De glanced at Zhaoyue, who immediately grabbed Baizhi and

retreated 10 steps backwards.

In the two

years that Li Weiyang had returned to the Li Residence, she had seen how Li Min

De had grown from a child, and now surpassing her in height. She wondered what

he actually ate, and plus he was more gorgeous than other women; that

frustrated her, because if she only had half of his beauty, she would be able

to save a lot of effort on her plans. She knit her brows. “It seems that Li

Changle is no longer the first beauty in Da Li.”

Li Min De did

not expect this sentence, which struck him as a little strange.

“Every time

you come back from a trip outside, your hands are full of gifts and

trinkets. You’re making me so envious! Li Changle’s title of the most beautiful

should be given up to you sooner.” Li Weiyang said with a laugh.

Li Min De was

not amused. “Why should a man be born with such beauty?”

“Be it a man

or a woman, with such outstanding features, it’ll please the people around them,

so what is so bad about it?”

Li Min De kept

silent, and at a glance, Li Weiyang knew that he was angry. She stepped forward

and caressed the side of his face. “Why, it is so easy to anger you! Let’s

discuss something more serious then. You were eavesdropping from behind the

artificial mountain, so what have you gained from that?”

“Must you help

Qi Huang Zi onto the throne?” Li Min De replied, laughing coldly.

“It is hard to

convince him; this person is too righteous for his own good. He hesitates to do

the dirty work that he knows he should do, but it is exactly from this trait

that ensures he will not abandon the people who have helped him after his task

is complete2. To me, that confirms my safety, isn’t it?” Li Weiyang

gestured with a flourish.

狡兔死，走狗烹2 – once the sly rabbit is

dead, the hunting dog joins it in the stew. To get rid of those who’ve helped

once the aim is achieved.

“I don’t think the same way, that mother of his…”

Li Weiyang was

slightly taken aback. “You really know how to bear a grudge; it’s just a small

matter.”

Li Min De

simply raised his eyebrows in question; don’t you know how to bear grudges? You

even managed to scare De Fei so much, she didn’t dare to leave her residence

for 3 months.

Li Weiyang

read the hidden accusation in his fiery gaze and realised that her thoughts had

been exposed. She coughed delicately. “Of course, a little warning is

required.”

He continued

staring at her with his half-smile. His eyelashes were lush and thick, and his

irises like intricately carved pearls; you couldn’t bring yourself to lie when

looking into them.

Li Weiyang had

no such guilt, and deftly changed the topic. “If it was you, what would you

do?”

She did not

ask clearly, but Li Min De understood at once. He grinned. “If I was Tuoba Yu…

there are rumours that Bixia has recently been addicted to making priest hats

and gifting it to the princes. It’s a pity that everyone is too high up on

their pedestals to wear it, including the very person who recommended Yin

Tianzhao to the Emperor; San Huang Zi. Which goes to show that deep inside, he

looks down on those priests, despite what his actions say. If I were Tuoba Yu,

I’d wear that hat to court. It’s intricately made, and wearing it will demonstrate

loyalty to the Emperor, so why not?”

Li Weiyang

laughed, a true one this time. “You are more suitable to be a prince than Tuoba

Yu.” A prince not only needed to manage his ministers, but before he gained

power, pleasing the Emperor would be the first and foremost task. But getting

into his good books was not such an easy job; you needed the right amount of

finesse to not overdo it. “Such a pity you are not of royal birth, but well, it

is also a blessing.” She concluded gently.

Li Min De

smiled but did not reply. A distant wind blew towards them, ruffling his hair

and shielding the strange expression in his eyes. In her relaxed state, Li

Weiyang actually missed out such an occurrence. On the other side, however,

Zhaoyue’s head was hanging down, as if she very much wanted to sink into

the floor.

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Translator: Jaslynn

Editor: Pending

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