☆、009 Nights of Revelry
Performing such a grand show is indeed tiring. Moreover, it's not just about talking; you also have to use your brain, which makes it even more difficult.
Ye Xiaowei didn't rush to answer Luo Zijing. Instead, she walked back to the table, picked up the teacup, took a big gulp of tea, and after catching her breath, smiled and said:
"Without the two of you working together so well, I wouldn't have been able to perform so perfectly. In the end, I still have to thank you both!"
Luo Zijing suddenly stopped smiling, her expression turning serious, and her bright golden eyes filled with worry.
"However, in doing so, we would be openly challenging Li Guijun, and with our current strength, we might not be able to handle it!"
Yin Jinmo, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly chuckled. Luo Zijin looked at him with some displeasure, her bright golden pupils showing anger towards him. Yin Jinmo, however, seemed oblivious, his eyes and brows full of a gentle smile.
Compared to Luo Zijin, Yin Jinmo is more composed and meticulous. He usually has a gentle demeanor and a faint smile on his lips. However, Ye Xiaowei knows that he is not a kind person. If he is a friend, that would be good. But if he is an enemy, he would be particularly difficult to guard against.
Fortunately, she has memories of her past life. Although Yin Jinmo was cold and distant towards her in her previous life, he was very polite to her and was not an enemy sent by others, so she was a friend, not an enemy.
When talking to smart people, you don't have to waste your breath explaining things. In this respect, Ye Xiaowei is quite satisfied with Yin Jinmo. Her only dissatisfaction is that Yin Jinmo is too deep and unfathomable.
As for Luo Zijin, he's not actually stupid; it's just that compared to Yin Jinmo, he seems much more naive.
Undeniably, a man like Luo Zijin, with his alluring and handsome appearance and rather innocent personality, is extremely likable.
Ye Xiaowei said, "It seems that Jinmo has thought of something exciting!"
Luo Zijing scoffed dismissively: "Still the same as before, always thinking he's the only smart person in the world. He doesn't like to explain things clearly, but he's secretly enjoying himself by himself. I don't know what he's so happy about!"
Yin Jinmo was already used to Luo Zijin's sarcastic remarks, so he wasn't angry and still had a slight smile on his face.
Then, that deep voice overflowed from those two thin lips:
"I was thinking that right now, Consort Li is busy cleaning up his own mess and probably won't have time to pay attention to His Highness. Thinking of how flustered he is, I suddenly find it quite laughable that such a gentle and composed man would be in such a panicked state..."
Luo Zijing stared at Yin Jinmo, who was laughing happily, with a completely bewildered expression.
Ye Xiaowei laughed along with her, "That's right, it's kind of funny when you think about it."
Luo Zijing finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Wait...wait a minute, what are you two talking about? Why is Li Guijun so busy? Why is he in such a panic? What just happened?"
Ye Xiaowei glanced sideways at Luo Zijin, who looked bewildered. This young master was indeed handsome, but unfortunately, he was a bit too simple-minded.
He couldn't help but sigh softly, "Thinking about what just happened..."
After a slight pause, he lazily added:
"I'm tired and need to rest for a while to replenish my strength for the continued battle! From now on, you two can stay in the inner courtyard to rest. It will be easier to find you then. I've already ordered people to prepare your rooms, so you can go back and rest on your own. Also, we've won the first battle, so we must celebrate properly tonight!"
Afterwards, Luo Zijing racked her brains, but to no avail. She tried everything, from acting cute and charming to pestering him relentlessly. Yin Jinmo was so frustrated by her persistence that he finally had to explain things to Luo Zijing with a dark expression.
After hearing the explanation, Luo Zijing couldn't help but burst into laughter:
"He's made a terrible mistake in hiring people. What good is being smart yourself when you're surrounded by a bunch of incompetent idiots..."
Yin Jinmo, his face full of black lines, thought to himself, "What right do you have to talk about others? You're no different! All you have is a pretty face..."
Of course, Yin Jinmo didn't say these words out loud. He didn't want to spend the next few days living amidst Luo Zijin's constant spittle.
Before her execution, Xia Yu roared arrogantly, declaring that she was Li Guijun's woman and that Ye Xiaowei wouldn't dare do anything to her...
This makes it clear that she is an informant sent by Li Changxi to monitor Ye Xiaowei.
Ye Xiaowei is the Crown Princess, and Li Changxi is a Noble Lady. It is unreasonable for him to send someone to monitor the Crown Princess. Moreover, if others add fuel to the fire and say that he is actually coveting the position of Crown Princess and wants to harm Ye Xiaowei, not only will all the good things he did in the past be forgotten, but he may also lose his position as Noble Lady.
