Chapter 89: Be Superior To Your Opponent

王妃1 – Official title of a Prince’s First Wife

人中之龙2 – a phrase used to describe someone as being outstanding and a rare find

Zhaoyue had a moment of hesitation; her mission was to protect Li Weiyang, but if she issued
her an order, she had to obey. In a flash, she grabbed on to Jiu Gongzhu.

Palace servants screamed and ran over, clustering around Gongzhu. However, Li Weiyang’s
horse continued running like a mad animal; Zhaoyue tried her best to catch up, but the beast
sped up as it had lost all control of its senses. In a spark of desperation, Li Weiyang drew out a
dagger from her sleeve and stabbed it into the horse’s head. Its speed finally slowed and
collapsed on its four legs, throwing Li Weiyang off. Zhaoyue gasped and rushed over, but did
not manage to catch Li Weiyang before she hit the ground.

If her master was dead, she would not live either. Zhaoyue’s heart stopped for a moment.

Jiu Gongzhu stood up and saw the scene before her, crying out in alarm and pushing away the
others to get to Li Weiyang. Her servants could only follow after her, watching the strange
situation. At this moment, the servant who had gone for help had returned with Tuoba Yu, who
did not hesitate to gallop here as fast as he could, only stopping when he reached her side.

When he saw Li Weiyang lying there, still as a statue, his heart nearly stopped.

Something had actually happened to her! He had only stepped away for a moment, what could
have happened!

At the next moment, Zhaoyue had helped Li Weiyang sit up. She cradled her head in her hands,
nursing her injuries. Tuoba Yu rushed forward to hold her, his heart filled with immense shock
and relief. “Are you alright?!”

Jiu Gongzhu’s face was streaming with tears and snot, obviously truly frightened. She was
grabbing on to Li Weiyang’s hand tightly, but unable say anything. It was her wilfulness that had
caused Li Weiyang to fall from her horse; she had warned her against riding!
Li Weiyang rubbed her head. “I’m fine, there is no need for tears.”

Jiu Gongzhu stared at her blankly, looking completely dazed.

“I’m not hurt anywhere, so don’t cry. But if I had died today, it would have been you who
caused my death. So in the future, don’t be so wilful like this. I am here today to protect you,
but if I were not around, others would not spare your life so easily. The heavens won’t give you
special treatment just because you are a princess.” She chastised her without any hint of
courtesy.

With tears in her eyes, Jiu Gongzhu nodded obediently.

Li Weiyang moved her elbow and experienced a sharp pain. Zhaoyue carefully pried away her
right hand which covered her injured left elbow and discovered a patch of broken skin. It wasn’t
very serious, thank goodness. “Xiaojie, you’ll have to quickly return to apply medicine.”

She couldn’t help but smile bitterly; she swore never to be a good person, but towards Jiu
Gongzhu, she tended to be generous. Maybe because Jiu Gongzhu was the only one from her
past who had given her a good impression, or perhaps she just had a momentary fit of
compassion.

Li Weiyang told herself once more, never to be a busybody again.

Tuoba Yu had originally thought that Li Weiyang would break out into tears in fright, even
though she wasn’t hurt, or even berate her servants for not taking good care of her. Who knew
that she did not even take it to heart, and still had a smile on her face. He suddenly felt that her
smile held inexplicable goodness, like a warm summer wind, and was drunk on the beauty of it.
A small smile appeared on his lips as well.

The palace servants saw this scene and started giggling among themselves, exchanging looks.

Li Weiyang felt the mood of the crowd and stood up. “I should go back, Qi Dianxia, please
escort Gongzhu back as well.”

Her expression contained unfathomable distance and coolness. Tuoba Yu deftly detected this,
and knitted his eyebrows together.

But Li Weiyang totally ignored him, turning to tell Jiu Gongzhu to return quickly.

Jiu Gongzhu nodded her head, like a well-trained kitten.

Zhaoyue supported Li Weiyang as she left, and as Tuoba Yu watched her walk away, he felt
terrible; he wanted so much to ask her to stay with him, but he only swallowed his words and
remained silent. Watching her retreating silhouette, he had many complicated feelings rising in
his heart.

Jiu Gongzhu tugged on his sleeves, bringing him back to his senses. “Qi Ge, you like Weiyang
Jiejie right?” Jiu Gongzhu whispered sneakily.

From the way she called her Weiyang jiejie instead of just Li Weiyang, it was obvious that her
status in Jiu Gongzhu’s heart had been elevated highly. Tuoba Yu only laughed out loud but did
not reply her question, but merely turned around and walked towards the horse’s corpse. He
examined the dagger that Li Weiyang had used just now.

Jiu Gongzhu attempted to cover her eyes. “How cruel.”

Blood carpeted the entire ground. Such a healthy horse died in a single stab, and such a quick,
fatal and accurate stroke! Tuoba Yu could not believe that it came from a lady of a noble family,
who seldom left her house. If it was somebody else, she would have already been scared stiff
and unable to react, but Li Weiyang could actually make this kind of swift decision to end the
horse’s life, albeit cruelly.

“If she had not carried this dagger, she would be the one who perished.” Tuoba Yu was certain
that Li Weiyang had calculated carefully the angle and the timing of the stab – her stubborn
nature and quick decisiveness would put many a man to shame.

Watching from afar, Gao Min let out a cool hmph. This Li Weiyang was blessed with a long life;
she had thought spooking the horse would be enough to cause her to fall to her death, but no
one expected that she would not be harmed, how disappointing! She would have to think of
another way!

This was a hunting retreat, and injuries would be a common occurrence, so there were already
royal physicians and medicines on standby. Li Weiyang had just reached the tent when the
emperor’s edict arrived as well, rewarding her with the best ointments and great praise. Rou
Fei Niang Niang had also sent treasures especially for her, to thank her for saving Jiu Gongzhu.

The others looked at Li Weiyang with envy and jealousy, but only Zhaoyue understood what a
close shave it had been. If Li Weiyang wasn’t so decisive, she would have been severely injured;
such a determination was not common in normal people.

Upon entering the tent, Zhaoyue fell to her knees. “Nubi did not do a good job of protecting
you, Xiaojie, please punish me.”

Baizhi carefully applied ointment for Li Weiyang, who only blinked. It was definitely top grade
medicine; she felt a cool sensation as it was spread on her skin, and the pain was gone in a
flash. She glanced at Zhaoyue. “You did well today.”
Zhaoyue was shocked, and lifted her head to meet her eyes.

Li Weiyang smiled at her. “The most important thing is that you should listen to my orders,
instead of going against my will, understand?” If Zhaoyue had ignored Jiu Gongzhu and rushed
to her aid, she would have been guilty of allowing Jiu Gongzhu to get hurt, and in front of so
many witnesses. The Emperor and Rou Fei would be enraged, which would not be worth her
own safety. Whilst doing a good deed, Li Weiyang still managed to plot to gain some benefit in
return of her own injury. Even though Zhaoyue may not have thought of that, it was good
enough that she had respected Li Weiyang’s orders.

Baizhi walked over and helped Zhaoyue up. “Since Xiaojie has already praised you, she meant it,
so quickly get up.”

Zhaoyue rose to her feet, and said softly. “Xiaojie, that eagle…”

Li Weiyang nodded. That eagle had been trained, and its trainer had purposely set it on the
horse, but there was solid evidence, so it seemed like a random incident. However, who would
have the capability and guts to make such a move at the hunting grounds? Li Weiyang closed
her eyes and pondered for a moment. “We have to be careful these few days.”

No matter who had wanted her life, she would definitely expose the person!

In the next two days that followed, no matter how lively and noisy it was outside, Li Weiyang
remained in the tent, its entrance pinned shut. Her behaviour attracted many curious eyeballs,
and most of them guessed that An Ping Xianzhu had suffered such a fright that she refused to
appear in public. These rumours had even managed to worry Li Xiaoran, who especially came to
visit her twice. Upon seeing that she was unharmed and still in good spirits, he was appeased
and left her alone.

This incident had of course captured the attention of people who cared about her. Jiu Gongzhu
was overcome with guilt and insisted on visiting her every day, dragging Qi Huangzi along
‘conveniently’. Li Weiyang’s attitude was cool towards them, sending them off after a short
exchange of words. However, she occasionally had visitors whom she could not send away as
easily, such as the thick skinned San Dianxia.

Upon knowing that Li Weiyang was injured, Tuoba Zhen had wanted to visit her immediately,
but after hearing that she was together with Tuoba Yu at that time, he was filled with rage. Gao
Min had added fuel to the fire, and though he acted disinterested, he actually had a gut of
churning emotions inside. His multiple attempts to visit her discreetly was unsuccessful, as Li
Weiyang had gotten Zhaoyue to bar him at the door.

However, Zhaoyue was still human afterall, and needed her rest. Tuoba Zhen got his underling
to keep watch the whole day, and finally managed to sneak in when Zhaoyue was not around.
Li Weiyang was in the tent, and as she turned around to see him enter, she frowned
automatically.

When Tuoba Zhen saw that she was unhurt and well, he couldn’t help but feel as if a huge
burden had been released from his heart. “Your wounds are healed by now?”

He was really sincerely asking about her, but such assumed closeness only made Li Weiyang
disgusted. She tossed her head and shouted for her handmaid. “Baizhi! Baizhi!”

Tuoba Zhen had never been treated in such a manner before. He felt a spark of annoyance, and
without a second thought he grabbed her shoulder and attempted to twist her around to face
him. Li Weiyang didn’t expect him to touch her, and instinctively landed a slap in self-defence.
Both of them reeled from the impact and shock. Tuoba Zhen withdrew his hand, holding and
rubbing it as if it was hurt badly. He was wordless with anger, explosive even. He knew that his
resentment could only be limited to himself; he was very clear that raging on someone like Li
Weiyang would just be futile.

Li Weiyang saw the weird expression on his face, but maintained her cool and rose from her
seat. She finally faced him and curtseyed. “San Dianxia, please forgive me for the offense. I am
timid and did not know what to do at your sudden arrival, hence I accidentally knocked into
you. However, it is inappropriate for you to be here at this hour, so please leave quickly.”

Her expression was flat and her tone had lacked warmth, giving off a vibe that she wanted to
put a thousand miles between them, which made Tuoba Zhen feel very vexed. He felt like he
was asking for a beating; the more Li Weiyang hated him, he more he couldn’t help but want
her. “I only meant to see how you were doing, I do not have any other intentions.”

A flash of cold steel danced in Li Weiyang’s eyes, and the corner of her mouth quirked. “Dianxia,
please leave, this breaks the rules of propriety.”

Tuoba Zhen’s cool eyes were fixed on Li Weiyang, he clutched her arm and said in a low voice,
“Those rules mean nothing to me. Li Weiyang, don’t force me to use my tactics to get you, you
know that I never like people to go against me.”

In that instant, she clearly saw the wolfish wildness and cruelty in his eyes.

“Ahh!” A cry of fear startled them and they both turned towards the source. Jiu Gongzhu was
standing before them. Tuoba Zhen might not have any scruples, but suddenly seeing his own
little sister cause him to feel slightly embarrassed, so he loosened his grip and left the tent
quickly.

Jiu Gongzhu stared dumbly as he stalked out, not knowing what had just happened. She rushed
to Li Weiyang, anxiously asking, “Weiyang Jiejie, did San Ge bully you?”
Li Weiyang’s face was indifferent, and she remained silent. Jiu Gongzhu was obviously stunned.
“How could it be, San Ge is definitely not like this! He is usually very approachable.”

Li Weiyang lifted her head, meeting her eyes. “Did you see the expression in his eyes just now,
don’t you think he was scary?”

Jiu Gongzhu was lost for words. She had seen clearly how San Ge was on the verge of an
outrage, and his face was horribly twisted in anger. She had never seen him so mad before, or
more accurately, Tuoba Zhen’s temper tantrums were never shown in public since young.

“Weiyang jiejie, San Ge… Is it possible that he likes you?” Jiu Gongzhu thought for quite some
time, and she could only think of this as a reason. “But you are friendly with Qi Ge and not him,
is that why?”

Li Weiyang broke out into a smile; the originally sombre atmosphere was broken by this child.
Although her words were simple and innocent, she was actually not far from the truth. She was
helping Tuoba Yu defeat Tuoba Zhen, and Tuoba Zhen had never had a woman treat him as
coldly as she had, which was why he sought her attention in the first place. Such a laughable
and pathetic man.

Jiu Gongzhu tried to help her. “Weiyang jiejie, my San Ge is a very stubborn person, if you try to
fight fire with fire, it won’t go well. You should try to avoid him. There are many women
surrounding him, so maybe you are just one of his passing fancies… Perhaps I should find some
beauties for him, so once his attentions are diverted, it would be easier for you.”

It was hard to imagine these words coming out from a young girl’s mouth, but Li Weiyang
understood that Jiu Gongzhu had grown up in the palace, so despite her carefree spirit and
innocence, she was not completely naïve.

