Chapter 127: Talking Past Each Other
“Mu Huang, three thousand copies of the Tao Te Ching… isn’t that a bit much?” Li Xuanyue tried to bargain. “Actually, I came here because I have some questions for you.”
The implication was: can we skip the copying?
But who was Li Feng? She was the Sovereign of a clan. She wouldn’t have her mind changed by a few words.
“Then make it five thousand!” Li Feng said, leaving no room for negotiation.
“Mu Huang!” Li Xuanyue was stunned.
“Seven thousand!” Li Feng extended a finger and continued.
“No, wait!” Seeing the punishment only increasing, Li Xuanyue became incoherent with panic.
“Nine thousand!” Li Feng looked at her daughter’s frantic expression and finally felt a sense of satisfaction. This girl was usually too wild and did as she pleased. If this method could straighten her out, it was a good tactic.
Li Xuanyue lowered her head and sighed. She was like a defeated rooster, completely deflated. She realized that as long as she stayed quiet, Li Feng wouldn’t add more. The moment she tried to bargain, the punishment would skyrocket.
“Fine, fine. Nine thousand it is.” She quickly stopped Li Feng from adding more, fearing the Empress would jump straight to twenty thousand.
Seeing her finally subdued, Li Feng turned to the matter at hand. “Speak. What questions do you have for me?”
Li Feng was in a good mood now, lounging on her couch with a sense of relaxation. But Li Xuanyue was not feeling nearly as beautiful. Who would have thought that before she even asked her questions, she’d be saddled with copying the Tao Te Ching nine thousand times?
She regretted it deeply. If she had just accepted the three thousand, it would have been better than nine thousand. But what was done was done; she just had to be more careful next time.
“Mu Huang, do you know… Hua Sang?”
As she spoke the name, Li Xuanyue watched Li Feng’s face closely. As expected, the Empress’s expression stiffened the moment the name was mentioned.
“Why are you asking about that?”
Li Feng’s mood soured instantly. Her eyes were filled with a sharp, defensive light.
Li Xuanyue saw that rigidity and realized that Li Feng likely knew more than she did. The rare look of wariness in the Empress’s eyes made Li Xuanyue tighten her own resolve.
“It’s nothing!” she joked. “I was just curious. I wanted to see if Mu Huang had heard of such a person.”
Li Feng went silent for a moment before saying coldly, “He is not a good person. Don’t go poking into his business.”
Li Xuanyue was startled by the harshness of the words.
“When did that fox-like creature become worth your time and effort to ask about?”
Fox-like creature? Not a good thing?
These two phrases completely overturned Li Xuanyue’s perception of Li Feng. In her eyes, Li Feng was always noble and refined, always talking about the great affairs of life, death, and honor. To hear her describe Hua Sang this way was eye-opening.
“Does Mu Huang have a grudge against this Hua Sang?” she asked. Otherwise, why use such a loathing tone?
Li Feng glanced at her. “In a way,” she said ambiguously. “In short, your Fu Jun likes him very much.”
This was a very veiled way of putting it. Anyone could guess the relationship between the two was not simple.
“Where did you hear that name?” Li Feng looked at her daughter. She hadn’t forgotten that the name ‘Hua Sang’ was a taboo in the Phoenix Clan. As long as she and Hua Shan didn’t speak of it, Li Xuanyue shouldn’t know. Unless she had discovered something on her own.
Thinking of this, Li Feng narrowed her eyes. Li Xuanyue had never been looked at by her mother this way. A chill ran down her spine. Her intuition told her that Li Feng was deeply resistant to this topic.
“Haha!” Li Xuanyue laughed awkwardly to deflect suspicion. “Mu Huang, don’t worry about where I heard it. I just wanted to ask one thing… what if?”
She emphasized the word ‘if’ to ensure Li Feng knew it was just an example.
“What if one day, Fu Jun brought that man, Hua Sang, to stay by his side? What would you do?”
Li Feng’s eyes turned dangerously dark. “Are you saying that your Fu Jun is already entangled with Hua Sang?”
Her voice was laced with a murderous frost.
Li Xuanyue froze, then quickly denied it. “No, Mu Huang, that’s not what I meant…”
“Enough.” Li Feng cut her off. “I know exactly what kind of person your Fu Jun is. You don’t need to make excuses for him. If he ever truly becomes entangled with Hua Sang, I will not let him off!”
Li Xuanyue: “…”
She felt her explanation had only made things worse. No matter what she said after that, Li Feng was in a state where she wouldn’t listen. Left with no choice, Li Xuanyue could only take her leave.
Stepping out of the study, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness. Her test today hadn’t achieved the desired result; instead, she had caused trouble. Especially the darkness she saw on Li Feng’s face—her words had left a massive hidden danger for Hua Shan and Hua Sang.
Just thinking about it made her head ache.
“Princess, don’t worry. Everything will work itself out,” Yin Xin said, assuming she was worried about Hua Sang. “Even without the Sovereign’s help, we will succeed.”
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