Chapter 27: Even Tigers Take Naps
A flash of raw emotion crossed Physician Fang’s face. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Alright, the day is still young. You should hurry home and pack your things,” Li XuanYue said, glancing up at the sky as she urged him on.
Now that his allegiance was exposed, it was no longer safe for him to be seen around the palace. For the time being, she needed to find a safe place for him to lie low and stay alive. He couldn’t die just yet.
Meanwhile, back in the Chao Ren Hall, Li QingHe had returned in a storm of fury.
In her rage, the palace’s treasures—strands of mermaid pearls, iridescent glazed glass ornaments, and the golden vanity table—were all smashed and thrown about, leaving the room in utter chaos.
But even that wasn’t enough to quell the fire in her heart.
She glared at her handmaiden, Ru Yue, with the same hatred one would reserve for a mortal enemy. Her gaze was so dark and terrifying that Ru Yue barely dared to approach her.
In all her years of service, she had never seen Li QingHe this incandescent with rage. In the past, even when her plans failed, Li QingHe would simply dismiss them with a contemptuous smile. But today, Ru Yue could feel the gravity of the situation. Her heart pounded with anxiety.
“Your Highness… are you… are you alright?” Ru Yue asked uncertainly. “Should this servant get you a cup of tea?”
Perhaps a cup of tea would help soothe her temper?
Li QingHe’s expression was a twisted mask of emotions. The inferno inside her refused to die down. When she looked at Ru Yue, for the first time, she made no effort to restrain her feelings as she usually did. Instead, she let them loose, expanding to fill the room.
She was done hiding.
“Do I look hideous right now? Terrifying?” she asked, her eyes bloodshot. Her voice was low and raspy, threaded with a wild, crazed edge.
Even without a mirror, she could see her own madness reflected in Ru Yue’s dark pupils. Her ink-black hair was a mess, her golden hairpins askew. The cool, noble princess was gone, replaced by a raving lunatic.
Though terrified, Ru Yue did not shrink back. Instead, she stepped forward and took Li QingHe’s hand, a gesture of unwavering loyalty.
“Rest assured, Your Highness. Even if everyone else in the world betrays you, this servant never will.”
Ru Yue knew exactly who was responsible for Li QingHe’s breakdown today.
It was Physician Fang.
His blatant disrespect, his betrayal that had turned her into the most obvious suspect in the hall… it was a blow that anyone would find difficult to swallow, let alone a princess like Li QingHe.
“That old coot, Fang Zheng… I won’t let him off so easily,” Li QingHe said through gritted teeth.
After accepting so many of her gifts, he had turned around and laid years of her planning to waste. If she didn’t have him killed, she would never be able to extinguish the hatred burning in her heart.
“Your Highness, should we have our people take care of him now?” Ru Yue asked, making a sharp, slitting motion across her throat.
In her eyes, Physician Fang had never been a trustworthy person to begin with. But Li QingHe had stubbornly insisted on her principle of “trust those you use, and don’t use those you doubt.” That blind trust had given him the opportunity to betray them. If they had known this would happen, they should have just gotten rid of him from the start instead of watching their plans crumble to dust because of him.
Li QingHe gave a cold laugh. “Do you really think my dear ‘good’ sister would let our plan succeed now?”
She was certain that Physician Fang had already told Li XuanYue everything. Since the masks were off, there was no longer any need to pretend.
“Just send our people to keep a constant watch on him,” she ordered.
So what if her sister had sent guards to protect Fang Zheng?
Even ferocious tigers have to take naps.
She refused to believe Li XuanYue’s men could stay alert forever.
Ru Yue immediately understood her meaning. They would wait for a moment of inattention, a crack in the defense, and snatch him away. It was, without a doubt, the best approach.
The next day, the delegations from the five beast clans finally arrived safely at the Phoenix Clan’s palace.
When Li XuanYue arrived with her maid, Yin Xin, she found that Li Feng was already in the main hall greeting the guests.
“Your daughter greets the Mother Empress.”
The smile on Li Feng’s face vanished in an instant.
“Rise.” To project the proper aura of a clan sovereign, her demeanor was exceptionally cold and regal.
“This must be Princess XuanYue, then?” a voice suddenly called out. Someone from the five clans had fixed their gaze on Li XuanYue.
This was none other than Shu Fen, the wife of the Fox Clan’s great elder and the maternal aunt of Lang Hua.
She stared at Li XuanYue like a mother-in-law inspecting a potential son-in-law. From the moment Li XuanYue had stepped into the hall, her eyes had been glued to her, a wide, flowery smile plastered on her face as she kept muttering the word, “Stunning.”
Her jubilant expression was almost too much for the members of the other four clans to watch.
Was it really worth it? Her own nephew had been sent here as a mere consort, yet she was beaming as if he were the one marrying the princess. Only the Fox Clan would act like they had won some grand prize.
The other four clans saw this entire affair as a humiliation. A bitter pill they were forced to swallow.
“This humble one is Lang Hua’s aunt, Shu Fen,” she said with a bright smile. “If the Princess doesn’t mind, you can just call me by my name.”
It was clear that Shu Fen was a frank and cheerful woman. Her introduction was direct and without pretense. As she spoke, the fox tail hidden behind her swayed happily from side to side in the air. She obviously liked Li XuanYue a great deal and felt no need to hide it.
Li XuanYue had rarely encountered someone so refreshingly straightforward. Faced with Shu Fen’s warmth, she was momentarily stunned before quickly recovering with a nod and a smile.
“Aunt.”
Shu Fen froze for a second, then quickly beamed in response. “Oh, yes!”
She had never dreamed that Li XuanYue would address her as “Aunt” in front of so many people. Given the princess’s status, even calling her “Lady Shu” would have been perfectly acceptable. But hearing the word “Aunt” filled Shu Fen’s heart with a delightful warmth, as if she had just eaten a spoonful of honey.
“The long journey must have been tiring for you, Aunt,” Li XuanYue said warmly. “After the banquet ends, I will have someone arrange a proper place for you to rest.”
Faced with someone as open and sincere as Shu Fen, Li XuanYue found she couldn’t bring herself to be cold. She responded with equal warmth.
This was almost too much for Shu Fen, whose heart was practically bursting with joy.
“Oh, wonderful, wonderful! The Princess is too kind.”
After the pleasantries were exchanged, the five consorts were summoned by the guards and soon arrived at the Hall of Central Harmony.
“Your sons greet the Mother Empress!” the five of them declared in unison, bowing to Li Feng on her throne.
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