Chapter 345: Chopping Off Ears! Concubine Li's Vicious Scheme! (Bonus Chapter for Grandmaster 520)
Updated: 2013-09-23 17:01:48 Word Count: 3510
"Can't I punish her? Even if she's a victim, she caused so many people to get hurt and almost killed an innocent child. If I don't teach her a lesson, I'm afraid she won't learn her lesson." Luo Zhiheng was very determined. She glared fiercely at Luo Erduo, who curled up into a ball, looking at her with teary eyes.
"Then you should just cut off one of her ears, that way you won't have to worry about her having another attack," Mu Yunhe said casually.
Luo Zhiheng was shocked. She had only said it in anger, but if she really cut off Luo Erduo's ear, wouldn't that be the end of her? Although she was angry, Luo Erduo had caused a minor disturbance this time. However, Luo Erduo was genuinely innocent on this occasion, and she still felt a little soft-hearted.
She tugged at Mu Yunhe and whispered, "Are you crazy? How can she live if her ears are chopped off?"
"Reluctant to part with it? Don't worry, her ears can grow back, though it will be very slow. She'll only have two pointed ears, and then she'll transform. If she only has one pointed ear, she won't transform. So, I'd be happy to see you cut off one ear. We'll see when she has another attack later." Mu Yunhe chuckled softly.
Luo Zhiheng was greatly surprised, but she believed Mu Yunhe's words. Although she was a little worried and scared, she still fiercely drew her knife and said, "Luo Erduo, if you obediently let me chop off one of your ears, I will spare your life."
Luo Erduo was terrified, her face turning deathly pale. She trembled and curled up into a ball, shaking her head desperately, tears streaming down her face. She looked at them pitifully, her eyes filled with pleading. 154.
Luo Zhiheng hesitated again. Luo Erduo's cute and pitiful appearance made it hard to hate her. While she was still hesitating, she felt the knife in her hand being snatched away. She was startled, but saw Mu Yunhe take the knife and step forward. With lightning speed, he raised the knife and chopped off one of Luo Erduo's drooping pointed ears.
Fresh blood spurted out a great distance instantly.
The entire courtyard was completely silent; everyone was terrified.
"Ah!!" Luo Erduo's scream shattered the effects of the medication. The immense pain made her unable to endure it any longer, and she immediately fainted.
"Mu Yunhe, you've gone mad!" Luo Zhiheng was equally shocked by Mu Yunhe's ruthlessness and coldness at this moment.
Those are ears! How can you just chop them off like that?
Mu Yunhe, however, remained indifferent. He bent down to pick up the fallen pointed ear, then turned away abruptly, pulling Luo Zhiheng into the room. He instructed, "Take good care of Luo Erduo; it's your young lady's pet."
Inside the room, Luo Zhiheng shook off Mu Yunhe's hand, her voice filled with shock and anger. "What's wrong with you? How could you really cut off her ear with a knife? How could you be so heartless?"
Mu Yunhe said with a half-smile, "It's just an ear, and you're already worried about it? Don't worry, she won't die, and the ear will grow back. Quickly eat this ear; as long as you eat this ear, Luo Erduo will definitely not die."
Luo Zhiheng felt a chill run down her spine and quickly backed away. She thought Mu Yunhe must have gone mad: "What's wrong with you? You want me to eat human ears? How could you do this? This is too bizarre. If I eat ears, will Luo Erduo not die? It's ridiculous."
“Of course I’m not joking. If you eat this ear, you will be the master of Luo Erduo, inside and out. Only in this way can she obey you unconditionally. What’s so strange about that? Luo Erduo is a species that exists. She has a pair of strange pointed ears. Haven’t you accepted all of that?” Mu Yunhe insisted, pushing the bloody ear toward Luo Zhiheng.
Luo Zhiheng's face turned pale, and she shook her head repeatedly, her eyes blank: "No. I can't eat it, it's disgusting! Don't force me."
