Chapter 221: Better Not See

Tangtang, you must not misunderstand Li Ping'er; she is definitely not here to flaunt anything, she wants to lure the Emperor here so that you two can finally have a chance to meet.

Yes, recently Li Ping'er has been striving, trying to find a way for Li Neng to get out of the Cold Palace.

Li Ping'er absolutely dislikes the Emperor; everything she does is to save you.

Also, because Li Defu used Chu Yunzheng and Bai Li's kite‑flying incident, Li Ping'er ends up accompanying Chu Yunzheng. Yet Li Ping'er's first thought wasn't to vie for favor, but to use the kite to guide the Emperor here.

Wan Tang listened to the barrage sounds, her expression cold and indifferent.

At this moment, her first thought wasn't about competing for favor or regaining it, but fearing that the Emperor might truly walk into the Cold Palace.

Xu Yanchuan glanced at the commotion outside the courtyard and swiftly scaled the wall to disappear.

Xiao Shunzi whispered anxiously, "Nubi, I'll go out to greet them, Master…"

"No need." Wan Tang raised her hand to stop him, her gaze like a torch locking onto the peeling vermilion palace gate.

The clamor outside the courtyard suddenly ceased, leaving only the wind rustling through dead branches.

Wan Tang walked step by step toward the doorway, her skirt brushing the overgrown grass, finally stopping behind the door.

Just a door apart, she could feel that familiar aura.

Li Defu's labored breathing grew louder as he approached, "Emperor, Empress, you two take it slow; this old Nubi's bones are about to fall apart!"

The words cut off abruptly, then he asked in startled doubt, "How did we end up in the Cold Palace?"

"Emperor, this place is inauspicious; please move quickly."

"Emperor," Li Ping'er cooed, her voice soft with a nasal sweetness, "Now that we've reached the doorway, why not go in and take a look?"

"Subject has heard that Sister Wanpin's health has not been great lately."

Chu Yunzheng's voice gave no hint of emotion: "You seem deeply attached to her as a sister."

Li Defu hurriedly interjected, "Lady of Grace, you jest; Wanpin now bears a criminal status, Lady of Grace, you are of golden honor…"

"It is deep affection." Li Ping'er suddenly interrupted, her tone firm, "Subject has always regarded Wanpin as a real older sister."

"Even the Bright Moon Dance that the Emperor praised was taught by my sister herself." She lowered her voice, a coquettish tone tinged with solemnity, "Emperor, shall we go in and have a look?"

Inside, Wan Tang's fingertips lightly pressed against the cold door panel.

The icy palace gate stood like a celestial trench, spanning between the two.

Inside, Wan Tang held her breath, her fingertips involuntarily curling, and shamefully a faint hope stirred in her heart.

She knew she shouldn't, yet couldn't suppress the flutter that rose as he drew near.

Outside, Chu Yunzheng stood silently for a long while, his gaze deep as he stared at the tightly shut door.

It was as if he could see through the heavy wood to the person beyond.

He suddenly spoke, his tone revealing no joy or anger, "When was the last time you came to see her?"

"Half a month ago…" Li Ping'er's voice immediately took on a hurtful sob, "Later the Empress issued a strict edict, and Subject… Subject dared not return."

Chu Yunzheng was silent for a moment, then asked, his tone as flat as if inquiring about the weather, "Is she… well?"

Li Ping'er became emotionally agitated, about to begin recounting Wan Tang's tragic condition.

Li Defu, however, suddenly leapt forward, his face plastered with a sycophantic grin, rushing to answer:

"Fine! Of course she's fine!"

"Emperor, you are most compassionate toward the Virtuous Consort, and who in the entire palace doesn't know that?"

"Who would dare to neglect her!"

"Look, the guards posted at this doorway were all handpicked by me, the most elite—six in total."

"With the Virtuous Consort here, it must be absolutely fail‑safe, extremely safe!" he emphasized the word "safe" heavily.

