Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 84: The Newly Married Lady
Pingle stayed in the Women's Club for less than a cup of tea before he felt restless and stood up to leave.

All the ladies felt that there was something wrong with the princess, but they did not want to ask her anything. They all sent her to the door, watched her get on the carriage, and then left.

The carriage curtains were tightly drawn.

The maid Hong Xing then took out a sachet filled with medicinal herbs and approached Pingle.

"Your Highness, please take two puffs and relax."

That is a fragrant pill of medicine that brings peace and tranquility to the mind.

Pingle took two deep breaths and motioned Lulian to massage the sore back of his neck. He took a deep breath and exhaled, repeating this for a long time, but still felt uncomfortable.

"Xue Liu!"

"I will definitely kill Xue Liu!"

Hong Xing looked at the sweat on the princess's forehead and coaxed her to take a pill. She waited until her body relaxed before she pursed her lips and sighed.

"Princess, why did you give face to Xue Si just now?"

"If she and Gu Jie hadn't used the princess's name to secretly embezzle the treasury silver from the Ministry of Finance, the princess wouldn't have been implicated by them and ended up in such a mess, making people laugh at her..."

Pingle looked tired.

"What do you know? Father values ​​Marquis Jingyuan."

She pursed her lips again, took a deep sniff of the rich aroma in the tranquilizing sachet, and calmed her mind.

"I'll keep this Xue Si for future use."

Hong Xing responded without asking any more questions.

She is Pingle's personal palace maid and knows Pingle's temper best. If she continues talking, she will be angry.

When the carriage arrived at the princess's residence, Lu Lian was about to lift the curtain when another hand as white as jade reached out.

Pingle took a look, handed the sachet in his hand to Hongxing, and put it directly on her hand with a sweet smile.

"My dear, didn't you go to the southern suburbs to attend the poetry gathering of Master Liu? Why are you back at this hour?"

Lu Youan did not answer her, but looked at her tiredly, his eyelids slightly drooping, and asked back:

"Didn't the princess say she was recuperating in the mansion? Why did she leave the mansion and go to the women's club again?"

If someone else had questioned her like this, Pingle would probably have kicked him on the spot and had him beaten with dozens of boards.

But Lu Youan is different.

This is the man she likes.

Lu Youan also paid a lot for her.

If he hadn't married her, Lu Youan, a top scholar and the legitimate son of the old prime minister, could have made great achievements. But because of marrying the princess, he was bound by many rules and his career was restricted, but he had no complaints over the years and took good care of her and the two children.

Pingle looked at the handsome face and his expression softened.

"Some things have been delayed for a long time and I have to deal with them. I just sat there for a cup of tea and came back..."

Lu Youan said, "The seasons have changed recently, and the evil winds and violent spirits are rampant in the capital. The princess is not well yet, so she should rest in the mansion for the rest of her life."

This was a subtle warning to her that the political situation was delicate, with underlying disturbances, and there were many different opinions out there. She should be careful with her words and actions, and be more restrained in her behavior to avoid causing more trouble.

Pingle took his arm and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"I know my husband loves me, I will take good care of myself. Let's go and see Guanchen and Tongtong..."

Lu Youan nodded slightly, and walked forward with her holding his arm affectionately.

Pingle turned around and glanced coldly at the maids and guards, signaling them not to say anything more.

When he turned to look at Lu Youan again, he smiled again.

"My husband has been working hard these days. I specially asked the kitchen to prepare the deer antler and black chicken soup that my husband likes. Doctor Hu said that this soup is very nourishing... There is also Yiyuan cake made with yam and water chestnut. My husband, please try them all and see which flavor you like..."

Lu Youan blushed slightly and sighed slowly.

"Thank you princess."
-
An invisible storm is brewing quietly.

In Xue's house, Jinshu was slowly combing Xue Sui's long hair.

"The eldest son sent a message saying that he will not come to the mansion for the banquet..."

Xue Sui smiled slightly, "Big Brother is used to being distant, just let him be."

Jinshu looked at Xue Sui's expression, and felt as if there was a fire burning in her heart, unable to calm down.

I endured it several times, but still said something.

