Chapter 123: An Eye for an Eye

Hua Qingkong didn't want to go personally; it wasn't out of softness, but simply because he didn't want Liu Hanxi to go out. There were still ongoing matters, and every day was filled with events, leaving him without a decent night's sleep.
The other party was on horseback, so a Taoist from the Shouxia Temple was dispatched to assist the officials from the Ministry of Justice in the pursuit.
After resting for two days, Liu Hanxi decided to join the excitement at the palace today as Princess Duan Hui returned to her family. The princes do not participate in this event, but the princesses all came.
The princess and the prince consort performed their greetings to the emperor and the various imperial consorts in the palace. The newlyweds, the girl graceful and beautiful, and the boy handsome and composed, truly evoked envy.
Liuhuanxi ranked seventeenth and was the younger sister of Ran Xingtang. To avoid drawing too much attention, she arrived a bit late and stood in the back of the crowd, simply looking around without finding a place to sit down.
```htmlWhen a group of women gets together, it will definitely be a chatterfest.
“Tsk tsk, my goodness, what a look!” Someone exclaimed.
“Exactly, let's put everything else aside, just this appearance alone makes it seem like they wouldn't want to leave the house.” Someone else said, causing a group of women to burst into laughter.```
Liu Hanxi covered her mouth with a handkerchief and sneered: "A bunch of infatuated fools. If they knew about our Xingtu's abilities, they would be green with jealousy!"
“Of course, you need a good face and a fit body! Once you become a consort and serve the princess well, you’ll have everything you want! That person really plays chess well!” Liu Hanxi realized that it was the sixth Princess He, the wife of the Marquis, who said this.
“What you said, I’ve heard that the Prince Consort has a good character and talent!” The Princess of Yi and Liu Huanxi are on the same side, and upon hearing this, they were displeased.
“Who knows if that family used some kind of sorcery or trickery! Otherwise, how could a mere fifth-rank official get an audience with the princess?!” The Princess of Heng spoke with increasing fervor.
When Liu Hanxi heard this, she just smiled and said nothing. She walked back and found a seat at the end where no one was sitting.
Nearby people finally noticed Liu Hanxi. She was dressed in a violet palace gown, with a royal purple shawl over it. The cloak was held by her maid, Rongrong. She wore little jewelry, and her light makeup made her look very fresh and charming. Compared to the other princesses who wore bright red and purple, she truly looked like heaven and earth apart.
Even sitting at the back, her posture is still eye-catching.
Upon seeing Liu Hanxi appear, the Emperor whispered something to the nearby Eunuch Qin, who then walked towards her.
“Princess Jin, His Majesty requests your presence,” Eunuch Qin said respectfully.
“I'm not going, I'm in seventeenth place, I can't get to the front.” Liu Hanxi refused.
Those nearby gasped in surprise, astonished that she dared to refuse the emperor's command.
```html“Oh, my dear Consort of the Heng Wang! Is this something we can skip? My heavens.” Qin Gonggong slapped his thigh.
Only then did Liu Huanxi pretend to sigh, reluctantly following Qin Gonggong forward. When they reached the Consort of the Heng Wang, she paused and said, “Oh, dear sister-in-law Heng Wang is here! When you have some free time, please ask Lord Heng Wang to settle the accounts for my establishment. It’s been over two hundred taels in the past two months. For a small household like ours, we rely on this little bit for our livelihood!”```
She even specially bowed and then followed Eunuch Qin.
“Who doesn’t know that even the Emperor doesn't get face, and has to make an appointment? To owe money to the Prince of Heng, that’s some real audacity!” Princess Yi continued. Her prince is not even on the candidate list; he only cares about pleasure and doesn't pick sides, so Princess Yi is actually quite free and not afraid of offending anyone.
Heng Wangfei heard the whispers around her and her face turned red and then pale, so she picked up the tea in front of her and took a sip.
“What are you hiding back there for? Are you ashamed to be seen?” Chu Tianyu asked with a stern face.
Liuhanyi held back a laugh and bowed, saying: “Replying to Father Emperor, I also don't understand the rules, and I didn’t know I was supposed to wear court attire, so I didn’t dare to step forward, fearing I would break the rules.”
