Chapter 3: The Great Princess Has Gone Mad!
“Help! The Great Princess has gone mad and is killing people! The Great Princess is killing people!”
Half an hour later, a terrified scream suddenly erupted from outside the Hall of Phoenix Harmony, drawing everyone nearby into a panicked crowd.
The bamboo-slatted windows of the hall glowed brightly from the candlelight within. From inside, the sounds of crashing objects and muffled groans could be heard intermittently.
Through the windows, the crowd could vaguely make out the silhouettes of three or four figures collapsing to the floor.
The maids and guards exchanged horrified glances.
“Isn’t today the Great Princess’s wedding day with the five consorts? How could this be happening?” the uninformed maids whispered amongst themselves.
“Did the Great Princess really kill the consorts?”
The servants and guards gathered outside still couldn’t believe it. In their eyes, the Great Princess was arrogant, yes, but she had never been so cruel as to take a life. Besides, the consorts had been sent from other clans to foster good relations. No one in their right mind would murder them on their wedding night.
“Or maybe we misheard? Could the noise just be… the consummation of the marriage?”
Just as the servants and guards stood frozen with indecision, Li Qinghe arrived in a hurry, her own attendants in tow.
“What are you all standing around for? Push the doors open, now!” she commanded. Her sharp gaze jolted the bewildered guards and maids into action.
“Do you want all five consorts to die at the hands of the Great Princess?”
She had waited too long for this day to let the opportunity slip away.
Hearing this, the guards and maids dared not hesitate any longer and rushed forward to push open the great doors of the hall.
A triumphant glint flashed in Li Qinghe’s eyes, her heart pounding with excitement.
“The Phoenix Empress has arrived!”
Just as she was about to step towards the doors herself, a loud announcement echoed from nearby.
Li Qinghe froze. Seeing who had arrived, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips before she immediately dropped to her knees.
“This child greets the Mother Empress.”
“We greet the Phoenix Empress!”
All the other servants and guards quickly knelt as well, their faces a picture of reverence.
The Phoenix Empress, Li Feng, frowned as she looked at the partially open doors of the Hall of Phoenix Harmony.
“What is going on here?” she demanded, her cold gaze shifting to the kneeling Li Qinghe. “Why would Yue’er suddenly go mad and start killing people?”
And not just anyone, but the five consorts she had just married that very day. Li Feng couldn’t believe that her daughter would be ignorant of the consequences if this news got out. She had always turned a blind eye to Xuanyue’s tantrums and her mistreatment of her attendants, but today was different. If her daughter couldn’t even handle this, then she could forget about ever inheriting the throne.
“Your Majesty, after the ceremony today, the Great Princess was already showing signs of madness,” a maid from the crowd suddenly spoke up, risking execution for her boldness. “But… she paid it no mind. This servant tried to advise her, but… the Great Princess drove me out.”
“Nonsense!” Li Feng snapped, flicking her sleeve in anger.
It was no secret in the Phoenix Clan that Li Xuanyue suffered from bouts of madness. They had been occurring intermittently for three years, but never had an episode been so public and chaotic. By now, she feared, not just the Phoenix Clan, but all Hundred Clans had heard the news of Li Xuanyue murdering her consorts on her wedding night.
However, when Li Feng stormed into the Hall of Phoenix Harmony with her entourage, the scene inside stopped her dead in her tracks.
And she wasn’t the only one left stunned. Li Qinghe, who had been so sure of her victory, was equally dumbfounded. After all her scheming, her wish was finally about to come true. But when she saw the scene inside the hall, the smug look on her face twisted into a mask of disbelief.
In the center of the hall, the five consorts were sitting cross-legged on the floor, forming a circle around Li Xuanyue. Beside each of them were several small porcelain bottles and jars, with a dozen more placed in front of Xuanyue herself.
They were in the middle of a hand-gesture game.
The moment they saw the furious Empress burst in with her guards, the five consorts all jumped in surprise. All except for Li Xuanyue.
After all, in her past life, when Li Feng had burst in, she had been standing in a pool of blood, the sword she always carried raised to strike down her fourth consort. Only the quick intervention of Li Feng’s trusted guard had stopped the blade from falling.
“Yue’er, what is the meaning of this?”
As the ruler of a clan, Li Feng recovered her composure after a few seconds of shock. Her voice was calm as she addressed her daughter.
“We greet the Mother Empress,” the five consorts said in unison, respectfully rising to bow.
“Mother Empress, what are you doing here?” Li Xuanyue asked, feigning surprise as she stood up. “This child… this child was just playing a game with the five consorts!”
Li Xuanyue’s eyes darted around nervously, the picture of guilt. Like a child caught misbehaving, she didn’t dare to meet her mother’s gaze.
Li Feng frowned. “A game?”
“Yes,” Li Xuanyue nodded. “Isn’t today my wedding night?” she stammered. “I… I thought since it was still early, the five consorts and I would play a game of hands. Whoever loses all their porcelain bottles first… is not allowed to attend to me tonight.”
“But… while we were playing, I thought I heard a maid outside shouting about a murder,” Li Xuanyue said, skillfully changing the subject. “Who was murdered?” she asked, her face a mask of confusion.
Li Qinghe’s expression was now uglier than ever.
Li Feng shot a cold, piercing glance in her direction. “Is this what you meant when you said Yue’er was showing signs of madness and would harm her consorts?”
“‘Madness’? ‘Harm’?” Repeating the ominous words, Li Xuanyue knew exactly what was going on. “Little sister, are you suggesting that I would brutally murder my own consorts on my wedding night?”
Li Qinghe’s face went pale. “No, sister, that’s not what I meant.”
Although she had no idea how things had gone so wrong or where her plan had failed, it was clear that events had not unfolded as she had intended. She had to extricate herself from this mess immediately to avoid being implicated and earning her mother’s wrath.
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