Chapter 201: Mixing Up Lovers

By the time Yang Huahua returned to her mansion, it was already noon. Her residence was magnificent, covering hundreds of acres, filled with splendid decorations and exotic flowers and plants. She had three thousand servants, including over a hundred wet nurses to take care of her son.
Yang Huahua could be considered the richest woman in the world. In just a few years, she had amassed millions in wealth and possessed countless rare treasures. She could have whatever she wanted—wind or rain at her command. Whenever she desired a man, the most handsome and strongest ones would immediately serve her. If she disapproved of someone, a single word from her would bring that person misfortune, even the crown prince was no exception.
The only flaw was that she had yet to find a man she truly liked. Li Qing’an could be considered half of one, but even he dismissed her and rejected her heartlessly, a fact that haunted her.
Unfortunately, he was far away in Beiting, and it was extremely difficult to take revenge on him. However, he had a woman in Chang’an, which could be used against him.
Yang Huahua lay on a soft chair, with two maids gently massaging her legs. She was squinting at a night pearl the size of a pigeon’s egg, sent to her this morning by the Ghuluo prince. Ten such pearls were delivered as a birthday gift for her son, along with an official request from the Ghuluo to marry into the Tang Dynasty.
According to their agreement, Yang Huahua had agreed to this marriage, so it was up to her to see it through. But Duoluo didn’t know this—even without those ten night pearls, Yang Huahua would still help him.
She picked up a thick official document, snorted, and tossed it aside, deciding to give it to Li Sanlang in the evening.
At that moment, a maid rushed in to report, “Madam, the second madam has arrived and wishes to see you.”
“My second sister!” Yang Huahua was surprised. Why would her sister come to see her? Their relationship had been poor since they argued at the beginning of the year; they would only exchange cold greetings when they met. It was the first time she had visited since her mansion was completed.
“Treat her well. I’ll be there soon.”
Yang Huahua stood up, stretched lazily, and slowly walked toward the guest room.

Madam Yang Yupei was indeed visiting Yang Huahua’s new residence for the first time. Sitting in the lobby, she gazed at the magnificent mansion with envy. Suffice it to say that just building this reception hall had cost a hundred thousand guan, and the labor cost for laying the tiles alone amounted to two thousand guan. It was said that even if a few ants were dropped on the floor, there would be no gap for them to escape. Yang Yupei looked down at the floor and indeed saw it was as smooth as a mirror, without a single crack—she really didn’t know how it had been laid.

As for the furniture, it was all made of red sandalwood. An ordinary armchair was worth a thousand guan, and there was also a screen at the entrance, supported by agarwood, holding a piece of white jade that was ten feet high and thirty feet long. This huge piece of white jade was flawless and smooth, said to be a treasure presented by the king of Bohai to the Tang Dynasty, which the emperor had bestowed upon his third sister.

Yang Yupei sighed. Of course, she knew why. The emperor’s favor toward her third sister was no less than that toward her fourth sister.

Today, Yang Yupei came to see her sister for another personal matter. At noon, she heard that the crown prince intended to choose a concubine from among the officials, and she became interested. She had dreamed of marrying her daughter Ningbi into the imperial family. How could she miss this opportunity for the crown prince to take a concubine?

Yang Yupei didn’t understand politics. Her thinking was simple: the eldest legitimate son of the crown prince would become the crown prince himself. Once he ascended the throne, her daughter could at least become a noble consort, and if she gave birth to a son, he would be a prince. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about her future.

Her husband, who had been on sick leave at home for years, strongly supported her idea, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. Yang Yupei was well aware that the key to success lay with her third sister. So she gritted her teeth and took out ten thousand guan to settle accounts with her own sister.

“Third sister, what brings you here?” Yang Huahua appeared behind her.

Yang Yupei turned around and quickly smiled, “I came to see your new residence.”

Yang Huahua replied lazily, “What new residence? I’m already tired of it. In a year or two, I’ll ask the emperor to build me a new one.”

Yang Yupei was shocked. Good heavens, with thousands of rooms, she probably wouldn’t even be able to see them all! She was already tired of it.

“Third sister, you really know how to joke. If I had such a mansion, I wouldn’t go anywhere!”

“Really? Not go anywhere?” Yang Huahua looked at her with a half-smile.

