When the Deposed Crown Prince Was Reborn as Troublemaker - Chapter 103

Within a single day, Princess Yan had fallen from a building to her death, the Imperial Noble Consort in the palace had taken ill and taken to bed, and the two secondary consorts of Prince Yan’s residence had no choice but to divide their duties — one remained at the residence to oversee the funeral arrangements for Princess Yan, while the other went to the palace to attend to the Imperial Noble Consort during her illness.

Since Mo Shanshan was of farming stock, the task of presiding over Princess Yan’s funeral naturally could not fall to her; it was instead taken up by Secondary Consort Yang, who was of higher birth, with the palace’s senior serving women assisting from the side, so there was little risk of anything going wrong.

As for Mo Shanshan, she had volunteered to go to the palace to attend to the sick. The palace staff had her offer one stick of incense before Princess Yan’s spirit tablet before sending her into the palace.

Having departed from Prince Yan’s residence by carriage on her way to the palace, Mo Shanshan gazed at the receding residence and could not help pressing a hand to her own chest. She knew that attending to the sick might be her only opportunity to be close to the Imperial Noble Consort, and she had to seize it.

Inside the carriage, Xiao Lian, who had left together with Mo Shanshan, said to her, “My lady, your health is not good — whatever needs doing, leave it to me. You should rest more.”

“All right.” Mo Shanshan gave a gentle nod, clutching tightly in her hand the key that Li Xiyue had given her.

Meanwhile, back at Prince Yan’s residence, those who had come to mourn streamed in without end. The Li family in particular wept as though their hearts had been torn apart, so devastated that onlookers found it grating.

The others who had come to pay their respects at Prince Yan’s residence merely as a matter of face felt that the Li family’s display was all for show. When their daughter had suffered every humiliation at Prince Yan’s residence, they had never been seen to intervene; now that she was dead and they saw something to be gained by using it to strike at Prince Yan, they had come to mourn.

Secondary Consort Yang, who was presiding over the funeral rites, found it grating indeed. The Li family’s gazes toward her carried ill intent, yet it was not as though she was the one who had caused Princess Yan’s death.

The Li family bore no grudge against Secondary Consort Yang — rather, they wanted to cut off any possibility of her becoming the principal consort and to open a rift in the ties of interest between the Yang family and Prince Yan.

Li Xiyue’s mother dabbed at her tears, then addressed Secondary Consort Yang. “When will Prince Yan’s residence return my daughter’s dowry?”

Those words fell like a thunderclap. All those present turned their gazes toward Madam Li and Prince Yan’s secondary consort.

It was true that when a daughter died without having borne children, it was only right and proper for the husband’s family to return her dowry — but who would bring up such a matter right in the middle of their daughter’s own funeral hall? It was, to say the least, uncommonly graceless.

Secondary Consort Yang had only married into Prince Yan’s residence the day before — how was she to handle something like this? It was the old nanny standing behind her who spoke. “Madam Li need not worry. Once Princess Yan’s funeral has concluded, every item of the dowry will be returned to the Li family in full, in accordance with the dowry inventory. Should anything be missing, it will be made up in silver at its proper value.”

Madam Li gave a cold laugh. “One can only hope that your Prince of Yan’s residence will make good on its word.”

As her words fell, Madam Li burst into tears. “My poor daughter! Oh, oh, oh—”

As the onlookers watched the Li family depart, it suddenly occurred to them that Prince Yan had once been known to secretly sell off Princess Yan’s dowry. Surely he would not be unable to return the dowry now?

Only after the Li family had left did Secondary Consort Yang turn to the old nanny behind her and say, “Go and ask His Highness quickly — when will Princess Yan’s dowry be sent to the Li family?”

“Yes.” The old nanny immediately acknowledged and went off.

