Sure enough, Li Min De appeared in her line of sight.
“Princess is of golden branches and jade leaves. Min De dares not attend upon you. Please return to the palace quickly, Princess.” Li Min De said expressionlessly.
“Li Min De! How dare you! I consider you a friend, which is why I came to find you to accompany me on an outing. Yet you avoid me like the plague! Aren’t you just making me a laughingstock?! Who knows how many princes and young lords beg and kneel for me to glance at them, yet I don’t even acknowledge them. But you—is it so grievous for you to accompany me on a garden tour? Why all this evasion and obstruction? If you continue this way, don’t blame me for being impolite!” The Ninth Princess, rarely so anxious her face turned completely red, stamped her foot.
Li Min De glanced at her coolly, “I wonder if the Princess has His Majesty’s imperial edict.”
The Ninth Princess was stunned, “What imperial edict?”
Li Min De’s lips were cold, “An imperial edict ordering Min De to accompany the Princess on her outing. If there is none, please forgive Min De’s rudeness.”
The Ninth Princess was so shocked she couldn’t speak. Everyone else was also stunned. Who dared speak to a princess this way? This youth was truly audacious beyond measure!
The First Madam hurried out at this moment. Upon entering the courtyard and seeing the scene, she quickly paid her respects, “I didn’t know the Princess had arrived. Please forgive me.”
The Ninth Princess waved her hand impatiently, “Just have Li Min De accompany me on a garden tour and I’ll leave immediately!”
The First Madam glanced at Li Min De, her face showing a half-smile, “This… please forgive me, Princess. I cannot make this decision.”
The Ninth Princess grew even more furious, “Then find someone who can make the decision!”
The First Madam looked at Li Weiyang with a half-smile, “Princess, actually, as long as the County Princess is willing to say one word, Third Young Master will certainly accompany you.”
The Ninth Princess looked toward Li Weiyang. Li Weiyang spread her hands, “Princess, this is Min De’s personal choice. Since you cannot produce an imperial edict, he has no obligation to go. You should return early.”
The Ninth Princess found Li Weiyang’s faint smile particularly grating, increasingly feeling this entire family was toying with her. She didn’t understand the principle that a forced melon isn’t sweet. In her view, if she liked someone, that person should obediently wait for her summons at all times! Last time she’d even called Li Weiyang “elder sister,” but now seeing Li Weiyang obstructing her, she couldn’t help being very angry and decided to teach this sister who didn’t know her place a lesson!
“County Princess, I just encountered Seventh Brother. He asked me to bring you a gift.” The Ninth Princess’s eyes darted around, a trace of mischief flashing in them.
Li Weiyang glanced at her and knew what she was thinking, but deliberately asked with curiosity, “Oh, what did Seventh Highness bring for me?”
The Ninth Princess smiled and beckoned to Li Weiyang. Li Weiyang stood in place without moving. The Ninth Princess had no choice but to run over herself and handed Li Weiyang a golden gourd she’d been hiding at her waist, “For you! It’s very precious!”
Li Weiyang took the golden gourd and shook it, essentially accepting it.
The Ninth Princess grew a bit anxious, “Why don’t you look at what’s inside?! It’s very precious!”
What a child—all her thoughts written on her face. Li Weiyang saw everyone else showing curious expressions, but she just smiled, “Alright, I’ll look.”
Li Min De shook his head at Li Weiyang, but Li Weiyang just blinked, reached out to shake the golden gourd, then casually opened it and poured out the contents.
The Ninth Princess showed a triumphant expression.
But when Li Weiyang pinched that thing’s tail and shook it, she couldn’t smile anymore.
Li Weiyang laughed, “Oh, there’s a cute snake here. Why isn’t it moving?”
The Ninth Princess’s face turned to shock. She had once encountered this little snake by chance in the Imperial Garden and immediately ordered eunuchs to beat the snake to death with sticks. Later, when she encountered concubines she disliked, she would take out the dead snake to frighten them. Though the trick was crude, it had never once failed!
Li Weiyang’s expression didn’t change, “So the Princess likes snakes. Bai Zhi, have the kitchen send over a live snake.”
Bai Zhi smiled, “Yes.”
The Ninth Princess’s little face turned deathly pale, “You… what are you going to do?”
