48: Zhan Pianpian: Your Majesty, how can you read this kind of poetry!

Chapter 48: Zhan Pianpian: Your Majesty, how can you read such poetry!

Si Lili opened the letter; it was indeed Li Chang'an's handwriting.

"When this prince is at leisure, I write a few poems. If you truly miss this prince, you can read some poetry."

Si Lili's face was cold, but her heart burned as she read Li Chang'an's letter.

Even now, she didn't know what this mischievous and domineering Uncle Prince Yong truly intended.

She could guess that the poems Li Chang'an gave her were certainly not proper ones.

After a slight hesitation, Si Lili turned to the poems that followed. The more she read, the redder her face became, and the more she couldn't stop.

Were these poems and dream of the red chamber really written by the same person?!

"The Fairy is charming... with a subtle frown."

"Having seen all the prosperity of the capital... tightly restrained."

"...Gently plucking, slowly stroking, then picking again... iron cavalry charging, swords and spears clanging."

Seeing Si Lili's face flush crimson, the maid beside her reminded her in a cold voice.

"Miss, your correspondence with Prince Yong must be copied and filed, then reported to the Empress Dowager."

Si Lili's younger brother was still in the hands of the Northern Qi imperial family, and this maid was a spy from the Northern Qi Inner Court.

Si Lili was completely indifferent. "Do as you please. If you dare to present it to the Empress Dowager, I won't stop you."

In Guangxin Palace.

His Highness the Crown Prince was reporting Li Chang'an's situation to Li Yunrui. Coming to Guangxin Palace was the Crown Prince's most anticipated and most painful thing.

Every time, he would be driven mad by Li Yunrui's allure, but he could only look and never touch. This feeling was simply too agonizing.

All he could do was return to his palace, lift the skirts of palace maids, blindfold them, and then vent while shouting "Aunt."

"Uncle Prince Yong's departure from the capital this time will likely mean he won't return for two or three years."

"He is the leader of Southern Qing's literary world. I had hoped to win him over to my side, but it seems I'll have to wait a few more years."

Li Yunrui was quite speechless about Li Chang'an's forceful taking of Si Lili. Did all men prefer younger women?

Probably not, Li Yunrui was still confident in herself.

A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a stolen lover, and a stolen lover is not as good as someone forcibly taken!

Ever since Li Chang'an left the palace, he had never actively sought out his elder sister. Even when invited, he would leave in a hurry.

Li Yunrui frowned, clutching her open chest, a look of confusion on her face.

"Chengqian, this princess always feels that Li Chang'an is constantly acting, but this princess has no proof."

Li Chengqian chuckled twice, looking somewhat dejected. "Aunt is overthinking. As a Crown Prince, I walk on thin ice, which is why I constantly put on an act."

"Uncle Prince Yong is truly carefree, truly reckless, and genuinely doesn't want to be constrained, which is why he fled the capital."

"Didn't you see what he said during the three-court trial? He was utterly lawless!"

Li Chang'an's behavior did not escape Emperor Qing's arrangements; being lawless and unbridled seemed perfectly reasonable.

The reason Li Yunrui felt Li Chang'an was acting was because Li Chang'an ignored her beauty.

However, this might be because Li Chang'an was mindful of their ceremonial sibling relationship.

If she knew how Li Chang'an had raised Lin Wan'er, she would realize that Li Chang'an didn't care about ceremonial relationships without blood ties at all.

"Your Majesty has found the second prince to be your opponent. The power of both of you will begin to expand in the next few years."

"Li Chang'an choosing to leave the capital now looks like he's avoiding trouble."

"Forget it, if he wants to hide, let him hide. He can't hide his whole life, can he!"

A month later, in the imperial palace of Shangjing City, Northern Qi.

The young Emperor Zhan Doudou of Northern Qi, who disguised herself as a man, had not yet assumed full power; the Empress Dowager held the reins of government.

Zhan Doudou was a woman, and only a very few people, such as the Empress Dowager, Ku He, and Haitang Duoduo, knew this.

Zhan Doudou had been raised as a boy by the Empress Dowager since childhood. Her succession to the throne had caused a period of unrest, which was only suppressed by Great Grandmaster Ku He's presence in Shangjing City.

Ku He was Zhan Qingfeng's biological brother and a true Northern Qi imperial family member, but he had no interest in the throne.

