Chapter 84

Chapter 84: You Poison My Brother, I Shoot Your Son. Gan Qiongying knew that injuring the Regent would surely drive that man-eating flower in the palace mad, but so what? Now that all the hatred was directed at her, Princess Hui'an would not be pursued by the man-eating flower, and it would also divert some attention away from Gan Lin. With too many lice, one stops itching; with too many debts, one stops worrying. What did Gan Qiongying have to fear? The man-eating flower had been poisoning Gan Lin for years and even tried to poison her. Even if Gan Qiongying hadn’t shot an arrow at the Regent and instead knelt to lick his boots, would the man-eating flower have spared them? Since they were bound to be harmed anyway, no one should get off easy. You poison my brother, I shoot your son. If there’s pain to be felt, let everyone feel it together. As long as she didn’t kill the Regent on the spot today, no one could do anything to her. After all, she was a genuine Princess through and through. Upon hearing that the Dali Temple was involved, the people in the courtyard quickly forgot about blaming Gan Qiongying and began to panic. Even the innocent would be skinned alive if they entered that place, let alone those who had just brawled and disrupted the birthday banquet. Seeing their arrogance finally deflated, Gan Qiongying ordered the guard from earlier to handle the remaining matters. Then, she called for the old steward and headed to Princess Hui'an’s bedchamber. To make the act convincing, Gan Qiongying had genuinely summoned officials from the Dali Temple to investigate. After all, this matter had little to do with her. She also knew that the Empress Dowager and the Regent held immense power at court, and the Dali Temple might very well be under their control. However, there were still a few imperial relatives within the Dali Temple who held significant influence. As the head of the imperial clan, Princess Hui'an commanded enough respect that even if they feared the Regent, they would have to handle the matter with some semblance of fairness. In the end, this incident would likely devolve into endless bickering. Even if some were injured, they were mostly lesser-favored sons of noble families. Their clans would not seek justice for them but would instead blame them for bringing shame and disgrace upon the family. Gan Qiongying had no intention of pursuing any real outcome; she merely wanted to muddle through and let the matter pass. When Gan Qiongying arrived at Princess Hui'an’s courtyard, the Princess was still unconscious. Gan Qiongying waited in the outer chamber, hoping for her to awaken, while comforting Gan Huiyue, who sat beside her with eyes swollen from crying. Fortunately, Princess Hui'an’s condition had stabilized. After waking, she drank some medicinal soup but was still too weak to sit up, leaning instead against soft pillows. Having heard Aunt Wumei recount in detail what had happened outside, she called Gan Qiongying in. Upon seeing Gan Qiongying’s disheveled hair and torn skirt, Princess Hui'an’s eyes immediately welled up with tears, turning red. She took Gan Qiongying’s hand and said, “You’ve injured the Regent this time. You must be even more careful from now on.” Even without knowing the shady dealings between the Regent and Kou Ning'an, Princess Hui'an understood that the Regent was not someone to be trifled with. How could Princess Hui'an not realize that Gan Qiongying had intervened because she feared that if anyone had died during the birthday banquet that night, the situation would have spiraled out of control. “It’s nothing, Aunt,” Gan Qiongying said lightly, patting Princess Hui'an’s hand. “You must rest well and not worry too much.” Gan Qiongying hesitated inwardly but ultimately decided not to tell Princess Hui'an about the private affairs between the Regent and the Empress Dowager. She intended to use Princess Hui'an, but not to harm her. If Princess Hui'an truly learned everything, she would never stand idly by. And if Princess Hui'an were to confront the Empress Dowager, it would inevitably end in mutual destruction. Gan Qiongying had no intention of seizing power, so she swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue. Princess Hui'an looked at Gan Qiongying with deep concern. "A young lady like you, handling bows and arrows is so dangerous. I heard you even shot Jinchuan Zhizi and the Regent. I was terrified when I heard about it." Gan Qiongying smiled gently. "Don't worry, Aunt. I'm used to it." Her words sounded natural, yet they evoked a sense of heartache. "Even if I don't provoke the Regent, would he ever tolerate me? And what kind of person is that Jinchuan