Chapter 10

This is not a professional translation; you have been warned. ʘ‿ʘ

The prince frowned imperceptibly.

Pan Er was excited, but soon returned to reality. She hung down her eyes and raised the tea to be even with her eyebrows.

“Your Highness?” The Crown Princess felt something wrong and asked.

The prince pinched the string on his wrist into his hand, then stretched out his big palm.

He only slightly stained his thin lips and the cup was placed on the tray held by Fu Lu and then taken away.

“Get up.”

Pan Er stood up hurriedly, bowed, and took a few steps backward.

The crown princess said with a smile, “Zhao Fengyi and Su Fengyi just came here. If you don’t understand something, you can ask your sisters, or you can ask this princess. I hope you will do your best to serve his highness and spread the branches and leaves as soon as possible.”

“Yes.”

The prince stood up.

Everyone got up.

The prince touched the hand string on his wrist, he made a gesture ‘need not to send’ and left with his entourage.

The prince is too reticent. This is what Zhao Xi Yue thought.

The old people in the East Palace have been used to it for a long time. The prince is not reticent, but he is not too fond of saying superfluous things. He is a gentle man, but because of this habit, it always makes people feel indifferent.

Everything is faint.

When the prince’s back gradually disappeared from their sight, the voice of the princess broke the silence.

“Today, Zhao Fengyi and Su Fengyi are new here. Everyone should later be familiar with one another. I hope that we can get along well in the future. “

Pan Er just raised her head and looked at those impressive faces from her memory, some of which were already fuzzy.

Sitting on the royal chair on the right side of the seat of honor is the Crown Princess Chen.

She was wearing a red beizi with embroidered butterflies and royal blue pleated skirt. Her hair wrapped in a bun with a phoenix hairpin and adorned with red jewelries. She does not have the most outstanding appearance but she looked very dignified.

The first one on the left is Hu Liangdi, who is later became Hu Guifei in her previous life.

This woman looks very charming, like a blooming flower. Today, she is wearing a begonia-colored beizi with peony patterns. Her hair was styled in a cloud bun adorned with gold jewelries.

It’s a charming and noble beauty!

Sitting opposite to Hu Liangdi is Xu Liangyuan. Compared with Hu Liangdi, Xu Liangyuan’s appearance is a little tough. She has big eyebrows, big eyes, strong nose and red lips, but her face is a beauty with a bright personality.

Next to Xu Liangyuan’s is He Liangyuan. She was born with willow eyebrows and unique temperament. She wore a pleated skirt made of willow green hangzhou silk and white cloud pattern. She looks haughty. Others looks at Pan Er and Zhao Xi Yue consciously or unconsciously. However, her gaze carried a hidden bitterness.

Then there are Liu Chenghui and Ma Chenghui. They are not very outstanding in appearance. They can only be regarded as lower middle.

One is a round face, looking like a happy face, the other is a melon seed face, slightly thin. Both of them are very low-key, so are their clothes. One is wearing the autumn-colored dress, the other is wearing a bamboo green color, the color choice a bit old-fashioned. They sit at the bottom with their heads hanging down. They’re easy to be ignored.

The concubines of the Eastern Palace can have one crown princess, two Liangdi, six Liangyuan, ten Chenghui, sixteen Zhaoxun and twenty-four Fengyi.

However, the prince always does not pay much attention to women. Except the two new people who just entered the door yesterday, there are only five concubines. Perhaps five concubines are very many for ordinary families, but compared with a few adult princes who filled their backyard with more than 120 people, the crown prince has been regarded as a pure hearted man.

Among the five concubines, in addition to Hu Liangdi, who was given by the Empress, the princes of the Zhou Dynasty have no Cè Fēi (side concubine). Liangdi is considered as the side concubine. In addition, Hu Liangdi gave birth to the third daughter of the prince. Now she has a baby again, which is very popular in the East Palace.

Then there’s Xu Liangyuan.

Xu Liangyuan is the daughter of a military general. She is straightforward and easy-going. She has always followed the Crown Princess. In addition, after passing the door, she gave birth to the eldest daughter of the crown prince, which is very respectable.

In addition to the two, He Liangyuan has a cold personality, and has never been a favored. Liu Chenghui and Ma Chenghui are the oldest people around the prince. They look ordinary. The prince seldom goes to their yard. They are almost invisible people in the east palace.

This is the general situation in the East Palace.

Pan Er and Zhao Xi Yue, as latecomers, they were also the lowest ranks so they have to salute to all the concubines before them.

Hu Liangdi said to the crown princess with a smile, “The two sisters are really good-looking. The crown princess’s family is worthy of being a place of beauties. They are all so delicate.”.

It’s a little ironic, Zhao Xi Yue and Pan Er are not stupid. Naturally, they dare not open their mouth rashly, they pretend to be shy and bow their heads down.

The Crown Princess smiled and glanced at her. “Sister Hu is so beautiful. You have natural beauty. Who dares to be more beautiful?”.

“That’s true, but I can’t compare with the young girl in the end, especially since I have a body, my face is not as bright as it used to be. It’s also thanks to the Empress’s grace of giving ^[1] xuerong cream and ^[2] jade powder to let this sister dare to go out and meet people.”

Hu Liangdi casually said and stroked the slightly convex abdomen.

For a moment, all eyes in the Hall fell on her abdomen.

