Chapter 37: Human Nature is intrinsically evil!
“I’ve come to visit my sister. Why are you stopping me?” Gaoyang showed no fear toward the two maids attempting to stop her. Due to her noble status and young age, she believed she had the right to interrupt.
The maids, hesitant to use force, could only try to physically obstruct Gaoyang.
Su Li interjected while attending to Princess Changle, “Stop her!”
“Do you really think you can stop me?” Gaoyang’s arrogant voice echoed as she persisted, pushing her way in with almost half her body inside.
Su Li furrowed his brow, pausing for a moment to think before rising to his feet. Just as Gaoyang’s entire body was about to enter the room, Su Li swiftly placed his hand on Gaoyang’s forehead, making it impossible for her to move any further.
“Both of you may leave,” Su Li gestured towards the two maids, silently conveying that he didn’t hold them responsible. The maids, unable to stop the determined young princess, exited without interference. They understood their insignificance as mere servants compared to Gaoyang, who held the title of princess.
“Get out…” Su Li gently pushed, causing Gaoyang to stagger backward and ultimately plop onto the ground. Su Li furrowed his brow. He knew Gaoyang was a princess, so he deliberately restrained her strength. Although Su Li possessed unique abilities, he had long mastered the art of control. Accidentally pushing Gaoyang to the ground was impossible.
“You… How dare you push me?” Gaoyang exclaimed, her voice brimming with anger. Just as Su Li had anticipated, Gaoyang’s reaction matched his expectations.
Gaoyang’s face twisted with a mixture of disgust and anger as she continued hurling insults at Su Li. Her words made Su Li thought she was an arrogant, impulsive, and brainless drama queen.
Su Li found himself at a loss for words to describe Gaoyang accurately. He sighed, realizing that Gaoyang’s behavior perfectly matched the reputation of being a spoiled and arrogant princess. She continued to hurl insults and curses, leaving Su Li feeling disappointed.Recalling the historical records of Gaoyang’s actions, Su Li couldn’t help but feel. It was rumored that after her marriage to Fang Yiai, Gaoyang became even more arrogant and unruly, openly engaging in extramarital affairs with monks. This tarnished the royal family’s reputation and brought shame to the Tang Dynasty princesses.
Even Fang Yiai, her cuckolded husband had to stand guard at the door when Princess Gaoyang was having an affair. If that was the extent of it, one could argue that Gaoyang simply didn’t care about her private life. But she also encouraged Fang Yiai to rebel, which ultimately led to his execution by Li Er.
It was clear that Gaoyang hadn’t enjoyed favor from Li Er since childhood. After all, Prince Li Chengqian’s rebellion only resulted in his exile. Considering Li Er’s personality, if he had any fondness for Princess Gaoyang, he would have likely shifted the blame onto Minister Fang Yiai to protect his daughter’s life. Gaoyang’s fate was a consequence of her arrogance, bad reputation, and failure to gain favor from Prince Li, the heir to the throne.
Indeed, Su Li believed that Prince Li would easily detect Gaoyang’s exaggerated acting and cunning schemes. Moreover, Gaoyang wasn’t even a legitimate child of Empress Zhangsun. At such a young age, with such devious schemes, Prince Li was highly unlikely to genuinely like her.
As rumors of her infidelity spread throughout the city, tarnishing the royal family’s reputation, Gaoyang sealed her own fate. Su Li frowned, realizing the gravity of the situation. He only knew from historical records that Gaoyang’s private life was notoriously chaotic and thoughtless after her marriage. However, he didn’t expect the ten-year-old girl in front of him to act in such a manner.
“In the beginning, humans are inherently evil…” Su Li muttered, attributing Gaoyang’s troublesome personality to her upbringing. After all, her acting skills were clumsy and she caused a commotion at the princess’s mansion while Princess Changle was still in a coma.
Su Li frowned, still thinking how to handle Princess Gaoyang, who sat on the ground. Suddenly, Gaoyang’s voice ceased. In truth, Gaoyang knew that her elder sister, Princess Changle, had gotten married to a commoner. This revelation filled Gaoyang with indescribable joy and happiness. It dawned on her that she was not the favored firstborn daughter and would never receive the same love as her sister.
Her parents frequently criticized her, while everyone lavished praise on Princess Changle. Unbeknownst to her, jealousy had taken root within her heart. It intensified even more when she discovered that her sister was engaged to Zhangsun Chong, the person Gaoyang secretly admired. Although Zhangsun Chong seemed pleasant enough and shared a familial bond with Changle, Gaoyang didn’t perceive him as exceptionally remarkable. Yet, Zhangsun Chong’s attention toward Changle captivated Gaoyang’s envy.
Admittedly, Gaoyang didn’t truly understand love at such a young age. Her feelings toward Zhangsun Chong were merely driven by sibling rivalry. In short, her jealousy toward Princess Changle grew more profound over time.
However, an unexpected turn of events later occurred. It truly was an accident. Who would have predicted that her sister would suffer from an asthma attack? Who was to blame for her sister dropping the medicine bottle on the ground once again? Gaoyang acted impulsively without considering the consequences. With a mere nudge of her foot, the bottle accidentally fell into the lake.
Subsequently, Gaoyang became consumed by fear, not because she believed she had harmed her sister but because she dreaded her sister waking up. She knew that her sister had witnessed the incident. However, her sister remained unconscious. Each time the imperial physician emerged with a concerned expression, Gaoyang’s anxiety heightened. To her delight, she even discovered that her sister’s joy over the incident had led to her impending marriage to a commoner—a peasant!
Gaoyang’s happiness knew no bounds.
My dear sister, who had been so favored, was now going to marry a peasant and would never awaken again. Gaoyang desired to witness her sister’s distress and relish the thought of her sister marrying a peasant. But what did it mean to be a peasant? Ugly? Coarse? Dark and short? However, a sense of guilt washed over Gaoyang as she had not received any news of her sister’s awakening. Finally, summoning her courage, she entered her sister’s residence.
She yearned to see the vulgar peasant her sister had married, an experience that would bring her immense happiness for a long time. However, Gaoyang’s harsh words involuntarily ceased as she surveyed her surroundings. She couldn’t help but acknowledge that Zhangsun Chong, whom she secretly admired, appeared quite handsome. Among the noble and prominent figures in the Great Tang Dynasty, Zhangsun Chong could be considered attractive and capable. Yet, compared to Su Li, the disparity was significant. Indeed, the difference was quite substantial.
Su Li’s appearance was so remarkable that even Li Er, an old man with strong opinions, had to admit that she was not bad when belittling Su Li. It was natural for a woman who was inherently envious and jealous to move on when encountering a more attractive man. At that moment, a question arose in Gaoyang’s mind: Why? Why was my sister, Princess Changle, so fortunate? How could she have such beautiful skin when marrying a peasant? Even though she lies in a deep slumber and will never awaken!