050 Song Hezhou
The Fifth Prince's face turned somewhat ferocious.
His eyes widened slightly with anger, and he gritted his teeth as he said, "You think I wouldn't dare?"
The sixth princess retorted sarcastically, "You dare to scheme against even your own elder brothers, what else wouldn't you dare to do?"
The Fifth Prince scoffed, "Do they even deserve it? One is a chosen one, pampered by everyone since childhood; the other, arrogant and conceited because of his maternal family, treats human life like dirt. If such people become rulers, they will only make the Great Qi Dynasty worse. Only I, only I can understand the feeling of being bullied, only I can stand on the side of the poor and lower classes and think for them, only I am the most suitable person to be a ruler."
As he finished speaking, the Fifth Prince's voice carried a hint of unspoken grievance.
He came from a humble background; his mother was merely a palace maid serving the Empress Dowager. She gained the Emperor's favor after he got drunk one night. Later, she became pregnant by chance, and with the Empress Dowager's protection, she managed to give birth to the Fifth Prince in the palace with great difficulty.
A few years later, the Empress Dowager passed away, and the mother and son lost their support. In addition, the Emperor did not like them, making their lives even more difficult. They were once reduced to being bullied at will by palace servants and eunuchs.
Later, it was only after the Fifth Prince became the Third Prince's follower that their lives improved somewhat.
Now that the Fifth Prince has gradually built up his power, no one in the palace dares to mention this old story about him anymore.
The Sixth Princess had spent very little time in the palace over the years, and only had a vague understanding of the Fifth Prince. She knew that the Fifth Prince had suffered a lot in his childhood, so when he accidentally discovered that she was a man and threatened her, she went along with him and did some harmless little things for him.
On the way to Yuzhou, Prince Yu orchestrated a natural disaster based on the weather forecast—that was her last line of defense. At that time, the Fifth Prince assured everyone that it was merely a ploy to intimidate the crowd and make Prince Yu's journey more difficult. After completing this, she left the palace to cultivate herself, only to return the following year and learn that the incident had resulted in the deaths of most of Prince Yu's entourage, the loss of Princess Yu and her unborn child, and even Prince Yu himself becoming a living dead confined to his bed.
She went to confront the Fifth Prince, who did not deny it, but only said that the matter was settled and he would not ask her for help again.
After that, she left the palace with the Empress Dowager and traveled abroad for many years until she returned to the capital last month and met Li Yang.
"You think you're suitable? Weren't you responsible for the deaths of Qiuqiu and his mother? Their bodies are barely cold, how dare you say you're suitable!"
The Fifth Prince coldly replied, "Those who achieve great things must always have someone sacrifice. Besides, isn't Qiuqiu your disciple? If you yourself won't save her, how can I, an outsider, lend a hand? If we're talking about ruthlessness, Sixth Brother, you're ten or a hundred times worse than me."
The sixth princess didn't want to say anything more to him, so she turned around and pushed her wheelchair away.
But the Fifth Prince stopped him with his foot, and his face turned pleading again: "Sixth Brother, oh no, Sixth Sister, I'm begging you, please help me this one more time. I don't ask for anything else, I just want that little peach to die."
Little Peach was placed in the Yuan family's care, and Prince Yu must feel guilty towards her. If she dies, the cooperation between Prince Yu and Yuan Chongjing will cease to exist. Becoming enemies with the Yuan family means he'll have to reconsider his cooperation with the Wei and Song families.
The sixth princess gripped the armrests of her wheelchair tightly with both hands, barely managing to restrain herself from hitting him: "Little Peach is still a child!"
"Yes, he's just a child. You can do something, no, you don't need to do anything. Just pretend you can't see him. Sixth Sister, I beg you, Fifth Prince." The Fifth Prince pleaded.
Seeing that she didn't react, the Fifth Prince held up three fingers and promised, "This is the last time, I promise this is absolutely the last time. I will never come looking for you again! If you break this promise again, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
The Sixth Princess ignored his words: "Impossible, I will not let anyone touch Little Peach."
Having failed to achieve his goal, the Fifth Prince said grimly, "Since that's the case, then don't blame your Fifth Brother."
The sixth princess said indifferently, "Go ahead, I'll wait."
