A flash of anger finally crossed Consort Li's face. She calmly said, "Who started this mess? Who brought up Grandfather? Wasn't it you? Now, are you trying to drag me into this? Do you want the entire Li family to serve you, Li Fangfei? Clean up the mess you made yourself. Use your status as an elder of the Mu Prince's Mansion, and perhaps you can still keep that Luo Zhiheng in check."
Consort Li's face flushed and paled, but at this moment, all she could do was use her status to suppress Luo Zhiheng. In a fit of anger, Consort Li actually rushed towards the door!
Seeing Consort Li rush out, Consort Li sneered, but glancing at the Emperor's retreating figure, she suppressed a laugh. A sinister glint flashed in her eyes. "That fool Li Fangfei," she thought, "let her lead the charge. I'll just clean up the mess later. That will only make the Li family value me more and despise Consort Li even more. My son will be the future Emperor; he needs a powerful foreign clan to support him. What audacity!"
Consort Li stormed out, her steps quick and furious. She was nearly driven mad by Luo Zhiheng's arrogance and domineering attitude. Luo Zhiheng was too outrageous, daring to bully her Li family like this, which meant she didn't take her seriously at all.
Enraged, Consort Li suddenly started running, as if she had suddenly burst out from behind a pillar in the main hall, heading straight for Luo Zhiheng, forgetting that this was the solemn and sacred imperial court. To the astonishment of the onlookers, Consort Li grabbed Luo Zhiheng's shoulder blade from behind.
Just as Luo Zhiheng was about to speak, she sensed a murderous aura coming from behind her. Her eyes turned cold, and she instinctively dodged, stretching out her foot to turn around. She felt a sudden rush of energy, and she instinctively tripped. The person rushed past her like a meteor, staggering a few steps before falling heavily to the ground, letting out a miserable scream.
Luo Zhiheng stood there unharmed, and of course recognized Consort Li, but she pretended not to know her and immediately accused her, saying, "You audacious scoundrel! How dare you ambush me! Tell me, are you the mastermind behind that Divine Physician Liang? Was the assassination attempt on the young prince in the palace last time something you and Divine Physician Liang did together?"
She rattled off a string of accusations, silencing the entire room. Even Consort Li was speechless, utterly dumbfounded. Gradually regaining her senses amidst the pain, she abruptly stood up, pointing angrily at Luo Zhiheng and shouting, "Open your dog eyes and see who I am! How dare you be so disrespectful and insolent to me! Luo Zhiheng, do you really think no one can do anything to you?"
Luo Zhiheng feigned surprise and took a few steps back, then said in a roguish voice, "Consort Li? How could it be you? How did you end up here? Did the Emperor send you too? Why did you suddenly appear behind me just now? If I hadn't sensed your murderous aura, I wouldn't have dodged, and you wouldn't have fallen flat on your face. Sorry, sorry."
Consort Li was so angry she almost choked. Suddenly, the Emperor's majestic voice rang out above her: "Enough! What do you take my Xuande Hall for? Is the court a place where you can move around as you please? How have all the members of the Li family become so unruly!"
Consort Li's face turned deathly pale instantly. Not only was the Li family father and son not saved by Consort Li, but they were also implicated in another crime by her.
The Li family is so unlucky! Everyone thought so, and an eerie atmosphere swept through the entire hall as everyone tensed up. Only Luo Zhiheng watched the spectacle, her cold smile not reaching her eyes.
"Luo Zhiheng, you tell me everything you know. I will judge right and wrong. I want to see if anyone really has the guts to use an imposter to fool me and plot against my real nephew!" The emperor was furious.
Luo Zhiheng said sternly, "Your Li family used the charge of assaulting and verbally abusing the divine physician bestowed upon Mu Yunhe by the Emperor to convict me. But do you know that this very person you claim to protect actually sent assassins to kill Mu Yunhe just the day before!"
These words shocked the entire audience!
