Chapter 186 Lies
In Prince Cheng's mansion, the servants have been doing things very carefully in recent days, for fear of accidentally offending their master who is easily angered.

Many people had already been sitting in the hall, all of them were officials from the imperial court of Yanjing, and they were probably discussing something very important. King Cheng was sitting at the head, and below him, close to his left, was Li Zhongnan.

"Everyone," King Cheng said, "I'm afraid our day will have to be brought forward."

These days, I wonder if Emperor Hong Xiao knew about his plan and targeted him everywhere. King Cheng was furious. He had already made up his mind to start the rebellion in advance, and the incident with Princess Yongning had added fuel to his anger, leaving him with nowhere to vent his anger. He just wanted to break into the palace right now, pull Emperor Hong Xiao down from that position, and trample him under his feet.

You know, during this period, he had suffered so much ridicule and gossip because of Princess Yongning. Although those people dared not say anything to his face, they almost broke his spine behind his back. King Cheng has always cherished his reputation. He hopes that when he sits on that position one day, he will be clean and innocent, and will not be criticized. Now it seems impossible, so it is better to put aside all worries and give it a try.

King Cheng looked at Li Zhongnan beside him and asked, "What do you think, Right Prime Minister?"

Li Zhongnan smiled and said, "It's all up to your Highness."

King Cheng was somewhat unhappy. Li Zhongnan was clearly perfunctory. He knew that Li Zhongnan had a grudge against him because of the Princess Yongning incident, and he was still unhappy now. Although King Cheng had apologized, he didn't take it seriously. You have to know that he was the king and Li Zhongnan was just a minister. Now he was praising Li Zhongnan and treating him with courtesy. But if Li Zhongnan didn't appreciate it, he wouldn't mind giving Li Zhongnan a hard time.

Of course not now, but when he sits in a high position and holds great power.

Li Zhongnan was smiling on the surface, but he was very angry in his heart. The fact that Li Xian liked to raise a boy in his house had brought disgrace to the Li family. Of his two sons, the younger son Li Lian was useless, but the older son had a very good reputation except for this special hobby. He would have succeeded himself and become the pillar of the Li family in the future. But because of Princess Yongning's fuss, Li Xian became a stain on the Li family in the future. Now the Li family had to be cautious when attending court, and people pointed fingers at them behind their backs. Li Xian even lost his official position, and his good career was ruined.

If it was Princess Yongning who did all this, Li Zhongnan would at most blame King Cheng for not disciplining his sister properly. What made Li Zhongnan angry was that Princess Yongning was pregnant with Shen Yurong's illegitimate child and married into the Li family. King Cheng said he didn't know about Princess Yongning's pregnancy. How could that be possible? It was obvious that he wanted the Li family to be the unlucky one, raising a son for someone else inexplicably. When he thought of this, Li Zhongnan was furious. What did King Cheng think of the Li family? Was he a fool?

It is true that King Cheng is the master now and they are his subjects, and they cannot do anything to King Cheng. But he could not swallow this anger, like a fishbone stuck in his throat. Li Zhongnan made up his mind that this time when King Cheng started the rebellion, their Li family would not interfere, because the Li family relied on King Cheng. But it was not impossible to make some moves. King Cheng had to understand that he was not sitting back and relaxing. If it were not for the Li family, his position as King Cheng would probably be less stable than that of Emperor Hong Xiao.

In order for King Cheng to not dare to attack the Li family, he had to be respectful to them!
King Cheng turned to consult other ministers and discussed important matters of the uprising with them. He intentionally or unintentionally ignored Li Zhongnan, as if he was deliberately giving Li Zhongnan a warning.

Li Zhongnan disagreed and sneered in his heart. Advice? He would return it to King Cheng soon.

……

Many spring flowers are blooming again in the imperial palace of Yanjing City.

The withered plants in winter, at this time of year, are eager to grow again. The palace always seems to be the first place to be lively. The flowers in the flower beds bloom earlier than other places, lush and green, and joyful. Even the beauties who have just entered the palace also come to appreciate the flowers intentionally or unintentionally. They decorate themselves to be more beautiful than the flowers, just hoping that the king will pass by here and accidentally glance at these vivid fragrances.

There are beauties in the palace every year, and there are new beauties every year. Everyone expects the emperor's favor, but it never lasts. Just like there are no shortage of bright and delicate flowers in the flower garden, but the flower pickers will not pick every one of them. The picked flowers can still be carefully cared for in a vase, decorating a summer. The flowers left in the flower garden are not appreciated by anyone, and in autumn, they will still wither together.

Time is like a dream, beauty is fleeting, flowers and people are the same.

Emperor Hong Xiao was in the Cining Palace, chanting scriptures with the Empress Dowager.

When the Queen Mother was reciting the sutra, Emperor Hong Xiao just sat aside and opened the sutra. Compared with the Queen Mother's piety, Emperor Hong Xiao seemed much less sincere. But the Queen Mother, who was reciting the sutra with her eyes closed, did not see this scene. She was concentrating and reciting the sutra with one heart and soul, as if nothing in the world was more important than the matter in front of her. And such days, day after day, year after year, it seems that she has been like this since Emperor Hong Xiao ascended the throne.