The Fifth Prince turned around in anger and took two steps back, then stopped abruptly. He said to the Sixth Princess, "You're provoking me. I'm not going. I'm going to make you trapped in this deep palace for the rest of your life, to pretend to be a woman and live this shameful life. That's torture for you."
"Whatever you want," the Sixth Princess said calmly, as if she had no complaints and had already given up on life.
Despite the unpleasant parting with the Fifth Prince, the Sixth Princess slept soundly like never before that night. The next morning, she dressed herself up early, put on the makeup of the 'Sixth Princess,' and arrived early in the hall to wait for Li Yang and Xiao Taozi to have breakfast together.
When she arrived, she found that Li Yang and Xiao Taozi had already arrived.
Little Peach, wearing the new clothes that the Sixth Princess had hastily found for her the night before, was fast asleep on the small couch. Li Yang, on the other hand, had bloodshot eyes from staying up all night, and her whole being exuded fatigue and unease.
The Sixth Princess knew that Li Yang was with Xiao Taozi and in Shou'an Palace, so she must have had a bad night's sleep, or even not at all. She had a palace servant bring breakfast: "Yangyang, eat something first."
Seeing that she refused, the Sixth Princess said, "Don't worry, you'll be able to leave the palace soon, very soon."
Li Yang truly had no appetite. She said, "You've come at the right time. I think it's getting light, so I need to go pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. Sixth Princess, could you watch over Little Peach for me here?"
The sixth princess said, "I'll go with you."
Li Yang shook his head: "When Xiao Taozi wakes up and can't see me or any familiar faces, she'll definitely be scared."
The Sixth Princess thought about it and agreed: "Then you shouldn't go. Anyway, no one will care, and the Empress Dowager won't see you."
"Whether she sees me or not is not important; what's important is that I have to go there. It's a matter of courtesy, and I can't be impolite," Li Yang said.
Seeing her insistence, the Sixth Princess didn't say anything more: "I'll have Cui Yu take you there. She's one of my people. If you need anything, just go to her. If the Empress Dowager makes things difficult for you, just push all the blame onto me. I'll wait for you for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. If you don't come back, I'll come looking for you."
"Alright." Li Yang looked at Xiao Taozi one last time before reluctantly leaving. As soon as she stepped out of the room, a kind-faced palace maid in her thirties, who had been standing at the door, followed her out. Li Yang and Xiao Taozi had also been taken care of by her last night, and Li Yang curtsied to her, saying, "Thank you for your help today, Aunt Cui."
Cui Yu leaned to the side, not daring to accept her greeting: "Madam is too kind. As a guest of the Sixth Princess, you are naturally also a distinguished guest of Cui Yu. Please come this way, Madam."
The two arrived at the main hall of Shou'an Palace in no time. After speaking to the palace servants at the gate, Li Yang stood in the courtyard and waited.
She had prepared in advance, thinking that the Empress Dowager would make her stand for a while before sending her back.
Unexpectedly, after the palace servant went in to announce her arrival, he quickly came out again to invite her in: "Madam Yuan, the Empress Dowager summons you in."
She only mentioned Madam Yuan and did not mention Cui Yu, so naturally Cui Yu was not qualified to enter.
Cui Yu gave Li Yang a reassuring look, signaling her to go inside quickly.
Li Yang followed the palace attendants into the main hall. Before she even reached the side hall where the Empress Dowager was, she heard her loud laughter coming from inside. Li Yang suspected that since the Sixth Princess was not present, the person who could make the Empress Dowager so happy must be someone she greatly favored.
Upon entering the side hall, Li Yang dared not look around, but knelt before the person above her and said, "Your subject, Yuan Li Shi Li Yang, greets the Empress Dowager."
The hall fell silent for a moment, and no one answered.
After Li Yang knelt for a moment, she heard the Empress Dowager's languid voice: "Get up~"
"Yes." Li Yang stood up with his head down, then respectfully stepped aside.
Just then, a familiar sneer came from beside the Empress Dowager. Li Yang instinctively looked up and found that the person was very familiar to her.
Song Dynasty, Hezhou.
He leaned back comfortably in his chair, his right hand resting on the armrest, propping up his head. He looked very relaxed and at ease. Song Hezhou asked with a smile, "Cousin, whose family is this? Why does he look so petty and unsophisticated? It's not like you at all."
These words ostensibly belittle Li Yang, but in reality they praise the Empress Dowager's magnanimity and grace.
