The Princess Wei Yang

Sure enough, Li Min De appeared in her line of sight.

“Gongzhu is of royal birth, Min De do not dare to chase Gongzhu away. Gongzhu, please return to the palace as soon as possible.” Li Min De said emotionlessly.“Li Min De! You have quite the nerve. I considered you a friend, so I came to find you to accompany me out to play, but you are avoiding me like the plague! Isn’t that making a joke out of me?! You don’t know how many sons of aristocrats begged and kneeled for me to spare them a glance, but I could care less. As for you, is accompanying me to the garden such a grievance to you? Why are you making excuses, if you continue like this, do not blame me for being rude!” Jiu Gongzhu said as she stamped her feet in anger, her face flushed.Li Min De looked at her indifferently: “Does Gongzhu have Bixia’s imperial edict?”Jiu Gongzhu was surprised for a moment: “What imperial edict?”Li Min De’s lips raised coldly: “The imperial edict that says Min De has to accompany Gongzhu, if there isn’t one, please forgive Min De for being impolite.”Jiu Gongzhu was taken aback and at a loss for word. Everyone else was stunned, who would dare to talk to Gongzhu like this, this youth is rather audacious!Da Furen rushed outside after seeing the commotion in the courtyard and quickly greeted Gongzhu: “I did not know Gongzhu had arrived, please forgive this discourtesy.”Jiu Gongzhu impatiently waved her hand: “Just tell Li Min De to come here and accompany me, I’m leaving right away!”Da Furen looked over at Li Min De, smiling as she said: “This… Hope Gongzhu will not take to heart, I cannot decide this.”Jiu Gongzhu grew furious: “Then find someone who can and bring them here!”Da Furen smiled in Li Wei Yang’s direction: “Gongzhu, you see,  if Xianzhu were to give the word, San shaoye will certainly go with you.”Jiu Gongzhu looked over aLi Wei Yang responded: “Gongzhu, this is Min De’s decision. Since Gongzhu does not have an Imperial edict, he does not have to go. Gongzhu should still return soon.”Jiu Gongzhu felt that Li Wei Yang’s cheerful smile was a bit unnatural and began to feel that the entire household was playing with her. She did not understand any of it. In her mind, if she liked someone, then they must obediently follow and do as she wished! Last time, she called Li Wei Yang jiejie, but now Li Wei Yang was in her way. She could not help but be angry and decided to teach this ridiculous jiejie a lesson for once and for all!“Xianzhu, I met Qi ge earlier. Qi ge had me bring a gift to Xianzhu.” Gongzhu’s eyes gleamed, defiance flashing across them.Li Wei Yang looked over and knew what she was thinking but pretended to curiously ask: “Oh, I wonder what Qi Dianxia is giving me?”Jiu Gongzhu giggled and waved Li Wei Yang over. Li Wei Yang just stood there. Jiu Gongzhu had to walk over and present the golden gourd hidden in her sleeve to Li Wei Yang: “For you! It’s very valuable!”Li Wei Yang took the golden gourd, accepting the gift.Jiu Gongzhu was a bit anxious, “Why not take a look inside? It’s a precious treasure!”She was truly a child, her intentions written on her face. Li Wei Yang saw others reveal their surprise. She smiled and said: “Alright, I will take a look.”Li Min De shook his head at Li Wei Yang. Li Wei Yang blinked, shook the golden gourd, then opened the gourd, pouring its contents out.Jiu Gongzhu had a satisfied look on her face.However, when Li Wei Yang held it up by the tail for everyone to see, she could not smile anymore.Li Wei Yang said: “Ah, there is a cute snake inside, why isn’t it moving though?”Jiu Gongzhu became afraid. Once she encountered this snake in the Imperial Garden and immediately ordered the eunuchs to beat it to death. After that, whenever she met concubines she disliked, she would bring out the dead snake to scare them. Although crude, this tactic had never failed!Li Wei Yang’s face did not change: “So, it seems Gongzhu is fond of snakes, Bai Zhi, have the kitchen prepare a live snake.”Bai Zhi smiled: “Yes.”Jiu Gongzhu’s little face was pale, nearly drained of color: “You… What are you trying to do?”