Glancing at Jiu Gongzhu’s glimmering eyes, Li Weiyang sank into deep thoughts. She did not
know why, but each time she looked upon Jiu Gongzhu, she would think of herself. They did not
have much similarities, but her current existence was kind of an absurdity, and thinking of the
past made her feel like she was in a separated world.

She blinked her eyes purposefully, afraid that tears would leak out.

No matter what, she was already in her thirties, so how could she cry in front of such a young
girl.

Jiu Gongzhu continued on. “Wait till you become my Qi Sao, San Ge will not dare to put you in a
spot anymore.”
Li Weiyang heard her tone; it seems that she had already taken her as an object belonging to Qi
Huangzi. She frowned and said: “Although Gongzhu means well... but you have gotten on thing
wrong; I will not become your Qi Ge’s wife, and I mean it…”

Jiu Gongzhu’s expression changed at once, as if she heard something unbelievable. “You don’t
like Qi Ge?” she said hoarsely.

She couldn’t believe it indeed, how could anyone in the world reject her two brothers, and her
two of them were the most outstanding! Jiu Gongzhu had always thought to herself that the
most handsome men in the palace were her suave and strong San Ge and elegant Qi Ge. Even
the Crown Prince and Wu Ge were far from comparison, let alone the other royal princes. But Li
Weiyang did not like either of them.

Jiu Gongzhu shook her head, obviously unable to accept the fact. “You really… like neither of
them?” She asked in a small and meek voice.

Li Weiyang firmly shook her head, with an extremely weird expression on her face.

Jiu Gongzhu was extremely puzzled, as she couldn’t figure out why she would reject the idea of
being Qi Huangzi’s Wang Fei1. To most ladies from noble families, this would be an
immeasurable honour. In her moment of doubt, she also felt a rush of anger; how could Li
Weiyang be haughtier than a princess like her, rejecting her two brothers like that. But she also
thought of how she saved her life that day; perhaps, she had some difficulty of her own. She
suppressed her outburst and kneeled down to face her, saying softly: “Forget it if you don’t like
San Ge. Qi Ge might look cold, but he has the kindest heart and dotes on me the most, so why
don’t you like him?”

Li Weiyang did not know how to explain such a complicated situation to a kid; she rubbed her
forehead, as if she had a headache.

“Weiyang jiejie, think it through, my Qi Ge is really a good person! De Fei Niang Niang is very
kind and peaceable as well, and she is good at making osmanthus glutinous cakes too. Every
time I visit her palace, she’ll greet me with a smile, not like the Fu Huang’s other concubines,
who only think of me as a hindrance.” Jiu Gongzhu’s eyes were glistening with tears, looking at
her pleadingly, but her words only left Li Weiyang confused; she did not know whether to laugh
or cry.

Jiu Gongzhu left quite unwillingly, realising that she had no way of convincing Li Weiyang, and
still not understanding what she was thinking. In her view, both her brothers were dragons
among men2, if it were other ladies who attracted their affections, they would have been
thrilled, but why doesn’t Weiyang jiejie like either of them?
-------------------------------------------------

Translator: Jaslynn

Editor: Pending
-------------------------------------------------

Chapter 89: Be Superior To Your Opponent

千金1 – An honorific term for daughter, usually used for richer families.
母妃2 – lady mother

五马分尸3 – a death sentence whereby the offender’s limbs and head would be tied using rope
to five horses, and the horses would move in separate directions to tear the offender apart.

属下4 – subordinate.

The next morning, someone discovered the tracks of the white wolf near the hunting grounds.
The emperor was superbly excited and brought out a huge regiment of cavalry to hunt it down.

The ladies were equally thrilled at the news.

“The white wolf is a sly animal, whoever catches it each year is hailed as a hero!”

“Bi Xia had ever caught it alive before, but what a pity it died after a few days because it
stopped eating and drinking!”

“I’ve heard that its pelt is warm and comfortable, so if you wear it in the winter, you won’t have
to wear another fur coat. If it is used to make a fur collar, it’ll definitely be gorgeous and
impressive!”

“Yes yes, I wonder who will be the champion this year!”

Everyone was enthusiastically discussing about the highlight of the hunt.

After staying in her tent for three days, she attracted quite a lot of attention the moment Li
Weiyang came out.

“Xianzhu, previously you fell from the horse while riding, are you feeling better now?”

“Yes I am, thank you, Liu Xiaojie, for your concern.” Li Weiyang smiled gently at the Qian Jin1 of
the Finance Minister.

“You’re so brave, Rou Fei Niang Niang has been praising you; she has been telling everyone that
if not for you, Jiu Gongzhu would have been in danger!” quipped her neighbour Sun Xiaojie.
Hailing from a military family, Sun Xiaojie admired ladies who were valiant and graceful, so after
hearing how Li Weiyang rushed forward bravely to protect Jiu Gongzhu, she inevitably had
formed a good impression of her.

Li Weiyang smiled modestly. “If Sun Xiaojie had been around, I’m sure you would have done the
same, and possibly even better than me.”

Sun Xiaojie grinned back. That was true, her riding and shooting skills were one of the best.

“You’ve missed quite a lot of thrilling action in the two days that you were away! At the
moment, San Dianxia and Wu Dianxia are currently tied at second place, and Qi Dianxia has the
lead with most quarry caught!” Lin Xiaojie was enraptured by the activities at the hunting
grounds.

Li Weiyang glanced into the distance, hearing the rumble of horse hooves, seeing the clouds of
dust they kicked up. Countless riders were storming the hunting grounds, capturing their prey.
It was indeed, a magnificent sight.

“Hng, some people are obviously trying to use their wounds to gain attention, flaunting her
prowess just because she saved Jiu Gongzhu. It was only a trivial matter after all!” A cold voice
pierced through the ruckus.

Li Weiyang arched her brows towards the source, which turned out to be a cool and haughty
Gao Min.

Gao Min met her eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. She continued her tirade. “It was only an
eagle which spooked the horse, what is there to show off!”

Li Weiyang lowered her gaze. Gao Min’s presence at the scene could not be just a random
coincidence. It may be that she was watching her, or she had something to do with the
incident. Either way, she was definitely up to no good.
Li Weiyang gave it some thought, then stood up with a smile on her face. “That day, I saw how
Biao Jie was riding splendidly, I wonder if you would dare to pit your skills against mine?”

Gao Min hmphed coolly. “Of course I’m not afraid!” She saw how Li Weiyang fell from her
horse, so naturally she felt that her riding skills were just so-so. She wanted to take this chance
to squash Li Weiyang’s pride and reputation; let everyone see for themselves who is the most
outstanding lady!

Sun Xiaojie clapped excitedly. “Good, good! I love watching riding competitions! I’ll be the
judge!”

Gao Min leapt up onto her horse, smirking at Li Weiyang as if to goad her.

Li Weiyang only smiled. She made her way down and without anyone to help her, jumped onto
her saddle. Seeing how nimble and graceful she was while mounting her horse, Sun Mingyu
knew at once what a good rider she was. “We’ll take that red line as the boundary, I’ll count to
three, and whomever reaches first wins!”

“Li Weiyang, since you want to embarrass yourself so badly, I’ll grant your wish!” Gao Min tilted
her chin, as proud as a gorgeous peacock.

Li Weiyang’s reply was a small smile, and she exchanged a glance with Zhaoyue, who was on
the stage.

Zhaoyue nodded, lightly gesturing to show that she understood.

In these three days past, Zuo Yuan had been waiting for a second chance, but Li Weiyang had
stayed behind in her tent with the entrance firmly shut, so he could not make his move. And
just now, Li Weiyang was constantly surrounded by the other Xiaojies, hence he couldn’t
commit any rash decisions either, lest he be exposed easily.

However, this foolish Li Weiyang suddenly decided to compete against Gao Min; what an
extremely good chance! Zuo Yuan got excited just by thinking about it. He fixed his sights on the
mounted Li Weiyang, his intent to kill getting sharper by the second. He stayed hidden, thinking
hard of how to make her death look like an accident. Even if he killed her himself, they might
not be able to discover that it was him; with so many people around, it couldn’t be that easy to
investigate, could it? However, he still did not dare to take the risk.

At this moment, the ongoing hunt seemed to be drawing to a close, and a huge group of cavalry
and foot soldiers alike were heading back with their prey. All of them were carrying bows and
arrows; Zuo Yuan revealed a sinister grin, wasn’t this a chance granted by heaven itself? He just
had to hide in the crowd and direct his arrow towards Li Weiyang, so that witnesses would
think that it was just a stray arrow. Hence no killer could be found, because how was that his
fault!

He’d be promoted faster than he could imagine!

“Three, two, one!” Sun Xiaojie flourished her silk scarf, flushing red with excitement.

With a tight squeeze, Gao Min prompted the horse into a gallop, flying ahead with the wind
whistling freely in her ears. The speed brought to her a sense of pleasure and pride. Li Weiyang
gave a slight smile, and brandishing her whip, she caught up with Gao Min’s pace, leisurely just
one step behind her. As Gao Min heard the clatter of hooves, she turned her head, only to
catch sight of Li Weiyang right behind her. Enraged, she gave her horse another lick of the whip
to get it to speed up.

The ladies on the viewing stage usually did not leave their mansions, so they had never seen
such a presentation before. Everyone was thrilled, forgetting about their well-practiced
manners and cheering loudly for Li Weiyang and Gao Min.

Wei Guo Furen was watching on with cold and unflinching eyes; in her heart, the winner would
definitely be Gao Min. In her utter confidence, she sat chatting with the other Furens, not
paying much attention to the race.

The scarlet line was just before their eyes. A cold smile appeared on Li Weiyang’s lips; she
flicked her whip, sending her neck to neck with Gao Min.

It seemed like it was going to be a draw.

Amongst the crowd, shouts rang out from the mounted archers, and someone with evil
intentions was drawing his bow.

“Move away!”

“Danger!” From her viewpoint, Sun Xiaojie saw a sharp flash of light streak towards Li Weiyang,
and immediately shouted a warning.

In that critical moment, Li Weiyang felt the same lance of light rush past her eyes, and she
smiled coldly. This is the moment!

Right now, Zuo Yuan, Li Weiyang, and Gao Min’s positions had formed up a straight line. Rather
than suggest that Gao Min was coincidentally the last person at the end of the line, it would be
more appropriate to say that Li Weiyang had purposely positioned herself behind Gao Min,
drawing the attention of the assassin.
The arrow had been loosened.

Li Weiyang kicked lightly with her toes, slowing her horse to a trot and arching her body away.
The piercing arrow which should have ended her life missed her just like that. With a shrill
whistle, it brushed past the top of Li Weiyang’s head and embedded itself deeply into Gao
Min’s shoulder; but that didn’t stop its burst of energy. The force of the impact sent Gao Min
flying entirely out of her saddle, as if she was a kite. She landed heavily on the ground.

Tuoba Zhen, Tuoba Yu and the other princes were part of the group that had finished the hunt,
returning in time just to witness this horrible scene. Wu Huangzi burst out: “It’s that witch!”

The sharp arrow had zoomed past Li Weiyang’s head, shattering only her hairpiece, so her dark
tresses were suddenly flowing freely in the wind, and then falling slowly and smoothly like an
ebony stream of spring water, to her waist. The sight was so mesmerizing that it took the
crowd’s breath away. As she lifted her face away from her cloud of unbound hair, her gaze was
crystal cold and entrancing. Tuoba Yu gazed at her blankly, lost in the confusing beauty she had.
It was like a reflection of the moon on water; unrealistic, but impossibly attractive and hard to
look away.

Everyone forgot about Gao Min in that minute; they were dumbstruck by Li Weiyang.

Until Wei Guo Furen let out a heartrending wail, screaming as if she was torn apart and rushing
down from the viewing platform.

“Min Er!”

Many of them recovered their senses then, sprinting towards where Gao Min lay; however, she
had already lost consciousness, her blood seeping and spreading onto the ground. She looked
broken, like a ragdoll.

“Get the royal physician, quickly get him here!” Tuoba Zhen roared.

Li Weiyang suddenly screamed out, “Capture that man! This arrow came from him!”

Zuo Yuan had originally planned to make use of the chaos to escape the scene, but he froze on
the spot as everybody’s shocked gaze locked onto him. How could it be! In such a mere second,
how did Li Weiyang manage to dodge the arrow, and how did she know it was him! His blood
turned to ice in his veins; it was impossible!

Tuoba Yu took a single glance at him. An unexplainable emotion flitted across his eyes, and he
ordered coolly for him to be tied up.

