“They are just this stupid and clumsy. Why should Your Highness lower yourself to their level? Have some tea to calm your anger. I’ve brewed your favorite Ziyang tea.” The speaker was Xin’an’s personal maid, Lüli.
Xin’an’s anger subsided slightly. She took the tea and sipped it, saying coldly, “Just looking at these fools makes me angry. I don’t know how they select people—don’t they know to choose clever ones?”
“Please calm your anger, Your Highness.” Lüli said while crouching down to massage Xin’an’s legs with just the right pressure. The latter let out a light sigh and said, “Among all the palace attendants in Shuangyue Hall, you are the most clever and the most to my liking.”
Lüli said flatteringly, “This is all due to Your Highness’s excellent guidance.” Seeing Xin’an close her eyes with her expression gradually returning to calm, she ventured tentatively, “Although His Majesty granted marriage to Princess Jinyang, she is ultimately just a concubine who can’t be presented properly, becoming a laughingstock. Why should Your Highness get so angry?”
Xin’an opened her eyes and said coldly, “That may be so, but nothing would make me happier than seeing her unable to marry!” She then snorted heavily and said, “I don’t know what the Tang Prince was thinking. Previously he was completely unwilling, but now he’s eagerly having Li Shimin bring the betrothal gift list. The father and son of the Li family are more unfathomable than the other.”
Lüli glanced at her and didn’t dare ask more questions. From what the Princess said, she seemed quite familiar with the Li family father and son, but as far as she knew, the Princess had no dealings with the Tang Prince’s family.
While Lüli was puzzled, Xin’an’s thoughts also returned to half a month ago. That time, Li Jiancheng had again disguised himself as a eunuch to enter the palace and give her instructions. She looked at Li Jiancheng’s feminine and handsome beauty, far superior to her previous prince consort and male favorites. The feelings she had previously suppressed surged up again, and her heart stirred with desire. She tried to seduce him in every way possible, but he remained unmoved throughout. In the end, he even pushed her off his knees, letting her fall to the ground without any trace of tender affection, making her teeth itch with anger. Just like this time, she smashed everything in Shuangyue Hall to pieces.
Logically, after that incident, she should have given up on Li Jiancheng, but the more she couldn’t have him, the more she wanted him. Over the past half month, that handsome and noble face kept swaying in her mind, impossible to dispel. She had even dreamed of intimate relations with him several times, but each time she woke up, she was alone.
Besides her stirring desires, there was another reason. She was able to stay in Shuangyue Hall today because Li Jiancheng had tasks for her to handle. Once they were completed, she would have no use value to Li Jiancheng and could be abandoned at any time. But if they had intimate relations, that would be different. Even if the Yang family’s dynasty fell, she would at least have Li Jiancheng as a tree to lean on. From the current situation, Li Yuan would sooner or later replace Yang You, and then Li Jiancheng would be the reigning Crown Prince, while she… would be the Crown Princess, even the future Empress, more noble than her current status. It would be truly excellent.
Xin’an didn’t care at all about Li Jiancheng’s legitimate wife. She believed that with her status and methods, replacing her would be effortless.
All these considerations made her determined to find a way to get this man, absolutely!
However… Li Jiancheng didn’t seem to be someone who favored beauty. Merely using seduction would likely be ineffective, but if she couldn’t rely on beauty, how could she entice him to bed?
Lüli saw Xin’an alternately frowning and smiling lightly, and asked puzzledly, “Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
Xin’an waved her hand to say it was nothing when suddenly her heart stirred, remembering a method she had once used to deal with a disobedient male favorite. A slight smile curved her lips as she called Lüli over and whispered a few words in her ear. The latter looked completely surprised and said, “Your Highness, what do you want this thing for?”
Xin’an’s pretty face darkened, “Just go when I tell you to. Why so much nonsense?”
Hearing this, Lüli didn’t dare say more and quickly got up to leave. When she was almost at the palace door, Xin’an called her back, “If the imperial physician asks, how should you answer?”
Lüli hurriedly said, “This servant… has a sister working in a brothel. Knowing that this servant works in the palace, she specifically asked this servant to get some medicine.”
“Very good.” Her answer satisfied Xin’an greatly. She removed the twisted gold bracelet from her wrist and said, “This is your reward. Take it.”
Lüli quickly stepped forward to receive it and said respectfully, “Thank you, Your Highness.” She then said, “This servant will go now.”
Watching Lüli’s departing figure, Xin’an muttered to herself, “Li Jiancheng, I want to see if you can escape my grasp this time.”
That night, Yang You appeared in Mingse Hall. Yunyi set down the imperial edict she had read no less than ten times and rose to bow, “Your Majesty.”
“Seventh Aunt, no need for ceremony.” Yang You, who had just passed his fourteenth birthday, appeared much more mature than his peers. He walked to the table and stroked the imperial edict he had issued, his expression complex as he said, “Seventh Aunt, is this truly what you want? You could clearly have better choices.”
Yunyi’s eyes were resolute as she said, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern. Being able to marry Second Young Master is the best choice for me.”
Yang You sighed and smiled bitterly, “Actually, I was asking unnecessarily. Seventh Aunt worked so hard to be with Second Young Master, how could you feel it wasn’t good? It’s just that I always feel…” He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, “Never mind. In any case, congratulations, Aunt. I will order the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau, Imperial Ceremonial Bureau, and Imperial Workshop Bureau to prepare your wedding properly, ensuring you marry in grand style.”
“Your Majesty’s grace, Yunyi will never forget.” Facing Yunyi’s thanks, Yang You said, “Aunt, you’re too kind.” He then sighed, “It’s just that this way, only Fourth Aunt and I will remain in the palace.”
Yunyi comforted him, “Even after marrying, I can often come to visit Your Majesty.” She then joked, “Unless Your Majesty doesn’t want to see this aunt of yours.”
“Where would Seventh Aunt get such an idea?” Her words brought a trace of smile to Yang You’s face, but it was soon replaced by gravity.
Yunyi noticed something was wrong and tentatively asked, “Does Your Majesty have something on your mind?”
Yang You sighed deeply, “Earlier, news came from Luoyang. Wang Shichong… impersonated Second Brother to issue an edict, claiming Second Brother was abdicating the imperial throne to him. Second Brother has now been confined to Hanliang Hall, and even his birth mother, Concubine Xiao Liu, is not allowed to see him. Wang Shichong has already begun preparing for his enthronement ceremony, setting his reign title as Kaiming and his dynasty name as Zheng.” The Second Brother he mentioned was Yang Tong, the emperor who had been installed in Luoyang.
Ruyi said in surprise, “Wang Shichong actually dared to usurp the throne and establish himself as emperor?”
Yang You said bitterly, “Is it strange? I’m not surprised at all.” He then looked at Yunyi and said gravely, “Aunt, when will the Tang Prince do the same as Wang Shichong and depose me?”
Yunyi comforted him, “The Tang Prince is different from Wang Shichong. He won’t…”