“Gongzhu, aren’t you fond of snakes? I must offer a gift in return.” Li Wei Yang smiled.Horrified, Gongzhu subconsciously took a few steps back.Da Furen fiercely admonished her: “Li Wei Yang, are you insane?!”Li Wei Yang turned around and looked at Da Furen before advising: “Mother, the winds are strong out here. You should retire first and rest to avoid falling ill again.”Da Furen suppressed her anger and sneered: “Wei Yang, do as you please, do not say I did not warn you, Gongzhu Dianxia is a highly noble——”She had not finished speaking when Bai Zhi returned with a bamboo container. Li Wei Yang removed the lid, a large, spotted snake hissed “si” and flicked its tongue as it eyed everyone.Li Wei Yang smiled and reached for the seven inches of the snake.[1] The snake refused to let her seize it, opening its mouth and rattling its tail. Unfazed, she picked it up and held it with its gaping mouth facing Jiu Gongzhu: “Gongzhu, isn’t it just adorable?!”“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Jiu Gongzhu screamed and desperately ran outside. She ran into someone at the gates, then realized who it was and cried aloud: “Qi ge! Qi ge! She’s terrifying, she’s really terrifying!”Li Wei Yang smiled. In Jiu Gongzhu’s mind, the impression of a terrifying woman would be forever engraved beside Li Wei Yang’s name.Qi Huangzi Tuoba Yu wore a shuanglong coronet, his face flawless as jade, and silk garments with gold embroidery encircled by a jeweled belt.[2] Looking at his relieved face, it seems he had been searching for Gongzhu for a while. He pulled her into a hug: “I told you not to run around, you disappeared in the blink of an eye! If I hadn’t sent the guards out to search, how much larger of a mess did you intend to make?!”Jiu Gongzhu’s face was full of tears. She did not holding back her grievances and pointed at Li Wei Yang: “She… She… Snake…”Da Furen was overjoyed when Tuoba Yu came, then she remembered Li Chang Le was not here and became angry again. She felt lightheaded. Unable to see clearly before her, she said: “I hope both Dianxia will forgive me, I am ill and cannot properly receive guests.”Tuoba Yu smiled faintly: “It was not right for us to enter without permission, Furen, do not mind us, please go ahead and rest.”Da Furen nodded. After that, a servant helped her go back inside.Tuoba Yu looked at Li Wei Yang. She even shook the snake she was holding with a good-natured smile: “Dianxia has just arrived. I was about to invite Gongzhu to enjoy this snake soup.”Gongzhu was scared speechless, tightly gripping Tuoba Yu’s sleeves as if Li Wei Yang was an evil spirit.“Gongzhu, the taste of snake is very pleasant and even better when eaten alive.” Li Wei Yang smiled faintly. She held out her hand. Beside her, Zhao Yue placed a knife in her hand. Li Wei Yang slightly frowned before bringing the knife down on the snake. The slicing sound could be heard as the snake’s head fell to the ground without a single drop of blood. The thin blade of the knife grated against the the snake’s body, still not drawing blood.Everyone looked on in wide-eyed shock, including Tuoba Yu.Li Wei Yang smiled, extending her hand and peeled back the snake’s skin, revealing its translucent, pale flesh. Li Wei Yang ordered Bai Zhi to bring a porcelain bowl, then cut the snake into pieces: “Gongzhu, come taste this, it’s amazing.”Jiu Gongzhu swayed, a bit unsteady on her feet.Li Min De covered his mouth with his sleeve and coughed discreetly. At times, Sanjie liked to scare children, but to see the unruly Gongzhu this frightened was very entertaining.“Come, taste it, it’s really good. Back in the countryside, I was even willing to eat mice when I was hungry, not just snakes.” Li Wei Yang presented the bowl to Jiu Gongzhu.Jiu Gongzhu wanted to retch and hid behind Tuoba Yu’s back, refusing to come out.Tuoba Yu smiled at Jiu Gongzhu: “Fu Huang often says that you are bold and fearless, but it seems there is someone you are afraid of after all.”Jiu Gongzhu seized Tuoba Yu’s sleeve, trembling as she thought: aside from Li Wei Yang, who would dare to play with snakes and even eat it raw. It was simply terrifying.