Mu Yunhe laughed, "Silly Aheng. Do you know how many years Luo Erduo lives? People say that fox spirits live for a thousand years, right? That's a bit off, but there are still fox spirits that live for several hundred years. Luo Erduo is a high-grade fox spirit, and her lifespan can be as long as seven hundred years. If she stayed quietly in the Demon and Barbarian Land, no one would find her. But she appeared in front of me, how could I let her go so easily?"
“You ate her ear, so you're not only her master, but you can also share her life. I don't want to be so lonely in the long years to come, Ah Heng, you'll stay with me, won't you?”
Mu Yunhe's expectant gaze was filled with intense fervor and anticipation. He seemed to be saying something very ordinary, but to Luo Zhiheng, it was like a bolt from the blue, a fantastical tale, something unattainable, unreal, and absurd.
"How could that be? We're all human, how could there be so many absurd things?"
Mu Yunhe smiled gently: "Why is it impossible? Divination priests can foresee the future. Once a divination priest reaches the Divination Heavenly Palace, it's hard for them to die. It's just a pity that I couldn't go there before because I was destined to die. But because of you, I survived. Your existence is a miracle, and my survival is also a miracle. This world is so big, how do you know it's impossible? Goodness, except for her. Even if I can't make you a fox spirit with a seven-hundred-year lifespan, at least I can make you live to be a hundred years old, which is good for me too."
Luo Zhiheng was stunned. Yes, she could survive being possessed by a ghost, traveling from one world to another. Everything was unfamiliar, yet it all felt real. If someone like her, who shouldn't be alive, was still alive, what else was impossible?
Luo Zhiheng hesitated for a moment and said, "Wouldn't it be disgusting to eat her ear?"
"No, just think of it as eating pig's ear, okay?" Mu Yunhe smiled and offered the ear.
Luo Zhiheng rolled her eyes. Pig ears weren't that scary, but these ears were disgusting, especially since they were her pet's ears. Although they were gradually starting to look less like human ears, they were still disgusting. She made a face and said, "Can I not eat them?"
"So, do you want to separate from me sooner?" Mu Yunhe asked.
Of course I don't want to! But if I don't want to, I have to eat.
Luo Zhiheng steeled her heart, ignoring everything else. She had already died once, so what was there to be afraid of? Even the strangest things couldn't compare to a ghost still being alive, right?
She swallowed the ear whole, a painful experience, coughing violently and nearly vomiting. Mu Yunhe patted her back, afraid she might actually vomit, and asked, "How do you feel?"
Luo Zhiheng was almost in tears: "I don't feel anything, I just feel nauseous."
"It'll be alright in the past." Mu Yunhe hugged her, his eyes sparkling.
Luo Zhiheng was unaware, but Luo Erduo in the other room suddenly meowed like a cat, her voice painful and suppressed, yet somewhat ingratiating. She suddenly woke up from her unconsciousness, her cutely bandaged face covering half of her eye, but her gaze was bright and angry.
"Bad guys! A bunch of bad guys! How dare they take advantage of someone in distress! How dare they eat someone's ear! Waaaaah, give it to me, give it to me now! I don't want to be Luo Zhiheng's pet, I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to!"
Her cries garnered no sympathy or pity. Mu Yunhe was so ruthless; he could chop off an ear without hesitation. Who would dare offend such a ruthless figure?
That evening, the people sent out to investigate the blooming of the flowers finally returned, bringing back news that made Luo Zhiheng sneer and Mu Yunhe scoff.
"The one who survived the fire with Consort Li was indeed Hua Kai. They're currently staying at the Li family's residence, but it seems the Li family is unwilling to entertain them. They've only put them in guest rooms in the outer courtyard, not even in the inner courtyard. Moreover, Hua Kai appears to be disfigured, her face covered in burns. It's said that when she first arrived at the Li family's residence, she caused a scene, crying and shouting that Consort Li deliberately shielded her from the fire, which is why she was burned," the man said coldly. (The last sentence, "道也能性不," is a separate, unrelated statement and doesn't directly relate to the preceding text.)
"She's disfigured? And she's still causing trouble with Consort Li?" Luo Zhiheng asked in surprise. She began to ponder the matter.
