Li Hua's methods were nothing more than the old-fashioned hero-saves-the-damsel approach, yet he easily won over Princess Xue'e, who had been neglected and ignored for some time.
Because Li Hua could even tell which craftsman made the new hairpin for Princess Xue'e, as long as he casually exchanged a few words with her, Princess Xue'e would be eager to stand up and dance for him, showing off her exquisite attire.
Zhongli Zhengzhen admitted that he was no match for such methods.
After Li Hua "justifiably" fed Zhong Lizheng the poison, she straightened his collar and cuffs, smoothed out the wrinkles caused by his bindings, and taught him: "This afternoon, Princess Xue'e will go to Qingfeng Garden for an appointment."
"Her dress is embroidered with evening glories. Remember to compare the evening glories to the sunset, saying that you appreciate the magnificent beauty of dusk, just like the evening glories, which are brilliant for a moment and then fall like a chaste bird."
“And I have prepared a gift for you,” Li Hua said, leading Zhong Li Zhengzhen to the dressing table and pointing to a set of pearl jewelry. “I will give this gift to Wen Xueling today. She will be overjoyed. She has been longing for this for a long time but has never been able to get it. The price has been driven up to an astronomical level, and she can’t afford it.”
"To receive this from you would be an unexpected surprise. You should say that you specifically sent someone to the East Sea," Li Hua said. "Only if you can make Wen Xueling completely devoted to you can the King of Jingxi find a way to use her."
Zhongli nodded vigorously, completely regarding Li Hua as a strategist with infallible plans.
Li Hua then said to him, "I will stay with you in the cubicle this afternoon. Speak properly and don't act arrogant. Wen Xueling is naturally arrogant and will not like a man who is more arrogant than her."
"I understand." Zhongli nodded earnestly.
“I didn’t feed you poison,” Li Hua suddenly said. “You can verify it in a month. Don’t disappoint me again.”
“I’m so tired of being all alone,” Li Hua said. “You promised me you would be my family.”
Zhongli was so moved that his eyes reddened. He turned around and hugged Lihua tightly, his voice choked with emotion: "I was wrong, brother. I will never betray you again!"
It's still poison, but instead of taking effect once a month, it takes effect once every three months, and it comes from Bu Li's hands.
However, Zhongli Zhengzhen had no doubts about what Li Hua said, because in Zhongli Zhengzhen's view, Li Hua was capable of doing so many things, but during the time he controlled him, he never did anything to harm him.
So Zhongli Zhengzhen did everything Li Hua said. To ensure he obeyed, Li Hua stayed in the cubicle in the afternoon, listening to Zhongli Zhengzhen and Wen Xueling talking about love according to all the conversations she had prepared.
Li Hua sipped his tea leisurely. He was not attached to power, but rather, compared to killing Zhongli Zhengzhen and turning Jin Chuan into a mad dog, controlling Zhongli Zhengzhen was the much easier thing to do.
Gan Qiongying wanted to run away with the emperor of Nanzhao, and even if Li Hua wanted them to have the ability to protect themselves in the future, he had to make Zhongli Zhengzhen his weapon.
Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. After betraying the regent, the retaliation from the entire Kou clan would be unimaginable. Li Hua would never allow Gan Qiongying to be harmed, nor did she want to lead them to live like stray dogs.
He would secretly try to smooth things over, and as long as Gan Qiongying left with him, Li Hua would take care of everything else.
Just thinking about Gan Qiongying leaving with him makes Li Hua unable to help but smile, even while drinking tea.
He wanted to take her to the mountains he had visited and along the ancient trade routes he had traveled.
Zhongli Zhengzhen outside was like a puppet on a string, which made Wen Xueling extremely comfortable and satisfied. Wen Xueling looked at Zhongli Zhengzhen with a shy and admiring gaze and said, "Where did you get this pearl? And such a complete set... It's really too precious."