“Doesn’t the Princess like snakes? Of course I must send a return gift.” Li Weiyang smiled.
The Ninth Princess was terrified enough to involuntarily retreat.
The First Madam sternly rebuked, “Li Weiyang, have you gone mad!”
Li Weiyang turned to look at the First Madam, “Mother, it’s very windy here. You should go back and rest, lest your old ailment act up again.”
The First Madam suppressed her anger and sneered coldly, “Weiyang, you’re used to acting willfully and recklessly. Don’t blame me for not warning you—the Princess Highness is of noble status—”
Before she could finish, Bai Zhi had already returned with a bamboo cage. Li Weiyang lifted the lid, and a large patterned snake hissed as it shot out, flicking its red tongue at people.
Li Weiyang smiled and actually reached out to pinch the snake’s vital point. The snake naturally wouldn’t let her manipulate it—it struggled desperately, baring its fangs, its tail whipping wildly. Li Weiyang’s expression didn’t change. She lifted the snake and pointed its mouth at the Ninth Princess’s face, “Princess, look—isn’t it adorable?!”
“Ah! Ah! Ah!” The Ninth Princess screamed in terror and desperately ran outside. She happened to collide with someone at the entrance. When she saw who it was, she immediately burst into loud tears, “Seventh Brother, Seventh Brother! She’s so scary, she’s so scary!”
Li Weiyang smiled. In the Ninth Princess’s small heart, from now on, the impression that Li Weiyang was a terrifying woman would be forever carved.
The Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu wore a double dragon crown on his head. His face was like carved jade, dressed in gold-embroidered brocade robes, his waist bound with pearls and precious jade—an entirely noble bearing. He had obviously been searching for the princess for a long time. He embraced her at once, “I told you not to run around wildly. The moment I turned around, you disappeared! If my people hadn’t reported to me, how much more trouble would you have caused?!”
The Ninth Princess was sobbing with snot and tears, utterly aggrieved, pointing at Li Weiyang, “She… she… snake…”
The First Madam saw Tuoba Yu arrive and was immediately overjoyed, then realized Li Changle wasn’t present and couldn’t help growing angry. Between anxiety and anger, her head began to spin. Unable to bear watching the scene any longer, she said, “Please forgive me, Your Highnesses. I am still ill and cannot receive you properly.”
Tuoba Yu smiled, “Barging in uninvited was our fault. Madam need not mind. Please go rest.”
The First Madam nodded, then was supported inside, looking sickly.
Tuoba Yu looked toward Li Weiyang. She shook the snake in her hand at him and smiled very kindly, “Your Highness arrived at just the right time. I’m preparing to invite the Princess to eat snake soup!”
The Ninth Princess was thoroughly terrified speechless, clutching Tuoba Yu’s robe tightly, as if Li Weiyang were a terrifying evil spirit.
“Princess, actually snake tastes very good—even better raw.” Li Weiyang smiled, then opened her hand. Zhao Yue at her side quickly handed over a dagger. Li Weiyang raised her eyebrows slightly. The blade entered the snake’s flesh with a clear sound. The snake’s head fell off without a trace of blood. The thin blade slid into the snake’s belly—only a dripping sound was heard, but not a drop of blood flowed out.
Everyone’s eyes widened in amazement, including Tuoba Yu.
Li Weiyang smiled and gently extended her fingers, peeling off the skin that seemed to still perfectly cover the snake’s body. The snake meat appeared white as snow. Li Weiyang had Bai Zhi hand over a porcelain bowl and cut the snake meat into sections, “Princess, come try it—very fresh and delicious.”
The Ninth Princess began to sway unsteadily…
Li Min De covered his lips and coughed lightly. Third Sister sometimes really enjoyed bullying children. However, seeing the imperious princess frightened like this was indeed quite amusing.
“Come on, try a bite—it’s really good. When I was in the countryside, when I was extremely hungry, I ate not just snakes but even field mice.” Li Weiyang made as if to bring the bowl over to the Ninth Princess.
The Ninth Princess retched and hid behind Tuoba Yu, refusing to come out.
Tuoba Yu looked at the Ninth Princess with a smile, “Father Emperor often says you’re audacious to the extreme. It seems today there are people you fear.”
