White Fence Dream

Chapter 220 Getting Hotter
The weather was getting warmer, and the doors and windows of the small buildings in Sanqu Lane were open, revealing green everywhere.

Mrs. Huang San held a tray and placed a dish of dessert on the table, looking at the woman who was sitting with her chin propped up and gazing at the view through the window.

"Miss Bai," she said, "this is the new snack from Chunyilou, please try it."

Bai Li was not polite. He picked up a piece with a small fork and ate it. He nodded and said, "It's delicious."

Mrs. Huang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

Really happy for her compliment, Shen Qing looked at her and said, "You can go down."

Mrs. Huang San responded by retreating.

"Nowadays, people are saying that the son of the Marquis of Dongyang is making friends with the King of Chu, and people are speculating what they are up to." Shen Qing said, looking at Bai Li, "Actually, they are targeting you, right?"

Bai Li smiled: "Indeed, it was because of me that we met."

Zhou Jingyun was able to come to the ship because she was here, and so was Li Yu. However, after they met, they had a great conversation and felt that they had met too late, which could be considered fate.

Shen Qing sneered, "What fate? Ordinary people might say that the Crown Prince Zhou is unrestrained and that Li Yu is a playboy, but for the people in the court, this is not a funny thing. I'm afraid Zhang Ze has already written down the crime of having private dealings with him and wanting to establish him as the Crown Prince. Do you know how many lives this sentence could cost?"

Bai Li picked up the teacup and took a sip. "Indeed, Zhou Jingyun first brought down the Queen, and then he wanted to support the King of Chu to become the Crown Prince..." He laughed, "He is really scary."

"He is still a member of Jiang's party. I don't care if he is acting recklessly and madly, just don't let him get you into trouble." He said, and then smiled coldly, "If you die because of this, I won't save you, and you can't blame me."

Bai Li smiled: "You can think of me, is he not as good as you?"

Shen Qing choked and sneered: "I'm afraid that you will be obsessed with love and forget about the outside world."

"You don't have to worry about these things." Bai Li said, putting down the teacup in his hand. "It is precisely because the Queen's case is related to Zhou Jingyun that His Majesty will not do anything to him, at least not for now. Otherwise, wouldn't the world talk about him as a tyrant seeking revenge? As for Li Yu, he is a newly recognized nephew. At most, he will dislike him in his heart, but he won't do anything on the surface. The two of them are not really rebelling, and even if Zhang Ze fabricated evidence, it wouldn't be so fast."

"What happens next?" Shen Qing said.

Bai Li looked at him and smiled: "Later? Let's talk about it later. I only live in the present."

Shen Qing was choked again: "You..."

"You don't have to worry about my affairs." Bai Li said, "How about what I asked you to do? What is Bai Ying doing in the palace?"

Because of Shen Qing's identity as a musician, it is convenient for him to move around the palace, and Bai Li asked him to keep an eye on Bai Ying.

"She left the emperor in Hanliang Palace on the pretext that the prince was difficult to take care of. These days, when the emperor was handling state affairs, she brought the prince in on the pretext that he was crying and listened in on state affairs." Shen Qing said, laughing at this point. "However, Princess Jinyu is quicker than her and has already started to place her own people in office. So in terms of power struggle, she is one step behind Princess Jinyu and seems a little anxious."

Bai Li smiled and said, "She has been waiting for so many years, why is she not calm enough?"

Shen Qing said calmly, "Because it is within easy reach." Then he said, "Also, Bai Ying asked several concubines to propose to the emperor to hold a hundred-day banquet, and planned to use this banquet to restore the status of the imperial concubine."

Having said that, Shen Qing smiled.

"She still has enough sense to know not to touch the position of Queen."

Hundred-day banquet, Bai Li thought, yes, it goes by so fast, little girl is already a hundred days old.

……

……

"Your Majesty looks better now than before."

"Yes, yes, we were originally worried that the queen would consume her energy and blood."

