FSC [QT] Chapter 125.3

“Princess, there is no need to persuade me.”

Ah Wu knew what Li Lang was going to say, so she replied with a smile.

There was no trace of unwillingness or gloominess in her eyes. Her eyes were pure and bright. She did not feel at all how ashamed it was that the person she loved most was a eunuch.

“Since you have made up your mind, I will help you.”

Li Lang paused.

“This is also to help myself.”

Five years was enough for them to get along with each other and develop a relationship of mutual appreciation, mutual assistance, and mutual benefit.

After saying that, Li Lang turned back to her bedchamber. She still didn’t understand.

Li Lang’s goal was to be canonized as the Grand Princess¹大长公主, dà zhǎng gōngzhǔ: emperor’s sister smoothly after her father’s death, and to marry a man who didn’t mind her rudeness and liked to wield swords and guns.

It would be best if she could marry far away, away from the intrigues of the capital while maintaining the honor and dignity of a princess.

If possible, she hoped that she could have a pair of children to make a good family.

The husband and wife respected each other like guests, and the children were filial and respectful. This was the most perfect life for a woman, wasn’t it?

Unfortunately, Ling Wu actually fell in love with a eunuch.

Not to mention what kind of strange looks Ling Wu would receive if the news spread, the fact that she had no offspring was enough to make a woman regret for life.

Li Lang felt that Ah Wu would regret it, but she didn’t persuade her.

Five years ago, Li Lang could still maintain neutrality among her brothers.

Now, five years later, as the Seventh Brother gradually joined the competition for the throne, Li Lang’s situation became more and more difficult.

Noble Concubine Jiang was the highest-ranking concubine in the harem. She had the Seventh Prince, a son who was deeply loved by the emperor, and had the final say in the harem.

Li Lang’s mother, Concubine Li Shu, had been out of favor for many years and had only Li Lang as her daughter, so she could only avoid the other party in the palace.

Noble Concubine Jiang wanted Li Lang to take a stand, but Li Lang pretended to be confused, causing Concubine Li Shu to suffer a lot of losses.

Not only Noble Concubine Jiang, but also the First Prince and Third Prince, who were now the most powerful, were somewhat dissatisfied with their sister who was not easily influenced by soft or hard tactics.

Being neutral could certainly allow her to escape unscathed in the fight for the throne, but it would also make her offend her successor brother.

Although she is a princess, the difference between being favored and not favored is still huge. If the successor emperor is dissatisfied with her as a princess, perhaps she, as a princess, will not be respected by her husband’s family.

Li Lang knew that it was time for her to make a decision, so she let Ling Wu and Yan Yu get along and even created many opportunities for them.

For Li Lang, Ling Wu could act as a guide stone, letting her know which prince she should bet on.

Now, compared with the identities of princess and companion, they were more like mutually beneficial and mutually helpful beings.

“The storm is coming.”

Li Lang stood in the room, looking at the sky covered by dark clouds, murmured indifferently, and then closed the window.

Her father had not appeared for nearly five months. He even missed the death anniversary of Empress Dowager Shengyuan, which had never happened before.

***

A month later, in the Li family imperial mausoleum, in front of the mausoleum of the founding emperor, the nearly thousand-year-old pine tree was struck by lightning and burned to ash and charcoal.

After this news came, everyone was worried.

Being struck by lightning was a symbol of danger and misfortune in ancient times.

Even in an ordinary family, people would still be discussing whether they had not cultivated their personal ethics and had done something bad to offend God.

Moreover, such a thing happened in the royal family, and the tree struck by lightning was the thousand-year-old tree in front of the tomb of the founding emperor.

There were even rumors among the people that if someone in the royal family had bad morals, it might endanger the Li Dynasty.

After hearing these rumors, many people in the palace could not sit still.

 

 

 

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