Chapter 48 Do Not Kneel

Princess Anping pointed at Li Tinghan and said, "What you are saying right now, is it because His Imperial Brother forced you to take the blame to clear her name?"

"Monks do not tell lies; everything this humble monk has said is true."

Princess Anping took a step forward. "I will ask you again: if I were to ask you to return to secular life and marry me, would you be willing?"

Liaoji hurriedly took a step back. "Your Highness, this humble monk is a man of religion."

"What of being a man of religion? You kissed me and held me. Is this not a violation of the precept against lust? I only ask you whether you are willing to marry me or not." Princess Anping pressed on step by step.

Liaoji's back pressed against the wall. He closed his eyes tightly and began to chant scriptures. "This humble monk has broken the vow of chastity, and upon returning to Thousand Buddha Temple, I will accept my punishment."

"Today, this humble monk has offended Your Highness in front of everyone, and I should rightly offer my apologies to Your Highness." With that, Liaoji flicked his monastic robes and prepared to kneel.

Anping hastily reached out to hold him up. "You are not allowed to kneel. I forbid you to kneel to me."

Li Tinghan watched this scene with a troubled expression. Monks transcend the mortal world; even upon meeting the Emperor, they are not required to bow or kneel.

Liaoji's actions demonstrated profound sincerity, but if it were truly as he claimed—that the Five-Stone Powder on Anping had transferred from him—then how it came to be there was worth investigating further.

Anping was practically on the verge of marrying into the Zuo family, yet judging by her demeanor, she was deeply and hopelessly infatuated with Master Liaoji. How was this to be resolved?

Shen Tuabai watched the scene unfold before her, feeling only a sense of irony.

Liaoji exercised daily at Thousand Buddha Temple and possessed a muscular physique. If he were truly sincere about apologizing, how could Anping, a delicate and unmarried young maiden, possibly have stopped him?

This was true even earlier in the pavilion: Anping had been under the influence of the Five-Stone Powder, whereas Liaoji had not.

Shen Tuabai simply could not believe that if he had genuinely struggled, he truly would not have been able to shake off Anping's entanglement. Rather, he was clearly taking advantage of Anping's affection for him, deliberately letting her be to humiliate her publicly.

It was just unclear what background this monk truly had. Whether it was seducing Anping or attempting to tamper with the royal bloodline through Shen Tuabai, every single one of these actions targeted the Imperial family, courting capital punishment.

Shen Tuabai's gaze met Liaoji's in the air for a brief moment before each turned away.

Liaoji took the blame upon himself, and Princess Anping stubbornly refused to punish him. In the end, the matter had to be dropped without a resolution.

To prevent Li Tinghan from punishing Liaoji after she left, Anping personally escorted Liaoji back to Thousand Buddha Temple.

Only the three of them remained in the side chamber.

Cui Xiwen was the first to speak, putting on a pitiful expression. "Now that the matter has been investigated and cleared up, can Her Ladyship the Consort now prove my innocence?"

Cui Xiwen's tactic of playing the pitiful victim was far too clumsy, making Shen Tuabai feel uncomfortable to watch. "Of course. I will have Nanny Zhao personally escort you back."

Cui Xiwen choked back her breath. She had caused such a scene today precisely not to return.

Shen Tuabai, however, said with apparent understanding, "I understand that since Miss Cui is currently in the palace, if you are subjected to gossip, you will inevitably face cold stares from others. Having Nanny Zhao personally protect you will also let others know that the Prince of Yan's Estate stands behind you, and they will not dare to mistreat you lightly."

Hearing Shen Tuabai put it this way, Li Tinghan calmed down instead. "In that case, the Empress Dowager will no longer harbor suspicions or pin the blame on Wenniang, right?"

Shen Tuabai smiled gently and shook her head. "His Majesty has myriad state affairs to attend to; certainly he will not concern himself with every little detail. With Nanny Zhao going over to look after you from time to time, surely no one will dare give Miss Cui the cold shoulder."

Watching the two of them reverse her fate, Cui Xiwen was so angry she nearly crushed her teeth.

