Phoenix Reigns Over The Nine Heavens - Chapter 48

When Li Xue said those words, she had her own little scheme in mind.

If Yun Zishu had deliberately ordered the kitchen to cut back on their food, then Brother Heng would definitely be able to see through her stingy and vicious heart. If the kitchen had acted on its own initiative, then Yun Zishu would definitely order the kitchen to improve their food in order to save her face, and they would not have to pay for it themselves in the future.

Li Xue was calculating this way, but she did not expect that Xiao Yunheng would reject the idea outright.

“No need,” Xiao Yunheng frowned. “Let’s just make do with this meal tonight, and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

If he went to Qifeng Hall twice in one day, Yun Zishu would really think he couldn’t manage to manage without her. Although his purpose was to make her willingly return to the Xiao family, he couldn’t indulge her temper and let her really think she could manipulate him.

“I heard that the birthday of the imperial concubine is in three days.” Li Xue said in a low voice, unconsciously twisting the chopsticks in her hand, feeling secretly jealous. “Yun Zishu will probably attend the Qianqiu (thousand years) Banquet in the palace.”

If only she were Brother Heng’s official wife, she could also attend the consort’s birthday celebration in the palace. She could wear luxurious clothes, sit among the noble princesses and ladies, hold her head high with pride, and wait for young ladies from slightly worse backgrounds to flatter her, enjoying the feeling of being high above and sought after.

But Xiao Yunheng’s official wife is Yun Zishu.

Every time Li Xue thought of this, she felt particularly resentful, hating Yun Zishu for occupying the position that rightfully belonged to her.

What did it matter if she was more favored? As long as she wasn’t the official wife, she would never be qualified to attend those formal palace banquets, unable to enter the circle of noble ladies and official wives, unable to stay with people of more noble status to drink tea, chat, appreciate flowers, and recite poems.

If only Yun Zishu were gone…

Looking at the meager dishes and the hard steamed buns in front of her, Li Xue darkly thought to herself that Yun Zishu should just die. As long as she died, all the problems would be solved.

“Imperial Consort’s birthday celebration?” Xiao Yunheng’s expression shifted, as if he had thought of something. The corners of his mouth slowly pursed.

His injuries have improved compared to a few days ago, and after resting for three more days, he should be able to enter the palace to attend the Thousand Years Banquet… Although it would be somewhat difficult, he can endure it for the sake of showing others that he and Yun Zishu are a loving couple.

As long as he appeared in public with Yun Zishu, changing outsiders’ perception of the ninth princess’s act of divorce, the Xiao family’s lost dignity could be restored.

At the banquet, in front of all the princes and important ministers, the emperor and the noble consort would likely advise Yun Zishu. By then, everyone would believe that the matter of abandoning her husband is just a farce.

Under the pressure from all sides, Yun Zishu would eventually return to the Xiao family.

Everything will develop in a good direction.

……

Xiao Yunheng was calculating his own favorable outcome, but he never expected that plans often fail to keep up with changes.

He had eaten very little in the evening, and for a grown man, that amount of food was not enough to fill the gap between his teeth. He spent the night feeling hungry and uncomfortable, drifting in and out of sleep until morning. When he saw Li Xue enter, her expression was hesitant and evasive, as if she had discovered some unspeakable secret.

Xiao Yunheng’s probing gaze fell on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Brother Heng, I found out something. You… you must not be angry…” Li Xue said hesitantly, “You are still injured; you can’t afford to be upset.”

“What is it exactly?”

Li Xue bit her lip. “I went to pay my respects to Her Highness earlier. I originally wanted to tell her that the people in the kitchen were mistreating Brother Heng with the food and wanted her to investigate. But by chance, I accidentally discovered…”

Xiao Yunheng frowned. “Discovered what?”

Li Xue lowered her head and said, “I noticed Commander Si coming out of the princess’s bedroom…”

“What did you say?” Xiao Yunheng’s face changed drastically. “Say it again!”

“Commander…Commander Si…”

“That shameless woman!” Xiao Yunheng abruptly sat up from the bed, tugging at his wounds. A sharp pain made his face instantly turn white. “Ugh!”

“Be careful, Brother Heng.” Li Xue quickly stepped forward to support him. “Please don’t get angry; rage harms the body.”

Xiao Yunheng ignored the pain and put on his clothes with the help of Li Xue. He ordered her to help him to Qifeng Hall. After a long walk, he finally arrived at Qifeng Hall but was stopped by the guards.

“Without the summons of the Princess, no one is allowed to enter the Qifeng Hall at will.”

“Get out of my way!” Xiao Yunheng roared, his face dark and livid, looking extremely ugly. “Yun Zishu, get out here!”

Inside the hall, Yun Zishu had been listening to Si Cang. Yun Zishu heard the commotion outside, and her expression suddenly turned cold. “What is Xiao Yunheng going crazy about again?”

Leng Yue thought of Li Xue’s expression when she saw the commander just now and knew what was going on. “It’s probably caused by Li Xue’s words.”

“I’ll go take a look.” Si Cang said, turning to leave.

Yun Zishu also put down her teacup. “I’ll go with you.”

The two walked out of the Qifeng Hall and saw Xiao Yunheng, who looked like an enraged beast, his eyes filled with ferocity.

“Yun Zishu, do you have any sense of shame?” Xiao Yunheng saw the two of them coming out together, and his anger intensified even more. He couldn’t help but point at Yun Zishu’s nose. “In broad daylight, you are having a private meeting with a man from outside. Do you have any decency? Do you know what a woman’s virtue is? You are utterly wanton—”

A cold, icy voice cut him off. “Leng Shuang, slap his mouth!”

“Yes.” A figure rushed over, followed by a series of crisp sounds. Li Xue was swept to the side by a gust of wind, and she watched in a daze as Leng Shuang seemed to be practicing martial arts, relentlessly striking Xiao Yunheng’s face.

She turned pale with fright and cried. “What…what are you doing? Stop! Stop it!”

Leng Shuang ignored her, her hands rising and falling rhythmically.

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

“Ugh!” Xiao Yunheng, who was still weak, could not withstand the onslaught of slaps. He staggered and fell to the ground, causing him to feel pain all over his body and adding to his injuries.

“Brother Heng!” Li Xue quickly rushed forward to help him, her face ashen with fear. “Brother Heng, are you alright? Brother Heng!”

Xiao Yunheng felt dizzy, and his vision went black. His ears rang, and his split lip was bleeding. He didn’t react for a long time. His face was already swollen like a pig’s head, both cheeks grotesquely puffed up.

Leng Shuang shook her hand and returned to stand beside Yun Zishu.

Si Cang’s voice was cold and sharp, carrying a bone-chilling menace. “If Xiao Yunheng dares to spew such vile insults again, sew his mouth shut.”

Leng Shuang acknowledged the order. “Yes.”

Xiao Yunheng was in so much pain that he couldn’t speak. He had always believed that women were weak, but Leng Shuang had repeatedly made him realize that a woman’s strength can be formidable. However, the cost of this realization was exceedingly high.

The bloody taste in his mouth was strong, and his ears were still buzzing. It took Xiao Yunheng a long time to recover; his vision was still blurry. Trembling, he reached out to lean on Li Xue’s arm to stand up. His split lip and swollen face made his speech unclear. “Yun Zishu, you… you lack virtue, openly meeting with men in private…”

“Xiao Yunheng,” Yun Zishu’s gaze was icy. “You really don’t have any self-awareness.”