The Beloved Imperial Consort - Chapter 124

“No, you’re satisfactory as the princess consort.” Zhong Zheng Lin truly felt that compared to his brothers’ principal wives, He Lian Min Min spared him many worries. At least, he did not saw her compete with other women for affection and engage in bloodshed.

Few women in the inner yard had clean hands. Even if their hearts were pure at first, as time goes, they will change beyond recognition. Unbeknownst, what kind of appearance will have this principal consort of his at the time.

He Lian Min Min did not get the response she wanted. She thought that Zhong Zheng Lin replied to her half-heartedly hence the disappointed look on her face deepened.

“If so, why did your Highness….” In the end, she was unable to ask that question. She was brought up in a boudoir. She was not allowed to indulge her feelings and boldly confess them to Zhong Zheng Lin.

The sixth Highness was a very sharp person. From the corner of his eyes, he swept a glance at her awkward appearance. He connected the two matters and figured out her unfinished words.

This was the best he could do for the woman he didn’t care for. The response He Lian Min Min looked for, he was impatient to give it to her. What’s more, there was also Mu Xi Yao that vixen who was stirring up havoc. He already had a hard time dealing with the little woman hence where did he got time to divide it for other women?

“Walk me only here. Go back.” Zhong Zheng Lin saw Tian Fu Shan’s figure not far away, and before she could reply, he strode out of the inner yard.

“Mistress, his Highness has walked away. The wind is cool here. Let’s go back.” Feng momo fixed the gown for her and persuaded her to head back to the house. Standing outside in the evening was not a solution. No matter how she hated to part with his Highness, the person was already gone. Yet, she still ardently watched. Her longing won’t bring him back, will it?

“In momo’s opinion, what’s the matter in the way his Highness treats qie? If you say his Highness doesn’t care, he visits qie’s room according to the established days. If you say he has affections for qie, he is often cold and indifferent, making one’s heart sink.”

If Zhong Zheng Lin truly didn’t care about a woman, he would treat her like how he treated other women. He would leave her in the inner yard and paid her no heed. You can think up every possible method but you won’t be able to get close to him. As long as you didn’t break his rules, even if you raise hell in the courtyard, you can still live peacefully to old age.

“Mistress, his Highness naturally treats you well. In this whole courtyard, apart from Mu cefei, who can receive his Highness’s grace? Isn’t the greatest love a man can give to a woman an offspring which can let her gain a footing?”

“But that Mu’shi…..” He Lian Min Min couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence in front of the servants. According to the number of times Mu Xi Yao attended to his Highness, it was much easier for her to get pregnant than her. Could it be that from now on, she had to let her have children run around her knees and dominate over the inner yard?

Seeing her frown with worry, Feng momo could only offer her well-meant advice, “Mistress, how can you think like this? No matter how many sons she has, how can they compare to di sons born of you? The old ancestor’s rule, the dishu priority system1, it’s all set on birth. Lady Mu has no chance to change her position. Hence, why do you trouble yourself by mulling over blindly in the middle of the night?”

He Lian Min Min grasped the hand that Feng momo stretched out to support her while her voice carried a desolation, “Isn’t this just because there’s still no shadow of di son? If qie was pregnant with child, qie will be able to speak more firmly in front of his Highness and her Ladyship consort Shu.”

He Lian Min Min took a few steps and suddenly felt something was wrong. After pondering about it for a moment, she felt her heart clench. She unconsciously squeezed Feng momo’s arm.

“Feng momo, just now, where did his Highness head to? Did you see it clearly?”

“This,” Feng momo didn’t understand why mistress would have such a question and be so anxious. She did not dare to be negligent. Carefully recalling for a while, she spoke with hesitation, “This servant seemed to have seen his Highness’s figure head toward the left side.”

He Lian Min Min took a deep breath and squeezed the silk handkerchief into a ball.

The study. How can it be on the left leading to the backyard and garden? Was this the important matter his Highness mentioned about, which made him unable to stay tonight?

——

Tian Fu Shan followed behind the sixth Highness, feeling quite puzzled. Didn’t his Highness agree upon going to the study right now to discuss official business with mister? Why did he return to mistress Yao’s place?

When the two came to the entrance of the courtyard, they saw the door to the Danruo Courtyard being locked, shut tightly. The chief steward had no other choice but to step forward and pat the door. Inwardly, he was quite bewildered. Could this be what Wei Zhen has told him in private, that mistress Yao has denied his Highness entrance at the door?

Such an experience was new to him. Just, he didn’t know whether his Highness would need him to be on the lookout later so that his Highness could display his martial arts. As the chief steward in the residence, Tian Fu Shan has served Zhong Zheng Lin since he was a child. He has never seen the sixth Highness overstep the bounds of propriety. Regarding the rumor that the sixth Highness had to climb over the wall to enter his own courtyard, the chief steward was looking forward to it a tiny bit.

