Luo Wuyan lay in bed, her heart swelling with delight. She figured that once this storm passed, she could continue cultivating her relationship with Sister Youran in the manor while waiting for their Grand Wedding.
Temporarily overseeing court affairs? Whoever wanted that thankless job could have it; she certainly wasn’t going to do it.
If she did a poor job, punishment was guaranteed. If she did a good job, it would only deepen her Imperial Sister’s suspicions. It was a losing proposition either way.
Recalling the expressions on the servants’ faces earlier—as if they thought she had truly lost her mind and gone senile—Luo Wuyan let out a disdainful cold snort in her heart.
She, stupid? She was practically a genius!
Fearing she might ruin the wedding scheduled for half a month from now, she had even carefully calculated the height of the tree. She ensured that while her leg would definitely break upon impact, it would only be a minor fracture.
Though it might affect her gait for a while, it definitely wouldn’t interfere with the wedding ceremony!
Just as she was reveling in her cleverness, Shen Youran entered the room with her maid, Huazhi, having heard the news that the Prince had lost her mind.
Seeing Sister Youran’s face pale with worry, Luo Wuyan continued her act of playing dumb until she had chased everyone else out. Only then did she begin to whisper about the high stakes involved and her actual plan.
However, before she could finish explaining the cause and effect, the manor doors were swung open once more…
The Decree-bearing Eunuch, accompanied by an Imperial Physician, swept into Prince An’s Manor like a localized hurricane.
The smile on Luo Wuyan’s face froze the moment she saw the eunuch reappear.
By the time she heard the message her Imperial Sister had sent, she felt as if the sky itself was collapsing.
Not letting her get married? How ruthless! As expected of her Imperial Sister!
Luo Wuyan spent a good long moment silently “blessing” Luo Wushuang in her head…
Then, before the Imperial Physician could even step forward to take her pulse, it was as if Luo Wuyan’s vital meridians had been spontaneously cleared. She snapped back to full lucidity in an instant.
Under the watchful eye of the Decree-bearing Eunuch, Luo Wuyan feigned a moment of “bewilderment” before clutching her leg and wailing:
“What… What has happened to this Prince? Ah! My leg! My leg hurts so much!”
The eunuchs who served directly under the throne were all shrewd foxes. Even if they hadn’t realized what was happening at first, after making a round back to Her Majesty, they understood the situation perfectly.
Seeing her performance, the eunuch “kindly” stepped forward to remind her:
“Your Highness, you climbed a tree and jumped off, breaking your leg. Does Your Highness not remember?”
Luo Wuyan shook her head, looking the picture of innocence.
“This Prince only remembers receiving the edict. Suddenly, my vision went black, and when I woke up, I was in bed.”
The Decree-bearing Eunuch pretended to know nothing, playing along as he asked, “Then Her Majesty has instructed this servant to ask: is Your Highness’s mind clear now?”
Luo Wuyan: “…”
If she wasn’t clear-headed now, her wife would be gone! Did she dare to remain “insane”?
Seeing that Prince An had no further objections, the Decree-bearing Eunuch presented the Imperial Edict once more. He noted considerately, “Then please listen to the decree, Your Highness! Her Majesty is mindful of your physical discomfort and has specially granted you permission to remain seated without kneeling.”
Luo Wuyan, who had just broken her leg and couldn’t stand even if she wanted to, gritted her teeth while “thanking” her Imperial Sister for her immense grace. She lay peacefully on the bed, forced to listen to the eunuch read every single word of the remaining edict she had tried to dodge.
Once he finished, the eunuch pushed the edict forward. “Your Highness, please accept the decree!”
Luo Wuyan glanced at the edict that Youran had stepped forward to accept on her behalf, her voice crying out, “Long live the Empress! I thank Your Majesty for your profound benevolence!”
Inwardly, her tears were enough to fill a bowl of noodles.