In Chu Yunzheng's voice, a genuine hint of relief slipped through: "That's good."

He paused, as if speaking to himself, yet as if warning someone: "A paper kite can be remade if lost; there's no need to cling to the old."

"Return."

The sound of footsteps rose; he truly was about to leave.

Inside, Wan Tang's heart suddenly sank, that hand involuntarily lifted, gently pressing the cold door panel.

The knuckles turned slightly pale, as if this could touch the figure about to depart.

"Emperor!" Li Ping'er called urgently, her voice tinged with resentment, "Isn't your affection for me all rooted in longing for my sister? If it weren't for my sister teaching me those…"

"Then the pastries you've made these days, and the folk anecdotes you tell—did she teach those as well?" Chu Yunzheng suddenly interrupted, his tone revealing no emotion.

The outside fell silent in an instant.

Immediately, Chu Yunzheng's voice, tinged with a hint of indulgence yet crystal clear, came: "That's right."

"I like you, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."

He paused briefly, his voice deepening with an unmistakable resolve: "Therefore, whether we meet or not, does it still matter?"

"After all, I have said I will never see you again."

Footsteps sounded again, this time steadily moving farther away.

Outside, the guards' resonant voices pierced the silence: "See you off, Emperor…"

Inside, Wan Tang's hand slowly slipped from the door panel, fingertips cold.

That final faint hope, together with the departing figure beyond the door, vanished in the icy air.

Wan Tang's hand on the door panel trembled ever so slightly, finally sliding weakly along the cold, rough wood grain.

The light in her eyes dimmed bit by bit, becoming hollow and numb.

Then, a faint, self‑mocking curve tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Truly laughable, she had long known they were merely moves on a chessboard.

Why, at that moment, did her heart still spawn such unrealistic fantasies?

Xiao Shunzi, seeing this, hurried forward, voice full of concern and urgency: "Master, don't take it to heart…"

"Li Ping'er, she too is forced, the Emperor… he must have his reasons…"

Unexpectedly, Wan Tang did not feel the loss or anger he had anticipated; instead, she let out a gentle sigh.

Her tense shoulders seemed to relax, and her tone carried an almost cruel clarity:

"This… is also fine."

She turned, her gaze calmly fixed on Xiao Shunzi, as if stating a fact no simpler than that.

"After all, between him and me, from the very beginning, there has been no romantic love whatsoever."

The words leaving her mouth, she seemed suddenly pricked, thrust her hand up, and mercilessly slapped herself hard!

"Master!" Xiao Shunzi was terrified, his spirit fleeing, and lunged forward to intervene.

Wan Tang raised her hand to stop him, and a clear fingertip imprint quickly appeared on her cheek.

She only gave a cold smile, her eyes sharp as a blade: "Don't be afraid."

"That slap was to wake myself… I almost forgot my original intention."

When she turned again, her back stood perfectly straight; the fragility and confusion of that instant had been completely shattered, and only tempered ice and unquestionable resolve remained in her eyes.

The aura radiating from her body was even stronger than ever before.

【Having tangled with Chu Yunzheng these past years, Wan Tang has probably developed feelings!】

【Chu Yunzheng's actions also have reasons; does Wan Tang not know what the Mo Family Army signifies? If the Mo Family Army learned that a descendant of the Mo Family still resides in the Cold Palace, what would happen?】

【Moreover, matters of the Mo Family are the most intolerable to the Emperor and Empress Dowager. That's treason against the throne!】

【Back then, his unwavering protection of Wan Tang was already true love.】

【Alas, it's a pity Wan Tang died too quickly in the original work, and the Mo Family affairs were glossed over. Otherwise we could have given Wan Tang more useful information.】

The Barrage kept spamming nonstop.

The audience was still debating whether Wan Tang and Chu Yunzheng had true love, but Wan Tang's thoughts were fixed on the Mo Family Army.

At this moment, the Cold Palace was no longer hell for Wan Tang.

