Chapter 866: Chapter 866: Cao De’s Failed Schemes
Later, under Cao De’s "friendly approach," the person finally reacted but first called him Xiao Dezi. After his protest, they switched to calling him Pretty Boy, which made him instantly fume. What Pretty Boy? It’s like saying he lives off a woman.
Great, not only did he not gain anything, he even lost out!
Seeing his face darken, the Little Beauty felt gloomy and said that calling him Pretty Boy now wasn’t quite accurate since he was darker than before and muttered that he looked better a bit paler, not so ugly.
Cao De was outraged when he heard this. Hadn’t he gotten tanned because of Yuchi Zhao? He tanned every day in Northern Liaoning, carrying out tasks in the wild to help eliminate private soldiers.
Almost forgot, this wasn’t the point.
The point is: He, Cao De, would be ugly?!
This is simply outrageous. This Little Beauty doesn’t even know to respect her elders. How could she slander even her master?
At once, Cao De started chatting with Lian Hua about seniority, first throwing out the hint that he was her grandmaster to draw questions, then carefully explaining his relationship with Lih Qingshu.
To his surprise, Lian Hua didn’t follow his lead but instead looked at him like he was an idiot, which infuriated him.
At that moment, Cao De couldn’t hold it anymore and recounted his entire relationship with her master. But to his surprise, the person after hearing it all didn’t appreciate his deep bond with her master but instead looked at him with a pitying gaze and comforted him:
"Ah, Xiao Dezi, you are so weak? Uh, it’s nothing, really. Weak is weak. Even though you seem bad, His Majesty has praised you before, saying you are somewhat useful. My master is very powerful in everything, and so is Brother Qian Chen. It’s only right they’re much stronger than you. Saving you was just a hand raise, you don’t have to take it to heart."
Cao De: "..."
This Little Beauty is missing the point too much! He mentioned being saved by her sister to explain how they met and how good and unique her sister was to him. How did it turn into him being weak?
Let it be. While he was speechless, all the roasted meat, sweet potatoes, and pancakes he worked hard to make hadn’t even been tasted by him before the Little Beauty had them distributed.
This portion is for the Emperor, all right, he won’t fight for it.
That portion is for Nanny Qi, fine, he won’t eat it.
What about the rest that’s going on?
One portion to the tall and sturdy Little Palace Maid because she was still growing and needed to eat more, alright, esteemed Ancestral Master of the Internal Guard Bureau, he wouldn’t argue with a Little Palace Maid, so he let her have it, but.
Then with a flurry, the remaining two eunuchs each got a portion, and they started eating without hesitation, and the last portion, which had previously been placed with Nanny Qi’s meal, was sent elsewhere, stating there was also a chubby Little Palace Maid who needed a share.
Finally, the stove was empty, leaving only a pile of ash.
He was so angry that his nose was crooked. Cao De had never suffered such a big loss, yet he had to endure it because this Little Beauty was Yuchi Zhao’s darling, his master’s precious little disciple, and couldn’t be touched even a bit.
Fine, if he can’t move her, can he still not fawn over her?
But no matter how he fawned, it was all to no avail, and the person kept stabbing him right in the heart.
For example, once, as he was chewing on melon seeds from Canglan Court, he teased the Little Beauty that if she would call him grandmaster, he’d teach her something fun.
The Little Beauty blinked and spoke plainly, "Ah? What you know is very ordinary, what can you teach me?"
Cao De’s throat tightened. It was the first time someone said what he knew was ordinary.
Even before he could say anything, the Little Beauty started muttering to herself, "Looks very average, doesn’t look like a good person, loves to deceive people, doesn’t know much, master surely wouldn’t like you, right?"
After saying this, she nodded confidently, solidifying her thought, nearly making Cao De spit a mouthful of old blood in anger.
Later, not believing in evil, he kept showing up in front of Lian Hua with nothing better to do, trying to establish his status with her first. But no matter how he tried to cater, he couldn’t succeed, which worried him terribly.
That day, after eating and drinking to his fill, Cao De, while worrying, walked out of Canglan Court.
Meanwhile, Lian Hua, once he finally left, secretly whispered in the Emperor’s ear, "Your Majesty, Xiao Dezi tried to take advantage of you. I didn’t let him succeed, hehe."
She laughed like a little fox.
If she called Cao De grandmaster, wouldn’t His Majesty be a generation younger than her for no reason? She’s not that foolish.
The Emperor shook his head with a joyful smile, kissed her, and praised her harshly. He’d always seen how Cao De went about his antics, pretending not to know, but didn’t expect his Little Concubine, this little clever ghost, had long seen through Cao De’s ploys and been acting all along, truly a smart little ghost.
The development of the Lian Family case went as the Emperor expected, causing a huge uproar when the common people and literati learned about Lian Musu taking someone else’s name for the examination. Although some stirred up trouble, many didn’t believe it and insisted on seeing and hearing for themselves before believing.
The Shuntian Prefecture, following public opinion, publicly tried this case, and with the many charges on the Guo family, they jointly examined the Lian family case for several days.
Once they truly saw and heard, the commoners and literati realized it was true, but entirely different from the rumors. It was Lian Musu and the Lian Family who beat the drum to complain and not others;
Similarly, Lian Musu voluntarily confessed to taking someone else’s identity, not revealed by others;
And those involved with the Xue Family were the culprits who framed the Lian Family— the Guo family, not the Lian Family.
Back then, the Guo family exploited the Xue family’s power to seize the Lian family’s secret recipe, colluding with corrupt local officials, and teamed up with the local He Family to frame the Lian family, nearly destroying them.
The Lian family was exiled for many years, suffering hardships and encountering several dangers, during which time Lian Musu’s leg became crippled.
As truth after truth emerged, the crowd erupted in uproar, their indignation getting to the point of rage, almost causing a riot, forcing Shuntian Prefecture to temporarily halt the trial.
Otherwise, perhaps before the trial ended, Guo Neng, Guo Shun, He Fuchang, and others would be pelted to death with eggs and rotten vegetables.
The public unanimously stood by the Lian family and Lian Musu. They couldn’t abide by these stories of power colluding to harm innocent civilians, especially coming from families like the Guo family that harmed so many, absolutely notorious, and wherever they went, they were cursed with a death of ill fate, lifetime of stink.
At the same time, they deeply sympathized with the Lian family’s plight and lamented Lian Musu’s crippled leg, sighing one by one.
Old Lady Wu and the Elder Sister-in-law, lingering daily outside Shuntian Prefecture, telling whoever was willing to hear about the good nature of Lian Musu, causing the commoners to despise the Guo family, He Fuchang, and others even more.
Within the literati, the vast majority supported Lian Musu, but there was a minority who believed the initial deception and let their preconceptions take hold, and among them, some were envious of talent. These people were often stubborn and liked pointless debates, each sharing a common trait: a particularly tenacious fighting spirit.
Besides, this small group was very displeased with Lian Musu’s impersonation, refusing to let it go.