Chapter 19: Who Wants to Be Livestock for a Lifetime?
The reason was simple: the Crane Clan relied on the crimson crowns atop their heads to absorb the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth.
If their crowns were harmed, it would be a devastating, demoting blow to their cultivation.
And what did the Hundred Clans value most?
Cultivation, of course. Who would want to remain mere livestock for a lifetime?
Everyone was striving to climb higher. If Li Xuanyue were to send people to plunder the crowns of the Crane Clan now, how would that be any different from taking their lives?
It might even provoke a war between the two clans.
“You may go and rest for now, Divine Doctor Liu.”
Li Xuanyue understood the gravity of the situation.
She said nothing more to Divine Doctor Liu, simply giving a faint wave of her hand before sinking deep into thought.
Seeing Li Xuanyue’s silence, Yin Xin suddenly spoke up.
“Princess, don’t overthink it.”
She poured a cup of tea and placed it before Li Xuanyue. “There must be a solution to this.”
That Consort Zhong was, after all, the princess’s man. Now that the princess was unwell, it was only right that he step forward without hesitation to help ease her burdens.
“I know.”
There’s a saying: Just when the mountains and rivers seem to block the path, the shade of willows and brightness of flowers reveal another village.
Since the heavens had chosen to grant her a second life, they surely wouldn’t let her die so quickly.
She would find a way to resolve this without harming anyone.
“Xiao Han, dispatch two groups of men. One will keep an eye on Li Qinghe. With the other, go to the Crane Clan and see if you can find any adult males willing to offer up their own crowns.”
Success or failure, she had to grasp at this final sliver of hope.
Only then could she continue to live, safe and sound.
Wutong Hall.
Zhong He had just finished his morning meal when he let out two consecutive sneezes.
“My lord, have you caught a cold?”
The young attendant beside him quickly draped a blue-green robe, which he had been holding, over Zhong He’s shoulders. “Early spring may be over, but the temperature difference between morning and night is still quite large. You must take care of yourself.”
Zhong He paid no mind to the attendant’s words, asking a question of his own. “Has there been any reply from my mother?”
In the three months he had been in the Phoenix Clan, he had only seen Princess Xuanyue on their wedding night. Since then, she had remained in Fenghua Hall.
This suited him just fine.
He had no feelings whatsoever for this Princess Xuanyue.
The only reason he had agreed to the marriage alliance was out of consideration for his mother’s predicament in the rear courtyard of their home.
Among the Hundred Clans, aside from the matriarchal Phoenix Clan, all others were patriarchal.
The Crane Clan was no exception.
Although Zhong He’s mother was the official wife, she could not fight the four words: old and faded in beauty.
Furthermore, men were lustful creatures by nature.
Staring at the same face for too long, one would naturally grow weary.
Over time, aside from the title of official wife, Zhong He’s mother received none of her husband’s affection or favor.
It was for this very reason that when the Phoenix Clan proposed the marriage alliance, Zhong He’s father had pushed him forward without a moment’s hesitation.
And the leverage he used to threaten him into compliance was his own mother.
Zhong He’s father knew the place his mother held in his son’s heart. He had promised that if Zhong He obediently agreed to the marriage and helped him secure a position of power in the Crane Clan, he would treat his mother well. Otherwise, he would make her life a living hell.
To ensure his mother could live peacefully in the rear courtyard, and to stop his father from tormenting her, Zhong He had chosen to agree.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t one day bring his mother to his side.
In his eyes, the moment his father chose to disregard his feelings as a son and threaten him with his mother, the bond between them had been completely severed.
Now, the only person he cared for was his mother.
He couldn’t possibly let his father use her as a threat against him forever.
The moment he left the Crane Clan, he had already arranged for people to quietly spirit his mother away from his father’s estate.
She was now right under his nose.
And under his constant protection.
“Not yet,” the attendant replied. “But… we have our people watching over her. Even if the master’s men come after her, they won’t get away with anything.”
“My lord, Princess Qinghe is here.”
Just as the attendant finished speaking, a guard hurried in from outside the hall.
Zhong He frowned. “What is she doing here?”
He was not familiar with this Princess Qinghe.
As he pondered this, Li Qinghe, followed by Ruyue, had already strode in from outside Wutong Hall.
“Greetings, Princess.”
Though Zhong He was puzzled, he still raised a hand in a formal salute.
A smile touched the corners of Li Qinghe’s eyes. “Consort Zhong, you are too kind. Please, be seated.”
This was Wutong Hall, the residence of Zhong He.
Yet, at this moment, it felt as if their roles were reversed.
Li Qinghe’s familiar tone made it seem as though she were the master here.
This feeling, this realization, made Zhong He furrow his brows in discomfort.
Li Qinghe, however, seemed oblivious to Zhong He’s displeasure. As soon as she was seated, she had Ruyue present the gift she had prepared.
“This is a gift from me to you, Consort Zhong,” Li Qinghe said with a faint smile. “I should have brought it on the very first day you and my sister were married.”
“But so much happened at the time, leading to a misunderstanding with the Empress Mother, which is why I am only now able to bring gifts to visit all the consorts.”
Her words sounded like a gesture of goodwill.
And an attempt to curry favor with the consorts.
It stirred a baseless feeling of revulsion in Zhong He’s heart.
His face, however, betrayed nothing, maintaining its usual cool and indifferent expression.
“Princess Qinghe is too thoughtful.”
Zhong He first offered his thanks on the surface, then politely refused in his next words.
“However… it has been over three months since the wedding day. It would be inappropriate for this subject to accept this gift now. Perhaps the princess could take it back?”
A single gift was of little importance to Zhong He.
He wanted no part in any association with this Princess Qinghe.
He didn’t want to be drawn into suspicion.
After all, wasn’t the prior case of Consort Wen a perfect example?
Li Qinghe’s heart stiffened, but her face remained wreathed in a gentle smile.
“This gift of mine may seem small, but it is a token of my sincerity. Is Consort Zhong looking down on it?”
Never before had a gift she’d given been returned.
Zhong He’s refusal left Li Qinghe feeling a trace of embarrassment.
And displeasure.
“Princess Qinghe, you worry too much.”
Zhong He did, in fact, look down on her gift.
But he didn’t say so directly, instead phrasing it delicately. “I have already received your kind sentiment. However, I truly cannot accept this gift. Please forgive me, Princess Qinghe.”
Being rebuffed again and again, a fire was beginning to kindle in Li Qinghe’s heart.
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