Chapter 264.2: Idle, Badly Burned in the Head

“Luo Old Madam really does have foresight.” Li Hong Yuan faintly said, “However, Luo Jing Bo although currently has considerable achievements in the gongbi style, he’s still unable to surpass you. Those later drawing booklets were all you copying his, so compared with those of yours from the past, there might be some not so small discrepancies. As long as it’s someone that understands art, for the most part, will be able to tell at a glance that it came from two different people’s hands. To want to break the rumors isn’t hard, but to want to thoroughly wash clean of it is extremely difficult, because he himself isn’t clean to begin with………………”

“What do you mean not clean, don’t use weird phrases.” Jing Wan discontentedly said.

“You’re rather speechlessly good to Luo Jing Bo.” Li Hong Yuan said somewhat gloomily.

Jing Wan was between laughter and tears, “He’s my full-blooded older brother.”

“And I’m your husband. Women have three obeys[1], but never heard of obeying the older brother before.”

“Can we not talk about these boring things?”

Li Hong Yuan faintly nodded, “The time Luo Jing Bo has put forward in painting was already unable to stand up to close examination to begin with. It’s still okay if no one suspects, but once suspicious, this seed will certainly take root and germinate. The result might be just having you pushed out.”

“It’s not like third brother in the future will be walking the path of a great scholarly expert, so having a bit of stain doesn’t matter. But if I get pushed out, when time comes, it’s not just him that will become a laughing stock, even elder sister-in-law will also suffer the effect. Don’t forget, that hundred birds facing the phoenix painting.”

“Fine, listen to you. Then now, since Wan Wan has already thoroughly considered for a bunch of small ones, what about this husband? This husband on normal days is also very bored, don’t have anything to whittle away the time with?” Li Hong Yuan asked with a laugh.

“Was Ah Yuan in the past a bit of……..a loner?”

“En?”

“You rarely play with others, heard you very much knew how to have fun, but with others………” Jing Wan teased.

“I indeed have time to play, but not interested in playing with them.” In his eyes, those people were no different from small children. Playing with them, don’t joke.

“Then, in the future, just take them with you. For better or worse, you’re still the capital’s number one wastrel in name, so should just be a wastrel thoroughly to the end, no? Let’s build a horse racing track on the estate. When time comes, bet on horses for fun. In the race track, can even build some other facilities for games. We can make money and be entertained, neglecting neither one.”

“Tell me the specifics.”

“Horse gambling, speaking of which, is also quite simple. Just competing in a horse race, while the others place bets on the horse they take fancy to. The horses other people raise can also be placed on the estate to participate in the races. As long as it’s a winning horse, as the horse’s owner, will all obtain the corresponding share of profit. Ordinary gambling was prohibited, but I think betting on horses probably won’t, right?”

“En, probably will even be considered an elegant affair, and the people who participate in it will be many. Furthermore, afraid it’ll also be very profitable. Is it that I’m not giving you enough money to spend? To already be falling into greed.”

“The people that are able to enter your estate, at least won’t be ordinary commoners, and will also be one that likes to play and doesn’t lack money to begin with either. To not earn this kind of money would be a waste. You indeed have a lot of money, but that’s also just right now, in the future………….”

Becoming the Emperor, if the state treasury was ample, then it was still good, but one mishap, and one will just have to utilize one’s private funds. By that time, no matter how much money one has, it will still be like running water, gone in an instant. At that time, one will just feel it’s too little.

“Wan Wan already thinking that far away now?” Li Hong Yuan lightly smiled, leaning close to her ear, “Should just be the mother of the world.”

Jing Wan’s pupils slightly shrunk. This was honestly admitting to the ambitions? This was just different from the feeling that one had understood inside.

“How should the horse tracks be built? Why don’t Wan Wan also draw a diagram for this husband to see.”

“Alright.” Jing Wan excitedly began drawing again.

This time, Li Hong Yuan was present the whole time, asking a few words from time to time, even occasionally adding his own views. Jing Wan couldn’t help looking to him again and again. Should say, as expected, he was a versatile one, having a skill in everything.

