The Times Spent in Pretense Chapter 85

Chapter 85 Understanding Others’ Intentions

For the scholars participating in the Qionglin Feast, the most important thing was to be recognized by nobles for their talent, or to make a stunning display of their talent. At the very least, receiving a few comnts from nobles and gaining so visibility was considered good.

However, who would have expected that the Fourth Prince would be so sparing with his words? When others comnted on poems and verses, they would usually elaborate on the aning and artistic conception. But with the Fourth Prince’s approach, everyone felt a sense of disappointnt.

“This one is the best,” The Fourth Prince finally finished going through all the poems and, as if completing a task, placed one poem on the table. So ministers present, in order to lighten the atmosphere, praised the poem before realizing that it was the work of the top-ranked scholar, Hua Changkong.

Hua Changkong’s work was different from the other scholars. His poems carried a sense of grandeur from the borderlands, with a righteous spirit flowing between the lines, like a general on horseback who would not retreat even in the face of the enemy.

“Scholar Yao’s poem is also well-written, especially the use of the word ‘reflection’…”

Seeing the atmosphere returning to a lively discussion, the Fourth Prince stood up and left. This ti, no one stopped him. The Ministry of Rites official silently accompanied him out of the hall. If this prince were to stay any longer, the scholars would have burst into tears.

Before returning to his residence, the Fourth Prince went to et Consort Lin.

Upon seeing her son, Consort Lin’s face showed a hint of a smile, “Did you enjoy your ti with those scholars?”

The Fourth Prince pondered for a mont. No one was nagging at him, so it could be considered enjoyable.

“Next, there will be the Hundred Nations Banquet, and nurous envoys from different countries will attend. As a prince, you must not be outdone by the other princes,” Consort Lin recited the nas of the countries participating in the banquet and continued, “During this banquet, your father certainly wants the Crown Prince to shine, but with the Crown Prince’s temperant…”

Consort Lin laughed, “Rest assured, you just need to make sure you don’t make any mistakes at the banquet. As for the Crown Prince, I will handle him.”

As Consort Lin kept talking non-stop, the Fourth Prince’s eyes began to empty out, pretending that he was just a rock in the courtyard.

Consort Lin ntioned many things to be cautious of, and after she finished speaking, she took a sip of tea. However, after waiting for a while, she didn’t receive any response from her son. She furrowed her brows.

“Hmm?” Sensing that the room had fallen quiet, the Fourth Prince snapped back to attention, “Mother, have you finished speaking?”

Consort Lin was annoyed, “Have you been listening to what I said?”

The Fourth Prince stood up, “It’s late at night, so I bid you farewell, Mother.”

Consort Lin covered her chest, she almost cursed at her own son in anger.

No cursing, no foul language. She was the understanding and gentle Consort Lin.

After leaving the hall, the Crown Prince headed straight to the Eastern Palace. Unexpectedly, he encountered Xie Fuma, who was leaving the palace.

Xie Fuma walked unsteadily, leaning on two servants to barely support himself. Even in such a disheveled state, he had not lost a bit of his elegance.

“Your Royal Highness, the Crown Prince,” Xie Fuma gestured for his servants to step aside, respectfully bowing to the Crown Prince, “This humble official greets Your Royal Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“The night is late. Where are you coming from, Fuma?” The Crown Prince leaned against the sedan chair, his expression seemingly smiling but not really. To onlookers, it was clear that he was making fun of Xie Fuma.

Who in the palace didn’t know that Xie Fuma ca to the palace to plead for his daughter, but the Emperor didn’t grant him an audience? Xie Fuma knelt at the gate of the Chenyang Palace for several hours until the Emperor returned from the Qionglin Feast, and then he expressionlessly drove him away.

Xie Fuma‘s daughter had committed a heinous cri by attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince. Seeing Xie Fuma in this state, the Emperor didn’t even send soone to accompany him, letting him walk out of the palace on his own. Onlookers felt both sympathy and introspection. Children must be raised properly, otherwise, if they commit grave cris outside, it would affect the whole family.

The usually benevolent Emperor’s cold treatnt of Xie Fuma indicated how deeply he resented Royal Princess Leyang. It was possible that the entire Xie family would be implicated.

Perhaps it was due to Xie Fuma‘s prominent and talented image, as well as his sincere attitude in pleading, that few people suspected any connection between him and the incident involving his daughter.

Xie Fuma bowed and said, “This humble official’s daughter has committed an unforgivable cri. This humble official feels deeply troubled. Until the Emperor forgives this humble official, I am willing to co to the Chenyang Palace every day to plead for forgiveness.”

