Chapter 522 – Post-Wedding Extra Chapter: A Dance That Captivated the City and Spread Across the World – Tang Tang Watches the Show (14)
Just when everyone thought Jiang Liangwu also intended to compete for the throne, he suddenly handed all the affairs over to the Fifth Prince to handle, even giving him all the credit. At the same time, he did not completely withdraw from politics. The more they watched Jiang Liangwu’s actions, the less they understood what he was doing.
Some of the more astute people gradually figured it out: Jiang Liangwu was paving the way for the Fifth Prince. He intended to support the Fifth Prince in ascending the throne.
Once they reached this conclusion, they all began considering the likelihood of the Fifth Prince becoming the next Emperor. If they excluded the Fifth Prince’s own maternal family, he had virtually no outside support to speak of, so that could be disregarded. But when Jiang Liangwu, his legal mother the Empress, and his maternal family—the Duke’s residence—were taken into consideration, the situation changed completely. Among all the princes, the Fifth Prince now had the strongest advantage. If Jiang Liangwu was genuinely supporting him rather than using him as a target to draw attention away from himself, then the Fifth Prince’s chances of ascending the throne were extremely high—high enough to rival those of First Prince Yu Weiyi before his downfall.
Bai Tang paid no attention to affairs at court. Holding Li Li every day, he was cheerful and carefree. With fewer people around to annoy him, life was truly wonderful.
Another half a month passed, and the river-embankment case was finally concluded. First Prince Yu Weiyi had not known that the construction materials had been deliberately reduced in quality, but it had been his secondary consort who had done it. Although he was not the principal culprit, he could not escape being charged with failing to properly govern his household. Compared with Sang Tiantian’s crimes as the main culprit, however, his offense was relatively minor.
The First Prince’s primary consort, who had been confined to the residence, finally breathed a sigh of relief. This had been the most difficult month since she had married into the First Prince’s household, but she had finally made it through.
The Empress was truly wise. She had even helped investigate the smallpox incident involving the silver bracelets, and it turned out that Sang Tiantian had deliberately set her up. Somehow, Sang Tiantian had managed to make seven or eight out of every ten people in the First Prince’s residence her own. Only some of the old servants who had originally come from the palace, the people who had accompanied the primary consort and secondary consort as part of their dowries, and some servants who had only recently been purchased by the household were truly loyal to the residence itself.
Fortunately, whether it was the silver bracelets or the river-embankment incident, although both had affected the First Prince’s residence, neither offense was serious enough to warrant death. They still had a chance to survive this ordeal.
Yu Weiyi, however, did not see it that way. By now, everyone in the realm knew that he had indulged in women, allowed a woman to dictate his political affairs, and favored his concubine while neglecting his primary consort. Such behavior was a grave taboo. Winning back the trust of his ministers and the common people would now be extremely difficult.
The Empress and Bai Tang were in Kunning Palace, happily playing with Li Li, when the Commander of the Palace Guards suddenly came to report that First Prince’s secondary consort, Sang Tiantian, had been rescued by people dressed in black.
The Empress was furious. “Who are they? How dare they break into the imperial palace? What are you people doing, allowing criminals to enter and leave as they please?” Her voice was so loud that it startled Li Li awake just as he was about to fall asleep. Li Li immediately burst into tears.
The Empress instantly changed her expression, gathered Li Li into her arms, and kept calling him her “precious darling” as she coaxed him back to sleep.
Inside Kunning Palace, apart from the Empress, Bai Tang was the only one with any real say in the matter. He thought hard, searching through his memories for the original plot of this world. Sang Tiantian had established an assassin organization, engaged in various businesses, trained beggars, and maintained connections with a foreign prince. This was one of her backup plans as well.
In the original plot, after Sang Tiantian learned that a foreign prince was coming to court for an audience, she sent assassins to pretend to hunt him down. Meanwhile, she went to a temple to offer incense. On her way home, she cleverly rescued the foreign prince and took meticulous care of him.
When people are at their most vulnerable, they most desperately want someone to rely on. Sang Tiantian appeared like a goddess descending from the heavens, rescuing the foreign prince just when he thought he was about to die. On top of that, Sang Tiantian was exceptionally beautiful, so the foreign prince fell hopelessly in love with her and began worshipping her as his goddess.