Completely stunned, Zuo Yuan was surrounded by soldiers and pinned down to the ground!
The royal physician arrived swiftly, and after checking on Gao Min carefully, he announced:
“The arrow wound is not fatal, but as she was riding at such a fast speed, the impact of the fall
has broken her spine. I’m afraid that for the rest of her life…”

Wei Guo Furen screeched uncontrollably in a high pitch, rushing at Zuo Yuan like a mad woman
and clawing at his face with her sharp nails. Zuo Yuan was shouting in pain at her animalistic
fury, but as his hands and feet were bound tightly, he had no way to resist her. His face was
soon bloody and disfigured, but Wei Guo Furen did not stop her screams. “You return me my
daughter! Return her to me!”

Only Tuoba Yu approached Li Weiyang. “Are you alright?”

Li Weiyang watched the scene coolly. “That man, who is he?”

Tuoba Yu did not know how to reply her. His well sculpted face was lit up by the rays of the
afternoon sun, giving off a golden glow. In the midst of his brilliant visage, he looked
uncomfortable, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening. “He is one of mine.”

After saying that sentence, he felt extremely relieved. He could have chosen to lie to her, but
such an untruth would only let him feel guilty, so he’d rather be straightforward.

Li Weiyang’s gaze suddenly chilled him to his bones.

In that moment, Tuoba Yu felt like his heart had been frozen by her frosty stare.

He had known that there were ice shards in her heart; doubt, indifference, distance. He had
tried his best to understand her, but he could still feel that these feelings were stubbornly
enrooted in her; a bit of simple warmth couldn’t melt her so easily. Especially now, the sharp
look she gave him was freezing.

“I know that this incident had nothing to do with you, but you have to give me an explanation.
If anything like this happens again, I cannot guarantee you that the arrow will not be targeted
towards De Fei Niang Niang.” She might have sounded indifferent, but she made it extremely
clear that she would not grant any mercy on Tuoba Yu’s behalf. If they made her angry, she
could always give her information to others; Tuoba Yu need her help more than she needed
him. Did this mother and son pair misunderstand the situation?

“I will speak with Mu Fei2 and clear things up. This will not happen again.” Tuoba Yu looked
dejected.

Li Weiyang watched coolly as Zuo Yuan was escorted away. “I want him to pay with his life.”

Tuoba Yu could only nod. “I’ll bring you his head.”

“For those who dare to lay a finger on me, I won’t care if they’ll have to be torn apart.” Li
Weiyang blinked calmly.

Tuoba Yu was speechless, but finally nodded. “Of course.”

From one point of view, Li Weiyang was much crueller than him, but she was also very decisive
and ruthless towards enemies who wished her harm.

“How did you discover him just now?” It must have been hard to find him amongst the crowd.

“Zhaoyue, show Qi Dianxia your treasure.” Li Weiyang waved her forwards.

Zhaoyue had already rushed over to Li Weiyang earlier. As stony-faced as her mistress, she
flashed the bronze mirror hidden in her sleeves, and Tuoba Yu understood at once.

“I had asked Zhaoyue to pay attention to our surroundings, so when that person shot the
arrow, she signalled me.” Li Weiyang only gave him a simple explanation, but the details were
much more complicated. How did Zhaoyue discover Zuo Yuan, how to catch the best timing,
and how to pass on their pre-arranged signal; she did not bother with the specifics, but Tuoba
Yu knew it all.

It was merely a show.

Li Weiyang’s challenge to Gao Min was a sincere invitation to her own death.

“Why did you choose Gao Min?” Tuoba Yu wanted to know; because he understood that
athough Li Weiyang was ruthless, she wouldn’t prey on the innocent.

Li Weiyang smiled. “Somebody witnessed Wei Guo Furen and Gao Min constantly paying visits
to De Fei Niang Niang’s tent for the past few days. Seeing how much they care for me, shouldn’t
I repay them the same kindness? Imagine being bedridden for the rest of her life, such kind of
torture for Gao Min should be slightly better than death, isn’t it? Wei Guo Furen would be
pleased that she won’t die, at least, and I doubt she would let that man off easily too.”

Tuoba Zhen was watching them from afar, thinking that they were exchanging words of
intimacy as he wasn’t within hearing range. He saw Li Weiyang’s small smile, and even though it
was a cold smile, he couldn’t bear the jealously. Wrenching his head away, he shouted out:
“Quickly lift Gao Xiaojie up!”

Onlookers hurriedly went over to carry Gao Min, and some Xiaojies had fainted with fright, so
others also helped them up. In a daze, Sun Xiaojie remained where she was, lowering her head
down to look at her own hands. She had touched Gao Min just now, so her hands were filled
with fresh blood. Li Weiyang went to her side, hearing Sun Xiaojie mutter. “Blood, so much
blood…”

“Biao Jie must be severely injured.” Li Weiyang sounded concerned.

As she wiped away the blood on her hands with her scarf, Sun Xiaojie sighed. “I’m afraid that
she will never be able to stand for the rest of her life. Aiya, what a close shave, if that arrow had
hit you, it would have been fatal! I wonder who was such a blind fool, and to think that
accidental injuries like this happens every year!”

“Yes, Biao Jie is so pitiful.” Li Weiyang’s smile was tinged with sympathy and regret.

Because such accidents occurred every year, no one paid any special attention to what had
transpired in the day. Everyone just felt that Gao Min was plain unlucky. As for Zuo Yuan, his
offence towards Marquis Bo Chang caused him to be downgraded to a commoner, but his life
was to be spared until investigations were complete. However, it was as if he lost his mind; he
escaped from his holding area and ran out of the hunting grounds. The next day, he was found
torn to shreds by a black bear.

“Xiaojie, I suppose this would count as being drawn and quartered3.” Zhaoyue said.

Li Weiyang smiled. “It seems that Tuoba Yu is a man of his words.”

Zuo Yuan had attempted to kill her twice, so this was what he deserved. As for De Fei… Li
Weiyang had a small smile on her lips. She couldn’t make her move at this time, plus she had to
give in on Tuoba Yu’s behalf for now. But it did not mean that De Fei would not meet with any
troubles, because that simply wasn’t her style.

When Tuoba Zhen returned to his tent, it had already grown dark. Among the serving maids
who brought him his dinner was a girl whom he did not recognize; she had a pair of bright and
clear eyes. “Dianxia, please enjoy your meal.” She offered him dishes from a serving tray.

Tuoba Zhen glanced at her, and his gaze was fixed onto her beautiful eyes.

It was déjà vu; did he meet her before?

His eyes never left her face. “What is your name?”

A red flush crept up her pretty face, and she stammered. “Dianxia, Nubi is called Zhuo Er.”

Tuoba Zhen continued studying her, wordless.

He had instructed his trusted men to check on Li Weiyang, but they had mistaken his purpose.
They assumed that they had figured out his intentions, and had tried ways and means to
procure girls who had features resembling Li Weiyang to serve him.

Zhuo Er tried to please him; she put down the tray and demurely went to sit by Tuoba Zhen.
“Dianxia, please have your dinner.” As she sat down, she kept her eyes on an expensive jade
pendant hanging from his side. She was from the countryside, and did not know why she had
suddenly been brought here. Tuoba Zhen was handsome and admirable, plus, the way he
looked at her was especially different. All of these led to Zhuo Er thinking that she was about to
soar upward and onward to glory.

“You like me?” It was an out of character question, coming from Tuoba Zhen, who still had his
eyes fixed on her features.

Her blush deepened. “Dianxia is esteemed and outstanding, Nubi… admires you greatly.”

Such a similar face but spouting completely different words. Tuoba Zhen felt absurd, and he
didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He smiled warmly, taking off his jade pendant and
throwing it to Zhuo Er. “A gift for you.”

Zhuo Er was delighted beyond words, thanking him for his generosity.

“Dianxia, there are updates.” A man clad in black stepped into the tent.

As Zhuo Er curtseyed and left, the smile on Tuoba Zhen’s face faded and was replaced by a
killer’s expression. “We’ve let someone take the lead again.”

“Shu Xia4 is incapable.” He Tuo lowered his head in an apology.

“I had thought he let Zuo Yuan go on purpose to give him a second chance, but I never knew
that he would be so decisive. He used this chance to demonstrate his feelings to Li Weiyang;
exchanging a life for his own, how smart!” Tuoba Zhen laughed coldly, then sighed. “If only Zuo
Yuan had ended up in my clutches, I’d definitely have a way to get him to expose De Fei.” After
a moment of silence, he resumed his tirade. “Too bad we were a step too late.” He could have
had the chance to break apart Tuoba Yu and Li Weiyang’s relationship entirely; if Li Weiyang
heard with her own ears from Zuo Yuan, how he was instigated by De Fei, she would definitely
fallout with Tuoba Yu.

“Ten of my important subordinates were removed, Tuoba Yu is not simple at all.”

He Tuo kept his head lowered. “Dianxia, forgive Shu Xia exceeding my limits, but information
has been leaked yet again; I am afraid that there are spies in our midst, we should get rid of
them.”
“It seems like we have to investigate thoroughly.” Tuoba Zhen sighed deeply, frowning.

At this instant, He Tuo suddenly called out. “Who is it?!”

-------------------------------------------------

Translator: Jaslynn

Editor: Pending
-------------------------------------------------

Chapter 90: Praying Mantis stalks the cicada

19-5 represents the emperor, since in ancient times 9 represented honor (being the highest
odd, or 'yang', number) while 5 signified mediation and harmony since it is in the middle amony
the 'yang' numbers. When put together, 9 and 5 signify 'harmonic honor'.

2掌上明珠: pearl in the palm: similar meaning to “apple of someone’s eye”

3负荆请罪: bearing the rod and taking punishment: means to offer a humble apology

Afterward, he suddenly stood up, a sword against the neck of the person entering, Zhuo Er
paled: “Your Highness…. your maidservantonly forgot to take away the tea tray…”

She has just received Tuoba Zhen’s jade pendant, she was too ecstatic, that she forgot to
remove the tray. If she returned, of course, therewas no way for her to explain this to the
house steward. Seeing that Tuoba Zhen hadrelaxed, Zhuo Er breathed a sigh of relief,
Dianxiaseemedtolike her, therefore he wouldn’t do anything to her.However,in the next
moment, with a sweep of Tuoba Zhen’s hand, her head hadfallen off. Her expression still
showed shock, making the scene extremely terrifying.

“Take her away,” Tuoba Zhen glanced at the bloody floor and felt only disgust.
A reckless woman, actually wanted to compareherself toLi Wei Yang. Li Wei Yang did not attract
his attention merely because of her beauty, what he likedwas her distinctive personality and
cleverness;evenfor herdomineering fierceness, there was still a distinct flavour to it. In
comparison, Zhou Er just hastheshape butwithout hermind norherpersonality; she wasjust like
a doll. Tuoba Zhen’s gaze landed on theface thathadalready lost its vitality. SheresembledLi Wei
Yang, his gaze, like the slow sharpening tip of a sword, gradually developed a sharpedge. Right
now he has a strange hatred towards Li Wei Yang. What he hated her most, was that she dared
to look at other men. He became moreconsciousof the importance of power. He secretly
decided in his heart that when he ascended to the 9-51, even if he has to turn the world over, it
must be to his satisfaction.

When Li Wei Yang saw Wei Guo Furen, she was sitting in a daze before Gao Min’s bed.Then
when she turned around,she can see that her usual dignified, domineering, imposing manner
has disappeared completely. Hercheekbonesthatappeared high seemedgaunt at this time
andboth cheeksalso showed signs of slight sadness. That pair of eyes, thathadalways made Li
Wei Yang feeluncomfortablewith the arrogance in her eyes, were swollen from crying andthe
chaos in her pupil made it seem evenlarger. Unsure of whether itwas due to too much energy
being spent on her grief, her hair seemedto havegrownmore strands of white hair, andmatched
with her sullen face, it made her entire person seem even more dejected.

Li Wei Yang sighed.

This mother and daughter pair only had themselves to blame. She had already verifiedthat it
was the two of them who sowed discord in front ofConcubine Zhang De,
whichstirredConcubine Zhang Deinto taking actions to get rid of her. If they did not use such
despicable means to harm her, then they wouldn’t have fallen to this point.

Gao Min’s entire backbone had been broken, even if she is forced to survived, she couldonly
live the rest of her life on a bedfor this lifetime.Abeautiful future hadbeen ruined like this, for a
proud and arrogant Gao Min, it wasmore unbearable than death.

Sun Yan Jun, who came with Li Wei Yang, pushed her slightly, indicating that she should stand
behind her and then following Sun Yan Jun in, she spoke words of consolation: “Wei Guo Furen,
I know that you are very sad over Miss Gao’s accident, but you must also cherish your own
body!”

Wei Guo Furen was in a trance. Hearing her say this she wiped a tear;as if waking up from a
dream, shemurmured: “Poor Min Er.” Then suddenly she raised her head, staring fixedly at Li
Wei Yang, she said angrily: “Why are you here!”

In her eyes, Li Wei Yang is the enemy who harmed her daughter, she couldn’t wait to pounce
and tear her up, but seeing Zhao Yue with her cold expression,as she held her swordbehind Li
Wei Yang, Wei Guo Furen subconsciously stoppedinher pace.
Li Wei Yang said lightly: “Aunt, restrain your grief.”