By candlelight, she spread out the plan she had recently written, her fingertips moving slowly over it, her gaze as cold as ice.

Now she was no longer the deep‑palace Imperial Concubine who could only passively endure.

In secret, the commercial empire she controlled was expanding at a staggering speed.

Only the few shops she ran completely independently of the Qi Family, secretly managed by her confidants, yielded a net profit of no less than ten thousand taels of silver daily.

And that was merely the tip of the iceberg of her massive earnings.

Through the Yunxiang Pavilion publicly run by Qi Er and the traditional industries such as salt, iron and textiles that she secretly invests in and infiltrates, she can earn more than five hundred taels of net profit each day.

Money is like blood, continuously flowing into her veins.

Even more frightening was the invisible massive net woven by the Yunxiang Pavilion.

Within the Forbidden City, any man of some power or status, who does not cherish having three wives and four concubines?

How much resentment and ambition brew in the neglected sons and abandoned wives and concubines of those great families?

The Yunxiang Pavilion became their secret haven for venting desire, seeking recognition and power.

Here, they could obtain ultimate respect and satisfaction, in exchange for the information, contacts, and even some unsavory assistance they desired.

These people would ultimately become the most obedient pieces in Wan Tang's hand.

Days slipped away quietly beneath the surface calm.

That day, Wan Tang sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, her gaze falling on several cucumbers in the vegetable plot that were already ripe, their emerald skins glistening.

She reached out and gently brushed the cucumber's slightly prickly skin, a cold, resolute smile slowly curving her lips.

"The time has come," she whispered to herself, as if speaking to the fruit, and also to this vast chessboard, "It's time to cast the net."

Autumn was just beginning to show.

"Mother… Mother…" a babyish, milk‑sweet call grew from afar to near.

Wan Tang, hearing the voice, immediately set aside the scroll in her hand and hurried toward the courtyard gate.

She saw Minghui wearing a thick little coat, wobbling on his short legs, grinning at her.

Though his words were slurred, the "Mother" was clearly discernible.

Wan Tang's heart melted instantly, she bent down and tightly embraced her daughter, her voice choked: "My Minghui is calling Mother now!"

"That part, I'll let you have it; at least you're quicker than others."

Ning Daying stepped in with a swagger, his tone full of pride, "The First Prince, over a year old, still walks unsteadily, and the Empress worries endlessly."

"The Second Prince is frail, and stays secluded even more."

"Minghui, not yet a year old, can already walk and speak; that's truly rare."

"That little ungrateful one only knows Mother and Noble Consort, why doesn't he call me the aunt who plays with him every day?"

Having said that, he snatched a persimmon and shoved it into his mouth in a petulant manner.

Hui Guifei immediately entered, her cold eyes sweeping over, "In my palace I have only this useless one in my hands."

Ning Daying stuck out his tongue in a grimace, then ran off to fuss with the vegetable plot.

These past months, Hui Guifei brought Minghui each day, and Ning Daying, since the first visit, has almost lingered in the Cold Palace, openly saying there is a "home" warmth here.

The few grew increasingly familiar with each other.

Wan Tang teased Minghui in her arms; only at this moment did the gloom between her brows completely dissipate.

Ning Daying suddenly exclaimed, "Where is Commander Xu today?"

A faint pink rose on Hui Guifei's cheek as she whispered scoldingly, "Shameless! As a palace concubine, how can you speak recklessly of an outside man?"

Wan Tang keenly caught the fleeting melancholy in her tone.

Was this remark meant to admonish Ning Daying, or to warn herself?

Ning Daying childishly retorted, "Didn't sister stay up last night creating a sword technique, saying she would spar with him and definitely beat him once?"

Hui Guifei's ears reddened further, and she glared at her fiercely: "Keep spouting nonsense and I'll stitch your mouth shut!"

"Oh? It seems this time I must give it my all," Xu Yanchuan's voice came from the wall.