Chapter 144: Sister-in-law, Look at Brother, He’s Being Mean to Me

Wang Wanqing was carried into Xiao Li’s carriage. Xiao Li sat to one side without a word, her expression frigid. Wanqing glanced at her timidly, not daring to speak.

Hong Yue took out some medicine, preparing to treat Wang Wanqing’s injured foot.

Only then did Xiao Li speak. "Don’t. Leave it."

Hong Yue was surprised, but she obediently put the medicine back.

Wang Wanqing felt a pang of unease, thinking she had made Xiao Li angry.

"Princess, I’m sorry."

’The Princess seems to be in a very bad mood. But even so, she still saved me. I’ve caused her so much trouble.’

Xiao Li gave her an indifferent glance, not bothering to explain.

The carriage continued onward. Wang Wanqing didn’t dare ask where they were going; she trusted that the Princess would not harm her.

Finally, the carriage came to a stop.

Wang Wanqing was helped down, only to discover that the carriage had entered the palace.

Two sedan chairs were already prepared. Wang Wanqing was helped into one and carried all the way to the Empress’s Fengxiang Palace.

Today was the Lantern Festival, so the gates of Fengxiang Palace were not yet closed. Moreover, the Emperor was also here.

The eunuch guarding the gate announced their arrival, and soon, Xiao Li was allowed to enter, bringing Wang Wanqing with her.

The Emperor and Empress were seated, appearing to be drinking tea and talking.

"Brother, Imperial Sister-in-law."

Xiao Li went in to greet them. The Empress waved her hand, excusing her from the formalities, but the Emperor’s face was dark. "So, you finally decided to show your face in the palace?"

She had shut herself away since the second day of the New Year, refusing to see anyone. The Emperor had sent people to her, but she had always found an excuse to turn them away. It would be a miracle if he greeted her with a smile now.

Xiao Li pretended not to notice the Emperor’s resentment.

"I’ve come to bring someone to Imperial Sister-in-law."

Wang Wanqing was helped inside. When the Empress saw the state she was in, she quickly put down her cup. "How did you end up like this?"

Wang Wanqing curtsied first before answering the Empress. "Your Majesty the Empress, I..."

She wanted to explain what had happened to her, but for a long moment, she couldn’t get the words out. Finally, she dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face, and cried out in anguish, "I beg Your Majesty and my aunt to seek justice for me!"

Sobbing, Wang Wanqing recounted the story of her unwilling engagement and what she had suffered tonight.

Xiao Li sidled up next to the Emperor and, with unreserved familiarity, poured herself a cup of tea.

The Emperor glared at her.

She paused, then proactively refilled his cup, smiling fawningly. ’Brother, have some tea!’

"Hmph!"

The Emperor let out an arrogant huff and refused her attempt to curry favor. But since there were other matters at hand, he decided not to settle scores with her just yet.

After Wang Wanqing finished her story, the Empress was so shocked she was speechless for a long moment. She didn’t meddle in the Wang family’s affairs, but had things at home really become this absurd?

"Quick, summon the Imperial Physician."

The Empress had someone help Wang Wanqing to a seat in the inner room, then turned to Xiao Li. "We truly have you to thank for tonight, Xuanyang."

Xiao Li had been sitting there waiting for exactly that. "Imperial Sister-in-law, don’t just thank me with words. I prefer something more substantial."

The Emperor glared at her. "Have I not given you enough rewards? Now you’re coming to your Imperial Sister-in-law for more?"

Xiao Li’s expression was dead serious, but her eyes were full of cunning. "Let’s not mix matters. This is what I’ve earned. Of course, if you’d like to give me a little something extra, Brother, I would be very grateful for that too."

The Emperor didn’t even want to look at her.

The Empress calmly watched the siblings bicker. Only after they had finished did she say, "Xuanyang has been a great help. I will naturally thank you properly."

Xiao Li said, "Also, about that Princely Heir of Marquis Xuanping... I had my people beat him up and send him home. The Marquis should be on his way to the palace by now."

The Emperor: "..." ’I knew it. Nothing good ever comes of her visiting the palace.’

