Chapter 20: Ruined Beauty
“What did you say?!” Li Xiao Ran was shocked.
Li Wei Yang’s face was rosy, her eyes clear. “Father, I saw San di playing at the flower garden. Afterwards, he was picked up by San furen. I even held his hand and scolded him, saying how he kept running around everywhere to the point he lost a shoe and didn’t know where he lost it.” As if she just noticed the lost pair of shoe, she beamed happily. “Aiya, so this is where it’s been? San di is so mischievous to play near the water and get his shoes wet.”
Realizing he was overreacting earlier, Li Xiao Ran became much more relaxed but then his eyebrows furrowed. “Why did you come to Nan Yuan?”
Li Wei Yang grinned. “Father, lao furen said I had too less people in my courtyard. Today, I followed lao furen’s instructions to choose a few servants from Hui Chun Hall. As I passed by Nan Yuan, there were a lot of servants surrounding the outside. Someone said both mother and father were presently here so I came to give my greetings.”
Li Xiao Ran stiffened whereas Da furen’s expression had become frigid.
“Have you chosen any?” Li Xiao Ran questioned.
Li Wei Yang’s expression was a mixture of fear and happiness. “The steward mumu said she had prepared five servants for me and I could choose three out of the five. But they all seemed good to me, so I was going to go to lao furen to help me make a decision.”
Wei Yang had recently returned to the estate, picking out a few servants to help out was an understandable thing. But why did Hua Mei said Wei Yang had gone to visit Qi yiniang? Li Xiao Ran remembered the white crane that didn’t exist and Hua Mei’s reluctance to speak. He immediately came to conclusion that this was a scheme to hurt their father-daughter relationship. His intense gaze glanced over Da furen.
Da furen was thinking that she had definitely underestimated Li Wei Yang. First, the white crane could not be found anywhere. Then, Qi yiniang was still alive. Added to it, San shaoye, who was supposed to be dead, was alive as well. All of this proved that Li Wei Yang was the reason those two were still alive. And the only evidence left behind was—
Not giving Da furen a chance to speak, Li Wei Yang exclaimed in horror. “Aiya, what happened to Wu mei? The wounds on her face is so serious?”
Da furen scoffed. “Who knew why she suddenly fell into the water and even got that injury!”
Li Wei Yang appeared genuinely surprised. “Right now, Wu mei—”
Precisely then, Li Chang Xi stirred.
The servant girl beside her yelled excitedly, “Wu xiaojie has waked up!”
Li Chang Xi sat up. Instinctively she touched her face but saw her hand was stained with so much blood. “I—what’s wrong with my face?! Mother, what’s wrong with my face?!” she exclaimed in terror.
In a pitiful voice, Da furen explained, “Chang Xi, your face is injured. Don’t touch it anymore. I have already instructed someone to go find the doctor. You just stay still and rest.”
Li Chang Xi noticed Li Wei Yang standing beside her. She abruptly jumped up. “You bad luck star! Everything is your fault! You caused me to become like this!” Li Chang Xi panted heavily, pointing her finger at Li Wei Yang’s nose.
“Wu mei, what’s wrong with you?” Li Wei Yang was stunned. “Who had upset you so?”
“You don’t know?! Ha! You’re a wicked monster! If it’s not because of your cursed fate, how could I have possibly fallen into the water out of nowhere?!”
Li Wei Yang looked at her nonchalantly. “Wu meimei, you should mind what you say. Even though I was born in February but up to now, both mother and father are still in good health. If you say something like that, then you’re obviously not giving mother and father any face!”
Li Wei Yang didn’t use any menacing words, but it still infuriated Li Chang Xi to the point of madness. After hearing those words, the irate Li Chang Xi wanted to shove Li Wei Yang as she shouted, “You’re a shameless person! You did this to me and dare to say you had nothing to do with this?!”
Qi yiniang panicked. All she wanted to do was rush forward and protect her daughter, but at this moment, Cui’er pulled her back from the side. It was then that she became clear-minded. Due to her lowly status, she couldn’t do something like that.
