When Li Wei returned from shopping that day, she went straight to her room. It was so tiring, arguing with those two women. Her morning was destroyed from the counter with Madam Yan and Li Zhilan, she spent the afternoon wandering aimlessly around town deep in thoughts. Now it"s already evening and the banquet was going to start in a couple hours.The counter with Li Zhilan at the fabric shop confirmed Li Wei"s thoughts that she didn"t want to go against Li Zhilan. She had no desire to take over Li Zhilan"s role as the female lead, she had no desire to take away Hua Xifeng. She also had no desire to be a villainess again. All Li Wei wished this time was to be a minor character that led a simple and happy life. Really, that"s all she wanted to strive for.
Li Zhilan could continue to shine as before, Li Wei had no intentions to ruin any of that. Life was much more than taking revenge or stealing love. She was going to be selfish, greedy, and chased after her happiness. Physically she was sixteen, but mentally she was twenty seven, she had many years to reflect on her previous actions from her younger years.
Li Wei was aware of many things based on her previous life experiences. This night would soon be the fated meeting of Li Zhilan and Hua Xifeng. They"d meet at the royal banquet and Hua Xifeng would fall head over heels for her. Hua Xifeng, as the male lead, was a loyal and faithful man. After falling in love with Li Zhilan, he only had eyes for her. He went through many tests and trials for the emperor to agree to an engagement with Li Zhilan. After all, he was the crown prince in line for the throne. His future empress would have to be able to bear the weights and responsibilities of holding such a heavy t.i.tle.
It wasn"t three years later after the royal banquet that Li Zhilan encountered Khan Bojing. Li Zhilan was, at that point, already engaged to Hua Xifeng. Li Wei always thought Khan Bojing and her were very different, but honestly, there was one thing they had in common. That was, he was also late to meet the one he loved.
Li Wei turned her head when the doors to her room opened and Aunt Rin sauntered elegantly in. She was all prepared, looking gorgeous in a deep purple dress. There were countless thin, transparent, and flowy white layers to the inner dress and an outer robe embroidered with gold b.u.t.terflies. Li Fahrin was a beauty herself; her long black hair pulled up in a bun with a single white jade pin complimented her fair skin and slender figure perfectly. She didn"t like dressing up too fancy, simplicity with sophistication was what she liked.
Aunt Rin"s eyes that were gleaming with excitement just a couple seconds ago disappeared as she saw Li Wei lying lazily in bed. "What is my lovely niece still waiting for? Aren"t you excited to meet your long awaited crush, prince of all princes, Hua Xifeng? I heard he"s returning from the southern borders especially for his mother"s birthday."
Li Wei groaned playfully, "Aunt Rin, what nonsense are you spouting? Waiting for what prince? A person like me waits for no prince."
"Oh? Then how would you get a prince to fall in love with you?"
"I get up and go look for him then seduce him when he is found, of course."
Aunt Rin laughed, feeling satisfied with her adorable niece"s sarcastic answer. "How about you head to the royal banquet with me tonight? There will be many princes, all of which you can take your pick from. Even if you don"t want marriage, you can still have fun."
"Oh, you naughty aunty. Heavens bless those poor men you"ve played with. How many hearts have you broken in your time? You"re looking so beautiful tonight, one would be convinced you"re meeting your prince tonight." Li Wei suddently felt bubbly and happy, forgetting all about her encounter at the marketplace. She rarely had the chance to tease Aunt Rin in such playful conversations before. She"s heard from others that Aunt Rin was a known beauty in her youth, but she actually didn"t know much about since she previously focused only on Hua Xifeng.
"Too many to count, my dear," Aunt Rin winked. It wasn"t a lie, she was a popular lady when she was younger. There were many suitors who wanted her hand in marriage, none of which could reach her heart. "How can an old lady like me still meet a prince? Quit teasing this old lady and go get ready."
"Who knows, such a gorgeous lady as you may find your fated prince tonight."
Li Fahrin laughed at her silly niece. "Stop playing around, you"re fluttering this old lady"s heart."
Grinning sheepishly, Li Wei pulled her aunt to a sitting position on her bed and met her gaze. In a serious tone, she spoke the words that"s been on her mind since she"s been awaken. "Aunt Rin, I have no intentions of attending the royal banquet tonight. In the garden, we came to an agreement with Master Mo and I"d like to push that plan forward. If you agree, I will first head there to prepare and wait for your arrival."
"This... have you thought about it enough?" Li Fahrin was stunned by her niece"s words. She never imagined, first of all, that Li Wei would be able to negotiate successfully with Master Mo. Secondly, she never imagined that Li Wei would volunteer to lead the plan she had spoken of. Li Fahrin had raised the girl for many years and she knew that Li Wei held no interest in her trade. Has something sparked a change in the girl after the incident?
"I"ve not stopped thinking of this since the last time we spoke. I already made plans and preparations for the trip. As all the attention will be on the banquet, tonight will provide me the perfect opportunity to slip unnoticed."
The room was silent while Aunt Rin pretended to considered the situation. It was easy for her to understand Li Wei. Li Fahrin was a smart woman and she knew there was no need for Li Wei to go there early. In fact, everything would be the same if they left together. "Li Wei, why not wait and we can head there together? I won"t take long to prepare, at most a week"s time."
Li Wei quickly made up an excuse, "I know you"re worried about me since I haven"t gone anywhere else outside of Na"an. But I want to explore the outside world too. From a young age, I"ve always admired you so much. This is what I want to have too." It wasn"t a total lie, she did admired Aunt Rin. It"s just that she had other intentions with this trip.
Aunt Rin knew her niece was making up excuses. Okay, maybe she could believe Li Wei admired her courage, but everything else were lies. Who was the one that said she"d never journey outside of Na"an? Who was the one that said adventures were boring, that she"d rather spend time shopping in town?
Despite knowing the truth, Li Fahrin didn"t say a word and only pretended to ponder on the suggestion. It was fun to watch the girl try to come up with a reasonal enough excuse for her to agree to. The girl was cute, blushing pink on her cheeks as she hid her real reasons. If it wasn"t such a serious topic, Li Fahrin would"ve bursted out laughing.
Li Fahrin was not curious about the real reasons, but the girl really thought she bought the excuses.
Who did the girl think she was kidding?