The atmosphere between the two was warm and harmonious.

As for the people in the capital, the ones that were situated in a gloomy state weren’t in the minority.

Rui Qinwang, because of the concubine releasing letter, was all about to lose his gentle image on the surface. Although no one mentioned this to his face, and he also firmly believed that there weren’t any rumors outside, he nevertheless kept feeling that no matter who he looked at, he would always uncontrollably suspect that the other party knew about this matter, believing that the other party was mocking him in their heart. There was nothing more humiliating than this. As such, it would be strange for him to be in a good mood.

And every time when facing Luo Pei Shan, he’d also put on a fake smile, even being a bit passive-aggressive.

Not only that, he seemingly sunk into a muddy swamp once again, unsure as to where the problem occurred, having endless troubles. Although it wasn’t as bad as that period of time prior to the new year, always getting reprimanded by imperial father, and mistakes appearing in his assignment, but although there weren’t major matters, the trivial matters were endless. Yet, he couldn’t ignore either, making one incessantly irritable inside.

And what made him the most angry was that although the Grand Elder Princess didn’t hold a birthday banquet, as the nephew, he still needed to send a present. Yet, his present just happened to have a problem arise, the jade Guanyin[2] cracking. For people who believed in gods and buddhas, this was practically unforgivable. One can imagine just how terrible the Grand Elder Princess’s complexion was. Even if he personally visited to apologize, the Grand Elder Princess still had him rejected at the door. Afterwards, he even met with Le Cheng Emperor’s berating. Although he didn’t say he didn’t respect the elder, he still said he wasn’t attentive. To all be like this towards his di-related paternal aunt, how can one still count on him for big matters? —————-These words killed the heart.

Li Hong Ming practically exploded in anger towards Rui Wangfei for the first time.

Rui Wangfei was very wronged. She repeatedly promised that prior to sending over the present, she’d examined it over and over again. There definitely weren’t any problems. And when sending the steward to deliver it, she’d also repeatedly warned to be careful. That steward certainly wouldn’t have bumped it or dropped it either.

How could Li Hong Ming not know that he’d been schemed against again. Having anger but nowhere to vent, that steward was directly beaten to death with the rod, completely disregarding that the other party, in the past, had done quite a few things for him, this master.

Li Hong Ming kept feeling that he was being dragged by an invisible hand, feeling oppressed everywhere, yet don’t know where exactly this hand came from.

Speaking of his greatest rivals, there were just those two, but looking to the two of them, neither seemed like they were capable of having him set up to this degree. However, he also wasn’t that conceited of a person. Who knows if they’d suddenly gained someone advising behind them.

Moreover, lately, Li Hong Yi has been fighting with the Empress as well as old nine endlessly. Anyone with a discerning eye all could tell what was going on, yet they themselves just fought even harder, as if able to fall out at any time and become enemies. Or perhaps it was just a play.

After morning court, Li Hong Ming’s complexion darkened into the bottom of a pot. Shen Shu Han as well as the Shen family people got accused of misconduct, enumerating ten great offenses, and according to the contents of the accusations, practically just reprehensible. Even executing up to the ninth relation all wasn’t enough to quell the people’s anger.

Although some of the details inside were false, the majority were all true, able to bring out conclusive evidence. Just they were imperceptibly exaggerated quite a bit. One has to know, in this art of writing, sometimes by just changing the word order, one was just able to bring out a great disparity.

Li Hong Ming rather wanted to directly abandon and disregard, but unfortunately, some things were related to him, and moreover, Shen Shu Han was too important to him. Regardless of public or private interest, he was all unable to disregard, practically wanting to vomit blood.

Being burned badly in the head all wasn’t enough to describe.

[1] Part of the ‘Three Obediences and Four Virtues’, specifically for women; the three obediences are ‘obey the father, obey the husband, and obey the son’. You can read more about it here.

[2] Guanyin – The Bodhisattva of Compassion

T/N: Can only say, Rui Qinwang dug this grave himself