"Hmph! You say the same thing every time, yet you always bully the public's servant, Yu'er. How did your mother raise you to be like this? I really have to discipline you myself, otherwise you'll make me lose face abroad!" The emperor walked up to her and roared. A palace servant brought out a rattan cane, and the emperor pointed it at the ashen-faced Princess Yu, shouting, "Kneel down!"
"No! I did nothing wrong! How could Father Emperor wrongly accuse his daughter without even asking what happened?" Princess Yu was furious and shouted impulsively, "How dare you talk about Mother Emperor! It's you who are unfair and unkind to Mother Emperor. Mother Emperor is utterly disappointed in you and no longer cares about being domineering and willful towards you. Do you think this is a good thing? Mother Emperor doesn't like you anymore!"
The emperor's expression changed drastically, and his eyes revealed a panic and heaviness that those who haven't experienced it will never understand.
"How dare you talk back to me! Is it any of your business to interfere in your parents' affairs?!" The Emperor was furious! It seemed that Princess Yu's words had instantly ignited his rage, and without any sense of reason, he lashed out with a vine at Princess Yu's face.
The vine was thin and long, incredibly sharp, whipping through the wind with a whooshing sound. If it struck the girl's delicate face, it would likely disfigure her.
"Your Majesty, please don't!" A woman's urgent and terrified voice suddenly rang out.
Upon hearing that voice, the emperor regained his senses instantly, and his eyes, which had been blinded by rage, cleared. However, it was impossible for him to back down now.
Amidst the screams and shouts, an iron rod suddenly appeared from the side, blocking Princess Yu's path at the last second. With a sharp crack, the vine struck the iron rod, snapped mercilessly, and fell to the ground!
The scene seemed to freeze at that moment, eerily quiet. Everyone held their breath, staring in disbelief at this bizarre reversal.
Princess Yu stared in shock at the iron rod before her, her pale face contorted in disbelief. Then her gaze fell on Luo Zhiheng. This woman had actually saved her?!
Luo Zhiheng's sudden intervention saved the girl's face, or rather, her life. Even if you are a princess, if your face is ruined, don't expect to have a good marriage. The royal family might not even want to marry off a disfigured woman, finding it shameful.
"I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness. I could not bear to see an innocent person wronged and beaten, so I had no choice but to intervene. I wonder if Your Majesty could calm down and listen to what I have to say? Whether what I said is right or wrong, Your Majesty can have it verified. If it is true, I beg Your Majesty to reward this princess. If I am wrong, I am willing to submit to Your Majesty's judgment!" Luo Zhiheng's calm voice carried a composed and gentle air that could quell even the most angered person.
It was at this moment that the emperor finally noticed someone else was present. Filled with remorse and regret, and angered that his imperial dignity had been exposed to outsiders, he was furious. Although he had stopped her from making a grave mistake, he still gave Luo Zhiheng a vicious glare. That single glance completely stunned the still-enraged emperor. Looking at Luo Zhiheng, his eyes held shock, bewilderment, and a hint of uncertain confusion.
"Who are you?" the emperor asked, his voice carrying a strange emotion.
Luo Zhiheng smiled elegantly: "Mu Dynasty, Luo Zhiheng."
"You're from the Mu Dynasty? I know you. You're the champion of this year's Mu Dynasty Regional Talent Competition? You're here to participate in the National Talent Competition!" As expected of the emperor, he could deduce the general situation from just a few pieces of information. The emperor's expression changed for a moment, then he smiled calmly and said, "And you're also the sister-in-law of my Imperial Noble Consort!"
“Yes, although it might seem like I’m trying to claim kinship, I still want to say something for this princess. Your Majesty and Her Highness have misunderstood her. She meant very well.” Luo Zhiheng said with a calm and composed smile, but she did not ignore the eunuch who had been silent all along, with his gloomy face and cold eyes.
This eunuch was indeed deliberately provoking the little princess with ulterior motives. Did he know the emperor was coming all along? Did he intentionally let the emperor see the princess's difficult side? In any case, this eunuch is not simple. The fact that Sister Mu Yunhe has such a servant by her side makes Luo Zhiheng think that this Consort is definitely not simple either.
