Chapter 86.2: Don’t Try to Reason With Him
Sensing something amiss from the start, someone had already ran to report to n.o.ble Consort Su. Thus, the three in Yucui Palace naturally rushed over very soon.
“What happened?” Le Cheng Emperor asked with a steady expression.
Looking at the scene, it obviously appeared as if Jin Qinw.a.n.g was bullying Princess Min Xiang, but Le Cheng Emperor didn’t believe; n.o.ble Consort Su didn’t believe either. This son of theirs was indeed good-for-nothing sometimes, and even if he occasionally looked for trouble out of nothing, aside from those beauties he fancied, he wouldn’t approach women of his own accord, let alone Min Xiang who was his younger sister. More importantly, Li Hong Yuan has never been interested in bullying the young and weak. Just look at what kind of people he usually ‘offends’. For someone who dares to talk back and be confrontational with Le Cheng Emperor, dares to sneer in disdain at the court officials, dares to not be lenient in sorting out his brothers, and had no interest in bothering with those n.o.ble sons and young masters who were just like a mouse before a cat when they see him, would someone like that deliberately bully a little girl? He wasn’t that childish and senseless.
Rather it was Li Hong Ming, who looked to Li Hong Yuan with skepticism and doubt.
Princess Min Xiang’s palace maids quickly explained the whole situation.
Li Hong Yuan paused wiping his hands and looked to the silk handkerchief that was dyed red in his hand, frowning, “This son didn’t know.”
n.o.ble Consort Su saw that he still had an expressionless look on his face as usual, but could feel a trace of guilt from him. This was already hard to come by. “This is precisely the so called, ‘not the fault of the unaware’. You don’t need to put it to heart.” Li Hong Yuan in reality was very cold to everyone, aside from this consort mother, who he was slightly able to get close to. Even Li Hong Ming and Min Xiang, who grew up together with him in Yucui Palace, weren’t able to let him produce much affections either. Thus, for him to not know about this matter, n.o.ble Consort Su wasn’t that surprised.
“Such an important matter, sixth brother actually didn’t know, if Min Xiang were to know, afraid she’d be very saddened. After all, Min Xiang has always liked sixth brother very much, no?” Li Hong Ming teased, “This prince originally thought that sixth brother was fully aware and deliberately acted as such. Because Min Xiang didn’t listen to you a moment ago, you intentionally messed with her.”
Li Hong Yuan apathetically looked to him, “Oh, so in an outsider’s eyes, this prince is such a narrow-minded and petty person. Then, if third brother has something you’re afraid of, remember to hold on to it tight, so as to avoid getting found out by this prince someday and thereby use it to ‘mess with’ third brother.”
“All of you shut up.” Le Cheng Emperor never was a blood-driven emperor, in addition to being elderly in years, he further hoped for his sons to amicable with one another and the whole family harmonious and happy, despite clearly knowing that this was impossible, and clearly knowing that his sons fought relentlessly in the dark because of that chair he was sitting one. When it’s not spread out on the surface, he was still willing to deceive himself, but to speak ‘hiding a needle in silk floss’[1] in front of his face really made him angry.
n.o.ble Consort Su also gave each a warning glance, letting them shut up.
“Consort mother should go check on Min Xiang, this son saw that she was quite frightened. If consort mother were to be by her side at this time, it would be much better.”
n.o.ble Consort Su also knew this and was very worried inside as well, “Then, Yuan’er, wait for consort mother for the time being, the afternoon meal…..”
“Consort mother, this son can accompany you for a meal at anytime. As long as you don’t find this son bothersome, this son can even enter the palace every day to accompany for a meal. Today, just let it go for now, Min Xiang is more important.”
n.o.ble Consort Su was still somewhat hesitant.
“Imperial father, consort mother, this son suddenly remembered something, thus will withdraw first.” Without waiting for them to respond, after finish performing his courtesies, he just turned and left. He was still as insolent and arrogant as before. Just as he walked a few steps, he suddenly stopped again, “Consort mother, what does Min Xiang like?”
n.o.ble Consort Su was surprised. This was wanting to prepare a gift for Min Xiang as an apology? She smilingly opened her mouth, “Things that normal girls like, she is all fond of.”