She did not interfere in government affairs, nor was she as domineering as Concubine Liu in the palace, almost making people forget that there was such a queen mother. It is said that she was also like this when she was young, gentle and virtuous, never competing with others in the harem for jealousy, but instead raised a child who was not her own and watched him ascend the throne to become emperor. If there was no queen mother, Emperor Hong Xiao might have been eaten up by the ambitious Concubine Liu and her son.

However, it is not true that Emperor Hong Xiao and the Empress Dowager had a close relationship. It was just a superficial peace.

After chanting sutras with the empress dowager for a while, Emperor Hong Xiao walked out of the Cining Palace. He did not return to the imperial study. He had read memorials all night and attended court this morning. He had slept for less than a few hours in total. He was going back to the bedroom to rest. When he reached the door of the bedroom, Eunuch Su came up to him and said, "Your Majesty, Concubine Li is here."

Lipin walked out from behind the door. Among the many beauties in the palace, she looked the most unhurried. Even though many beauties entered the palace in spring, those young, plump, and bud-like beauties made the entire palace extraordinarily beautiful. The beauties in the past dressed themselves up as if they were facing a great enemy. But for Lipin, it seemed that there would never be any difference. She would not feel dangerous, nor was she afraid that the emperor would fall in love with another beauty. She just did her own thing gently, just like now, standing at the door, smiling to Emperor Hong Xiao: "I made some snacks, using this year's new acacia honey. Would your majesty like to try some?" No one could refuse such a gentle request. Emperor Hong Xiao chuckled and said, "Okay."

His tense face relaxed at this moment.

Lipin smiled and helped Emperor Hong Xiao to the table, where there were exquisite snacks and hot tea. The sweet scent of honey seemed to remain on Lipin's fingertips. She was different from other beauties. Although the cakes sent by other beauties were made by themselves, their hands were clean and the nail polish was bright and complete, which made people suspect that they were watching and directing the servants to make them. But the cakes made by Lipin were made by her own hands. It is said that others can't make the taste of hers.

She is a caring person.

Emperor Hong Xiao smiled and took a piece of cake and put it into his mouth. Concubine Li brought a cup of hot tea at the right time. After finishing eating, Emperor Hong Xiao took a sip of tea and sighed, "You are still thoughtful."

"Your Majesty is busy with official duties. This is all I can do." Lipin said with a smile.

Emperor Hong Xiao also laughed: "Speaking of which, I heard from my mother yesterday that one of the beauties who entered the palace this year is your cousin. Why didn't you tell me? Let me take care of her?"

Lipin's smile froze. Although the emperor still had a smile on his face, she felt extremely uneasy in her heart.

She had no children, and the Ji family had always prayed to the gods and asked her to take all kinds of strange medicines, hoping that she would get pregnant and secure her position in the harem. But as time went by, her belly didn't move, and the Ji family gradually became disappointed, so they set their sights on other things.

The Ji family had never stopped planning to send another beauty into the palace to win the emperor's favor. Lipin knew what they meant and wanted to help her, take care of that beauty, and help that young beauty win the emperor's favor. She took the blame for her, gave her advice, and finally became a discarded pawn, squeezed dry of her last drop of blood, and sacrificed for the Ji family.

Why? Lipin absolutely didn't want it. She had finally gotten to where she is today, why would she give everything to someone else? Especially since the other party had done nothing, and could easily have everything just by virtue of being young and beautiful, it was too unfair!
So Lipin did nothing. She pretended not to know about the cousin sent by the Ji family, and even refused to meet with the Ji family. She was angry with the Ji family and gradually developed hatred. So much so that after Jiang Youyao got into trouble, Lipin didn't want to ask, and she didn't want to run around for the Ji family anymore. Of course, she also knew that given the nature of the Ji family, they would not avenge Jiang Youyao or anything like that.

Lipin was in a state of confusion, but she showed a sad smile on her face, lowered her head, suddenly knelt down, and said, "I admit my guilt."

Her eyebrows were gentle, her voice was sad, and her pitiful appearance made people feel pity. Emperor Hong Xiao was slightly stunned, took her hand and sat beside him, and said with a smile: "You are afraid that I will favor someone else and you will be jealous."

"Your Majesty can have many beauties around him, and I am just an insignificant one. When Your Majesty favors other beauties, I can do nothing. The only thing I can do is to hope to retain Your Majesty's favor for a little longer. I know this is overstepping the bounds, please punish me, Your Majesty."

She said it in a sad and pitiful way, all because of love. How could a man remain indifferent when faced with a beautiful woman who loves him so much and expresses her true feelings?

"I will not abandon you." Emperor Hong Xiao laughed, "As long as you don't betray me, I will not abandon you."

Lipin's heart skipped a beat, and she vaguely felt that there seemed to be some deep meaning in what Emperor Hong Xiao said. But the man next to her hugged her so warmly, and his tone was so doting, that her doubts gradually disappeared.

No, Emperor Hong Xiao would not know. She did it very secretly and no one would know.

At the same time, she sneered in her heart. She did not expect any favor from the emperor. After all, she had no children. The emperor's favor was only temporary. One day, she would be replaced by a younger and more lovely beauty. She would become one of the outdated women in the harem, those withered flowers, and become a handful of fresh mud in the spring.

She will go to the end, at any cost and at the expense of anyone.

A hint of cruelty flashed in Lipin's eyes.

(End of this chapter)