The Ninth Princess trembled as she clutched Tuoba Yu, thinking who was like this Li Weiyang—actually daring to catch snakes in her hands to play with, even skinning and gutting snakes alive. Such a savage woman was simply too terrifying.
“What, the Princess doesn’t like to eat it?” Li Weiyang smiled. The thing in her hand was just a rat snake—completely non-venomous. But the Princess was frightened to this degree, showing she was still just a child. However, she should still be taught a lesson to know who could be provoked and who couldn’t. She turned and handed the bowl to Bai Zhi, “Since the Princess doesn’t like it raw, make it into snake soup.”
Bai Zhi couldn’t help but laugh and lowered her head, “Yes.”
Even after Bai Zhi had walked far away, the Ninth Princess was still retching, her fingers clutching Tuoba Yu trembling continuously.
Tuoba Yu smiled, “I wonder if Third Miss has time to accompany me to the pavilion to sit.”
With the Ninth Princess present, there was nothing that needed avoiding. Li Weiyang said flatly, “Please.”
The two found a pavilion outside Furui Courtyard to sit down. Somehow, Li Min De also followed. Eventually, even the Ninth Princess, who took a step and retched a step, followed aggrievedly.
Tuoba Yu was about to discuss serious matters with Li Weiyang when he saw two pairs of eyes seriously staring at them from the side. He couldn’t help but smile helplessly, looking at Li Weiyang, “What should we do about this?”
Li Weiyang glanced at the Ninth Princess, who was still avoiding her, “Princess, I’ll find you a fun toy.”
The Ninth Princess immediately jumped far away, “Stay away from me!”
Li Weiyang smiled and gave Zhao Yue a few instructions. Zhao Yue took the order and left. Before long, she returned carrying two small cages. The Ninth Princess looked at Li Weiyang suspiciously, not knowing what trick she was playing.
Li Weiyang said, “Your Seventh Brother is here—are you still afraid of me?”
Seventh Brother becomes soulless when he sees you—completely unreliable. The Ninth Princess wisely swallowed this retort, but she was also very curious and leaned over to see what it was…
Before long, she cried out, “Ah! I like this!”
In the pavilion, she pulled Li Min De to play with her, “Mighty General, charge, charge…”
“Go, go, go…”
“Bite it to death, bite hard, good job!”
Inside a large cloud-patterned agate box, two large, stout crickets were flapping their wings and chirping, fighting to the death.
Li Min De half-lowered his eyes, sitting with her the whole time, but his thoughts had long flown elsewhere.
Third Sister always treated him like a child.
Over there, the Ninth Princess was flushed with excitement, completely like a boy. Since childhood, she’d been bound by all kinds of rules. Her governess nanny always said this wasn’t allowed, that wasn’t allowed, making it so even her hearty laughter had to be restrained. Rarely having such an opportunity to let loose, she had long forgotten her earlier displeasure and happily kept pulling Li Min De’s sleeve.
Li Min De concealed the disgust in his eyes very well, coldly watching the two crickets fighting in the box, not knowing what he was thinking.
On this side, Tuoba Yu smiled, “You really frightened that child today.”
Li Weiyang said slowly, “I did it for her own good. If she continues being so willful and reckless, she’ll commit even more serious mistakes in the future.”
Tuoba Yu noticed that Li Min De’s gaze had never left them. He smiled and stood up, “Come on, accompany me for a walk by the lake.”
The Li manor’s garden had a lake that was very beautiful.
Li Weiyang looked at him coolly without speaking.
Tuoba Yu smiled, “What, are you afraid of others’ gossip? Actually, you needn’t worry. I certainly won’t let you become the subject of others’ rumors.”
Li Weiyang stood up and accompanied him toward the lakeside.
Tuoba Yu’s expression gradually grew somber. He seemed to have heavy concerns on his mind.
“After you reminded me, I investigated all the people you mentioned. You were right—they’re indeed all Tuoba Zhen’s people.” When speaking of this matter, Tuoba Yu’s expression held an indescribable strangeness.
Li Weiyang glanced at him, “Among them… could there be people Seventh Highness is familiar with?”
