Chapter 209 The Emperor's Brother-in-Law

Beside the chrysanthemum bushes not far away, Li Nian'er gripped the embroidered handkerchief tightly in her hand, her fingernails almost tearing the thin silk.

Watching Lu Zhaoruo and Princess Yongfu chatting and laughing intimately like sisters, she felt a burning jealousy surge to her head, making her heart ache.

A merchant's daughter of lowly status, if not for the Empress Dowager's mercy, she wouldn't even have been able to get her hands on the door of Jinxia Garden! She should have been the one making a fool of herself and becoming a laughingstock today!

But now, everything has turned upside down.

The difficulties she had carefully designed turned out to be a stepping stone for Lu Zhaoruo to display her sharp wit in front of all the noble people in the garden.

Not only did they fail to harm her in the slightest, they even managed to win Princess Yongfu's favor!

That's Princess Yongfu! The Emperor and Empress Dowager's most beloved youngest daughter! If you could win her favor, you could walk with impunity in the elite circles of the capital...

The more she thought about it, the more she went mad with hatred.

She was determined to avenge her brother!

At this moment.

A commotion suddenly broke out at the garden gate.

A man, around forty years old, dressed in a luxurious brocade robe but staggering and reeking of alcohol, barged in despite the attempts of several eunuchs and maids to stop him, nearly knocking over Li Nian'er who was standing by the path.

Li Nian'er was so frightened that she took several steps back.

"Your Excellency! This is the Empress Dowager's Jinxia Garden, where she is currently hosting a banquet for the ladies and young women of the court!"

The palace maid's voice trembled with anxiety as she tried to stop her.

This man was none other than the Empress Dowager's younger brother, the current emperor's brother-in-law.

Ignoring everything else, he pushed aside the palace maids with his drunken, blurry eyes and stumbled toward the direction of the loudest laughter in the garden. He rushed straight toward Lu Zhaoruo and Princess Yongfu, but suddenly stumbled and fell right toward Yongfu!

The incident happened suddenly, but Lu Zhaoruo reacted quickly, pulling Princess Yongfu behind her and nimbly avoiding the collision.

The emperor's brother-in-law couldn't stop in time and fell heavily to the ground with a "thud".

The fall sobered him up a bit, and he angrily raised his head, about to lash out, when his gaze met Lu Zhaoruo's face.

She was slightly out of breath from dodging, and a strand of her dark hair fell down her temple, making her skin look even whiter and more beautiful than snow.

The emperor's brother-in-law was stunned for a moment, his anger instantly turning into infatuation. He forgot where he was and blurted out, "What...what a beautiful woman! Whose wife is she? I've never seen her before..."

Upon hearing this, the ladies and young women all turned away and covered their faces, both shocked and disgusted.

The Empress's face darkened, and she immediately ordered her attendants in a stern voice, "The Imperial Uncle is drunk and talking nonsense! Quickly help the Imperial Uncle to rest and sober up!"

Several eunuchs rushed forward and, half-supporting and half-carrying, led the emperor's brother-in-law, who was still muttering "beauty," away from Jinxia Garden.

Lu Zhaoruo immediately turned to Yongfu and asked softly, "Is Your Highness injured?"

Yongfu, still shaken, patted his chest, shook his head, and gratefully tugged at Lu Zhaoruo's sleeve: "Thanks to your quick thinking, Madam Lu! I'm alright..."

After saying that, she frowned and glanced disapprovingly in the direction where the emperor's brother-in-law had been helped away. She pouted and complained with a hint of spoiled frankness, "Uncle is always so drunk and acts rashly, making himself a laughingstock! Mother has told him so many times, but he never listens."

"You wouldn't believe it, but a while ago he actually... Sigh, never mind, it's too embarrassing to even talk about! Madam Lu, let's go over there."

She took Lu Zhaoruo's hand, but instead of heading towards the precious chrysanthemums, she went deep into the flower bushes, squatted down, and curiously parted a thick chrysanthemum leaf.

"Madam Lu, look!"

She pointed to a plump green caterpillar slowly crawling on the back of a leaf, completely forgetting her earlier fright. "Look at it, doesn't it look like a small piece of moving jade? It's much more interesting than those flowers!"

She looked up at Lu Zhaoruo, seeking approval: "Those ladies only know how to admire flowers, how boring! I love looking at these lively little things."