The man continued, "Hua Kai was indeed someone Luo Ningshuang placed by Consort Li's side. Because no one would notice that Hua Kai was Luo Ningshuang's person, nor would anyone think of this, Luo Ningshuang must have planned it all out, so she didn't hide it much. This made it easy to investigate. By following the clues, we found Hua Kai's origins immediately. She was a girl Luo Ningshuang saved many years ago. Chun Nuan, who was by Luo Ningshuang's side, is Hua Kai's older sister. Chun Nuan stayed by Luo Ningshuang's side, while Hua Kai was trained and then sent to the Mu Prince's Mansion."
"Just as I thought!" Even with her composure, Luo Zhiheng was now terrified by Luo Ningshuang's foresight and scheming. 17419958
"There's another matter. It seems that Consort Li is plotting something, as if she wants to take revenge on the young prince and his wife, and it seems she wants to find a concubine for the young prince. And the woman Consort Li wants to give to the young prince is the disfigured Hua Kai," the man added.
"What did you say?!" Luo Zhiheng's voice almost trembled, her face shifting rapidly. Suddenly, she swept the teacup off the table and sneered, "What a reckless Consort Li! She really has the audacity to come up with such a terrible idea. Fine, very well! If I don't make her eat the dog shit she just produced, I'm not Luo Zhiheng!"
Perhaps what she said was too disgusting, because Mu Yunhe's gloomy face relaxed a little: "Tell me, how could Li Jianren have thought of using a disfigured wretch to annoy me?"
The man said, "It's related to Hua Kai. Consort Li's anger affected Hua Kai, and she wanted to execute her. But Hua Kai is no ordinary person. She didn't know what kind of leverage she had over Consort Li, but she managed to leave Consort Li dumbfounded as soon as she opened her mouth. Hua Kai even dared to use that leverage to negotiate with Consort Li. Perhaps Consort Li pushed Hua Kai to the edge, disfiguring her and wanting to execute her. So, in her extreme anger, Hua Kai actually asked Consort Li to arrange a good marriage for her."
Luo Zhiheng gritted her teeth and said, "So that Li Jianren has set his sights on Mu Yunhe? Damn it, does he think I'm dead? Let her bring it on! This time, I'll show her what it means to reap what you sow, and what it means to get what you sow!"
Second update! That's all for today. I'll keep working hard tomorrow, haha. Bonus chapter for today's fourth person to become a Grandmaster (520!), gentlemen, big kisses! Haha, Huasha will work even harder. Still asking for recommendation votes, comments, and monthly tickets! Group kisses!
346 The Secret and Viciousness of Consort Li!
Updated: 2013-09-24 16:39:34 Word Count: 7651
The Li family's former imperial garden was the palace of their ancestors, magnificent and resplendent, filled with countless rare treasures, and covering an area spanning half of the capital.
After the Li family was pacified, their branch of the family should not have been allowed to survive, as this would have been a major threat to the new government. However, the Li family members, well-versed in the principle of flexibility, actually surrendered!
Every imperial power is bought with the blood and lives of countless people. Before the establishment of the Mu Dynasty, it was also steeped in bloodshed, conquering cities and seizing territories, and slaughtering people in all directions without hesitation.
When the Mu family's ancestor conquered the land and stormed the imperial city, the Li family did something utterly despicable, contemptible, and shocking. They did not fiercely resist, nor did they display any pride in their resolve to fight to the death, nor did they possess the courage to choose death over dishonor. They surrendered just days after the Mu dynasty's forces entered the imperial city, voluntarily relinquishing the throne and offering to become their subjects.
This is unprecedented in thousands of years of history. The Li family's spineless and cowardly behavior is despicable! But even so, who can say much? At that time, the Li dynasty was besieged on all sides. The great Confucian Tong family had long been unable to tolerate the Li family's cowardly rule and practices. They submitted to the Mu dynasty, which was naturally seen by others as a betrayal of the Li family.
