AWB Chapter 180 The Ruthless and Heartless Lin Wan'er
Chapter 180 The Ruthless and Heartless Lin Wan'er
"After finishing his drinks at the restaurant, this young master Zheng was heading to a brothel when suddenly someone attacked him, shoving him and his two servants into sacks, and then beating them with sticks."
"The servant was only hit a few times, but Young Master Zheng had three ribs broken, his face was bruised and swollen, and even his leg was broken." Peony covered Yu Die's mouth and said it herself first.
Yu Die also wanted to speak, but she was no match for Shao Yao, so she had to wait for Shao Yao to finish speaking before saying, "This is exactly the same way we beat people."
Thieves would retaliate against anyone who groped them, beating them up without even knowing who did it.
Shen Li smiled. Lin Wan'er's execution was very strong; she did what she said on the same day.
"I heard the Zheng family is furious. Their son, who was supposed to be engaged to them, was suddenly beaten almost to a pulp. This morning, they sent him to Shuntian Prefecture and ordered them to find the real culprit." Lian Qiao brought in tea and spoke at the right moment.
“It’s impossible to find out. There are hardly any people on the streets at night, and if someone is covered in a sack and beaten, there’s no way to find any trace of it,” Yu Die said from the side.
They had done this many times before and had never been caught by the authorities. If the Shuntian Prefecture really found out, she would no longer be able to use this trick in the capital in the future.
"Investigate, investigate." Shen Li's smile deepened, and she couldn't help but ask, "Besides the broken ribs, what else?"
"I haven't heard the specifics, I only know that he was seriously injured and that he won't be able to get out of bed for at least three months."
Shen Li smiled as she drank her water. Lin Wan'er, that's some serious ruthlessness.
However, although this tactic is somewhat underhanded, it is indeed effective. As a result, the Zheng family will likely not be interested in finding a wife for the foreseeable future.
As for catching the murderer...
Lin Wan'er was cunning; surely this vast capital city could hide a few people?
"Miss, do you also have a grudge against this Young Master Zheng?" Lian Qiao asked suspiciously.
Why does Miss look so happy?
"I don't know. I just find it interesting. They have too many enemies, and they don't even know who did it for a while." Shen Li shook her head with a smile.
She rarely used such tactics, so it's no wonder that Lin Wan'er looked at her with surprise.
In Lin Wan'er's mind, Shen Li was still a sage who listened to the teachings of Confucius and the Book of Songs. She never expected that Shen Li could be so despicable.
However, the incident with the city wall also reveals who would use such a large painting to defend the city; Shen Li's ambition has reached its limit.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
When she arrived at the Hanlin Academy, details about the court proceedings were revealed. Just as she had predicted, the censors and officials were impeaching Prince Yi and his wife, Xia Shiyin.
The incident began when Xia Shiyin hit Miss Cheng, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture. The Emperor was exasperated by this and glared at Prince Yi several times.
The fact that he could cause such a big problem shows that he wasn't strictly disciplined at home.
The King of Chess was so angry last night that he didn't sleep a wink. He scolded Xia Shiyin, but what good did it do? The deed was done, and all he could do was try to fix it.
So he contacted a few influential people, but it seems like a drop in the ocean, not enough to extinguish the passionate flames of the censors.
He had no other choice but to apologize on Xia Shiyin's behalf.
"Personally go to apologize, and upon returning home, punish her by confining her to her quarters for a month to reflect on her actions." Emperor Cheng ultimately made the punishment.
But it was clear that the officials were not satisfied; their real target was not the Princess Consort, but the Prince himself.
Therefore, someone in court suggested that the Prince of Yi should not stay in the capital, but should go to his fiefdom to fulfill the ancestral rules. If the rules can be broken, it will inevitably lead to a situation where the upper class sets an example for the lower class, and the foundation of corruption in the court will be laid from this.
Such remarks triggered a surge of criticism from the censors and officials who had been holding back for a long time. The idea of driving out Prince Yi quickly gained momentum, with not only the Left Censor-in-Chief leading the charge, but also Zhou Zhen and Shen Zizai from the Cabinet submitting memorials expressing the same sentiment.
This crisis was completely unexpected by the King of Chess, and it even caught him off guard. He could defend against premeditated crises, but this time he really had no way to deal with it.
Crown Prince Li Heng was overjoyed to hear such good news while recuperating in the inner palace. However, Zhou Zhen forbade him from making any moves and forced him to stay indoors to recover, so as not to give anyone any reason to accuse him of anything.
Emperor Cheng was very troubled by this. He naturally did not want to send his son to his fiefdom, so that no one could check the crown prince. Therefore, he also tried his best to fight against the censors.
Shen Li spent his days copying memorials and reading official documents at the Hanlin Academy, gaining a clear understanding of the situation and enjoying watching the excitement.
She did not want to get involved in this matter, nor did she want to help the Crown Prince or the Prince of Yi, as neither of them were wise rulers in her opinion.
She entered the palace every three days, mainly to teach the fourteenth prince, Li Che, to paint. Occasionally, she would visit the Empress Dowager to discuss calligraphy, and she also met the ninth prince, Li Rui, a few times.
Li Rui also had lecturers from the Hanlin Academy, but he often angered them to the point of blowing his beard and glaring. The emperor changed his lecturers several times, but his studies still did not improve much. His favorite thing to do was to chat with palace maids from all over the place, making them blush and their hearts race.
The emperor wanted to find him a wife to keep him in check, but he couldn't find a girl he liked among the many he looked for. Although he seemed like a womanizer, he didn't even have a bed warmer in the palace.
On this day, Shen Li was admiring the spring scenery in the Imperial Garden. It was the season when peonies were in full bloom, and the Imperial Garden was full of bright and beautiful flowers. She immediately wanted to paint a picture.
In her previous life, she didn't like such bright flowers. She preferred the chrysanthemum, which was more reserved and could bloom in late autumn and withstand the cold. But in this life, her temperament is different. She likes any beautiful flower and never spoils the scenery.
"I heard from the palace maids that the lotus flowers in front are in full bloom. Would you like to go and take a look, Miss?" Lianqiao asked.
"I need to take a few," Shen Li said to Lian Qiao. "Go and tell the Empress that I've taken a fancy to a few peonies and want to paint them as a gift for the Empress Dowager. Ask if I can have them."
Lianqiao agreed and, before leaving, instructed Yudie to take good care of her master.
Yu Die was rarely taken into the palace, and she found it unbelievable when she heard this. She had only ever heard of emperors plundering the people, never of people asking for things from the palace just to enter.
"Miss, is this alright? People say that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, so it's better to be careful," Yu Die said in a low voice.
“Being flamboyant and high-profile is indeed not the way of a subject. A subject should be respectful and cautious, and would rather retreat a hundred steps than take a step forward.” Shen Li said to her, “This is not only the duty of a subject, but also the secret to survival in the court, because you never know which step will lead to an abyss.”
Yu Die memorized everything, and after trying to understand, asked, "So, Miss, is this a strategic retreat?"
"No, I come from a prestigious family and married well, so I can be a bit willful," Shen Li replied seriously.
"..." Rain Butterfly.
So you understand all the道理 (principles/reasons), but just won't follow them?