The weather had warmed up, and the confinement period was over. The concubines came to greet Concubine Bai more frequently. The whole room was filled with compliments from early in the morning.
"My complexion has recovered well, thanks to Your Majesty," Bai Ying said. "Your Majesty is the one who takes care of the children. I just eat and sleep every day. I am really useless."

As he spoke this, the emperor came in from the back door.

Everyone stood up and saluted.

The emperor laughed when he heard Bai Ying's words and reached out to help her up: "Giving birth to a prince is the greatest achievement."

Bai Ying smiled and said, "I cannot take the blame. Your Majesty had a princess before, and there will be a prince in the future." She pointed at the concubines in the room, "There are so many people in the family."

The concubines were grateful and happy: "If we can have another prince, it will be a blessing brought by the queen."

Bai Ying was much more generous than the Queen. Although she kept the Emperor in Hanliang Palace these days, she did not prevent everyone from approaching His Majesty. Not only did she allow them to visit and bring Him midnight snacks, she would even occasionally specially order concubines to serve His Majesty.

The emperor frowned and looked at Bai Ying: "What do you mean by 'guilty concubine'? Don't say that again. I just need to attend the emperor's son's hundred-day banquet, so I'll restore your status as a concubine first."

The concubines hurriedly followed suit and said, "That's how it should be."

Bai Ying hurriedly shook her head: "Your Majesty, there is no rush. I don't care about my status." She hesitated again, "The emperor's hundred-day banquet should be simpler. After all, the queen is..."

The emperor raised his eyebrows and was about to say something when a voice came from outside.

"How can this be simple? It must be a grand event." Princess Jin Yu walked in.

The concubines hurriedly bowed, and Bai Ying lowered her head indifferently.

The emperor looked at Princess Jin Yu helplessly: "Royal sister, don't always scold her whenever you get the chance..."

She was referring to the Queen, of course.

Princess Jin Yu glared, "I didn't say anything, but you're protecting me. I said to make it a big event, not to go against the Queen. Why should Yang Yuan be remembered all the time?" She smiled and said, "What I mean is that this is the biggest happy event since your accession to the throne six years ago. It's a new atmosphere of great happiness in our Great Zhou, so of course we have to make it a big event."

The emperor then smiled and nodded, "My sister is right." He patted Bai Ying's hand and said, "Look, the princess also said so. Our son's hundred-day banquet must be held in a grand manner, and your status must be restored. This is also for the sake of our son's glory."

Bai Ying said no more, bowed her head shyly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Princess."

She lowered her head and frowned. Princess Jin Yu always liked to gloat over other people's misfortunes and would never add icing on the cake for others. She must have other purposes when she said she wanted to hold a grand ceremony.

What is this stupid woman going to do now!
……

……

At dusk, there were still carriages and horses in front of Princess Jinyu’s mansion, and the gorgeous gatehouse was full of people.

"The Prince Consort is back." Accompanied by shouts, Prince Consort Shangguan got off the carriage, drunk, and was supported by three or four servants.

"I'll do it." Li Yu, dressed in gorgeous clothes and wearing a jade crown, jumped out in two or three steps and reached out to support Prince Consort Shangguan.

Shangguan Fu Ma said drunkenly: "First, take a bath, take a bath first, and then go to see the princess. She can't stand the smell——"

Li Yu hurriedly ordered the servants who were surrounding him: "Hurry up and prepare the fragrant bath."

The servants hurried forward.

"You have been favored for so many years." "You are so lucky, my prince consort." "You are so good-looking and so lucky."

Amid the discussions, Li Yu supported Shangguan Fuma along the corridor towards the inner courtyard.

"She wants to use the Hundred Days Banquet to arrange a marriage for you."

The voice of Prince Consort Shangguan suddenly rang in my ears.

Li Yu was startled and then shouted, "Prince Consort, if you want to vomit, just do it. Don't hold it in." He then shouted to the surroundings, "Prepare the hangover soup."

Shangguan Fu Ma lowered his head, and the voice continued in his ear: "But I didn't find out who arranged it."

