Chapter 163
Chapter 163
Translator: NovelMultiverse | Editor: NovelMultiverse
In the silent hall, such an abrupt voice suddenly sounded . Even if the people present were all real masters with good practice, they were still a little surprised .
The crown prince stopped, slowly turned around, and looked at the man who dared to speak out and stay behind .
He saw the man in front of him was nearly forty years old, wearing a blue-gray Taoist robe . His forehead was full, and his nose was long . His dress was no different from other Taoist priests, and his appearance was not outstanding, but a careful observer would find that his whole body exuded a faint aura . Although his eyelids seemed to be half drooping respectfully, they couldn’t conceal the sharp light shooting out of them .
For a while, all eyes in the West Palace stayed on him .
The prince looked at the Taoist priest in front of him . He did not get angry, but said indifferently: “Do you have any advice?”
The Taoist priest saluted the prince and said in a deep voice: “Looking at your facial features, this poor Taoist can see that the dark qi in the hall is lingering on you . I am afraid that your future for the next year will be unpredictable—”
Before he could finish his words, the prince’s entourage could not help but yell out: “Presumptuous! His Royal Highness is a dignified prince, the crown prince of the country, how could the future be gloomy? You are so ridiculous, don’t you want to keep your head?”
As if the Taoist priest didn’t hear him, he looked straight at the prince and went on to say: “This poor Taoist is willing to help His Royal Highness solve the immediate crisis . ”
He paused and said in a low voice: “If I don’t, I’m afraid this day will change . ”
Seeing his determined and calm gaze, the prince’s heart shook a little involuntarily .
This Taoist priest’s words undoubtedly pierced the deepest pain in his heart . In front of everyone, he was the crown prince who would be a great treasure in the future and would benefit the world, but only he himself knew the cold taste of this high place . This seat was not so easy to sit on .
Not to mention that the other princes were all excellent . Even the youngest Lord Xu was highly regarded by the emperor . He tried to get rid of him several times, but he was always pushed to the top instead . Even the emperor started to be a bit suspicious of the prince and rely more heavily on Lord Xu .
The recent reforms made him offend most of the officials in the court . Even the concubines in the harem were complaining . He had many eyes and ears, and he knew that those concubines often said bad things about him in front of the emperor . Although the emperor hadn’t punished him yet, his heart was becoming more and more anxious .
And this Taoist priest’s words undoubtedly articulated his worry .
But thinking like this, the prince didn’t change his face and smiled casually, “Oh? Do you want to help me? I wonder if you will summon the magic, or will you turn a bean into a soldier? If you don’t have the ability, why should I believe you?”
There were too many people who wanted to cheat him, and he couldn’t come and accept each one . Maybe this Taoist priest was just a swindler who wanted to take advantage of the prince’s power and freeload off him .
The Taoist smiled slightly: “These evil methods, alas, I don’t have a big enough qi for, and this poor Taoist has never learned such evil . ”
Hearing his straightforward answer, the people around the prince couldn’t help laughing: “What sorcery, it’s clear that you can’t do anything! If you can summon the autumn wind, summon it to His Royal Highness’s head! Are you buttering him up!?”
Facing the ridicule of others, the Taoist priest just turned a deaf ear, walked up to the prince, and said a word in a voice that only they could hear .
It was these words that made the Prince’s face suddenly change .
“If His Royal Highness is willing to believe in me, I will help His Highness to lead ten thousand people within a year!”
The prince was now under one person and above ten thousand people . If that person was removed, what seat was that?
This temptation was really too great, and at this moment the prince needed such a person most .
Even the prince who had been composed couldn’t help clenching his fists .
After a while, the prince said in a deep voice: “How bold you are, and you still don’t retreat!”
After speaking, the prince didn’t say another word, turned around, and left with a calm face .
When the prince left, the atmosphere in the hall became more relaxed . Everyone looked at the Taoist priest who was reprimanded by the prince . Their looks were complicated, contemptuous, ridiculous, and disdainful . Everyone thought the same thing: such a bold and arrogant person deserves to be scolded by the prince!
But the Taoist priest didn’t care about other people’s gazes at all . He returned to his position and closed his eyes to meditate .
The prince did not punish him in public, which showed that this matter was promising .
Sure enough, after a while, a seemingly ordinary guard walked up to him and said in a low voice, “Taoist Master, His Royal Highness requests your presence . ”
The Taoist stood up slowly, the guard looked very respectful, and said, “What is the Taoist Master’s name?”
