Chapter 5 The First Unlucky Guy
Tangli was assigned to the side room closest to the master bedroom.
Although it was a side room, because it was right next to Pei Yunjing's bedroom, no one dared to approach it on ordinary days.
The interior was simply furnished and even smelled musty, as if the house had been uninhabited for years.
The pair of openwork gold bells on her wrists jingled softly with her movements, as if constantly reminding her that she was not only an unloved illegitimate daughter, but also a plaything in shackles.
"Clang!"
The door was pushed open without any politeness, and an old woman with a fierce face, wearing a dark purple vest, walked in, carrying a vermilion food box in her hand.
Granny Liu.
Tang Li searched through the original owner's memories and found that this old man was a "senior" bestowed upon the Regent's Palace by the Empress Dowager, ostensibly for care, but in reality for surveillance.
She usually acts like a tyrant in the mansion, and even the steward, Uncle Zhao, has to give her some leeway.
"Oh, Your Highness, it's time for your meal."
Granny Liu gave a sarcastic snort, slammed the food box heavily onto the chipped eight-immortal table, and flipped off the lid—
A nauseating, sour smell instantly filled the air.
The white rice in the bowl was a bit yellowish, covered with a few blackened vegetable leaves, and next to it was half a hard steamed bun that could kill someone.
This is not fit for human consumption. Even when fed to Big White, Big White would bury it in disgust.
Tang Li looked at the bowl of rice, her brows furrowed slightly, and then looked up at Granny Liu.
Granny Liu put her hands on her hips, her fleshy face twitched, and she spat contemptuously:
"What are you looking at? You should be grateful to have something to eat! What, do you think that just because you've climbed into the prince's bed you've become a phoenix?"
She looked Tang Li up and down in her slightly wrinkled wedding dress, her eyes filled with malicious pleasure:
"Don't you even take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? You're just a lowly concubine's daughter, only fit to eat this. I advise you, while you still have breath, eat a few more bites. Those people in front of you didn't even survive this rotten food! They might not even live for three days, yet they're putting on airs like princesses in front of me!"
After saying that, Granny Liu triumphantly flicked her handkerchief, swayed her plump waist, and turned to leave.
As she walked, she recklessly pulled out a box of osmanthus oil from her bosom and rubbed it on her slicked-back hair, humming a little tune. The strong, pungent, cheap fragrance instantly filled the air.
Tang Li stood there, rubbing her rumbling stomach, which had been growling with hunger, and then looked at the bowl of spoiled rice.
If we don't teach this old scoundrel a lesson, we'll never be able to live like this again.
"Buzz buzz buzz..."
Just then, several large, golden-yellow wild bumblebees flew in through the window, seemingly searching for food.
Tang Li's eyes lit up.
These are "killer bees" living in the mountains behind the Prince's Mansion. They are extremely venomous and have a terrible temper.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, a hint of cunning flashing in her seemingly innocent doe-like eyes.
Tang Li didn't speak, but instead activated that special magnetic field, sending out a signal in her mind that only insects could understand:
Sisters...are you hungry?
Several hornets that were circling around suddenly stopped moving, their antennae twitching excitedly.
Tang Li's lips curled slightly, her gaze piercing through the window lattice and precisely locking onto Granny Liu, who had just stepped out of the courtyard gate. Her tone was full of seduction:
See that old lady in the purple dress? She's smearing the sweetest, most fragrant osmanthus honey on her hair…it's a special treat prepared just for you.
The swarm of bumblebees instantly erupted into chaos:
【！！！】
[It smells so good! It smells so sweet! That's nectar!]
[Charge! It's time to grab the food! Whoever gets it first keeps it!]
For the tribe! For the queen!
The next second, several bumblebees changed direction and, like arrows released from a bow, rushed towards Granny Liu in the courtyard.
Moreover, their buzzing attracted nearby swarms of bees, and in no time, a small, dark mass of bees formed a battle formation.
...
In the courtyard.
Granny Liu had only taken a few steps out of the side room when she was smugly giving the new princess a hard time.
Suddenly, a chilling buzzing sound rang in my ears.
Before she could turn around, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head!
"Ouch!"
Granny Liu screamed and reached out to touch something, only to find it was furry and still vibrating.
Immediately afterwards, an overwhelming wave of excruciating pain swept over me.
The swarm of starving bumblebees spotted her head, which was covered in a thick layer of osmanthus oil, and swarmed towards it recklessly, their stingers digging deep into her old face, which was covered in three layers of powder.
"Ah—! What is that! Get away! Get away!"
Granny Liu let out a pig-like scream and waved her hands frantically, but this only enraged the swarm of bees.
[Sting this fat bug that's stealing nectar to death!]
[It's so soft here, let's do it again!]
In just a few breaths, Granny Liu's face swelled up like a pig's head, and her eyes were squeezed into slits.
In her panic, she ran around the yard screaming as she went, until finally she slipped and "plop" fell straight into the muddy lotus pond in the center of the yard.
"Help! Help!"
...
On the rooftop not far away.
Pei Yunjing, dressed in a black robe, stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the whole farce.
The magnificent gyrfalcon "Lightning" was perched on his shoulder, its sharp eagle eyes fixed on the lotus pond below, making excited cooing sounds.
[Giggle! That's hilarious! That old woman looks like a drowned rat!]
【Master, Master, look at that new girl! She's pretending to feed the birds! It was definitely her! Bad woman! Bad woman!】
Pei Yunjing ignored the noise of the lightning.
His gaze pierced through the layers of branches and leaves, landing on the window of the side room.
The girl named Tangli was standing by the window feeding sparrows with a few crumbs of steamed bun in her hand, looking "innocent" and "frightened," as if she knew nothing of the tragedy outside.
But he clearly saw a faint, sly smile appear at the corner of her mouth the moment she lowered her head.
Like a little mouse that has just stolen some lamp oil and is smugly wiping its mouth.
"Oh."
Pei Yunjing chuckled softly, his slender fingers gently stroking the jade thumb ring on his thumb, and the gloom that had lingered in his eyes for years seemed to dissipate somewhat.
Liu Mama was the Empress Dowager's person, and he had wanted to make a move for a long time, but he was too lazy to dirty his hands.
Unexpectedly, this newly arrived concubine's daughter actually helped him vent his anger.
"That's interesting."
Pei Yunjing withdrew his gaze, but instead of ordering anyone to drive away the swarm of bees, he turned and walked back into the house, his tone tinged with amusement:
"It seems this little white rabbit not only knows how to stroke a tiger's fur, but also has pretty sharp teeth."
He didn't care whether Tang Li was wicked or not, nor did he care whether she was scheming or not.
In this cannibalistic royal palace, those who are too clean don't live long.
As long as she remains his medicine, as long as she doesn't cause a major upheaval... he's happy to watch these little squabbles unfold.
"Pass down the order," Pei Yunjing's voice drifted from the pavilion, carrying a hint of coldness, "Granny Liu disturbed the Princess and failed in her duties. Let her soak in the pool for two hours before pulling her out. If she is dead, throw her into the mass grave."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com