Lu Zhaoruo looked in the direction she pointed, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and said gently, "Your Highness has keen eyes. This insect is called an inchworm. Although it eats leaves, it is a future moth. The wonder of creation lies in the fact that it waits patiently for the life of a moth to emerge. It is indeed more interesting and worth anticipating than a flower in full bloom."

Upon hearing this, Princess Yongfu's eyes lit up suddenly, as if she had found a rare kindred spirit. She excitedly tugged at Lu Zhaoruo's sleeve: "Sister Lu! You even know its name! We are truly... truly kindred spirits!"

She confided, “You don’t know, when other people in the palace see me playing with these things, they are either terrified and find them disgusting and ugly; or they laugh at me behind my back, saying that the Princess actually likes to play with these low-class insects… Only you, not only do you not find them disgusting, but you also make such a reasonable point!”

Lu Zhaoruo replied softly, "All things have a spirit, and each has its own charm. Your Highness is kind-hearted and can see the big picture from small details. This childlike heart is the most precious thing."

Not far away, several ladies were gathered together, covering their faces with fans, and talking in hushed tones about the scandal of the emperor's brother-in-law.

"Alas, what a tragedy... Let's not dwell on what happened earlier. It's just a pity for that young lady from the Chong'an Viscount's mansion who had just come of age. I heard that during last year's autumn hunt, she was... was targeted by that man, and her purity was defiled!"

A lady's voice was filled with reluctance.

"That's right!"

Another person chimed in, his tone full of disdain, "That child was headstrong, and after returning home... he hanged himself. Viscount Chong'an was already weak and powerless, and couldn't even get justice; in the end, the matter was left unresolved..."

"Silence! How dare you speak of such a shameful matter!"

An older woman quickly intervened, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoruo's heart sank.

She had only known that the emperor's brother-in-law's behavior was absurd, but she never imagined that he would commit such heinous acts.

To rape and humiliate a woman in broad daylight, driving her to her death, is not a romantic act, but the act of a beast.

Princess Yongfu seemed completely absorbed in her own little world, carefully teasing the green caterpillar with a blade of grass, and muttering softly, "You'd better grow up quickly."

Lu Zhaoruo forced herself to calm down, her face regaining its composure, and squatted down as well: "Yes, grow up quickly."

Li Nian'er naturally heard these words as well.

She smoothed out the wrinkles on her sleeves caused by the emperor's brother-in-law's bump, and her fingertips touched a small, hard paper package inside the sleeve.

That was a secret medicine she had stolen from a hidden compartment in her aunt Jiang's dressing case a few days ago.

She had overheard her aunt's trusted confidante, Granny Qian, whispering that this medicine was extremely potent; just a small amount could cause...

Granny Qian also lowered her voice and sighed, saying that the medicine was secretly purchased from a shop in the city called "Yingxiang Pavilion".

The storefront of "Yingxiang Pavilion" was elegant, and it specialized in selling rouge and face powder with ingenious shapes and unique fragrances, such as lip rouge that wouldn't stick to the cup, face powder as fine as smoke, and "snail-shell brushes" that made eyebrows extremely smooth, which attracted the attention of noble ladies in the capital.

However, they secretly sold these illicit medicines to regular customers using clandestine methods.

As her thoughts drifted to this point, a bold and malicious idea began to frantically grow in her mind.

Was the emperor's brother-in-law a womanizer?

Just now, he kept calling that bitch Lu Zhaoruo "beauty"?

The young lady of the Chong'an Viscount's mansion, who had just reached marriageable age, committed suicide by hanging after being defiled.

An uncontrollable, sinister smile crept onto her lips.

Standing beside her, Jiang Shi was unaware of the malice surging in her heart. She whispered again, "You mustn't cause any more trouble. You've already made a fool of yourself in front of everyone, and you've almost completely humiliated me. Remember, don't cause any more trouble."

She glanced worriedly at Lu Zhaoruo not far away and said in a more serious tone, "Especially this woman, she is calm and collected, and her words are sharp. She is no ordinary character that you can control. Just bear with it and wait and see."

Li Nian'er suppressed the fierce look in her eyes, pretended to be obedient and lowered her head, her tone perfunctory: "I know, Aunt, I... I need to go to the toilet, I'll go change first."

Jiang Shi, unsuspecting, waved her hand wearily.