Chapter 417: Fine, Then Meet Your Death

Chapter 417: Fine, Then Meet Your Death

After settling the dispute between Prince Duan and Lan Feibai, the emperor had Prince Duan leave first, then turned to Lan Feibai, "Minister Lan, although Prince Duan has a difficult temperament and has acted rashly, he is my uncle. Do you understand?"

His words were calm, yet carried an immense weight. Lan Feibai immediately knelt again, "I understand, the fault lies with me in this matter."

With a nod, Li Jingyi dismissed Lan Feibai. Once outside the imperial study, Lan Feibai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The Emperor’s implicit warning was clear: he could not scheme against the Duke of Dingguo in secret. In fact, he had already conceived a plan for retaliation.

Although the Duke of Dingguo held a high position and was notoriously difficult to deal with, Lan Feibai knew that while he couldn’t confront him openly, he could still make the Duke’s life miserable in secret.

Yet, just as the thought arose, the Emperor's warning followed. The new sovereign, despite his youth, was shrewd indeed. Lan Feibai was grateful that it was this incident, not something more serious, that made him realize the Emperor was not to be trifled with.

Filled with trepidation, Lan Feibai left the imperial palace. At the same time, the capital's elite learned of the Emperor's handling of the affair between the Duke of Dingguo and Lan Feibai. The outcome was expected since the issue did not concern the imperial court, but rather a private grievance among the nobles.

Nonetheless, the incident clarified one thing for everyone: the Duke of Dingguo still enjoyed imperial favor. A public beating of a senior official at the palace gates would have led to severe punishment for anyone else, but the Duke merely lost half a year's salary.

Moreover, the reputation of the Lan family had been thoroughly tarnished; reputable families would likely avoid marrying into it. However, as a high-ranking official, Lan Feibai's family would not find it too difficult to arrange marriages for their descendants.

Madame Xie the Second, having heard the entire story at home, was in good spirits. Smiling, she said to Lord Xie the Second, "Our Xihua's marriage is well arranged, isn’t it? The Duke of Dingguo made his statement in front of everyone, and the Duke didn't even seem upset. Doesn’t that suggest that the Duke and his wife also disapprove of their son taking concubines?"

Lord Xie the Second didn't reply. What could he say? He himself had two concubines; any comment would be hypocritical.

Madame Xie continued, her eyes fixed on her husband, "The Duke’s abrasive nature isn't all bad. Look how well this situation turned out. He made it clear in front of all the ministers – whoever sends a concubine to his son-in-law will get beaten each time."

As she spoke, her gaze never left Lord Xie. He felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny. "Why do you look at me like that? I would never engage in such deeds."

He was a man concerned about his reputation, after all.

Madame Xie withdrew her gaze, adding, "Whether or not to take a concubine is a decision for the man himself. Princess Jianing has been married for almost a year without conception, yet she and the Heir of Xiao remain in harmony. This speaks volumes about the household discipline in the Duke's family."

She chuckled with satisfaction. Lord Xie glanced at her and stood up, "I’ll go to the front courtyard."

He had always considered himself a good husband, respectful to his wife, even if he had concubines for mere companionship. However, since allying with the Xiao family, his image as a good husband had been crumbling—not through any fault of his own, but because Xiao Huai's unconventional behavior completely outshone his.

Meanwhile, Lan Feibai returned home by sedan and hurried directly to Lan Shuyu's quarters. Lan Shuyu was listlessly reclining by her bed, having resumed her hunger strike.

Seeing her in such a state, Lan Feibai said, "You wish to die? Very well, then die."

"Someone come!" he shouted outwardly, and his attendants rushed into the room, stopping just outside the inner chamber. Lan Feibai turned to them, "Fetch a length of white silk."

The attendants stood frozen, unsure if Lan Feibai was serious or merely threatening Lan Shuyu. Seeing their hesitation, he grew even more irate, "Why are you just standing there? Go!"

The attendants hurriedly departed, while Lan Shuyu’s maid, seeing the commotion, dashed out to summon help.

In the room, Lan Shuyu tearfully accused Lan Feibai, "Father is truly heartless! He always claimed that I was his dearest, but it appears to have been a lie all along. Lan Shuying is to marry the heir of Anyuan Marquis, yet I am not even permitted to be the junior concubine to the heir of Dingguo Duke. If Father loathes me, why the pretense of affection in front of me?"

Lan Feibai was so infuriated he nearly spat out blood. He had doted on her and her mother all these years, giving them everything but the status of the principal wife and legitimate daughter. And yet, he was accused of being a pretender, a hypocrite.

"Fine, very well, you shall have your wish—to die," Lan Feibai said, wanting to say nothing more. Talking was futile now. He was now regretting so deeply that it hurt; he should never have taken his cousin as a concubine.

Lan Shuyu failed to realize that Lan Feibai was genuinely furious, believing he would, as always, eventually give in to her, just as long as she persisted.

Rising to her knees on the bed, she adopted a frail and pitiful pose and kowtowed to Lan Feibai, "Daughter bids farewell to Father. I cannot serve you dutifully from now on. May Father live a long and healthy life."

Had it been any other time, Lan Feibai would have softened at such a display. But at this moment, he only felt an intense annoyance. Because of this daughter, he had been whipped at the palace gates, losing all his dignity, and had left the Emperor with the impression of a man who could not govern his own household. Moreover, he had offended the Dingguo Duke. He knew that without significant achievements, rising further in rank would be as impossible as ascending to the heavens.

Just then, his attendant brought over a white silk ribbon. Lan Feibai took it and with a flick, draped it over the room's beam. He tied a noose and then, looking at Lan Shuyu, said, "You wanted death, didn't you? Starving yourself takes too long. Hang yourself."

Lan Shuyu's eyes nearly popped out of her skull in shock, kneeling there, at a loss for words. Seeing this, Lan Feibai grabbed her wrist, dragged her off the bed, and pulled her under the noose…

"Father... Father..."

Terrified, Lan Shuyu scrambled backward. Her head maid, seeing this, also came to pull her back, but Lan Feibai roared at the maid, "Get out!"

The maid dared not move. Lan Feibai, gripping Lan Shuyu, positioned her neck into the noose. Just then, a group of people barged in. Leading them was Rong Auntie, who threw herself to the ground and clung to Lan Feibai's legs, crying, "Cousin, if you must take Shuyu's life, take mine first."

Lan Feibai looked down at her, grinding his teeth, "Alright, then you can die as well."

At that moment, he truly felt that if this mother and daughter were dead, his home would finally be peaceful.