Chapter 23 - ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 23
Rumors spread like wildfire, and the multitude’s words can melt even gold. From the moment Li Zhizhi was stopped by Li Suwan, she knew how things would unfold. Even if she were to discard that flower, it would be of no use. She would still tread the same path as in her previous life. People were inclined to believe in the noble identities of the Prime Minister’s legitimate granddaughter and the County Princess of Rong’an.
However, the difference this time was that Li Zhizhi had a witness. So she took the flower from Li Suwan. Everything that happened afterward was within her expectations, except for Xiao Rulei. Li Zhizhi really didn’t expect her to sneak in quietly, and she didn’t expect Princess Yongning to be there too.
The moment Princess Yongning appeared, the situation began to tilt in Li Zhizhi’s favor. Everyone looked at Li Suwan and the other two with astonished and suspicious eyes. Even Zhao Shan’er began to panic and kept looking at Xiao Man, hoping she would come up with a solution.
Xiao Man’s face was extremely unsightly, and she couldn’t stop cursing Li Suwan in her heart. She thought Li Suwan was a fool for accusing someone without verifying the facts. She had no idea that Li Zhizhi had deceived Li Suwan. Now, all three of them were caught in a trap, and in front of everyone, their faces were all smeared. Xiao Man was filled with hatred, almost grinding her silver teeth. She made a quick decision and said in a soft voice, “Although I was in the Little Buddha Hall at that time, there were many bamboo groves and artificial hills blocking the view. I didn’t actually see who picked the flower. Perhaps it was another passerby. But I dare to swear to the heavens that I did not pick the flower belonging to the Empress.”
She stated firmly and then turned to the chief eunuch, saying, “If the Empress does not believe me, please go ahead and punish me.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shanner immediately followed suit, saying, “I definitely did not pick the flower.”
So, all eyes turned to Li Suwan, who had been silent the whole time. Under the scrutiny of so many people, she looked extremely frightened, confused, and pale. Her delicate body was trembling, and her eyes were red, making her appear pitiable. But to others, this was a sign of guilt.
Li Zhizhi looked on with satisfaction, and if she were allowed, she might have applauded this performance. It was truly a case of one wolf biting another wolf, with both sides getting fur in their mouths.
The chief eunuch asked, “Miss Li, did you pick the flower?”
“I…” Li Suwan shivered slightly and, instinctively, she shifted her gaze towards Zhao Shanner. However, Zhao Shanner just looked back as if nothing had happened, with a cold and threatening expression.
Having been friends for many years, Li Suwan knew well about Zhao Shanner’s tactics. The Zhao and Xiao families were both prestigious, and they were closely related. In the past, to befriend them, Li Suwan had to put in a lot of effort and even lower herself. Otherwise, with her background, she wouldn’t dare to speak loudly in front of Su Tangyu.
If she really offended Zhao Shanner this time, and they had a falling out, Li Suwan’s life in the Imperial Garden might become very difficult. After all, she had offended many people in the past.
Just as Li Suwan was in a state of panic and confusion, a young voice suddenly rang out.
“It was me who picked it.”
Everyone was stunned, and the person who spoke was Li Xingzhi. He stood up and said to the chief eunuch, “I picked the flower. I didn’t know it was planted by the Empress. I’m truly sorry. Please take me to apologize to Her Majesty.”
Among the people at the table, their expressions varied greatly. One of Li Xingzhi’s classmates expressed confusion, “Wait, Xingzhi, haven’t you always been with—”
A young man in an Aegean blue brocade robe immediately reached out and covered his mouth, and it was Lin Xuqiu. He urgently said, “You’d better keep quiet.”
The person made muffled sounds, then realized what was happening and didn’t speak further.
Madam Li had an extremely unpleasant expression, tightly clutching her handkerchief. Li Zhizhi looked at her with a cold gaze. It seemed like she was about to faint, struggling to stand there, bearing various meaningful glances, yet she couldn’t utter a word.
At this point, there was indeed nothing more to say. Just as it seemed the eunuch was about to send someone to take Li Xingzhi away, a young eunuch suddenly rushed in from outside and whispered a few words to him. The eunuch nodded and turned to Duchess Yiguo, saying, “Pure Consort is benevolent and magnanimous. Just now, it wasn’t a big deal. Let’s leave it at that and not disturb your Spring Banquet. We’ll send some fine wine later to make up for the disturbance.”
