Mo Sang – CH 089

Chapter 89. There’s Always an Addendum

Leaving the teahouse and walking a short distance, Li Sangrou slowed her pace, carefully observing Princess Ninghe.

“I am fine,” Princess Ninghe said, trying to calm her breathing.

“If you are angry, you should express it. Do not swallow it down. It’s not worth it.”

“How about we wait here and give him another good beating? I will watch,” Li Sangrou asked with a smile.

“He already cursed me, quite nastily. I am not angry, I am just…”

Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow, looking at Princess Ninghe, who seemed at a loss for words, her head bowed, tears welling up.

“Feeling wronged? Because of those four words, ‘utterly useless’?” Li Sangrou asked softly, looking at Princess Ninghe.

“Not entirely, it’s just… not entirely feeling wronged. Did he really want to use humiliation to gain favor?” Princess Ninghe looked at Li Sangrou, her eyes brimming with tears.

“I do not know. Insulting someone is like murder; it has to be deadly.

However, whether he’s trying to curry favor or not, we can figure it out by observing his usual behavior and inferring his thoughts from his actions.

Want to know? If you want to know, let’s investigate. Let Hei Ma inquire; Hei Ma is very good at gathering information,” Li Sangrou said to Princess Ninghe.

“Forget it, I am not like my Elder Brother and the others. I do not need to know everything. Knowing everything makes life miserable; that’s what my Elder Brother said, too.

I just felt… I was actually quite happy.” Princess Ninghe walked forward with her head down.

Li Sangrou looked at her but did not speak.

“We’ve only just come out, and we’ve already run into…” Princess Ninghe’s voice was low and melancholy, her head bowed. After a long pause, she continued, “Tell me, are they all quite unwilling to marry a princess?

I have two aunts, both of whom started practicing Buddhism in the palace in their teens. And those before them? It was even worse.”

“Before them? It was a chaotic mess. Those princes were much worse off than the princess. And before that, it’s impossible to say.

Those two aunts? They each had their own reasons, right? One was sick from childhood, sick from birth. The other, well, she got married later, did she not? “

“Hmm? That’s true. My Elder Brother said she was implicated by our father and uncles. But the title of Imperial Son-in-Law? It’s really just a nominal position.” Princess Ninghe seemed a little better, but she was still dejected.

“Hmm? Well, everyone has their own ambitions. While many men dream of governing the country and bringing peace to the world, quite a few prefer poetry, romance, boating on rivers, and appreciating the scenery.

Just like women, most dream of marrying a good husband, being a good wife and mother, and living a happy life, but there are also those like me who just enjoy fighting and killing.”

“Then, what about Master Wen?” Princess Ninghe looked at Li Sangrou.

“I really do not know.” Li Sangrou frowned, thought for a moment, then spread her hands and answered, “I am not familiar with him. You grew up together, so you should know him, right?”

Princess Ninghe lowered her head, kicking a small stone with her toe, and taking one step forward.

“I think I am pretty stupid,” Princess Ninghe said softly as she turned a corner.

“Hmm? Why do you think you are stupid?” Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow and asked.

“Actually, no one wants to marry the princess, and I…” Princess Ninghe’s throat tightened slightly.

“So, you do not want to marry them either?” Li Sangrou’s eyes darted around as she looked at Princess Ninghe.

Princess Ninghe gasped at Li Sangrou’s reply, glaring at her before bursting into laughter.

“Yes! That’s right, I absolutely do not want to marry them!” Princess Ninghe raised her head.

“Marriage is a matter of personal preference. Who is universally desired?

Even someone like your Second Brother, a prince, handsome, talented, and with a good temper, does not seem to be universally desired, does he?” Li Sangrou continued casually, her hands behind her back.

“Yes, it’s very difficult for my Second Brother to find a wife,” Princess Ninghe sighed.

