Chapter 69
The prescription was something Lin Yi had stumbled upon in an ancient book. All the necessary ingredients were readily available, making the preparation a piece of cake for her.
Although it's simple, the effect is no joke.
If Lu Yanran hadn't been so eager to showcase herself, she would have sensed something amiss when Chun'an approached her—the daughter of a prince, with a distinguished status, and her father having died a righteous death for her country, held a position in the emperor's eyes far superior to that of ordinary noblewomen, even enjoying treatment comparable to that of a princess. Such a princess, even without a fiefdom or residence in Mingzhou City, would never be destitute, reduced to living in Qiu Qingye's house, behaving subserviently and helping him choose clothes—unless, of course, she herself wished.
If she had been more vigilant today, she would have been able to connect the dots between Consort Shu and Qiu Qingye. How could the gift-giving ceremony proposed by the Consort be used as a wedding dress for Lu Yanran to rise to prominence?
The music grew increasingly urgent, the dance reaching its most crucial climax, and Lu Yanran's steps became more frantic and chaotic. At the very peak of the music, she suddenly stopped moving. Then, her waist twitched unnaturally, as if something were gnawing at her flesh beneath her clothing. But everyone could clearly see that there was nothing there on her body.
The musicians, unaware of what was happening, remained hidden behind the screen and could not see what was wrong with the dancers. They simply continued to play their instruments dutifully, and the music gradually subsided after reaching its peak.
Lu Yanran, who was the center of everyone's attention in front of the hall, paused for a moment and then suddenly started frantically tugging at her clothes.
The intense itching caused her movements to tremble frantically, making it impossible for her to maintain her dance. She hunched over, scratching frantically at her neck, arms, and abdomen. Feathers sewn onto the collar of her feathered robe were torn off, mingling with drops of scarlet blood, which fell to the ground.
A gasp of shock filled the hall.
The emperor squinted, displeased, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Minister Lu hurriedly knelt down to explain on her behalf: "My daughter was feeling unwell when she came today. She must have caught a cold yesterday and developed some rashes. It was absolutely not her intention to be impolite. Please forgive her, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Zhaowen waved his hand impatiently at him: "Alright, take him away."
There was still a chance for things to turn around. Lu Yanran could simply plead guilty according to Minister Lu's explanation and seek the emperor's forgiveness.
Recently, Minister Lu has not done anything to displease the emperor, and Emperor Zhaowen has no intention of making his beloved daughter too embarrassed in front of the palace.
But Lu Yanran suddenly realized at that moment that she had been tricked.
She looked up amidst the chaos, tears streaming down her face, her carefully applied makeup smeared in patches of color, but she was completely oblivious.
She was consumed by excruciating pain and hatred, leaving her no time to consider the consequences of her next actions.
Lu Yanran dodged Minister Lu's hand that was about to pull her back to her seat, and broke free from the palace maids and eunuchs who came to lead her away. She completely ripped off the tattered feather robe and rushed in front of Chun'an, angrily questioning, "You did it! You did it, didn't you? You and Qiu Qing conspired to frame me!"
Chun'an looked frightened and asked suspiciously, "I only got the prize for you because I saw how hard you practiced dancing—how can you wrong me like this?"
Lu Yanran was nearly driven mad at this point, and she bowed down again in the direction of Emperor Zhaowen: "She's the one who harmed me! Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly!"
Princess Chun'an slowly rose from behind the table, lifted her skirt, and knelt beside Lu Yanran: "Your Majesty, I came to Mingzhou only to attend today's palace banquet. I have only been here for three days. Since I have no residence in Mingzhou, I am staying at the residence of the Marquis of Yong'an. I have only just met Young Madam Qiu. It is absolutely impossible for us to have colluded in such a short time, let alone conspire to plot against the daughter of a Minister who has no connection with us. Your Majesty, I implore you to see the truth." After speaking, she slowly bowed to Emperor Zhaowen and the Imperial Concubine Shu.
“This dress, this dress was a gift from you, this is the proof!” Lu Yanran glanced at her sideways.
Chun'an's gaze remained fixed on the area beneath the emperor's desk, neither looking directly at the emperor nor giving her the slightest attention. "This dress was indeed a gift from me to Miss Lu, but there is no problem with it. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may send someone to check."
In stark contrast to Lu Yanran's hysteria, Princess Chun'an remained composed and calm, making Lu Yanran's lapses in decorum all the more apparent.
The head eunuch took the torn feather robe fabric, examined it inside and out, and found that it was just an ordinary feather robe with nothing wrong with it.
Lin Yi's medicinal powder would seep into his skin and disappear without a trace as soon as he put it on. Even if there was some residue, after Lu Yanran scratched him, the little bit of medicinal powder on his clothes was completely wasted.
The moment the eunuch picked up the clothes, Lin Yiben was still a little worried. If the powder was still attached to it and caused itching in the person who came into contact with it, it would be hard to explain.
Thanks to Lu Yanran's frantic tearing, even the last possible piece of evidence was shattered for her.
"Your Majesty, I have examined the clothes and there is nothing wrong with them."
The emperor's expression was already quite grim. Human nature is biased; even if this matter truly involved Princess Chun'an, the emperor wouldn't investigate deeply, but would only let the Lu family's daughter bear the blame for her misconduct. Moreover, the existing evidence points to the princess's innocence. Those present who understood the situation felt sorry for the Lu family; if they continued this saga and truly angered His Majesty, only the Lu family would suffer the consequences.