Princess Jin Yu is not really a stupid person, especially now that her status is getting higher and higher, she has many advisers around her.

Her current movements cannot be easily monitored.

"You must..." Shangguan Fu Ma grabbed his arm and murmured, "Be careful, don't be like your mother..."

He raised his head and looked at Li Yu, the pain in his drunken eyes unable to be concealed.

Was she plotted against like her mother, her marriage forcibly broken up, her fate forcibly changed? Li Yu looked at Shangguan Fu Ma and nodded: "Don't worry, I..."

There was a chaotic sound of footsteps ahead, and the maid Aju was coming with someone.

"Your Highness, let's go," she said, her eyes reminding her, "The princess is here to see her husband."

Li Yu held on to Prince Consort Shangguan tightly, unwilling to let go. However, Prince Consort Shangguan fell forward and supported the two maids.

"Quick, put the consort in the pool." Li Yu waved his outstretched hand, "Don't let him choke the princess."

Ah Ju answered yes and surrounded Prince Consort Shangguan and went inside.

Li Yu stood in the corridor and watched him go. The prince consort was really drunk, but he did not forget to ask him about the princess's whereabouts.

……

……

"To arrange your marriage?" Cai Songnian was surprised and puzzled after hearing Li Yu's retelling in the carriage. "The princess will definitely interfere in your marriage. This is something we all know, and it is also reasonable. She can just say it directly. Why hide it?"

In Princess Jin Yu's eyes, Li Yu had no right to refuse.

Li Yu's figure swayed with the carriage, and he frowned slightly: "Then in addition to not letting me refuse, His Majesty must also not be able to refuse."

What kind of family is this? Are they extremely good, or extremely bad? Do they have to avoid mentioning His Majesty? Cai Songnian was a little confused. Princess Jin Yu was really a crazy and scary woman.

"In short, she is definitely not the right match for me," said Li Yu.

Cai Songnian looked at the young and handsome face of the young master. It depends on how you look at it. It is impossible for a talented man and a beautiful woman to fall in love with each other. For someone of his status, marriage is just a transaction...

"Go to the tower ship." Li Yu said.

Why go to the ship at such an important time! Cai Songnian's heart skipped a beat. So, the one on the ship was his ideal match?

"Go to the ship and ask her to help me." Li Yu said.

She? Bai Li? Cai Songnian looked at Li Yu. What could she do to help? Should she go and cry to the princess and ask for a lover who loved her?

That's not helping, that's seeking death.

……

……

The boat had not yet started to welcome guests. When Li Yu came over, Bai Li was leaning on the railing and fishing with a fishing rod.

Li Yu briefly explained the situation and Bai Li nodded straightforwardly after hearing what he said.

"I'll go with you," she said, smiling, "I'm the best at this kind of thing."

Cai Songnian stood aside with a frown on his face. What was she best at? Her status was not good enough!

Bai Li suddenly raised the fishing rod in his hand. Cai Songnian felt his vision flash, and in the afterglow of the setting sun, a big golden fish flew up.

Cai Songnian couldn't help but widen his eyes and exclaimed, he had never seen such a big fish, and it was golden!

"Young Master, Young Master." He couldn't help but shout, but as soon as he spoke, he saw the fish suddenly break free from the hook. He couldn't help but scream again and subconsciously reached forward, trying to catch it, but he was still a step too late. The fish jumped into the river, splashed water and disappeared.

Alas, it was true. Cai Songnian was full of regrets. Looking at the ripples in the river, he felt dizzy. He raised his head quickly and saw Li Yu looking at him in a daze.

"What's wrong?" Li Yu asked.

"What a big fish." Cai Songnian said hurriedly, pointing to the river, "It ran away."

Li Yu was stunned for a moment, looked towards the river, and muttered "What?"

Bai Li put away the fishing rod and smiled: "Yeah, what a pity."

The new January, this month, may be a bit bloody.

This book is not long, it tells a simple story about palace intrigues and family feuds. Thank you all for your company.