Chapter 155: Blech~ I Almost Made Myself Throw Up

Xiao Li led Cen An out. Cen An was bursting with things to say, and he couldn’t hold them in any longer once they were alone.

"Princess, you..."

Just as he started to speak, two figures approached them—it was Prince Yanping and Jia Ruo.

Cen An immediately shut his mouth. He didn’t dare speak carelessly and cause trouble for the Princess; otherwise, he would surely suffer for it.

The moment the pair saw Xiao Li, their expressions changed instantly. They no longer bothered to hide their loathing for her.

They had entered the palace after hearing that the Empress Dowager had been saved. Jia Ruo sneered mockingly, "Our dear Princess Xuanyang is so filial it could move heaven and earth. Not long ago, she almost died at the Empress Dowager’s hands, and now she’s turned right around, forgiving past grievances and repaying cruelty with kindness. What a great saint you are!"

Xiao Li stopped in her tracks. "The Empress Dowager isn’t dead. You sound disappointed."

Jia Ruo choked. ’That’s exactly what I think,’ she fumed, but she couldn’t possibly admit to it.

Prince Yanping spoke up. "Of course we all hope for the Empress Dowager’s good health. We just never expected that you would be the one to save her."

It was safe to say that no one had anticipated Xiao Li would try to save the Empress Dowager, much less that she would actually succeed.

Jia Ruo immediately regained her bravado and looked at Xiao Li with contempt. "You’ve always been ruthless and cruel, stopping at nothing. The Empress Dowager bullied you so much, yet you don’t hold a grudge and even repay her evil with good. Are you hiding some kind of shameful conspiracy?"

Cen An: ’Impressive. She hit the nail right on the head.’

Xiao Li adopted a righteous and awe-inspiring air. "The Empress Dowager is not my birth mother, so it’s understandable that she treats me poorly. But my brother, the Emperor, has always treated me well. We may not share a mother, but we are still siblings by blood. How could my petty grievances compare to the pain my brother would feel upon losing his mother?"

BLECH~ She nearly made herself gag with those words.

’I’ll endure it!’

"Besides, cruel..." She tilted her head slightly, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "I am cruel. Weren’t you both hoping the Empress Dowager would die? Well, that’s exactly why I had to save her. As long as the Empress Dowager lives, Princess Consort Hui will always have to bow to her. Seeing you two suffer is what makes me happy! Hahaha!"

This was the real reason Xiao Li had saved the Empress Dowager. It would have been easy for her to let the old woman die, but she refused to do her enemies’ dirty work for them.

After this incident, the Empress Dowager was no longer a threat. Now, Xiao Li could wait for the Empress Dowager and Princess Consort Hui to tear each other apart, just to frustrate these two.

On the sixteenth day of the first month, they had reveled in her misfortune. She’d heard that Jia Ruo had even danced in celebration.

’There’s always a price to pay for watching my downfall.’

She had been the one suffering that day. Now, it was their turn.

Of course, the conflict between the Empress Dowager and Princess Consort Hui wasn’t particularly damaging. But having your own mother suppressed by another... it wasn’t physically painful, but it was utterly infuriating.

The two siblings were sharp enough to instantly understand Xiao Li’s intentions. Their faces turned ugly, their eyes filled with killing intent.

Cen An: ’...Isn’t this Princess afraid of being beaten to death?!’

Sure enough, the next moment, Jia Ruo swung her hand to slap Xiao Li.

Prince Yanping, startled, was about to stop her when a crisp SLAP echoed, sharp and clear.

In the instant Jia Ruo’s palm flew forward, Xiao Li caught her wrist with one hand and viciously swung her other hand.

But she didn’t stop at one slap. She followed it with a kick, sending Princess Jia Ruo flying.

Cen An: O.O

"Agh!" Jia Ruo crumpled to the ground, curled up in pain.

"Xuanyang!" Prince Yanping roared. "Don’t you dare be so arrogant!"