Her life was so bitter! She had lost her mother at a young age, and with great difficulty, she had finally lost her father, only to find that before she could even enjoy life, her only Imperial Sister had a heart blacker than ink.
Wushuang was always trying to exploit her, and from time to time, she even brought her Empress Consort along to bully her…
Luo Wuyan cursed her black-hearted sister ten thousand times in her head. Yet, as the eunuch prepared to leave, she didn’t forget to put on a mask of sincerity.
“Please trouble yourself to tell my Imperial Sister that this Prince will certainly do her utmost to fulfill my duties. Please tell her to put her mind at ease!”
The Decree-bearing Eunuch felt the heavy weight of the silk pouch the future Princess Consort An had pressed into his hand and left with a satisfied smile.
Once everyone had cleared out, Luo Wuyan turned toward the woman she had “tricked” into being her wife, complaining with an aggrieved pout:
“Sister Youran, the Imperial Sister is bullying me…”
Shen Youran glanced at the person’s injured leg and tapped her forehead with mock annoyance.
“Who told you to be so clever for your own good?”
She had broken her leg only to end up taking the job anyway—what was the point of it all?
Luo Wuyan, who had gained nothing but a limp, grabbed Shen Youran’s hand with a bitter face, admitting her fault pitifully.
“I was wrong, I was wrong. It won’t happen next time.”
“You still want there to be a next time?”
Seeing Sister Youran’s beautiful fox-like eyes narrow, Luo Wuyan quickly begged for mercy.
“No next time! I promise! Absolutely no next time!”
Only after Luo Wuyan repeated her guarantee several times did Shen Youran finally relax. She began to wonder how she could secretly help heal this reckless fool without being discovered…
After venting her grievances and coaxing her partner, Luo Wuyan felt the gloom settle back in the moment she thought about overseeing court affairs.
What a mess. My leg was broken for nothing!
While Prince An’s Manor was shrouded in gloom, the atmosphere in the Imperial Palace was no longer as tense as it had been in previous days.
After Master Yujing intervened several times to suppress the darkness, a large portion of the baleful energy within Shangguan Liqian had been expelled. The stinging pain in her body had mostly vanished, though her legs still remained devoid of sensation.
Learning that the pain had subsided, Luo Wushuang’s face lit up with joy.
She immediately summoned her attendants to issue a decree:
“Master Yujing possesses deep spiritual roots, exquisite mastery of the Dharma, and a heart that encompasses all living beings. He is hereby appointed as the National Preceptor, a First-Rank official entitled to the stipend of a Prince.”
Forced into officialdom, Master Yujing remained expressionless regardless of his internal reluctance. He pressed his palms together and bowed.
“Amitabha. I thank the Emperor.”
“When my sister’s legs are healed, I shall reward you further!”
Once Wushuang finished speaking and settled Liqian in, she hurried away.
Liqian hadn’t been in much pain lately, but she was still unwilling to leave the room.
Wushuang had ordered people to find a way to remove the wheels from a carriage and see if they could be fitted onto a chair.
She reasoned that if a chair could move like a carriage, Liqian’s movements would be much more convenient. Perhaps then, she would be willing to go out for a stroll.
Thinking of this, Wushuang walked with a spring in her step.
When she arrived at the Imperial Workshop of the Imperial Household Department, the scene inside was one of bustling activity.
The artisans were working with incredible fervor; their arms were moving so fast it looked as if they might strike sparks.
There was no helping it—Her Majesty had personally ordered them to use their imaginations to combine wheels and a chair as quickly as possible.
But none of them had ever seen such a thing before; their imaginations were falling short!
Since imagination wasn’t enough, they had to rely on trial and error.
These past few days, not only the craftsmen but even the Chief Superintendent of the Imperial Workshop had personally lent a hand, fearing they wouldn’t complete the task Her Majesty had set for them.
Finally, at the stroke of the deadline, they rolled out a somewhat decent-looking wheelchair.