"Going to Prince Duan's Mansion, I feel that the young lady has lost out. The eldest young master must also feel sorry for the young lady and can't bear to see it with his own eyes--"

Xue Sui's expression was calm, "Prince Duan is suitable."

Jinshu said, "Why don't you consider the Eastern Palace?"

Xue Sui curled his lips but didn't explain anything.

She knew that Jinshu knew clearly why she went there, and she said that only because she felt sorry for her.

This marriage was personally arranged by Master Jingkong and Princess Duan.

It was decided from the moment she returned to Beijing.

Concubine Xiao personally conferred the title of Ruren on her, so it is impossible for her to change her mind overnight.

She is eighteen years old this year. If she doesn't go to Prince Duan's Mansion, it will not be good for her to stay in the Xue family forever.

Her hatred and ambitions needed a reasonable identity to be fulfilled. Prince Duan's Mansion looked dangerous, and the Eastern Palace was also a den of dangers and a target of public criticism.

What's more, does that mean she can go to the Eastern Palace whenever she wants with her status?

For her, Prince Duan's Mansion was the best place to stay.

Compared to the one in the Eastern Palace, Prince Duan’s Mansion is really not the most dangerous.

It would be wonderful to control Li Zhao, use Li Huan to stir up trouble, and regulate Pingle.

She did not have the ability to cover the sky with one hand. In the turbulent situation in the capital and the complicated struggles among the powerful, it was undoubtedly a foolish dream for her to try to overthrow the court by her own strength.

Whether it was seeking justice from the high-ranking officials or bringing down the emperor's beloved Princess Pingle, she needed to take one step at a time, patiently accumulate strength, and slowly climb up to reach the end -

She is the only dark walker.

Only by getting close to the enemy can you completely defeat him.

"Pingle died at the hands of Li Huan and was rejected by the emperor. Only then could I truly bring her down. Seeing her deserted by her friends and relatives and experiencing all the suffering in the world would make me happy..."

After Xue Sui finished speaking, he saw Xiao Zhao's lips moving as if he wanted to say something but stopped, so he started laughing again.

"Revenge is not brutal killing."

Jinshu and Xiaozhao looked at each other and burst out laughing.

She remembered what the girl had said.

She wanted to make her enemies lose everything they cared about, to make everything they cherish vanish, to make everything they yearn for turn into ashes, and to make what they hoped for finally become despair. She wanted to see their rich houses fall, their mansions collapse, their wives and children separated, their families broken up...

There is still a long way to go.

As long as the emperor in the Golden Palace does not abandon the princess, Pingle will not lose her honor, and she will die with infinite glory...

"Ugh!"

Jinshu sighed and looked at the mirror gently.

The woman in the mirror had a calm and cold face, her eyes were as deep as pools, and every strand of her hair was smooth and shiny, just like black satin, glowing with charming luster under the gentle light.

Xiao Zhao took the makeup box and put it down carefully.

Jinshu picked out a red gold hairpin inlaid with rubies and pinned it on her inky black hair.

Then the woman in the mirror became more and more bright and beautiful, but not as shy and charming as an ordinary bride. She had a cold face, as light as autumn frost.

Jinshu said, "The girl's makeup is a little lighter."

Xue Sui just smiled, "That's perfect."

Jinshu said a few words with a smile, but suddenly couldn't go on.

Xiao Zhao held Xue Sui's hand and carefully blew air on the freshly painted nail polish.

Everyone fell silent.

The atmosphere became somewhat solemn and depressing.

Jinshu repeated it several times in her mind before she spoke slowly.

"If His Royal Highness Prince Duan wants the young lady to sleep with him, how will the young lady respond?"

Xue Sui was silent.

This was not a problem for her.

Because she doesn't care about that.

After years of planning, no one could stop her. To her, love between men and women was like a dead tree in a wasteland, meaningless.

It's just a body, what's the point?
She had survived Ping Le and the others with great difficulty, but her body had long since died and decayed. Xue Liu was now just a soul, a soul that had come back to take her life... But she believed that Li Huan would not let her sleep with him.

At least not now.

She smiled lightly, "Prince Duan is still brooding over the incident at Zhulin Yashe. He won't want me until he finds out the truth. He is also very wary of me. He is very afraid of those evil things in the Old Mausoleum Swamp. The women in the backyard of the palace don't need me. He doesn't need to put himself in danger."