He smiled slightly, and replied softly: “The poor Taoist’s name is Jingming . ”
…
The peaceful days were destined to not last long, and only a few days later, there was another story in the Royal Palace of Xu .
It turned out to be Princess Pingyang . She was even more arrogant this time, and directly sent in a small sedan chair to the gate of the Xu Palace, saying that it was a gift from Princess Pingyang to Lord Xu .
Yu Linglong looked at the arrogant female official from Princess Pingyang’s mansion and she was angry and amused for a while .
The female official looked down on her, and narrated the words of Princess Pingyang to her, which meant nothing more than that since the last two singers were ill, they were sent back . This time, the imperial physician personally examined them and said they were absolutely healthy and free from all diseases, and she hoped that King Xu would kindly accept them .
If it wasn’t certainly from Princess Pingyang and she only heard the boasting female officer, Yu Linglong would think it was a thousand-year-old ginseng that was to nourish Lord Xu’s body .
Unfortunately, this gift not only did not nourish the body but also damaged the spirit .
The female official was still there, talking like a machine gun, saying that this girl was one of the best people from the Princess of Pingyang . She was so talented and considerate and she knew everything about the qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting . As she spoke, she kept looking at her from time to time . The look in Yu Linglong’s eyes was clearly implying how innocent and considerate Princess Pingyang was to send such a superb woman to serve Lord Xu’s wife .
As Yu Linglong listened, she felt that her patience was getting better and better . After the female official spoke for a long time, she could still sit and listen steadily . She could have kicked her out earlier .
Seeing that Yu Linglong was silent, the female official became even more proud and continued to talk about how noble this woman was in the Princess’s Mansion . So many princes and nobles begged the princess for her, but the princess would not give her away . If it weren’t for Lord Xu, the princess’s most beloved brother, the princess would not bear part with this woman .
In her opinion, the fifteen-year-old Princess Xu was nothing at all . The previous rumors must have been exaggerated . Last time Princess Xu sent Ru Yan and Wan Qing back, it contradicted the princess’s face . The princess was very embarrassed . She was a princess, so naturally she wants to show off to Princess Xu .
Besides, what if Princess Xu was upset? She was from Princess Pingyang, did Princess Xu dare to beat her?
Looking at the spitting old woman in front of her, Yu Linglong finally became impatient .
She glanced at Xuan Cao, and Xuan Cao nodded knowingly, and immediately went back to prepare .
The poor female official didn’t even know what catastrophe was imminent . She was still chattering, and this time she talked about how the princess loved this woman . With her, this woman was so knowledgeable and not inferior to a daughter of a noble family . She was more than well equipped to be the first wife of a noble son .
Yu Linglong’s pretty face sank when she heard this . What did these words mean? Could it be that the woman sent by Princess Pingyang was going to be a concubine?
It was ridiculous . Last time, she packed up the two singers and sent them back to Princess Pingyang, and this time they sent them again, right?
She originally wanted to save her a bit of face, but now it seemed that this face didn’t need to be preserved . If someone dared to even push her nose, she would tear them apart!
At this moment, Xuan Cao came in .
Holding the cup of tea “specially” for the female official in her hand, Xuan Cao smiled enthusiastically: “Mama, please have a cup of tea . ”
The female official glared at Xuan Cao, and said, “Mama? I have a good rank . Call me a female official, do you understand?”
Xuan Cao didn’t care, but lowered her head to hide the smile on his face and said, “Yes, female official . ”
The female official snorted in response . She reached out and took the tea from Xuan Cao and drank it in one fell swoop .
After talking for a long time, she was really thirsty . For the sake of this girl’s diligence, she would not pursue the matter of calling her mama .
After moisturizing her throat, the female official coughed a few times and was about to continue speaking, but suddenly a few grunting noises came out of her stomach . In a quiet room, this sound was particularly harsh .
The female official suddenly appeared embarrassed: “Excuse me . ”
Unexpectedly, the more she apologized, the louder the noise was, and in the end, she couldn’t help making a pop sound from her buttocks, and the air suddenly filled with a rich and unidentified smell .
Yu Linglong looked at the fidgety look of the female officer . She resisted the urge to burst into laughter, covered her mouth and nose, and pretended to say with concern: “What’s the matter? Did we offend the princess by making everyone sick?”