Xiao Li took out a handkerchief and slowly wiped her palm. "One must respect their elders. She spoke rudely to me and even tried to strike me. As her elder sister, I had no choice but to teach her some manners on behalf of Princess Consort Hui."

"What? Does Prince Yanping want to hit me?"

Prince Yanping did want to strike her, but he didn’t dare provoke this madwoman.

Jia Ruo was helped to her feet, wincing in pain, her eyes blazing with fury. "Xuanyang, you just wait."

Xiao Li replied, "They say evil is repaid with evil, and good with good. Sorry, but your retribution is me. As for my own retribution... well, you definitely won’t be around to see it!"

Xiao Li strode away, and Cen An scurried behind her, carrying his medical kit. In that moment, he felt like her humble little follower.

He had always known Xiao Li was a bad person, but today he gained a new level of understanding of her "badness."

She was arrogantly bad, devastatingly bad, and intelligently bad.

The more he was around her, the more he found her brand of badness to be... thrilling. He even started to think that the things she did weren’t entirely her fault.

’I’m supposed to be her hater, but I’m unconsciously starting to approve of her style.’

’This is toxic!!’

----

「The Imprisonment Department」

The Emperor wasn’t entirely convinced it had been an accident, so all the palace attendants present when the Empress Dowager fell into the lake had been arrested and brought here for interrogation.

Normally, the Chief Eunuch wouldn’t have needed to handle this personally, but Lou Yan kept everyone involved under the control of his own men.

Now that the Empress Dowager had recovered, five or six bodies had already been carried out of the Imprisonment Department—all victims who had succumbed to torture.

Lou Yan compiled the confessions, and only after confirming there were no discrepancies did he put them away.

Just before leaving, he saw his subordinates carrying out the last body. His chilling eyes were dark and profound.

’Only the dead can never recant their testimony.’

"Your Majesty, here are the confessions from all the palace attendants."

"It all began when Chen Daying felt the room was stuffy and suggested that the Empress Dowager go for a walk in the garden."

"The garden had already been swept at that time. There were no foreign objects, no water stains, and no one pushed Chen Daying."

"This servant went to see for myself. The stone they were standing on is extremely flat. Perhaps because of the cold weather and its proximity to the frozen lake, a layer of frost had formed on it, which caused Chen Daying to lose her footing."

The Emperor frowned. "So it was all just an accident?"

Lou Yan kept his head bowed. "At present, that is the only conclusion."

"Actually, one confession is still missing. This servant had intended to question Chen Daying, but she was gravely ill, delirious with fever, and unable to speak clearly. The day before yesterday, she passed away. If we had been able to question her, there would be no doubt about this matter."

After listening, the Emperor waved his hand dismissively. "Enough. Let’s leave it at that."

Lou Yan added, "The Chen Family is still waiting by the Empress Dowager’s residence, requesting to handle Chen Daying’s funeral arrangements."

The Emperor’s face immediately turned cold. "Give Chen Pingting’s body to them. We have no use for it. Don’t let it defile Our Imperial Mausoleum."

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He immediately issued a decree: Chen’s maternal grandfather and uncle were to be demoted from their official posts, to teach them a lesson.

Lou Yan relayed all the orders before returning to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, should we reward Doctor Cen?"

The Emperor’s expression finally softened a little. "Reward him. Go to Our treasury and select some high-quality medicinal herbs and jade artifacts. Also, add a thousand taels of gold and have it all sent to him."

Lou Yan nodded. "This servant obeys. However, this servant does not know where Doctor Cen currently resides. I’m afraid I will have to make a trip to Princess Xuanyang’s Mansion first."

"Ah, Xuanyang..." The Emperor thought of his sister, feeling both moved and wistful. "She has truly grown up and become sensible. To have such a sister, We are very pleased."

"We recall that Bin State sent a tribute of Dongzhu pearls before the new year. We haven’t had a chance to bestow them as a reward yet. Take them all to her and let her have them made into any style she likes."

Lou Yan: "This servant obeys."