049 Threat
"You can stay here without worry. As long as I'm here, no one in Shou'an Palace will dare to touch you," the Sixth Princess said.
This is all we can do for now. The Empress Dowager clearly doesn't like her and Xiao Taozi. Outside Shou'an Palace, they don't know if the Third Prince and Fifth Prince have laid an ambush. Li Yang said to the Sixth Princess, "Then I'll trouble you, Princess Song..."
"Alright, seeing how awkward you are, just call me the Sixth Princess in the palace, so that no one with ulterior motives might overhear." The Sixth Princess said nonchalantly, "Also, don't stand on ceremony with me. Once we're on my turf, do you think I'll let you suffer? Besides, this matter was caused by Qiuqiu and his mother, so it's partly my responsibility, and I should be the one apologizing to you."
Speaking of them, Li Yang said, "Just now in the Council Hall, the Empress Dowager ordered the palace servants to drag Qiuqiu and Yang Chenshi out, saying they were going to beat them to death. Sixth Princess, about this matter..."
The Sixth Princess sighed, "That was their choice. I've done all I could. Tonight I'll have their bodies collected and given a proper burial."
Li Yang felt that her words carried little weight; if even the Sixth Princess was powerless to help Qiu Qiu, then her words would probably have no effect either.
While she was lost in thought, there was a knock on the window of the inner room of the hall. The Sixth Princess said directly to the inside, "There are no outsiders, come in."
As soon as she finished speaking, an elderly palace maid, probably in her forties, emerged from behind the screen in the inner room. She seemed somewhat surprised to see Li Yang and Xiao Taozi there. However, her surprise vanished in an instant. She stopped beside the Sixth Princess, leaned down and whispered something in her ear, then quietly turned and left.
Upon hearing this, the Sixth Princess smiled and said to Li Yang, "Yuan Chongjing is really capable; he has even managed to plant an inside agent in the palace."
Seeing the strange look on Li Yang's face, the Sixth Princess explained, "He had just left the Council Hall when he immediately contacted the palace spies and, after going through many twists and turns, found the head maid of Shou'an Palace and said he wanted to take good care of you. You know what, I really didn't expect this person."
Li Yang smiled and said, "Money makes the world go round. He must have paid a heavy price this time."
"The people in this palace are so complex that they can't be bought off with money. And he even woke up so many spies at once, without fear of being exposed. It's clear that you, Yangyang, are really very important to him."
Li Yang looked at the Sixth Princess and said meaningfully, "You found out about all of this anyway."
The two looked at each other, and the Sixth Princess burst into laughter. She quickly stopped laughing, her eyes fixed intently on Li Yang: "So, Yangyang, you've made your choice, haven't you?"
Protecting Prince Yu's daughter is tantamount to standing on Prince Yu's side.
They made their choice five years ago.
Under her approving gaze, Li Yang slowly nodded: "Yes, Brother Jing chose His Highness Prince Yu."
“Fortunately,” the Sixth Princess breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her earnestly, “Fortunately, Yangyang, I am not your enemy.”
Her words were also a tacit assurance to Li Yang that neither she nor the Song family would participate in the struggle for the throne among the princes.
“How could that be? This is a great opportunity,” Li Yang said. If successful, the Song family’s future would be one of unimaginable prosperity and wealth.
The Sixth Princess smiled and shook her head: "Whether it's good or bad, people will judge for themselves. What is honey to one is honey to another. I think you understand this principle, Yangyang."
Li Yang said, "Then what are you going to do? Staying in the palace as the Sixth Princess indefinitely is not a long-term solution."
The Sixth Princess said, "I had already planned it out. After the Empress Dowager left, I would fake my death, leave this place forever, and become the real Song Xi."
Li Yang smiled and said, "I believe you will succeed."
The sixth princess looked at her and said slowly and confidently, "Whether I will succeed is hard to say, but I know that His Highness Prince Yu will definitely succeed."
Prince Yu truly made the right move with Yuan Chongjing. By choosing the Yuan family, he essentially dragged the Wei family, the Song family, and the Duke of Zhongyong's mansion into the picture. With their strong support, even if Prince Yu were crippled, he could still ascend the throne.
"I hope so," Li Yang said, oblivious to the underlying meaning in her words.
***
As the sun began to set, Little Peach fell asleep not long after finishing her meal.
She hadn't adjusted to the new environment and kept gripping Li Yang's thumb tightly. Only after the Sixth Princess had arranged accommodations for the mother and daughter did she leave the room alone in her wheelchair.
For the convenience of the Sixth Princess, the threshold and steps in front of the Shou'an Palace were specially repaired so that the Sixth Princess could move freely in and out even while in a wheelchair.
She went directly to the Empress Dowager's bedroom.
Granny Fang was guarding the door. When she saw her coming, she quickly pushed her wheelchair inside, saying, "The Empress Dowager knew you were coming and is waiting for you."
The Sixth Princess remained silent until she entered the inner room and saw the Empress Dowager sitting comfortably on the couch. Only then did she ask, "What's the deal with that palace maid outside named Tao'er? I remember she wasn't called that this morning."
The Empress Dowager slowly put down the book and sneered, "You have a good memory."
"Empress Dowager!" The Sixth Princess grabbed the handle of her wheelchair and shouted coldly, "I forbid you to touch them!"
The Empress Dowager said, "You forbid it? What makes you forbid it? If you weren't my son, you would have died countless times in this palace long ago."
