The Grand Princess

TGP Chapter 34.2: Goddess of the Luo River

“Yearning yet unable to meet,

A promise in the season of peach blossoms,

To meet by the waterside pavilion,

Lest be like the Goddess of the Luo River.”
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Li Rong looked up and saw Chang Le leading Li Ming and a group of people over while rushing towards her with fervor. Li Rong feigned surprise and approached Li Ming to pay her respects: “Father Emperor…”

“Jiejie, how could you do something like this?!”

Chang Le emotionally cried out: “You’re about to marry Pei daren. No matter how good Su daren is, you can’t just meet in private like this…”

“Mind your words!”

Li Rong coldly looked at Chang Le: “You are a stately and proper princess, and yet using words as if this was a marketplace, have you forgotten the rules and etiquette you learned a few days ago?!”

“Don’t you have any shame talking to me about rules and etiquette?” Chang Le turned her head and looked towards Li Ming, “Father Emperor, look at her…”

“Ping Le,” Li Ming frowned as he looked at Li Rong, “What are you and Su Rongqing doing here?”

“Father Emperor,” Li Rong replied as she saluted, “Su daren was entrusted to deliver a message to erchen, that’s all.”

“Deliver a message to you? Why not just find the people from your palace and pass it on?”

Li Ming was quite dissatisfied. Li Rong was about to speak when Su Rongqing knelt down and respectfully said: “Your Majesty, this humble official is to blame. This is only because this humble official gives lectures in the waterside pavilion in the afternoon and often comes here in advance, so this humble official learned that the princess meets in the waterside pavilion to play with the other princesses in the morning. Therefore, this humble official was a bit lazy and decided to just hand the letter to the princess. The other princesses are usually here though…”

“Su daren really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Chang Le interrupted him, “Yesterday, Consort Rou niangniang suspended classes for everyone to let jiejie fully prepare for her wedding. How could there still be any classes today?”

“Well, would he know?” Li Rong looked straight at Chang Le and mockingly asked: “It’s not as if Consort Rou niangniang had gone and given Su daren prior notice that I wouldn’t be coming today, right?”

Chang Le choked up but immediately reacted: “So what are you doing here?”

“What? Am I not allowed to come to the Imperial Garden? I will miss the everyday moments shared between us sisters, but now that I am about to be married, my heart is heavy and full of sorrow, so I decided to come here and walk around. I happened to come across Su daren in a public place with many people around with a maid as well and only exchanged a few words, and yet that is also considered a crime?”

Li Rong spoke in an open and unwavering manner. Chang Le’s face alternated between shades of white and red and then again. Chang Le really couldn’t understand it. She and Li Rong were like fire and water, how could she say such nauseating words out loud?

Li Rong looked at Chang Le with a face full of smiles, then she scanned the surrounding area: “But I just don’t understand… I ran into Su daren just now. How did everyone all come here as if they were going to arrest someone? And why did Father Emperor come too?”

When Li Ming heard this, he looked over at Chang Le. Chang Le quickly reacted and anxiously said: “I saw one of your people handing a note to Su Rongqing, inviting him to privately see you! I don’t believe you, search him!”