“In the marketplace, people always say auspicious things, like marrying a top scholar. But this year’s top scholar is so ugly! I heard the auspicious saying has changed to ‘marrying a Tanhua.'”

Princess Ninghe laughed. “A Tanhua…is it because of the ‘Jinshi Tea Needle’? I have one; my Third Brother gave it to me.”

“Who knows? Anyway, I think, let alone people, even things, nothing is universally loved. Of course, money is an exception.”

Princess Ninghe chuckled.

“Hmm, I understand. Thank you for advising me,” Princess Ninghe said, looking at Li Sangrou and thanking her sincerely.

“Will you still come to the literary gathering?” Li Sangrou asked, looking at Princess Ninghe.

“Of course I will! Why would I not? Jianle City does not belong to them, and the literary gathering does not belong to them either!” Princess Ninghe imitated Li Sangrou, putting her hands behind her back and raising her chin.

“That’s right, Jianle City is clearly ours, and this literary gathering is ours too!”

“Hey! You cannot say that! My Elder Brother will scold me if he hears this!”

After a pause, Princess Ninghe repeated Li Sangrou’s words in a low voice, laughing as she whispered to Li Sangrou, “Say that; it’s really satisfying!”

……………………

Princess Ninghe and Li Sangrou were still walking along the Imperial Street, looking around as they went, when the events at the literary gathering were already reported to Gu Xi.

After hearing the servant’s report, Gu Xi slammed his hand on the table and pointed at Ru-Yi, ordering, “Go! Pick out a mirror for me, and get a chain for it. Send it to Du Ruian. Make him wear it around his neck, look at it three times a day, and see clearly what kind of person he is!”

Wen Shunzhi sighed and stepped forward to dissuade him, but Wen Cheng grabbed him.

“That’s too cruel; it should not be like this,” Wen Shunzhi and Wen Cheng said in low voices.

“The princess has finally agreed to go out for a bit. If because of this…” Wen Cheng trailed off, his eyes lowered.

Wen Shunzhi grunted, took a step back, and gave up trying to persuade him.

If this matter truly caused Princess Ninghe to refuse to choose a consort again, it would really cause a huge uproar.

……………………

Gu Jin watched Prime Minister Du leave the side hall, then rubbed his temples.

Ah Yue had only been out for a day, and this had happened; it was truly a headache for him.

“Go see if Ah Yue has returned,” Gu Jin instructed Qing-Feng, who had been standing respectfully to his side.

Qing-Feng nodded in agreement and stepped out of the hall.

Before Gu Jin could send someone to fetch Gu Xi, Gu Xi strode in.

“You know about what happened at the literary gathering?” Gu Jin asked directly upon seeing Gu Xi.

“Yes, I had someone buy a mirror for Du Ruian to hang around his neck.” Gu Xi gritted his teeth and slapped the armrest of his chair.

“The Emperor did ask Prime Minister Du if the Du family had any suitable sons, and Prime Minister Du did mention Du Ruian. Does Lady Li know about this?” Gu Jin looked at Gu Xi, frowning as she asked.

Gu Xi was taken aback. “I did not know about this. How could she know? This matter is probably only known to the Emperor, Prime Minister Du, and perhaps Du Ruian as well.”

“Du Ruian complained about this to Ah Yue this time, so he must have complained before. I wonder how Lady Li found out. What is she trying to do?” Gu Jin frowned at Gu Xi.

“Brother, you overthink everything. There are at least half the things you think about that I definitely would not have imagined, and I think with Lady Li, there would be at least seven parts of the things you think about that she would not have thought of.

She’s a free spirit, living and acting on her own whims.

Brother, you overthink things,” Gu Xi said bluntly.

Gu Jin glanced at Gu Xi and gave a dismissive snort. “I will have Qing-Feng go check on Ah Yue and see how Lady Li has managed to get her into this mess.”

“If you are worried, then do not let Ah Yue go out with Lady Li again. It’s not like you cannot control her.” Gu Xi spread his hands.