As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. No matter how many good deeds he had done in the past, they would all be overturned, and people would say that he had ulterior motives and deliberately tried to curry favor with the Crown Princess in order to take advantage of her unpreparedness and seize the position of Crown Prince.
If these rumors spread, no matter how capable Li Changxi is, he will probably find it difficult to silence the public. It is hard to say what Emperor Mingde might do in a fit of anger!
Therefore, at this point, Li Changxi was in dire straits himself and would certainly not risk such a situation by taking advantage of this extremely unfavorable momentum to come and question Ye Xiaowei.
If Ye Xiaowei turns the tables and bites back, he will truly be unable to defend himself.
Li Changxi was neither stupid nor foolish; naturally, he wouldn't do such a thing. He might already be furious in his own palace, smashing things and yelling at the servants, but outside, in front of others, he still had to maintain a facade of gentleness, remaining the docile and kind Consort Li he always was!
Ye Xiaowei had no intention of letting the matter rest. Since Li Changxi was now angry but dared not speak out and could only suppress the situation, she decided to take this opportunity to go all the way and, under various high-sounding pretexts, remove all the spies he had placed around him and replace them with a new batch of her own people.
In recent days, when the palace servants were talking privately, they all said that after the Crown Princess suffered a serious illness, she seemed to have suddenly become a different person, reveling every night and indulging in pleasure with the Emperor, living a very happy life.
Every night, many handsome young men with fair skin entered the Eastern Palace, and at dawn the next day, they were sent out of the palace again by the same carriages.
This had been going on for several days. Around midnight, patrolling guards could hear the incredibly seductive cries and moans coming from inside the East Palace. The sounds were so enticing that they made one's imagination run wild, one's heart race, and one's face turn red.
The news of the Crown Princess's debauchery and nightly revelry with handsome men quickly spread throughout the palace. The older girls were filled with envy, while the younger girls, though eager to know more, were too shy to listen in secretly. After eavesdropping for a while, they would blush and run away.
The servants below described it vividly, and the more it was passed on, the more it seemed to be about a sensual and promiscuous woman…
☆、010 Uninvited Guest
Ye Xiaowei's dissolute and licentious image had already spread throughout the palace, and with the rumors spreading, the gossip became more and more popular. Various versions of the hot topic spread rapidly throughout the palace like a plague.
However, Emperor Mingde was not in the palace at the moment. The Empress was unwell and was recuperating in her own palace. She had been detached from worldly affairs for many years. The Imperial Noble Consort and other servants whom Emperor Mingde still favored were all taken to the Yunshan Hunting Ground.
Therefore, at this moment, the most powerful person in the palace is still the Crown Princess who holds the reins of government, but the real power is naturally not in the hands of this young girl.
However, Li Changxi was too busy to deal with these rumors at the moment. He was in his own palace, frantically cleaning up the mess and dealing with the aftermath.
Moreover, from Li Changxi's perspective, the more licentious Ye Xiaowei was, the more advantageous it was for him. The more vividly and offensively the rumors spread by his servants, the more likely they were to reach Emperor Mingde's ears.
When the time comes, Emperor Mingde will surely be furious because of Ye Xiaowei's bad habits and her promiscuity in the harem. Her position as Crown Princess will be in jeopardy, which would be the best thing for him.
In this way, Li Changxi didn't need to worry that Ye Xiaowei had really become that powerful; it was just a lucky accident that he accidentally beat a servant to death.
This only shows that Ye Xiaowei was not only licentious but also cruel. Wise rulers throughout history have always won people over with virtue, while only tyrants resort to violence to suppress the people.
Although Ye Xiaowei's actions caused him to withdraw all his spies, her tyrannical behavior will only hasten her demise.
Firstly, it wouldn't be appropriate for Li Changxi to go and question them at this time; secondly, there was no need for him to go to such lengths.
The Eastern Palace continued its nightly revelry, with singing and dancing filling the air. Ye Xiaowei enjoyed herself immensely, surrounded by beautiful women every night!
Li Changxi not only did not stop Ye Xiaowei from having fun, but also specially ordered people to select a group of handsome young men from the streets and bribe them to send them to the East Palace to monitor Ye Xiaowei's every move.
The information obtained from the handsome young men they bribed was that Ye Xiaowei had absolutely no airs of a princess and was no different from any other woman of loose morals.
