Chapter 521 – Post-Wedding Extra Chapter: A Dance That Captivated the City and Spread Across the World – No One Can Touch Him (13)
After Jiang Liangwu returned to the palace, the other princes naturally came to pay him a visit. They all took the opportunity to display their brotherly affection and show how much they cared for one another. Regardless of what they truly thought behind the scenes, at the very least, they had to put on a friendly front for the world to see.
There were visitors at Jingwei Palace every day, annoying the two little squirrels to no end. Couldn’t they just let them sleep in peace?
And it wasn’t enough that these people came to visit. Some of them insisted on seeing the little prince as well. Did they think Lili was someone they could see whenever they wanted? Bai Tang avoided them whenever possible while carrying Lili in his arms. Not even the Emperor himself could make him give face when it came to his little squirrel.
However, there really was one person this family of three could not avoid—the Empress.
The Empress felt sorry for Lili being carried around every day and worried that he might catch a chill from the drafts, so she often came to Jingwei Palace to see him. That was perfectly fine. After all, she genuinely loved Lili as his grandmother, and Lili was happy to see her too.
But on this particular day, First Prince Yu Wei Yi noticed that the Empress was also there. Knowing that Jiang Liangwu and Bai Tang would have a hard time refusing him in front of her, he brought both his primary consort and secondary consort with him.
“Third Brother, long time no see.”
Over the past two years, Yu Weiyi had received increasing attention from the Emperor, and he had grown rather carried away with himself. Even the way he spoke carried an unmistakable I’m already the Crown Prince air, as though the imperial throne were already sitting securely in the palm of his hand.
Jiang Liangwu replied indifferently, “Eldest Brother.”
His primary consort tugged lightly at his sleeve, and only then did Yu Wei Yi notice that the Empress’s trusted palace matron was also in the main hall. However, the Empress herself was nowhere to be seen.
As fate would have it, the Empress walked out of the inner chamber at that very moment, holding Lili in her arms. Smiling brightly, she said, “Kang’er, look. Lili has gotten heavier again.”
To the Empress, a heavier baby meant that he had grown bigger, and she was eager to share the good news with Jiang Liangwu.
“Your son pays his respects to Mother.”
Yu Weiyi and his primary and secondary consorts bowed in greeting. Only then did the Empress notice the three of them. The smile on her face faded slightly as she handed Lili back to Bai Tang and took her seat at the head of the room.
“Rise.”
At that moment, the manner and bearing of mother and son were strikingly similar.
Sang Tiantian secretly raised her eyes and looked at Bai Tang, whose already otherworldly beauty had become even more breathtaking. She could not help feeling jealous.
Over the past two years, she had been battling wits with Yu Weiyi’s various wives and consorts while also worrying about all sorts of affairs in court. She had even fallen into someone else’s trap and lost a child. During her postpartum confinement, she still had to come up with inventions for Yu Weiyi to win the Emperor’s favor. As a result, she had grown increasingly haggard.
Only two years had passed, yet compared with the woman she had been two years ago, she seemed to have aged a full ten years. There were even fine wrinkles on her face. Compared with Bai Tang, she truly had no chance of measuring up.
“Reporting to Mother, ever since my husband and I were married, I have yet to meet Third Uncle. I heard that Third Uncle has returned to the capital, so we came today for two reasons: first, to pay a visit and become acquainted, and second, to congratulate Third Uncle on the birth of his child.”
The primary consort came from an illustrious family and had excellent manners and etiquette. She spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly, making her words pleasant to hear.
She gave the maid beside her a meaningful look. The maid hurried forward with a tray bearing a jade ruyi scepter and a pair of small silver bracelets. Clearly, the little silver bracelets were meant for a child.
After Bai Tang thanked her, he was about to have Xiao Xi take the gifts away when Sang Tiantian suddenly spoke. “Since the little prince is here, why not put them directly on him? They can bless him with peace and safety.”
Only then did Bai Tang pay attention to Sang Tiantian. She looked considerably more weathered than before, and the spirited confidence she had once carried in her eyes and brows was gone. Even her heavy makeup could not conceal the sharpness and spite in her features. Sang Tiantian had truly changed so much. Bai Tang sighed inwardly.
Sang Tiantian picked up the little silver bracelets and moved to put them on Lili, but how could Bai Tang possibly let her touch him? He shifted aside while holding Lili in his arms.