"Good intentions? Is she doing a good deed by holding that evil iron rod?" The emperor narrowed his eyes, his aura becoming increasingly imposing.
Luo Zhiheng smiled calmly and said, "Your Highness just met me and we chatted for a bit because we were strangers. The princess is very kind, warm, humorous and honest. She told me many things I didn't know, which I really benefited from. I just happened to see the iron rod in the princess's hand and I really liked it, so I wanted the princess to demonstrate how to use the iron rod for me. What His Majesty saw just now was actually the princess finishing her demonstration and handing the iron rod to me so I could take a look."
The same words, spoken by Luo Zhiheng, became sincere and beautiful. Even bad things, in her words, transformed into words of kindness and harmony. Furthermore, her earnestness and gratitude, coupled with her genuine and beautiful smile, made her words even more persuasive and authentic. 16022231
"Is that really so?" The Emperor still had a sliver of doubt. He knew his own daughter well; Yu'er used to be a mischievous brat who often bullied the palace servants. But Luo Zhiheng didn't know Yu'er, so why should she help protect Yu'er?
"Of course it's true. I'm new here and have no idea who she is. She has no reason to make things difficult for me. I should praise His Majesty the Emperor. He is so wise and powerful that he has raised such a hospitable, cheerful, and generous daughter. It's clear that His Majesty not only has the wisdom to govern the country but also teaches his children according to their individual talents, which is why they are so well-educated." Luo Zhiheng flattered loudly, but she spoke as if it were the absolute truth.
"Hahaha! What an eloquent and quick-witted little princess! Today I have witnessed the family tradition of the Mu Dynasty's nobility. She truly deserves the words 'as majestic as mountains and as vast as the world.'" His Majesty the Emperor showed no trace of anger, laughing heartily and praising her generously.
This praise, coming from the mouth of a foreign monarch, was definitely not just for Luo Zhiheng, but an acknowledgment of the Mu Dynasty's royal family!
Luo Zhiheng has truly brought glory to the country. When the news reached the Mu Dynasty royal family, the nobles were also filled with pride and gave Luo Zhiheng a thumbs up, saying: "Well done, little princess! You've really brought honor to our royal family!"
His Majesty's praise truly reflects his appreciation for Luo Zhiheng's good intentions in helping a father and daughter, who were clearly enemies, to smooth over some misunderstandings and hurts. No one has ever been a more successful peacemaker than Luo Zhiheng.
"Your Majesty flatters me. I was just telling the truth," Luo Zhiheng said modestly with a smile.
"My daughter is just too naughty and never learns her lesson. It's a real headache for me. You are the sister-in-law of the Imperial Concubine and also Yu'er's elder, so you are Yu'er's maternal aunt. If you are often in the Southern Dynasty in the future, please teach Yu'er more. This child is good in every way, but she is too easily excitable." The emperor knew how to take the opportunity to back down, completely ignoring what had just happened, and even subtly praising his daughter who had almost been beaten by him.
Too easily excited...aren't you just like Your Majesty? Although it's only our first meeting, the fact that you two, father and daughter, are so equally excited is truly eye-opening.
Luo Zhiheng's smile deepened, but she was inwardly laughing. This grandma had come to the Southern Dynasty and even gained seniority, having a girl about her age call her aunt. How wonderful! She handed the iron rod to the bewildered princess with a smile, saying, "Princess, please take this. If I have time in the future, I will ask you to teach me your exquisite rod techniques."
Princess Yu was shocked, completely bewildered. Every time her father wronged her, wouldn't listen to her explanation, and then berated her—this time he was even going to beat her—how could he have changed so drastically after just a few words from this woman? Not only did he not punish her, but he even praised her? Had her father just praised her? Princess Yu realized what was happening, her eyes reddening with emotion. She looked at her father, then at Luo Zhiheng, overwhelmed with mixed feelings. Suddenly, she thought, "How adorable is Luo Zhiheng!"
