Chapter 105: The Fig Leaf, No One Gets to Cover Up
Xiao Li sealed the gates of the Princess Mansion, refusing to see anyone, and gave the Wang family the cold shoulder.
The Wang family, in a fit of pique, went to the palace to complain. In less than an hour, someone from the palace arrived to summon her.
Xiao Li rose lazily and unhurriedly draped a cloak over her shoulders.
"Hong Yue, go and fetch my sword."
Everyone looked at her in surprise, but Hong Yue obediently went to get the sword.
It was a long, black sword. Its hilt was inlaid with crimson jewels and dotted with flecks of gold, giving it an understated yet noble air.
"Princess."
Hong Yue presented the longsword. Xiao Li took it with a raised hand and stood up. "Let’s go."
The little eunuch looked at Xiao Li’s attire. She was in her casual clothes from home, with a scarlet fox-fur cloak thrown on, and her hair was simply tied back with a single cord.
"Princess... aren’t you going to do your hair and makeup?"
What woman would go out so casually, without a single pearl hairpin? And this was for an audience with the Heavenly Emperor, no less.
Xiao Li smiled at him. "No need. Getting all dressed up would be inconvenient."
The little eunuch was confused. Why would getting dressed up be inconvenient?
Xiao Li walked off, leaving him to follow, his mind reeling with confusion. When Xiao Li entered the palace, she encountered the Wang family before she had even seen the Emperor.
Wang Changwen and his two sons were there, accompanied by the new Minister of the Ministry of Justice—their man.
They were seeking an audience with the Princess mainly to get to the bottom of Wang Shiqi’s death. Princess Xuanyang was the only survivor, yet she was avoiding them. It was outrageous.
At this moment, they all stood there seething with anger, thinking that when the Princess arrived, they would force her to tell them exactly what happened.
"Princess Xuanyang has arrived."
At the little eunuch’s announcement, the Wang family immediately turned to look. But before they could get a clear view of her, the point of a sword arrived first.
The little eunuch’s voice had barely faded when he saw Princess Xuanyang draw her sword. In that instant, his heart stopped in terror.
Then, right before everyone’s eyes, Princess Xuanyang took her sword and charged the Wang family.
"AHHH... Quick, stop the Princess! Someone stop her!!!!"
Xiao Li’s sword was sharp. Though her first strike didn’t hit its mark, it still wounded someone, drawing blood instantly.
The three men of the Wang family panicked. They were all scholars with no martial ability, completely unarmed. How could they possibly be a match for Xiao Li?
"Guards! Someone, help!"
Xiao Li sneered, her killing intent palpable. "I already refused to attend your Wang family banquet, but Second Madam Wang went to great lengths to invite me. Wang Shiqi had ulterior motives. I pretended not to notice and left, but you still wouldn’t let me go. The next day, he chased after me, insisting on taking me to admire some plum blossoms."
"I gave your Wang family face. I thought that since Miss Wang would be there to accompany me, it wouldn’t hurt to go and also make him give up for good. And what was the result?"
"I showed your Wang family respect, and you used it to set a trap for me?"
"Even if I have dismissed my Prince Consort, I am still a dignified Princess! Am I to be schemed against and murdered at the whim of your Wang family?"
"I kept my silence, and you took it as an opportunity to press me harder, thinking I was an easy target?"
The guards surrounded them, but they didn’t dare make a move against Xiao Li, a princess. All they could do was try to shield the Wang family from her attacks, helping them get to a safer distance.
When the Emperor heard the news, he rushed out. The sight that greeted him made his head ache. He roared, "Xuanyang, stop! I command you to stop!"
Seeing that Xiao Li was ignoring him, he quickly barked at Lou Yan, who was standing nearby. "What are you standing there for? Take her down for me!"
Lou Yan finally made his move. In two leaps, he landed in front of Xiao Li and raised a hand to grip her wrist, afraid to use too much force lest he hurt her.