But who doesn't choose the right tree to perch on? Who doesn't choose someone worthy of their loyalty? The Tong family's century-long reputation is not just for show; they are not blindly loyal to anyone. Their loyalty is more about the replacement and renewal of old customs and morals, and they believe in the principle that the capable should do more and that the most capable should be given more responsibility.
The country is not a toy; it's not something you can rule simply because you lack ability. If everyone is as absurd and cowardly as Emperor Xian of the Li family, devoid of any backbone or ambition, then it's better to quickly abdicate in favor of those with virtue and talent. What they desire is a prosperous and peaceful nation, a country that is unafraid even in war. They hope this country will be a powerful and strong nation, not just a hollow shell that anyone can take a bite out of.
Therefore, the Tong family surrendered to the Mu family. Their goal was to preserve the empire; as for the incompetent ruler of the Li family, what they would do with him was no longer within the Tong family's consideration.
This explains why the Tong and Li families have never been on good terms. The Tong family was originally a subject of the Li family, but now the Tong family holds a higher position than the Li family, simply because they had the courage and magnanimity to switch allegiance to a wise ruler. However, the Tong family's true switch of allegiance only occurred after the Li family expressed their intention to surrender, so the Li family acted tactlessly and offended everyone.
The founding emperor of the Mu Dynasty exiled all the other male members of the Li family to the frontier, leaving only the eldest son in the capital. This eldest son, Yeju, was the former Crown Prince Li. The Mu family appeased him and gave him good treatment. However, since the Li family members were now prisoners, keeping the eldest son in the capital was, in a way, a form of uneasy surveillance.
Even if the Li family resisted, they couldn't stop the Mu family's army from advancing. It was only a matter of time before they breached the capital and killed the tyrannical emperor. However, the Li family was very cunning. They lacked the wisdom and ability to govern a country, but they were adept at crooked ways and understanding people's thoughts.
The reason they were willing to abandon their dignity and surrender was precisely because of this. The new emperor, seeing their voluntary surrender, dared not kill them. Furthermore, with the empire newly established and the country in turmoil, Emperor Mu absolutely could not arbitrarily kill them. Not only could he not kill them, but he also had to appease them, thus giving the Li family leverage over their demands.
The Li family truly embodied the classic saying, "It's better to live a wretched life than to die a glorious death." That's how they obtained this royal garden, where they have lived ever since.
The Li family members are undoubtedly selfish and evil.
Just like the two great-aunts of the Li family in this generation, one became the old emperor's favorite concubine, intending to marry Prince Mu as a secondary consort. The Li family's initial plan was undeniably shrewd. And the Li family's ambition was simply too blatant. At that time, their future was bright, and the Li family was extremely arrogant, treating these two great-aunts of the Li family exceptionally well.
But in such a family with such wolfish ambitions, what genuine kinship is there? Just look at how the Li family treats Consort Li now that she is in trouble; it's enough to chill one's heart.
Consort Li treated Mu Yunhe poorly, even repeatedly harming him and committing many heinous acts. The relationship between Consort Li and Mu Yunhe had reached a boiling point. When Mu Yunhe was still the sickly eldest son, things were alright, but now he was no longer the child who could be bullied and harmed at will. Today, Mu Yunhe had suddenly grown into a figure worthy of both respect and fear.
Everyone knows that when Mu Yunhe returns this time, Consort Li will definitely be in deep trouble.
At this point, the Li family began to distance themselves from Consort Li. Consort Li, however, was completely unaware of the dire straits she was in. On one hand, Luo Zhiheng and Mu Yunhe hated her; on the other hand, her very family, upon which she depended for survival, had abandoned her. And yet, she dared to embarrass Mu Yunhe at such a tense moment?
Instead of trying to make amends and appease Mu Yunhe and Luo Zhiheng, she even dared to lock them out. Now that the Mu family mansion is gone, what does Consort Li have left? Yet, Consort Li still doesn't know how to restrain herself and is even thinking of taking revenge on Mu Yunhe and Luo Zhiheng.
The Li family had already forbidden Consort Li from entering the inner courtyard, relegating her to a guest room in the front yard. This blatant distancing and exclusion did not alert Consort Li; instead, she viewed it as shameful, a disaster brought by Mu Yunhe. She blamed all her misfortunes on Mu Yunhe and Luo Zhiheng, further driving her mad.