Everyone knew something had happened at the Mu Prince's residence, but no one knew it was such a shocking and appalling event! To assassinate the young prince—what audacity and how deep must the hatred have been?
"I don't know who this Doctor Liang is working for, or whether he has a grudge against the Prince. But it's true that he has tried to kill Mu Yunhe time and time again! Mu Yunhe never appears in front of the world. He knows his own body condition, so he has always lived a life of seclusion. What's heartbreaking is that even so, those people still refuse to let the innocent Mu Yunhe go!"
"Since you want to force Mu Yunhe, can't I resist? Doctor Liang tried to force Mu Yunhe to take medicine while I was away, and when my men stopped him, he became angry and sent assassins, bringing disaster upon Mu Yunhe! If I hadn't been prepared, and if Mu Yunhe hadn't been so lucky, you would all be worshipping him by now!"
"I ask you, shouldn't I have beaten and scolded such a vicious person? That day, if it weren't for the fact that he was a man bestowed by the Emperor, do you think there would still be a Doctor Liang in this world? I wouldn't have split that horse in two with that knife, but that imposter!" Luo Zhiheng's voice was firm and resolute, making no attempt to hide her cruelty and anger!
No one in the main hall dared to speak up and challenge her, because according to Luo Zhiheng's words, killing Doctor Liang was not an exaggeration, and even dismembering him would not be excessive! But this matter was still too bizarre. Why would someone bestowed by the Emperor want to kill Mu Yunhe?
"Is everything you're saying true?" The emperor's voice was almost as cold as winter.
"If I have uttered even half a lie about this Doctor Liang, I am willing to be struck by lightning," Luo Zhiheng said without hesitation.
"Your Majesty, you cannot believe just one person's words! She keeps saying that Doctor Liang is an imposter, so let her produce the evidence!" Li Choutian countered, hitting the nail on the head.
"You want evidence? I'll give it to you!" Luo Zhiheng suddenly looked over, her gaze cold and sharp, her words revealing her sharp edge: "The first day he met Mu Yunhe, he asserted that Mu Yunhe would definitely not live past twenty! For some reason, this matter has become common knowledge throughout the world. I admit that what he said is true! But do you know that this divine doctor does not allow patients to eat or drink, saying that Mu Yunhe would explode and die immediately if he ate or drank anything! But who in the world has ever heard of such a method of treatment? I'm afraid that my Yunhe will starve and thirst to death before his medicine can cure him!"
“That doesn’t prove that Doctor Liang is a fake!” Li Choutian felt the argument was becoming increasingly convincing.
Luo Zhiheng smiled sinisterly and said, "Don't rush, I'll make you admit defeat and be speechless!"
Li Choutian's pupils contracted, and he suddenly felt a sense of despair, as if a great calamity was about to befall him!
First update! Long chapter! Hua Sha is going to update hard today, hehe, there will be two bonus chapters today, I'm going all out! One chapter from yesterday, plus one bonus chapter for today, still asking for recommendation votes, comments, and monthly tickets, I'm begging in every cute way possible!
Chapter 155: Consort Li Loses Power! (Bonus Chapter for 14,000 Recommendation Votes)
Updated: 2013-07-06 16:25:16 Word Count: 3507
"Dr. Liang wouldn't let Mu Yunhe eat or drink, he could only take the medicine he gave him. At that time, Dr. Liang's behavior was quite strange, so we noticed him. Later, we told the Prince about this, but the Prince trusted the Emperor and didn't believe it. However, before the Prince left, he also left some people for Mu Yunhe. These things are unknown to Consort Li." Luo Zhiheng said to Consort Li.
Consort Li's face turned deathly pale. To her, the prince had always trusted her; there was nothing she didn't know. But since the prince could keep it from her and leave someone for Mu Yunhe, did that mean he no longer trusted her? Consort Li felt her hands and feet turn ice-cold.
