Chapter 72: I Really Want to Kill You Right Now
The one who spoke was Yao Guang, sitting opposite her.
Today, he wore black robes. His face was still pale, but his eyes held a faint smile as he stared fixedly at Li Xuanyue. It was as if he wanted to swallow her whole.
However, before Li Xuanyue could respond, Consort Lang, sitting beside him, also spoke up.
“The Night-Luminescent Pearl the Princess sent to me… I also liked it very much.”
As soon as Consort Lang said this, Consort Yu and Consort Zhong exchanged a glance. Everything was clear.
“Did the Princess send Night-Luminescent Pearls to all of us?” Consort Yu asked with absolute certainty.
Li Xuanyue, who had been in a good mood after receiving thanks from Yao Guang and Lang Hua, had thought her gift-giving was a success. She planned to continue it in the future.
But when she heard Yu Mian’s question, she finally realized something was wrong.
She quickly turned her head to look at Yin Xin by her side, clearly demanding an explanation.
Her treasury was full of rare treasures. Had Yin Xin really arranged for all of them to receive Night-Luminescent Pearls?
Yin Xin naturally sensed the atmosphere was off. She hurriedly explained, “Princess, yesterday this servant saw that the Night-Luminescent Pearls in the treasury were truly dazzling. Thinking that the five Consorts are all your treasures, I used the pearls to represent how much the Princess cherishes each Consort.”
That way, the five Consorts would know how much the Princess cares for them and wouldn’t feel left out, she thought.
The five Consorts all lowered their heads in silence, making it impossible to read their thoughts.
Li Xuanyue sending them gifts had indeed surprised them. But what they hadn’t expected was that the gifts would be so thoughtlessâidentical items for everyone. Night-Luminescent Pearls!
Was it because nothing else could be found in the treasury? Or did she just think this was the easiest way?
If Yao Guang hadn’t taken the lead to express his thanks, they might not have known that the “gift” they received today was just something she used to brush them off. How embarrassing would that be if word got out?
Li Xuanyue: “…”
Can I find a hole to crawl into right now?
Yin Xin had been with her for so long; how could she make such a stupid mistake? Wasn’t this deliberately making her look bad?
“Ahem!”
She brought a fist to her lips and coughed lightly.
“You are not allowed to make such arrangements in the future,” Li Xuanyue said coldly.
Since this was Yin Xinâs first offense, she didn’t want to punish her over such a small matter. Thus, she only scolded her in a low voice.
Yin Xin lowered her head, remaining silent. She knew her good intentions had led to a bad outcome, causing Li Xuanyue to lose face in front of the Consorts.
But she hadn’t expected the Consorts to gather and reveal the gifts simultaneously. Now, not only was Li Xuanyue embarrassed, but even Yin Xin felt ashamed of her foolish handling of the matter.
“The matter of the pearls was my oversight.”
After scolding Yin Xin, Li Xuanyue turned her gaze back to the five Consorts and explained, “This girl, Yin Xin, likes to wildly guess my thoughts, which led to this huge misunderstanding.”
“If you don’t mind, you can send someone to my treasury later to choose something personally.”
“As for the items I sent yesterday, if you like them, keep them. If not, just use them as ornaments to light up your halls.”
In any case, the things she sent out were not ordinary items. If they really didn’t like them, she would just have Yin Xin take them back to the treasury.
“The Princess is thoughtful. I like the pearl very much.”
The first to speak up and break the deadlock was Jun He, sitting to her left.
Today, Jun He wore silver-white robes. His every gesture was noble and elegant. His handsome, immortal-like face carried a faint smile.
He showed no displeasure or embarrassment over Li Xuanyue’s thoughtless gift. Instead, he appeared satisfied and magnanimous.
Beside him, Lang Hua, who had wanted to question the gift, suddenly swallowed his words after hearing Jun He. If he complained now, wouldn’t he seem petty and ungenerous?
“Consort Jun is worthy of being the head of us five.”
Since they couldn’t criticize Li Xuanyue, they naturally had to vent their dissatisfaction on Jun He.
Yu Mian looked at Jun He and spoke slowly.
“To show such joy even over identical gifts… no wonder you caught the Princess’s eye.”
Among the five of them, only Jun He had consummated his marriage with Li Xuanyue. The other four were still untouched. Although they acted disdainful, it didn’t mean they didn’t care.
Seeing Jun He acting so magnanimous on their behalf, Yu Mian could no longer suppress his displeasure and lashed out.
“Is Consort Yu displeased?”
Jun He seemed completely unaffected by the sarcasm. Instead, he looked unbothered and spoke with a double meaning: “The Princess is right here. If Consort Yu dislikes the pearl she sent yesterday, you can say so right now.”
Yu Mianâs mouth twitched. Seeing Jun He shift the topic to him disliking Li Xuanyueâs gift, he frowned.
Li Xuanyue: “…”
Who did I offend?
I just wanted to invite them for a nice meal. Why does it smell like gunpowder now?
Li Xuanyueâs complex gaze swept back and forth between Jun He and Yu Mian.
“This was my lack of consideration.”
To prevent them from continuing to quarrel over this, Li Xuanyue chose to speak up.
“Consort Yu, I will have Yin Xin retrieve the pearl from your hall later. You may send someone to pick a new item from my treasury.”
After speaking, fearing this might cause dissatisfaction among the others, she quickly added, “The same goes for the rest of you. If you feel, like Consort Yu, that the pearl lacks sincerity, you may send someone along as well.”
“Alright, everyone, let’s eat.”
To avoid further entanglement, Li Xuanyue ended the topic abruptly.
Better to finish eating early and leave early, lest another mess arise.
The five men seemed to realize Li Xuanyue didn’t want to discuss the pearls any further, so they all chose to remain silent.
The lunch, which should have been harmonious and full of laughter, was eaten with everyone harboring their own strange thoughts due to the pearl incident.
Consequently, the moment Li Xuanyue put down her chopsticks and left, the five men followed suit and departed one after another.
Meanwhile, in Chaoren Hall, Li Qinghe had become even more despondent due to the death of Ru Yue.
Furthermore, she had been demoted to a commoner and stripped of her title as Princess. As a result, she was constantly tormented and bullied by Jun Mo within Chaoren Hall.
Yes, ever since Li Qinghe received the eighty lashes and was demoted, Jun Mo had been moved by the Phoenix Sovereign from Qihua Hall to Chaoren Hall, where Li Qinghe lived.
The purpose was to make her take care of Jun Mo.
Now that Jun Mo was pregnant with the Phoenix Clan’s heir, he was precious beyond measure. The maids of every palace treated him with great respect.
Except for Li Qinghe. Because the wounds on her back hadn’t healed, she was repeatedly tormented by Jun Mo, filling her heart with rage.
Jun Mo wanted exactly thisâto see her pathetic, forced obedience.
He reached out unceremoniously and gripped her chin.
“Do you know? Sometimes, this Prince really wants to kill you right now!”
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