“The Muyang you mentioned last time is actually my good friend, good brother. Even when studying abroad, for three years we were fellow disciples, mutually interested and like-minded. I thought that though it was unspoken, he was already my right-hand man.” Speaking to this point, Tuoba Yu felt his breathing was like being immersed in cold, viscous mud, “And Jing Neng—he’s the Crown Prince’s Junior Tutor, also someone I’ve respected for many years. I thought he was upright and impartial. I never imagined he had also joined Tuoba Zhen’s camp.”
“You killed them?” Li Weiyang’s face showed no expression, her eyes slightly closed, actually carrying a somewhat statue-like demeanor that made people’s hearts cold yet also settled.
Tuoba Yu said slowly, “Muyang died falling drunk from his horse. And Jing Neng—yesterday he angered His Majesty over some matter and was cut in half at the waist.”
The Seventh Prince’s actions were fairly swift. Li Weiyang smiled faintly.
However, Tuoba Yu didn’t think so. Though he had no regrets about killing Muyang and Jing Neng, and firmly believed this was a wise move, a person’s heart sometimes couldn’t be like a block of iron. Even without regret or self-reproach, when he mentioned Muyang, he still felt very pained.
Tuoba Yu saw Li Weiyang’s expression and smiled, “You think I did well killing them, don’t you?”
This question had almost no answer.
Li Weiyang’s face showed a trace of inexplicable smile, though her lips didn’t move at all. Her voice was low, sounding like a needle-sharp cold wind—seemingly powerless yet able to pierce through a person’s seven orifices, “Your Highness, do you know where you lose to Tuoba Zhen?”
Tuoba Yu’s face showed no movement, but his heart felt like a violent storm had swept through.
Li Weiyang smiled, “Being born into the imperial family, yet you possess a woman’s compassion that imperial children shouldn’t have. I dare assert that if you continue this way, you will surely lose completely in the future! Don’t talk about good friends and brothers—even if they were your biological siblings, if they block your path, you must ruthlessly eliminate them! This is the way of being a ruler! You went abroad to study—what kind of messy sentiments did you learn and bring back? You’ve forgotten these most basic principles!”
Tuoba Yu was stunned, then looked at Li Weiyang in disbelief. He truly couldn’t believe a young girl’s mouth could speak such cruel words.
Li Weiyang said coldly, “I’m not teaching you deception—I just don’t want to be implicated by you. If you can’t be decisive in killing, you’ll only drag me down with you into misfortune!”
Tuoba Yu didn’t speak for a long time. What Li Weiyang said sounded simple, even somewhat unclear and rambling, yet he could understand her meaning.
“You… if I truly relied on countless killings to ascend the throne, how would the world’s common people view me?! How could I make my subjects submit?!” Tuoba Yu couldn’t help but retort.
Li Weiyang sighed. In her view, though the Seventh Prince was clever, he was sometimes too merciful. Compared to the unblinking killer Tuoba Zhen, his character still had an upright side. Perhaps this was the most precious yet most useless thing Old Duke Luo had left him. As a subject, one could naturally be upright—this would put the Emperor at ease. But as an heir to the imperial throne, it was an extremely troublesome personality! Li Weiyang said slowly, “If one day Seventh Highness can become master of the realm, who would dare judge your right and wrong? Whether you killed brothers or executed ministers, the only thing that can measure your right and wrong is political achievement—only what you do for the world’s common people. As long as you can seek welfare for the people, even if your hands are covered in blood, history won’t remember! Conversely, no matter how kind and merciful you are, if you cannot bring welfare to the realm or even bring disaster, you’ll only lose both the kingdom and your life. At that time, who will pity you!”
These principles had actually been hinted at to him by Consort Zhang De and those around the Seventh Prince. But— no one had ever dared say it so directly to his face! Tuoba Yu’s breathing stopped for an instant. He felt Li Weiyang’s few sentences were so clear and explicit, clearly expressing his most secret desires and thoughts. These thoughts were the most primitive yearning for power and the throne, but some things Duke Luo had taught him also created contradictions. Li Weiyang’s words made all his previous wavering and confusion disappear. For a moment, he only felt his heart firm and bright, unspeakably exhilarated.
Li Weiyang saw his expression change and sighed inwardly.
All this time, she had also been thinking, constantly researching.
These words were less thoughts than conclusions.