“No need. Lili is still too young, and the silver bracelets are too heavy. Let him wear them when he’s older.” The little silver bracelets were exquisitely crafted, and the tiny bells were particularly delicate. But who knew whether there might be something in them that shouldn’t be there? He and A Wu had plenty of magical treasures of their own. They could easily refine a few bracelets for Lili to wear and play with every day, rotating through them without a problem. There was no need for some outsider to give him an unsolicited “blessing,” especially when she was the female lead who already had it in for him.
“We appreciate Secondary Consort’s kindness.” Jiang Liangwu reached out and wrapped an arm around Bai Tang, drawing both father and son into his embrace.
Yu Weiyi stared at Bai Tang’s increasingly handsome face, lost in thought. What a wonderful person he was. How had Third Brother managed to get to him first? If it had been him instead… Once he ascended the throne, he would cherish Bai Tang dearly and dote on him every day. How could he bear to let him endure the hardships of traveling outside the palace?
Yu Weiyi’s gaze was far too obvious. Just as he was lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt as though countless needles were pricking his back, startling a cry out of him.
Everyone looked over in surprise, only to see Yu Weiyi meet Jiang Liangwu’s bone-chilling gaze. Jiang Liangwu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Yu Weiyi suddenly slid off his chair. Sang Tiantian reacted quickly and reached out to support him, only to step on one of the tiny bells that had fallen from the silver bracelet. Her foot slipped, and to keep herself from falling, she ended up stomping hard on Yu Weiyi’s calf. A muffled groan escaped him. Cold sweat immediately broke out across his forehead, and his eyes rolled upward.
Bai Tang burst out laughing while holding Lili. What a miserable male lead. This had to be the most pathetic male lead he had ever seen, bar none.
The people of Jingwei Palace were well trained and did not panic when something went wrong. A young eunuch hurried off to summon the imperial physician, while several palace maids helped the secondary consort and the First Prince to their feet. The Empress calmly directed everyone and even told Bai Tang to carry Lili into the inner chamber first.
“It’s chaotic here. Don’t let anyone frighten my precious grandson.” The Empress wore a loving expression, but the moment Bai Tang left, her face changed completely.
“Secondary Consort Sang, because the First Prince favors you, I have refrained from disciplining you too harshly. Your manners were already abysmal two years ago, and two years later, you have made not the slightest improvement. This time, you injured the First Prince. If I do not punish you, wouldn’t that make the imperial family a laughingstock?”
The Empress did not particularly like these sons born to secondary consorts, but she had always turned a blind eye and left them alone. Who could have imagined that the First Prince would actually covet his own younger brother’s husband? How could she possibly tolerate such humiliation? Did Yu Weiyi really think he was worthy of even setting his sights on Tang Tang?
The Empress deliberately intended to make Yu Weiyi lose face. Even when the First Prince’s primary consort pleaded for mercy, saying that the incident had merely resulted from lax discipline, it was useless. Sang Tiantian was taken by the palace maids to a small Buddhist shrine, where she was ordered to pray for Yu Weiyi, recite sutras, and pick up Buddhist prayer beads.
Of course, that was only what it looked like on the surface. As for what would actually happen, the senior palace matrons of the inner palace had plenty of methods at their disposal. The Empress was not so ignorant as to be unaware that Sang Tiantian was known throughout the First Prince’s residence as a female Zhuge Liang. Many of the schemes that had helped the First Prince distinguish himself before the Emperor had come from her.
The First Prince’s primary consort was positively delighted. Sang Tiantian had been throwing her weight around in the residence for a long time. Although she had suffered a few setbacks, none of them had been enough to bring her down. Now that the Empress had spoken, who would dare say she could not be punished?
“No, Your Majesty the Empress, I didn’t do it on purpose. Yu Weiyi, Yu Weiyi…”
The young palace maids could no longer restrain Sang Tiantian, so the strong, sturdy senior matrons stepped in. No matter how much Sang Tiantian screamed and struggled, Yu Weiyi, who had already passed out from the pain, could not hear her.
The Empress waved her hand and ordered the First Prince to be carried to an unoccupied side hall, where the imperial physician could treat his injuries.
Now that Kang’er had returned, one prince after another had begun jumping around restlessly. Should she call them foolish, or simply extremely foolish?
The Empress blew gently on the tea in her cup, a cool, faint smile playing at the corners of her lips.
Since that was the case, then let them have a fight.
Not to mention Jiang Liangwu’s own influence and former supporters, the Duke of State’s residence on the Empress’s side was not a force to be trifled with either. Once the Empress sent word back to her maternal family, the Duke’s residence naturally knew what to do.