Emmm… Even Qiu’er wouldn’t dare write a plot like this. And yet Sang Tiantian actually pulled it off. Is a foreign prince really that easy to manipulate?
“Unbelievable!” Bai Tang blurted out.
Everyone in Kunning Palace froze. What language was that spoken by the Third Prince’s Consort? Was it something from the Western Regions? He had only been away for two years, yet he had already mastered another language. How amazing~
Bai Tang came back to his senses from recalling the original plot, only to realize that everyone was looking at him rather strangely. It dawned on him a moment later. Hmm~ Had he just spoken English?
The Commander of the Palace Guards was still kneeling on one knee, the knee touching the ground trembling slightly. The Empress was too busy playing with Li Li to deal with the matter, so Bai Tang quickly told him to rise. Only then did the Commander secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
It seemed that the Third Prince’s Consort wasn’t angry. Thank goodness, thank goodness. By now, everyone in the imperial palace knew that the Third Prince’s Consort and the little prince were the Empress’s and the Third Prince’s most precious treasures. No one could afford to offend them. Offending the Third Prince might still leave a person with a chance to survive, but if they angered the Third Prince’s Consort, that person would be finished right then and there.
Having recalled the original plot, Bai Tang naturally wasn’t going to blame the guards for Sang Tiantian being abducted. Although he still couldn’t understand why the foreign prince had fallen so easily for Sang Tiantian’s charms, he attributed it to the power of the female protagonist’s halo. He couldn’t help sighing inwardly. The female protagonist’s halo in this world was even more powerful than any he had encountered before.
“Ahem.” Bai Tang put on a serious expression. “In any case, this was still a lapse in your duty. The harem is home to Father Emperor’s consorts and honored ladies, so you absolutely cannot afford to be careless. Starting today, the imperial palace is to tighten its security.”
“Yes.” What a close call! The Commander wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The Third Prince’s Consort hadn’t punished them. He had such a gentle disposition and even spoke so softly. No wonder the Third Prince doted exclusively on his consort.
The Empress was dissatisfied with the Commander’s negligence, but Bai Tang had already spoken, so she couldn’t add anything else. She didn’t want to undermine Bai Tang’s authority and cause the palace servants to look down on him, making it difficult for him to command them in the future.
After being awakened by the commotion, Li Li no longer felt like sleeping. He stretched out his arms, asking Bai Tang to hold him.
The Empress handed Li Li to Bai Tang and said, “The palace isn’t peaceful these days either. Whether it’s the affairs of the court or those of the harem, it all feels as though a layer of fog is hanging over everything. How exactly did Sang Tiantian escape? What other forces are behind her? And there are several princes eyeing the throne from the front. I’m truly worried that someone might try to fish in troubled waters and actually get away with it.”
With Jiang Liangwu around, Bai Tang had never given this matter any thought. But since the Empress had brought it up, he couldn’t help considering it. Before Bai Tang could say anything, the Empress continued, “Tang Tang, take Li Li and secretly leave the palace. I’ll have people disguise themselves as the two of you. I can’t shake this feeling of unease. Who knows what other tricks Sang Tiantian has up her sleeve? She can come and go from the imperial palace as she pleases. After what she did to you and Li Li, she must hate you even more now. I’m sure she’ll be even more ruthless this time.”
Bai Tang was slightly stunned. He knew how much the Empress loved Li Li. She practically wished she could keep him by her side twenty-four hours a day. Yet now, for their safety, she was actually willing to put herself in danger by hiding them while exposing herself in plain sight.
“Mother~” Bai Tang said, touched. He walked over to the Empress and handed Li Li to her. “A Wu, Li Li, and I will face this together with you, Mother.” How could he possibly let an elder who genuinely cared for them put herself in danger alone?
The milky fragrance from Bai Tang’s body mingled with the sweet scent of milk from Li Li, leaving the Empress momentarily unable to tell whose scent was whose. The comforting fragrance gave her a sense of peace, much like the instinctive desire she had to protect her children.