"Princess, forgive my offense."
With that, he disarmed Xiao Li, but he didn’t release his grip on her hand.
’It really had to be the Lord Seal Master. He took down the crazed Princess Xuanyang so effortlessly,’ everyone thought, breathing a collective sigh of relief.
With the crisis averted, the Emperor hurried over, his face a mask of fury. "Xuanyang, you are... utterly outrageous! Wielding a sword to attack people right in front of me! Do you have any respect for me at all?"
Xiao Li looked up, a cold smile on her face as she looked at the Emperor. "They’ve already used you, my brother, to point a sword at me. Am I not allowed to strike back?"
The Emperor asked, "When did I ever point a sword at you?"
Xiao Li replied, "I already said it was Prince Chen who killed him, but they don’t believe me. You helped them by summoning me here, Brother. Isn’t that the same as helping them interrogate me?"
She turned to the Wang family, her eyes filled with ice. "That woman with Wang Shiqi... her name is Jiang Yu’er, isn’t it."
"She said she was Gu Ling’s fiancée and wanted to avenge him."
"Wang Shiqi used every trick in the book to lure me there. That Jiang Yu’er disguised herself as a maid to serve me tea. I sensed something was in it and didn’t drink. When her plot was exposed, Jiang Yu’er revealed her true intentions and tried to kill me."
"For some reason, Prince Chen appeared and saved me at the critical moment. Wang Shiqi didn’t have to die, but he insisted on shielding that Jiang Yu’er. Hah... how infatuated."
She tried to lunge at the Wang family again but was pulled back by Lou Yan, forced to lean against his side.
She raged, "And your Wang family still has the audacity to come to me demanding the truth? Are you telling me you knew nothing about what Wang Shiqi was planning?"
The members of the Wang family—who knew Wang Shiqi had been pursuing Xiao Li, but had only learned the day before that he was secretly involved with Jiang Yu’er and might have had ulterior motives—...
They couldn’t say they were completely ignorant, but their knowledge was useless. They never could have imagined such a sinister plot.
"Princess..." Wang Changwen wiped the sweat from his forehead and stepped forward. "If what you say is true, then he truly brought this upon himself. We only wished to see you to learn the truth. We meant no offense."
Xiao Li sneered. "’No offense?’ How polite. What you really want is for me to pay for Wang Shiqi’s life with my own, isn’t it? He’s dead and I’m alive, so now I’m your enemy?"
"I also heard your family has been spreading rumors that I bring ruin to my husbands. Hah. What kind of husband was he to me? He schemed against me, tried to kill me, and now you’re blaming me for his death. Your Wang family is just like the Lu family—completely shameless, aren’t you?"
’To deal with people like this, you have to be meaner and louder than they are.’
’They only dared to whisper and complain, so she would shout the accusations right in their faces and see if they dared to own up to it.’
’They knew they were in the wrong, so they tried to smooth things over with pretty words. Did they take her for a pushover?’
’She was going to rip away everyone’s last shred of dignity!’
’Anyone who dared to plot against her had better be prepared to be utterly wrecked!’
Everyone present broke out in a cold sweat. ’This Princess Xuanyang... is not to be provoked.’
’She curses without restraint, daring to say anything. She strikes without mercy, and kills... without mercy either.’
’Can’t afford to offend her, can’t afford to offend her.’
Even the Emperor felt a bit guilty after her tirade. It seemed his sister really had been wronged.
Xiao Jingyi finally arrived, having rushed over. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the scene. ’When Imperial Sister makes a move, my worries are truly unnecessary.’
"Imperial Sister."
He walked over and naturally took his place on Xiao Li’s other side. Without batting an eye, he twisted the truth, "Brother, Imperial Sister has only just woken up. How could you let all these people bully her?"
The battered and humiliated crowd was grief-stricken. ’Prince Wei, if you had just used your eyes, you would never have said such a thing.’
’Who’s bullying whom here?!’