"Yu'er! Yu'er, are you hurt? Let your mother see." Suddenly, a woman rushed over and hugged Princess Yu tightly, anxiously examining her. The woman was dressed in a martial arts outfit, clearly a trained practitioner. Her slender body was shapely and powerful, very eye-catching.
I never imagined that the Empress of the Southern Dynasty would be this kind of person!
When the emperor saw the empress, his expression became complicated. Luo Zhiheng noticed that the emperor seemed both anxious and dissatisfied.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't be rude. Don't you see there are outsiders here?" the Emperor reprimanded softly.
The woman who was checking on her daughter suddenly turned around, and a face very similar to Murong Qianxue appeared in front of Luo Zhiheng. The woman looked to be in her thirties, but she was very beautiful. Coupled with the anger on her face, her whole demeanor was like a sharp sword, exuding a chilling aura!
"My daughter and I have disgraced His Majesty the Emperor. If His Majesty doesn't want us anymore, then so be it. I don't want to disgrace you either. This time, I will take my daughter and go back to the Mu Dynasty with my brother! It's better than staying here and waiting for my daughter to be disfigured by His Majesty the Emperor one day!" The Empress was furious, her words filled with rage, showing no fear of the Emperor whatsoever.
"Stop talking nonsense!" The Emperor's expression darkened, and he couldn't help but take a few steps closer to the Empress, but the Empress grabbed Princess Yu and quickly retreated, looking wary. The Emperor's face instantly changed, making Luo Zhiheng exclaim: "It's worse than death!"
First update is here! There will be more updates and bonus chapters today, so please vote, leave comments, and give me monthly tickets! Group hugs, my darlings, shower me with love! Hua Sha will be adding more chapters!
192 The messenger bird! A test!
Updated: 2013-07-20 17:54:13 Word Count: 3389
"Thank you for saving my daughter. If you need any help, you can go to the General of the State's Mansion in the Mu Dynasty and ask me for assistance." The Empress smiled kindly at Luo Zhiheng, then pulled Princess Yu away.
"Hey, my name is Yu'er, and your name is Luo Zhiheng, right? I'll remember you. I'll come find you to play sometime. If you can't kill the vampire monster, ask me for an iron rod, and I'll lend it to you to fight the monster." Princess Yu was pulled away, and as she ran, she turned back and shouted to Luo Zhiheng, speaking quickly.
In this awkward situation, Luo Zhiheng also wanted to find a place to disappear into the ground. The emperor was embarrassed and ashamed by the empress, but he seemed helpless towards her. Luo Zhiheng was very curious. Wasn't the emperor supposed to dote on Mu Yunhe's sister? Why did the emperor seem to have such feelings for the empress?
"I'm sorry you had to see this. The Empress has always been like this," the Emperor said, withdrawing his gaze with a hint of helplessness.
“I can understand, that’s how people from military families are,” Luo Zhiheng said with a knowing smile.
"You're going to see the Imperial Concubine, aren't you? I'll have someone escort you there." The Emperor couldn't be alone with Luo Zhiheng, even with palace servants present.
"No need, this is someone sent by the Imperial Concubine to fetch me. I'll take my leave now." Luo Zhiheng bowed and departed.
The meeting with the Southern Dynasty emperor happened under such a farcical circumstances—it's hilarious! But Murong Qianxue's sister is truly impressive; she dared to give the emperor the cold shoulder—so cool! I wonder what Mu Yunhe would do if she gave him the cold shoulder?
After Luo Zhiheng turned and left, the Southern Dynasty emperor gazed intently at her retreating figure. He felt he had seen this girl somewhere before, but couldn't quite place her. He had a strong feeling he knew her. But who could she be? Who did this girl resemble?
"Your Majesty, aren't you going to the Imperial Concubine's palace?" the head eunuch asked cautiously.
"I'm not going. I'm going to the Empress's palace instead," the Emperor said irritably, turning and walking in the direction the Empress had left.
