Chapter 119: Princess Consort (IV)
Chapter 119: Princess Consort (IV)
Li Chengjing took Cheng Yujin’s hand into his, placed it on his lap, and nodded slightly, “It’s done.”
Cheng Yujin subconsciously raised her eyebrows. She seemed a little anxious, but she tried to stay calm: “What is the situation now?”
“Second brother accidentally got drunk and went alone to Lingyuan Pavilion to get fresh air and a bit of rest. The eunuchs serving him either went to get hangover soup or prepare hot water, and no one stayed to wait for him. During their absence, the second brother was alone, and Miss Dou accidentally entered Lingyuan Pavilion by mistake. Second brother’s consciousness was blurred by the alcohol, but he was still full of energy, and then…”
Li Chengjing didn’t say too many details, but this information was more than enough for Cheng Yujin to connect the dots. She rolled her eyes and said: “So when Empress Yang left the banquet in a hurry this afternoon, it was to deal with Dou Xiyin and the Second Prince? In the end, this matter was impossible to be hidden, so even Empress Dowager Yang was called over?”
“That’s right. Later, Senior Grand Secretary Yang was also called over. The Emperor was naturally upset when he heard the news, but didn’t say anything. I was by His Majesty’s side all afternoon and know nothing about what was happening in Lingyuan Pavilion afterward.”
Cheng Yujin nodded with a solemn face and said: “Of course. After both the Empress and the Empress Dowager left, this consort was ordered by Empress Dowager to take care of the banquet hall in the Yongshou Palace. No one wants to see this kind of mishap happen, but Miss Dou is the Second Prince’s childhood sweetheart, which is a bit of fortune in the misfortune. Since they already have feelings for each other, although this matter will damage the prestige of the imperial family, it is considered a good deed to unify the pair in a marriage.”
Li Chengjing raised his eyebrows and silently looked at Cheng Yujin with a smile. Under such a gaze, Cheng Yujin didn’t panic at all and returned his gaze calmly: “Why are you smiling at me?”
Li Chengjing shook his head in response, “It’s nothing. I just sighed at Crown Princess’ ingenuity. It seems that in the future, I must be careful not to cross the Crown Princess.”
Cheng Yujin snorted softly and said, “Your Highness overpraises. This Consort is not half a good as Your Highness.”
The couple expressed their innocence very skilfully and convincingly. No one knew better than them about the in and out of today’s incident, but these two black-bellied people could actually say “I know nothing,” and “No one wants to see this kind of mishap happen” very smoothly.
After a while, Cheng Yujin asked again, “Your Highness, what will the Yang family do after this?”
Li Chengjing didn’t care about this and said calmly: “That’s their problem. The Yang family is not built of one person. This matter involves both his daughters and two outer grandchildren, and it is up to Yang Fucheng himself to choose who to side with. What does it have to do with us?”
Cheng Yujin nodded lightly. Now that Li Chengjing’s goal had been achieved, it no longer mattered who the Second Prince would marry in the end. The Second Prince was drunk at the banquet, all the eunuchs serving him were busy with various matters and left him unattended, and it so coincidentally happened that Dou Xiyin mistakenly entered the pavilion just when the Second Prince was alone.
How could there be so many coincidences? When coincidences overlapped one after another, it was no longer coincidences, but a man-made happenstance. Cheng Yujin and Li Chengjing planned carefully, each with their own responsibility. Cheng Yujin was responsible for provoking Dou Xiyin and led her out of the inner palace. As for the matter in the Lingyuan Pavilion, it was not something within Cheng Yujin’s control.
Looking at the result, Li Chengjing’s arrangements were very subtle yet ingenious. Both she and he had a clear alibi, and the most they did was to make a gentle push here and there in the dark. The one who entered the pavilion after learning about the Second Prince’s whereabout, stripping off her clothes, and having a physical relationship with him was Dou Xiyin herself. Dou Xiyin was not drugged, nor was she forced. What did her action have to do with them?
Li Chengjing was of course unwilling to see the Second Prince marry a woman with a powerful clan, but to put it bluntly, no matter how strong a clan was, the imperial power was still stronger. It was true that the Second Prince would become a bit more troublesome if he married someone else, but that was all. A mere Dou Xiyin was not worth Li Chengjing to specially orchestrate such a scheme.
What Li Chengjing really wanted to do was to tear open a curtain in front of all the court officials, showing to the whole world that the Yang family was not unified and that Empress Dowager Yang and Senior Grand Secretary Yang were already at odds. As for Dou Xiyin, she was just an extra.
Li Chengjing grasped Cheng Yujin’s finger and said meaningfully: “The Yang family’s rise is too fast, and the upbringing within the family has not kept up. Now it is just an outer granddaughter, but sooner or later, more retributions will definitely come to the Yang family.”
Cheng Yujin immediately thought of one person. Recalling the rumors she had previously heard, Cheng Yujin asked tentatively, “Your Highness, are you talking about Yang Xiaoyu, the only grandson of Senior Grand Secretary Yang?”
Yang Xiaoyu… was someone with a great reputation in the capital. Bullying people, being drunk in public, gambling, whoring… he had done a complete set. However, he was the only child in the Yang family’s third generation, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he was the pearl in Madam Yang’s eyes and her lifeblood. Dou Xiyin was nothing more than a daughter of a married daughter, and she could do such a thing as undressing in front of an imperial prince. Yang Xiaoyu was the only grandson of the Yang family. His grandfather was the Senior Grand Secretary, her grandaunt was the Empress Dowager, and his aunt was the Empress. One could imagine what kind of person Yang Xiaoyu grew up into.
Yang Xiaoyu was so arrogant that he dared to do things like kicking a stall in the street, beating people in public, and molesting the family members of a court official. Many people in the capital had suffered in his hand, but with Senior Grand Secretary Yang and Emperor Dowager Yang around, they could only swallow their anger in silence.
Li Chengjing smiled softly, “It’s private the matter of the Yang family, so I don’t know.”
In the past, the Yang family could cover the sky with one hand and thus was able to protect Yang Xiaoyu. However, those who raised gu1 would eventually suffer the backlash. The Yang family should pray that they could always cover the sky with one hand.
Translator’s note:
Tuesday late chapter
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- Gu: An ancient curse done using poisonous insects. Gu is said to be able to attract wealth and harm rivals, but is extremely dangerous to keep.