Zhong Zheng Lin looked at the tightly closed door to the courtyard and was secretly amused. The little woman has set a fire, and after being scared by him, she now intended to be an ostrich?

When the maidservants in the Danruo Courtyard heard the chief steward knock at the door, how did they dare to just stand there and pay him no heed? Although their mistress told them that they were not allowed to open the door, if his Highness insisted on going in, how were they able to stop him? As servants, there was no need to ruin their assignments because of their master’s and mistress’s private amusements. But, that said, although running errands in the Danruo Courtyard got them generous gains, they had to be smart. Based on their mistress’s personality, she would think up new tricks now and then, and you as a servant had to understand the motives behind her actions, didn’t you?

Mu Xi Yao was ordering a servant girl to sort out Zhong Zheng Lin’s baggage in the room. The robes and belts, she went through them and selected them one by one, and then had them stacked neatly. Just as everyone in the room was so busy they had a lot of irons in the fire, they saw the sixth Highness lift the curtain by himself and enter the room.

When Mu Xi Yao caught the glimpse of the man’s tall figure, she disregarded everything else. She cried out in alarm and threw away the man’s robe she had in hands. As soon as she got up, she went to hide behind the screen.

Didn’t he say that he had an important matter tonight and won’t be coming back? Why did he return to the Danruo Courtyard so soon? Could it be that he deliberately came back to fix her?

Mu Xi Yao had pangs of conscience. She knew that it was too dangerous to incite his desire thus she instinctively tried to avoid him. Boss has now come to demand payment of her debt and it was obvious that she will come to a not good end. This woman believed her own lies. Where could she hide in front of Zhong Zheng Lin?

The sixth Highness was in a great mood upon seeing her rare flustered appearance. This woman still knew to be embarrassed? Seeing her bashful and anxious, occupied with hiding somewhere, Zhong Zheng Lin only felt that this domesticated rabbit was too interesting when startled. Wasn’t this “pacing about in an agitated fashion” that ordinary people talked about?

Such a shy appearance of the little woman will only incite more his desire.

Everyone in the room was startled by cefei’s sudden scream. Before they could recover, they saw the sixth Highness take two-three strides, extend his long arms, and capture cefei from behind the screen. In the blink of an eye, a pair of arms encircled the woman and hugged her tightly.

Disregarding the people around who were standing there awkwardly, Zhong Zheng Lin leaned over and whispered in Mu Xi Yao’s ears.

“What Jiao Jiao has said was too alluring. Bendian kept savoring your words. Unable to stop the fluttering in the heart, bendian came to demand the repayment.” Ignoring the fact that her head was buried deep and the tip of her ears were burning hot, Zhong Zheng Lin picked up the person and headed outside.

“Pack up the things. Tonight, cefei will be accompanying bendian in the study.” The sixth Highness snatched the beauty from the house and went to the front yard while contentedly carrying the soft and warm woman in his arms.

The servants left behind looked speechlessly at each other, unable to come back to themselves for a long time.

His Highness took the mistress away. What will they do if the little master cannot find cefei to tell him a bedtime story and starts to throw a tantrum?

The little bun Cheng Qing finally got to enjoy time with his mum, yet his old geezer intercepted his mum halfway. This evening, the little bun cried pitifully and used his babyish voice to make a fuss about looking for his mum. He insisted on listening to his fragrant mum telling him stories.

With no other choice left, Mo Lan imitated her mistress’s tone. She put together bits and pieces of the story she had heard and retold the story to the little bun. Fortunately, the child was young and could be calmed down after a proper coaxing. A short while later, Cheng Qing was attracted by the story and slowly forgot to throw a tantrum.

After Mo Lan talked till her throat felt slightly dry, the little master finally got tired and obediently fell asleep. At last, Zhao momo could put her heart at rest and take the wet nurse back to the house to properly settle down the little master. Fortunately, Mo Lan was quick-witted. Otherwise, if the little master kept on making a big fuss, they’d be forced to go to the front yard. Looking at his Highness’s mood just now, whoever dared to bother master and spoil his intimate moments with the mistress would end up badly.

It’s just that since the two masters weren’t in the Danruo Courtyard nowadays, they had to take good care of the little master. No careless mistakes were allowed. A few days ago, on the night when cefei left the residence to “nurse the fetus”, his Highness protected well the little master. He directly sent the little master to her Ladyship consort Shu’s palace, startling consort Shu who got up in the middle of the night into thinking that the little master fell ill. Yet, it was all a false alarm.