“Whether you are worried or not, I have to keep an eye on Ah Yue’s affairs from beginning to end, do I not?” Gu Jin glared at Gu Xi.

“You can keep an eye, but not like this. You just overthink things!” Gu Xi met Gu Jin’s gaze and retorted bluntly.

Qing-Feng returned quickly, reporting with his hands at his sides, “The princess seemed peaceful and happy. I said that on Master’s orders, I asked the princess how the literary gathering went today. The princess said it was quite fun and that, just like Boss Li said, there were all sorts of people.

The princess also said that she and Boss Li have arranged to rest tomorrow and go see the ‘Floating Wine Cups’ event the day after.

The princess also asked me to inform Master that she will not send anyone over specifically, saying that the ‘Floating Wine Cups’ event is outside the city, and she will ride there the day after tomorrow.”

Gu Xi raised his eyebrows, looking at Gu Jin with a pleased expression.

Gu Jin slowly let out a breath, about to speak to Gu Xi, when he saw Qing-Feng’s uncomfortable expression, clearly indicating that there was something he could not keep to himself but was also finding it difficult to say.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Jin asked, looking at Qing-Feng.

Qing-Feng’s face immediately contorted in a grimace. “Replying to you, Master, it’s… well, this… the princess was staring at me and asked, ‘What’s a diao mao¹?'”

Before Qing-Feng could finish speaking, he knelt.

“What?” Gu Jin genuinely had not heard him clearly; Qing-Feng’s words were far too vague.

Gu Xi, however, had heard the whole story of Li Sangrou’s outburst and burst out laughing, coughing and choking.

“Get up; it’s not your fault.” After laughing for a while, Gu Xi was able to speak again and quickly gestured to Qing-Feng, who was still kneeling on the ground.

Qing-Feng quickly crawled away on his knees.

“What happened?” Gu Jin glared at Gu Xi.

Gu Xi covered his mouth with his fist, coughing fourteen or fifteen times before stammering out the vulgar phrase Li Sangrou had uttered.

Gu Jin stood there stunned for a while, then slammed his hand on the table. “That shrew!”

“She’s the head of a sleazy gang, so this is inevitable,” Gu Xi said, spreading his hands. “I will go find her in a bit and talk to her. She cannot say that in front of Ah Yue anymore.”

“Sigh, forget it.” Gu Jin waved his hand helplessly. “First, even if you talk to her, it might not work. Second, it’s nothing, just a vulgar phrase. Third, let’s just go with the first two, sigh.

Asking her to take Ah Yue out for walks, that was something I brought up…”

“She agreed!” Gu Xi quickly interrupted. “You said if Ah Yue could learn even a little bit of Lady Li’s carefree and easygoing nature, at least she would not die young and depressed.”

“Sigh, forget it, forget it, choose the lesser of two evils,” Gu Jin waved his hand weakly.

Most royal princesses died young. He’d worried about Ah Yue ever since she was little.

Sigh, never mind. If Ah Yue could be more vibrant, cheerful, and strong, let her swear a few times; nothing in this world was perfect.

……………………

The next morning, Princess Ninghe, dressed in a light pink robe and cinched with a jade belt, led her maids, eunuchs, and guards straight to Chenzhou Gate.

At the Winding Stream Gathering in Xiliu Garden outside the Dongshui Gate, Li Sangrou had arranged to meet her outside Chenzhou Gate.

Princess Ninghe exited Chenzhou Gate and saw Li Sangrou sitting at the entrance of a small teahouse, waiting for her.

Beside Li Sangrou, Hei Ma and Jin Mao were rubbing their heads together, pounding tea in a bowl.

“Let’s go,” Li Sangrou said, standing up as Princess Ninghe approached.

Hei Ma responded with a “Yes!”, took a large gulp of the Lei Cha, and handed it to Jin Mao.