With that, he gave a salute and left.
As he left, many people breathed a sigh of relief. What had been a good banquet was disrupted like this. They lost their interest in continuing, conversing with familiar faces, and stealing glances at Princess Yongning and Li Zhizhi from time to time.
“How come you’re here, Aunt?” Xiao Rulei smiled and pounced into her arms. Princess Yongning received her, saying helplessly, “Isn’t it because I came to find you? You ran away sneakily. Aren’t you afraid your brother will get angry?”
Xiao Rulei’s eyes spun around, and she said proudly, “With Aunt here, he wouldn’t dare to scold me!”
Princess Yongning was both amused and exasperated but only affectionately tapped her forehead and didn’t scold her. She turned to Li Zhizhi and smiled warmly, saying, “Just now, in the blink of an eye, she disappeared. I thought she might be coming to find you. A’yang is quite mischievous. You must have been worried.”
Li Zhizhi shook her head and smiled, “No, A’yang is very well-behaved.”
Xiao Rule stood up straight proudly and chimed in, “Did you hear that, Aunt? Zhizhi said A’yang is well-behaved!”
“Yes, yes,” Princess Yongning held her and said, “You are very well-behaved.”
As they spoke, several noblewomen came to pay their respects to Princess Yongning, greeting her warmly. Being the only younger sister of the current emperor, her status was extremely noble, and who wouldn’t want to establish a connection with her at the gathering?
Princess Yongning’s attitude was friendly and polite, but after chatting for a few moments, she took Xiao Rulei and left. With this incident behind them, people lost interest in the banquet. The atmosphere grew cold, and everyone took their leave. Before long, the Tingxing Pavilion had become deserted.
Duchess Yiguo sat with a black expression at the main seat. Madam Li went over to speak with her, but her response was lukewarm. She clearly wasn’t interested in talking to her.
Madam Li felt embarrassed and had to endure the curious glances of some people. She was quite angry. Disgruntled, she led Li Suwan and her party to bid farewell. It wasn’t until they were far from the Tingxing Pavilion, in a secluded spot with flowers and trees, that she stopped.
Madam Li had a stern face and didn’t speak throughout the journey. Now that there were no onlookers, she angrily demanded, “What exactly happened?”
Li Suwan had a pale face and dared not respond, keeping her head down. Madam Li turned to Li Zhizhi and said, “You tell me!”
Li Zhizhi’s face revealed confusion, and she shrank slightly, uneasily saying, “I don’t know; that flower was given to me by Sister Wan’er…”
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Suwan began to sob softly, her body trembling. Madam Li reproached her, saying, “Stop crying. Do you want to make today even more embarrassing? Although Xingzhi stood up for you in the end, everyone here knows you’re the one at fault, and your reputation is already in tatters.”
Li Suwan choked up for a moment, about to speak, but Li Zhizhi was the first to say, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have mentioned Sister Wan’er today.”
She looked at Li Suwan apologetically and said, “Sister, I’m sorry.”
Li Suwan was taken aback but heard her brother, Li Xingzhi, say, “This isn’t your fault. The flower wasn’t picked by you, so there’s no reason for you to take the blame.”
Li Suwan, with a hint of crying in her voice, asked, “Do you also think I picked that flower?”
Li Xingzhi furrowed his brow and said, “It wasn’t you who picked it, so why didn’t you say so earlier? Who did pick it?”
His tone wasn’t particularly severe, but it came across as an insistent question to Li Suwan, making her feel even more aggrieved. She cried and said, “Zhao Shan’er picked the flower, not me. It has nothing to do with me.”
As she wiped her tears, she complained to Li Zhizhi, “I told you before that Zhao Sister gave you the flower, not me. Why did you slander me just now?”
Li Zhizhi was somewhat at a loss and said, “I didn’t know. You didn’t mention that the flower was from Zhao Sister.”
“I did!” Li Suwan, angry and frustrated, even forgot her tears, stomping her foot and shouting, “You’re doing this on purpose! You want to harm me and make me lose face in public.”
“That’s enough!” Li Xingzhi couldn’t help but raise his voice. “You’re getting more and more unreasonable, Suwan! That flower was originally a gift from you to Zhizhi, so how is she harming you?”