During the meal, he not only took advantage of others, but also whispered intimately with one of the servants in front of everyone. The scene was extremely explicit, almost like a restricted-rated version, and it was as if they were about to have a live sex show in front of everyone.
These news dispelled the gloom that had been hanging over Li Changxi for days, and he was quite satisfied with the outcome.
These five days of indulgence and pleasure completely disarmed Li Changxi, and he came to the conclusion that she had not suddenly become any smarter, and that she was still just a pawn to be manipulated by him.
Ye Xiaowei reluctantly used her body to lower Li Changxi's guard, staging this scene with them.
However, on the afternoon of the fifth day, an uninvited guest arrived.
At that moment, Ye Xiaowei was leaning lazily on a soft couch covered with white fox fur, her expression serene. At first glance, she seemed like a fox fairy who had cultivated for a thousand years from the deep mountains and forests, bewitching and stunningly beautiful. Although she appeared lazy, her whole body exuded a spiritual aura that made it impossible to look away, and one was immediately drawn to her.
Beside her, a handsome young man knelt, massaging her legs. To her right sat the gentle-looking Yin Jinmo, while to her left, half of his body was already entwined around her like a snake. The enchanting man was none other than Luo Zijin.
At that moment, he was holding a crystal-clear grape in his fingers, carefully peeling it, and then bringing it to Ye Xiaowei's lips. Ye Xiaowei took it in her mouth, her eyes full of smiles.
Against her stunning beauty, Luo Zijin, who was feeding her, was stunned and froze on the spot.
Two blushes immediately rose on her fair face, and her bright golden eyes flowed with undisguised tenderness…
The man standing at the door was also stunned by the scene inside, standing there like a stone statue. After a moment, he looked like a crab that had been thrown into a pot, his face turning so red that it seemed as if water could drip from it.
Everyone turned their gaze to the doorway, looking at the unexpected guest. Ye Xiaowei withdrew her gaze from Luo Zijing's face, chewing on the grape in her mouth. It was sweet and fragrant, and she never imagined that grapes could be so sweet.
But when her gaze also turned towards the doorway, the sweetness in her mouth instantly turned into a fishy taste, the smell of blood and death filling her entire mouth.
A handsome young man of sixteen or seventeen stood at the door, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose, and thin lips slightly parted in surprise.
Memories of their past life surged forth like a burst dam; this seemingly gentle and refined man had personally killed their child.
He showed not a shred of remorse, not even blinking, let alone any sadness. He killed his own child with the same casual indifference as crushing an ant.
This man, who puts on the guise of a kind-hearted person and always gives people a warm smile, is actually nothing more than a hypocrite who will stop at nothing!
When Ye Xiaowei saw that handsome face that she dreamed of strangling, all the muscles in her body tensed up and her expression changed drastically.
This was her husband in her previous life, the legitimate husband bestowed upon her by her mother, the only male master of the Eastern Palace!
Having learned about his hidden side, his cruelty and ruthlessness, Ye Xiaowei is now unable to truly remain calm in the face of this man—Li Muyan!
Even a simple man like Luo Zijing could sense the difference in Ye Xiaowei at this moment. He looked up in surprise and saw Ye Xiaowei's face turn ugly. He wanted to get up and ask her, but Ye Xiaowei pressed him down forcefully, preventing him from moving and maintaining their ambiguous and breathtaking posture.
Even if Luo Zijing was stupid, she noticed Ye Xiaowei's strange behavior at this moment, so she naturally did not dare to make any rash moves and chose to cooperate with her.
Although he didn't know what had happened, there was one thing he was sure of: Ye Xiaowei didn't like the man standing at the door. No, not only did she dislike him, she hated him!
Time seemed to stretch on for what felt like an eternity, but Ye Xiaowei knew it had only been a few seconds.
What she had to face sooner or later, she had to face sooner or later. Moreover, in her previous life, in order to show her devotion and affection for Li Muyan, she even sent Yin Jinmo and Luo Zijin out of the palace.
Of course, Li Changxi had one reason, but more importantly, she wanted to express her feelings for Li Muyan.
Looking back now, I realize how incredibly stupid I was back then; I could have easily been reborn as a pig.
Ye Xiaowei calmed her turbulent emotions slightly, trying her best to appear no different from before, and smiled at Li Muyan standing at the door:
"Mu Yan, what brings you here? You didn't even tell me beforehand!"
Standing frozen at the doorway, Li Muyan finally realized his mistake and, feeling slightly embarrassed, quickly walked to the center and bowed.
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
☆、011 Breaking a promise face to face