Hearing those words, Wei Guo Furen’s immediately showed anger and said bitterly: “Li Wei
Yang, if it was not for you wanting to compete with Min Er, how could she has fallen to this
point, all of this is because of you…”

Sun Yan Jun looked at Wei Guo Furen with sympathy, in her opinion, this incident really doesn’t
have much to do with Li Wei Yang, if it wasn’t for Gao Min being overly aggressive, Li Wei Yang
would not have competed with her, besides, a person getting injured is an accident, just as she
was about to say something, Li Wei Yang said gently: “Miss Sun, I have a few words that I want
to speak withAunt alone, would you mind leaving us alone.”

Sun Yan Junis a decent and understanding girl, she thought Li Wei Yang wanted to apologize to
Wei Guo Furen, therefore she smiled and said: “Very well, I will go out first, later I will look for
you.” Havingwitnessed the plentiful facadesofofficials’ daughters, and beingborn of military
lineage, shegreatlyadmiresthe frankness, intelligenceand courage ofLi Wei Yang, and is
determined tobefriendher.

Finishing, Sun Yan Jun left the tent.

Wei Guo Furen suddenly felta moment of bleakness, her oldest sonwas dead, her younger son
is a good-for-nothing, her daughter is left with only half a life, her husband blamed her for
inciting her daughter into always seeking to prevail over others, perhaps at thismoment, he
even hates her. Her methods of treating the servants aremeaneven under normal
circumstances, aside from her own older sister, there is no one in the family that she can speak
to. In this not very cold night, facingLi Wei Yang whose facewas like water, she suddenly felta
bone piercing chill. Because she truly feltthat she has now become a loner.

“Are you here to laugh at me?” Seeing Li Wei Yang, Wei Guo Furen’s dismal mood felt like frost
on snow.

“Aunt, why would I laugh at you? Biaojie (older female cousin) becoming like this, I am also sad
for her.” Not only is Li Wei Yang not sadbut she also felt that Gao Min hadbrought it upon
herself, but now, she needed to continue: “I understandhow you are feeling, but there is one
thing that I must tell you, the incident that day was not an accident.”

Wei Guo Furen suddenly raised her head, her face changing drastically: “What did you say!”

Li Wei Yang sighed and said: “I originally did not want to mention this incident, because saying
it would implicate many people, but if I don’t say it, I would feel uneasy in my heart.”
“You hid it and not mention it is because you cannot say it? Or did you feel that I am incapable,
and cannot inquire about this incident?” Wei Guo Furen could feel somethingwas off and stared
fixedly at Li Wei Yang’s eyes, her gaze gradually sharpening.

Li Wei Yang with an hesitant look, opened her mouth to speak, but still hesitated for a moment:
“I also know that this incident cannot be hidden from you… but if I tell this to you, I’m afraid
that this will affect your relationship withConcubine Zhang De… since it caused thiskind of
consequences, even if I die, I cannot atone for that sin… but if I don’t tell you, I am also afraid
that you will be kept in the dark forever…”

Hearing this, Wei Guo Furen’s face suddenly changed, her voice also trembling, grasping the
armrest of the sandalwood chair as if she wanted to stand up, her sleeve gliding across the
tabletop, viciously bringing down the teacups: “What did you say? Have something to do
withConcubine Zhang De? What are you….trying to say?”

Li Wei Yang sighed and said: “Palaceaffairs arecomplicated, Concubine Zhang Deseems kind and
generous on the surface, but in reality she is a narrow-minded person! I heard that you have
constantly said bad things about me before her, therefore I was afraid, I asked Seventh Princeto
explain on my behalf, butSeventh Princecame back only to tell me, Concubine Zhang De feltthat
you are trying to sow discords into their mother and son relationship, and thusbecoming angry
with your actions. Aunt, you do know, Jiang Guo Gong Residence’s Er Jiujiu has an illegitimate
daughter that has entered the Crown Prince’s residence to become a Ce Fei (side consort),
Concubine Zhang Dehas easily connected other thoughts, she felt that therewas collusion
betweenJiang Guo Gong Residence and Bo Chang Hou Residence, while you meant well, to her,
it appeared you were trying to drive a wedge, therefore she was prepared to give us a lesson!
That day… just happened to be Biaojie’s bad luck!”

“What did you say!” This remarkwas just like a thundershock that shook apart Wei Guo Furen’s
soul. She wanted to staggered up, her body raising halfway before falling back down to the
chair, her face paling even more, her eyes dulling, shaking nonstop all over, that look as if her
soul hadsuddenly drained away.

These wordswere originally full of loopholes, but Li Wei Yang knew, saying these words right
now, Wei Guo Furen would definitely believe it, and what more, she will trust it completely. She
continued on: “Auntcan not believe me, but I hope that you will send someone to investigate
that Zuo Yuan’s background, as the deputy commander of the Imperial Army for many years,
outstanding martial arts and excellent archery, how could he miss a shot for no reason, as it
happens that he shot in our direction, this is clearly someone using his hands to warn us!”

“No! This is not possible!” Wei Guo Furen did not believe Li Wei Yang.
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: “Aunt, no matter howwe loathedeach otherbehind closed doors, in
the eyes of outsiders, Jiang Guo Residence, Bo Chang Residence, are all one family. Even though
you have said a lot of bad things about me in front ofConcubine Zhang De andit is not
harmonious between us, but the way others see it, we are related by marriage after all, no?
Concubine Zhang Dewouldhave feelthat you have other intentions to betrayme in order to gain
her trust, wanting to warn you a bit, is there anything strange about that?” She paused, then
glanced at the unconscious Gao Min and said: “What more, Gao Biaojie has always been getting
close toThird Prince, other people feel that in the future, she will become the imperial consort
of the Third Prince, if anything happened to her, naturally it is not a light blow toThird Prince,
Third Princeis the Crowned Prince’s people… naturally there are a lot of complex relationships
in the mist of this, alas, the bottom line is, Biaojie is just a scapegoat.”

Wei Guo Furen sat in her chair as if her soul was lost, her teeth biting her deathly pale lips
tightly: “What are you telling me these!”

Li Wei Yang smiled, shewas not afraid of Wei Guo Furen checking on this, because thiswas
indeeddone byConcubine Zhang De. Right now all shewas doingwas just telling this fact to Wei
Guo Furen, “Because I am also a victim, that day I was walking the horse withNinth Princess,
then someoneused a tamed eagle to scare the horses, I almost died under the horse’s hoof. The
culprit behind this not only wantedto kill Biaojie, but also wanted to raise internal fighting
amongst us, tell me Yimu, would my hate be any less than yours?”

“What raise internal fighting? I don’t understand!” Wei Guo Furen opened her eyes wide.

A layer of regret arose on Li Wei Yang’s face: “The reason why Biaojie racedherhorse with me
merely stemmed froma girl’s desire to excel over others, we do not have any deep-rooted
hatred, but in the eyes of other, I have became the culprit who caused Biaojie to be injured. As
a result, Uncle would not say it, but in his heart, there is already a grudge against Father, in the
imperial court, our families have always been supporting each other, now if we have a fallout,
our power will be weakened. If at this time, someone exploits the situation, it is not impossible
forboth families becoming opposing enemies, making it easier to take out the enemies one by
one.”

“Ah…” Wei Guo Furen awakened as if from a dream, now her anger has gradually calmed down,
she only sighed deeply, looking dejected as if her entire body is emptied of strength: “You
should go back, go back and do not talk to anyone.”

Li Wei Yang smiled lightly and said: “Aunt, you should take a rest, I will leave first.”

Wei Guo Furen gritted her teeth, looking at her back, and spat heavily towards the ground,
beside Wei Guo Furen, her confidante Liu Mama, said: “Furen, Xianzhu is trying to sow discord.”

Wei Guo Furen slowly leaned back against the chair, her gaze like dying embers, staring at the
top of the tent, holding her hand in a fist forcefully, her nails piercing into flesh: “She is trying to
sow discord, but what she said is a fact, at least in regards to the real person who harmed my
daughter, she did not lied. That arrow is definitely arranged byConsort Wu Xian!”

Therewas no reason for Li Wei Yang to lie about this point, because if at that moment, it would
be absolutely impossible for her to escape if she did not dodge quickly. What more, the scene
at that time, both of the girls’ horses were racing neck to neck, regardless of whether the other
partywas trying to kill Li Wei Yang or Gao Min, both of them have entered into danger together!
Wei Guo Furen only thought that Li Wei Yang was lucky but never thought that she was already
prepared for this, after all, who in this world would risk their own life? Even more impossible to
devise such terrifying trap! She resented Li Wei Yang, but loathedConcubine Zhang Deeven
more, they originally wanted to borrow her hand to get rid of Li Wei Yang, instead were harmed
by the killer sent by her!

Li Wei Yang came out of Wei Guo Furen’s tent, looked back and couldn’t helpbut smile slightly.

Zhao Yue felt it was weird: “Xiaojie, why did you do this?”

Li Wei Yang smiled and did not answer.

On the last day of hunting, the white wolf was captured by Seventh Prince, the Emperor was
happy and held a banquet to celebrate.

This was originally a harmonious banquet, but chaos came out of the banquet. Apalace maid
was actually an assassin that snuck in, in attempt to assassinate the Emperor, however, the
royal palace hadalready assigned experts to personally protect the Emperor and the important
concubines. That palacemaid hadjust pulled a knife from the tray and
wasimmediatelydiscovered by someone before she hadthe chance to take action and was
captured on the spot. The Emperor ordered an interrogation, that palace maid slitted her own
neck and died from suicide.

The Emperor was enraged and ordered someone to search the body. The resultwas that an
imperial passwas discovered on the palace maid’s body. Upon checking theimperial pass, it
actually came fromConcubine Zhang De’s palace.

At that moment, everyone’s faces changed.

Concubine Zhang Dehadalways been favoured by the Emperor, still standing to this day, but this
time the Emperor was furious, taking the imperial pass andthrew it hard: “Concubine Zhang De,
you have done a good job!”

Concubine Zhang De’s face suddenly became pale, she hasbeen in the palace for a long time,
shewas already used to these kind of matters, but she has never seen the Emperor being this
furious before, that she fell straight to the ground from fright of this sudden mishap. She forgot
her intelligence and quick wits andknowing how to explain herself, cried loudly: “Your
concubinehas been wronged! His Majesty, your concubinehas been wronged!”

Li Wei Yang watched from afar, a trace of smile appeared on her face.

Concubine Zhang De’s facewas full of tears and kept saying: “His Majesty’s great kindness is
deep, how couldyour concubineplot against His Majesty?!”

The Emperor has experienced many changes in the palace, often falling prey to others’
machinations since childhood, thatwhathe loathed and feared mostwere these underhand
methods. Without thinking carefully in his fury, he shouted: “TakeConcubine Zhang Deaway, to
be dealt with.” Once the words came out, everyone was shocked.

“Imperial Father---” Tuoba Yu quickly stepped out, then suddenly thought, no matter what, now
is not the place or time for him to anger the Emperor. Even if he wanted to address the injustice
for hisImperial Mother, he still has to wait until the Emperor’s thunderous fury disappeared, no
matter what is said now, he would not listen!

“Concubine Zhang Dehas definitely been wronged!” In the midst of this discussion, suddenly a
childish voice spoke.

The crowd was taken aback, all looking atNinth Princess,

OriginallyNinth Princesshas deliberately went to sit with Li Wei Yang, now she rose from her
seat and quickly stepped out, kneeled on the ground, bowed a couple of time and said:
“Imperial Father must not decide the sins ofConcubine Zhang Debased on a single imperial
pass.”

Concubine Rou suddenly stood up: “His Majesty, Ninth Princessis still a child, she does not
understand anything!”

Ninth Princesssaid courageously: “Imperial Father, there are a lot of people here, how hard is it
to get an imperialpass? If this imperial pass is really from Concubine Zhang De’s palace, why
would she let that person wear it, is she notafraid that other peoplewould know? This is a set
up!”

Everyone lowered their head, of course they could see that this is a set up, however in front of
the Emperor’s fury, no one dare to say a word of defense forConcubine Zhang De.

The Emperor looked at his favourite little daughter in surprise, shewas not particularly close
toConcubine Zhang De, but today she suddenly came out to speak up for Concubine Zhang
De.Thinking about it, the relationship betweenConcubine RouandConcubine Zhang Dewas not
on good terms, butNinth Princessdid not avoid it, in the endsheis still a child--- it is because she
is a child, therefore she dared to say what others do not dare to, even the fact that the Emperor
did not think of in hismoments offury, she actually dared to say it in public.