At that moment, You Yuyi had shut himself in his room, his mind in turmoil. The imperial physician had already come a short while ago, personally examined the pill he had retrieved, and confirmed that its ingredients were capable of rendering a man permanently unable to sire children. Since then, You Yuyi’s chest had felt as though it were blocked up and suffocating.

“Vile woman! Vile woman!” You Yuyi cursed.

If he could have done anything at all, he would have taken a sword right then and split Li Xiyue’s coffin apart, left her body exposed in the wilderness — dead with nowhere to be buried!

But reason held him back. He refused to believe he had truly become a cripple incapable of that most fundamental of functions, and so he arbitrarily called in one of the maidservants keeping watch outside the door.

He threw the young maidservant, still a girl, onto the bed and tore away her clothes — but even as the maidservant wept and cried out, he still could not perform.

In the end, You Yuyi took a Zhufang Pill himself. Only then did his spirits surge a hundredfold, and he proceeded to have his way with the little maidservant beneath him.

The old nanny whom Secondary Consort Yang had sent to find You Yuyi happened upon this scene. She had not expected Prince Yan to be so audacious — indulging himself openly in broad daylight during the mourning period for Princess Yan. If the censors were to hear of it, there would surely be another impeachment.

The maidservant, now despoiled, sobbed and wept. You Yuyi snapped at her. “What are you crying for? Being a concubine of the prince’s residence is better than being a maidservant.”

The little maidservant trembled with fright. You Yuyi found it only more irritating, and sent her rolling out of the room.

Once he had straightened himself, the old nanny entered and said, “Your Highness, the Li family have come saying they want Princess Yan’s dowry returned.”

In an instant, You Yuyi’s expression turned ugly. A portion of Li Xiyue’s dowry had already been used up by him. No wonder, he thought — no wonder that woman had been so generous before her death, willing to offer up her dowry to keep Prince Yan’s residence running. She had been waiting for exactly this moment!

“Wretched creature!” You Yuyi, in his fury, drew the decorative sword hanging in the room and slashed through the table in front of him.

The old nanny was so frightened she dared not speak, gave a trembling shudder, and lowered her head.

After a long while, You Yuyi said, “This matter — I will handle it.”

The old nanny let out a breath of relief at his words, then said, “Your Highness Prince Yan, this servant is an old member of the Imperial Noble Consort’s household — the very nanny who raised you. 

There is something this servant must tell you. It is the mourning period for Princess Yan right now. Your Highness must not let any unfavorable rumors spread and give those censors something to use against you.”

Although You Yuyi knew the old nanny before him was right, he was still vexed and irritated, and only said, “While there are few people about, nanny, deal with that maidservant.”

“Yes.” The old nanny let out a breath of relief.

After the old nanny had gone, the effect of the Zhufang Pill wore off in half an hour. Without the Zhufang Pill, You Yuyi felt utterly drained and exhausted, with none of the vigor and clarity he had felt before.

“Who was it? Who gave Li Xiyue the Zhufang Pill to harm me!” You Yuyi said, gasping.

He would investigate! He would investigate! Everyone Li Xiyue had ever come into contact with — he would root it all out clearly!

And so, that same day, every servant who had attended Li Xiyue was brought before You Yuyi and interrogated one by one.

The first to be interrogated was the old nanny who had formerly followed Li Xiyue’s every step.

“Your Highness, Your Highness, this servant has been wronged! This servant is the Imperial Noble Consort’s woman — why would this servant help that vile creature harm Your Highness?” the old nanny wept and pleaded.

“Then do you know of anyone Li Xiyue made secret contact with?” You Yuyi demanded.

“This servant was always at Princess Yan’s side and never saw her make contact with anyone,” the old nanny answered truthfully. “It was only after Your Highness transferred this servant away from Princess Yan’s side that this servant no longer knew anything of the consort’s affairs.”

You Yuyi then interrogated Li Xiyue’s servants one by one, asking whether she had ever gone out, and where she had gone.

One servant answered. “After Your Highness returned, the consort attended many flower-viewing banquets hosted by the Grand Princess!”

