Chapter 64: Desire as Bait, the Greedy Take the Hook
Xiao Li had entered the palace three or four times, but she hadn’t visited the Empress Dowager once.
She had not a shred of filial piety, but considering she still needed to use the Emperor, this false familial affection had to be maintained.
As expected, the Empress Dowager scolded her the moment they met.
"I haven’t seen you for so many days. Why don’t you just wait until I’m dead to show up?"
Xiao Li caught her hand as she angrily tried to strike, her eyes full of deep affection. "Mother, what are you saying? I’ve been praying for you to live a long and healthy life. You must stay well. Otherwise, how pitiful would my brother and I be?"
"These past few days, my brother has been busy investigating the culprit who frightened you. I wanted to help, but I couldn’t find any evidence to catch the real mastermind. I was too ashamed to come see you, Mother. But today, I was so worried that I had to come and check on you. Seeing that you’re all right now, I can finally rest easy."
When Xiao Li wanted to coax someone, there was no one she couldn’t win over. It all depended on whether she was willing to make the effort.
It was all skill, no feeling.
The Empress Dowager held no great affection for Xiao Li, but she wasn’t immune to flattery. In the end, her expression merely turned a little colder, but she refrained from saying anything else harsh.
"Xuanyang!"
Chen Pingting ran out, calling after Xiao Li. Xiao Li kept walking without a backward glance. In a panic, Chen Pingting ran to catch up, grabbing Xiao Li and pulling her aside. "I have something to tell you! Why are you running?"
Xiao Li slapped her hand away. "Don’t touch me. I don’t talk to idiots."
Chen Pingting was furious. "Who are you calling an idiot?"
Xiao Li just glanced at her, and Chen Pingting instantly felt the humiliation. "You... You dare call me an idiot..."
She wanted to curse back, but for some reason, she gave up on the war of words.
"Did you really ruin the Prince Consort’s face?"
Xiao Li sneered. "You’re well-informed, aren’t you?"
Chen Pingting was instantly agitated, her eyes welling with tears. "How could you do that? He... Even if he and Liu Xueyin have an ambiguous relationship, nothing is possible between them! He’s still your Prince Consort! You could have yelled at him or hit him to vent your anger, but how could you ruin his face?"
Xiao Li’s expression was wooden. ’This is why I don’t want to talk to idiots.’
’Coveting another woman’s husband and meddling in their marriage... Were her values left in the placenta?’
Wiping her tears, Chen Pingting continued, "I also heard you’ve been spreading rumors that the Lu family intentionally released that lion to scare the Empress Dowager. How could you slander him? You’re trying to destroy the Lu family!"
’No wonder she and Liu Xueyin are friends. Their thought processes are practically the same.’
’But she has one good point—she actually believes I can destroy the Lu family. She’s not entirely clueless.’
"What are you crying for? I thought you’d be happy." Xiao Li crossed her arms, giving her a meaningful look. "The more I act out, the more Lu Yanzhi will despise me, and the more the Lu family will hate me. Maybe we’ll get a divorce soon, and then you’ll have your chance, won’t you?"
"Don’t you want to marry Lu Yanzhi?"
"I heard the Empress Dowager has always wanted you to enter the palace as a concubine. If not for the incident on the Mid-Autumn Festival, you’d be one of His Majesty’s concubines by now. Who would have thought something like that would happen? Isn’t this fate, proving that you and he are still meant to be?"
Xiao Li smiled like a wicked demon, her temptation slow and deliberate. "You’d better think carefully. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once you become a concubine, you’ll never have a chance with him again."
Chen Pingting forgot to even cry, staring at Xiao Li in disbelief. "Are you really going to be this ruthless? Don’t you like him at all anymore?"
Xiao Li said, "One man’s meat is another man’s poison."
Chen Pingting: "I don’t believe you. You were so in love with him before."
’Oh, so she does have a bit of a brain. Too bad it’s useless.’
"The past is the past, and now is now. I’ve given you the opportunity. Take it or leave it."
Chen Pingting watched Xiao Li’s retreating figure and stomped her foot in anger. The more she looked at her, the more detestable she seemed. The person she used to be able to bully so easily now dared to turn the tables and manipulate her.
Chen Pingting didn’t think Xiao Li was being kind, but she couldn’t deny that what she said was true.
If Xiao Li continued to cause trouble without stopping, they really might get a divorce.
She didn’t want to enter the palace as a concubine. If she had the chance to marry Lu Yanzhi as his wife, she didn’t want to miss it. Otherwise, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
’No, I have to leave the palace and discuss this with my mother.’
As the saying goes: desire is the bait, and the greedy will be hooked.
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"Rong Qing pays his respects to the Princess."
"Thank you for saving me, Princess. Rong Qing will remember your great kindness for the rest of his life. I am willing to serve you, offer my loyalty, and I will not shrink from death!"
That old man, Ning Chong, hadn’t lied to Xiao Li. With good medicine, he had truly healed Rong Qing.
Looking at the tall, powerfully built man standing before her, Xiao Li was extremely satisfied.
’What a build. He looks so imposing.’
’And these muscles... every single one is pure strength.’
His features couldn’t be called handsome; they were rugged and coarse, but not unattractive. He had the kind of face that immediately screamed valor and masculinity.
He strongly resembled a bodyguard Xiao Li once had, exuding a sense of security.
"Are your legs completely healed?"
Rong Qing replied, "They are seventy percent healed. The rest will require me to get on my feet and exercise to let my bones and tendons readjust."
He stood ramrod straight, his posture imposing. It was hard to connect this man with the wretched, despairing figure who had once crawled on the ground.
He no longer limped. He stood tall, and there was light in his eyes again. The only thing that hadn’t changed was perhaps his fortitude.
The more Xiao Li looked, the more pleased she was. Her gaze fell on the great saber in his hand. It was truly massive. The hilt was over a meter long, and with the blade, it totaled two meters in length. Xiao Li had to look up at it.
"This is the Rong Family’s saber?"
Rong Qing nodded. "Yes. The Rong Family serves in the Vanguard Army. This is a military saber, also known as a Horse-cutting Saber, used to counter cavalry."
"Can I hold it?"
This saber looked imposing and formidable. It wasn’t some antique displayed in a cabinet, but a true killing weapon, meticulously polished by its owner, its sharp edge exposed, exuding a chilling, murderous aura.
Even though it was his most beloved ancestral weapon, Rong Qing didn’t hesitate for a second, directly offering the saber to Xiao Li.
"Princess, please be careful. This saber is forged from tungsten steel and weighs nearly fifteen pounds. The edge is sharp and can easily cause injury."
Xiao Li touched it, her admiration unconcealed. "It’s a fine weapon."
"Now, you are worthy of it again."
At her words, Rong Qing, who had been so composed, was so moved that his eyes reddened. He knelt once more. "Thank you, Princess."
Rong Qing had dreamed of wielding this saber again, but with his crippled leg, it was difficult to even swing it. All he could do was polish and sharpen it, time after time.
And today, that nearly impossible dream had become a reality.
Although it was Ning Chong’s medical skill that had healed him, it was the Princess who had given him the chance by choosing him. It was she who had looked past his disability, brought him back, summoned an Imperial Physician, and provided precious medicinal herbs that he could never have obtained on his own.
It was all because of her that he had the chance to stand again, and could finally take up his weapon once more.
He was grateful to Xiao Li from the bottom of his heart. The loyalty he offered was utterly genuine. He swore on his very soul that he would serve Xiao Li, and would die without regret.