She patted the back of Bai Tang’s hand. “Good child. Precisely because I am the Empress, I cannot leave. But you can. For my sake, and for Li Li’s sake, as long as all of you remain safe, you can stay hidden, and those people won’t dare touch me. I’ll essentially be their hostage.” If everyone were captured, the enemy would have nothing holding them back.
“Mother~”
Bai Tang knelt before the Empress, but she handed Li Li back to him. “Go. I’ll talk to Kang’er.”
The Empress was a woman of experience and resolve. That very night, she had a private discussion with Jiang Liangwu and then secretly sent Bai Tang and Li Li out of the palace.
That night, the two of them sat on the roof, with Bai Tang curled up in Jiang Liangwu’s arms. Gazing at the full moon overhead, he said in his soft, childish voice, “Is it really okay to leave Mother alone in the imperial palace? It’s not like I can’t protect myself. Looking at the entire world, aside from you, who else could possibly capture me?”
Jiang Liangwu stroked his beloved’s smooth, silky hair and smiled. “Let Mother feel at ease. If you two don’t leave, she won’t be able to rest easy. Besides, even without Sang Tiantian, Mother is someone who intends to accomplish something big.”
Jiang Liangwu knew exactly what the Empress was planning. She was waiting—waiting for Sang Tiantian to make her move, waiting for the right opportunity to force a palace coup.
The Fifth Prince had to ascend the throne. The Duke’s residence was already prepared as well. Everything was ready; all that was missing was the final push. And that push would have to come through Sang Tiantian’s hands. Otherwise, how could she have escaped the imperial palace? Did anyone really believe that foreign prince knew the palace layout well enough to get her out?
Bai Tang knew nothing about the details. Jiang Liangwu only wanted his little squirrel to be happy every day. There was no need for him to waste his thoughts and energy on some insignificant people. What was Sang Tiantian to him, anyway?
“All right. Mother has been so good to Li Li and me. How about we wait until Mother passes away peacefully in old age before we come back?” Bai Tang suggested.
If they returned, it would be equivalent to dying in this world. Mother was already getting older. How could she possibly withstand the blow of losing her son, her son’s husband, and her grandson? Bai Tang couldn’t even bear to imagine it.
“All right. As long as Tang Tang is happy.” Jiang Liangwu didn’t care either way. As long as Bai Tang was happy, he was fine with anything.
…
Meanwhile, on Sang Tiantian’s side.
She really had been rescued by the foreign prince. When he found her, however, he was shocked to discover that the goddess in his heart was practically no different from a madwoman. Her behavior was crude, her tone was harsh, and she looked as though she was ready to fight someone to the death, completely shattering the beautiful image he had of her.
But after thinking it over, he decided that the royal family had simply treated her horribly by locking her up with a madwoman. It was understandable that she would be affected after spending so much time in such an environment. Fortunately, after washing up and changing, Sang Tiantian returned to her usual graceful, refined demeanor.
She sobbed pitifully, tears streaming down her face, as she thanked the foreign prince for rescuing her. “If it weren’t for you, that madwoman would probably have bullied me to death.”
She showed no mercy in badmouthing Consort Li. Consort Li was vicious, but she still had the Bad Luck Talismans on her. No matter how fiercely the two women fought, Sang Tiantian was actually in much better shape than Consort Li. By the time Sang Tiantian left Zhaoyang Palace, Consort Li was barely breathing. Of course, Sang Tiantian had also secretly sabotaged her and contributed to her condition.
“Tiantian, don’t cry. You’re safe now. Stay with me from now on. I won’t let you suffer again.”
With a beauty by his side, the flickering lamplight casting shadows around them, and Sang Tiantian deliberately putting on a seductive display, the foreign prince’s thoughts began to wander. Sang Tiantian simply went along with the situation, and the two of them consummated their relationship.
“Tiantian, I’ll treat you well.”
Seeing the injuries on Sang Tiantian’s body made the foreign prince ache for her, deepening his feelings even further. He was convinced that she truly had feelings for him; otherwise, she would never have lowered herself to be with him. This realization left him completely enchanted.
Sang Tiantian shyly nodded, but inwardly, she sneered. She was already plotting her revenge.