Chapter 175: |
After Li Er returned, he issued an imperial decree. Countless treasures of gold, silver, and opulent fabrics were bestowed upon Prince Yongle. He was granted an estate for ten thousand households and received the highest first-rank stipend. The court was astonished.
During this time, everyone had been anticipating Li Er’s specific rewards for the first non-imperial prince of the Tang Dynasty. After all, he was the first non-imperial prince to be granted such titles in the Tang Dynasty.
At the start of the Tang Dynasty, such regulations hadn’t been established. Now that a non-imperial prince had emerged, it indicated that these rules could be altered. Civil and military officers in the court, even Zhangsun Wuji, the top-ranking general on the Smoky Pavilion’s Heroes List, held only the title of a duke. While no one believed they could achieve the same feat as Su Li, what about the future?
Since Su Li had already broken this set of rules, who could guarantee that their descendants wouldn’t achieve enough merit to be granted such titles in the future? Nevertheless, it was a dream. Now, the rewards for the Tang Dynasty’s first non-imperial prince had finally been announced, and everyone couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed. It wasn’t the noble title they had originally thought of, nor was it the speculated idea of establishing a new non-imperial prince rank below the rank of duke.
However, the reward was only equivalent to a first-ranked prince’s, and the honorary title was elevated to the highest first rank. In summary, the honors were ample, but the actual authority was lacking. No one believed that Su Li had actively requested these matters. Li Er wanted to set this precedent to prevent future descendants from causing chaos and mischief.
A carriage stopped in front of the princess’s residence three days later. Gao Yang disembarked from the carriage and glanced up at the massive plaque above the gate, her expression filled with despair. This was the first time Princess Changle had come to visit since waking up. Due to her sister’s delicate condition, Gao Yang hadn’t visited in person. Instead, she had sent some gifts along with other princes and princesses. Over the past year, Gao Yang had been living in constant anxiety. She feared Changle might reveal the truth of what had happened back then. Gao Yang knew that Changle had witnessed her kicking away the medicine.
Changle was the legitimate eldest princess, while Gao Yang was a less privileged princess. If Li Er discovered the incident, he would surely punish her severely. Whenever these thoughts crossed her mind, Gao Yang would be apprehensive and unable to sleep at night. For the past year, she seldom left her residence and limited her activities, trying to remain inconspicuous. To the extent that even Empress Zhangsun Wuji had recently commended her for her good behavior.
However, Gao Yang wasn’t acting this way willingly. Why would she behave this way if it weren’t for her anxiety about her past actions? This visit was indeed a last resort. Changle had given birth to a child, and other princes and princesses had taken turns to visit. As one of Changle’s closest sisters in the past, if Gao Yang continued to feign ignorance, others might start suspecting something.
What concerned Gao Yang most was confirming that she wanted to know why Changle hadn’t brought up the past incident in over a year. Had she witnessed what Gao Yang had done? At times, Gao Yang considered that she might have been too anxious after committing that act, causing her to be overly suspicious. It might be Changle hadn’t seen it at all!
Guided by a court lady, she swiftly entered the inner courtyard. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Changle cradling a swaddled infant in her arms, leaning against Su Li. The couple was chatting and laughing. At the moment, Su Li played with the child while Changle held the baby tenderly. Upon hearing the court lady’s announcement, Changle’s face involuntarily paled.
Su Li immediately sensed the change as the soft body in his arms tensed like a frightened kitten on edge. “Wife, what’s wrong?” Su Li furrowed his brows slightly.
“I’m fine…” Changle shook her head lightly but lifted her gaze, staring fixedly at the doorway. Her trembling body betrayed her true feelings.
Soon enough, she saw Gao Yang entering with a smiling face. Since their last outing together, they hadn’t seen each other for a year. Changle couldn’t forget that moment—when this supposed sister had plotted against her.
When Changle lay in bed, just regaining consciousness, she even considered whether Gao Yang had done it unintentionally. Changle had a kind nature, and her previous closeness to Gao Yang led her to give her the benefit of the doubt subconsciously. But during that time, Gao Yang used words to provoke Su Li when she visited Changle. That incident made Changle realize that Gao Yang wasn’t a good person.
Human interactions were just like this, what others were unwilling to show people was often their true nature. At that time, Gao Yang thought she could never wake up again, acting recklessly. Although Changle saw Gao Yang’s true colors through that incident, after waking up, she didn’t tell anyone about this matter. Having experienced a close brush with death, Changle understood the value of good fortune even more. She was well aware that if she were to report Gao Yang to her father, her fate would surely be very tragic. However, what would be the point of that?
Her days had been blissful and complete with her husband by her side. She would just consider Gao Yang’s actions completely severing the sisterly bond. There would not be any more interaction with her in the future. Being inherently kind-hearted, Changle intended to bury this matter deep within herself forever. But such things weren’t easily forgotten.