Thinking of it carefully, the evidencewere here;such clever and wise Emperor, because
Concubine Zhang Dewas respected and dear to him, thereforehe wasunable to take such blow,
especially when angered. If he wrongedConcubine Zhang Dedue to such simple set up, even if
he made up for it in the future, a rift will still remain, especially between husband and wife,
between father and son. Having thoughtoverthis, he looked at the earnest gaze ofSeventh
Princewhois watchingConcubine Zhang Desilently, his face calming down.

Concubine Wu Xian who has been silent this whole time suddenly opened her mouth: “Yes, His
Majesty, this is someone who is jealous thatConcubine Zhang Dehasreceived His Majesty’s
favor, therefore they deliberately framed her, you must investigate carefully, to ensure you did
not wrongConcubine Zhang De.”

Concubine Zhang Dechoked with tears, she threw herself in front of the emperor crying, both
hands seizing the bottom of his gown and begged bitterly: “His Majesty, your concubinewould
never dare to do anything that would harm His Majesty!”

The emperor has already understood everything, but feeling that he is at an awkward place, he
went withConcubine Wu Xian’s words to get out of the awkward situation: “You should
rise, zhen(emperor addressing himself in first person)knows. You should return and
rest, zhen will give you justice.” Then, turning to face the crowd: “The banquet cannot continue
on, everyone should disperse.”

Seventh Prince, Tuoba Zhenwas really disappointed, he really hoped forConcubine Zhang De's
downfall, although it seemedlike this poorly thought out plan couldn't shakethe concubine’s
position, but as long as a seed of suspicionwas planted in the emperor’s heart andand roots had
formed, ata certain point of time, it will play a significant role, only for it to be destroyed like
this today. He glanced at Ninth Princessgrudgingly, only to find that she is chatting happily to Li
Wei Yang.

It was Li Wei Yang who taughtNinth Princessto say those words! Tuoba Zhenwas the firstoneto
understand! His fingers, unconsciously tightened even more, almost drawing out blood.

-------------------------------------------------

Translator: Angela

Editor: Erica

-------------------------------------------------
Chapter 90: Praying Mantis Stalk the Cicada

Ninth Princess whispered: “Wei Yang Jiejie, who do you think has sent the assassin?”

Li Wei Yang just smiled without answering.

Just at this time, Tuoba Yu came over, he suddenly asked: “Why?”

Li Wei Yang answered: “Ninth Princess, I have something to say to your seventh brother.”

Ninth Princess blinked her eyes mischievously, “Okay.” After saying this, she lifted her skirt and
ran away.

Tuoba Yu’s gaze contained a trace of disbelief: “It was Wei Guo Furen, just now I saw her
expression, that moment---” When Concubine Zhang De was pardoned by the emperor, Wei
Guo Furen’s disappointment, was all seen by Tuoba Yu.

Li Wei Yang laughed: “Wei Guo Furen just knew the truth.”

“She originally did not know this, aside from you, aside from me---” Tuoba Yu clenched his
teeth, “How could you do this!” He almost could not hold back from shouting, but he did his
utmost to restrain his emotions: “She is my imperial mother! You are obviously on my side!”

Li Wei Yang laughed, a trace of coldness flashed across her eyes: “What if I was really killed by
her?! How would Seventh Prince compensate this life of mine! Could it be that because she is
your imperial mother, therefore I must be patient with her and let her kill me?!”

Tuoba Yu was aware that he was in the wrong, but still refused to give up: “But I already said it,
I will explain to mother---”

“Explain? Is explaining any use?” Li Wei Yang said lightly, “I don’t want an explanation! I want
justice!”

“I already told imperial mother, she promised not to harm you again!”

“Promise?!” Li Wei Yang sneered, “Seventh Prince, your mother’s promise, pardon me for not
being able to believe it.” If promises are of use, why would Zhao Yue find there are still people
monitoring around the outside of her tent or that even someone would let poisonous snakes
into the tent.
This showed that the concubine never actually gave up! She didn’t know how Tuoba Yu
explained it, but Concubine Zhang De’s stubbornness was definitely abnormal!

There was pain in Tuoba Yu’s eyes, he felt like he was living between two cracks, this feeling
caused him to not know how to explain to Li Wei Yang. Imperial Mother thought that Li Wei
Yang was not suitable to be his main consort, thus doing such terrible things, he said lightly:
“Wei Yang, the things that my mother did cannot hurt you, you are smart and powerful---”

Li Wei Yang suddenly laughed continuously, unable to stop.

Because she is clever, because she is strong, other people can frame her to their heart’s
content? Take her for a fool?! Her face becoming cold, her voice like ice: “Seventh Prince, if I
was not capable, then I deserve to die?!”

Tuoba Yu almost lost his voice, he knew that these things cannot hurt Li Wei Yang, therefore
taking it lightly--- In the end, he was too confident in Li Wei Yang’s strength and cleverness, that
he had forgotten that she is also a person who can get hurt and bleed, and what’s more, she is
also a weak woman. For a moment, he felt an incomparable regret, it was all due to her giving
him such a strong impression of her before, therefore he was left with the wrong idea, thinking
that she could handle everything, involuntarily he stepped up: “Wei Yang, I’m sorry, I promise
you again---”

“No need topromise! If this happens again, I cannot guarantee that Concubine Zhang De can
continue to sit safely in that position!” Li Wei Yang scoffed coldly, “I am a soft stone, but my life
is very hard, Concubine wants to kill me, she must be wary of having one’s head bashed and
battered!”

Tuoba Yu looked at her deeply: “Even though you spoke so viciously, however I know that you
are a kind-hearted person, you did not intend to kill my mother, otherwise you would not have
let ninth sister say those words, Imperial Father will not believe any other words spoken by
anyone else, you understand Imperial Father’s thoughts more than I do.”

Only the words of a princess with no conflict of interest, a weak naive child, one who is favored
by the Emperor like a pearl in his palm, the Emperor would believe2.

Emperors are suspicious. Therefore everything that happened today, are all calculated by Li Wei
Yang.

Li Wei Yang turned her face, the fire glimmering in the distance casting shadows on her face,
her voice normal, so normal to the point that no one realized that she had a weariness that was
never there before: “What do I, it is also for Qi Dianxia, your own good.”

Tuoba Yu looked at her in surprise.

Li Wei Yang continued: “Today’s incident, on the surface, Concubine Zhang De appeared to
have been reprimanded by His Majesty, but His Majesty already knows that he has wronged
her, while thinking deeply about the assassination attempt, His Majesty would think that
someone is envious of you, therefore would framed the always placid Concubine Zhang De, say,
who would think of you as a threat and cannot help but reach out to exterminate you?”

“You purposely chose Wei Guo Furen??” Tuoba Yu looked at her in disbelief.

“Exactly, Wei Guo Furen’s second brother, also my second maternal uncle in name, has an
illegitimate daughter who had entered the Crown Prince’s house.” Li Wei Yang said smilingly,
“Watch, His Majesty will definitely feel that the Crown Prince has the intention to frame you,
from today onwards, not only will he be more wary of him, he will also protect and think highly
of you, to make up for what he owes you and Concubine Zhang De.”

Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang, her every steps and move are very malicious, a complex feeling
arising in his heart, for a moment, he felt a burst of cold.

The emperor ordered a thorough investigation of this matter, while there was no issue with the
identity and origin of that palace maid, she had never interacted overly much with people in the
palace for many years and it was apparent that she had been placed there for many years. To
use this kind of person, it was obvious that they wanted to drive Concubine Zhang De to the
brink of death. However, the order of the Emperor was not a joke, finally, someone had spoken
the truth and revealed that Wei Guo Furen had been in secret contact with this maid. As a
result, Wei Guo Furen became the most suspected person, but when the imperial guards
arrived at Wei Guo Furen’s tent, they discovered her fully dressed up and had swallowed gold
to commit suicide. Marquis of Bo Chang was greatly shocked, thrice kneeling and bowing nine
times to ask the Emperor for bearing the rod and taking the punishment3, but the Emperor still
decided to execute the entire family, upon hearing this new, Li Xiao Ran immediately went to
the Emperor to plead for leniency as well as trying to prove that this incident had nothing to do
with Marquis of Bo Chang, but in the end the Emperor still took his rank, demoted him to a
commoner and exiled him to the desolated He Zhou. When the news came out, the entire court
was shaken.

When arriving, Wei Guo Furen was sitting high on a carriage, yet now she was dragged off by a
broken mat. Gao Min’s arrogant appearance on horse riding still seemed to be here, but now
she could only lie in the carriage and leave for He Zhou with her father.

Li Wei Yang watched from afar, an unknown indifference flowing through her eyes.

“It’s really such a pity, originally it was all fine.” Without knowing when, Sun Yan Jun had come
over to her side, “If it was known that it would lead to so many incidents, it would have been
better to not participate in this hunt.”
First, it was the Ninth Princess receiving a fright while riding a horse, then it was Gao Min
accidentally being injured, followed by Concubine Zhang De getting framed and later
discovering that the culprit behind the plotting was Wei Guo furen, and finally ended with Wei
Guo Furen committing suicide. All of the entire events seemed to be interlocking, all closely
linked, but Sun Yan Jun would have never thought that everything was closely tied to this
seemingly ordinary girl in front of her.

Li Wei Yang answered: “Sun Xiaojie really has a kind heart. But many things have already been
destined to happen. Since Wei Guo furen committed such a malevolent crime, then she must
have foreseen her ending today.”

Sun Yan Jun nodded and said: “Wei Guo furen definitely shouldn’t have frame Concubine Zhang
De. I’ve heard from others that Wei Guo furen has a niece who is a side consort of the Crowned
Prince. So everyone is saying Wei Guo furen was instructed by the Crowned Prince to frame
Concubine Zhang De and the real purpose behind this is to make His Majesty estrange Seventh
Princess!” She was whispering in a low voice as if she was afraid others would hear her.

Li Wei Yang calmly smiled: “Oh, Sun Xiaojie believes in the rumors too?”

“This is not a rumor, everyone knows that Wei Guo furen’s eldest son Gao Yuan, who was the
Crowned Prince’s study partner, had lost his life because of the Crowned Prince so she was
conferred a title. Moreover, Duke Jiang’s first and second household continuously birthed five
sons without any daughters. In order to draw their alliance, the Crowned Prince married a girl
born from a concubine and since her status wasn’t high, she was only given the position of a
side consort. If she didn’t do this for the Crowned Prince, then why would Wei Guo furen want
to harm Concubine Zhang De. One, there is no animosity and two, there is no clash of conflicts
between them ---” Sun Yan Jun casually told Li Wei Yang the analysis of General Sun.

Li Wei Yang’s face exposed a slight astonishment: “Is it really like this?”

Sun Yan Jun expressed sympathy: “You should be wary of others, but you all don’t have much
to worry about. Your father does not participate in any of the power struggles between the
princes. Let’s consider this a fortunate misfortune.”

Did not participate? This was merely an impression; Li Xiao Ran was basically holding back and
waiting for the right time to reap the most profits. The only problem was his dream of seeing
her daughter become the queen had already been shattered so he didn’t know what steps to
take next.

“Because His Majesty had wronged Concubine Zhang De, he had been pacifying her! And I’ve
also heard that Seventh Prince captured a white wolf so he was rewarded heavily ….” Sun Yan
Jun continued to speak as Li Wei Yang’s gaze followed the Marquis of Bo Chang’s carriage,
unsure of what she was thinking about.

This hunting event had finally ended. She gracefully declined Sun Yan Jun’s invitation and Li Wei
Yang returned back to the Prime Minister’s residence.

After returning to her room, Li Wei Yang ordered everyone to leave. At this moment, seeing no
one else here, she didn’t have to work hard to be strong, she can be weak without worries, and
she didn’t have to be as courageous as she was.

Tuoba Yu said: “I felt that you are strong enough to face everything.” At that point, how did she
respond to him? Li Wei Yang couldn’t remember, she only felt extremely angry at that moment,
very furious. Even if she saw him as an ally, she had at least invested a little of her feelings. She
thought they could be soulmates and friends who would work together for the same goal. But
with Tuoba Yu saying this to her, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

She was, of course, very strong, but she wasn’t strong enough that she could dealt with all
situations of danger. And especially when confronted by death, she was more frightened than
anyone else. In her dreams day and night, she was always in the desolated cold palace. At
times, she would even dream of her body crawling with lice. This kind of terror, no one had
experienced before so no one would be able to understand. Tuoba Yu thought she was strong
and had nothing to fear. In actuality, it was the exact opposite; it was because she is afraid,
frightened that if she became weaker, she would be toppled. That was the main reason why
she would eliminate every obstacle at all costs.

She knew that sharp arrow would pierce through Gao Min but she still invited her.

She knew Wei Guo furen would do whatever she could to frame Concubine Zhang De but she
still told her who was the mastermind behind the incident.

Li Wei Yang was a cold-hearted woman.

She was thinking of this as she buried her face in the pillow.

It had a scent of sunlight and fresh grass, which was entirely different from the scent of poison
and blood in her dream.

