The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Chapter 564: Chapter 567: Hidden Circumstances

After Li Qiong finished the homework his teacher had assigned for the day, he called for someone to help him wash his hands, but found the person who entered was a complete stranger.

He frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

The little eunuch knelt on the floor and answered respectfully.

"This servant has come to serve the Crown Prince, by order of the Noble Consort."

Hearing this, Li Qiong just assumed his mother was showing her concern for him and didn’t think much of it.

It wasn’t until he walked out of the study that he discovered all the palace attendants outside had been replaced. There wasn’t a single person he recognized.

Only then did he realize the situation was not as simple as he had thought.

Li Qiong didn’t even bother with lunch, rushing off to see his mother.

"Mother, why did you replace all of my attendants?"

His tone was heavy with urgency, making him sound rather aggressive.

Princess Consort Zhen poured the freshly blended incense into an exquisite jade vial. Her slender, jade-like fingers against the flawless white jade vial were a beautiful sight, captivating to behold.

Without pausing, she answered her son’s question coolly.

"They’re all dead. Naturally, they had to be replaced with a new batch."

Li Qiong was shocked. "They’re... all dead? Why?" he asked in disbelief.

Princess Consort Zhen placed the vial into a redwood box lined with silk.

Xi Xiang came forward with a basin of water and knelt on the floor.

As Princess Consort Zhen washed her hands with unhurried grace, she slowly asked in return,

"They were spouting nonsense in front of the Crown Prince, trying to bewitch you. Don’t they deserve to die?"

Li Qiong felt as if the blood in his veins had frozen. His hands and feet grew cold.

"Just because they said a few bad things about Li Xun, you had them all killed?

Mother, have you ever considered how I would feel about this?

Or is it that you only care about Li Xun and don’t give a damn what your own son thinks?"

Xi Xiang couldn’t help but look up at the Crown Prince and remind him in a low voice,

"Crown Prince, please be careful with your words."

But Li Qiong’s chest was already filled with grievance and resentment, and his heart ached terribly.

He was in no state to listen to anyone’s advice.

He stared fixedly at his mother, waiting for her answer.

Princess Consort Zhen finished drying her hands and said to Xi Xiang,

"All of you, leave."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Once all the attendants had left the room, Princess Consort Zhen finally spoke slowly.

"You say I don’t care about your feelings?"

She curled her red lips into a self-mocking smile.

"If I truly didn’t care about you, why would I have risked my life to give birth to you?

To protect your life, I even caused my only sister to lose her own."

Li Qiong froze.

He knew his mother had a sister, and he knew that sister was Li Xun’s mother.

But he never knew there was such a hidden story behind it all.

’If it’s really as Mother says, then her favoritism toward Li Xun... it’s not so hard to understand.’

Li Qiong’s aggressive demeanor instantly faded.

He stammered, "You never told me any of this."

Princess Consort Zhen walked slowly over to him and crouched down. The hem of her magnificent dress pooled on the floor as her slender, pale fingers gently smoothed his collar, carefully tidying the part that had come loose from his rushing. Her voice was soft and gentle.

"Qiong’er, you think I favor Li Xun because I owe his mother a life.

I can never repay that life, so all I can do is treat Li Xun as well as I possibly can.

Only then can my heart find some small measure of peace."

Ever since Li Qiong was old enough to understand, his mother had always called him "Crown Prince."

It had been a very long time since he had heard her call him by his name.

Hearing that single "Qiong’er" now, a sour feeling welled up in Li Qiong’s heart, and his eyes began to redden.

Princess Consort Zhen stroked his head and coaxed him softly.

"I was so focused on repaying my debt that I made you feel wronged, Qiong’er. It was my own lack of consideration. Don’t be angry with me, alright?"

Seeing his mother take the initiative to bow her head and apologize, what complaints could Li Qiong possibly have left?

"Mother, don’t say that. You’ve already done so well. It was I who was too impulsive, losing my temper with you over a few servants."

As he spoke the last words, he lowered his head in shame.

Princess Consort Zhen smiled, pleased.

"It’s alright. In the future, if anything happens, you must tell me. Don’t ever listen to the slander of others."

At this point, her tone turned serious.

"You grew up in the palace, so you should know how many people here have ulterior motives.

They are all watching you from the shadows, trying every way they can to lead you into making a mistake.

You cannot let your guard down, and you absolutely cannot blindly trust what others say."

Li Qiong nodded solemnly in agreement.

"I understand.

In this Imperial Palace, besides myself, the only person I can trust is you, Mother.

You are the only person in this world who would never harm me."

Princess Consort Zhen’s smile grew even more gentle.

"Good boy."

...

Early the next morning, Li Ji dug his son out of his warm, cozy bed.

He grabbed his son by the collar and gave him a couple of shakes.

"Wake up, time to get out of bed."

Li Xun’s messy hair swayed back and forth, and the movement shook some of the grogginess from his mind.

He opened his eyes, glanced at the pitch-black sky outside, and mumbled indistinctly.

"It’s not even light out..."

Li Ji said, "You still have to get dressed, wash up, and eat breakfast. Then you have to take a carriage to the Imperial College. All of that takes time. Plus, today is your first day of school. You have to get there a little early to greet the teachers."

Without waiting for his son’s reaction, he unceremoniously dropped him on the floor.

Servants immediately swarmed forward, scrambling to dress the young prince.

By the time they were done, Li Ji was leading his son out the front door just as the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, brightening the sky.

The Doctors at the Imperial College had known for a while that the Regent King’s little tyrant would be attending class today.

They all remembered the "heroic" tale of said little tyrant challenging an older classmate to a one-on-one fight and beating him until he cried. Every one of them was on edge, terrified the little tyrant would stir up more trouble.

Li Xun stood off to the side with his hands in his pockets, slouching and kicking idly at the ground, the very picture of boredom.

Nearby, his father was listening to the Doctors of the Imperial College speak.

These Doctors were almost all over forty. Each one had a beard, and some were already gray-haired.

They reported on the Imperial College’s recent achievements and also mentioned the names of several students with outstanding academic records, hoping the Regent King might remember them and perhaps offer them a promotion or two in the future.

Li Ji patiently listened to their droning.

When it seemed like enough time had passed, he spoke up. "I have other matters to attend to. Dog—"

He forcefully swallowed the word "egg" and corrected himself.

"My son is in your hands for now. I hope you will teach him well and not disappoint my expectations."

The Doctors all replied in unison, "Yes, Your Highness."

They eagerly escorted the Regent King to the gate.

Only after he was far in the distance did they turn their gazes to Li Xun.

Seeing the boy’s slouching posture, the Doctors all felt a headache coming on.

’We sent off the big one, but now there’s still the little one to deal with!’

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