Xie Ying had once taught Qi Yuan a saying: Once cause and effect have matured, no action can stop the retribution from unfolding.
Now, cause and effect had matured.
The nun from Princess Baorong’s temple admitted she had passed out under the orders of Princess Baorong, deliberately luring Qi Yuan away.
Qi Yuan did indeed leave the medicine house for a period of time.
And now, Xiao Mo’s life was hanging by a thread because he had taken the wrong medicine.
All of this pointed to just one fact.
That was…
Qi Yuan raised her eyebrows as she looked at Princess Baorong, who was still furiously shouting for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to come arrest her and have her executed. A faint smile slowly surfaced in her heart.
So what if she’s a princess?
Do kings and nobles really have nobler blood?
Go back three generations, and the founding emperor’s family were still beggars.
Who’s really above whom?
Princess Baorong finally calmed down.
She no longer screamed for Qi Yuan to be killed, nor did she plead and beg before Liu Wangfei.
Instead, she went to clutch Emperor Yongchang’s leg, crying and calling out, “Royal Father! Do you really believe I did this?! Why would I harm the Royal mother who loved me the most?! The little bird has not yet fully grown—how could I be so foolish as to kill my own mother?!”
Many things in life only begin to hurt after a long, long time.
Just like Princess Baorong. In her past life, she was a high and mighty noble lady standing at the top. In this life, she was a beloved princess, enjoying endless affection.
She once believed she could do whatever she wanted without ever paying a price.
But it turns out, that’s not true.
And this time, the price she had to pay was simply too painful.
All because of a little bit of croton powder—she ended up killing her own mother and bearing the crime of attempting to murder the legitimate heir’s son.
Her fear and regret came too late.
She belatedly began to plead: “Royal Father, don’t listen to that witch’s slander! She’s a lunatic! She’s a vile woman! It was her! She killed Royal mother! She’s helping the Eastern Palace seize the throne—”
The moment she mentioned the Eastern Palace, everyone present visibly flinched.
No one expected Princess Baorong to say it so openly.
Lai Chenglong sighed silently in his heart.
So the fledgling is still no match for the crouching dragon.
She’s panicked. Far too panicked.
Qi Yuan had been calm and well-reasoned, knew how to flatter the emperor, knew how to see the bigger picture. But Princess Baorong? She dragged the fight into the realm of succession.
She had just pulled the completely uninvolved Xiao Yunting into the battlefield.
Everyone knew that even though Emperor Yongchang disliked the Crown Prince, he had always held a special fondness for Xiao Yunting.
As expected, almost as soon as Princess Baorong finished speaking, Qi Yuan sneered.
She laughed heartily, nearly doubling over from laughter.
Princess Baorong was about to go mad from being tormented by this woman. She asked furiously, “What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?!”
Wretch! They’re all wretches!
“I’m laughing at how ridiculous you are, Princess. In order to escape punishment, you can even spout such foolish words.” Qi Yuan looked at her coldly. “Who benefits the most from recovering Liu Wangfei and the Wangye, and exposing that it was Duke Chu’s manor that hunted her all those years ago?”
Qi Zhen really wanted to applaud his daughter!
What a pity this wasn’t an opera stage.
Otherwise, he would have gladly tossed her some reward money!
Xiao Yunting understood perfectly. As soon as Qi Yuan finished speaking, he immediately began kowtowing with loud thuds: “Imperial Grandfather, if I ever have such treacherous intentions, may the heavens strike me down and may I be condemned by all! As for my royal father…”
Xiao Yunting didn’t finish the rest of his sentence, only giving a bitter smile.
But everyone understood what he meant.
It was true — the Crown Prince was so frail, no one knew when he might die. To be honest, he probably wouldn’t even outlive Emperor Yongchang. Besides, even if he wanted to seize power, did he even have the ability?
Thinking of the Crown Prince, who had still been blissfully playing with the palace women, completely unaware that Liu Wangfei had returned, Emperor Yongchang’s face darkened.
Suddenly, he leaned over and slapped Princess Baorong hard across the face.
Qi Zhen’s eyes lit up, and he tugged at his father’s sleeve excitedly, but Old Marquis Qi was thoroughly annoyed, glaring at him fiercely to make him behave.
Liu Wangfei was the first to speak: “What, you failed to kill my son and instead mistakenly killed your own mother, and just one slap is supposed to settle it?”
What could Princess Consort Lu say?
As her brother-in-law, he really wasn’t in a position to say much.
But the Eldest Princess certainly could.
The Eldest Princess frowned and said: “Royal Brother, Baorong is still young. She has been spoiled and pampered since childhood. It’s precisely because you doted on her too much that she became so reckless, to the point of even committing something as heinous as poisoning. If the wrong medicine hadn’t been delivered today, Ah Mo would be dead right now!”
She pressed Emperor Yongchang: “Royal Brother, what fault did Ah Mo have? Even from the womb, he had to flee and hide with my imperial sister-in-law, suffering endlessly and almost losing his life! The reason he became mentally impaired later was because he was on the run and couldn’t find a doctor!”
Liu Wangfei fixed a burning gaze on Emperor Yongchang and asked him: “Yes, I would also like to ask you, Xiao Xianjiao, what am I to you? And what is my Ah Mo to you? Is his life not a life? Does it not matter?!”
These words were unbearably heavy.
Even an emperor could scarcely withstand them.
Yes, there was once an emperor who killed three of his sons in a single day — but that emperor was infamous for it.
He immediately denied it: “How could I ever have such a thought?!”
Qi Yuan suddenly glanced at Lai Chenglong.
Lai Chenglong’s heart jolted and he instinctively wanted to look away.
But it was too late. Qi Yuan softly reminded him: “Lord Lai, want a promotion? The great hero who brought back Liu Wangfei and the Wangye, the one who helped them — people would remember that. I hear you’ve been suppressed by Pu Wuyong for quite some time now.”
Lai Chenglong cursed her in his heart.
D*mn it! Just what kind of demon is this woman?!
How does she know everything?!
She even knows about the internal power struggles within the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
Could she really be a secret informant for the Embroidered Uniform Guard?
But that can’t be right either. Even if there were some lists he didn’t have access to, Pu Wuyong definitely would. And now she’s clearly tempting him to kick Pu Wuyong out!
Infuriating!
As a supposedly all-knowing Embroidered Uniform Guard, how could there be things he didn’t know?
But what was even more infuriating was — he couldn’t move his feet anymore. A little voice on his left shoulder kept warning him that there’s no such thing as a free lunch — surely the price would be enormous.
But a little voice on his right shoulder kept tempting him: What enormous price? Without taking risks, where would the rewards come from?!
So Lai Chenglong calmly asked: “What do you need me to do?”
The scene was utter chaos — Princess Baorong was crying and screaming, her palace maids and eunuchs were scrambling to comfort her.
Emperor Yongchang was entangled in a fierce verbal battle with the Eldest Princess and Liu Wangfei, completely unable to withstand their combined pressure. He looked as though he could burst into tears on the spot.
At this moment, no one paid attention to Qi Yuan and Lai Chenglong quietly whispering to each other.
She softly reminded him: “Lord Lai, the Wangye should be waking up soon.”
Lai Chenglong instantly understood, a chill running through his heart.
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