“Open your mouth!”

Suddenly, a voice was heard from the side of the bed.

Li Wei Yang was startled. She lifted her gaze and saw Li Min De holding his head in one hand
and pinching something in his other hand as he watched her.
Li Wei Yang let out a smile: “What is that?”

“Lotus balls.” Li Min De answered directly, “Don’t you like to eat this?”

Li Wei Yang often ate the sweets from the Jade Pavilion but now she didn’t really have an
appetite.

Li Min De couldn’t help but frown. He threw away the molded flour and said: “Then what do
you want to eat?”

“I don’t want to eat anything!” Li Wei Yang seldom feels impatient and she had instructed
everyone to leave her and not let anyone enter. How could Zhao Yue let this youngster come
in?

It was as if Min De had entered a room without the presence of anyone.

After a long while, Li Wei Yang couldn’t hear him speak anyone. She opened her eyes and
discovered that the young boy had drooped his head. She wasn’t able to fully see his expression
but could notice an aura of sadness lingering in the air. Instead of thinking he was upset to see
Li Wei Yang who had always been gentle was able to become this annoyed, it was better to
think that his feelings stemmed from her unexplained reason of reprimanding him!

“Oh, I didn’t do it on purpose, Min De, I am just not feeling well.” Li Wei Yang sighed, she sat up
and consoled him.

Li Min De glanced up and blinked his eyes as if he was wronged. His gentle expressions made
her involuntarily felt that she had committed a grave sin.

Li Wei Yang couldn’t stand this innocent expression and said: “Okay, okay, okay, I’m sorry.”

“Did you encounter something unhappy during this trip?” Li Min De asked.

Li Wei Yang stopped for a moment to think and said: “I’ve caused the deaths of a few people, I
feel a little discontent in the heart.”

“Survival of the fittest, the weak serves as the prey to the strong, these are the words you
taught me.” The young boy lifted his head and locked his gaze with hers.

Li Wei Yang was stunned, all of her actions were exactly like this. If she didn’t kill, she would be
killed. She didn’t want to spend time grieving but seeing Wei Guo furen’s pain over her
daughter’s incident, she could imagine Qi Yiniang (her mother) ……. She dropped her glance,
“You are right ……”
He suddenly thought of something, his face sunk, “Did someone anger you?” After saying this,
he immediately became regretful. He tested the waters by reaching out his hand and when he
was about to lift her face, a cold droplet of tear unexpectedly landed on his palm. It was
indubitably icy cold, but the young boy’s heart felt as if it had been burnt, causing a piercing
pain.

Li Wei Yang lifted her head, her eyes didn’t have any trace of tears, making it seem like the tear
in his palm was a mere delusion. She smiled and at the young boy who didn’t know what to do
with his hands, she said: “You …….”

Now, the person who she could completely trust only remains him.

If she could, she wished he would never change.

“I won’t let anyone bully you.” He reached and caressed her soft hair.

Li Wei Yang was stunned and she smiled. At this moment, she thought he was simply joking, but
she finds out afterward that she was wrong.

This day, Zhao Nan quickly rode his horse to the Li residence.

Zhao Nan rushed in front of Li Wei Yang and kneeled to report: “Xiaojie, your servant has failed
you and didn’t succeed.”

Li Wei Yang glanced at him and saw the blood on his shoulder. She immediately understood
what happened and softly said: “Are your injuries severe?”

Zhao Nan lowered his head, he was very ashamed and self-condemned, “Your servant is fine.”

Li Wei Yang told the astonished Zhao Yue: “Go help your brother wrap up his wound.”

Zhao Nan injured his shoulder and a long sword had slit his chest, leaving a wound half a foot
long. Terrified, Zhao Yue couldn’t believe it: “Brother, who has the capability to inflict such an
injury on you.”

Zhao Nan shook his head; he almost could have bought back Li Min Feng’s head. Unfortunately
--- there had to be a group of people that appeared and the old leading them was a young man.
Zhao Nan proudly deemed himself highly skilled in martial arts, so who would have expected
him to suffer from such injuries. Those people wielded long swords, allowing them to easily
triumph over him and in the end, took Li Min Feng away from his hands ……. He must also
blame himself, he didn’t expect his opponents to be this powerful!
Li Wei Yang listened to his words and coldly laughed: “They are no doubt people of the Jiang
family.”

Li Min De had been listening on the side, he gently raised his brows and said: “Jiang family?” He
thought it was odd, why was Li Wei Yang this certain that the people who saved Li Min Feng
were from the Jiang family?

Li Wei Yang nodded and smilingly said: “Min De, Da furen’s two older brothers have a total of
five sons. Each has its own talent, unlike ordinary people!”

Li Min De smiled: “This I’ve actually heard of before, it’s only that --- all of the Jiang’s men are
assigned to the borders, how could they appear here?”

Li Wei Yang calmly said: “Yes, they should be protecting the borders, yet they’ve left their posts.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any evidence or else this would be a death penalty for the
Jiangs.” She raised her teacup and gently took a sip: “Zhao Nan, you’ve lost to the Jiang’s, that is
not embarrassing at all. You must know that the Jiang’s most important is not their family origin
or their standing, but it is their five extremely talented sons. They won’t watch Li Min Feng die
and therefore would save him at all costs. I just didn’t expect them to receive the news this
quickly. But this means they will find out what I have done and very soon, they will seek me out
to settle this.”

