Shoutout to Tachibanaswife for the commission!
I called for Luli to see the guest out, while I remained sitting upright in the chair without moving.
Luli escorted Yang Yan out and, on the way back, brought in a palace maid from the Empress’s side.
Inside, I really wanted to curse. Being the Crown Princess truly isn’t a job meant for humans. As long as you haven’t become Empress, even if you had two long tails sticking out behind you, you’d still be inferior to a pheasant! At least a pheasant can frolic in the wild fields, can I? Would I dare?
I took a deep breath, straightened my waist even more, and continued the social niceties…
Like this, it wasn’t until the sun stood overhead that all those people, each harboring their own intentions, finally left.
Luli closed the hall doors and came in. I was still holding my stiff posture and quickly called to her, “Come here, quick! Pull out all these needles for me, they’re stabbing me to death!”
Luli hurried over and carefully removed several thin needles hidden behind my collar and along my back. Her eyes reddened as she said, “Niang Niang, why suffer like this? They’ve already drawn blood. Wouldn’t it have been better to simply claim illness and refuse visitors?”
While moving my stiff neck and aching waist, I said, “This way it looks more convincing. Otherwise, how could we fool those people?”
If I had just stayed in bed and refused visitors, they might have suspected I was faking it. Better to let them see for themselves and feel reassured.
It wasn’t until evening that Qi Sheng returned from outside the palace. Luli urged me to use today’s incident as an excuse to invite him over and discuss matters.
Regarding Luli’s little scheme, I expressed solemn contempt. What “discussion”? Wasn’t it just using discussion as a pretext for impropriety? Did I really need to use my “ailing body” to curry favor with the boss?
Besides, Luli’s workplace experience was still too little. It’s true that bosses like diligent and proactive employees, but they don’t like ones who are so proactive they jump around everywhere. My job is Crown Princess, not Crown Prince’s strategist. Holding multiple roles doesn’t mean the boss values you, it only means he wants to squeeze oil from your bones.
Unfortunately, Luli never understood this. The moment I said I wouldn’t invite Qi Sheng, her little face fell, practically spelling out “so disappointing” across it.
I advised her, “Luli, men don’t like women who keep pointing fingers at them. Let’s save our effort, if we have spare time, better do something else!”
Luli was the type who liked to think. She tilted her head for a moment, then immediately leaned toward me with three parts excitement in her voice and whispered, “This servant understands! I heard that that wretch Jiang fell quite badly. Zhao Wang even summoned Imperial Physician Qiu from his leave, and they spent half a day setting her bones. She only woke up this evening. Let’s think of a way to tamper with her medicine so that wretch…”
I marveled at the leap in her thinking and quickly waved my hand. “Stop right there!”
Luli blinked at me with clear, transparent eyes, half shocked and half confused.
I was puzzled myself. How could this girl use such an innocent tone to say something so despicable? Should I call her kind, or vicious?
Women truly are strange creatures.
Luli thought I was angry and quickly knelt beside the bed, repeatedly apologizing. “Niang Niang, please don’t be angry. This servant won’t provoke that wretch anymore.”
I felt rather relieved and nodded quickly. “Exactly. Lady Jiang is so far away from us, why bother provoking her? Better to…”
Luli’s eyes lit up immediately, and she continued, “Niang Niang is right! The first one to deal with now should be that Chen Liangdi. Last night she pretended to bring a bowl of lotus-seed soup to His Highness the Crown Prince, obviously taking advantage of Niang Niang’s poor health to seduce him!”
My mouth hung open for quite a while without a word coming out.
Luli assumed I was angry and continued indignantly, grinding her teeth. “These days Niang Niang hasn’t paid attention to them, so those vixens can’t sit still anymore. They’re all trying different ways to seduce His Highness!”
I finally recovered from my surprise and slowly closed my mouth, but couldn’t help asking, “Hey? How do you know Chen Liangdi brought lotus-seed soup and not eight-treasure porridge?”
Luli stared with her large almond eyes, and finally fell silent.