Luo Zhiheng's gaze swept over everyone as she said, "It's also because Mu Yunhe is lucky. You all saw it; Mu Yunhe is still perfectly fine. That's because he stopped taking Doctor Liang's medicine afterward. We also fed the small animals with Doctor Liang's medicine, and without exception, all of them bled to death! Thus, we've confirmed that Doctor Liang's medicine isn't for saving lives, but for killing. If the Li family members don't believe me, you can immediately send someone to the Prince's Mansion to find Mu Yunhe and have him tell you personally where we buried those animal carcasses."
"Later, Mu Yunhe became bold and wanted to try eating and drinking to see if he would die. At that time, we had already resigned ourselves to our fate. You have no idea how desperate Mu Yunhe was, nor do you understand how much pressure we were under every step we took! All you know is to stir up trouble, watch the show, and reap the benefits! No one can deny it! I know everyone's mentality very well. It's none of our business, right?"
"But I, Luo Zhiheng, have walked this path with Mu Yunhe, risking our lives every single day, wondering when we would die. Today, the Li family is pressuring me so hard, trying to wipe me out. It doesn't matter, we have a long future ahead of us. I will let you know that what I'm doing is right." Luo Zhiheng said this on the surface, but in reality, she was issuing a challenge.
Since she was already on the opposite side of the Li family, she didn't mind tearing down that facade. She knew she couldn't bring down the Li family with just a few words, so Consort Li would have to live as well. But that didn't matter; there was plenty of time. She would deal with them one by one.
"Then why didn't you tell me? If I had known earlier, I would have killed that audacious beast from Jiujiang without you even having to lift a finger!" the emperor roared.
Luo Zhiheng calmly said, "Your Majesty, at that time we didn't know what kind of person you were. If we had known earlier that you were also kept in the dark and deceived by the Li family and that Physician Liang, I would have risked my life to come to the palace and tell you the truth. Unfortunately, we were already in a state of extreme tension at that time. We really dared not take any more risks. So even though we knew that Physician Liang had impure motives and came with murderous intent, we could only keep him by our side with trepidation."
The Emperor's face darkened considerably. He roared, "Old Li! You owe me an explanation! Why did you bring in an imposter? And why did you kill my only nephew? What are your Li family's true intentions?!"
Rumble!
The emperor was furious, and his words were so harsh that the officials' expressions changed, and the Li family members looked particularly grim.
"Your Majesty! Yun Jin is also your own nephew! How can Your Majesty speak like this? Where does that leave Yun Jin?" Consort Li panicked and actually questioned the Emperor. 14.
Old Li's expression changed, and he said sternly, "Fangfei, shut up!"
But it was too late. The Emperor laughed in fury: "So, Consort Li! You dare to question me? It is true that Mu Yunjin is the son of Prince Mu, but Mu Yunhe is Prince Mu's only legitimate bloodline! He is the most noble prince of my Mu Dynasty! No matter how outstanding Mu Yunjin is, he can never replace Mu Yunhe!"
The Emperor was furious and rejected all of Mu Yunjin's good deeds. The reason for this was all because of Consort Li's foolishness and lack of manners.
"Your Majesty, please forgive Fangfei. She is still a child and has been spoiled by this old minister. It's inevitable that she would speak rashly. Please don't be angry, Your Majesty. But Your Majesty cannot wrong the loyal Li family because of Luo Zhiheng's instigation. We don't know anything about Physician Liang. We just wanted to share Your Majesty's burdens. How could we know so much? Moreover, although Luo Zhiheng's words sound logical, she can't provide any concrete evidence. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty," Li Choutian quickly said.
"Whose child is she? Has your Li family not raised a single decent daughter!" the Emperor roared, pointing at Old Man Li. "You're already so old, and you're still being dragged down and disgraced because of her. Tell me, what are you after? No matter how good the Li family is, can I protect you? The facts are right before your eyes. Can you blame Luo Zhiheng for targeting you? Even I, after learning about these things, suspect that your Li family wanted to get rid of Mu Yunhe! You still cry foul? Then give me a reason for your wish! I'm afraid you don't have one!"