-------------------------------------------------

Translator: Angela

Editor: Erica

-------------------------------------------------

Chapter 91: Life Lost

Mìng sàng huángquán (Life Lost in Yellow Spring) — Idiom for dying; Huang Quan is literally
yellow spring, and is one of the rivers of the underworld, so it’s a reference to losing your life.
Guogong — Title is the equivalent of a Grand Duke
Three parts — When asked for a vote of confidence, one responds with parts out of ten, so like
on a scale from 1-10; three out of ten parts is not even half, so not very confident
 Wàizǔmǔ — maternal grandmother
Gūmǔ — refers to father’s sister or paternal aunt, it is the latter in this case
玉兰 yùlán — Michelia, part of the magnolia family and sometimes mistaken for the magnolia
“Not quite. Without the Emperor’s Imperial edict, it’s impossible for them to return to the
Capital.” Li Min De smiled.
Li Wei Yang agreed: “Indeed. Unless the Emperor gives the order, the members of the Jiang
family cannot return. Otherwise, it would be considered treason.”
The Guogong of the Jiang family was perhaps their strongest support. The Emperor respected
him and would not shake a pillar of the kingdom unless evidence was uncovered. A glass that is
already full will overflow. The Jiang family might be burning brightly now, but a fire with oil
added to it becomes rather volatile. Who is to say they will always enjoy everlasting wealth and
glory?
Li Min De nodded: “But it isn’t wise to provoke them. Sanjie, have you thought of a
countermeasure yet?”
Li Wei Yang stood up and looked at the green banana leaves outside and murmured: “Having
stabbed the hornet’s nest, one must have made preparations.”
Zhao Nan groaned. Zhao Yue softly scolded him: “Ge, you really were careless.”
Zhao Nan laughed aloud.
Li Wei Yang turned back, saw the two siblings and smiled: “Zhao Nan, if you fought one-on-one
with that person, how confident would you be in your abilities?”
Zhao Nan pondered over it for a bit then said: “Three parts.”
Li Wei Yang nodded: “Men of the Jiang family are truly extraordinary…”
Li Min De scoffed coldly: “Unfortunately, their women are useless, like the narrow-minded Da
Furen, and the foolish and selfish Wei Guo Furen. Look how they ended up.”
Li Wei Yang laughed: “Every generation of the Jiang family is like that. Even if their son or the
bride was exceptional, their daughters are spoiled and left undisciplined.”
The Jiang family sheltered and indulged their daughters in every way, and when they are of age,
they are married into respectable households. On the other hand, they raised their sons under
strict supervision. From a young age, they would be sent into the military then to the
battlegrounds, where they obtained many medals of honors. It was their hard work that
allowed the women of the Jiang family to bask in prestige and honor. For that reason, everyone
wished to become a woman in the Jiang family.
Bai Zhi hastily came in to report: “Xiaojie, Lao Furen of the Jiang family came.”
Oh? Li Wei Yang and Li Min De looked at one another. Wei Guo Furen had unexpectedly died,
Jiang Guogong Furen had sent people to invite Da Furen over several times, but Da Furen was
ill, unable to comprehend anything. She could not come over, and that made Jiang Furen
suspicious.
That old woman was more capable than the average person. Li Wei Yang contemplated over
this before quietly saying: “Does Lao Furen know?”
“Lao Furen has personally gone to greet her and ordered all the Xiaojies and Yiniangs to go to
the main hall and wait.”
Li Wei Yang nodded: “Since Waizumu has come, this is to be expected.”
The way she said “Waizumu” through clenched teeth caught Li Min De’s attention.
Not long after, Jiang Guogong Furen Lin shi arrived. Despite her silver hair, she bore a great
resemblance to Da Furen but with a higher forehead and larger eyes. One could vaguely tell
that she used to be very beautiful. When she gently lifted the cup of tea, the refined and
extravagant, floral designs on her sleeves were revealed.
A beautiful Furen about twenty five or twenty six years old with delicate eyebrows was by her
side. Her hair was in a high updo with a hairpin adorned with large pearls. She wore an
embroidered, peacock blue brocade garment and a silk white skirt the color of snow. She
seemed like a young beauty, clever and sharp. Li Wei Yang immediately recognized her. This
woman was the zhang nu of the scholar of the Han institution, Han shi, and also the wife of the
eldest son of the Jiang family.
Han shi played a part in helping Li Chang Le become Empress. To this day, Li Wei Yang still
remembered the first thing Han shi said to her: “Meimei, you are not gumu’s flesh and blood,
but I feel very close to you. From now on, think of me as your sister-in-law, our families will be
as close as hand and feet.” She felt that these words were somewhat sincere, but later on, she
realized she had been too hopeful for affection, so she treasured others’ pleasant but empty
words.
In the end, faced a fate like that, she only had herself to blame.
Li Wei Yang stood outside the door, smiling, then went in.
Guogong Furen Lin shi saw Li Wei Yang from afar and noticed her light-colored clothes, willowy
silhouette and soft footsteps. Her eyes and lips were graced with a smile. She did not have an
outstanding appearance, but her gentle smile and elegant eyebrows reflected her sincerity and
innocence like a proud, white michelia branch.
Lin shi recognized Li Wei Yang’s strengths. A woman like her did not have Li Chang Le’s
enthralling beauty, but she knew how to hide her abilities and cleverness, seemingly pure and
plain yet able to stand out and unexpectedly captivated the entire room.
Li Wei Yang met Lin shi’s gaze, which had been appraising her, naturally smiled and sincerely
said: “Wei Yang greets Waizumu, Da Biao Sao.”
Li shi only looked at her. Han shi cleverly took initiative and approached her. She held onto Li
Wei Yang’s arm as she carefully eyed her from head to toe: “San biaomei is lovely, pure and
gentle, well-mannered indeed.” The first time she heard of her, Li Wei Yang was a girl who grew
up in the countryside.
She quickly formed the impression of a girl with a crude appearance and mannerisms. Later on,
she heard Li Wei Yang was awarded by the Emperor. She vaguely felt that this was a woman
who had a crude exterior and behave no differently from a man. Who would have thought Li
Wei Yang would have an unassuming, modest charm?
In typical aristocratic households, there are shu nu that do not marry yet do not change the
dynamics of the family. It was all the same. Even if they had someone who loved them, there
was not much that could be done without the status of zhang nu. Their future marriages boiled
down to three choices. At the very worst, they would be married to a scholar as the official
wife. If they were more fortunate, they could marry a widowed eldest son of a prestigious
noble family to be the second wife.
Of course, this was for shu nu in most noble households. Given the Li family’s status, shu nu had
better prospects and could at least be used to win over Huangzi. In the past, Lin shi had advised
Da Furen on this, so she would not neglect to manage and discipline the shu nu. In the future,
they could be used as stones to pave the way to the Imperial family. Da Furen heeded these
words and carefully raised Si Xiaojie and Wu Xiaojie. Since she needed stones to pave the road,
she also brought back San Xiaojie, who was said to be weak and ordinary. Lin shi did not think
that this girl from Pingcheng would be a calamity.
Lin shi cast Li Wei Yang a cold glance and just nodded, not saying a word.
At this time, Lao Furen smiled and said: “In-law Furen, it has been a while since you’ve visited.”
Lin Furen heaved a long sigh: “There is a funeral at home, so visiting is not convenient.”
There seemed to be some regret on Lao Furen’s face, but her eyes were still kind: “Ai, I am
aware of Wei Guo Furen’s matter, but my health has not been as good recently. I could not
personally come and offer my condolences.”
A cold gleam crossed Lin shi’s eyes, her lips were pursed as if she were smiling: “That child was
not very sensible and caused a great disaster. Thanks to son-in-law, the Jiang family was not
implicated. Thank you for concern, my old bones can still hold up.”
Li Wei Yang heard this and remained silent. It was true that if it weren’t for Li Xiao Ran’s plead,
Bixia would have persecuted the Jiang family. Although it was just a front. The Jiang family had
considerable military authority, would the Emperor truly create trouble for them? Wei Guo
Furen had died, and everything had been made clear. Of course, there may be other details that
no one was aware of.
Han shi quietly stood off to the side, looking at Li Wei Yang across from her. Behind Li Wei Yang,
the faded gold of sunlight shone in through the window, Li Wei Yang still had a gentle smile,
kind and amiable. Underneath it was a hidden hostility and vehemence that would terrify
others, but it was as if she was carefully listening to the conversation over there, although her
mind had soon drifted elsewhere.
Han shi was unhappy to find that she could not see through a xiao guniang’s intentions. This
had never happened before!
Lin shi looked around as if realizing something: “Why don’t I see Rou er?” She affectionately
called Da Furen Rou er. Li Wei Yang faintly smiled. She obviously noticed Da Furen had not
come but only chose to mention it now. She was truly a sly old fox.
“In-law Furen, daughter-in-law’s health is not well. A few days ago, Wei Guo Furen was met
with misfortune, and she struggled to get up and go visit. Unfortunately, she had not boarded
the carriage before falling down and had to send a messenger to inform the Guogong
residence. If you wish to visit, I will have her come—” Deep down, Lao Furen did not want
mother and daughter to meet, but seeing Jiang Guogong Furen set aside her pride to come
here, not letting them see each other was unreasonable.
“No need!” Lin shi said, stopping the Yatous who were about to go and get Da Furen, “Let me
finish my tea, then I will go and see her myself!” She lifted the white porcelain cup of
chrysanthemum tea and slowly sipped, not too quickly nor slowly. The porcelain lid touched the
cup, making a small sound, leaving everyone else in silence.
Er Furen sat beside her the whole time. She was left to manage household affairs and could
gloat over Da Furen’s misery, only - when she saw Jiang Guogong Furen, for some reason, her
heart pounded with unease of a foreboding omen.
This Guogong Furen seemed more difficult to deal with that Da Furen herself!
Guogong Furen took her time finishing her tea. Everyone restlessly watched, especially Si
Yiniang, who almost tore her handkerchief to pieces. She looked as if she would faint. Anyone
could recognize her fear because she had been disrespectful towards Da Furen recently and
seeing Guogong Furen made her realize the consequences of her actions. She took a few steps
back. Li Chang Xiao rushed over to support her, and they quietly left.
Lao Furen shot a cold look in Si Yiniang’s direction, displeased.
Amidst the silence, only Li Wei Yang was unfazed. It was as if she did not see or hear Guogong
Furen and continued to stand there, lost in her thoughts, unaffected by her surroundings.
At last, Lin shi sternly broke the silence: “Alright, to Fu Rui Courtyard.”
As a result, they accompanied her to Fu Rui Courtyard.
Cui mama had helped Da Furen wash her face and brush her hair, but it did not add much life to
her current state. She was neatly dressed and waiting in the yard for Guogong Furen, happiness
on her face as she spoke: “Muqin, why did you come!”
Guogong Furen saw the dazed eyes, gaunt face and weary appearance of her daughter and was
shocked. Compared to her unruly second daughter, she had always favored her zhang nu whose
personality and appearance resembled her the most. Wei Guo Furen’s death had struck a great
blow to her, and now, seeing her zhang nu in this haggard state, Lin shi could barely contain her
anger. Han shi hastily tugged at her arm. Lin shi thought that now was not the time to abandon
the Li family and suppressed her anger: “What are you ill with, why did you not come when
your meimei met misfortune!”
Da Furen only gave Lin shi a blank look after hearing this.
Li shi became even more furious, turned back and glared at Lao Furen: “What happened
here?!” Her eyes gleamed like swords flying towards Lao Furen, causing Lao Furen to feel a
slight prickling sensation on her skin.
Lao Furen was momentarily at a loss for words.
She could not just say… She had confined her daughter-in-law for too long that she had become
muddle-minded.
Li Wei Yang stepped forward and said: “Responding to Waizumu, Muqin has a disease of the
heart.” Her words had two meanings (heart disease or mental illness), after that, she scanned
her surroundings.
Lin shi was disgusted by this shu Yatou, having heard this, also looked around, and her eyes
widened in surprise. As it turned out, every flower and patch of grass, the doors, windows,
pieces of furniture, even on the decorative mountain, in the dining hall, yellow talismans where
put up everywhere.
The sight before her made Lin shi shudder.
Han shi was shocked: “This is—”
She quickly glanced at Da Furen, intending to ask, but Da Furen was like a puppet made of
wood, silent. Cui mama was relieved. Da Furen was confined in her room, and while she still
had a three meals a day and her medicine, but San Xiaojie had secretly ordered that no one was
to talk to her. After so long, it seemed Da Furen had forgotten how to speak. Left disoriented
for days, her state of mind had grown abnormal. She even refused to take her medication for
her illness and constantly demanded that they catch the ghosts, screaming every night,
sometimes falling out bed, her breaths were weak, and she had become someone of the living
dead.
Lin shi’s expressions were grim, she hid her shock, “What ultimately happened? What
happened? What has left you in this state?!”
Da Furen’s arm that she had been holding began to hurt, she tensed and looked around.
Lao Furen was a bit anxious, worried Da Furen would let something unpleasant slip.
Li Wei Yang faintly smiled, her lips curving up into a small smirk.
Da Furen’s face fearful, her eyes bloodshot: “Muqin… There is something in this courtyard!” She
looked in every direction, frightened and helpless, a different person altogether, unlike the
refined, dignified and independent Da Furen of the past.
Her sanity had been completely defeated by ghosts and confinement, but the person behind all
of it stood before her, smiling.
“What thing!” Lin shi angrily demanded.
“Ghost!” Da Furen choked out as if there was cotton in her throat. Her eyes were possessed by
fervor, “But I’ve put up countless talismans and spells in the courtyard. That thing must be
afraid, she won’t dare to come! Hmph, I know who she is, I’m not afraid of her! When she was
alive, she couldn’t oppose me, what can she do when she’s dead!” As she spoke, Da Furen
nervously bit her lip, looking all around, searching, wanting to catch her!
Lin shi had never imagined her zhang nu would be reduced to this ghost-like state.
“Ghost?!” She intuitively felt that this matter was related to Li Wei Yang, she could not help but
turn and stare at her: “How can a ghost appear in this courtyard?”
Li Wei Yang gently smiled and said: “San Shen passed away, Muqin probably misses her a lot, so
she always says she sees San Shen in this courtyard. Everyone has tried to persuade Muqin
otherwise, but Muqin still persists, inviting monks and Daoists to examine the energy of the
courtyard and is unable to sleep at night. These past two days, her condition has worsened, she
even said she saw Wu Yiniang in the courtyard… Since Waizumu has come, hope Waizumu will
help persuade Muqin.”
“Hmph, how can there be a ghost in broad daylight!” Lin shi glared at Li Wei Yang, beginning to
understand the situation: “Don’t try to be clever with your words!”
Li Wei Yang smiled and said: “Thank Waizumu for the praise.”
Lin shi sneered and said to Da Furen: “Do not be afraid, I’m here. Ghosts and demons will not
harm you, much less those lowly things, no need to fear!”
Li Wei Yang blinked, Lin shi was talking about her. This Guogong Furen was not easy to target.
Lao Furen heard this and became indignant, who is she calling a “lowly thing!”
Lin shi turned to face Lao Furen with a hostile stare: “In-law Furen, this child is severely ill, why
did you not inform me of this earlier.”
Lao Furen furrowed her eyebrows, conflicted: “You know, daughter-in-law has always had a
strong, independent personality. Moreover, health is a treasure, and while you are strong, your
age is not what it used to be, so I did not want to trouble you.”
A wind blew past, the golden flower hairpin on Lin shi’s head touched her temple, making a
chiming sound. The sun shone on her silver hair, making it even more eye-catching. Then her
eyes slowly softened: “I wish to take her home to recuperate.”
A daughter that had been married off needed her husband’s family’s permission to return
home, much less go home to recuperate, unless Da Furen was abandoned by her husband. Lin
shi’s request was somewhat inappropriate, but her tone was did not leave room for
negotiation.
Although Lao Furen was greatly displeased, she revealed none of this on her face. She smiled
and looked to Lin shi: “This… I’m afraid won’t be good. A residence this large still needs
someone to manage it.”
Han shi smiled, her voice clear as a silver bell, pleasant to the ear: “Da gumu is ill, household
affairs must be handed over to someone else. If Lao Furen is reluctant to let Da gumu leave
your side, then come to our residence, we will happily welcome you.”
They did not hold the Li family on their eyes at all, Li Wei Yang only smiled: “This matter should
be discussed with Fuqin, but Fuqin is not home yet…”
Han shi smiled: “No need to worry, the Jiang family will send word of it soon.”
Their intention was to inform, not ask Li Xiao Ran for permission. Li Wei Yang looked down as if
she had not heard its secondary meaning.
Er Furen inhaled sharply, this Jiang family was not only unreasonable but overbearing! When
she returned to her parents’ home for a birthday occasion, she still needed Lao Furen’s
permission, yet they could take someone away without having to say much.
Lao Furen was not happy at all. Even if her daughter-in-law had fallen ill, she had to remain with
the Li family to recuperate. If she allowed Jiang Guogong Furen to take her away, under so
many watchful eyes, who knows what others would say. She was prepared to decline:
“Daughter-in-law should stay here where everyone has always taken good care of her. Is there
something in-law Furen is dissatisfied with?”
However, Li Wei Yang smiled: “Lao Furen, it is only because Waizumu misses Muqin. Having
seen Muqin’s current state, it is not suitable for her to remain this courtyard where she left to
her thoughts all day as her condition worsens. That would not be for the best.”
Lao Furen looked to Li Wei Yang, puzzled. Da Furen returning home to recuperate was not a
good thing, how could this child agree to it. Nevertheless, she trusted her granddaughter’s
judgment, so she pondered over it before calmly saying: “In that case, in-law Furen should take
her home to rest and recuperate then.”
Lin shi eyed Li Wei Yang in disdain, regretting not being able to tear her apart and drink her
blood. Hearing this, she did not say anything more and ordered people to gather Da Furen’s
belongings and quickly departed.
-------------------------------------------------
Translator: Chau
Editor: Pending

Chapter 91: Life Lost

符水 Fú shuǐ — Fu water is a Taoist practice of drinking water with a burnt talisman in it;
drinking it is believed to increase internal energy or ward away spirits

In the distance, the morning bell faintly rang. The Yatous reported that Laoye had returned.
Turning Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, Lao Furen sighed: “Come in.”
Li Xiao Ran rushed in. He saw Li Wei Yang standing beside Lao Furen, preparing tea, and ignored
her as he raised his voice: “Lao Furen, how could you let Jiang Rou return? How will others act
towards us in the future? Wouldn’t they say the Li family could not look after a sick daughter-
in-law and was taken away by her birth family?”
Lao Furen’s face was calm, yet a hint of displeasure crossed her face.