"Princess Consort, please wait here for a moment. I will go in and announce your arrival." The eunuch left Luo Zhiheng and her servant in the grand hall of the magnificent palace and departed.
Luo Zhiheng sat there, examining the room. The color was predominantly red; even without careful observation, the red had a somewhat eerie feel to it. It seemed this Imperial Concubine had a penchant for red.
"Do you notice anything unusual about this place?" Luo Zhiheng asked the nanny seemingly casually.
The wet nurse glanced at her, then subtly looked around, and said casually, "Yes, this place is bigger than our Prince's mansion." (Your daughter needs to remember this.)
Luo Zhiheng smiled enigmatically and fell silent. She knew that her wet nurse's words meant it was inconvenient to speak here. That meant someone was hiding. Why would she need to hide when she had come openly? Luo Zhiheng had only one thought: this Imperial Concubine didn't trust her, or perhaps she had other motives.
After a long wait, the eunuch returned, looking apologetic. "Please forgive me, Your Highness," he said, "Her Majesty, Her Majesty just heard that the Empress and the Princess had another disagreement with the Emperor. She was very worried about the situation and wanted to rush over to help mediate. You don't know, the Emperor and Princess Yu are always at odds. If it weren't for Her Majesty's mediation, the father and daughter would probably be irreconcilable. Her Majesty said that since you are her brother's wife, Your Highness is one of us, and she wouldn't feel too bad if I waited a little longer. But if she knew the Emperor and the Princess were having a disagreement, she would feel uneasy if she didn't go. Your Highness understands, doesn't she?"
What a kind and gentle imperial concubine! She can even distinguish between those who are close to her and those who are not.
Luo Zhiheng smiled, but in her mind, she had already categorized the Imperial Concubine as someone unrelated to her. From the Imperial Concubine's initial attempt to outmaneuver her, Luo Zhiheng had seen through it all, but she couldn't say anything. After all, the Imperial Concubine had her reasons and was even flattering her, wasn't she? It was like someone punching you, but then turning around and smiling at you, saying, "I know you won't be angry about my punch, because we're family."
"Of course I won't be angry. Our Lady is so kind and benevolent, which is thanks to the good upbringing of the Prince and Princess. It's something we should all learn from. You can go ahead and do your work, Eunuch. I'll just wait here," Luo Zhiheng said with a generous smile.
"Her Majesty said that for the young princess to marry the young prince, she must be a reasonable person. Her Majesty also said that the young princess must not be mistreated. Her Majesty is currently on her way and doesn't know when she will return. Her Majesty knows the young princess is tired from her journey, and specially instructed me to arrange a comfortable room for her to rest. Please come with me, young princess," the eunuch said solicitously. 16017334
Luo Zhiheng narrowed her eyes, watching the eunuch bowing and leading the way. After a while, she smiled and stood up, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness. Then I will trouble this eunuch to lead the way."
"Of course," the eunuch bowed and smiled obsequiously, his expression still sinister.
He led Luo Zhiheng to a side room and said to them, "Princess, please rest here. If you need anything, please tell me. This nanny lives in the next room."
"Alright, I don't need anything now. I'm a little tired. Have my people give me a massage before I go to rest. You can go now." Luo Zhiheng said, pushing open the door and going inside. The wet nurse went in and closed the door. Luo Zhiheng looked around, found a stool, sat down, raised an eyebrow, and smiled at the wet nurse still standing behind the door. She whispered, "He must have left. Wet nurse, you don't need to look anymore."
"How did you know, Master? Aren't you afraid he's a bad person?" the wet nurse asked in surprise.
"It's no use him staying. If he were truly a bad person, he wouldn't have hurt us for no reason. Don't forget whose side he's on. We haven't seen that Imperial Concubine yet, so all we can do is wait. Don't you think that eunuch is a bit strange?" Seeing that her wet nurse dared to speak like this, Luo Zhiheng knew that there were probably no hidden people in this room, so she became bolder in her speech.
