Chapter 170 True Heartbreak Isn’t Loud Outbursts

Chapter 170: True Heartbreak Is Not Loud Crying or Outbursts

It was clear that Ji Yuntang had gone easy on him earlier.

Luo Sinian snapped out of it, bowed, and cupped his hands in a respectful salute to Ji Yuntang.

"Third Sister-in-Law, I, Luo Sinian, swear to you here that I will never again do anything to hold you and my third brother back. If there is a next time, I’ll accept whatever punishment you decide."

Ji Yuntang tossed the sword back to him and curled her lips.

"I’m a practical person. I don't care what you say; I only care about your actions; I hope you stand by what you say and own your words today."

Luo Sinian said earnestly, "Rest assured on that, Third Sister-in-Law. I will prove it to you through my actions."

...

News of Luo Sinian's visit to Prince Ye's manor that day quickly reached Consort Li in the palace.

Jian Lan was peeling lychees beside her while reporting.

"Consort Li, our spy in Prince Chen's manor says when Prince Chen left Prince Ye's manor this afternoon, his expression was extremely grim. It seems Prince Ye is truly ailing. You can rest easy now, Your Ladyship."

Consort Li lounged comfortably on her daybed, parting her red lips slightly to bite into the lychee that Jian Lan fed her.

She narrowed her eyes but was not entirely at ease. Instead, she asked, somewhat surprised:

"Oh? I heard that Prince Chen and Prince Ye fell out over that little tramp Ji Yuntang. Why would he bring gifts to visit him? And he stayed at Prince Ye's manor for a full two hours?"

Jian Lan smiled. "Though they did fall out over the Princess Ye, Prince Ye and Prince Chen have been brothers for years. With Prince Ye so ill, it's only natural for Prince Chen to stay a bit longer. You don't need to worry, Your Ladyship."

Consort Li ate the lychee without responding.

Her gut told her something was off.

But she couldn't put her finger on it.

After thinking it over for a long time, she finally figured it out.

Luo Junhe was gravely ill, and Luo Sinian went to see him—that made sense.

But Ji Yuntang was also at Prince Ye's manor.

Seeing Luo Junhe in such bad shape, shouldn't Luo Sinian have just killed her with one sword stroke?

Why did he have no reaction at all?

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She glanced at Jian Lan and spat out the lychee pit.

"Send someone to Prince Chen's manor and tell him I want to see him. Have him come to Weiyang Palace immediately."

Jian Lan acknowledged and left at once.

Luo Sinian arrived at Weiyang Palace half an hour later.

He entered the bedchamber and, as usual, bowed to Consort Li before speaking. "Consort Li, did you call me here about Third Brother?"

"Yes, I heard you visited He'er today at Prince Ye's manor. How is he now? Has his health improved at all?"

At this moment, Consort Li lay weakly on the bed, her pale face showing anxiety, and her voice thick with tears.

A dark glint flashed in Luo Sinian's eyes. He'd barely left Prince Ye's manor than Consort Li received the news and promptly summoned him to the palace.

Such an obvious test, and he had never seen through it before.

Luo Sinian, Luo Sinian, you really were so pathetically stupid it's almost laughable.

He wanted to see what Consort Li was really up to, so he deliberately spoke with sorrow, "Third brother... he is gravely ill."

Consort Li's face changed, and she immediately burst into loud sobs, tears streaming down like pearls off a broken string.

"I simply cannot believe that my young and outstanding son would end up like this... God, why have you done this to my son? What did he do wrong to deserve such punishment?"

"If it were possible, I would gladly suffer in his place and bear all this."

Luo Sinian stood expressionless, watching coldly. He remembered what Luo Junhe had said to him earlier that day—that people have two sides, and she only shows you the side she wants you to see.

He couldn't reconcile the Consort Li before him with the gentle and virtuous woman she had once seemed.

It was as if a line had been drawn, splitting her in two and completely tearing one side away.

Was she putting on a show just for him?

If so, he could only say that Consort Li was a master of performance. It's a shame she didn't become an actress!

With just her face and her words, she could win the sympathy and goodwill of countless people, building a reputation for being a mother who loves her son more than life itself.

But the truth was, she had never given Luo Junhe any material support—not even the simplest verbal concern.

Luo Sinian felt his heart grow cold.

Yet true bitterness never manifested in loud crying and carrying on. His eyes full of sorrow, he stared at Consort Li, who was crying on the bed, and asked directly:

"Consort Li, you haven't visited my third brother at Prince Ye's place even once in these three years. Now that his days are numbered, don't you want to see him one last time?"

Consort Li's expression shifted slightly. Luo Sinian's question was like a knife twisting in her heart.

Did she want to see Luo Junhe?

Of course not.

She wished he'd die soon!

Even as she thought this, she put on a sorrowful and melancholy expression, her eyes red from crying, evoking sympathy.

"Prince Chen, it's not that I don't want to see He Er. You know I've been unwell lately. Dr. Zhu specifically advised me not to get out of bed for ten days."

"I want to see He Er, but my body just won't cooperate."

As she spoke, she began to cry again.

Jian Lan, emboldened, interjected reproachfully, "Prince Chen, do you know that our lady hasn't slept in two days and nights worrying about Prince Ye's condition? She's fainted several times from crying after learning of his illness."

"If she could leave the palace to visit Prince Ye, wouldn't she have done so already? Our lady is already suffering so much; how can you speak to her like this?"

Luo Sinian watched coldly as the mistress and maid performed their act together.

Now he finally understood how Consort Li had earned her good reputation.

She changes her tune depending on who she's talking to, and with a maidservant like this covering for her, the maid paints her as utterly pitiable and tragic.

Even though she hadn't done anything, it felt like she had done a ton.

Luo Sinian felt only disgust; a flash of malice flickered in his eyes, and an unreadable emotion swirled in his deep, dark gaze.

"I don't need to say much. I just hope Consort Li can have a clear conscience."

"If there is nothing else, I'll be on my way now."

With that, Luo Sinian gave a slight bow with his hands clasped in front of him, then turned and strode away with a flick of his sleeves.

Consort Li was dumbfounded; she stared blankly at where Luo Sinian had gone, forgetting even to cry.

When she came to her senses, she clenched her fists and pounded the bed in fury, her eyes blazing with fury.

------------