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Chapter 99: This Princess Knows What Kind of Person Father Monarch Is
Langhua paid no mind to Li Xuanyue’s darkened expression. “Yesterday, after the Princess departed, the Lord Consort made me kneel in the Xihe Palace for two full hours. He also made me peel an entire basket of walnuts with my bare fingers.”
Langhua spoke in a tone as if he were merely commenting on the poor weather. There wasn’t much fluctuation in his voice, but anyone who had been trapped in the Xihe Palace with him yesterday would have felt the peril he faced.
Li Xuanyue couldn’t believe it.
In front of her, Hua Shan had always maintained the image of a benevolent father. She couldn’t imagine what he looked like when he was being vicious.
“Could it be that you said something yesterday in the Xihe Palace that offended Father Monarch?” Li Xuanyue asked hesitantly.
She still didn’t believe Hua Shan would treat Langhua this way. If he had truly gone so far, wouldn’t he be afraid of Langhua exposing him to her? Hua Shan wasn’t stupid.
Langhua seemed to have anticipated that Li Xuanyue wouldn’t believe his words. So, when she questioned him, he felt no surprise or anger.
His face remained calm as he spoke slowly, “Does the Princess think this subject is lying?”
This time, his question was heavier and more serious than before. His expression shifted from breezy indifference to deep solemnity.
“Then the Princess can take a look at the wounds on this subject’s body first!”
Before Li Xuanyue could reply, Langhua pulled open his robes and sleeves.
His firm, solid back was covered in dense clusters of red dots. They looked like a swarm of fiery red worms. Even someone without trypophobia would feel their scalp go numb at the sight.
“These were all bestowed upon this subject by the Lord Consort after the Princess left yesterday.”
Watching the disbelief and shock on Li Xuanyue’s face, Langhua sat up and adjusted his clothes, continuing, “Those fine needles are like threads, straight and slender.”
“The Lord Consort feared being discovered, so he chose this method to deliberately punish this subject.”
“Why would Father Monarch do this?” Li Xuanyue pressed, lips pursed.
She still couldn’t figure it out. There were so many people in the Phoenix Clan. Even if he wanted to vent, he could have chosen anyone else. He didn’t necessarily have to take it out on Langhua. Unless there was some other truth or reason she didn’t know about.
Langhua had finally waited for Li Xuanyue to ask this question.
He was silent for a few seconds before speaking slowly.
“If this subject said I discovered a scandalous secret of the Lord Consort, what would the Princess choose then?”
Li Xuanyue looked bewildered.
Seeing her reaction, Langhua secretly took a deep breath and finally decided to say what he wanted to say right to her face.
“The Lord Consort may not be as good as the Princess imagines. This subject discovered that he seems to be hiding someone in his rear palace.”
Langhua’s words were like thunderclaps—bang, bang, bang—exploding in Li Xuanyue’s mind.
“What nonsense are you talking about!”
She snapped back to reality and instinctively began to deny it, rebuking Langhua. “Consort Lang, this matter concerns Father Monarch’s reputation. Do you know how much damage these words could cause him?”
“Aren’t you afraid Father Monarch will sentence you to death?”
In Li Xuanyue’s heart, Hua Shan had always been kind, magnanimous, and extremely measured in his actions. even if others hid people in their palaces, Li Xuanyue would never suspect Hua Shan of doing so in the Xihe Palace.
The only explanation was that Langhua had likely seen wrong.
“Consort Lang, you are not allowed to mention this matter ever again.”
Li Xuanyue warned him with a stern face. “This Princess knows clearly what kind of person Father Monarch is. You are not allowed to suspect him again!”
Langhua knew it was impossible to make Li Xuanyue believe him immediately. But he still chose to speak out.
He could tell that the man in the Xihe Palace wouldn’t let him off easily. If he didn’t inform Li Xuanyue in advance to prepare her, he might disappear or die without her even knowing how.
He lowered his brow and eyes. “Since the Princess does not believe this subject’s words, then pretend I never said them.”
Langhua didn’t think his relationship with Li Xuanyue was strong enough to replace Hua Shan’s position in her heart. That was her biological father. It was only natural she didn’t believe him.
After all, how long had they known each other? The number of times they had met could be counted on ten fingers. Her defense of her father was excusable.
But once the seed of doubt was planted in her heart, he believed she would figure it out sooner or later.
This was Langhua’s goal in confessing to her today. No matter how well Hua Shan acted, one day his true face would be exposed.
When Yumian arrived at the Wolf Tooth Palace, he distinctly sensed something was wrong with the atmosphere.
He looked at Langhua lying on the couch, then at Li Xuanyue sitting by the bed with a thoughtful expression. Although he didn’t know what had just happened between them, it wasn’t hard to deduce from the tension how heavy their conversation had been.
“Princess.”
Yumian took the initiative to step forward and greet Li Xuanyue, momentarily breaking the heavy atmosphere.
Li Xuanyue snapped out of her thoughts. “Why are you here?”
Her tone still carried the remnants of her rebuke toward Langhua.
This immediately put Yumian on alert.
“Is the Princess blaming this subject?”
It seemed the conversation between Langhua and Li Xuanyue hadn’t been pleasant. This left her with anger she had nowhere to vent, so upon seeing the sudden appearance of Yumian, she directed her displeasure at him.
Yumian couldn’t help but glance at Langhua. This matter was caused by him, yet Yumian was the one suffering for it. It was rather helpless.
“You’re overthinking it.”
Li Xuanyue naturally realized her attitude and tone toward Yumian were poor. A look of awkwardness flashed across her face, and she quickly adjusted her mindset. “This Princess was just thinking about something.”
“So I didn’t pay attention.”
After speaking, she seemed to think of something else and continued, “Also, didn’t I have Yinxin notify you at the Twilight Palace that I would arrive later? Why did you come over suddenly?”
Was he afraid she would run away?
Yumian’s eyes narrowed with a smile. “Miss Yinxin did indeed notify this subject.”
He spoke clearly, “However, in order to see the Princess sooner, this subject chose to come over first.”
“For the Princess to question me like this, are you blaming me?”
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