The Emperor dealt with the situation with both harsh punishment and decisive action, leaving the Li family speechless.
Seeing an opportunity, Luo Zhiheng immediately said, "I can give the Li family a reason to kill Mu Yunhe! Isn't Mu Yunhe's title the biggest reason?"
"Luo Zhiheng, stop talking nonsense! Our Li family has absolutely no such intention," Old Master Li shouted angrily.
Nobody would believe that!
"You can't tell me that. The day Mu Yunhe was cornered in his room by assassins, we captured several people. Before they died, they confessed that Doctor Liang ordered them to kill him! Where did Doctor Liang get such audacity? I would never believe it if you said he had no one backing him! I even need to ask the Emperor to intervene on our behalf. This kind of thing happened in broad daylight in the Prince's residence. If word gets out, what will become of the Mu Dynasty? What will become of the royal family? Will they be able to kill anyone they want?"
Having already offended someone, Luo Zhiheng said fiercely, "Furthermore, I am very dissatisfied with Consort Li! Consort Li's words and actions are indecent! My people saw Doctor Liang entering and leaving Consort Li's courtyard with their own eyes, and no one stopped him or reported it. So, Consort Li, do you dare to say that you have nothing to do with Doctor Liang? He was also brought by your Li family. I really want to know, what else wouldn't your Li family dare to do?"
"Don't make false accusations! How could I possibly meet a man on my own? Luo Zhiheng, have some decency!" Consort Li denied vehemently, her face deathly pale.
Luo Zhiheng shrugged. Her purpose was merely to speak out; she didn't actually expect to bring down Consort Li in one fell swoop. However, it would be good if Consort Li were to withdraw from the power struggles within the Prince's mansion because of this incident, or even just quiet down for a while. 15882566
"I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter! I will also immediately send people to interrogate that fake doctor. I will judge the truth of the matter!" The emperor waved his hand and said, "But the Li family has truly disappointed me today. Consort Li has not acted like an elder, barging into the Xuande Hall without permission. She has also violated the virtues of a woman and is involved in this matter. You should no longer concern yourself with the power of the Prince's residence. Give it back to the Princess. Go home and reflect on your actions. You are not allowed to leave the house for two months!"
"As for the Li family, once I have figured out the truth about this matter, I will deal with you accordingly."
"And Luo Zhiheng, putting everything else aside, you protected Mu Yunhe and prevented him from falling victim to that imposter's schemes. That alone is commendable. I won't punish you because you did the right thing! The royal family and the face of the imperial family are not to be trampled upon by anyone. In crucial moments, they must be shown the power of the royal family! Therefore, I will not only not punish you, but also reward you!" The Emperor was clearly determined to protect her completely. He would protect her when he didn't know, and now that he did, he would be even less likely to blame her.
The Emperor himself felt guilty. If he hadn't been so careless, the Li family wouldn't have succeeded in sending the person to Mu Yunhe's side. How could he have been so careless? The Emperor narrowed his eyes, remembering that it was Consort Li who had come to propose it, and it was brought along with the news of Consort Li's pregnancy. He had agreed in his joy!
Consort Li, have I misjudged this person all these years?
What should have been a disaster befalling Luo Zhiheng turned out to be a complete disaster for her, and she even received praise and a reward. Everyone seemed to see a shiny pile of dog poop on her head, a stroke of incredible luck.
The most unfortunate one was leaving home. Consort Li was demoted, publicly humiliated, and most regrettably, lost her power, almost dragging her entire family down with her. She truly lost both her wife and her army!
Consort Li, who had arrived full of confidence, left dejectedly. Luo Zhiheng, carrying a heavy burden of resentment, was about to depart with a beaming smile. But the Emperor kept her there, along with the Pharaohs.