Everyone in the residence knew that Princess Yan had been fond of attending every flower-viewing banquet in Chang’an City. Going to several banquets in a single day had not been unusual, and she had even attended banquets hosted by the Li family — so Li Xiyue’s attendance at the Grand Princess’s flower-viewing banquets had aroused no one’s suspicion.

You Yuyi held the medicine vial containing the Zhufang Pill and, listening to the servants’ words, could not help but think inwardly: So that is how it was — the Grand Princess again.

If not to covertly pass Li Xiyue the Zhufang Pill, why would the Grand Princess have hosted so many flower-viewing banquets?

You Yuyi was so furious he could not help but gasp for breath. He said, “These people failed in their duty to attend the consort. Drag them all away to be buried with her!”

The servants stared wide-eyed at You Yuyi. The practice of burying servants alive with the dead had been abolished at the very beginning of the current Emperor’s reign — had His Highness gone mad?

The old nanny beside him spoke up at once. “Your Highness, have mercy! Your Highness, have mercy! One must not let a few servants damage Your Highness’s reputation!”

Yet what You Yuyi was thinking was: reputation — what reputation? Whatever reputation he had left, that vile Li Xiyue had already ruined it entirely!

In the end, You Yuyi did not have the group dragged away to be buried alive, for the burial of live persons had been abolished by You Fengyun, and if he were to have living people buried with the dead, he feared it would invite his Father Emperor’s displeasure.

“Get out of my sight!” You Yuyi snarled, utterly exhausted.

“Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!” The servants kneeling on the ground scrambled out at once.

The matter of his sterility and impotence had already been crushing enough for You Yuyi. He had not expected something still more crushing to follow.

On the day after Princess Yan fell to her death, every major bookshop in the city had acquired a new story pamphlet titled The Tale of Lady Yue.

“Another masterwork from Master Qianqiu Xue — a fresh, eye-opening experience awaits! The plot is absolutely unlike anything you’ve seen before — come and buy it!” the bookshop attendants called out with great enthusiasm.

“Hasn’t Qianqiu Xue gone quiet for over a year now?”

“Never mind that — buy a copy either way, good or not. You know the last book by Qianqiu Xue is already selling for over a thousand coins.”

The path to wealth lay right before them — one had better buy a copy quickly.

“No need to rush, no need to rush, everyone — there’s plenty of stock!”

At that same moment, storytellers in teahouses and taverns had also begun to recount the contents of The Tale of Lady Yue.

The storyteller struck his wooden block and began. “In the Hedong Commandery, there was a wealthy and distinguished household with a youngest daughter named Yue Niang. Pampered and sheltered, she knew nothing of the ways of the world, yet she was beautiful beyond compare — even snow-laden trees in bloom and the soft radiance of a clear moon could not match her…”

The storyteller then went on to recount how Yue Niang, at a flower-viewing banquet, had come to know a certain young lord. The young lord was gentle and attentive and came from a fine family — though unfortunately, as a son born of a concubine, he could not inherit the family estate. But Yue Niang did not care. As their feelings for one another gradually deepened, on one particular night, the young lord, taking advantage of Yue Niang’s innocence and naivety, took her virtue.

At this point, the storyteller stopped.

“To know what happens next, come and listen to the next installment!”

With that, the storyteller ran off, leaving his audience in a clamor of argument.

Some said what sort of shameless woman was this Yue Niang, to disregard the commands of her parents and the words of a matchmaker, and give herself freely to some man.

Others condemned the young lord as a beast in human clothing, a brute in a gentleman’s garb — if he loved Yue Niang, why had he not gone to propose marriage properly? Why had he taken advantage of Yue Niang’s innocence to lead her astray? Should a man not bear greater responsibility?

In an instant, the crowd was embroiled in fierce argument — so fierce that even You Yuyi, still confined to his rooms in reflection, came to hear of the story.