"Impossible! There must be something wrong with these clothes. Investigate them, call the Dali Temple—"
Emperor Zhaowen slammed his hand on the table, interrupting Lu Yanran's reckless words. His imperial authority finally instilled fear in her. She trembled and shrank back.
Minister Lu knelt on the ground, hoping to beg the emperor for mercy, but he was intimidated by the emperor's countenance and dared not speak to him.
"This is utterly absurd—you think you can just investigate whenever you want? Do you think the Dali Temple is your Lu family mansion?!"
"This subject...this subject didn't mean that..." Lu Yanran murmured softly, her voice already trembling with tears.
Minister Lu also pleaded, "Your Majesty, my daughter was ignorant and spoke carelessly. She did not intend to cause trouble, and she would not dare to alarm the Court of Judicial Review for such a private matter. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy and forgive her this time!"
Emperor Zhaowen snorted coldly and summed up her character in a few words: "Disrespectful in front of the palace, rude in speech, and slanderous to the princess! Lu Yuanchou, is this the good daughter you raised!"
Minister Lu was sweating profusely, but dared not wipe it away. He just kept bowing his head and admitting his guilt, "It is my fault for failing to properly educate my daughter. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Zhaowen was too tired to even look at him. The days of handling state affairs had exhausted him completely, and even this palace banquet hadn't given him a moment's peace. "Take him back and discipline him strictly. Don't let him embarrass himself again!"
"Yes, yes, thank you, Your Majesty, thank you very much!"
The emperor's anger was indeed awe-inspiring. And this was already an exceptionally lenient outcome; only allowing Minister Lu to return and discipline her strictly, rather than disciplining her on her behalf, was something to be grateful for.
Although Emperor Zhaowen did not punish Lu Yanran, the emperor's resounding verdict seemed to have sealed Lu Yanran's fate.
Disrespectful conduct before the emperor is a moral failing for a noblewoman, a stain on her life akin to a criminal record. Leaving aside merchants for the time being, no official or powerful figure in the city would dare to propose marriage to her. If today's matter is dropped, that's fine, but if Lu Yuanchou were to err and lose the emperor's favor someday, he would inevitably be brought up for punishment, potentially tarnishing the family's reputation.
Lu Yanran was taken away by Minister Lu before she could even finish attending the palace banquet. Today's events were enough to teach her a lesson, and she wouldn't dare to show her face in front of Lin Yi for a long time.
With this farce over, the palace banquet must continue.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Princess Chun'an did not return to her seat, but instead asked to perform another dance.
"This prize was requested by your humble servant for Miss Lu. I am truly ashamed that it has made you all laugh. Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I also have a dance to perform, which I would like to offer to Your Majesty, Your Majesty, and all the ministers present. This is both to add to the festivities of the banquet and to make amends for my mistake."
Emperor Zhaowen had calmed down considerably, and upon hearing her say this, he gladly granted her request.
Chun'an did not change her clothes; she wore the lotus-root-colored dress that Lin Yi had chosen for her the day before.
The light pinkish-purple color is elegant and gentle, making the wearer appear more gentle and quiet, yet few people wear this color to practice swordsmanship.
That wide-sleeved, lotus-colored dance dress was made of a light and soft material, almost like nothing. Silver threads adorned the waist and hem, flowing like moonlight, harmonizing with the silver sword light.
Chun'an smiled, sword in hand, with a lively and mischievous air unique to young girls. The sword flashed, and the dancer twirled like the wind, her robes billowing like a purple cloud.
This was not the graceful dance one was used to seeing in the palace; it was full of vitality and the sharpness unique to sword dance, with the sword light shining brightly, a perfect blend of strength and gentleness.
After the dance ended, everyone in the audience applauded and praised it.
The emperor was delighted and said "good" three times. To compensate Chun'an for the fright she had suffered from the unwarranted accusations, he bestowed upon her a mansion in Mingzhou City.
In an instant, Princess Chun'an became the center of attention, admired and flattered by all.
While Lin Yi was happy for her, he inappropriately thought of Zhan Xian. The female lead had often practiced martial arts in the military camp as a child, her swordplay all for defeating enemies, far more agile than Chun An's. Her sword dance must have been far more poignant and unforgettable, possessing a different kind of charm. Lin Yi felt a pang of regret; having altered the plot, he would never see her dance.
From a distance, Lin couldn't see her clearly, but he could sense that she didn't seem happy.
Zhan Xian noticed someone's gaze and looked up to investigate, her eyes meeting Lin Yi's.
When Lin saw her turn her head, she immediately looked away, but her heart was pounding—she wondered if Zhan Xian had noticed that she was looking at her.
Zhan Xian was able to hit the bullseye on a galloping horse at the age of ten, and her eyesight was far superior to Lin Yi's, so she naturally saw the gaze directed at her.
She was now certain that both the clothes and the letter were made by Qiu Qingye.
During her return to the capital, she encountered quite a few old acquaintances, some of whom avoided her, while others harbored deep-seated malice towards her. But this Qiu Qingye was the most enigmatic. In her memory, although Qiu Qingye was vicious and flamboyant, she wasn't such a fickle person. However, in every interaction they had since returning to the capital, Zhan Xian seemed not to have sensed any malice from her.
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