——

“Your Highness~” Mu Xi Yao hid in Zhong Zheng Lin’s arms, unwilling to raise her head. Seeing that he was determined to not let her go, she stopped the meaningless struggle and began to think about how to escape this man’s punishment.

“Isn’t it a bit inappropriate of qie to go and disturb your Highness’s discussion over confidential matters?” Her tone was both delicate and sultry, and she also bore in mind Zhong Zheng Lin’s current important affairs.

It was now too late for Mu Xi Yao to regret it. If she knew that nothing was taboo to the boss and that he would even stoop to being a bandit, she would need to have a brain fade to provoke him.

The sixth Highness steadily hugged the person. The corners of his lips were raised. He watched with amusement how she still kept struggling.

“Since Jiao Jiao is reluctant to part with bendian, then stay in the compartment for a while and wait for bendian. Once bendian is finished, bendian will rub heads2 with Jiao Jiao, and shower you with affections to make up for the pain of Jiao Jiao’s lovesickness in the future one month.”

The sixth Highness spoke with such deep feelings. But to Mu Xi Yao’s ears, each of his words was like a blast which made her face turn pale from the scare and incited even more her anger.

This stinky man deliberately misinterpreted her meanings, and shamelessly put feathers in his own cap. Who had lovesickness? Shameless! Boss’s personality became more and more twisted. He was so tsundere that he resembled a peacock in heat. Only in his dreams!

The two crossed swords several times. No matter how shy Mu Xi Yao was and didn’t want to show her face, it couldn’t change the fact that this road had just this sort of distance, and they will, inevitably, reach the destination.

When they arrived at the study, Zhong Zheng put her down steadily and, while at it, he tidied up the wrinkled dress for her. The sixth Highness has achieved his goal. Raising his eyebrow, he took her inside.

Mu Xi Yao stared at the man with a straight figure in front of her and cast him several angry stares.

One can lose a man but not a battle formation3! No matter what, she mustn’t lose her grandeur in front of Zhong Zheng Lin’s advisors. Mu Xi Yao immediately collected her expression and assumed a steady and tactful temperament, while walking slowly inside in a confident manner.

Mu Xi Yao courteously greeted Di Wu Yi Zhao and then gave a nod to the other advisers. As she turned around, Mu Xi Yao threw a blatant coquettish glance toward Zhong Zheng Lin’s direction and then triumphantly entered the compartment. Behind her, she was followed closely by Hui Lan who held her breath in fear. She was holding a soft pillow Mu Xi Yao often used and the book she was fond of reading. This was his Highness’s study. Not to mention a mere servant like her, even the principal consort has never been here.

Hui Lan looked at the laid-back appearance of her mistress who was in front of her. She was as comfortable as if she was at her home, not even registering the solemn atmosphere in the study just now. Hui Lan had her heart in the mouth. She was afraid that she would make any noise in the study and disturb his Highness’s important matters. It would be a great offense.

Mu Xi Yao rested against the soft pillow and leisurely browsed through the book, but her mind drifted far away.

If she was not mistaken, the handsome scholar behind Di Wu Yi Zhao must be Gong Shu Yang. As for the other people, she truly didn’t know them. Just now, in order to escape, she uttered “confidential matters” without thinking. Unexpectedly, her wild guess was right.

The members here should all be deeply trusted by Zhong Zheng Lin. Otherwise, he would not have rashly taken her to the study and show his affections for her in front of others.

Di Wu Yi Zhao had seen the sixth Highness and cefei’s interactions several times in the past. As a result, when he saw the two enter the room in tandem, he wasn’t the least surprised. He was aware of cefei’s abilities.

A woman who could escape unscathed in two extremely dangerous situations, to his Highness she signified a powerful aid. Since there was cefei to oversee the inner yard, his Highness can set his mind at rest and plan great things.

Although the rest of the people were surprised that his Highness would take a woman into the study, they knew well his Highness’s personality. Since they could gain Zhong Zheng Lin’s trust, how could they be stupid? Everyone tacitly ignored the outmoded conventions which told that it was inappropriate for women to enter the study and began to propose advice for his Highness’s trip to Shu Zhong after being called by Di Wu Yi Zhao.

For a moment, the debate at the front was in full swing while Mu Xi Yao enjoyed quietly her book at the back. She was unwilling to know too much of the men’s affairs. A lazy person like her should just hug the boss’s thigh firmly and stride unfalteringly toward comfortable life.

Translation notes:

[1] Dishu is an important legal and moral system involving marriage and inheritance in ancient China (for more information click here)
[2] Heads rubbing together is a Chinese idiom meaning deep affection; being very intimate
[3] One can lose a man but not a battle formation is a Chinese idiom which means that no matter how lacking one is, one must do his/her best and not let others belittle him/her