Chapter 86: The Vicious Princess
Xiao Li didn’t believe a word of the World Consciousness’s nonsense. But regardless of whether Lu Yanzhi and Liu Xueyin were truly dead, she had already killed them once. All scores were settled, and the hostility in her heart had indeed dissipated quite a bit.
Her only goal now was to leave this world. As for whether she needed to kill the protagonists again... well, she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.
The World Consciousness: ’She can’t be persuaded. She just can’t be persuaded.’
"Princess, Miss Feng is here."
Feng Yu had come to visit the sick. Although rumors were flying outside that the Princess had killed her husband, decrying her as vicious and cold-blooded, the Princess had, after all, been a benefactor to the Feng Family. Upon hearing that the Princess had finally awoken from a month-long coma, it was only right and proper for the Feng Family to come and see her.
As the representative of the Feng Family’s official stance, it was inconvenient for Madam Feng to appear. Feng Yu’s visit, however, was far less conspicuous.
Feng Yu looked at Xiao Li, who was clearly much thinner, and couldn’t help but sigh to herself.
’The people outside make the Princess sound so fierce and cruel, but seeing her like this is truly heartbreaking.’
"Greetings, Princess."
Xiao Li snapped out of her reverie and glanced at her, pointing to the seat beside her. "Sit."
"Thank you, Princess."
Feng Yu sat down and smiled gently. "I’ve been wanting to visit you, Princess, but I was worried I might disturb your rest. You have some color back in your cheeks today; you must be feeling much better."
Watching her, Xiao Li was suddenly reminded of something she had forgotten. "How have you been lately?"
Feng Yu replied, "Thank you for your concern, Princess. Everything is well."
Seeing not a hint of distress on Feng Yu’s face, Xiao Li fell silent for a moment.
"Does your husband treat you well?"
Feng Yu nodded without a second thought. "Of course. Say what you will about Changyu, but he is exceptionally good to me."
Suddenly remembering that the Princess before her had not only fallen out with the Prince Consort but had also killed him, Feng Yu quickly stopped herself. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, "Actually... he’s not all that great."
"He’s rather average-looking, and he seems simple and honest. Among the crowd of brilliant young talents, he wouldn’t even make the bottom of the list. I, well, I was just looking for a stable life."
"He’s actually quite dumb, always hanging around with a pack of shady friends. He gets cheated by them all the time and is still silly enough to help them count their winnings. But his foolishness has its upside. Despite playing with them, he hasn’t been led astray. Even my grandfather says that’s a rare and precious quality."
"He snores in his sleep, he eats an awful lot, and..."
"That’s enough. Don’t say any more." ’This must be so hard for her,’ Xiao Li thought, ’desperately trying to find faults with her own husband just to accommodate my feelings.’
Feng Yu fell silent, not daring to say more. For one, she was afraid of touching a raw nerve with the Princess. For another, she truly didn’t know what else to say. While her husband had many flaws, in her heart, they were all endearing. Being forced to bad-mouth her husband in front of an outsider was genuinely difficult for her.
While Xiao Li didn’t dislike Feng Yu, she wasn’t the type to link arms and gossip excitedly with someone. With Xiao Li not speaking, Feng Yu grew uncomfortable. Since there was nothing left to say, Xiao Li simply used the excuse of needing rest to send her away.
Xiao Li wouldn’t ask about someone she’d never met for no reason. She had tasked Lou Yan with investigating this He Changyu, and the file had been delivered to her long ago. She had just been busy with other schemes at the time and had put the matter aside.
If there were nothing wrong with the man, she wouldn’t have asked.
But judging by Feng Yu’s attitude, she was clearly very happy. If Xiao Li were to say something now, Feng Yu might think she was being malicious and trying to sow discord between husband and wife.
Her relationship with the Feng Family wasn’t worth the trouble of meddling in their private affairs.