Jin Mao gulped down two large mouthfuls, chewing on the peanut crumbs in the tea, before leaping and bounding to mount the horse.

“What were you looking at just now?” Princess Ninghe asked, leaning forward from her horse towards the bowl of Lei Cha.

“I said there was pepper in the Lei Cha, but he insisted there was not. We were looking for pepper,” Hei Ma explained.

“How could you possibly find pepper in Lei Cha? It’s all ground into powder,” Princess Ninghe chuckled.

This Hei Ma was truly amusing.

“The taste of ground pepper is very strong; even Jin Mao could smell it.

It must have been whole peppercorns mixed in, one or two, at most three.” Hei Ma confidently held up one finger, then three.

“I actually tasted it!” Jin Mao smeared something from his mouth with one finger, while his other hand trembled as he squeezed forward, reins in hand.

“I told you so!” Hei Ma exclaimed triumphantly.

Princess Ninghe stared at the black goo Jin Mao was smearing from its mouth, her face contorted with disgust. “Disgusting!”

“Do not lick it!” Li Sangrou swiftly stopped Jin Mao from licking it back.

Princess Ninghe glared at Jin Mao, who flicked away the black goo with a regretful expression, then burst out laughing.

“You two, you are not allowed to tell the princess about those disgusting things you did when you were begging. Absolutely no disgusting things allowed,” Li Sangrou warned again.

“What disgusting things?” Princess Ninghe asked, incredibly curious.

Hei Ma pointed at Princess Ninghe with one hand, and Jin Mao pointed at Li Sangrou with the other. Their eyes met.

“Just a little bit!” Princess Ninghe said, looking past Hei Ma and Jin Mao at Li Sangrou.

Hei Ma and Jin Mao locked eyes again, glancing at Li Sangrou together. Hei Ma chuckled dryly. “Once, Jin Mao and I snatched a piece of meat from a dog’s mouth. It was not small; it was this big, and it smelled delicious.”

Princess Ninghe glared at Hei Ma, grunted in disgust, and quickly covered her mouth.

“They were both beggars. Jin Mao knows his age now, but Hei Ma still does not.” Li Sangrou’s words were interrupted by Hei Ma.

“I am the same age as Jin Mao!” Hei Ma pointed back and forth between Jin Mao and himself.

“Those two are incredibly lucky. They started begging outside Jiangdu City when they were four or five years old, and they actually survived to adulthood.

Their large group of beggars often woke up in the morning to find the people next to them already dead. They would take off the clothes of their dead companions and wear them. The dead are dead, but the living must live,” Li Sangrou continued.

Princess Ninghe’s eyes welled up with tears. “So pitiful.”

“Hmm, let’s not talk about that. By the way, that guy I scolded the day before yesterday left Jianle City early yesterday morning, saying he was going on a study tour.

Your Third Brother gave him a mirror with a chain hanging from it, saying he should wear it around his neck and look at himself three times a day.” Li Sangrou changed the subject with a smile.

“Ah! That’s too tragic!” Princess Ninghe exclaimed, her face full of pity.

“If he does not suffer a little, everyone will dare to come up and lecture you. That will not do. We have to beat the first one badly so that the others will be afraid. That’s called making an example of him,” Li Sangrou said with a smile.

“Just as fierce as Third Brother,” Princess Ninghe sighed. “Third Brother always says I am too soft-hearted, just like Second Brother.

When we were little, a golden pheasant in the garden was dying. My Second Brother and I cried our eyes out, but Third Brother said it was old and probably would not taste good.

Sigh, even now, I still feel a little sad when I think of that pheasant, and so does my Second Brother.

Once, while we were strolling in the garden, my Second Brother showed me a little golden pheasant, saying it looked a lot like the one that died and that it must be that pheasant reincarnated.”

Li Sangrou looked at Princess Ninghe, raising an eyebrow slightly.

That Second Prince was so naive; this was not a good thing.