“Now you decide to come and ask me what to do? I told you thousands of times not to turn a
blind eye to your Furen and Chang Le, but you? Did you heed my words? Now that is has come
down to this, it’s best to let the Jiang family take her away! Save me the trouble of having to
see her face!”
“Lao Furen, there are rumors out there that say our family has mistreated our daughter-in-law!
This will bring down my official career!”
Lao Furen sighed and slowly nodded: “I did not let them to take her away at first, but Wei Yang
has told me that taking her away is better than keeping her here.”
Li Xiao Ran was stunned, speechless for a moment. He looked up at Li Wei Yang and saw her
calm and unfazed as if she was only listening, he frowned: “What did you mean by that?”
“Fuqin, the physician said Muqin only has three months to live.” Li Wei Yang stated. Those
words struck a chord in Li Xiao Ran’s heart. He cried out: “What did you say?!”
Li Wei Yang’s voice was emotionless: “Fuqin, I said, Muqin only has three months to live.”
Li Xiao Ran felt his legs grow weak. He leaned against a chair and sat down, sweating profusely.
They were married for so many years. He was sick and tired his wife now, but it wasn’t as if he
didn’t remember… Why was this suddenly the case? Recalling Jiang shi’s weak and fragile state,
Li Xiao Ran slowly came to terms with this reason.
Lao Furen began: “It will be troublesome if she abruptly dies at the Li residence. The Jiang
family is willing to accept this hot potato. Letting her go back is not an issue. Once they bring
her back, what happens to her is no longer associated with our Li family.”
If Da Furen died at the Li residence, the Jiang Guogong residence would come to their doors,
demanding an explanation, but they have disregarded the Li family, fiercely determined to take
her back. If anything happened, the Li residence would have the upper hand.
Li Wei Yang had predicted three months, but in reality, when the Jiang Guogong residence sent
word of the funeral, only a month had passed.
The sky was not bright yet that day when the Jiang family steward’s came knocking on the Li
family’s doors.
Zhao Yue received the news first and reported back: “Da Furen has passed away!”
Although she was prepared, Li Wei Yang still felt surprised to hear these words spoken.
“That quickly?” Beside her, Mo Zhu suddenly asked.
There was a hint of ridicule on Zhao Yue’s face: “After the Jiang family brought her back, it
turned out like Xiaojie had said. They invited an Imperial physician to examine her, but Furen
was in critical condition and refused to take her medicine. The Jiang family was worried and
willing to try anything, even inviting an Immortal physician from the South, but that person had
yet to reach the Capital when Da Furen died,” She lowered her voice, “It was when she was
delirious and drank Fu water—”
Li Wei Yang smiled. Da Furen’s food, clothing, and everyday necessities were carefully
prepared, so she did not have the opportunity. The best method was through Fu water. Fu
water normally contained mercury, so she only added more mercury to it. Over time, it
gradually took Da Furen’s life! She had regarded everything with careful consideration and
leaked the news to the Jiang family, so they would come and take her away. The only thing was
that she had given Da Furen at least three months, who would have thought she would be so
careless with Fu water and had gone to the yellow spring!
“Now they are outside, raising trouble.” Zhao Yue continued.
“Oh, raising trouble over what?”
Zhao Yue smiled and said: “The Jiang family insisted that Da Furen be returned to the residence
to be enshrouded and buried, but Lao Furen said since she passed away at her parents’ home, it
is natural to set up the mourning tent outside. Once the funeral is over, she can then be buried
on ancestral grounds.”
Li Wei Yang could not help but smile: “Let’s go and see.” A thought occurred to her, and she
changed into white clothes, then unhurriedly went to He Xiang Courtyard.
There was a stalemate outside He Xiang Courtyard.
The steward of Jiang family was stone-faced, when Li Wei Yang arrived, she heard him say:
“How can you leave Da Furen to lay outside?!”
Lao Furen coldly responded: “Outside? Those are the doors of our Li residence. The mourning
tent has been set up, what else is wrong! If you had not insisted on taking her away, perhaps
everything would still be fine, yet you people blame our family and come knocking at our
door?!”
The steward was visibly conflicted. Li Wei Yang gently began: “Lao Furen.”
Lao Furen saw her and sighed: “Come and see. Arranging a funeral ceremony is already difficult
as it is. Your Muqin is gone, but the Jiang family insists on bringing her back here for a funeral.
You know that if someone passes away in their birth home, they cannot return to their
husband’s family. The mourning tent can only be sent outside. This is to be expected, but
Guogong Furen refuses and insists that she is brought inside.”
Li Xiao Ran stood beside her, frowning yet not saying a word.
The steward frowned: “Lao Furen, Guogong Furen’s intention is that it has been too hot outside
these days if left outside, only fear—”
Only fear the corpse will begin to reek, Li Wei Yang inwardly sneered, finishing his sentence for
him. She glanced at Si Yiniang nearby, unable to disguise her happiness, and Li Chang Xiao’s
blank face and simply said: “Lao Furen, if you feel that bringing the coffin inside is an ill omen,
then a sedan can be used to bring Muqin inside, where she can be enshrouded.”
Lao Furen was stunned, this suggestion would keep the coffin from touching the ground,
avoiding the ill omen, and could also prevent rumors from breaking out, but doing so meant
forgiving Jiang shi, which made her uneasy. How could Li Wei Yang not understand her
concerns, she immediately added: “Lao Furen, you see, if you do not allow Muqin to be brought
inside, Fuqin will certainly be conflicted and sad.”
Li Xiao Ran had been frowning most of the time, not speaking. When he heard this, he was a bit
touched and gratefully looked at Li Wei Yang.
Si Yiniang kept her cold smile to herself. San Xiaojie still pretends to be a good person. Clearly,
the person who was waiting for Furen to die the most was her, yet she still appeared to be
generous, forgiving and gentle such high-handed scheming!
Lao Furen could only sigh for a while before saying: “Never mind, so be it. First, use a sedan to
bring the coffin inside.”
Er Furen nodded and quickly ordered the servants to do so.
The Jiang family’s steward sighed in relief, not seeing the ridicule on Li Wei Yang’s face.
“Since there is a funeral at home, the word must be sent to Dage, but what about Dajie - Dajie
must return as well.”
Li Xiao Ran heard this. His eyes became glassy with tears. He had not expected this, Da Furen
always treated Li Wei Yang unfairly, yet to this moment, that child had been forgiving and kind.
One must know how Li Chang Le had treated Li Wei Yang as well.
Si Yiniang and Li Chang Xiao looked over, finding her words difficult to understand. Si Yiniang
felt rather strange and wondered what happened to Li Wei Yang today. Da Furen had died, she
should be celebrating. Lao Furen would not allow Da Furen’s body to be carried inside, this was
a humiliating fact, yet Li Wei Yang, on the other hand, allowed for her to return and even
brought back those two despite their punishments. Did she suddenly become altruistic or had
she gone insane?
At the temple, Li Chang Le had almost lost her mind. When she was sent away this time, Li Xiao
Ran sent people to keep watch on her. Even Da Furen’s letters were kept from her, so she did
not know what happened in the Li family. She was overjoyed when she heard the Li family had
sent for her. Wanting everyone to see her unchanged beauty, she picked out her most prized
jewelry and even chose a bright set of clothes with begonia designs. After two shichen, she
finally boarded the carriage, determined to let Fuqin see her lovely, gentle and obedient self, as
not to waste Muqin’s efforts to bring her back.
She was overjoyed and completely forgot to ask why she was coming back, the carriage driver
outside only sneered.
The horse carriage returned to the Li residence. Everything was a vast expanse of white.
The doors were wide open with mourning silks and boards hung up. The stewards and servants
wore mourning clothes and either stood there waiting or hurried about with their work.
Li Chang Le was startled by the sight before her.
She did not have the chance to ask when Cui mama ran out to receive her: “Da Xiaojie, you
have returned, go in.” She quickly ordered servants to lead her inside, as if she hadn’t seen her
extravagant clothes. She did not remind her to change her clothes either.
Li Chang Le did not understand. She asked the Yatous: “Is it because Lao Furen died?”
The Yatous were stunned, looked up in fear, then bowed their heads: “Da Xiaojie, go in and you
will know.”
Li Chang Le coldly looked at her. The entire residence was in disarray, even a Yatou would dare
to respond in that manner. Hu, wait until she tells Muqin, let’s see their pretty faces then!
Thinking about it that way made her happier, Lao furen had died, so the person in charge of the
household would be her Muqin. Wouldn’t Li Wei Yang, that lowly wretch, be left for her to deal
with as she pleased?! The more she thought about it, the happier she felt. Her strides grew
quicker, almost as if she wanted to see Lao Furen’s corpse then congratulate her Muqin! At this
time, her head was in the clouds, forgetting that even if Lao Furen had died, she still needed to
go and change her clothes. The Yatou Tan Xiang realized Xiaojie’s clothes were inappropriate
and was about to remind her, but seeing everyone around them stare and point, she felt cold
inside and fell silent.
She had yet to walk into the courtyard when she heard many voices and loud sobbing.
“You came back!” The person welcoming her was Er Furen who seemed to be grieving.
Er Furen’s eyes were swollen like peaches. Anyone who didn’t know would have thought she
was grief-stricken, only she knew how much time and effort to look like this, from the best
fragrances and powder to make her face pale. She saw Li Chang Le in beautiful, floral clothes
and was stunned at first, but then she smiled coldly. She decided not to give her time to change
her clothes, pulling Li Chang Le inside: “Quickly come, Lao Furen is waiting for you!”
Li Chang Le misunderstood her words and was even more certain that zumu had passed away.
She was rejoicing and tried to hide the happiness on her face. She intended to shake off Er
Furen’s hand, but not in front of so many people, so she was pulled into the main hall. She had
just stepped inside when Er Furen cried out: “Lao Furen, Chang Le has returned!”
The entire room was full of noble Furen sitting and drinking tea, sighing and lamenting to Lao
Furen. Yu Shi Furen was saying that Da Furen was rather unfortunate and passed away at such a
young age, unable to enjoy the Li family’s wealth and glory… She had not finished her sentence
when she saw Li Chang Le in her exquisite, red begonia clothes. Over a dozen people in the
main hall suddenly fell silent.
It was as if everyone had turned into wood.
Her Muqin had passed away, yet she wore bright-colored clothes, had Da Xiaojie of the Li family
gone insane?!
Yu Shi Furen’s words were caught in her throat. She stared wide-eyed at Li Chang Le, not
stunned by her beauty this time but stunned by her audacity and disrespect!
Lao Furen was shocked, consumed by anger: “Chang Le, take a look at yourself!
Li Chang Le saw Lao Furen and looked like she had seen a ghost.
Li Wei Yang resembled a pure, white lotus in her mourning clothes, only blinking as she saw Li
Chang Le’s extravagant red dress. She feigned to be rather surprised: “Dajie, how could you
come back wearing something like this?”
Li Chang Le still could not believe her eyes and stared intently at Lao Furen. She didn’t die, then
who died—
That moment, she heard Li Wei Yang softly say: “Dajie, quickly change your clothes, then
kowtow to Muqin.”
Muqin?! Muqin?! What was Li Wei Yang saying?!
As if she were struck in the head, Li Chang Le quickly stumbled forward, coldly saying: “Li Wei
Yang, what are you saying?”
Li Wei Yang looked at her with a sad look on her face, but her eyes were cold and indifferent:
“Dajie, perhaps the family has not told you that Muqin has passed away.”
It was as if Li Chang Le was struck by lightning! The person who died was not Lao Furen but her
Muqin, Heavens!
Her first reaction was that of rage: “Li Wei Yang, do not say such nonsense, Muqin was still alive
when I left—”
Li Wei Yang sighed and nodded: “Indeed, back then Muqin was still well, but unfortunately after
Dajie left, Muqin lost her appetite, constantly worrying. Then she fell ill and Waizumu insisted
on bringing Muqin back to recuperate, everyone also… Ai, we thought Muqin would quickly
recover, who knew… Had we known, Muqin should have stayed here in the residence to
recover!”
Li Chang Le felt her anger boil over, incinerating her grief at the news. There was only one
thought in her head: how could that be, if Muqin died, then her pillar of strength had collapsed.
Wouldn’t Li Chang Le be trampled under Li Wei Yang’s feet in the future? She resentfully gritted
her teeth, about to vomit blood, fiercely glaring at Li Wei Yang and oblivious to the horrified
looks of everyone around her.
Her Muqin suddenly passed away, but they did not see her shed a single tear. She even looked
like she wanted to devour her own meimei, had Da Xiaojie gone insane? The aristocratic Furen
began to criticize and debate amongst themselves.
Lao Furen slapped her hand on the table: “Chang Le! Hurry and change into mourning clothes!”
Li Chang Le suddenly broke out of her daze, she coldly stared at Li Wei Yang then turned and
left. She lowered her voice, so only the two of them could hear: “Li Wei Yang, I know you
harmed Muqin. Just wait and see, I will make you pay the price for it!”
Li Wei Yang looked at her indifferently, not giving her opinion.
Li Chang Le changed into filial, mourning clothes. She angrily rushed to the mourning hall and
loudly ordered Tan Xiang to find Li Xiao Ran. Tan Xiang fearfully looked on, her face pale white,
as she stood there, not knowing what to do.
A voice suddenly rang out: “Just do as your Zhuzi ordered.”
The moment Li Chang Le saw Li Wei Yang, she became furious: “Why are you still showing your
face here?!”
Li Wei Yang smiled: “Muqin passed away, and given Lao Furen’s age, someone needs to help Er
Shen look after household affairs. If I am not here, where else would I be?!”
“You little!” Li Chang Le lunged, intending to slap her when she saw Zhao Yue standing not far
away, watching. Stunned, she stepped back, not daring to continue.
Li Wei Yang’s expressions were neutral, neither happy nor angry: “Fuqin said you can only stay
for ten days. After those ten days, if something happens, he will immediately send you back to
the temple. Muqin passed away when you were not by her side, so think carefully. Dajie should
be more aware to avoid being laughed at by others!”
Being laughed at! Today, she arrived in extravagant clothes and was soon mocked throughout
the Capital, what else was left to fear!
“Li Wei Yang, do not think that you are special because Fuqin offered you his support. Indeed,
Muqin is gone, but I still have Waizumu, I still have two meritorious jiujiu in the military, and
the entire Grand Duke Jiang family!”

-------------------------------------------------
Translator: Chau
Editor: Pending
-------------------------------------------------