For some reason, Yang Yupei felt a bit afraid of her third sister. She quickly joined in the joke, “I was just joking. By the way, third sister, I have a favor to ask you.”

“Third sister, between us sisters, do we really need to use the word ‘ask’?”

Yang Huahua was extremely shrewd. From her second sister’s tone, she could tell that her sister was yielding to her, so she smiled and said, “Second sister, go ahead! Whatever it is, if I can do it, I’ll definitely help.”
“If you can’t do it, then no one in the world can.”
With that, Yang Yupai placed a gift list worth ten thousand guan on the table and smiled, “This is just a little money to buy sweets for my nephew. It’s from me as his aunt. Please accept it, third sister!”
Yang Huahua glanced at it—“Ten thousand guan”? She pushed the money back and laughed, “Second sister always says I only care about money and not family ties. But that’s a prejudice. Sisters are sisters, and such affection can’t be bought with money.”
Yang Yupai was stunned. After a while, she realized her sister truly wouldn’t accept her money. Her nose tingled with emotion, and she sighed, “Third sister, it was my fault before. I misunderstood you. I apologize.”
Yang Huahua patted her sister’s hand and smiled, “We’re blood sisters—no need for formalities. Go ahead! What do you need from me?”
“It’s like this,” Yang Yupai quickly said with a smile, “Today I heard that the crown prince, Li Chu, is going to marry a concubine…”
……
In the Xingqing Hall, Li Longji was having dinner with Yang Yuhuan. As she ate, Yang Yuhuan carefully observed her third brother. She noticed that he had clearly aged lately—every morning, a handful of his hair would fall onto his pillow, and his strength was nowhere near what it used to be. Their intimate encounters were now infrequent; even while eating, he moved slowly, looking extremely tired.
Concerned, she asked, “Third brother, are you too busy with state affairs lately?”
Li Longji was distracted. His sudden question startled him, causing him to choke on his food and cough violently. Yang Yuhuan quickly put down her bowl and came to pat his back. Dozens of palace maids and eunuchs were also in a panic, bringing tea and water. Gao Lishi hurriedly shouted, “Go! Hurry and call the imperial physician!”
It took Li Longji some time to catch his breath. He waved his hand to show he was fine. Yang Yuhuan then brought him a bowl of soup and tea to rinse his mouth. After rinsing and drinking a few sips of hot tea, he finally exhaled and said, “Don’t talk about state affairs while eating from now on.”
“Yes!” Yang Yuhuan replied, feeling a bit aggrieved. She hadn’t actually asked anything.
At that moment, Yang Huahua and the imperial physician entered one after another. Yang Huahua smiled and said, “I wanted to report this first. Seeing the imperial physician rushing in in such a hurry, I thought my sister was sick, so I rushed in worriedly. Please don’t blame me, sister.”

Yang Yuhuan gave a bitter smile and said, “Third sister, don’t say that. If there’s no food, let’s eat together!”
“I really haven’t eaten yet!”
Yang Huahua glanced at Li Longji and smiled, “Emperor’s brother-in-law, may I sit down and eat?”
Li Longji chuckled awkwardly and said, “Hehe! We’re all family—why be polite? Go and prepare a set of dishes and chopsticks for the third wife.”
Yang Huahua sat down across from Yang Yuhuan without hesitation. She shot Li Longji a glance with her charming eyes and asked ambiguously, “Is Your Majesty’s health alright?”
Li Longji narrowed his eyes and smiled, “It’s fine! Fine! My health is strong.”
Yang Huahua covered her mouth and laughed, then said to Yang Yuhuan, “Fourth sister, I’ve come today to ask the emperor for a favor. Let me tell you first—this isn’t about asking for money.”
Seeing her brother and sister flirting, Yang Yuhuan felt displeased and said indifferently, “Just now, my brother said we shouldn’t discuss state affairs while eating.”
“Did I say that?” Li Longji pretended to be surprised and asked those around him, “Did I really say that?”
The eunuchs and maids around him were too afraid to respond. Yang Yuhuan gave him a disdainful look and chose to ignore him. Li Longji waved his hand at Yang Huahua and said with a smile, “I definitely never said that. Third sister, go ahead and speak!”
Yang Huahua glanced at Yang Yuhuan triumphantly and said, “Actually, what I want to talk about isn’t state affairs—it’s a family matter and a trivial matter.”
Yang Huahua’s arrival completely lifted Li Longji’s listless mood. As the saying goes, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as an affair. The feeling of an affair was like an injection of energy into Li Longji’s body, making him instantly radiant and cheerful. He laughed heartily and said, “Go ahead! You can talk about family or trivial matters.”
“Then let me start with the family matter!”
Yang Huahua smiled at Yang Yuhuan and Li Longji and said, “It’s this: Second sister heard that the crown prince is going to marry a concubine, so she came to discuss it with me. She wants to give Ningbi to the crown prince—it’s a perfect match, and I fully agree.”
“I don’t agree!”
Yang Yuhuan’s expression darkened. Ningbi was her niece, and Li Chu was her grandson. They were of different generations—how could they get married?
“Why not?”
Yang Huahua’s smile also disappeared. She knew the problem here. She sneered inwardly—if a daughter-in-law could marry her father-in-law, why couldn’t Ningbi marry the crown prince?
She glanced at Li Longji out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that he remained silent, she quietly stretched out her foot and kicked him hard. Li Longji was startled awake and chuckled awkwardly, “My dear, I think it’s worth considering. Family ties strengthened—that’s a good thing!”

