Chapter 128: What Did She Say to You?
Li Xuanyue’s eyes were full of complexity. She hadn’t told Yin Xin the real reason she had visited Li Feng, fearing it would terrify her.
“Yin Xin, I have a task for you,” she said softly.
Yin Xin immediately silenced herself, ears perked up for the command.
“Go and invite the five Shi Jun to Fenghe Palace immediately.”
Yin Xin was curious. “Princess, did something happen?”
Li Xuanyue looked embarrassed and didn’t explain. “Just don’t worry about it. Go quickly.”
If she delayed, she really wouldn’t have enough time.
Yin Xin didn’t dare hesitate. The men who received the notification were as confused as she was. They had assumed it would be a few days after her return before she summoned them. To receive the call after only two or three days was unexpected.
However, when they arrived at Fenghe Palace with their confidants, they were greeted by the sight of seven or eight desks arranged in the hall, each piled high with books and scrolls.
The five men were stunned and turned their questioning gazes toward Li Xuanyue.
“Er, I called you here because I need a favor.”
Being stared at by five pairs of large, handsome eyes made Li Xuanyue quite sheepish. But she had no choice. She was the one who made the mistake, and she needed people to be punished with her. Li Feng had ordered her to copy the Tao Te Ching nine thousand times by noon tomorrow. Even if she worked herself to death, she couldn’t finish it alone. She needed them to work with her.
“Do you see these books?” she said with a forced smile. “This is your mission for tonight. If you help me copy these nine thousand copies—fifteen hundred each—I will cook a wonderful meal for you all tomorrow.”
Jun He and the others: “…”
They had never imagined she had summoned them just to help her copy books.
“Was the Princess punished?”
Lang Hua was the first to speak. He looked at the jumbled books and felt his head begin to throb. Had he mentioned that he hated reading more than anything? And now she wanted him to copy books? Was she trying to kill him?
Li Xuanyue looked awkward. “Does Lang Shi Jun understand the phrase ‘see through it but don’t say it’?”
She said calmly, “I visited Mu Huang today, and she said my temperament was unstable, so she decided I should copy the Tao Te Ching nine thousand times.”
‘Unstable temperament’? In their view, she was likely being punished for leaving the clan.
“Since it is the Sovereign’s decree, why would the Princess…”
Before Lang Hua could finish, Li Xuanyue glared at him. “Does Lang Shi Jun think I can finish this in a single night on my own?”
Lang Hua pouted. “But you can’t cheat!”
Li Xuanyue was nearly choked with frustration. “Fine. If you want to copy, then copy. If you don’t, you can leave right now. I won’t force you!”
That last sentence was clearly directed at Lang Hua. He wasn’t a fool; he could hear the edge in her voice. Though he was annoyed, he didn’t want to be the only one leaving if everyone else stayed.
Jun He and the others looked at each other. They felt helpless, but they knew she could never finish nine thousand copies in one night. Without a word, they took their seats.
Lang Hua was surprised to see them actually agree. “You’re really going to help her?”
His question was met with silence.
Seeing the others sit down, Li Xuanyue felt a surge of relief. Looking at the stunned Lang Hua, she felt even better. “What are you still standing there for? Leave.”
Since he wasn’t going to help, he could stop being an eyesore.
Lang Hua felt incredibly stifled. “Who said I was leaving?”
If everyone else stayed, he had no reason to leave alone. If others used this against him later, he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. “It’s just fifteen hundred copies. It’s not like I’ve never copied things before.”
Back in the Fox Clan, he had copied the clan registers countless times. Fifteen hundred copies of the Tao Te Ching were nothing.
Li Xuanyue’s eyes brightened with joy. She signaled Yin Xin to bring out tea and snacks. For the rest of the day, Fenghe Palace was filled with the sound of brushes scratching against paper.
However, the atmosphere in Zhonghe Palace was quite different.
After Li Xuanyue’s probing, Li Feng felt a lingering sense of unease. She didn’t stay in the study long before heading to Hua Shan’s palace.
At that moment, Hua Shan had just received a secret letter from his informants saying they had intercepted Li Lan and Hua Sang on the road. He had intended to have Xiao Ce bring them back immediately, but he suppressed the urge when he saw Li Feng enter.
“Are you finished with the reports?”
Hua Shan’s fingers tightened on the small slip of paper, turning it to ash the moment he hid it behind his back. Li Feng hadn’t seen the act itself, but she caught the movement of his left hand.
“What is that in your hand?” she asked, her eyes sharp with suspicion.
Hua Shan had anticipated her question. He calmly brought his hand forward. “What do you mean?”
His fair palm was empty, save for a bit of black ash. He smiled at her suspicious look. “I was just tidying up the bedchamber and got some dust on my hand. Wait a moment while I wash it.”
He ordered a maid to bring a basin of hot water.
Li Feng sat down nearby. “How do you plan to handle the matter of Hua Sang?”
She was blunt, not bothering to circle around the topic. “Yue’er came to my study today.”
She didn’t hide anything from him. “Did you tell her about Hua Sang?”
Hua Shan’s heart skipped a beat. “What did she say to you?”
He washed the ash from his hand, pretending to be nonchalant as he asked the question.
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