Chapter 388: Princess Gao Yang

At lunch, Li Tai still kept pulling Chen Yan to ask all kinds of questions, while the Princess of Yue and Li Lizhi were in charge of feeding the several children.

On the surface it seemed no different from before, but Princess Gao Yang felt that Li Lizhi was somewhat absent‑minded, and she no longer, as before, occasionally passed dishes to Chen Yan.

Sensing something amiss, Princess Gao Yang's eyes flashed with a strange hue, and she said offhand, "Counting the days, the Crown Princess should be about to give birth; we need to prepare a congratulatory gift."

Chen Yan was startled; before he could speak, the Princess of Yue beside Princess Gao Yang mused, "Indeed, it's already the second month, so it should be around this time."

"Is that so?" Li Tai, drawn by their words, exclaimed happily, "Isn't that a good thing? I'll soon have another big nephew."

"What if it's a big niece?" Princess Gao Yang asked in response.

Li Tai replied casually, "Whether nephew or niece, it's all good, the same."

He turned to the Princess of Yue and said, "Yu Er, please prepare a congratulatory gift; we'll send it over once the Crown Princess's child is born."

"Fine." the Princess of Yue replied succinctly.

"Hey, what do you think, should we go in person to congratulate?" Princess Gao Yang continued, "After all it's a big event; only sending a gift would make it seem like we don't value it."

"Well…" Li Tai hesitated.

His whole mind is now devoted to studying the hot air balloon; he has no leisure to go congratulating.

In the past he would have cared deeply about this, making sure everything inside and out was handled properly.

But now he doesn't have that mood.

"Husband, what do you think?" Princess Gao Yang looked at Chen Yan again.

"The Crown Prince just sent someone with a letter; the Crown Princess's delivery is estimated to be within these two days," Chen Yan glanced at Princess Gao Yang, "I plan to have Li Lizhi go to congratulate, and Li Lizhi has agreed."

Princess Gao Yang was a bit surprised, directing her gaze at Li Lizhi, "Is that so, sister?"

Li Lizhi gave a "mm" sound, didn't lift her head, and continued caring for the two younger sisters as they ate.

"... Ah!" Princess Gao Yang raised her eyebrows slightly and said nothing more.

Li Tai finally caught on, "Yu Er, why don't you go with Li Lizhi? It'll give you a companion, and you can also chat with Mother Empress, just say we're doing fine here."

The Princess of Yue gave him a white‑eyed look but still agreed.

Anyway it's not a big deal; at most we'll stay back for two days.

When the topic ended, the atmosphere returned to how it was, with Princess Gao Yang seeming much brighter, occasionally teasing the two younger sisters and nephew Li Xin.

After the meal, Li Tai ran off to tinker with the hot air balloon, the children ran out to play, and Chen Yan went straight to Xianlya.

Li Lizhi went with the Princess of Yue to prepare the congratulatory gift and pack some luggage.

Princess Gao Yang, supported by Xiang Lan, returned to the main bedroom; on the way she saw Li Lizhi's silent demeanor and pursed her lips.

Once back in the room, Princess Gao Yang's mood was unmistakable; she happily hummed the little tune Chen Yan often hums.

Xiang Lan smiled and asked, "Princess, you're in a great mood today—did something good happen?"

"Of course!" Princess Gao Yang said joyfully, "Li Lizhi is leaving; shouldn't I be happy?"

"... Uh." Xiang Lan hesitated, then gently reminded, "Your Highness, His/Her Highness of Chang Le is only going to congratulate the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and will be away for just a few days."

"Hmph, you don't get it." Princess Gao Yang lifted her chin, exposing her snow‑white neck, "Haven't you noticed that ever since we returned, Li Lizhi has been very smug?"

"She's been pestering Chen Yan day after day, and once I even heard her suggest to Chen Yan that we should… Hmph, this older sister of mine appears gentle and generous on the surface, but Chen Yan called me out on it; she likes that, and plays it even more flamboyantly than I do."

Together?

Flamboyantly?

Xiang Lan quickly grasped the point in Princess Gao Yang's words, but she didn't dare ask, only suppressing her curiosity.

"But Lord Bo and His/Her Highness of Chang Le are also a married couple; a bit of intimacy doesn't seem strange…"

"Intimacy isn't strange, of course." Princess Gao Yang cleared her throat, "The problem is that Li Lizhi crossed the line, wanting to bully me, a pregnant woman, for her own selfish desire."

"Chen Yan may seem like a jerk, but whether toward me or Li Lizhi he's indisputable; he doesn't mind spoiling us in daily life, and no matter how much I tease him, Chen Yan never truly gets angry."

"However there's a premise: one must not cross the bottom line."

"Otherwise, you'll witness Chen Yan's methods."

"What methods?" Xiang Lan asked, clearly confused.

When did Princess Changle ever bully Princess Gao Yang?

Aren't the two of them on good terms?

Princess Changle clearly takes good care of Princess Gao Yang, the pregnant woman, on a daily basis?

"What methods, how would I know?"

Princess Gao Yang gave her a withering look, "Anyway, it certainly won't be a good thing for Li Lizhi."

"She, I don't know what provoked her; being impatient is one thing, but the key is we still haven't figured out that Chen Yan is someone who, when he needs to be ruthless, shows no mercy, and when he needs to give up, does so without hesitation."

"Back then he liked Xu Lianyue so much; now? Xu Lianyue is nothing."

"Huh?" Xiang Lan asked blankly, "So, according to you, Lord Bo had a conflict with His/Her Highness of Chang Le, and Lord Bo… gave His/Her Highness of Chang Le a hard decision?"

"Hmm…" Princess Gao Yang mused, "Probably not; given Chen Yan's character, it's likely just a warning. See, that's why Li Lizhi is being sent back to the palace directly."

"Normally, even a congratulation would wait until after the Crown Princess gives birth, but now she's being sent back to the palace before the child is born; that makes no sense."

"In my view, Chen Yan just wants Li Lizhi to cool down."

Xiang Lan was startled, recalling the words her own princess often muttered before, and thinking of Princess Changle being sent back to the palace, she hurriedly said, "Princess, please never really anger Lord Bo in the future; it would hurt the relationship."

"You still don't get it!" Princess Gao Yang instantly 'evolved', flicked her hand, displaying her world‑shattering wisdom:

"Honestly, Chen Yan's thriving before my Father Emperor, Mother Empress, and numerous core ministers is due to his talent, his conduct, and also his tactics and magnanimity."

"Someone like that wouldn't get angry over a minor dispute and then kick someone out, would he?"

"Chen Yan isn't that petty; as he says, couples do argue. After the quarrel, they just go on living as before."

"So, it's fine to anger Chen Yan; the important thing is not to cross the bottom line."

"Oh~" Xiang Lan seemed to have an epiphany, "It's like you constantly shout about going out to find wild men; Lord Bo never truly gets angry because he knows you're using that as an excuse to manipulate him, not actually to find wild men."

Princess Gao Yang: "......"

If you interpret it that way, that's fine.

Xiang Lan asked again, "So… what is Lord Bo's bottom line?"

"Well…" Gao Yang was momentarily dazed, his smile bright, "Probably it's that it shouldn't affect this family that was hard to form."

…