“I heard from your mother! You just don’t like that court attire, right? From now on, you’re allowed not to wear court attire unless it’s for state affairs.” Chu Tianyu observed that she indeed wore something different from others.
“Thank you, Father Emperor!” Liu Hanxi quickly bowed again.
Chu Tianyu looked around and was quite satisfied with this son-in-law. Although he did not come from a noble family, he was raised among the nobility, skilled in both literature and martial arts, and he was quite handsome, making him a good match for the princess. The emperor cared a lot about this and even specifically consulted officials from the Ministry of Rites to understand the young man's character, and no one spoke ill of him; they all said he was not only upright but also well-rounded.
This compliment is unusual; someone like Hua Qingkong would never be able to accept it.
Everyone sat down for dinner, and Chu Tianyu arranged for Liu Hanxi and Bai Yuxing to sit at the same table, placing them on the right side of the protagonist. Bai Yuxing was very nervous sitting so close to the emperor, fearing she might say or do something wrong and embarrass Yan Wang. Additionally, with Liu Hanxi seated beside her, she recalled Yan Wang's words—since the emperor wanted to compare Yan Wang and Zhen Wang, did he want the ladies to see her alongside Liu Hanxi today? This thought made her grip her skirt tightly in anxiety.
Liu Hanxi let her sit on the left side, closer to the emperor, while Bai Yuying pushed her away, saying that the two main characters on the left side must have something to say to her. Liu Hanxi graciously thanked her and took a seat.
Bai Yu Ying has delicate eyebrows and eyes, with thin lips; she isn't exactly stunning but has a refined and appealing look. She speaks softly and gently, exuding warmth. Liu Han Xi envies her slimness, as if she were a piece of paper. No matter how hard she tries to lose weight, she can't achieve that kind of thinness.
“Hanxi.” Sure enough, not long after sitting down, Chu Silan quietly handed over a pouch.
“For me?” Liu Hanxi asked as she took it.
“It's for you and Seventeenth Brother. Inside, there’s also a handkerchief for each of you.” Chu Silan said softly.
Liuhangxi saw that it was truly a pair of pouches, one in royal blue and the other in the purple she was wearing today, embroidered with a butterfly. The left wing was on the royal blue pouch, and the right wing was on the purple pouch, which was quite exquisite. She took out a handkerchief, and hers was embroidered with peonies, while Huqingkong's in the right corner was intricately embroidered with a landscape.
“Oh my, how can I bear to use something like this?” Liu Hanxi said, very fond of it.
“If it gets worn out, I’ll just embroider you another one,” Chu Silan said with a smile.
“You really gave him an embroidered landscape handkerchief; using it is just a waste of such a treasure,” Liu Hanxi shook her head, looking disapproving.
Even Bai Yuying couldn't help but smile, leaning over to admire the princess's embroidery, and she praised it quite a bit.
The several princesses sitting further away were watching the scene with cold eyes, wishing they could swallow them alive. Especially the wife of Prince Heng, who, being the sixth son’s wife, sat not far from Liu Huanxi.
Liu Hanxi felt her gaze and gave her a mischievous smile, then ignored her.
After only a few sips of wine, the Princess of Heng began to feel unwell and started to pass gas continuously. The Princess of Zheng and the Princess of Yi, sitting on either side of her, noticed and tried to hold it in at first, but eventually couldn't take it anymore and covered their mouths with handkerchiefs.
The Heng Wangfei only felt severe stomach pain and hurriedly left the banquet without even greeting anyone.
The Zheng Wangfei and Yi Wangfei then breathed a sigh of relief, sitting together and whispering to each other about something.
Princess Heng never returned to the banquet. She fainted from exhaustion and was eventually carried back to Heng Wangfu amidst a terrible stench. The imperial physician examined her and said she had eaten something bad in the morning, which became uncontrollable by noon.
On the way back, Liu Hanxi insisted on sharing a car with the Ran family, but the two residences were indeed not far apart. Just as Liu Hanxi and their party were leaving, they happened to see the Princess of Heng being carried out.