“Sanlang!” Yang Yuhuan glanced at him playfully.
At that moment, Gao Lishi interjected with a smile, “Actually, the two of them are about the same age and would make a perfect match. Besides, the Tang Dynasty’s rules only prohibit marriage between people of the same surname. Ningbi’s surname is Cui, while Changsun’s is Li. What’s wrong with a marriage between the Cui and Li families?”
Li Longji laughed heartily. “See? Even the general agrees. This matter is settled. My dear, stop opposing it.”
Yang Yuhuan also found it strange. Over the years, Gao Lishi had never intervened on his own initiative. What was going on today? Yang Yuhuan was actually very clever. She immediately understood that Gao Lishi wanted to ease the tension between the crown prince and the Yang family. There was such a deep intention behind it. Realizing this, she forced a smile and said, “Since Sanlang insists, I won’t dampen everyone’s spirits.”
Li Longji was overjoyed. He immediately ordered, “Pass my decree: appoint Lady Cui as the concubine of the crown prince and grant her the title of Liangyuan.”
The crown prince had gone to see his father in the morning to ask for a concubine, and by evening, his concubine had already been chosen at Li Longji’s banquet. This truly embodied the old saying: “In life, things often go against one’s wishes.”
Yang Huahua felt proud. What could she not accomplish? She smiled charmingly at Li Longji in gratitude, then took out another document and said, “My second matter is trivial. A prince from the Gelaolu tribe wants to marry a member of the Tang royal family. These border tribes, hearing that I like to deal in such trivial matters, even sent an official letter to my residence.”
Yang Yuhuan snorted inwardly. Of course! If you take their money, you have to do their bidding. She glanced secretly at Li Longji and saw interest in his eyes. Presuming it was related to court affairs, she wisely stayed silent.
Li Longji took the proposal letter and read it. It was filled with humble words, expressing the desire to marry a Tang princess to defend the borders for the Tang Dynasty.
Using marriage alliances to win over border ethnic groups had always been the Tang Dynasty’s policy. The Gelaolu people had been severely scolded by Li Qingan, so it was appropriate to appease them. Li Longji said, “This can work. Hand it over to the Ministry of Genealogy and the Ministry of Rites to handle.”
“Your Majesty, the Gelaolu prince has a specific candidate in mind.”
“Oh! Who have they chosen?” Li Longji asked Yang Huahua with interest.
“They have their eyes set on Du Gu family’s eldest daughter, Mingyue.”
“Clang!” A bowl fell to the ground. Everyone turned to see Gao Lishi bending down to pick it up. Li Longji glanced at him curiously, then turned back to Yang Huahua with a smile and said, “You mean Du Gu Mingyue, that famous beauty from Chang’an?”
Yang Huahua smiled gently. “Exactly her!”

