bestfiction Chapter 349: A Clever Plan in Ragged Clothes
Chapter 349: A Clever Plan in Ragged Clothes
Chapter 349: Ragged Clothes and a Clever Plan
"Your Highness, what are you doing? What will we say if the princess blames us?" The maids immediately rushed forward and grabbed Shen Bin's hands to stop him from doing anything crazy.
Shen Bin looked up at the old woman's panicked expression, and felt a surge of unspoken joy. Since they had forced him to wear these clothes, he might as well wear them. Now, they couldn't stop him from doing what he wanted. As he thought this, he started tearing at the clothes again.
“My lord, if the princess blames you, it will make everyone unhappy…” Suddenly, one of the maids said with her head down, but seeing Shen Bin’s ashen face, she didn’t continue. One of the matrons, however, looked at the maid with approval.
Shen Bin trembled with rage. He recognized the maid; she was the one who had returned from Xiangping Palace. Now she dared to threaten him with Princess Xiangping—she certainly had some nerve. But Zhao Ning'er was in Princess Xiangping's hands, so he had no choice but to compromise. He looked at the maid with a hint of displeasure.
"Let's move to Xiangping Palace," Shen Bin said, preparing to go to Xiangping Palace, but was stopped by several old women. Shen Bin was about to ask something when he saw the women staring at his clothes, and he understood, feeling a little smug. As long as the clothes weren't done properly, they could buy him some time.
The old woman, seeing her perfectly good clothes torn to shreds by Shen Bin, was like an ant on a hot pan, not knowing what to do. Shen Bin, seeing everyone's anxiety, calmly sat down and drank his tea. The old woman also realized Lu Shen Bin's deliberate harassment, and fearing he was her master, she remained silent.
"Would you please stand in the center of the hall, Your Highness?" After a while, a maidservant bowed her head and said to Shen Bin, who was leisurely drinking tea. Shen Bin put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the center of the hall.
The old woman looked at the tattered clothes and had no choice but to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless. She shook her head helplessly, while Shen Bin calmly watched the anxious maid and old woman.
The old woman told Shen Bin to take off his wedding attire, which he did. He didn't believe these servants could mend the clothes in such a short time. As he was thinking, he saw the clothes being taken off and then put back on, leaving Shen Bin completely bewildered.
The old woman smiled, for the garment was draped over one side and then tied in a knot. She used the intact side to cover the tattered one. Any loose rags and threads were simply trimmed with a knife. The other maids and old women behind her looked at her with approval. Seeing this, the old woman proudly straightened her posture.
"Alright, let's move to Xiangping Palace." The old woman said, seeing that the clothes were no longer tattered. Shen Bin was still standing there, his teeth itching with anger. These servants had misused their intelligence.
"Wait, Granny, isn't this a bit too hasty?" Shen Bin said slowly, his face dark. He had originally intended to make things difficult for them and buy time, but he never expected these servants to resolve things so quickly. The nanny naturally felt that Princess Xiangping was far more terrifying than the prince consort before her.
“Oh dear, Your Highness, we are responsible for the torn clothes, and you won’t escape responsibility either,” one of the maids said calmly, realizing that Shen Bin was trying to make things difficult for her. The implication was that it was Shen Bin’s fault, and if he were to be blamed, she would have a reason to excuse herself; it was best to be sensible.
"You... move to Xiangping Palace!" Shen Bin, seeing that the old woman was quick-witted and couldn't argue with him, angrily turned and left, exiting Xuanhong Palace. The maid and the old woman followed behind him.
The Green Robe Palace.
"Your Majesty, all the guards and soldiers in the palace have hidden themselves," General Ouyang said to the emperor. The Qingyi Palace was unusually quiet today. Usually, there would be concubines serving him here, but today it was empty, and even the emperor's confidant, Eunuch Feng, was not there.
This puzzled General Ouyang. He had heard that Princess Xiangping was getting married today. Although he had rarely met Princess Xiangping, he knew of the rumors circulating in the palace that she was not only gentle and generous, but also possessed the demeanor of a lady from a prominent family. Although the princes and princesses were not the emperor's only bloodline.
However, the Emperor only recognized Princess Xiangping as his daughter. Princess Xiangping's background was a mystery, and no one seemed to know who her birth mother was. Princess Xiangping was also a taboo subject in the palace, and no one was allowed to mention her.
The Emperor dotes on Princess Xiangping, and today is their wedding day. However, he has withdrawn all his troops, leaving the once vast palace like a ghost town, lifeless and eerily quiet. He had been summoned by the Emperor today, thinking it was for some important national matter, but it turned out to be the withdrawal of the entire army, including guards, eunuchs, all the ministers, concubines, and even the young prince.
This puzzled General Ouyang greatly. "General Ouyang, you may also leave." Upon hearing General Ouyang's words, the Emperor waved his hand, signaling him to withdraw. General Ouyang remained silent, exited the Qingyi Hall, and closed the door from the outside.
The emperor looked at the closed door, at the sun outside the window; without light, it had set behind the mountains and was soon swallowed up by them. The moon had risen sometime earlier, its light bathing the palace, the red carpets, and the red lanterns hanging high. Yet, there was no sign of any liveliness.
"Qingyi, will you... will you blame me?" The Emperor's eyes dimmed as he looked out the window, and he murmured to himself. Like a helpless child, his voice trembled uncontrollably, yet he managed to hold back his tears.
Shen Bin walked ahead alone, but unusually slowly, stopping frequently. Several times, the maids and nannies behind him almost bumped into him. They had no choice but to deliberately keep a distance from him, fearing that if anything went wrong and Princess Xiangping blamed them, ten heads wouldn't be enough.
As Shen Bin walked, he discovered a strange place. For some reason, the palace was a ghost town, with not a single person in sight. The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He was also anxious because he didn't know if Zhao Ning'er had been rescued by Lu Yu.
He stopped walking, but the maids and servants kept their heads down, so Shen Bin didn't even notice when he stopped. One of the maids accidentally bumped into Shen Bin's chest, exclaimed in surprise, and, ignoring her slightly sore forehead, said, "Your Highness, please calm down, Your Highness, please calm down."
The maidservant knelt on the ground, her cheeks flushed, her heart pounding. She stole a glance at Shen Bin, and seeing that he wasn't angry, she felt relieved. "Granny, why is this vast palace deserted?" Shen Bin didn't look at the maidservant, but asked the nanny behind him.
It would have been better if they hadn't mentioned it. Once they did, the old woman and the maid also found it strange. The more they thought about it, the stranger it seemed. They had clearly seen many people during the day, but it was as if they had all vanished. "Your Highness, we don't know," the old woman said, bowing her head.