Chapter 36: A Complete Failure (1/2)

Translator: Li Wenting

Proofreader: Prof. Zhu Yuan

No one could stop Princess Changle who had been engulfed in grudge and lost her mind.

She rushed out like blowing wind and disappeared in no time. Empress Xiao, livid with rage, smoothed out her knitted eyebrows, and turned to Ruan Qingqing, with cold look in her eyes.

“Ruan Qingqing!”

“Your Highness!” Ruan Qingqing knelt down with a flop on the ground.

“Before you hit a dog, find out who’s its master. I would let your sordid thought and bad behavior go unchecked as long as you do not offend me. Don’t forget Changle is my daughter.” Ruan Qingqing bent over, having her heart in her mouth. Seeing that, Empress Xiao continued coldly: “I believe you perfectly understand why I helped you acquire such high status. And I can also deprive you of your title at any time.”

Ruan Qingqing trembled with fear.

Empress Xiao had touched her sore spot.

She couldn’t bear the thought of going through her past sufferings. Now she was Infanta Lianhua, Beiming Ting’s fiancé. She hated to live a hard life like that in the past.

“Your Highness, what I did is for the benefit of the princess. I know it upset you that she carried a torch for Beiming Xuan. What I did could meet your wish.”

“How come?” Empress Xiao cast a frosty stare.

Ruan Qingqing raised her head and answered immediately: “The princess is an impetuous young lady. She turns a deaf ear to criticism. All our persuasion would be of no use. She would never give up until she comes to her tether’s end.”

They tried in vain to talk Changle out of that. She was more than “deaf-eared.” She must be brainless!

As her mother, Empress Xiao definitely knew how Changle conducted herself. However, she was afraid that Changle would ultimately reach the end of her “heavy chain” instead of her tether! She would be heavily battered!

Ruan Qingqing said in high-sounding words. Barely could she conceal her intention to make use of Changle.

Empress Xiao flew into a fury. She was about to reprove Ruan Qingqing when she saw a maidservant rush in, panting heavily. The maidservant ran towards Empress Xiao, knelt down and said: “Your Highness, things are not going well! The princess is brought into the Imperial Study!”

“What happened?” Empress Xiao felt she was almost plagued to death. She asked immediately: “Who took her there?”

She was Changle’s personal maidservant. After running back and forth between the Phoenix Palace and the place where Changle was caught, she had been exhausted. Kneeling in front of Empress Xiao, she answered immediately without daring to stop for breath: “It was the Emperor’s bodyguard. The Princess, the Princess…”

“What did she do? Tell me!” Empress Xiao frowned, gripped by a sense of impending doom.

“After leaving the Phoenix Palace, the princess kept yelling that she was going to the Yun Palace to meet the prince. And she kept screaming abuse. Then…she ran towards the Imperial Army and asked the general to dispatch some soldiers at her command. And then…then…”

“Silly girl!” Empress Xiao was too angry to retain her dignified manner. How she wished she could take Changle back!

Empress Xiao had explored every avenue to keep Changle’s improper conduct a secret. However, it was so shameless of Changle to be her own muckraker. Every member of the Imperial Army was the Emperor’s bodyguard. Was she courting her death by resorting to them?

“Somebody here! I’m going to the Imperial Study!” She had to take her silly daughter back before it was too late. She would not be able to remedy the situation if the Emperor got pissed off.

Empress Xiao was about to leave the Phoenix Palace when Ruan Qingqing came to stop her：“Your Highness, you should not go.”