In the Imperial Garden, Zhan Doudou was holding a copy of "Story of the Stone · Magazine," reading the latest serialized "Story of the Stone." Her eyes were wide, and her face was flushed.

She was so engrossed that she didn't even notice Zhan Pianpian, her elder sister by two years, secretly approaching from behind. Zhan Pianpian was specifically after the dream of the red chamber.

Zhan Pianpian wore a large red palace dress, her two big eyes nervously glancing around, quietly approaching Zhan Doudou with her skirt held up.

She glared fiercely at the eunuchs and palace maids beside the emperor, signaling them to keep quiet.

Zhan Pianpian, quick as a flash, snatched the hardcover magazine from Zhan Doudou's hand and then swiftly ran several yards away.

"Your Majesty, you really did get the latest Story of the Stone! You and Mother Empress both lied to me, saying that Prince Yong of Southern Qing had stopped updating!"

"Now what? I caught you, didn't I? You were indeed secretly reading the latest dream of the red chamber!"

Seeing Zhan Pianpian tightly clutching the magazine, the young emperor's forehead broke out in a sweat. He quickly ordered all the eunuchs and palace maids to retreat.

"Sister, this book belongs to Mother Empress. I truly didn't lie to you. Hurry and give me back the book; I'll secretly put it back in Mother Empress's study."

Zhan Pianpian squeezed the magazine tightly, "Your Majesty, don't come over!

You always think I'm easy to fool; you're trying to trick me again this time!"

Zhan Doudou was anxious. Relying on her martial arts skills, she directly reached out to snatch it.

Zhan Pianpian held on tightly, and the young emperor couldn't snatch it back. However, more than a dozen sheets of paper with writing on them fell out of the book.

Zhan Doudou, having martial arts, immediately began snatching these loose pages without a word. Zhan Pianpian, though not understanding why, also joined in the snatching.

In the end, Zhan Doudou snatched seven or eight pages, but Zhan Pianpian also managed to get five or six.

"Your Majesty, I know your martial arts are excellent, and I can't beat you or snatch from you, but I'm going to read what's written on these papers right now!"

After Zhan Pianpian finished speaking, she immediately began to read the few loose pages.

Zhan Doudou was greatly alarmed, but it was already too late!

This magazine belonged to the Empress Dowager, and these poems were all written by Li Chang'an for Si Lili.

The most proper poem among them was "Fighting a Hundred Flowers"; the others were all filled with the joys of the boudoir.

Indeed, after Zhan Pianpian finished reading one page, her face flushed directly from the back of her neck to below her collarbone, and her eyes widened!

She opened her small mouth in surprise, then looked at Zhan Doudou with heartache.

"Your Majesty!"

"You! How can you read such poetry!"

"You! You haven't even come of age yet! You are the ruler of a nation!"

After Zhan Pianpian finished speaking, her expression grew even more tense, and then she quickly lowered her head to read the second page.

Zhan Doudou helplessly crossed her arms. Since she couldn't stop her, she could only wait for her sister to finish reading, then discuss what to do.

After Zhan Pianpian finished the second page, she nervously swallowed, "How outrageous, Your Majesty, you are truly too outrageous!"

She spoke with a serious expression, but couldn't help but quickly pick up the third page to read.

"Who wrote this! It's simply scandalous and unbearable to look at!"

As she spoke, Zhan Pianpian frowned slightly, looking around in a panic, quickly finishing all the pages in her hand.

Then, she continuously fanned her face with both hands, trying to cool down her burning temperature.

Zhan Doudou said, "There won't be anyone nearby; I already sent everyone away. Give them back to me when you're done!"

Zhan Pianpian, however, hid the few loose pages behind her back, showing the authority of an elder sister.

"Your Majesty, you wouldn't want Mother Empress to know that you secretly read her poems, would you!"

"If you give me the remaining loose pages to read, this princess won't expose you!"

PS: By the way, the ages of the characters in this book have all been re-set based on the TV series.

Because according to the original novel, Haitang Duoduo was drugged by Fan Xian at fourteen or fifteen, which is too cruel, and the pure heart of this humble author simply cannot accept it.

To facilitate a deeper development of the story, the protagonist, Haitang Duoduo, and Zhan Pianpian are set to be the same age. Si Lili and Sang Wen are two years older than the protagonist. Fan Xian and Zhan Doudou are two years younger than the protagonist. Lin Wan'er is three years younger, and Fan Ruoruo is four years younger.