After a pause, she looked at the bronze mirror again and blinked.

"Besides, I still have Princess Duan, my dear elder sister. Don't worry, auntie. I have my own way to deal with it..."

Jinshu hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Young lady, you have a plan in mind, so I won't worry about you. But there is one thing I don't understand. Since Prince Duan has no interest in you, why did you agree to this?"

Xue Sui's eyes curved up, revealing a hint of a smile, which looked more like mockery or sarcasm.

At this time, Lingyu flew over and used his claws to mess up the tassels on her fan pendant. She didn't get angry, but straightened out the tangled silk threads one by one.

After a long while, he slowly whispered.

"In Prince Duan's heart, I am just a useful chess piece."

"For Prince Duan, ambitions far outweigh the pleasures of women."

Jinshu smiled, "I believe you, young lady."
-
Shaoyang Hall of the Eastern Palace.

A scout in black half-knelt and clasped his fists.

"I have learned that Princess Pingle bribed a sedan bearer at Prince Duan's mansion to welcome the bride, and also asked someone to find a few knights with high martial arts skills in the streets and alleys at a high price, in order to ambush Miss Xue Liu's sedan..."

Li Zhao listened quietly, his eyelids lowered, his long eyelashes drooping slightly, blocking the sneering cold light in his dark eyes.

There was silence.

The scout lowered his head and felt pain in his knees.

He has been reporting for such a long time, why doesn't the prince let him get up?
Guan Ya coughed lightly, stepped forward, bowed his head and clasped his fists.

"Your Highness, why don't you go with the flow? Take advantage of the situation?"

Seeing that Li Zhao remained silent, he continued, "As long as we spare Miss Xue Liu's life and find a place to settle her... we can do it without anyone noticing and put the blame on Princess Pingle. No one will guess that it was the Crown Prince who did it..."

Li Zhao chuckled.

Find a place to settle Xue Liu?
He couldn't imagine the scene Guan Ya described.

How could Xue Liu be a bird in a cage, a canary?

Her hatred was greater than the sky.

He would like to turn the Li family's empire upside down to satisfy his own wishes, so how could he give in so easily?
Moreover, how could his emotions and desires be so cheap and let her control him?

If he really did that, from then on, in Xue Liu's eyes, he would not only be short-sighted, but also petty.

Didn’t Xue Liu want to conspire with him to do something big?

To obey her is to go with the flow.

Li Zhao said: "Make sure to protect her and get her to Prince Duan's Mansion safely."

Guan Ya was shocked and his pupils widened.

The prince was trapped by the love poison and had to protect Miss Xue Liu. Several of his confidants knew about this. In the past few days, Zhang Huaicheng was secretly looking for a strange man in southern Xinjiang, and Guan Ya knew it clearly.

But according to his observation, Li Zhao was extremely reluctant to let Miss Xue Liu marry into the palace.

Is it possible that he changed his mind in just three days?
So he said, "Your Highness, why don't we just sit back and watch, let Princess Pingle do whatever she wants, and then take her away at the critical moment, wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone? Why bother to rush into the muddy water and put the East Palace at the center of the storm, attracting attention?"

In Guan Ya's opinion, the safest option is to reap the benefits while sitting back and waiting.

Li Zhao remained silent.

He was bewitched and not in love with Xue Liu.

Xue Liu wanted to use him to take revenge on Li Huan and Pingle, which would be beneficial to him.

As she said, common interests are permanent.

If you want to take a woman who doesn't respond to any soft or hard tactics, then you can use tricks to get her.

Li Zhao slowly played with the two Kirin walnuts with delicate patterns in his hands...

"Little sister-in-law, wouldn't it add more fun?"

Guan Ya was startled when he heard the sound.

The scout wished he were deaf.

The two looked at each other and saw that the prince had a serious expression and a faint smile, so they had no choice but to bite the bullet and clasp their fists in agreement.

"My subordinates will do it now."

"Wait a minute--" Li Zhao suddenly spoke.

He placed the two shiny Qilin walnuts on the sandalwood base, then slowly stood up and straightened his robe.

"I'll join in the fun too!"
-
The wedding banquet at the Xue Mansion was very lively.