"How badly did you beat him?" It was a casual question at first, but then the Emperor remembered Xiao Li’s... disposition. ’She didn’t go too far, did she?’

’It had nothing to do with her. It was just a case of righting a wrong she stumbled upon. She wouldn’t have gone overboard, right?’

Xiao Li’s expression was perfectly composed. "It’s fine. We just roughed him up a bit. Not a single scratch on his face."

The Emperor relaxed.

Then, Marquis Xuanping entered the palace, having his son carried in.

On the stretcher, He Chengfeng had already been treated.

Indeed, just as Xiao Li had said, there wasn’t a single scratch on his face. But from the neck down, his entire body was covered in bruises.

Two of his bones were broken. They had nearly beaten him to death. The brutality was appalling.

The Emperor demanded, "This is what you call ’roughed him up a bit’?"

Xiao Li shamelessly dodged behind the Empress and said in a deliberately delicate voice, "Sister-in-law, look at my brother! He’s being mean to me."

The Empress: "..."

Seeing this only made the Emperor want to smack her even more. What kind of young lady was such a magnet for trouble?

Marquis Xuanping was slightly plump, with a large belly. When he spoke, his voice boomed like a great bell, full of vigor.

"Your Majesty, Princess Xuanyang attacked my son without cause, nearly killing him! I beg Your Majesty to grant me justice."

"The title of Marquis Xuanping was personally bestowed by the Grand Ancestor Emperor! Several men of my He Family have died in battle for the country. Even a princess cannot beat the descendant of a meritorious official without distinguishing right from wrong!"

The Emperor had been angry at Xiao Li, but after hearing this, he calmed down. He retorted to Marquis Xuanping, "Without cause? Does the Marquis truly not know what his son did?"

The Marquis wore an expression that said he held all the truth in his hands. "Your Majesty, I have already asked. They told me my son had a small argument with his fiancée, Miss Wang. My son is too straightforward with his words and angered the Wang girl, causing her to run off. He was merely chasing after her to apologize. In his haste, he might have encountered Princess Xuanyang and failed to greet her, which is when the Princess seized him and had him beaten."

After speaking, Marquis Xuanping put on a pained and heartbroken expression. "Your Majesty, my son was indeed rude, but the area was dimly lit, and it’s understandable that he didn’t notice her in his moment of panic. Even if Princess Xuanyang wanted to teach him a lesson—she is a princess, we would accept that—but why resort to such vicious means? She was trying to beat my son to death! I beg Your Majesty to grant justice for my son."

The Emperor: "..."

It was at this moment that the effect of Xiao Li bringing Wang Wanqing into the palace first became apparent.

In any matter, gaining the initiative is crucial. First impressions often determine the success or failure of an endeavor.

If you don’t seize the initiative, even when you are clearly in the right, by the time someone else makes an accusation and you’re forced to argue back, you’ve already lost half the battle.

Xiao Li had brought Wang Wanqing to the palace at the first possible moment, letting her describe her ordeal in her own words. Nothing is more persuasive than the victim herself lodging a complaint, covered in bloody wounds.

Was Xiao Li cold-blooded for not letting Wang Wanqing’s wounds be bandaged? Wrong. It was precisely because she wanted to help her that she deliberately left them untreated.

The blood and wounds were the best formal complaint. If they had been bandaged, they wouldn’t have had the same effect.

Of course, the main thing was that delaying the bandaging of those wounds wouldn’t kill her.

The Emperor had seen with his own eyes and heard the account from her own lips. At this point, no matter how angry he was at Xiao Li for having someone beaten, he would still feel she had acted heroically and that her actions were justifiable.

He already knew the truth and had formed his own judgment. Therefore, hearing Marquis Xuanping’s speech now only made him feel more certain that Xiao Li had done the right thing.

The Emperor mused, not making an immediate decision. Just then, the Wang father and son, who had been summoned earlier, arrived at the palace.

"Your Majesty, the two Mr. Wangs are waiting outside."

The Emperor commanded, "Admit them!"

’Let’s see just how exciting tonight’s events can get.’