Li Suwan was startled. In her memory, her older brother had never spoken to her in such a stern tone. She didn’t know how to react for a moment.
Li Xingzhi continued, “You said the flower was picked by Zhao Shan’er and given to Zhizhi, so why didn’t you clarify this during the Spring Banquet? Instead, you allowed Zhizhi to be suspected by those people.”
With her eyes reddened, Li Suwan looked at him and stammered, “I… I was afraid…”
Li Xingzhi’s anger flared up, and he sarcastically said, “You were afraid? Do you think Zhizhi wasn’t afraid?”
Li Zhizhi watched with cold eyes, appearing helpless but secretly delighted. She wanted him to scold her more, scold her harsher.
She maintained an innocent expression and said, “It’s okay, I don’t blame Sister Wan’er.”
“Don’t defend her,” Li Xingzhi was quite angry, pointing at Li Suwan, “You’re always like this, shifting blame, everyone else is wrong, but you’re never wrong. Even if you are wrong, you won’t admit it. You cry and make a fuss, and you want others to give you a way out. Li Suwan, you’re not a three-year-old child anymore.”
Originally, Madam Li was full of anger, but before she could get angry, Li Xingzhi stirred things up like this, and she couldn’t find an opportunity to lose her temper. Li Suwan cried in front of her, looking pitiful and helpless. Even if she wanted to scold her, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. So, this matter could only be left unresolved.
Today was undoubtedly a loss of face. Madam Li didn’t need to think twice to know that their family’s affairs would become gossip among those noble ladies, just as they gossiped about others behind their backs today.
Every time she thought of this, Madam Li felt uneasy. Originally, she had heard that the Crown Prince was also in the Qionglin Garden today, and she had planned to take Li Suwan to try her luck. Now, seeing her crying with tears all over her face, her eyes red, and her makeup smudged, she knew there was no hope for today. Even if the Crown Prince had eyes, he wouldn’t look at her.
Madam Li decided not to dwell on this matter, leading a few people to take a side path to avoid familiar faces, to avoid any embarrassment. But halfway there, a young girl in a green silk dress blocked their way. She greeted them with a bow and a smile, “Madam, my master would like to invite Miss Li for a conversation.”
Madam Li furrowed her brows and looked at her with suspicion, asking, “May I ask who your master is?”
The maid smiled politely and said, “My master is the current Crown Prince.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Li’s mind went blank for a moment. She couldn’t believe her luck. The Crown Prince wanted to meet Li Suwan? Could it be…
This was like a ray of hope breaking through in a desperate situation. Madam Li was both surprised and delighted. She quickly regained her composure and calmly signaled for Li Suwan to come forward, saying, “Hurry, my dear. The Crown Prince wishes to meet you.”
Li Suwan was also in shock, not knowing what to do. Madam Li quickly took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tears and smudged makeup from her face. She also adjusted her hair and accessories, instructing her gently, “When you meet the Crown Prince, be respectful and don’t make any mistakes. Do you understand?”
Li Suwan nodded eagerly, and Madam Li patted her hand, saying to the maid with a humble smile, “Please lead the way.”
However, the maid then said, “The Crown Prince has ordered that only Miss Li is invited.”
Madam Li was taken aback and had no choice but to give Li Suwan some final instructions before letting her go with the maid. As she watched the two of them disappear behind the flowers and trees, she let out a sigh of relief and felt a great sense of relief. Even Li Zhizhi, who was standing next to her, seemed more pleasant in her eyes.
She suddenly realized that her daughter, who had grown up in the countryside, was indeed beautiful. With her delicate and refined features, clear and lively appearance, she was more than attractive enough to marry into a good family or even climb the social ladder. However, she was still not as good as Wan’er. If Wan’er really became the Crown Prince’s consort, the Li family would undoubtedly rise to great heights.
Just as Madam Li was lost in her thoughts, the maid returned with Li Suziwan. Her eyes were red, and she looked disappointed. Madam Li asked anxiously, “What happened?”
“Madam,” the maid smiled apologetically, “I delivered the message incorrectly. The Crown Prince wanted to meet Miss Li, but it was not this one, it was Miss Li Zhizhi.”
At this, everyone’s gaze shifted to Li Zhizhi, who was playing with the tender shoots of willow. Upon hearing this, her delicate eyebrows raised in surprise, “The Crown Prince wants to see me?”