Although it was not as grand and luxurious as the wedding of the eldest daughter, nor as elaborate as the process of Xue Yueying's marriage into the marquis's mansion, Third Madam Qian put a lot of thought into it. Although the specifications were somewhat lowered, the banquet was extremely well prepared. The relatives all ate with smiles on their faces, and there was constant laughter and joy as they toasted each other, and they all came to congratulate and show their support.

The Prince Duan's Mansion sent a gorgeous wedding sedan with vermilion and gold decoration. The sedan was beautifully decorated, with red silk wedding bells hanging from the four corners. The curtains were made of top-quality Sichuan brocade, embroidered with pomegranate patterns, symbolizing fertility and good fortune...

There were four sedan bearers, eight guards and one bridesmaid. They followed the rules of etiquette and slightly raised the standards to give the Xue family enough face.

But His Royal Highness Prince Duan did not come to welcome her in person, nor did he attend to the complicated and elaborate wedding ceremonies...

Today, Prince Duan’s mansion is holding a birthday banquet.

Prince Duan had no time to spare and obviously didn't care about having a young lady enter his mansion.

"The auspicious time has come!"

Hearing the bridesmaid's clear and laughing voice, Xue Ji's tears, which she had been holding back for a long time, suddenly fell.

These days, she has imagined the scene of her daughter leaving the house countless times...

It was only at this moment that she realized the reluctance in her heart. The pain and grief were hard to suppress and indescribable, as if a piece of her heart and flesh had been cut out by someone alive...

"Sixth sister..."

Xue Ji hugged Xue Sui tightly and gave him instructions with tears in her eyes.

"You must take good care of yourself from now on and be more careful in everything."

Xue Sui gently stroked her back, "Don't worry, mother. I will."

The bridesmaid beside her laughed softly, "Madam Xue, don't worry. Your daughter is marrying into the Prince Duan's mansion. What a distinguished and prestigious family. The Sixth Miss is going to enjoy herself. Good days are ahead."

The bride always cries before getting into the bridal sedan.

Xue Sui was smiling, holding a red silk fan as he stepped out of the door.

Others who saw this said that the Sixth Miss must be so happy to have married such a successful woman that she couldn't even shed a tear.

They didn't know that Xue Sui hadn't cried since he was eight years old.

The sedan chair was carried out of Fu'an Lane, and both sides were crowded with people watching the fun.

They are all counting the dowry.

Xue Sui's dowry was also quite generous, with sixty-four loads of it, but it was certainly inferior to Xue Yueying's at that time. The crowd was full of curious people, comparing and discussing.

Xue Yueying stood in the crowd, silently watching the sedan chair leave, and then she followed the crowd and said a few auspicious words.

No one noticed the glimmer of jealousy and resentment in her eyes.

To get to Prince Duan's Mansion from Fu'an Lane, you have to cross an ancient and heavy stone arch bridge.

The bridge is about three meters wide and is built of huge bluestone strips. The bridge railings are engraved with lifelike auspicious beasts such as Qilin and Pixiu. It is smooth and natural, with exquisite craftsmanship. The people of Shangjing call it the "Auspicious Beast Bridge."

The water under the bridge was sparkling and ripples were forming.

As soon as the sedan chair got onto the bridge, the half-closed wooden window frame of a prosperous restaurant beside the bridge was quietly pushed open.

Several assassins who had been lying in wait for a long time gestured to their companions, stared closely at the approaching sedan chair, and slowly pulled up the black scarves around their necks to cover their faces.

At this time, the sun was setting and it was already dusk.

The teahouses and taverns on both sides were bustling with people. The diners were leaning on the railings and laughing, watching the bride get married. No one noticed the group of men hiding in the dark.

"Do it!" the leader whispered, raising his finger high.

"Yes!"

Several people climbed onto the eaves of the building and were about to escape.

A huge group of people came out from the Suanzao Lane opposite.

Red flags fluttered, yellow umbrellas swayed, and a group of Eastern Palace attendants dressed in bright and dazzling armor majestically guarded the two sides of the chariot.

It was the prince’s ceremonial guard.

Walking straight towards the Qilin Bridge, blocking the end...

Li Zhao: It’s so lively!

Killer: Should I... kill or not?