After the Emperor and Empress Dowager finished their pizza, Leng Ruoli suggested they take a stroll in the Empress Dowager's private garden to aid digestion.
After their walk, Leng Ruoli accompanied them to a pavilion in the garden for some flower tea and conversation. Finally, they returned indoors.
Leng Ruoli then conducted a brief physical examination for the Emperor and Empress Dowager, fully charged their massage devices, and advised the mother and son to do more simple exercises to strengthen their bodies.
Thus, Leng Ruoli spent the day in the palace, only leaving at dusk.
Meanwhile, Princess Anle.
After being caned fifty times by the Empress Dowager, she was carried back to her residence by servants.
Soon after, someone from the palace delivered a message to King Ning. Upon learning of his sister's predicament, he rushed to the palace.
He had barely stepped into Princess Anle's room when he heard her screams.
“Ah… can’t you apply the medicine more gently? It’s killing me!”
Startled by Anle’s shout, the young palace maid applying the medicine trembled.
“Princess… Princess, this servant did not do it intentionally, please forgive me!”
“If this isn’t intentional, then you won’t be satisfied until you’ve caused this princess to die from pain, right?”
Upon hearing the little maid’s words, Anle’s anger intensified.
As a result, this little maid, jolted by Anle’s roar, trembled again, and the medicinal powder in her hands spilled entirely onto Princess Anle’s buttocks. This caused Anle’s buttocks to sting intensely from the powder, making her grimace. The little maid, realizing her grave mistake, grew weak in the knees and knelt before Anle.
“Princess, Princess, this servant knows her mistake, please spare this servant this time.”
The little maid pleaded with Princess Anle from the ground with humility.
At this moment, Anle was furious with the little maid.
“You lowly servant, I want to kill you right now! How dare you beg this princess to spare you? Guards! Drag this little wretch out and beat her to death immediately!”
As soon as she finished speaking, several young eunuchs and nannies entered Anle’s room, preparing to drag out the little maid who had just applied medicine to Princess Anle for execution. However, King Ning, who was behind a screen, immediately stopped them.
“Hold on! All of you, withdraw!”
Saying this, King Ning waved his sleeve, causing the palace maids and eunuchs who had entered to drag people out to retreat.
Anle, realizing that the person stopping her from punishing the little maid was her own imperial brother, was furious.
“Imperial Brother, why are you protecting this lowly servant?”
“Anle, you really need to curb your temper. This is the imperial palace, not the small courtyard you used to stay in.”
King Ning reminded her sternly.
“Imperial Brother, I’ve already been caned fifty times by my Imperial Grandmother this morning, which is bad enough. Not only do you not care about me, but you’re also here to scold me. Are you even my real brother?”
“Anle, you’ve become more and more unreasonable. I’ve told you clearly that Leng Ruoli is a favorite of Father Emperor and Imperial Grandmother. I told you not to provoke her, and I repeatedly warned you not to speak ill of Leng Ruoli in front of Father Emperor and Imperial Grandmother, or you would bring disaster upon yourself. But you just wouldn’t listen, and you pushed the boundaries of Imperial Grandmother. This is clearly you seeking your own demise, and you can’t blame anyone else.”
King Ning lectured his own sister from behind the screen.
Anle listened to King Ning’s reprimand, her lips quivered, and tears streamed down her face as she burst into loud sobs.
“Mother, Mother, Ya’er misses you so much! Wuwuwu…”
“Your bones are not yet cold, and others are already bullying Ya’er. Even Imperial Brother doesn’t dote on me anymore.”
Hearing Anle’s complaints, King Ning raised his hand and pinched his throbbing brow, showing his exasperation.
“Anle, what Imperial Brother said just now was indeed a bit excessive. It was all because Imperial Brother was worried about you.”
“Imperial Brother, don’t bother with my affairs from now on. You should go back and flirt with your Xue’er.” Anle said to King Ning unhappily.
King Ning: “……”
“It seems the fifty lashes Imperial Grandmother gave you today were not enough to teach you a lesson.”
Upon hearing this, Anle’s anger surged to the top of her head. Her face turned as black as a pot. She grabbed a small medicine bottle nearby and hurled it at the screen, shouting, “Get out! Get out! Get out of here right now! From now on, I will act as if I don’t have an Imperial Brother like you!”
King Ning was also angered by Anle’s words.
“Anle, if you continue to be this willful, and you cause a great disaster in the future, Imperial Brother will not be able to save you.”
With that, King Ning left with a flick of his sleeve.
However, as he walked out of Princess Anle’s room, he stopped. He reached into his wide sleeve and took out a bottle of top-grade Jin Cang medicine, handing it to the young eunuch behind him.
“This is a bottle of top-grade Jin Cang medicine. Take it inside immediately and instruct the palace maids to apply the medicine to the Princess. But remember, be very careful when applying the medicine to the Princess, she is very afraid of pain.”
King Ning said to the little eunuch with a very serious expression, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes.
“Yes, Your Highness King Ning, this servant will definitely follow your instructions and make sure the palace maids are careful when applying the medicine to the Princess.”
King Ning nodded in satisfaction and then turned to leave Princess Anle’s residence.
But as he exited the palace gates, he noticed the carriage from King Leng’s manor was still parked there. He guessed that Leng Ruoli had not yet left the palace.
So, he got into his own carriage and waited for Leng Ruoli.
It was not until dusk that Leng Ruoli emerged from the palace gates with Xing’er.
Upon seeing Leng Ruoli, King Ning immediately jumped off his carriage and walked towards her with a smile.
“Jun Mo Xiao greets Second Imperial Sister-in-law!”
King Ning bowed to her with a smile.
“Oh, it’s His Highness King Ning!”
Leng Ruoli said casually.
“I hope Second Imperial Sister-in-law doesn’t take to heart what Anle said to Imperial Grandmother today.”
King Ning said apologetically.
“What did Princess Anle say to Imperial Grandmother? Why don’t I know about this matter?”
Leng Ruoli deliberately feigned ignorance.
“Uh…”
“So Imperial Grandmother didn’t tell you about this matter.”
King Ning, who had intended to strike up a conversation with Leng Ruoli, was now at a loss for words.
“Yes, Imperial Grandmother didn’t say anything to this Consort today. We only enjoyed delicious food at the Longevity Palace. King Ning, please don’t overthink it. However, this Consort is quite curious about what Princess Anle actually said to Imperial Grandmother about me.”
“N-nothing. Since Second Imperial Sister-in-law is not aware of this matter, then this third brother has other matters to attend to and will take his leave.”
With that, he quickly turned and got into his carriage to leave.
After King Ning left, Xing’er asked curiously, “Princess Consort, we clearly overheard Princess Anle’s conversation with the Empress Dowager at the entrance of the Longevity Palace today. Why did you pretend not to know anything when King Ning asked you just now?”
“That’s because this Consort doesn’t want to deal with King Ning. Moreover, the Empress Dowager was not successfully alienated by Princess Anle, and she even received a beating, which shows she values me enough. So, we shouldn’t bother with these matters. One should not be arrogant when favored.” Leng Ruoli said earnestly.
Xing’er nodded, seeming to understand.