The Empress Dowager laughed and scolded, "You rascal, how come you've become so eloquent now? Could it be that you've already set your sights on someone?"
"How could I dare?" Song Hezhou feigned fear, glancing at Li Yang for a moment. "Cousin, you know perfectly well that my father has already arranged a marriage for me with a young lady from the Wei family, named Wei Songlan."
The Empress Dowager said, "Songlan, she is a good girl. She is gentle, virtuous, and considerate of the overall situation. She speaks softly and gently. I like her very much. Hezhou, you must treat her well in the future. If you make her feel bad, I will not let you off the hook."
"Yes, yes, yes, after we get married next year, I will definitely treat her well and make sure she eats and drinks the best food I can get, okay?"
"You silly child, women don't care about food and drink. As long as you are genuinely good to her, she will be willing to follow you even if you eat coarse food and wild vegetables."
The two chatted happily to themselves, while Li Yang stood to the side with her head down, pretending to be dead and not moving at all. After a while, she couldn't stand it anymore. Not only did her thighs ache, but she also felt a faint numbness that ran from the soles of her feet along the tendons of her calves all the way up to her thighs.
Song Hezhou had been watching her subtle movements. Seeing this, he smiled smugly, then stood up and said, "It's getting late, I have to go to Dali Temple. Cousin, I'll head back now."
The Empress Dowager nodded: "Go."
Song Hezhou walked to Li Yang's side, then turned back and said, "Cousin, it's been so long since I've been here. I've forgotten the way out of the palace. Cousin, please have someone escort me out?"
Seeing that he seemed interested in Li Yang, and thinking that if Li Yang was being targeted by Song Hezhou, then a relationship between the Sixth Princess and Li Yang would be even more impossible, the Empress Dowager readily agreed.
"Oh, thank you, cousin!" Song Hezhou exaggeratedly tried to kneel down before the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager smiled and waved her hand: "Hurry up and leave, don't get in my way."
Song Hezhou winked at Li Yang: "Lead the way, little beauty~"
Seeing the smugness in his eyes, Li Yang glared at him irritably, then turned and curtsied to the Empress Dowager before walking out.
After they had properly exited the palace gates, Li Yang stopped and said, "I'll leave you here. Take care, Lord Song."
"Tsk," Song Hezhou said with dissatisfaction, "Li Yang, how can you be so ungrateful? If it weren't for me, would you have been able to get out of the palace so quickly? Your cousin would definitely not have let you go without giving you a good beating."
“If it weren’t for you, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t have let me into the palace at all,” Li Yang retorted immediately.
Song Hezhou looked away guiltily. The Empress Dowager originally did not want to see her, but it was he who spoke up that made the Empress Dowager let her in.
"You can't blame me for this. I heard you were imprisoned in Shou'an Palace, so I came to see you as soon as I finished the morning court session. Do you think I wanted to please the Empress Dowager? It was all for you. I didn't expect you to be so cold, not even saying a kind word, and you even looked down on me."
"Stop being so mushy. What does this have to do with me?"
Song Hezhou said disdainfully, "Are you stupid? If the Empress Dowager is happy, she won't find fault with you. If you don't even have this much thought, how can you survive in the palace?"
"Why did you help me?" Li Yang asked him. "Aren't you still angry that I kept the Butterfly Fairy a secret?"
Song Hezhou said, "I'm angry, but I can't just watch you lose your life in this palace."
His face showed some hesitation and embarrassment, clearly indicating that he wasn't telling the truth.
Li Yang looked at him silently, waiting for him to continue.
Before long, Song Hezhou couldn't take it anymore and gave up in despair: "That blockhead Yuan Chongjing, through a series of roundabout ways, bribed the people around me to let me 'inadvertently' find out that you were brought here by the Empress Dowager and were in danger. With so many loopholes, he thinks he can escape the eyes of me, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review? In his next life."
Li Yang laughed: "You're so smart."
“That’s right, I haven’t been the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review for nothing these past few years. Never mind, let’s not talk about this. Li Yang, I have a question for you, and you must answer me truthfully,” Song Hezhou looked at Li Yang and asked seriously, “Is Xiao Taozi the daughter of Prince Yu?”
“No.” Li Yang answered seriously, “Xiao Taozi has always been my and Jing Ge’s daughter.”
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