Yet every word Shen Tuabai uttered was spoken out of consideration for her, and not a single statement was empty, leaving her with no real opening to argue back directly.

Still, having reached this point was already no small feat. If she failed to secure her stay today, wouldn't all her previous efforts have gone to waste?

Cui Xiwen rolled her eyes and decided to burn her boats.

She stood up, knelt directly before the two of them, and kowtowed heavily three times, making a loud sound against the floor.

Shen Tuabai quickly stepped aside to avoid it, only to hear Cui Xiwen say, "Today, it was actually I who deliberately bribed a palace nanny to smuggle me out. Firstly, because I wanted to see His Highness the Prince once more, and secondly, to beg a favor from His Highness."

At this, Li Tinghan's expression turned somewhat troubled.

Earlier, when he pleaded on Cui Xiwen's behalf, he had suffered a severe reprimand from the Empress Dowager. If A-Ning's full-month celebration hadn't been fast approaching, he had no idea how much longer he would have been grounded.

Now Wenniang had come to him with a plea, but regarding her affairs, he truly felt powerless despite his desires.

Beyond that, a strange feeling arose in Li Tinghan's heart. In the past, Wenniang had never asked anything of him; everything he did, he had done for her entirely of his own accord.

Yet now, watching her kowtow and plead on the ground, besides a ache in his heart, Li Tinghan felt an inexpressible and obscure emotion—as if she were drifting further and further away from him.

Cui Wenniang gritted her teeth and said, "All female members of the Cui family above the age of ten have been reduced to the status of lowly servants. My younger sister and I are only temporarily residing in the Directorate for Imperial Parks because the Ministry of Rites has yet to assign us a permanent place."

"Recently, Princess Anping's estate has been looking for song and dance performers. I want to beg His Highness to send my younger sister to Princess Anping's estate."

With that, Cui Wenniang raised her eyes to look pleadingly at Li Tinghan, as if he were her entire source of hope.

Li Tinghan let out a silent sigh of relief.

Shen Tuabai, however, caught the underlying meaning of her words: if Princess Anping could take her sister under the pretext of enjoying musical performances, the Prince of Yan's Estate could naturally find a way to take her in as well.

What Cui Wenniang did not know, however, was that this path had already been blocked off by Shen Tuabai several days ago.

Outwardly, however, Shen Tuabai wore an expression of deep heartache as she helped her up. "I truly envy Miss Cui for having a sister like you. But since Miss Cui has already thought of a destination for her, why not plead for yourself?"

Cui Xiwen seemed to have been waiting for these exact words. She smiled bitterly and shook her head. "Judging by Princess Anping's behavior just now, she evidently harbors a deep hatred for me. If I were to end up in her estate, what path of survival would I have left?"

"As for the other academies of music and dance in Chang'an, while they claim to only feature musical and dance performances, who can say what dirty dealings go on behind closed doors?" With that, she seemed to recall something, cast a timid glance at Shen Tuabai, and quickly withdrew her gaze.

Then, as if to patch up her words, she added, "Before I was betrothed to His Highness, my mother turned down numerous matchmakers for me. With so many aristocratic scoundrels in Chang'an, there is no guarantee someone wouldn't come looking to make a spectacle of me. If I were forced to put on a smiling face for them, I would rather slice my own throat and die..."

Shen Tuabai looked at her with a complicated expression. It appeared she truly had been driven to desperation; even the tactic of threatening death had been deployed.

That being the case, Li Tinghan would undoubtedly lack the heart to leave her to her own devices, though it remained to be seen whether this would offend His Majesty.

When she finished speaking, Cui Xiwen lowered her head to wipe away her tears, forcing out a faint smile. "I spoke too much out of turn. I apologize for the abrupt intrusion and hope His Highness and Her Ladyship will not take offense."

What a resilient, stubborn little white lotus! Cui Xiwen must have invested genuine emotion into this performance, as even Shen Tuabai could find no fault with it.

She stood in place and waited for a moment, yet she waited in vain for Li Tinghan to speak.

Turning her head to look, she discovered that Li Tinghan was staring at her without blinking, as if he were... spacing out.

Shen Tuabai: ?