Chapter 292: Chapter 293: Because I Felt Like It

The shopkeeper scrambled forward, intending to catch the teacup before it hit the ground.

But he lunged for nothing!

Li Ji had feinted.

He made a false motion with the hand holding the cup, then hurled it against the nearby wall.

The teacup hit the hard wall and shattered with a CRACK.

Before the shopkeeper could react,

Li Ji smashed the remaining teacups and the teapot all at once.

The shopkeeper was so terrified he was rendered speechless.

That was the tea set their owner had his eye on, one he had specifically ordered to be sent to the Liu Family.

But now, the entire tea set was shattered to pieces.

’How was he going to explain this to the owner?’

The culprit, Li Ji, showed no remorse whatsoever. He even said with a grin,

"You know, this clay tea set isn’t worth much, but the sound it makes when it shatters is surprisingly pleasant."

The shopkeeper couldn’t take it anymore. He collapsed onto the floor and began to wail.

’WAAAAH! Is that something a human being would say?!’

Next, Li Ji found several more antiques for sale in Ruyi Building and, without exception, smashed them all to bits.

He had an incredibly sharp eye, and his choices were unerring. Unfortunately, every antique he picked was a priceless treasure that money couldn’t buy.

Staring at the fragments covering the floor, the shopkeeper was beyond tears.

He was completely stunned, as if his very soul had left his body.

If even the shopkeeper didn’t dare to speak, the shop assistants certainly wouldn’t. They all cowered in a corner, trembling in fear.

As for the customers, they had all been frightened off, fleeing in disarray.

Li Ji didn’t stop until he had smashed every last decent antique in the shop.

He glanced at the dazed shopkeeper and, with a smile, tossed off a single sentence.

"Have your owner come to the Prince Mansion later to settle the bill."

With that, he swaggered away.

News that Ruyi Building had been wrecked spread quickly throughout Shangjing City.

The men of the Imperial Censorate practically kept their eyes glued to Prince Zhao day in and day out. They would report even the slightest transgression to the Emperor in an attempt to impeach him. Naturally, they wouldn’t let such a golden opportunity pass. They were all rubbing their hands in glee, preparing to make a big move.

The next day, during the morning court session, the officials stepped forward one after another to impeach Prince Zhao. They accused him of abusing his power, vandalizing a shop, disregarding the law, acting in a manner unbefitting his station, and bringing shame upon the imperial court.

They piled one accusation after another on Prince Zhao.

Not a single person present spoke up in his defense.

Not until the officials’ verbal onslaught had subsided did the Emperor finally speak, his voice unhurried.

"I am aware. Is there anything else?"

The officials were left speechless.

’That’s it? That’s all?!’

’We all got so worked up and spent half the day lodging our complaints, and that’s Your Majesty’s only reaction?!’

When he saw they were all silent, the Emperor said calmly,

"If there is nothing else to report, then court is dismissed."

But the officials refused to give up. Even after the session ended, they wrote a pile of memorials.

These memorials were delivered to the Emperor’s desk.

The Emperor’s head ached just looking at them.

He rubbed his temples and said with a frown,

"Summon Prince Zhao to the palace. I have questions for him."

"Yes."

「In the Prince Zhao Mansion.」

Hua Manman was still recovering from her injuries.

She had no idea what Prince Zhao had been up to when he went out the day before. It was only when a messenger from the palace arrived that she found out what he had done.

Hua Manman was completely baffled. "Why on earth did you go and smash up Ruyi Building?"

Li Ji just chuckled, unconcerned.

"Because I wanted to."

With that, he turned and walked out.

Hua Manman wanted to follow, but was pulled back by Si Yun.

"Princess Consort, your head wound hasn’t healed yet. The Daoist Master instructed you to rest well for the next few days and try not to go out."

Hua Manman had no choice but to stop, watching helplessly as Prince Zhao walked farther and farther away.

...

When Lady He heard Hua Manman was injured, she made a special trip to visit, bringing restorative tonics. Accompanying her was He Qiuwen.

He Qiuwen was Lady He’s younger sister. If you looked closely, you could see their facial features were quite similar.

But because Lady He took better care of herself, she actually looked younger than her younger sister, He Qiuwen.

Ever since entering the gates of the Prince Mansion, He Qiuwen’s eyes had been darting around nonstop. She looked just like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

She let out an exaggerated cry the moment she saw Hua Manman.

"Why, if it isn’t Manman! It’s been such a short time, and you’ve gotten even prettier! The Prince Zhao Mansion must be a blessed place. It certainly agrees with you!"

Hua Manman was taken aback for a moment before she realized who this was.

She greeted her politely, "Auntie."

Lady He looked rather embarrassed.

She hadn’t actually wanted to bring He Qiuwen to the Prince Mansion, but He Qiuwen had insisted on coming along.

Out of respect for their sisterly bond, Lady He couldn’t keep refusing, so she had reluctantly agreed to bring her.

On the way over, Lady He had repeatedly warned He Qiuwen to keep her words to a minimum.

He Qiuwen had agreed readily enough, but the moment she arrived at the Prince Mansion, she seemed to have forgotten the warnings completely.

She grabbed Hua Manman’s hand with an unearned familiarity, her eyes raking over Hua Manman from head to toe as she clicked her tongue in amazement.

"Tsk tsk, look at you, all dressed up! How impressive! Where did you have this dress made? The fabric is so smooth! And your bracelet, it’s gorgeous. It must have cost a fortune, didn’t it?"

Hua Manman was about to die of secondhand embarrassment.

She barely knew this aunt. Even the original Hua Manman had only met her occasionally, and the two of them rarely spoke.

But from the way He Qiuwen was acting, one would think they were the closest of confidantes.

Even Lady He couldn’t bear to watch.

She interrupted her sister, "The Prince surely prepared her clothes and jewelry for her. How would she know what they cost? Besides, we’re not here to pry about such things. We came to see Manman."

He Qiuwen smiled sheepishly.

"I was just curious, so I asked. It was nothing."

Hua Manman took the opportunity to pull her hand free from her aunt’s grasp and took a couple of steps toward Lady He.

"Mother, how is your injury?"

Lady He said she was almost fully recovered. To prove it, she even lifted the hair at the back of her neck to show her daughter the healed wound.

Hua Manman relaxed. "I’m so glad you’re all right."

Lady He looked at the gauze wrapped around her daughter’s head, her eyes filled with distress.

"Oh, you silly child. How could you just fall while walking for no reason?"

The intrigue in the inner palace ran deep. For safety’s sake, Hua Manman told everyone she had simply fallen by accident.

Lady He didn’t overthink it and took her word for it.

Hua Manman smiled. "I just bumped my head by accident, that’s all. It’s just a little scrape, nothing serious."

Lady He didn’t believe her. "If it was just a little scrape, would they need to wrap it with such thick gauze?"

Hua Manman deliberately put on a bashful expression.

"It’s all the Prince’s fault. He overreacted and insisted the physician wrap it with extra gauze, saying it would be more secure that way."

’Sorry, you damn man,’ she apologized silently in her heart. ’You’ll just have to be my scapegoat for now.’

Hearing this, Lady He couldn’t help but smile.

"What do you know? That just means Prince Zhao dotes on you. It’s a blessing."