“……understood.” Regardless of what, whenever encountering ‘anything’, it was always the most annoying.
It was rare for Li Hong Yuan to be caring for once. Le Cheng Emperor was quite happy. If it was towards him, then he probably would be even happier. As soon as he was happy, the things he’d decided to compensate Li Hong Yuan with increased by three-folds.
Li Hong Ming hung his head and held back his eyes, concealing all the emotions in his eyes. Don’t blame him, even if they were raised by the same consort mother, he still resented Li Hong Yuan out of jealousy just like his other brothers. The things Li Hong Yuan could do and dared to do, they couldn’t and didn’t dare to do. If they did anything slightly out of line, they would all get lectured and reprimanded. But those disgraceful things Li Hong Yuan did could all be considered a dime a dozen, yet at most, he only received imperial father’s scolding and consort mother’s discouragement. The court officials don’t say anything, and even the imperial censors all shut their mouths. In contrast, if he were to show the slightest affection towards his siblings, or concern for his elders, then he would make imperial father and consort mother incessantly content. But for them, no matter how painstakingly filial they were, at most, they would just get a smile in return, a ‘you’ve been thoughtful’, and nothing else.
This was the difference! Expectations brought about by dictated habits! No matter how out of line someone out of line was, they can’t get any worse, and no matter how outstanding an outstanding person was, they can’t get any better. On the contrary, if an out of line person suddenly were to do something that make people feel pleased with him, then he can immediately make people forget his shortcomings. And if a perfectly outstanding person were to suddenly do something out of line, then all the previous good would completely get overturned, making people only remember this one thing, and moreover, take it to heart. Then, in the future, when coming across similar incidences, they would immediately think of him, forever unable to be as clean as before getting stained.
And Li Hong Yuan’s temperament, that was brought about by the many aspects of the heaven, the earth, and the ‘people’. Others were unable to imitate.
Li Hong Ming not only suspected Li Hong Yuan for purposely scaring Min Xiang, he further suspected that the person who caused Min Xiang’s fear of red color liquid was also him. After all, ever since that great illness, Min Xiang subconsciously began fearing Li Hong Yuan and distancing from him. Of course, this at the time wasn’t obvious, practically unnoticeable. When Min Xiang was little, she very much liked clinging to Li Hong Yuan, always like a little tail following behind him. After she recovered from her illness, she seemingly was the same as before, and afterwards, they slowly drifted apart. In addition, Li Hong Yuan later left the palace to open his own residence, and his temper also increasingly got worse, so the two’s complete estrangement seemingly also had logic to follow. But Li Hong Ming just felt something was off. However, even if he was skeptical, he didn’t have any proof either. After all, at the time, Min Xiang herself also was unable to say a reason why. Even when consort mother meticulously investigated, she was unable to find anything.
Min Xiang was scared of him now, but what could that mean? A lot of people were all scared of him. Of those proud and willful, and insufferably arrogant princesses and junzhus, not one dared to look at people with their nostrils in front of him.
If Li Hong Yuan were to find out about Li Hong Ming’s thoughts, he would probably send him two words: ‘quite smart’.
That year when Princess Min Xiang was seven years old, Li Hong Yuan was fourteen. No matter how tender his sh.e.l.l was, it still couldn’t hide the fact that he was a grown man who was once the Emperor, who had experienced through thousands of sails and gone through countless hards.h.i.+ps. He’d be out of his mind to want to sort out a small child for no rhyme or reason. Since he did that, then there must have been a reason. And since she wasn’t someone that blocked his path, then for him to do such an excessive thing, going great lengths to scheme against a little girl, it could only be because Princess Min Xiang’s matter was related to Jing Wan.
[1] A Needle Concealed in Silk Floss – Ruthless character behind a gentle appearance; chinese version of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.