Zhizi anyway?" Gan Qiongying's tone carried the same arrogance as the real Princess Duanrong, but it made Princess Hui'an completely believe that she did not like Jinchuan Zhizi and had no intention of using her for any ulterior motives. Unconsciously, the bond between the two grew closer. "Aunt, please don't worry. However, after this incident, the noble families across the Imperial City might hold some resentment toward me. After all, I sent all their sons to the Dali Temple. For a while, I won't be able to visit your estate." Gan Qiongying held Princess Hui'an's hands, pressing them against her forehead in a gesture that seemed like a playful act of affection but was more of a feigned display of vulnerability. Upon hearing this, Princess Hui'an raised her hand to cover her face, trying to hide her tears, but she couldn't suppress her sobs, her shoulders trembling slightly. Gan Qiongying reached out to wipe Princess Hui'an's tears, hesitating slightly as she spoke again. "Aunt, you must have heard about what happened with those noble sons today." Princess Hui'an took the handkerchief from Gan Qiongying and wiped her own tears, calming her breathing. "I heard. They always seemed like such good children... I never would have guessed." Gan Qiongying snorted coldly. "The noble families of Nánzhào are corrupt and ignorant. What good could they possibly produce? Strip away their human skin, and they're nothing but beasts inside. Aunt, you didn't see how they fought in the arena, like a pack of mad dogs." "Now those noble sons are all in the Dali Temple, and everyone will face punishment, whether light or severe," she said, looking at Princess Hui'an's face. "I know Aunt held such a grand birthday banquet to find a suitable husband for Huiyue." Gan Qiongying thought carefully about how to phrase her words but ultimately decided to be direct. "It really won't work, Aunt. You shouldn't be digging through a cesspool to find a husband for Huiyue." Princess Hui'an had always been dignified, virtuous, and noble in character, and few would dare speak so crudely in her presence. Yet, hearing Gan Qiongying's words, she felt no anger, instead appreciating her genuine nature. "Yes, this matter will have to be set aside for now," Princess Hui'an sighed deeply. Though disappointed, there was nothing she could do. She pulled Gan Huiyue closer and took Gan Qiongying's hand, placing them together and holding them tightly. Then, with loving eyes, she looked at her granddaughter. "Thanks to your aunt, we now see the true nature of those people. If nothing had happened today, we might have entrusted you to the wrong person. You must thank your aunt properly." Huiyue, sensible beyond her years, looked at Gan Qiongying with red, swollen eyes, gripping her hand tightly and whispering softly, "Thank you, Aunt." Gan Qiongying quickly responded, suddenly promoted to being an aunt, she felt quite pleased in her heart. Having her beloved granddaughter become close to her, Princess Hui'an truly regarded her as family. For a moment, the family was filled with joy and harmony. Princess Hui'an’s energy was ultimately still lacking. After saying all this, she was already tired and needed to rest, so Gan Qiongying and Gan Huiyue withdrew to the outside of the hall. As soon as Gan Huiyue stepped out of the hall, she could no longer hold back her tears. Inside, she had been holding them back, afraid that showing them too clearly would upset her grandmother even more, forcing herself to hold on until now. Seeing this, Gan Qiongying immediately patted Gan Huiyue’s back and led her to sit in the corridor. She herself had a younger sister, and the age difference was similar, so she understood how to comfort children and was quite skilled at it, quickly becoming close with Gan Huiyue. Noticing the somber atmosphere, Gan Qiongying immediately lightened the mood, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, what’s so great about a bunch of scoundrels?" She patted her chest and assured her, "You’re still young, there’s no need to rush. There will naturally be good gentlemen in the future. I’ll help you carefully look for one." This statement was indeed just empty promises. Where would Gan Qiongying know any talented young men? The only one she knew who could be called a talented young man was her dear God of Wealth. As for the remaining men, aside from the guards around her, there were only the male consorts in the rear courtyard. She simply wanted Gan Huiyue not to rush into marriage, not to end up like in the plot—hurt by the son of the Vice Minister of Revenue and then married to an abusive man. Such a lovely girl shouldn’t have to suffer such a fate.