Meanwhile, Li Wei Yang’s mouth slightly twitched. The attempt to harm had failed, instead she ended up ruining her own beauty and yet, she had no ounce of regret. Did she think everyone else was dead? Like expected, before Li Chang Xi could even lay a finger on Wei Yang, she was stopped by the mumus and servant girls standing by.
“Be quiet! You with this behaviour, can you still be called a xiaojie?!” Li Xiao Ran was breathing hard as he pointed at Li Chang Xi.
Li Chang Xi struggled and yelled, “Father, my face has been ruined! Can’t you see, it’s all because of that bad luck star, she cursed me! She turned me into this state! Father, kick her out of the estate, kick her out!!”
Li Xiao Ran stiffened up.
Li Wei Yang casually responded, “Wu meimei is correct. It is father’s decision on how to handle matters. If there’s something you want to say then say it with clarity. Yelling and shouting like this, it is making father lose face.”
Unable to free herself from the servants’ grasp, she could only angrily yell at Li Wei Yang. “You damned wretch! Don’t think so highly of yourself. You’re just a person of lowly status! You wicked monster!”
Li Wei Yang laughed coldly on the inside. Even though Li Chang Xi had menace in her, she was nevertheless still a young girl. Choosing this time to recklessly throw a hissy fit, all it’s doing is making Li Xiao Ran lose his patience. Li Xiao Ran was a person who put a lot of emphasis on rules and status. Right now, Li Chang Xi did not look like the prime minister’s daughter but a petty and noisy woman.
So Li Wei Yang merely looked at Li Xiao Ran with sadness. “Father, all Wei Yang has done was to go and choose a few servants. Wu meimei fell into the water is because her bazi (eight characters) is weak and offended the water ghost. Yet, she kept saying it’s because I cursed her. Where did I curse her?!”
There was a deeper meaning in her words. She had her father, mother and even her birth mother. None of them had been “cursed” but she had the time to go and “curse” a stepsister who she had no relations with?
In truth, the fault lay on Da furen who hadn’t thought of the fact that Li Wei Yang had guarded herself against Da furen. First, Wei Yang went to Nan Yuan earlier than expected to rescue Qi yiniang. Had she not, this whole “cursed the birth mother” thing would have become reality. She would’ve accidentally involved Li Min De and caused his death too. Should it all happen, Li Xiao Ran would have no choice but to punish Li Wei Yang. But right now, Li Chang Xi was blaming Li Wei Yang for making her fall into the water when in fact, she had fallen in herself. It was truly too forceful, perhaps even intentionally.
Da furen silently understood that Li Chang Xi’s worth had ended here. A concubine’s daughter whose face was ruined, there was absolutely no worth in it. Not to mention, she was showing off her pettiness and narrow-mindedness in front of everyone. It was all done for! Nonetheless, Da furen had no intention of stepping in to mediate. At the end of the day, Li Chang Xi was merely a pawn in her chess game. Even at the significant moment, she could be easily disposed. Therefore, Da furen stayed silent but her face had fallen, her cold eyes stared intently at Li Wei Yang.
As expected, Li Xiao Ran with his frosty expression glared at Li Chang Xi. “You be quiet for me! You don’t need your esteem anymore?!”
“Father, she caused me to fall into the water. . . and my face . . . my face is completely destroyed!” Li Chang Xi continued on yelling at the top of her lungs.
There was ice in Li Xiao Ran’s gaze. He yelled loudly, “I’ll find the best doctor to cure you but I don’t ever want to hear you repeat another single word!!”
Li Chang Xi summoned her strength to struggle but she was held tightly by the servants. Her eyes reddened, looking like she wanted to mince Li Wei Yang’s flesh.
The best doctor? Li Wei Yang secretly laughed. The scar was her big gift to Li Chang Xi. Even if the famous doctor Hua Tuo was resurrected, he wouldn’t be able to cure it completely.
Her eyes shifted over to Da furen.
Next, it’s your turn!