The Capital City had been bustling with activity lately, with one shocking piece of news after another: the man-eating Chang Chun Building, the Lu family’s treason, the annihilation of the Gao Family... But the topic that people relished gossiping about the most was, naturally, the matter of Princess Xuanyang killing her husband.
"I heard the scene at the Lu family’s residence that day was horrifying. The Princess first wounded Young Madam Lu, then nearly cut down Madam Lu, and finally forced the Prince Consort to publicly read an imperial edict divorcing *him*, before killing him in the end."
"The Lu Family was furious, hating the Princess to their very bones. They threw caution to the wind and tried to kill her to avenge Second Young Master Lu. But guess what happened? They couldn’t even lay a single finger on her."
"Then again, Second Young Master Lu brought it all on himself. The Princess treated him so well, but he was completely dismissive of her. He left her hanging for three years without consummating the marriage and was carrying on with Princess Chen. I heard they were even clinging to each other at a palace banquet, refusing to let go. Who could tolerate that? You can’t really blame the Princess for killing him."
Someone nearby immediately retorted, "If you ask me, the Princess was still too cruel. She had already divorced Second Young Master Lu with an imperial edict. Why did she have to be so ruthless and kill him?"
"Besides, a quick death is one thing, but she killed him *and* humiliated him. That’s going too far."
"But the Lu family were traitors! Death was too good for them."
A sharp female voice cut in from the floor above: "Ridiculous! It’s up to His Majesty to pass judgment on the Lu family’s treason. She was carrying out her own personal vendetta! Second Young Master Lu had already admitted he was wrong and begged for his life, but she still delivered the fatal blow. She’s completely devoid of humanity!"
The people downstairs glanced up to see a veiled woman. Judging by her agitated tone, it wasn’t hard to guess that she was probably an admirer of Second Young Master Lu.
Second Young Master Lu was exceptionally talented and handsome, so he had countless admirers. It was only natural that they couldn’t accept his death.
"She does have a point. It’s one thing for the Princess to divorce her husband, but killing him was too vicious. The worst Second Young Master Lu ever did was ignore her; he never actually harmed her. To disfigure and then kill him... that’s truly ruthless."
...
The teahouse was buzzing with heated discussion. A figure weaving through the tables suddenly spotted someone and cried out in delight, "Beautiful sister!"
Xiao Li was sitting in a corner sipping her tea, a spot that gave her a perfect view of the woman who had just spoken—Chen Pingting.
Listening to her sharp, hate-filled words, Xiao Li wasn’t surprised that she would publicly cry injustice for Lu Yanzhi.
’After all, this was a girl so lovesick she was willing to abandon everything just to be Lu Yanzhi’s maid. With Lu Yanzhi dead, her hatred for me must be immense.’
Hearing the familiar youthful voice, Xiao Li turned to see Ziyue already plopped down beside her, his eyes brimming with delight. "I can’t believe I ran into you here, sister! I must have the best luck in the world."
Looking at Ziyue’s sincere and radiant smile, Xiao Li recalled the World Consciousness’s words. ’This is a parallel world. A real world.’
She smiled faintly. "What are you doing here? No work today?"
Ziyue grinned. "The Young Master and the Shopkeeper are busy, so the shop’s closed for now. They wouldn’t take me with them, so I came out to have some fun on my own."
Xiao Li pushed the plate of pastries toward him. "Help yourself."
Ziyue happily picked up a pastry. He was about to thank her when he noticed she was listening intently to the discussions downstairs.
At first, the crowd was still debating whether the Princess should have killed Second Young Master Lu. But the consensus soon shifted to her having been in the wrong, and the conversation turned to just how vicious she was.
Some felt there were extenuating circumstances, while others felt she was far too ruthless, that killing one’s own husband was an utterly heinous act.
It was just a bunch of busybodies with nothing better to do.
’It’s only because the current Emperor isn’t ruthless enough,’ she mused. ’Otherwise, these people gossiping about the Imperial Family and making such wild claims would have been rounded up and beheaded long ago.’