Hua Kai's face was ruined. A pretty young girl in the prime of her life was selfishly and cruelly used as a shield by Consort Li. Hua Kai was furious and naturally wouldn't let Consort Li off the hook. She was determined to die together with Consort Li. Just as Consort Li was about to kill her, she revealed a huge secret that shocked and terrified Consort Li.
It was this secret that prevented Consort Li from killing Hua Kai, because Hua Kai said that she wasn't the only one who knew this secret; her master also knew it!
"Master? You have a master? Your master isn't my mother?" Consort Li screamed, looking at Hua Kai in disbelief and confusion.
Hua Kai's face, wrapped like a mummy, was expressionless, but her eyes were filled with rage and ferocity: "What are you? You think you're worthy to be my master? Hmph, don't dream! My master knows everything, she will definitely come to save me. She is a celestial being, the most benevolent, how can a vicious hussy like you compare? My presence by your side is merely an arrangement by my master."
Hua Kai would never have betrayed Luo Ning Shuang, nor would she have revealed this matter. But now she wanted to save her life, and even more so, she was unwilling to accept it. Why should she suffer such torment? That damned Consort Li deserved to die! Consort Li was alive, how could she close her eyes? That vile woman who had caused her such a miserable fate, she would make Consort Li suffer a terrible death!
With this thought in mind, Hua Kai sneered in the horrified and insane gaze of Consort Li: "You despicable woman! You actually disfigured me, and I will make sure you never have peace again! If you dare to kill me, my master will find out very soon, and she will not hesitate to expose your secret to the public. Then you and your entire Li family will be doomed."
Since she had already gone all out and no longer felt she had a future, Hua Kai was determined to fight for herself, disregarding everything else and everyone else.
"You wretch! How dare you speak to me like that? I am the Princess Consort, I am your mistress! What you're talking about isn't me, humph, I have no one to hold any leverage over me, you think you can threaten me? You've miscalculated!" Consort Li was furious and stepped forward, kicking Hua Kai in the shin.
Hua Kai fell to the ground, groaning in pain, which only enraged her further. She suddenly raised her head and roared in a sinister voice, "Li Fangfei! Do you really think no one knows about the despicable things you've done? Don't you know that there are no secrets that stay hidden forever? Do you really want me to tell the whole world about that? My master is watching right behind me. As soon as I die, my master will make sure you pay with your life."
"Hmph, who do you think you are? If you really had such an all-powerful master, why would he even notice a lowly slave like you? Besides, as long as I kill you secretly, I guarantee your master won't know. Furthermore, I, Li Fangfei, have always been upright and honest, and I have never done anything like what you described. Naturally, I am not afraid of you." Consort Li said loudly, her head held high, but the louder she spoke, the more she seemed outwardly strong but inwardly weak.
"Oh? Is that so? Then just you wait and see. After I die, the fact that you, Consort Li, once spent your life in a brothel will be exposed to the world. Does the Prince know you were a courtesan? I'm afraid he doesn't, does he? Do all the women in your Li family like to spend their lives in brothels? And what about your outstanding son? If people find out that his mother was once a famous courtesan in Jiangnan, do you think he will still have the face to live? Do you think his lineage won't be questioned?" Hua Kai laughed sinisterly.
Consort Li's face turned deathly pale, completely devoid of color!
How could a mere maid know about this? She thought it had been covered up and was over, something she would never even think about again. Why was it brought up again by a little maid today? Could there really be a powerful figure behind Hua Kai that she didn't even know about? Was that person really as terrifying as Hua Kai described?
But why was that person staring at her?
Consort Li was filled with suspicion and panic. This scandal absolutely could not be revealed to anyone. If the princess truly gained control of the empire, she would be doomed, her life would be over, and even her family would abandon her. All the fame and status she had painstakingly pursued would vanish in an instant, leaving her disgraced and empty-handed.
Consort Li gritted her teeth and roared, "Do you believe I'll kill you?"