Pan Er also looked over. She didn’t realize that and she didn’t pay attention to the brightly dressed Hu Liangdi. She was actually pregnant.

Looking at the size of her belly, it should be around or more than 4 months.

The Crown Princess didn’t speak. She was still smiling, but her eyes were cold.

At this time, Xu Liangyuan spoke.

“This xuerong cream and jade powder are tributes. We from the East Palace also got a share from the Crown Princess. Now the Empress has also given another share to sister Hu. His Highness has always been fond of sister. Even the Empress and the Crown Princess attached great importance to Sister Hu, which is really enviable.”

She said ‘enviable’, but the expression on her face is not so.

Sure enough, she said again, “Now, the Crown Princess is sorry that sister Hu can’t serve His Highness because she is pregnant. Therefore, she found two younger sisters to share her worries.”

This is very heartbreaking, but also just to block Hu Liangdi’s sarcastic words.

The fake smile on Hu Liangdi’s face could not be maintained, showing an angry “You —”

Xu Liangyuan raised her eyebrows and smiled, “Why? Isn’t what I said right?”

“Well, now, you the two of you are not afraid to be seen by people as jokes. You are both old people of East Palace but you still don’t know how to speak properly.”

The crown princess seemed a little annoyed and frowned.

Xu Liangyuan hurriedly smiled and begged for forgiveness. “The Crown Princess doesn’t know the nature of this concubine. I’m used to speaking out, offending people unconsciously, and getting used to it with sister Hu, who never blames me, right?” Saying these, she looked at Hu Liangdi.

“I’m not blaming you, sister.” Hu said with a fake smile.

The Crown Princess shook her head helplessly. “Well, a group of uneasy people, you don’t have to accompany this princess. You can all go.”

All of them stood up hurriedly. After bowing to salute, the came out in line.

While going out and taking advantage of the gap to turn around, Pan Er glanced back.

She saw the princess sitting upright on the royal chair, the face is very cold, brow seems tired, but the eyes are blooming with a strange light.

She did not dare to look any more and went out with her head bowed.

After all the people left, Chen Mama took the Crown Princess to the warm kang bed in the second room and sat down, “Why didn’t the Crown Princess leave the two people to talk?”.

The Crown Princess’ willow eyebrows frowned and then stretched out. 

“I’m not in a hurry.”

Chen Mama wanted to say something but decided to stop talking.

The crown princess took a look at her and said, “These two are new here, it’s better to watch their temperament for a few days first.”.

Chen Mama nodded, remembering Hu Liangdi’s unbridled behavior, and complaining, “Hu Liangdi is really getting bolder and bolder. How dare she embarrass you in public? She really thinks she’s invincible with that piece of meat in her stomach.”

Not really, Hu Liangdi dare to challenge the crown princess, not only by the piece of meat in her belly, but also by the Empress’ support behind her.

Thinking about this, the Crown Princess could not help but feel a little bitter.

“The Empress mother had always complained against me in her heart. She felt that I had been married to the East Palace for many years, but I had not been able to give birth to His Royal Highness’s legitimate son. Originally, she was set to oppose me, and now she is pregnant again, and mother Empress is more biased to her, and no wonder she can be so arrogant.”

“The Empress really doesn’t know how to be considerate. She herself has also suffered from the other women and their sons. Nowadays the Prince Chu and Prince Qi held office in the royal court, but she has to put pressure on the Crown Prince. It’s already not precisely right that concubines give birth before the legitimate line. Now she wants to let you eat bitterness again and promote ^[3] little goblins.”

“Thanks to the prince’s understanding of compassion, he will never embarrass you or let others go above you. Look at yesterday’s new comer. The prince didn’t take a step on the courtyard. He came to accompany you in the morning to have breakfast. That’s to give you some face and tell those people that your position is as stable as Mount Tai. Let the old slave say, Princess, you just have peace of mind, take care of yourself, and give birth to a legitimate son to the prince. Then, we are not afraid of anything.”

“Yes, I’m not afraid of anything.”

The Crown Princess looked happy and at the same time sad. It is said that sadness is mixed with some sweetness, but if it is sweet, it is difficult to cover up the bitterness. All in all, it’s mixed emotion.

She leaned on the headrest and unconsciously stroked her belly. “I’m not in a hurry, as long as this time…” Thinking about it in her mind, her hand gradually tightened.

T/N: Read between the lines. This author really likes foreshadowing . (¬‿¬)

• [1] Xuerong Cream<雪容膏> [Xuě róng gāo] (literal translation: snow cream) – A non-greasy skin care cosmetic painted on the skin. It immediately disappears upon contact, similar to snowflakes, hence given such name. It is generally an oil / water emulsion based on an anionic emulsifier that is formed upon neutralization of stearic acid and alkali solutions. It can regulate skin moisture evaporation, thus protecting the skin, making it not dry, chapped or rough.
• [2] Jade Powder – <玉容粉> [Yù róng fěn] Jade is the noblest jewel in the Orient as well as a symbol of good luck. Jade ore is converted to fine powder for use in cosmetics. Jade powder is also a kind of Chinese herbal medicine powder used in ancient times to wash face. It has curative effect on freckles, acne and all other speckles on the face.
• [3] Little goblins <小妖精> [xiǎo yāo jing] – a coquettish young girl [hussy, floozy]

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