“Does Gongzhu not want to eat it?” Li Wei Yang smiled. The spotted snake in her hand had no veom, but Gongzhu had been easily frightened. She was still a child, but she should still be taught a lesson, so she would learn who to not provoke. She handed the bowl to Bai Zhi: “Gongzhu does not like to eat it raw, so have it made into soup.”Bai Zhi struggled not to laugh, bowing as she replied: “Yes.”Only until Bai Zhi had gone far away did Jiu Gongzhu begin to calm down, although she still held Tuoba Yu’s hand, trembling.Tuoba Yu smiled: “I wonder if San Xiaojie has time to sit down for tea with me.”With only Jiu Gongzhu here, she did not need to avoid him. Li Wei Yang said: “Please.”The two sat down in the pavilion outside of Fu Rui courtyard. For some reason, Li Min De followed them, and even Jiu Gongzhu, who was about to vomit, came.Tuoba Yu was about to discuss matters with Li Wei Yang when he noticed two pair of eyes staring at them. He smiled helplessly at Li Wei Yang: “What do we do now?” Li Wei Yang glanced at Jiu Gongzhu, who was still avoiding her: “Gongzhu, I will find Gongzhu something interesting to play with.”Jiu Gongzhu suddenly leapt back: “Stay away from me!”Li Wei Yang smiled and called for Zhao Yue, Zhao Yue heeded her orders and and left. In a moment, she returned holding two small cages. Jiu Gongzhu suspiciously looked at Li Wei Yang, unsure of what she was trying to do.Li Wei Yang said: “Gongzhu’s Qi ge is here, yet you are still afraid of me?”Qi ge’s soul had flown away the moment he saw you, he’s not reliable at all. Jiu Gongzhu swallowed her words. She was curious, so she went over to see what it was…A moment later, she exclaimed: “Ah! I like this!”She pulled Li Min De along to play with her, “Mighty general, go on, go on...”“Come on! Come on...”“Bite it, bite down hard, kill!”Inside the large mahogany box with cloud designs were two crickets fiercely lunging at one another, fighting to the death.Li Min De sat down with her, his eyes downcast, but his attention had drifted over there.Sanjie would always treat him as a child.Jiu Gongzhu’s face was flushed with excitement, almost like a boy. From a young age, she had to abide by countless rules and etiquettes. Mamas always told her not this, don’t do that, even when it came to smiling, her smile was a bit unnatural, if not forced. She rarely had a chance to let go and act freely. She quickly forgot about her unhappiness, cheerfully tugging at Li Min De’s sleeve.Li Min De hid the disdain in his eyes well, coldly staring at the fighting crickets. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.Over on this side, Tuoba Yu chuckled: “You have scared children too much today.”Li Wei Yang slowly said: “I only did it for Gongzhu’s sake, if she were to continue like this, in the future, any mistakes would come with a high price.”Tuoba Yu noticed Li Min De’s gaze had never left them. He broke into a smile: “Never mind, come walk with me along the lake.”There was a beautiful lake in the Li residence indeed.Li Wei Yang looked at him, not saying anything.Tuoba Yu smiled: “What? Are you worried about what others would say? You do not need to worry, I will not let you become the subject of rumors.”Li Wei Yang stood and walked over to the lake with him.Tuoba Yu leisurely followed in silence as if weighed down by an unspoken burden.“After you brought it to my attention, I had those individuals investigated. You were right, they were really Tuoba Zhen’s people.” Tuoba Yu’s expressions were a bit off as he said this.Li Wei Yang looked over at him and said: “Could it be… that one of them was someone close to Qi Dianxia?”“You mentioned Mu Yang, a good friend and sworn brother. We even studied together. After three years, we became xiong di with mutual interests and goals. He unofficially became my right hand.” Tuoba Yu felt his breaths grow short as if he were plunged into the cold waters of a pond, “And Jing Neng, he was Taizi’s tutor but also someone I deeply respected for years, I thought he was righteous. I didn’t think he had fallen into Tuoba Zhen’s ranks.”