The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 102: This Man Is So Insidious

Lady Li froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.

’What did I just say?’

’I actually blurted out all my innermost thoughts!’

Meeting the Emperor’s astonished gaze, Lady Li’s already pale face turned even paler.

Just as she was about to explain, Hua Manman spoke first, her voice full of grievance.

"I know my status is low, and I’m not worthy of speaking with an immortal figure like Lady Li Fei."

The Empress comforted her in a gentle voice, "Lady Li just had a slip of the tongue. Don’t take it to heart."

Hua Manman looked at Lady Li, her eyes welling with tears, and asked.

"Is that true?"

Lady Li wanted to say yes, but what came out was, "Of course not! Everything I said came from the heart!"

The Emperor and the Empress were shocked once again.

’Lady Li is being very bold today!’

Lady Li felt as if her mouth was no longer under her control, and panic began to set in.

She tried to defend herself, but the words that came out were—

"I’ve had enough of all of you for a long time!"

Hua Manman asked in astonishment, "You even find the Saint displeasing?"

Lady Li wanted to say no, but the words that came out were...

"The Saint deliberately favors Prince Zhao. He couldn’t bear to punish him even when he made a grave mistake."

"I’d heard before that Prince Zhao might be the Saint’s illegitimate son."

"At the time, I thought it was just a rumor and didn’t believe it."

"But now it seems it wasn’t a baseless rumor. It’s very likely true."

"How could I not be annoyed with a muddle-headed Emperor like him?!"

The Emperor: "..."

His expression darkened at a visible rate.

Now, Hua Manman was truly shocked.

’I only wanted to use the Truth Elixir to make Lady Li tell the truth and prevent anyone from blaming Prince Zhao for this incident in the future. I never expected to unearth such a shocking secret!’

’I always thought Prince Zhao bore some resemblance to the Emperor, but I’d assumed it was because the Emperor is his maternal grand-uncle.’

’It seems I was too naive.’

’The internal affairs of the Royal Family are far more chaotic than I ever imagined.’

The Empress tried to smooth things over. "Lady Li is probably just a bit confused from the medicine. Let’s leave first and let her rest."

But Lady Li retorted.

"Stop your hypocritical act. You’re probably thrilled to see me make a fool of myself!"

The Empress’s expression stiffened. Then, as if wounded, she closed her mouth and said no more.

Hua Manman said cautiously.

"Lady Li Fei, please don’t be like this. It’s all my fault."

"If I hadn’t accidentally fallen, none of this would have happened. Please, don’t be angry."

Lady Li: "What bullshit are you talking about?"

"I was the one who pushed Hua Jieyu first! You were only pushed down because you were trying to protect her."

"I did all of this, what does it have to do with you?!"

Hua Manman’s eyes widened as she asked in disbelief.

"You did it on purpose?"

Lady Li wanted to deny it, but her mouth unhesitatingly gave an affirmative reply.

"Of course it was on purpose!"

"That shameless little bitch Hua Jieyu deliberately seduced the Saint and secretly set a trap for me, which led to the Empress reprimanding me in public."

"If I don’t teach her a lesson, she won’t know her place!"

The Emperor could no longer tolerate it. He reprimanded her in a deep voice.

"Enough!"

Lady Li trembled with fright.

Just then, one minute was up, and the effects of the Truth Elixir wore off.

She opened her mouth and burst into tears.

"SOB SOB SOB... Your Majesty, spare me!"

"I was just spouting nonsense! None of that was what I truly think! I would never dare to think such things about you and the Empress!"

How could the Emperor possibly listen to her excuses? He shot to his feet, his gaze dark.

"Lady Li is petty and malicious. She attempted to harm Hua Jieyu. Her character is unworthy of her rank as a consort. Effective immediately, she is demoted to Zhaoyuan!"

With that, he didn’t spare Li Zhaoyuan another glance, turning away with a grim face and storming off.

From the looks of it, he probably never wanted to see Li Zhaoyuan again.

Li Zhaoyuan desperately called out to the Emperor, begging him to stay and listen to her explanation.

If she could stand on her injured legs, she would have certainly chased after him.

The Empress looked at her pitiful state and sighed helplessly.

"You’ve brought this upon yourself."

Then, she too departed.

Li Zhaoyuan lay on the bed, sobbing her heart out.

She knew she had truly enraged the Emperor this time. Regaining his favor would be all but impossible now.

Her life seemed to plunge into darkness in an instant, leaving only despair.

Hua Manman picked up the half-finished cup of tea, poured the contents into a potted plant, then set the cup down and said to Si Yun.

"Let’s go."

"Yes."

Si Yun supported her as she walked out slowly.

Si Yun asked carefully, "Nanny, are we returning to our residence?"

But Hua Manman said, "First, let’s go see Prince Zhao."

Punished with a month of confinement to reflect on his transgressions, Li Ji could only remain in his room.

But even without leaving, he was still remarkably well-informed.

He had heard from Chen Wangbei about Lady Li’s demotion to Li Zhaoyuan.

Chen Wangbei was baffled. "Li Zhaoyuan may be brainless on a good day, but she can’t be stupid enough to denounce the Saint and the Empress in front of so many people. It’s like she was possessed."

Li Ji, sitting in his wheelchair, said slowly.

"Perhaps she really was possessed."

Chen Wangbei was stunned. "Huh?"

Just then, Hua Manman arrived.

She entered the room, leaning on Si Yun for support.

Li Ji sat up straight and frowned at her, speaking with displeasure.

"You’re injured and still running all over the place. Don’t you want to get better?"

Hua Manman gave him a weak smile.

"I was worried about you, Prince, so I wanted to come and see you. As long as I can see that you’re safe, the pain doesn’t seem so bad."

Li Ji scoffed. "You make it sound as if I’m some kind of Miracle Medicine."

Hua Manman replied, "To me, you’re more effective than any Miracle Medicine."

She then gave a shy smile, the tips of her ears turning red.

Even though Li Ji knew she was just trying to coax him with sweet nothings, he couldn’t help but feel a strange stir in his heart.

He clicked his tongue disdainfully.

"You don’t look like you’ve taken medicine; you look like you’ve been drinking honey. I suppose you won’t need any candied fruit with your medicine next time."

Hua Manman: "..."

’That’s not necessary.’

’The candied fruit is still very important. Otherwise, I’d introduce a new cause of death to the world—’

’Dying from the sheer bitterness of medicine.’

Hearing her inner thoughts, Li Ji’s lips curled into a smile.

He pointed to a nearby couch.

"Go lie down over there. Let me see your wound."

Hua Manman politely refused. "There’s no need. My wound is fine. Since you’re safe and sound, Prince, I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll be going now."

She turned to make a quick getaway.

Li Ji’s tone grew heavy as he said ominously.

"If you dare take one step out that door, I’ll make sure you never get candied fruit with your medicine again."

Hua Manman froze.

’Damn it, this bastard is so devious!’

...