Princess Yongjia leaned over and covered Li Jingchuan with a thin blanket. She said calmly, "We've been married for so many years. Does that still matter?"
Li Jingchuan made a move to stand up, but the fifty strokes he received today were real. As soon as he moved, he felt a sharp pain in his lower back.
He quickly returned to his original position, clenched his teeth to endure the pain, and squeezed out another word from between his teeth.
"Important, how can it not be important?"
Princess Yongjia's expression remained unchanged. "Yes, she sent the snacks and wrote the letter. But it was me who had feelings for you, not her."
Li Jingchuan already had the answer in his mind, but when he heard her words, his expression was still slightly hesitant.
What has he done over the years?
In order to restore the former glory of Prince Shan's Mansion, he left the capital at a young age and went to the border town.
Before leaving, I received three boxes of snacks and a letter. The snacks smelled sweet and different from the ones usually made in the palace. The letter was full of words of encouragement, and the handwriting on the hairpin was also very beautiful.
By then, the Li family had already distanced themselves from the circles of the powerful in the capital, and he had few friends, so naturally he couldn't guess who it was. He couldn't bear to eat the three boxes of snacks, so he kept them on his back.
Before he could reach the border town, he encountered a mountain torrent, and he survived by relying on these boxes of snacks.
Later, he returned to Beijing after making great achievements in the border town. Although he did not bring the Li family back to the center of power, he also made a name for himself among the military generals.
After returning to Beijing, he met Princess Yongjia and accidentally learned that it was she who had paid attention to him and encouraged him. Li Jingchuan's heart was immediately warmed, and their relationship became closer and closer.
Later, with the support of Princess Yongjia, he gradually gained a foothold in the court, and the Li family regained control of the military power.
It can be said that the success of him and the Li family today is largely due to Princess Yongjia. Given his status at the time, the fact that he was able to marry the princess was a blessing from the ancestors of the Li family.
But the person he was thinking about first was always the one who could write beautiful calligraphy with flowers and make snacks.
How come everything has changed?
He recalled the time at Princess Yongning's villa, where he'd overheard Yongjia say she seemed to have a crush on him. So, after a few drinks, he'd somehow found his way to Yongning's study. His impulsive behavior had made him feel guilty towards Yongjia.
So, ever since Li Yunzhou came to the Li family, he hadn't said a word for Li Yunzhou, nor had he given him a good look. As if this could atone for his sins in Yongjia.
But it was wrong, everything was wrong.
Li Jingchuan's eyes were dull and his thoughts were wandering.
Princess Yongjia was not a person with a good temper. She did fall in love with Li Jingchuan at first sight, and he was still in her heart. So the more this happened, the more she could not accept that Li Jingchuan had someone else in his heart.
Seeing him like this, Princess Yongjia was immediately furious.
"Li Jingchuan, even if I did all this, what does it matter? Isn't it because I want to marry you?"
"Also, don't forget the treasonous things I did for you. How did Sister Yongning die, and how did you achieve such merit?"
"If you have the guts, go and expose me. I will accompany you and the Li family to eternal damnation."
Princess Yongjia was furious. She threw her robe around and left without even caring about his injuries.
After leaving the main room, Princess Yongjia sent someone to call Chen Ping.
The first thing he did when he saw Chen Ping was, "How do you do things? Why did Liu Fangcheng come to the palace? Didn't I tell you to deal with him?"
Chen Ping was also helpless. Last night he asked someone to handle this matter, and then went to find Li Chaoyun.
Unexpectedly, the people below could not beat Lin Wuchen at all. Even the painter Liu Fangcheng had martial arts skills.
The man returned empty-handed and wanted to ask Chen Ping what to do, but he couldn't find him anywhere.
By the time Chen Ping crawled out of Li Chaoyun's bed, Princess Yongjia was about to return from Ganyang Palace.
Chen Ping knew that this matter was his responsibility, so without saying anything, he knelt on the ground and apologized.
"Princess, please calm down. I was careless. Please punish me."
When he said this, Chen Ping felt bitter. In fact, he should call the princess "Marquis Madam". But it was not easy to change his words for the time being.
Princess Yongjia was not a soft-hearted person. She said in a cold voice, "Go and receive your thirty strokes of the cane yourself."
It was just something that Chen Ping found convenient to use. If it were someone else, she would have beaten him to death.
If it weren't for Liu Fangcheng today, how could the Li family have lost such a huge face.
Chen Ping responded "yes" without any hesitation.
Just as he stood up to receive his punishment, he heard a woman's sweet voice behind him.
"Mother, don't punish him."
When Chen Ping recognized it was Li Chaoyun, he immediately turned around and stopped her with his eyes.
He said, "My lady, there is no need to plead for me. I made the mistake."
Li Chaoyun was dressed in plain mourning clothes, with only a white jade hairpin in her hair and a thin layer of powder on her face.
It is said that if you want to be pretty, you should be filial.
But Princess Yongjia saw charm on her daughter's face while she was in mourning.
At this time, she didn't think much about it and said, "You have no right to speak here. If you make a mistake, you will be punished."
Li Chaoyun walked over to Princess Yongjia, took her arm, and said in a gentle voice, "If mother wants to punish someone, punish me. I delayed important matters last night because of me."
Princess Yongjia looked at her in confusion, "What's going on?"
Li Chaoyun's face suddenly turned red, and then he whispered a few words into Princess Yongjia's ear.
Princess Yongjia's expression suddenly changed. "How dare you! You are still in mourning now, you..."
"You're not afraid of being found out."
Li Chaoyun smiled and said, "Don't worry, mother. I will be cautious and careful, and I won't be discovered."
"Now that Li Yunzhou has left the Li family, I'm even less afraid."
When mentioning this, Princess Yongjia remembered the Li family's demotion.
A faint voice said, "Chao Yun, don't call me mother anymore. The Ministry of Works will be here to replace the plaque this afternoon."
Li Chaoyun already knew about this. She had just visited her father Li Jingchuan.
But she didn't think it was a big deal. The feng shui of the capital city has always been changing.
No matter how the Li family is demoted and laughed at today, they will be able to stand at the top of the aristocratic families in the future.
People say destiny is unpredictable, but Li Chaoyun believes that everything depends on human effort.
"Mother, whether it's a marquis's mansion or a prince's mansion, it doesn't matter. What we should plan for is not the present, but the future."
"When my cousin the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Chen Ping and I will have a son or daughter, and they will be able to carry on the Li family's legacy."
Princess Yongjia looked at Chen Ping. Although she was not very satisfied, it was already like this, so what else could she say?
As long as my daughter is happy and willing, that's enough.
If my daughter were to remarry into a wealthy family, the child she would give birth to would not be given to the Li family.
Thinking about it this way, I feel that Chen Ping is also suitable.
"Chen Ping, please sit down too." Princess Yongjia said lightly.
Chen Ping was flattered. Did this mean that the princess accepted him?
Several people discussed what to do next, and after they had said a few words, a servant came in to report.
"Princess, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince invites you to the palace."
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