“Miss is right. This servant also feels that the eunuch exudes an evil aura, and there seems to be a bloody smell about him. How could Her Highness the Consort employ such a person?” the wet nurse said with a grim expression.
“I don’t know why the Imperial Concubine used such a person, but I would like to ascertain just how sinister that eunuch is.” Luo Zhiheng smiled mysteriously, “Once I ascertain one thing, I think I can make a preliminary judgment as to whether the Imperial Concubine is our friend or foe.” 156.
"How can you be sure?" the wet nurse asked curiously.
"Could you check this room first to see if there's anything that shouldn't be there?" Luo Zhiheng was very wary of this unfamiliar environment. Or perhaps she had developed a bad impression of the Imperial Concubine. The reason was simple: the Emperor had clearly gone to see the Empress, but after learning about this, the Imperial Concubine immediately went to see the Emperor as well, trying to mediate. But with the Empress present, did she really need a mere Imperial Concubine to mediate?
This alone made Luo Zhiheng dislike the Imperial Concubine. She was either overconfident, arrogant, or scheming. In short, the Imperial Concubine was definitely not someone so naive as to not be trying to comfort that obviously innocent family of three.
The wet nurse carefully searched the room for a long time before shaking her head at Luo Zhiheng, confirming that it was safe.
Luo Zhiheng raised an eyebrow, tapping her fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound. She then looked out the window, just in time to hear birds chirping. Her eyes lit up, and she said, "Nanny, could you catch a few birds for me?"
"What's so difficult about that?" The nanny smiled and floated lightly out of the window. When she came back in, she already had four or three brightly colored birds in her hands. The nanny's expression was a little unpleasant. She said with a half-smile, "They must be being fed by someone. They look so adorable, chirping as if they were talking."
Luo Zhiheng's heart sank. The room was safe; the fact that the wet nurse dared to reveal her martial arts skills proved the courtyard was safe as well. But would the Imperial Concubine really let her rest here so easily? The wet nurse's words carried a strong sense of sarcasm. So, there was something wrong with these birds?
"Messenger birds are specially bred, similar to carrier pigeons, and are generally used for spying on privacy and infiltrating enemy camps. Their voices are clear and pleasant, and will not attract attention, but they can be used to transmit enemy messages through people who can speak bird language." The wet nurse's voice was very gloomy. She had thought this imperial concubine was a good person, but why would a good person use such a secretive thing to deal with their own relatives?
Luo Zhiheng smiled faintly: "Maybe it's something someone else used to deal with the Imperial Concubine. Don't overthink it. But since we've discovered it, let's do the Imperial Concubine a big favor by eliminating a few of those despicable spy spies. Kill them, get their blood on their feathers, and then find a way to throw them into a corner of this courtyard."
"What does Miss intend to do?" the wet nurse asked curiously. If she killed it, what if the thing really belonged to the Imperial Concubine? Wouldn't that expose Miss? It would make people think that Miss was openly challenging the Imperial Concubine.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Luo Zhiheng said confidently.
Watching the wet nurse slaughter the three little birds—their blood was surprisingly deep red, smeared on their brightly colored feathers, filling the air with a stench of blood—the wet nurse discreetly disposed of the creatures' corpses under the bushes in the corner of the wall. This spot was not visible from the courtyard gate or the rest of the room, but it was clearly visible from the wet nurse's room.
Luo Zhiheng and her wet nurse went to another room and sat behind the window, which was slightly ajar. They sat there for a while, and the sun was almost setting. There was still no one in the courtyard. Just as Luo Zhiheng was about to doze off, her wet nurse suddenly nudged her. Luo Zhiheng jolted awake and looked up sharply. A person with a pale face, a gloomy expression, and dark eyes walked in.
He had just reached the doorway when he stopped, his nose twitching noticeably in the air. He took a few more steps forward, then stopped again. This time, without hesitation, he turned and walked gloomily towards the corner of the wall…
193 The Imperial Concubine's Reason! She Was Controlled!
Updated: 2013-07-21 18:40:55 Word Count: 4550
193 The Imperial Concubine's Reason! She Was Controlled!