“Dianxia has killed them?” Her eyes widened, but it seemed she had expected no less, her face remaining emotionless yet determined.Tuoba Yu slowly began: “Mu Yang drank a bit too bunch, slipped and fell from his horse, and Jing Neng angered Bixia yesterday and was cut in half.”Qi Huangzi had quickly dealt with them. A small smile appeared on Li Wei Yang’s lips.Tuoba Yu did not feel this way. He did not regret killing Mu Yang or Jing Neng and felt his actions were justified, but one’s heart is not made of iron. That was the case, but whenever he thought of Mu Yang, he felt saddened.Tuoba Yu glanced at Li Wei Yang, smiling: “Do you feel I have killed the right people?”He seemed to receive no response regarding this.The smile on Li Wei Yang’s face was distant. Her voice was low like a cold, biting wind: “Dianxia, compared to Tuoba Zhen, there is something you lacks. Do you know what that is?”Tuoba Yu’s expressions did not change but a storm swept over his heart.Li Wei Yang smiled: “In the Imperial family, Dianxia still has a woman’s reluctance and benevolence, an unfortunate trait that should not exist. I am willing to say, if you continue like this, you will suffer great losses! Whether they are good friends, xiong di, or even blood siblings, if they stand your way, they must dealt with! This is what it is to be ruler! Dianxia, you studied philosophy beyond the Capital, yet you have forgotten this simple logic!”Tuoba Yu was taken aback. He stared incredulously at her, unable to believe that a xiao guniang could speak so ruthlessly.Li Wei Yang calmly continued: “I am not urging Dianxia to deceive anyone, but I don’t want to be involved if Dianxia is indecisive and allows both of us to be harmed!”Tuoba Yu had still not said anything after a while. Li Wei Yang’s words were simple, perhaps a bit unclear, but he understood what she was trying to convey.“You… If I were to blindly kill others to ascend to the throne, how can the people sit idle?! How will I gain the trust and loyalty of my subjects and people?!” Tuoba Yu protested.Li Wei Yang sighed. While Qi Huangzi was intelligent, he was sometimes too benevolent, compared to Tuoba Zhen who killed without batting an eye. His character could be considered righteous, but it was perhaps the most useless treasure Lao Luo Guogong had left him. As a court official, one must be righteous and loyal to the Emperor, but as someone who wished to ascend to the throne, these sentiments were troublesome!Li Wei Yang slowly began: “If one day, Qi Dianxia became the ruler of this world, who would dare to judge whether you were right or wrong? Whether you have slain xiong di or executed court officials, what only matters are your achievements and what you have done for the people. As long as you bestow your grace on the people, even if your hands are full of blood, history will not remember any of it! But if Dianxia was righteous yet did not do much for the people and caused a disaster or lost your life, who will pity you!”Zhang De Fei and Qi Huangzi’s confidants have reminded him of these things time and time again but never in such a straightforward manner! Tuoba Yu stopped breathing for a moment. He felt Li Wei Yang’s words were very accurate and reflected his ambitions and sentiments, pursuing power and the throne, but alongside Luo Guogong’s teachings, they were nothing but contradictions. He felt this inner turmoil disappear, leaving his heart lighter.Li Wei Yang noticed his expression and sighed to herself.Recently, she had been asking herself, reflecting and investigating. These words were not so much of a proposal but a conclusion.She had kept a close eye on the Emperor’s children, Taizi, Tuoba Zhen, Tuoba Rui, Tuoba Yu, in order to find out how Tuoba Zhen ascended to the throne.Later on, she had to admit the other side of the phrase the victor celebrates whereas the defeated is resentful, was the undisguised bloodshed. To ascend over cold skeletons, no one could stand in Tuoba Zhen’s way. He would go kill as he go, if he met a deity, he would kill the deity, if he met Buddha, he would kill Buddha! Without this determination, one might as well stand on the side of the road and let others pass!-------------------------------------------------Translator: ChauEditor: Panisa (In Progress)