Luo Zhiheng knew that this was only the beginning of the battle.
"I've looked at you for so long, but I don't see anything good about you. That girl Qianxue has said a lot of nice things about you, which is why this old man is being a little more polite to you today," said General Murong with a forced smile.
Luo Zhiheng was surprised. Was this an old fellow from the Murong Qianxue family? She smiled and said, "Senior is joking. No one is perfect. I may not be good in your eyes, but there are always people with discerning eyes who think I am good."
"Are you saying I'm an old man with dead fish eyes who can't see the pearl?" General Murong retorted angrily.
Everyone burst into laughter, expressing their helplessness at General Murong's lovable but eccentric nature.
"Do you know why I'm keeping you here?" the Emperor asked.
Luo Zhiheng really hadn't expected this, but General Murong couldn't wait any longer: "The cane in your hand was given to you by Prince Mu? Hand it over. You can't keep that. We'll explain things to Prince Mu when he returns."
They came for the walking stick!
Luo Zhiheng subconsciously clenched her fists, but thankfully she had hidden the cane inside her clothes.
"The cane was given to me personally by Prince Mu, to protect my life and Mu Yunhe's! I once swore that I would live as long as the cane was with me, and I would die if the cane died! I will not hand over the cane to anyone. So even if you guards put pressure on me or torture me today, as long as you don't kill me, I will not hand it over," Luo Zhiheng said resolutely.
"What if we kill you? Aren't you afraid?" General Murong asked in a sinister tone.
"I'm not afraid! If I die, I won't have to bear so many promises and responsibilities anymore. I should thank you, sir," Luo Zhiheng said with a light laugh. (The last sentence appears to be a fragment and doesn't translate directly.)
But her words silenced the group of old men.
Hoo hoo, extra chapter! There's another update! It's so hot, Hua Sha is getting a bit hot. Please vote, leave comments, and give me monthly tickets! What are you all doing today, my darlings?
156 Storytelling Conspiracy! Blocked in front of the General's Mansion! (Bonus chapter for 15,000 recommendation votes)
Updated: 2013-07-06 19:26:43 Word Count: 3345
"I can give you a life-saving charm, such as the Imperial Sword? Hand over that cane, and I will protect you and Mu Yunhe from now on." The Emperor spoke, but he didn't force her at all, and didn't mean to coerce Luo Zhiheng into handing it over.
But you're so determined. Luo Zhiheng is so clever; she understood immediately. And for the Emperor to exchange it for the Imperial Sword, this cane must be incredibly powerful. Of course, she couldn't let go.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, but I cannot hand it over. To do so would be to break my promise to the Prince. Since I promised the Prince that I would personally return the item to him upon his return, I must keep my word. I beg Your Majesty and all the seniors not to make things difficult for me,” Luo Zhiheng said sincerely.
The old men didn't speak immediately. Based on what they had learned about Luo Zhiheng's personality before, they would never have allowed her to hold that thing. But now it was different. Luo Zhiheng had proven with her abilities that she wasn't a fool or a useless person. Although she wasn't qualified to hold the cane, she could temporarily take it. Secondly, they also had to consider the Emperor's attitude.
"In that case, can you guarantee that the cane will never fall into the wrong hands? At the very least, no one other than you and the young prince can touch the cane," Zhan Hainan said in a deep voice.
“Of course, I will take good care of the cane,” Luo Zhiheng promised.
The crowd fell silent, and the group of old men felt a great deal of pressure.
The emperor spoke: "In that case, you may take the cane for now, but remember to keep it safe. Now you may go back."
After Luo Zhiheng took her leave, a group of old men began to discuss the matter. They were still worried about the cane being in the hands of the nude photographer. From that day on, the emperor and the pharaohs each sent people to provide comprehensive protection for the cane's daily life and travel, ensuring it wouldn't fall into the hands of anyone with malicious intent. Of course, this was all done without Luo Zhiheng's knowledge.