Flower Stealing Master

It was no wonder Chen Yuanyuan was so heartbroken. She had been passed around among several men throughout her life, enduring far too much suffering. She had thought that her daughter, having been born a noble princess and raised in luxury, would not have to repeat her tragic fate. But while Ah Ke had indeed not repeated her mother’s path, she had suffered in a completely opposite way.

Chen Yuanyuan had had too many men; Ah Ke had none at all. Whether with Fu Kang’an or the Kangxi Emperor, her affairs had all fizzled out. Just when it seemed she had finally found a good ending, it turned out Zhao Gou was incapable of being a proper husband.

But even if Zhao Gou could not perform as a man, he was still the Son of Heaven, the supreme emperor. Now that Ah Ke was an imperial consort, she could never seek another man for the rest of her life.

The mother and daughter embraced and wept for a while. Chen Yuanyuan, having weathered many storms, quickly regained her composure. She looked at her daughter and asked, “Is that why you’ve been inquiring about Song Qingshu?”

“It’s not like that~” Ah Ke buried her face in her mother’s bosom in embarrassment, making Song Qingshu on the beam above feel parched. He thought to himself, *How many men in this world must covet the softness of Chen Yuanyuan’s bosom? Only Ah Ke, with her heedless burrowing, would show no care for it.*

“I just thought about how he dismissed me so contemptuously, and it made me uncomfortable. I wanted to find out more about him so I could take revenge later,” Ah Ke said, her voice muffled against Chen Yuanyuan’s chest.

On the beam, Li Yuanzhi laughed happily upon hearing this. She nudged the man beside her. “Brother Song, did you seduce her and abandon her?”

Song Qingshu shook his head, utterly baffled. *When did I ever provoke her? And why does she hate me so much?*

Fortunately, Chen Yuanyuan had the same question. “Did that Song Qingshu do something to you?” She had a vivid impression of him. Back at the Sansheng Nunnery, he had discussed Buddhist teachings with her and carried himself with a certain air of an accomplished monk.

But she held no favorable opinion of him, mainly because he had repeatedly assured her that taking Ah Ke to the capital would pose no problems. Yet as soon as Ah Ke entered Yanjing, she had lost her freedom and was later used as a hostage to threaten Wu Sangui. All of this made Chen Yuanyuan feel deceived. How could she possibly have any goodwill toward him?

“He didn’t do anything to me,” Ah Ke quickly explained, knowing her mother’s concern. “But back in Yanjing, Kangxi indeed did not dare to take me into his harem, as he had said. But then Kangxi turned around and bestowed me upon him.”

“Oh~” Chen Yuanyuan gasped. “Back then I thought he was glib-tongued and frivolous. So that was his real intention.”

On the beam, Li Yuanzhi poked Song Qingshu’s waist, her eyes full of mirth. “Glib-tongued and frivolous. Little lecher~”

Song Qingshu’s face darkened, and he had no choice but to keep listening.

“Mother, you misunderstood him,” Ah Ke hastily said. “He never had designs on me. When Kangxi bestowed me upon him, he rejected it without hesitation.”

“He rejected you?” Chen Yuanyuan said in surprise.

“Yes.” Ah Ke bit her lip. “I was furious. I grew to hate everything related to him.”

“So that’s why you went after Miss Li.” Chen Yuanyuan finally understood the whole story. 

Meanwhile, on the beam, Li Yuanzhi also realized the truth. *So I ended up being implicated because of Song Qingshu.*

“Mother, tell me—am I really that unlikeable? I’m a princess, and I’m not bad-looking. Why did he reject me without even considering it?”

Li Yuanzhi silently agreed with Ah Ke. *You’re not just “not bad-looking”—you’re the kind of beauty that could make fish sink and wild geese fall. If I were a man, I wouldn’t be able to refuse you.*

“Ultimately, it’s probably your father’s reputation that dragged you down.” Seeing her daughter’s puzzled look, Chen Yuanyuan thought to herself that this girl was even more foolish than she had been at the same age. She would face many hardships in the future. So she patiently explained, “Didn’t Song Qingshu already tell you the reason?”

“When did he tell me?” Ah Ke asked in surprise.

“Have you forgotten why he was so certain back at the Sansheng Nunnery that Kangxi wouldn’t marry you?” Chen Yuanyuan sighed softly. “The reason he finally rejected you is exactly the same as the reason Kangxi rejected you.”

Ah Ke exclaimed in shock, “Kangxi did it to win people’s hearts. Could it be that he also…”

Chen Yuanyuan nodded. “I used to think he was just a lecherous pl@yboy. It seems I underestimated him. Looking at his achievements over the years, even back then he already had the ambition and plans to contend for the Central Plains. Such long-term foresight is truly admirable.”

Ah Ke immediately protested, “Mother, you’re defending him!”

Chen Yuanyuan smiled. “I’m just telling the truth. Thinking back now, if only he had accepted Kangxi’s bestowal back then. He might have been your best match.”

Ah Ke’s pretty face flushed red. “Pfft, if Mother likes him so much, why don’t you marry him yourself!”

“You brat! You dare to tease your mother!” Chen Yuanyuan’s face also reddened slightly. A flush of delicate pink spread across her fair, smooth skin, like a layer of rouge on white jade. Even Song Qingshu on the beam was momentarily entranced.

After a bit of playful wrestling, Ah Ke suddenly asked, “By the way, Mother, why did you stop me earlier? It’s not like you have any ties to that Li Yuanzhi.”

Chen Yuanyuan sighed. “That young lady went from being a favored daughter of heaven to the daughter of a disgraced minister in one night—falling from the clouds to the ground. She’s pitiful enough as it is. Why make things worse for her? Besides, her downfall is partly our doing.”

Li Yuanzhi, who had been deeply moved, froze at the last sentence. She thought, *What does my fate have to do with them?* 

Even Song Qingshu was puzzled. He made a silencing gesture, indicating they should keep listening.

“Mother, it was all Chancellor Han’s scheme,” Ah Ke quickly said to comfort her.

“That may be so, but we still participated.” Chen Yuanyuan sighed. “If you had told me earlier that Zhao Gou’s marriage to you was only in name, why would I have helped you frame an innocent person just to compete for the empty title of empress?”

“Mother, have you forgotten the mission Father gave us?” Ah Ke said. “To bring down Wan Qili and Jia Sidao, starting with Li Yuanzhi was the quickest way. Unfortunately, that Jia has deep roots. Although his influence has greatly diminished, he hasn’t been destroyed at the foundation…”

Hearing the two women’s discussion, Song Qingshu suddenly understood. When all the evidence had pointed to Consort Jia scheming out of jealousy to harm Li Yuanzhi, he had suspected something was off. He never expected the real culprits to be these two.

“Brother Song, I have a favor to ask.” Li Yuanzhi’s voice suddenly came cold as ice beside his ear.

“Tell me. If it’s within my power, I won’t refuse.” Song Qingshu smiled wryly. What a coincidence that Li Yuanzhi had learned the truth at this very moment. She had suffered such a great injustice back then, and now that the real culprits were right before her eyes, there was no way she would let it go.

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