“No need for that. Father Emperor is a benevolent and wise ruler; if you kneel in front of the Chenyang Palace every day, it might be seen as intentionally self-harming and trying to force the Emperor’s forgiveness,” the Crown Prince leisurely played with his jade bead bracelet and calmly said, “In that case, both you and Father Emperor would feel miserable. Wouldn’t that be a lose-lose situation?”

“Gu has a good idea. Fuma, would you like to hear it?”

“Please speak, Your Royal Highness,” Xie Fuma‘s knees trembled slightly, looking quite pitiful. To onlookers, it seed like a scene where an arrogant prince was bullying a poor elder.

“The Princess’s followers attempted to assassinate Gu. Gu is the most pitiful victim. If you find it difficult to move on, you can kneel at the entrance of Gu‘s Eastern Palace,” the Crown Prince thought his idea was excellent and was proud of himself, “Gu is known for having thick skin, so you can kneel there as much as you want. Gu guarantees that Gu won’t drive you away. This way, Father Emperor won’t see you, and he won’t feel as miserable. It will also help relieve your guilt. What do you think of Gu‘s idea, Fuma?”

“Your Royal Highness, this idea is perfect. This humble official admires it,” Despite the Crown Prince’s deliberate provocation, Xie Fuma‘s expression remained unchanged as he respectfully bowed.

“Very well then,” The Crown Prince smiled in satisfaction, “Tomorrow, Fuma can co early. The entrance of the Eastern Palace is spacious enough. Even if Aunt decides to accompany you, there will be room. A family should be neat and tidy to show sincerity, don’t you think?”

Xie Fuma: “…”

Why did the Emperor allow such an arrogant person to beco the Crown Prince?

“Why aren’t you saying anything, Fuma?” The Crown Prince frowned, “Do you think Gu is wrong?”

“Your Royal Highness is absolutely right.”

“Since Fuma agrees with Gu, then it’s settled. Co early tomorrow, Gu will have the eunuchs sweep the floor at the entrance of the Eastern Palace. If Aunt doesn’t want to accompany you, then so be it. She is a delicate woman, and kneeling for a long ti isn’t good for her health,” After yawning, the Crown Prince said, “It’s late. Gu should return to the palace to rest. When you co tomorrow, there’s no need to offer greetings. Gu wakes up late, so don’t disturb Gu‘s peaceful dreams.”

“Yes,” Xie Fuma felt like his many years of patience were about to run out.

The Crown Prince enjoyed watching these people resort to desperate asures, kneeling for however long they wanted. After all, it was not his knees that would hurt. But as a spectator, he cared about the actors’ performances, and this Fuma‘s acting skills were quite exquisite.

He loved watching these people’s performances.

Xie Fuma endured the pain and returned to Royal Princess Leyang Estate. Looking at his swollen knees, he said to Royal Princess Leyang, “The Crown Prince is cruel. If he ascends to the throne, he won’t care about his elders.”

Royal Princess Leyang sneered, “Since he wants to kneel, then I will kneel for him. I want everyone in the capital to see what a ruthless person the Crown Prince is.”

Xie Fuma glanced at Royal Princess Leyang but didn’t ntion what the Crown Prince had said about exempting her from kneeling in the palace.

After Royal Princess Leyang fell asleep, Xie Fuma put on his outer robe, rubbed his painfully aching knees, and walked outside the courtyard.

“Xie Fuma,” A’Da knelt on one knee in front of Xie Fuma, not daring to lift his head, “Although this subordinate has infiltrated the Ministry of Justice Prison, the prison is heavily guarded, and Second Miss’s food is thoroughly inspected. This subordinate cannot find an opportunity.”

“Tomorrow is the Hundred Nations Banquet. Most of the personnel at the Ministry of Justice Prison will be patrolling the streets. You can take advantage of this opportunity to make her commit suicide willingly,” Xie Fuma said with so dissatisfaction. He didn’t expect that two days had already passed, and A’Da hadn’t found an opportunity yet.

If it weren’t for the limited manpower he brought to the capital and the fact that all those people and horses he arranged in the suburbs were wiped out due to the incompetence of Xie Yao, he wouldn’t be so stretched right now.

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Hua Liuli received a ssage from the Crown Prince’s n, inviting her to watch a play at the Eastern Palace.

For the Hundred Nations Banquet in the evening, the Empress Dowager had already invited Hua Liuli to the Shoukang Palace to dress up and get ready in the morning. The Empress Dowager had also prepared many beautiful clothes for her.