The sixth princess retorted sarcastically, "If I weren't your son, I wouldn't have had to dress as a woman and be stuck in this wheelchair for twenty years."
"You!" The Empress Dowager took a short breath, her voice tinged with sorrow. "I know you've always resented me, but Xi'er, I really had no choice. You were so young then, where could you go if you weren't by my side? Did you really have to follow your father all over the world to practice medicine?"
“It’s better to suffer hardship and toil with him than to enjoy wealth and luxury here.”
The Sixth Princess had said these words countless times since she became sensible, but every time the Empress Dowager heard them, her heart ached. She clutched her chest and forced herself to speak, saying firmly, "You like that Li Yang, don't you? She's not good enough for you. Even if she's not yet a virgin, she has been married before, and her family background is so ordinary. Xi'er, wait a little longer. I will definitely find the best girl in the world to match you."
"Does the Empress Dowager think I, the 'Sixth Princess,' have any future? Do you really want to find a lady from a respectable family to have this kind of intimate relationship with me?" the Sixth Princess retorted sarcastically.
"You! I don't care what you think, this Li Yang is no good," the Empress Dowager said firmly.
The Sixth Princess said, "I never thought of having anything with her. You're overthinking it. Let them stay at my place today, and I'll send someone to take them away tomorrow."
Watching her turn and walk away, the Empress Dowager felt a sudden pang of heartache: "No, you two are alone together..."
Before she could finish speaking, the Sixth Princess interrupted her: "Empress Dowager, don't forget, I am now the 'Sixth Princess.' I've hit it off with Li Yang at first sight, and we're like sisters. It's the perfect match. Also, you'd better not touch her, or if I do something, no one will be able to explain themselves."
Are you threatening me?
The Sixth Princess said calmly, "Yes, I am threatening you."
"She's just a woman, not particularly beautiful, and has nothing to offer. What's so good about her?" the Empress Dowager asked, unwilling to give up.
The Sixth Princess stopped pushing the wheelchair, turned her back to the Empress Dowager, and said quietly, "The Empress Dowager should have more experience in this kind of thing. Otherwise, why would she abandon her noble status as Empress Dowager to fall in love with a country doctor?"
The Empress Dowager stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.
As the Sixth Princess's wheelchair approached the courtyard, Granny Fang pushed open the door and came in: "Empress Dowager, has the Sixth Princess started arguing with you again?"
The Empress Dowager, supported by Granny Fang's arm, sat down weakly: "What a rebellious son! I'll be driven to my death by him sooner or later. I shouldn't have taken such a big risk to bring him into the palace in the first place."
Granny Fang had been with her for over forty years and knew the Empress Dowager's temperament well. She patted her back to help her catch her breath and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is joking again. In the past, it was you who doted on the Sixth Princess the most."
The Empress Dowager sighed, her gaze falling on the openwork incense burner on the table, from which a wisp of smoke was rising. Her voice carried a hint of melancholy: "I originally thought I was doing this for his own good, but in the end, he still resents me."
"The Sixth Princess will understand your good intentions."
The Empress Dowager shook her head helplessly, reached out and helped Fang Mama to her feet: "My head hurts terribly, help me to go to sleep for a while."
Granny Fang helped her walk into the inner room, asking as they went, "Empress Dowager, are Li Yang and Xiao Taozi really staying with the Sixth Princess?"
The Empress Dowager's voice faded into the bed curtains: "Let her stay. Even if Xi'er tries to protect her, there will be times when she can't see it."
"yes."
"The child is frail and is the flesh and blood of Prince Yu, so don't neglect her." As for the adults, they have nothing to do with Prince Yu, and His Majesty doesn't care about them, so let them be.
"This servant understands." After helping the Empress Dowager to bed, Granny Fang silently left the room.
Outside, the Sixth Princess pushed a wheelchair out of the Empress Dowager's bedroom.
As she reached the courtyard's covered walkway, she saw a figure flash by the corner of the courtyard against the wall. A sense of impatience welled up in the Sixth Princess's heart. With a grim face, she turned her wheelchair and moved towards the side gate at the foot of the wall.
Sure enough, someone was waiting for her behind the side gate. Seeing her approach, the man raised the corners of his mouth in a sinister smile and said sarcastically, "Sixth Brother is here."
This person was none other than the Fifth Prince, who had returned after leaving.
The sixth princess remained silent.
The Fifth Prince asked with a smile, "Sixth Brother, shouldn't you give me an explanation? Why did the Empress Dowager suddenly appear in the Hall of State Affairs? The Imperial Garden is so far away. Sixth Brother, please don't say that the Empress Dowager went there to relax!"
"So," seeing that the Sixth Princess remained silent, the Fifth Prince leaned down and looked at her, his eyes fixed on her like those of a venomous snake, "Sixth Brother, have you decided to help Prince Yu? Don't forget, the 'natural disaster' that Prince Yu encountered on his way to Yuzhou five years ago was orchestrated by you, Sixth Brother. If he finds out that you were the one who killed Princess Yu and left him half-dead in bed, do you think he will let you off the hook?"
Seeing the madness in his eyes, the Sixth Princess replied in a low voice, "I told you, that was the last thing I did for you."
"You're wrong, Sixth Brother." The Fifth Prince stood up and leaned against the high wall behind him, saying firmly, "Cooperation is either zero times or countless times. Now we know each other's biggest threat. If we become enemies, the only consequence will be mutual destruction. Sixth Brother wouldn't want people to know that he's a man, would he?"
The sixth princess, fearless, looked up at him and said, "Then go ahead and announce it."
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