She had been studying the Emperor’s sons—the Crown Prince, Tuoba Zhen, Tuoba Rui, Tuoba Yu. She wanted to find the truth of how Tuoba Zhen ultimately ascended the throne.
Later, she had to admit that behind the victor and vanquished lay undisguised bloodshed. One emperor’s success built on ten thousand bones—no one could obstruct Tuoba Zhen’s path, or he would kill gods when meeting gods, kill buddhas when meeting buddhas! Without this determination, one should step aside early!
Tuoba Yu gazed into her eyes and said, “I didn’t expect that you, as a woman, would have more resolve than I do.”
Tuoba Yu had a thought—he felt that Li Weiyang helping him so sparing no cost, to some degree, was because she had feelings for him. Thinking of this, something in his heart seemed to stir slightly, like duckweed floating on water gently bumping willow leaves. He unconsciously wanted to touch her hand.
Li Weiyang suddenly retreated a step, avoiding his hand.
Tuoba Yu was startled, then puzzled.
Li Weiyang realized her coldness. Her gaze cooled slightly, though the expression on her face began to soften, “Seventh Highness, there’s one more point I hope you understand. I’m helping you absolutely without mixing in romantic feelings between man and woman.”
Tuoba Yu was completely speechless. The pink bubbles in his heart disappeared without a trace. A trace of surprise floated across his cool face.
Behind the nearby artificial mountain, Li Min De smiled.
He knew it—the cold Third Sister wouldn’t fancy Tuoba Yu. Perhaps suddenly realizing he’d secretly slipped away from the Princess to eavesdrop was truly foolish, he couldn’t help but lower his eyes deeply and smile with chagrin. His lowered eyelids and black eyelashes covered his bright eyes. His delicate, refined features and slightly lowered eyebrows also made his face appear even more gentle. The earlier gloomy air had long since dispersed completely.
However, Li Weiyang’s attitude of rejection didn’t make Tuoba Yu feel bad at all. Quite the contrary—he felt Li Weiyang’s gaze contained scorching heat, burning in suppression—only he hadn’t yet realized this wasn’t any fondness for him, but long-suppressed hatred toward Tuoba Zhen.
“If Seventh Highness thinks I’m right, you should move against Tuoba Zhen early.” Li Weiyang reminded.
Tuoba Yu was still hesitating, “Third Brother, actually I have wronged him in some ways.” Speaking to this point, his gaze couldn’t help trembling slightly, revealing traces of bloody pain.
Li Weiyang couldn’t help but gaze at him intently, “These words—I don’t quite understand.”
Tuoba Yu paused. He didn’t know why, but facing this young girl before him, he had the impulse to tell her everything, “Third Brother’s mother was originally a palace maid of lowly birth—everyone knows this. But there are also some hidden circumstances not known to outsiders.”
Tuoba Zhen’s mother, Consort Liu, had originally been an ordinary palace maid who was inadvertently noticed by the Emperor and immediately rose to prominence. Later, she gave birth to a lively, lovable little prince and was indeed pleased for a period. Unfortunately, she died not long after. Though Li Weiyang knew this history, Tuoba Zhen never mentioned it, and others didn’t dare speak of it. Hearing this, she couldn’t help saying, “Could there be some reason behind it?”
Though somewhat difficult to speak of, Tuoba Yu had kept it in his heart for nearly ten years, not even telling Consort Zhang De. He’d always felt it was a stone pressed deep in his heart that could never be fished up. Now, however, he felt it was right at his lips, stirring restlessly.
“This matter is related to me.” Tuoba Yu frankly told Li Weiyang about the secret in his heart. He intuitively trusted this young girl, “That year, the Imperial Guards discovered an outsider had infiltrated the Forbidden Palace, so they searched everywhere. I had just finished school and was walking halfway when I saw a black shadow wielding a long blade sweep past us. At that time, I was only six years old and somewhat frightened. The black-clothed person made several leaps and disappeared behind a palace wall. Moments later, Imperial Guard Commander Mu Fang had already led his troops in pursuit—” Speaking to this point, the scene from that time appeared before his eyes again. Tuoba Yu’s voice inevitably became somewhat hoarse, his tone also becoming strange, “The Guard Commander questioned us about where exactly the black-clothed person had gone. The others were all frightened and couldn’t speak coherently. Only I opened my mouth and said the black-clothed person went toward the northwest direction.”