How dare they bully my nephew’s husband while the Empress and the Duke’s residence are still here? If they actually manage to take the throne, will my nephew and his husband even have a way to survive?
On the surface, the Duke’s residence continued to do exactly what it had always done. Behind the scenes, however, it began causing small problems for the various princes—just enough to make them suffer embarrassing setbacks.
They could not make the incidents too obvious, because that would make the Emperor wary. Instead, the Duke’s residence made sure the princes were left fuming and swallowing their frustration, giving the Fifth Prince, whom Jiang Liangwu had personally trained, an opportunity to rise to the throne.
At Jingwei Palace, Bai Tang held the little squirrel in his arms, looking sullen. When Jiang Liangwu returned, he complained, “We might as well have stayed outside. We’ve only been back for a few days, and every single one of them is already trying to hurt my Lili.”
Lili was Bai Tang’s most precious treasure. Anyone who dared lay a hand on him would die. That was how serious it was.
Jiang Liangwu deeply agreed. Those insignificant little ants were nothing to fear, but they were still annoying. Bai Tang and Lili had barely slept properly for several days.
“I’ll speed things up and finish dealing with matters here. Then we’ll return to the Upper Realm.” Jiang Liangwu put an arm around Bai Tang and kissed the corner of his mouth.
Bai Tang had no choice but to blame himself for being too willful back then and running down to the mortal realm just to play around. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be dealing with this mess now.
I chose this path myself, so even if I have to cry, I have to walk it to the end.
With Jiang Liangwu stirring up trouble and throwing the court into turmoil, the political situation grew increasingly turbulent.
Then heavy rains descended from the heavens. A breach appeared in the river embankment, and the overflowing river water poured into the fertile fields, flooding numerous farmers’ homes. Fortunately, the Fifth Prince took command in time, preventing any loss of life.
The First Prince, who was still recovering from his injuries, was called to account. Although he desperately denied that the materials used to repair the river embankment had been of inferior quality due to cutting corners, the Fifth Prince found the account books.
As it turned out, Sang Tiantian, his secondary consort, had been manipulating things behind the scenes and taking kickbacks.
The Emperor, no longer under Consort Li’s hypnotic control, had regained his clarity of mind. He ordered Sang Tiantian thrown into prison to await her punishment, while the First Prince was confined to his residence and forbidden from leaving without an imperial summons.
The Fifth Prince made a great impression and attracted considerable attention, but everyone still underestimated him. After all, he was a prince without the support of a powerful maternal family. How could someone like that possibly ascend the throne? At most, he would become a benevolent prince with his own fief.
Bai Tang also discovered that the little bells on the silver bracelets Sang Tiantian had tried to put on Lili that day contained scab powder from smallpox patients. Her malicious intentions were now blatantly obvious. If an ordinary child had worn those silver bracelets, they would likely have contracted smallpox within a few days. In this era, very few children survived smallpox.
The little squirrel, who had always been kind to others, finally lost his temper.
He had not even minded that, during the period when he had no memories at Wanhua Tower, Sang Tiantian had misunderstood him and treated him badly. But harming his Lili was something he could never forgive.
Jiang Liangwu used his influence to have Sang Tiantian brought out of the Imperial Prison and thrown into Consort Li’s Zhaoyang Palace.
One Bad Luck Talisman was already powerful enough to cause considerable misfortune. With five of them working together, it took less than half a month for Consort Li to be tormented into a state where she was barely recognizable as human. At times she was lucid; at others, she was completely incoherent. Most of the injuries on her body had been inflicted by her own hands, so no one could blame anyone else.
The palace servants considered the place deeply unlucky, and anyone with even a little influence used their connections to find a way to leave Zhaoyang Palace.
The moment Sang Tiantian entered Zhaoyang Palace, Consort Li pounced on her. She straddled Sang Tiantian and slapped her repeatedly across the face.
“You seductress! You tried to seduce His Majesty! I’ll teach you to seduce His Majesty! His Majesty belongs to me! The Crown Prince belongs to me! My Tenth Prince…”
The madwoman was incredibly strong and completely unreasonable.
Sang Tiantian finally managed to push her away. When she touched her own face, she discovered that her hands were covered in blood. She let out a scream before lunging at Consort Li and grappling with her.
Before the river-embankment case was finally settled, Consort Li and Sang Tiantian tormented each other inside Zhaoyang Palace. Their screams and wails could be heard day after day, making the place seem like a haunted house.