Li Longji pondered for a moment. Sending a daughter of a relative into marriage to a small state was indeed the court’s consistent policy. At that moment, Yang Yuhuan seemed to sense something and glanced at Gao Lishi. She saw him signaling frantically at her. With a sudden realization, she smiled and said, “Third Brother, how about choosing someone else?”
“Why?”
Li Longji looked at Yang Yuhuan in surprise. Just then, Yang Yuhuan was looking at Gao Lishi, and Li Longji caught sight of him. He quickly turned around and saw Gao Lishi gesturing at Yang Yuhuan.
Li Longji’s expression darkened as he shouted, “Gao Lishi, what are you doing?”
Gao Lishi, frightened, quickly knelt down and said, “This humble servant would never dare.”
“What are you telling the Concubine?”
Gao Lishi replied in a low voice, “I’m telling her that the war in Suiye is still raging; it’s not appropriate to marry Du Gu Mingyue.”
Li Longji suddenly understood. He forced a laugh and said to Yang Huahua, “Du Gu Mingyue is indeed not a good choice. Let’s pick someone else!”
Yang Huahua was panicked. If someone else was chosen, her plan would fail. She hurriedly said, “But the Göktürk prince insists on marrying Du Gu Mingyue.”
Li Longji’s face darkened as he said unhappily, “If I say no, it’s no. There’s no ‘but’!”
Seeing the emperor angry, Yang Huahua pursed her lips and dared not speak anymore.
…
Five days later, amidst dazzling red lights and deafening firecrackers, the crown prince Li Chu, dressed in a festive red robe, was led into the bridal chamber.
Everything in the chamber was a glaring red. Li Chu’s heart was filled with despair. He wanted to marry Mingyue, but instead, he married a “star.” He had met Cui Ningbi before and had never really paid her any attention, yet she had become his wife.
Li Chu stood motionless at the door, unable to move. Cui Ningbi, dressed in a gauzy robe with embroidered sleeves, a green skirt, and a phoenix crown, sat shyly on the phoenix bed, waiting for the long-awaited moment of their wedding. She had already heard her husband enter, and her face turned even redder. Unexpectedly, after a long while with no sign of him, suddenly, the door slammed shut. Cui Ningbi looked up and saw no trace of her husband at the door.
…
Li Chu went to his study. He leaned on the desk, wishing to cry bitterly. Why did fate play such tricks on him? At that moment, he felt a hand gently stroking his head. He raised his tear-filled eyes and saw his legitimate wife, Shen Zhenzhu, behind him.
His legitimate wife was Shen Zhenzhu, a daughter of a prominent family from Wuxing in the south. She was beautiful, dignified, gentle, and virtuous. She had married him at the age of fourteen, and nine years had passed since then; she had given birth to their son, Li Shi.

Shen Zhenzhu knew what the problem was. She sighed softly and comforted her husband gently, saying, “Marriage is also a matter of fate. You and Mingyue are not destined to be together. Ningbi is also a good woman who will accompany you for life. Tonight is the most important night of her life as a bride. You shouldn’t neglect her.”

Li Chu was filled with gratitude. He leaned his head on his wife’s shoulder and sighed, “It’s all my fault for being foolish for a moment. I thought I could marry Mingyue, but I forgot that my marriage cannot be decided by me alone. I didn’t want to marry a woman from the Yang family, and my father was furious because of it. Zhenzhu, I am sorry for this.”

“Stop saying such nonsense,” Shen Zhenzhu said with a smile. “It’s normal for a man to have multiple wives. As the main wife, I should take concubines to ensure you have many descendants. In the future, you can marry another woman you like. Now go back quickly. There’s no reason to leave your new bride in the bridal chamber while you run to the study to cry. Go!”

She pulled her husband up, as if dragging a disobedient child, and led him to the door of the bridal chamber. She whispered, “Treat Ningbi well tonight. She will be grateful to you for life.”

After saying that, she pushed him inside. Still worried, she locked the door from the outside. She waited for a while until the light inside went out before leaving the bridal chamber.

…

The moon slowly rose above the treetops, its silver light covering the land. Donggu Mingyue stood by the window, silently gazing at the bright moonlight. It seemed to her as if she could see the Tianshan Mountains thousands of miles away, where another bright moon shone on the magnificent ice peaks. Under the moonlight, a group of cavalry rushed past across the vast grasslands.

The moon rises over the sea; we share this moment across the world.
Lovers lament the long night, filled with longing all through the night.
They extinguish the candle, cherishing the full light; putting on their clothes, they feel the dew.
Unable to give it in their hands, they return to bed, dreaming of a better time.
…