Li Weiyang was scorched by his gaze. She pressed her lips together, her heart also vaguely sensing a premonition that this matter probably involved some palace secret.
“That direction was precisely where Consort Liu’s Jade Palace was located. The guards surrounded the Jade Palace completely. Father Emperor also came. He personally dispatched people to search, unexpectedly finding secret correspondence between Consort Liu and Prince Zhou outside the palace. Prince Zhou had competed with Father Emperor for the throne that year—his whole family was imprisoned. Now, secret letters plotting rebellion between her and Prince Zhou were found in the Emperor’s consort’s palace. Think about it—would Father Emperor spare her?”
Speaking thus, Tuoba Yu’s face took on a trace of coldness.
Li Weiyang said nothing. She already knew the outcome of this event. The Emperor in his fury had Consort Liu executed, then had Prince Zhou’s entire family exterminated. Later, Tuoba Zhen was brought to be raised in Consort Wu Xian’s palace. Consort Wu Xian had always been on good terms with the Empress, so Tuoba Zhen naturally became as close as brothers with the Crown Prince and showed utmost respect to the Empress. However, Consort Wu Xian had deliberately concealed this history. The Emperor publicly only said Consort Liu died of illness, preserving Tuoba Zhen’s dignity. Actually, anyone with eyes knew the connections here. Consort Liu was of lowly status yet gave birth to a dragon child—naturally, some found her an eyesore and schemed to frame her.
Li Weiyang smiled, “The mastermind behind this understood His Majesty’s thoughts very well, knowing he wanted to kill Prince Zhou and eliminate the roots, so they found him such a good excuse.”
Tuoba Yu was suddenly stunned.
Li Weiyang’s voice was calm and emotionless, “Don’t you understand yet? Many things don’t need to be viewed too complexly, and have nothing whatsoever to do with Seventh Highness. You saw the black-clothed person and told the truth—there’s nothing wrong with that. Moreover, the ones who truly killed Consort Liu were, first, the mastermind behind the scenes, and second, His Majesty the Emperor. Whether Consort Liu colluded with outsiders actually doesn’t matter. What matters is that the Emperor only needed to sacrifice one palace beauty to justifiably uproot Prince Zhou completely.”
How could Tuoba Yu not know these principles? It was just that he felt deeply guilty about it. If not for him, Consort Liu might have had a thread of survival. His pointing was equivalent to helping the mastermind pin the crime on her completely. Precisely because of this, Tuoba Yu had always shown some tolerance toward Tuoba Zhen—there was guilt born from compensatory psychology, and also a sense of mutual sympathy. As fellow sons of the Emperor, sometimes they had to face bloody, cruel slaughter.
“You’re right. This matter, the key is Father Emperor’s attitude. If he had been willing to believe Consort Liu then, Third Brother wouldn’t have lost his mother from a young age.” Tuoba Yu said in a low voice, the expression on his face gradually turning bitter, with an indescribable complexity.
Li Weiyang suddenly laughed. At such a tense moment, her smile seemed particularly abrupt. Tuoba Yu looked at her in shock. Li Weiyang’s expression grew increasingly cold, “Don’t use your pitiful sympathy on Tuoba Zhen anymore. Let me speak frankly—actually, Tuoba Zhen long ago guessed who the mastermind was.”
Tuoba Yu frowned.
“In this matter, who was the greatest beneficiary?” Li Weiyang asked with a smile.
Behind the artificial mountain, Li Min De couldn’t help but furrow his brow. Third Sister saying this clearly meant…
“Consort Wu Xian.” Tuoba Yu answered thus.
Li Weiyang’s smile appeared very gentle, “Yes, Consort Wu Xian. She had the Marquis of Yongping’s manor as backing and had always been quite favored by His Majesty. But her greatest weakness was that she had no son. What to do? Naturally, steal someone else’s son. But she didn’t dare and couldn’t touch the others. The best candidate was of course Consort Liu, who had no family background but had given birth to the Third Prince.”
Tuoba Yu said nothing. Though he felt Consort Wu Xian didn’t seem like such a cruel woman, intuitively, he felt Li Weiyang was right.