The female official held her breath and flushed, and her clever mouth stammered: “This…this…Forgive me, princess, I will retire for a moment . ”
Seeing her looking like she couldn’t solve it on the spot, Yu Linglong said in a leisurely manner: “Hey, why are you leaving? I haven’t heard enough! By the way, what’s the name of the woman you just said? “
The female official was speechless . She had just chattered on for a long time and Princess Xu didn’t even know the name of the woman .
There was a thin layer of cold sweat on her forehead, and she said intermittently: “She’s, she’s called Liu Mei . ”
Yu Linglong looked shocked and called over to her and said, “Oh, yes, you must have said it just now… What else does she do besides qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting? Can she embroider and cook? The prince is very picky . If the food is unpalatable and does not suit the prince’s wishes, then it can be—”
She spoke slowly, but the female official couldn’t stand it . She spoke for a long time . Yu Linglong looked cold and indifferent, but now she wanted to solve three urgent problems, but Yu Linglong, as if suddenly interested, asked about her in great detail .
Her plan was obviously to talk to her until it gets dark!
The female official couldn’t bear it anymore, she almost jumped up from the chair, and said very quickly: “Princess, forgive me, I must retire!”
After speaking, she rushed out of the room almost as fast as an arrow and went straight to the lavatory .
Yu Linglong deliberately yelled at her back: “Hey, hello? I haven’t finished yet, why are you running? Is this the way it is in your princess’s mansion?”
Xuan Cao chuckled and said, “Princess, don’t yell . She’s probably running outside the second door at this moment . ”
Yu Linglong just laughed, took a leisurely sip of tea, and said, “How much did you add to hers?”
Xuan Cao smiled and said: “I was afraid that she would drink less, so I added ten portions of croton . I didn’t know she would drink it all at once . I felt a little uneasy at first, but after listening to her scold me, I felt relaxed . “
Yu Linglong was in a good mood when she heard this and couldn’t help but smile: “I can see that this girl is so petty . From now on I have to be careful not to offend you . ”
Xuan Cao hurriedly smiled and said: “I would never dare . Even if I had all the guts in the world, I wouldn’t dare make the princess bad . ”
The mistress and servant joked and Xuan Cao said: “Princess, the maid of the Princess Mansion has been sent away, but what should I do with the sedan chair outside the door? It can’t always stay at the door, right?”
When Yu Linglong remembered that, she couldn’t help but feel puzzled . She simply stood up and said, “Come, let’s meet the ‘wonderful person’ that Princess Pingyang said!”
She realized that if this kind of thing was not solved at once, it was estimated that she would have to deal with them in this life . It was better to take the woman at the door and let others know what it will be if you dare to send a woman to the Royal Palace of Xu!
Yu Linglong brought a group of big maids, such as Xuan Cao, Hong Xing, and Qing Mei, as well as dozens of women with brooms and rolling pins behind them, and the group went out the gate mightily .
At the door of the Xu Palace, there really was a small blue-topped sedan chair . The sedan chair was resting under the wall . Two maids stood beside the sedan chair, talking to the person in the sedan chair .
Seeing Yu Linglong’s sudden arrival, the people were shocked . The bearers shrank their necks and did not dare to raise their heads . The two maids even forgot to bow and stood blankly .
Yu Linglong glanced at the sedan chair and asked loudly, “Whose sedan chair is this, how dare you stop at the gate of the palace?”
This battle array, coupled with this sound, immediately attracted a lot of onlookers, and this was obviously a good show of the wife fighting mistress, and they couldn’t not watch .
The porter quickly stepped forward and said: “To answer the princess, this is the woman sent by Princess Pingyang . ”
Yu Linglong said coldly: “Why don’t I know who Princess Pingyang sent?”
The porter couldn’t respond . He watched the female official go in with his own eyes, but after most of the day passed, the female official didn’t come back out and instead provoked the princess .
Who didn’t know the princess’s temper? This porter couldn’t say anything to interfere with this matter .
The maid beside the sedan was anxious, and knelt down and said: “Princess, please calm down . It was the maidservant that female official Song brought from the princess’s mansion . The female official Song told me to wait here . She went in to report to the princess until she asked us to come in . ”
Yu Linglong looked around at the maids beside her, and said sharply: “What female official Song, have any of you seen this person?”