vstars Chapter 131 Extravagance
Chapter 131 Extravagance
With so many people around, Xiang An became quite tempted to start a rebellion. Sometimes she almost couldn't resist asking Fu Qingbai directly about the war.
Occasionally, she would try to subtly probe Ding Yinan about his strategies for leading troops into battle, but Ding Yinan's explanations were vague, and when he couldn't quite articulate them, he would simply dismiss her with a "Listen to the general."
Ding Yinan is still too inexperienced now, unlike the mature Ding Yinan who would later rise up in rebellion when the world is in chaos.
"Okay, then the accounts are correct." Qin Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since she discovered an unclear account, she had been on tenterhooks for several days, fearing that she had overlooked something.
"By the way, when Diao Xi returns to the manor, upgrade his food, clothing and daily necessities to be the same as Xiao Ru's, and keep everything else the same."
"Yes, ma'am." Qin Zheng wrote it down in the ledger. Luckily, the princess brought it up herself, otherwise she wouldn't have known how to bring it up.
After lunch, Diao Xi returned to the princess's residence with a food box containing dishes bestowed by the emperor. Fu Qingbai was left to eat in the palace, while the other meritorious soldiers each took a food box with them. As Xiang An had predicted, the victory celebration banquet was scheduled for half a month later.
Diao Xi returned, Ding Yinan left, and Xiang An began practicing martial arts alone in the morning: an hour of horse stance, an hour of simple combat practice, half an hour of running laps, and then the morning's practice was over.
Taking the cloth handed to him by the maid, he simply wiped the sweat off his face, washed his hands carefully in warm water, sat under the flower stand, picked up a cup of tea and took a sip, picked up a piece of pastry on the stone table, took a small bite, and enjoyed the sweet but not greasy taste as he comfortably closed his eyes.
Xiao Ru: "Princess, this was delivered today."
It is a small, bluish-green bamboo section.
Xiang An gave a soft "hmm," unscrewed one end of the bamboo tube, poured out the small note inside, glanced at it, and then casually tossed it into the sink, quietly watching the black words smudge, spread, blur, and become unrecognizable in the water.
The note contained nothing of value.
A year has passed, and the secret guards have found no information about the original owner being poisoned, nor has anyone tried to assassinate her.
Was she hiding her true identity, or did she only appear at banquets? Or was it because she had been too well-behaved for the past year that the mastermind behind the scenes temporarily gave up on poisoning her?
"Princess?"
"What?" Xiang An returned to his thoughts.
Xiao Ru: "Would you like to have breakfast?"
Xiang An: "Okay, let's eat here."
The morning light in the east was becoming increasingly splendid and beautiful, and Xiang An really didn't want to miss this leisurely moment.
Along with breakfast came three large boxes of jewels. Xiao Ru said helplessly, "Princess, the First Prince has sent them again."
"Accept it when it arrives, and do whatever you need to do."
Holding the jade chopsticks, Xiang An casually popped a bite into her mouth. She was no longer as amazed as she had been at the beginning by the jewelry that Xiang Xin sent her from time to time. There was just too much, far too much, enough to fill an entire storeroom and even take up a lot of space.
"What should we do with the letter sent by the First Prince?"
"Let me take a look."
Xiang An took the letter with one hand and put down his jade chopsticks with the other. Inside the large envelope was a large piece of paper with only one sentence on it: Don't go to the victory celebration banquet.
His pupils constricted involuntarily, his hands clenched the paper tightly, leaving marks, and he suddenly looked up, "What has Xiang Xin been doing lately?"
Xiao Ru counted on her fingers one by one: "Five days ago, a servant was beaten to death; three days ago, a group of actors were summoned to the mansion to perform; and in the past two days, the eldest prince has not left the mansion, with music and singing never stopping day and night."
He sounds like a good-for-nothing who spends his days doing nothing, a playboy and a womanizer.
"Let's go to Xiang Xin's residence."
To find out whether it's true or not, go to his house and investigate.
After getting off the carriage, Xiang An entered Xiang Xin's residence without any hindrance. Just as he stepped through a moon gate, he paused. In the original owner's memory, he had never entered the residence so easily. Xiang Xin either refused to see him or cursed him loudly.
"Princess, have you forgotten how to get there?" a servant in the manor asked cautiously.
She raised an eyebrow: "I've arrived, why didn't you go and announce my arrival?"
The servant rubbed his hands obsequiously: "The Crown Prince has instructed that the princess does not need to be announced when she arrives; she may enter at any time."
Xiang An suddenly sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could only lift her skirt and continue walking forward. Since she was already here, she had to brave the danger.
On the stage, the melodious singing continued, and the pipa and guzheng stirred the hearts of the audience.
Below the stage, Xiang Xin lay lazily on a recliner. To her left was a large ice chest filled with various fruits, and to her right were maids serving her, massaging her legs and shoulders, feeding her fruits and wine. Behind her stood a row of servants holding scripts, waiting for their master to choose a play at any time.
The sheer scale of the scene made Xiang An's lips twitch. Even though he had long heard of Xiang Xin's extravagant and decadent lifestyle, he still couldn't help but be shocked when he actually saw it.
The servant who had led the way approached with utmost deference, bowing and scraping: "Master, Princess Miankang has arrived."
"Oh?" On the recliner, Xiang Xin lazily opened her eyes, glanced at Xiang An standing not far away, her face suddenly darkened, and she kicked the servant in the chest. "You clueless dog servant! You just let her stand when she arrives? Don't you know how to bring a chair?"
Xiang An tried to help him up, but the servant who had been kicked to the ground had already stood up nimbly, moved a golden nanmu chair over, and said to her with a fawning smile, "Princess, please don't be offended, Princess, please sit down."
Xiang An felt uncomfortable and didn't want to sit down, but he was afraid that Xiang Xin would kick the servant again, so he had no choice but to sit down with a frown and ask bluntly, "What does the note mean?"
"My dear sister, can you please stop bringing up problems every time you come here? Aren't you tired of this?" Xiang Xin tilted her head.
"And what am I to you, your brother? You only come when I need you, and you never see me all year round when I don't. When I send you boxes of gold and silver jewelry, you can throw them into the water and at least make a splash. But when I send them to you, it's like throwing them into a swamp. There's not even a splash, not even a sound."
Pushing aside the tea brought by the maid, Xiang An said without any politeness, "Why should I react to a pile of apology gifts?"
"I've been giving it to you for a year now, what? You're still not over it?" Xiang Xin said pitifully. "I did as you said, I put the vase in, but I put in one more than usual. You're going to hold a grudge against your own brother for a year over a vase? That's really cruel of you."
Stop distorting the truth!
If a fake Li Qinhu vase is presented to the emperor, the worst that can happen is a beating; but if a fake Li Qinhu vase appears and becomes real, that is the crime of deceiving the emperor.
"Alright, if my sister's still angry, I won't say anything more. I can't do something thankless." Xiang Xin raised his chin slightly. "Those on stage, did I tell you to stop? Keep singing, sing loudly!"
"Sir, please select a song." The servant boy approached, holding a playbill.
"You didn't say anything even though it's gone! Deliberately trying to embarrass me?!" Xiang Xin's anger flared instantly. "Drag him out and give him twenty lashes!"
Upon hearing this, a group of armed guards grabbed the servant's arms and led him away.
boom--
Xiang An slammed his hand on the table: "Xiang Xin! That's enough!"