“Who exactly killed Consort Liu—His Majesty knows, the Empress knows, and Tuoba Zhen must also know. Most importantly, he chose to recognize the enemy as mother. Even now, when he has the power to retaliate, he still appears very filial and calm. Now he could certainly avenge Consort Liu, but to this day, he’s still Consort Wu Xian’s good son, Marquis Yongping’s good grandson. Don’t you understand? For the throne, he can endure anything! Even if he had to kneel and lick Consort Wu Xian’s toes, he wouldn’t hesitate. He’s just such a shameless person!” Even more, Tuoba Zhen had seized upon Tuoba Yu’s trace of guilt and desperately squeezed out his exploitation value.
This person was truly more terrifying than a demon.
“You make Third Brother sound too cruel.” Tuoba Yu frowned disapprovingly.
Li Weiyang laughed aloud, thinking you don’t yet know he’s even crueler than you imagine. A man who could sever the feet of a wife who had shared weal and woe with him, even willing to die for him, and ultimately have her executed—could you expect such a man to have any conscience remaining?
“This world is inherently unfair. If you don’t want to become fish and meat, you can only be the knife and chopping board!” Li Weiyang said coldly.
Today she had already said enough. She had no interest in continuing. Speaking of unfairness, no one in this world had been treated more unfairly by heaven than her! Because her birth time was inauspicious, she was driven out of the Li family. If not for the arranged marriage with the Third Prince, she probably would never have been able to return as Miss Li in her entire life. In countless days accompanied by darkness and sorrow, she had also deeply resented this, secretly crying and complaining that heaven was unfair—it truly was unfair, extremely unfair.
Though the anger of those years was intense, perhaps because she had personally destroyed all that unfairness, Li Weiyang laughed long and sighed. Her tone held pride, arrogance, and emotion, “As long as you control the realm, whatever you say is fair—absolutely no one will say half a word otherwise!” Speaking to this point, Li Weiyang’s gaze was scorching, practically like burning clouds.
Tuoba Yu shivered slightly—not from fear, but because a fervor had been ignited by Li Weiyang! If even a woman could speak her desires, then why couldn’t he? He wanted to be Emperor, truly wanted to stand at the highest peak!
Seeing the change in his mentality, Li Weiyang’s face flashed with a trace of satisfied smile, “Your Highness, palace struggles change in the blink of an eye. Both opposing sides spare no effort—life and death can be decided in a breath. How can anyone with great fortune be harmed repeatedly by enemies without consequence? So I hope that before Tuoba Zhen makes his move, you will eliminate his followers and never let him touch the throne!”
Between her breaths surged infinite hatred and fury. This point, Tuoba Yu didn’t perceive. He only felt the person before him made one involuntarily produce surging heroic spirit.
Li Min De listened from the side, the corners of his mouth involuntarily showing a trace of smile, like an inadvertent touch of color.
He didn’t find Li Weiyang cruel at all—he only found her adorable. Daring to love and hate, daring to think and act, not caring at all about others’ opinions. Something in his heart was slightly churning, like warm wine gently swaying in a cup. He quietly retreated along the path he’d come. No one would think he was hiding in the artificial mountain. Tuoba Yu’s guards were all stationed outside, and not a single person in the Li household knew there was a secret passage in the artificial mountain.
Tuoba Yu exhaled, “I understand everything. From now on, I know what to do.”
Li Weiyang’s lips curved upward.
Tuoba Yu caught this subtle expression, and his heart also stirred slightly—his feeling was like being scratched by a warm, delicate little finger. His heart actually felt somewhat intoxicated. Today’s conversation—the unease and blockage accumulated in Tuoba Yu’s heart had all condensed into a lump just now, then suddenly completely shattered. As long as Li Weiyang was willing to support and understand him, even if condemned by the entire world in the future, he would still feel he was right.
He suddenly felt his feelings toward Li Weiyang were very different from just moments ago.
The feeling she gave him was actually so intimate, as if they had already been companions for many years.
Tuoba Yu instinctively stepped forward and gripped Li Weiyang’s hand tightly. After confiding so much to her, he actually felt she had become a very important person, someone who couldn’t be released.
Li Weiyang frowned. The atmosphere between the two slowly heated in silence, gradually tinted with ambiguous colors.