Qi Sheng didn’t appear for several more days. Not until the nineteenth day of the fifth month, when the Emperor took the Empress Dowager along with his wives, concubines, and favorites to the Fuping summer palace to escape the heat, did Qi Sheng have no choice but to bring me along.
Lord Toilet, Lord Tree-Climber, and that little beauty who had once tricked me into catching an affair at the Lantern Festival banquet, all came without exception. Only Zhao Wang and his wife were absent. It was said that Zhao Wangfei Lady Jiang was still bedridden, so the devoted Zhao Wang stayed day and night at the residence to care for her, and the couple did not travel.
With Lady Jiang absent, Crown Prince Qi Sheng’s expression seemed somewhat gloomy.
The others looked at me with sympathy.
On the surface I appeared sorrowful, but inside I was almost cheering. I wanted to grab Luli’s hands and shout: I’ve finally escaped that suffocating East Palace courtyard!
He Bingze was responsible for security on this trip and occasionally rode past my carriage with a group of young, handsome riders. The rhythmic clatter of hooves sounded like it was striking people’s hearts, leaving the palace maids serving inside the carriage completely distracted.
Listening to it made me somewhat irritated, and a bit resentful. If I had that kind of physique too, wearing armor, brandishing a whip, galloping freely and attracting the attention of countless beauties, how wonderful that would be!
Once the thought arose, the carriage felt even more stifling. In truth, the customs of Nanxia were rather open; women were not forbidden from riding horses. It was just that I had no confidence in my riding skills and didn’t dare show myself.
Just as I was hesitating, another light rhythm of hooves sounded outside. When it passed my carriage, it slowed, and then I heard a crisp, lively voice call from outside:
“Crown Prince sister-in-law! Crown Prince sister-in-law!”
That form of address made me extremely speechless, almost constipated.
Luli glanced at me and quickly lifted the side curtain of the carriage for me.
County Princess Chaoyang’s delicate, flowerlike face appeared outside, smiling brightly. “Crown Prince sister-in-law, the scenery outside is lovely. Don’t sit in the carriage, come ride with me!”
Instinctively, I looked up at the sky. It was broad daylight. Who knew where this girl intended to drag me this time to catch someone cheating? Lady Jiang wasn’t here, could it be that Qi Sheng had hooked up with another sister-in-law ahead?
The little beauty continued smiling at me. “Good sister-in-law, come out quickly! It’s rare to go out, how boring to stay cooped up in the carriage all day!”
I’ve always had no resistance to beauties. Even though I knew this girl wasn’t trustworthy, hearing her speak so sweetly made my bones feel weak. I hurriedly replied, “Wait a moment, I’ll change clothes and come out!”
The little beauty called from outside, “Alright! I’ll have them prepare a horse for you!”
While changing clothes inside the carriage, I shouted back, “No need to prepare a horse, I’ll just ride with you.”
Luli quickly helped adjust my riding outfit but lowered her voice and said, “Niang Niang, be cautious of her.”
I nodded secretly, pulled on my riding boots, lifted the curtain, and stepped outside.
The carriage had not yet stopped. The little beauty rode alongside on a tall steed, smiling as she extended her hand. “Crown Prince sister-in-law, don’t have them stop the carriage, I’ll pull you up directly.”
“Alright,” I replied. Grasping her hand, I leapt and jumped from the carriage straight behind her.
The little beauty’s hands were soft, and her waist even softer, quite pleasant to hold.
She giggled. “Crown Prince sister-in-law is still as agile as ever.”
I smiled but said nothing.
She flicked her whip and urged the horse forward. After riding a short distance, the figures of Lord Toilet and Lord Tree-Climber appeared ahead. The doubt in my heart was immediately resolved, the little beauty indeed belonged to Lord Toilet’s faction.
And Lord Toilet had probably begun to suspect whether I, this “Lady Zhang,” was genuine or not.
The little beauty waved toward him happily and called out, “Ninth Brother!”
Lord Toilet reined in his horse and looked back. His smile was gentle and refined, yet he addressed me first: “Third Sister-in-law.”