Zhongli Zhengzhen followed Li Hua's instructions and said, "A few months ago, I personally sent people to the East China Sea and obtained it from the fishermen..."
"Jewelry for a beautiful woman, but how can anything compare to you?"
This sentence wasn't taught to her by Li Hua, and Li Hua frowned after hearing it.
Fortunately, Wen Xueling was now completely confused and looked at Zhong Lizheng, the Jin Chuan hostage who she had always liked and who was now treating her with great tenderness again, and she liked him more and more.
The two chatted quite happily, and in the end, Wen Xueling left reluctantly.
Zhongli Zhengzhen turned to Li Hua as if seeking credit and reward, and asked, "Brother, how was my assessment?"
Li Hua smiled and casually praised, "Perfectly fitting."
If Zhongli Zhengzhen had a tail, he would probably be spinning and taking off into the sky by now.
However, just as Li Hua was preparing to pack up and go home, watching his wife eat, a servant from Zhongli Zhengzhen came to report that Princess Duanrong was requesting an audience.
For a moment, Zhongli Zhengzhen and Li Hua were both stunned. After asking around, they learned that Princess Duanrong had come to see Zhongli Zhengzhen, the hostage from Jinchuan.
Zhongli Zhengzhen paced anxiously inside the room, saying, "Is she crazy? What does she want from me?"
After Zhongli Zhengzhen finished speaking, she looked at Lihua and asked, "Brother, what should we do? Why don't you go see him?"
Li Hua quickly calmed down, although she couldn't guess why Gan Qiongying wanted to find Zhongli Zhengzhen.
But he said to Zhongli Zhengzhen, "You see."
He could not meet Princess Duanrong as a hostage from Jinchuan, because he had never, and never intended to, let Gan Qiongying know about the "horrible" things he had done in private.
He still didn't dare to gamble, fearing that going too far would be counterproductive. She was too smart, unlike Zhongli Zhengzhen, who was brainless.
They could easily guess that his impersonation of the Jinchuan hostage was not solely due to deceiving Zhongli Zhengzhen.
He planned to always be a gentle and refined businessman in front of her, which she liked, and she loved taking care of him. Li Hua also liked the way the two of them got along.
I like that she defends herself.
Therefore, when Gan Qiongying arrived, Zhongli Zhengzhen made his appearance, while Li Hua hid in a small room inside, watching Gan Qiongying through the narrow gap in the partition, a secret, sweet smile on his lips.
Although I couldn't quite make out Gan Qiongying's expression, just seeing her and hearing her voice made me happy.
If someone saw Li Hua hunched over behind the partition right now, they might even think he was a bit silly.
Gan Qiongying came today to confirm that Li Hua is not Zhongli Zhengzhen.
She was also very nervous, but the moment she saw Zhong Lizheng sitting at the head of the main hall, all of Gan Qiongying's tension and suspicion vanished without a trace.
It's not Li Hua.
She just knew.
Even if two people have the exact same face, she can instantly tell who is sitting in front of her. Even if he is pretending to be imposing and looks handsome and cold, he is still Zhongli Zhengzhen who has lost his brains.
Zhongli Zhengzhen, with his arrogant expression, slightly raised his chin and asked, "What wind blew Princess Duanrong here?"
“My little temple cannot contain such a great Buddha as Princess Duanrong,” Zhongli Zhengzhen said. “Between you and me, I’m afraid there’s nothing to say.”
Zhongli Zhengzhen is trying to distance himself from anything involving Princess Duanrong.
Although he was simple-minded, when Li Hua occasionally asked about Princess Duanrong chasing after him before, the coldness in his eyes and the aura emanating from him made even someone as oblivious as Zhong Li Zhengzhen realize that her brother was jealous.
In particular, Zhongli Zhengzhen always felt that Princess Duanrong did not truly love her brother, but her brother was stubborn and Zhongli Zhengzhen had no way to persuade him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com