Whether she went early or late, Hua Liuli hardly hesitated. She quickly boarded the carriage and headed to the Eastern Palace first.

“Ah,” Hua Yingting watched the departing carriage, “A daughter that doesn’t listen to her father. She’s a source of disaster, this blue-eyed troublemaker.”

“Why are you squatting at the gate so early in the morning? Are you waiting for to throw you a bone?” Wei Mingyue said expressionlessly, “It’s a good thing for the younger generation to get along well. Don’t ddle in their affairs.”

“I’m just reluctant,” Hua Yingting muttered unhappily, “Our lively little cabbage has gone to amuse the pigs. As an old father, I feel a bit uncomfortable.”

Wei Mingyue couldn’t be bothered to deal with him and turned back to the courtyard.

Hua Liuli was still unaware of her own father’s lancholic heart. When she arrived at the gate of the Eastern Palace, she saw three people kneeling outside, with Royal Princess Leyang in the middle.

What kind of play is this? Aunt kneeling at her nephew’s doorstep.

She cleared her throat, catching the attention of the three individuals. The young gentleman on the far right lifted his head. His appearance was relatively ordinary, but there was a hint of the elegance of Royal Princess Leyang in his eyes and brows. One could reluctantly admit that he looked refined.

Royal Princess Leyang had been kneeling at the entrance for less than half an hour and her knees had already lost all feeling. She never expected that the Crown Prince would actually let her kneel for so long.

This was the main palace road, where eunuchs and palace maidservants passed by and could witness her sorry state.

Royal Princess Leyang hated it with all her heart. Her biggest regret was not slapping the Crown Prince when he was still the Third Prince.

“I apologize,” Hua Liuli took out her handkerchief and covered her mouth, her face reddening as she looked at Royal Princess Leyang, “I have matters to discuss with the Crown Prince. Your Highness and the other two seem to be blocking my way. Could you please move aside?”

Royal Princess Leyang sneered, “There’s so much space on the side, can’t Junzhu just pass through?”

Hua Liuli sighed, “This humble servant has a lowly status, how can I step over His Royal Highness?” With that, she held onto Yuan Yi’s hand and stepped over the threshold of the Eastern Palace. She stood inside and looked down at them.

“This is Xie Fuma?” Hua Liuli looked at Xie Fuma, whose face was pale but still exuded a dignified air in his middle age. She couldn’t help but glance at him a few more tis.

He looks so handso now. I wonder what he looked like when he was young, radiating such charisma.

Xie Fuma looked up and t Hua Liuli’s gaze. This kind of clear gaze, he had seen it before in his younger years.

He was montarily lost in thought until he saw the Crown Prince coming out with a group of palace attendants, then he retracted his gaze.

“Liuli,” The Crown Prince had just stepped out when he noticed Hua Liuli staring at Xie Fuma. The fact that Xie Fuma had once been known for his unparalleled appearance when he was young created a subtle feeling in his heart.

“Your Royal Highness,” Hua Liuli walked calmly to the Crown Prince’s side, as though she hadn’t been the one examining Xie Fuma‘s appearance just now, “Why is Royal Princess Leyang kneeling here?”

“Aunt and Fuma had been thinking about how they raised a daughter like that. It’s been keeping them up at night and making them lose their appetite. They insist on kneeling to beg for forgiveness from Gu,” the Crown Prince sighed. “No matter how Gu tried to stop them, they wouldn’t listen. Gu can only go along with their wishes. Perhaps if Gu let them kneel for a few more days, they will feel better.”

“I see,” Hua Liuli nodded approvingly, “Your Royal Highness is willing to let others gossip about you just to satisfy the wishes of Princess Leyang. You truly understand people’s hearts.”

Royal Princess Leyang: “…”

Is that how you use the phrase “understand people’s hearts”?

“What else can Gu do?” the Crown Prince shook his head and sighed, “They are family after all. Gu can’t just stand by and watch them starve themselves, refuse to eat, drink, or sleep, and ruin their health. For the sake of Aunt’s family’s well-being, the idle gossip of outsiders is not important. Gu doesn’t care.”

“Ah,” Hua Liuli looked distressed, “Your Royal Highness, you are always so kind and considerate, enduring grievances without complaint. It hurts my heart.”

“It’s okay, Gu doesn’t mind. Don’t worry about it,” the Crown Prince comforted Hua Liuli in a low voice.

Watching these two who were so perfectly in sync with each other, Royal Princess Leyang felt nauseated.

These two little wretches are so good at acting, why don’t they go on stage and perform a grand play?