Earlier it had just been an impulsive moment, but Tuoba Yu had made up his mind in an instant. Gripping her wrist tightly, slowly yet firmly, he said, “I will request of Father Emperor to take you as my principal consort.”
Tuoba Yu promised her the position of principal consort. Li Weiyang certainly understood his meaning, but showed no shyness, nor did she become more flustered because of it. She was a firm and rational person who wouldn’t, like a young girl, so easily become confused with emotion. Her eyes sparkled in the sunlight, as if containing warm water drops, yet the depths were ice-cold, “Your Highness, I said long ago that romantic feelings between man and woman are unreliable. I will help you, but only as your partner and friend. What you need is a wife who can help you, not a woman with only the empty title of County Princess. If you raise such a request again, please forgive my rudeness.” As she spoke, she quickly withdrew her hand. She understood herself too well. Though outwardly still a young girl, inside she was like ashes—very difficult to ignite true passion. Moreover, she would absolutely not forget the vow she’d made in her previous life! She wouldn’t enter the palace, much less become Tuoba Yu’s principal consort. These things—she absolutely didn’t want to experience again in this lifetime! No matter whether the object was Tuoba Yu or any other person, nothing could change her decision!
She knew that the more noble a person, the more they insisted on having their way. Refusing such a person was no different from seeking one’s own skin from a tiger. But when she refused him to his face, she felt no fear whatsoever. Because if Tuoba Yu would grow angry even at such a refusal, then he wouldn’t have any prospects to speak of. Moreover, she wanted to be Tuoba Yu’s ally, not a submissive subordinate, much less a woman who admired him. He had to get used to her way of speaking!
Seeing her cool expression, Tuoba Yu couldn’t help but feel alarmed and involuntarily released her hand.
Li Weiyang said quickly, “I should return now. My apologies.” With that, she turned and left, clean and decisive.
Tuoba Yu stared blankly at her departure, his heart feeling lost and disappointed. However, he wasn’t worried. In the future, he would have plenty of opportunities to win her heart—he certainly would!
Li Weiyang, however, was calculating inwardly. She hadn’t expected Tuoba Yu would make such a request of her, much less understood whether he came from genuine affection or felt they could stand on the same battle line. According to reason, with this situation arising, she shouldn’t continue entangling with Tuoba Yu.
However, the succession struggle in the palace had already begun. The Empress had given birth to the Crown Prince, but for many years, the Emperor, busy with campaigns and governance, had neglected caring for the Crown Prince. The Empress’s health was poor, and what energy remained was devoted entirely to assisting the Emperor, so her care for him was also limited, resulting in the Crown Prince’s mediocre talent and weak character. Ordinarily, this kind of person as Emperor would thoroughly implement the doctrine of the mean—nothing particularly bad about that. At least he wouldn’t be a cruel, muddle-headed tyrant. But the problem was, the Emperor had other outstanding sons. Most people would notice the Fifth Prince Tuoba Rui and Seventh Prince Tuoba Yu. First, for a prince to ascend the throne, he relied not only on ability but also on his own bloodline and his maternal family’s power. Without these two conditions, no matter how capable a prince was, he probably couldn’t even touch the edge of the throne. So now, no one would think there was still a venomous snake coveting the throne… She had to temporarily help Tuoba Yu until Tuoba Zhen was defeated.
In the pavilion, the Ninth Princess shouted angrily, “That boy tricked me into going to the toilet—where exactly did he run off to!”
Li Weiyang walked over with a smile, “What, the Princess lost Min De?”
The Ninth Princess was puffing with anger, but seeing Li Weiyang’s smiling expression, she couldn’t help but retreat a step, “I… I…” She was truly afraid of this woman who smiled on the surface but actually feared neither heaven nor earth.
Just then, Tuoba Yu walked over and grabbed the Ninth Princess by her collar, “Let’s go. If we don’t return, your mother consort will be worried!”
The Ninth Princess was lifted up upside down, looking very angry, waving her fists, “Seventh Brother, put me down! You’re completely improper!”
Watching a little girl being carried away by Tuoba Yu with bared fangs and brandished claws, the others also quickly followed.
Li Weiyang smiled faintly and turned back, “Alright, everyone’s gone. You can come out now.”
Li Min De walked out from the side, his face full of smiles, “How did Third Sister know I was here?”