Lady Kelpi Translations

Chapter Seventy-Seven:
The Palace (Part 3)

The hall was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

This was truly a moment of commemoration. The Emperor was known for his composure and decisiveness since he was young, and he was rarely rendered speechless. At this moment, he didn’t even know where to begin. According to his original plan, he wanted to point out the many shortcomings of the Cheng family in strict terms, letting her know that this marriage was a godsend for her. At this point, the Cheng family would definitely be grateful to his adopted son and serve him well with respect and kindness… But what should he say now?

The Emperor clenched his fist and coughed lightly, looking to the side. The dignified Empress had a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth and she sat motionless, using body language to express her refusal to accept this relay baton. The honest Crown Prince, after slowing down three times, received a signal from his father and quickly said to Shaoshang, “Confucius said, ‘what you know is what you know, and what you don’t know is what you don’t know.’ It’s rare for someone so young to understand this.”

The Crown Prince’s speech slowed down, and his wandering gaze made it obvious that he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

The Emperor remained silent. Even with his usual quick wit and cunning, he couldn’t say anything about the situation. If he followed the Crown Prince’s method, it would only go against his original intention.

“Mistress Cheng, since the marriage has been decided, you should think about how to make up for your shortcomings instead of just belittling yourself,” the Emperor said in a deep voice. “If you really are so unbearable, what about Zisheng?”

Amazing! Watching an expert in action was something to see. Shaoshang knelt down like a quail, afraid to move.

“Zisheng is now in the Outer Mansion and pays attention to his words and actions. As his bride, you need to be more cautious and thorough in your internal and external management in the future. If there is a mistake, it will make Zisheng lose face. If you don’t learn, you will have no skills. Learning but doing nothing is for the sake of laziness. In the future, you should double your diligence in front of the Empress, rather than using the name of humility to pass the buck.” The Emperor’s words were sharp.

Shaoshang could only bow her head. How could she be clever now?

Seeing the girl’s obedience, the Emperor thought to himself it was inevitable for her to be mischievous at a young age. Who would have thought his adopted son preferred such things. He will gradually teach her in the future. The instruction came to an end, and the Emperor was afraid of being too intimidating. “What are the details?” he said kindly. “In the future, you can follow the Empress’s instructions. That’s all for today. Do you have anything else to say?”

Shaoshang raised her head and carefully glanced at Ling Buyi.

“Just say what you want to say,” Ling Buyi said in a soft voice. “His Majesty is constantly busy and it’s rare to have such an audience.”

The Emperor twisted his beard and smiled when he heard those words.

Shaoshang slowly straightened her shoulders, looking like a tender bud sprouting through soil. Her voice was clear and brave, “Your Majesty, I would like to file a complaint, but I don’t know if it’s possible.”

The Crown Prince and his wife were stunned. The Emperor became quite interested and said, “You have courage. This is the third time you have faced the Emperor, and you dare report to me. You know, it is a major matter to make an accusation, and any carelessness is a serious crime.”

Ling Buyi looked at her quietly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Shaoshang looked directly at the Emperor and Empress. With a childlike sincerity, she said, “I don’t understand what Your Majesty said about the great affairs of the court. What I want to talk about today is about your children. Even though it’s about your children, if Your Majesty can make the decision for me, I will be able to avoid many unnecessary setbacks for when I’m with the Empress in the future. Master Ling often says that Your Majesty is lenient, and he regards you as his own elder. I don’t know the etiquette, and I don’t know if it’s appropriate. If it isn’t, I won’t speak.” Those words made her feel very tired.

The Emperor thought that even if this young girl was unruly, she had a rather clever tongue and spoke with ease and orderliness. She was unlike the daughters of courtiers he had seen before. She was neither confused or hesitant. “Okay,” he smiled. “What do you have to say?”

After receiving the go ahead, Shaoshang bowed down to the Empress and said in a loud voice, “The person I wish to file a complaint against is the daughter of General Wang Chun, Wang Ling. I don’t have any evidence of her words and actions. The day before yesterday, she slandered me at the wedding banquet of the Lou family.”

As soon as those words were spoken, both the Emperor and Crown Prince were taken aback. “Young Mistress Cheng, be cautious with your words,” the Crown Princess exclaimed, anxiously looking at the Empress. “Do you know who A’Ling is?”

Shaoshang bowed respectfully to the Crown Princess. “I know that the mother of Young Mistress Wang is the sister of the Empress. However, Master Ling grew up in front of the Empress. If we allow Young Mistress Wang to slander and cause rumors outside, wouldn’t it be harmful to myself and others?”

The Crown Princess frowned. “It’s just a trivial matter between you and Young Mistress Wang. There’s no need to target Zisheng like this. You have to get His Majesty and the Empress in front of you to disturb the purity of Young Mistress Wang.”

“Let’s wait for Young Mistress Cheng to finish speaking,” the Crown Prince whispered. “It’s not too late to say that this matter has nothing to do with Zisheng.”

The Crown Princess blushed and bowed her head.

The Empress smiled slightly and said to Shaoshang, “There is no harm in saying what one thinks.”

The Emperor agreed.

“The Crown Princess is right,” Shaoshang said. “It is just a small matter, but even a few inches of tongue can cause trouble in the Lou family. The day before yesterday, during the wedding ceremony, Young Mistress Wang and several other young ladies were causing trouble at the banquet. They accused me of being flirtatious and pretending to be weak. That I tempted Master Ling into marrying me.”

The Crown Prince couldn’t help but laugh. “It turned out to be a bunch of jealous remarks. I don’t know how many young ladies in the capital have been crying at home since Zisheng got engaged.”

The Emperor thought to himself, ‘It doesn’t matter if this is true.’

Shaoshang relaxed and gave a smile. “Your Highness, I am arrogant. I dare to ask, if I am really coquettish and show my weakness, then what is Master Ling, who has been seduced by me?”

The Crown Prince’s expression changed and the Crown Princess froze. Ling Buyi looked sideways at her, as if he had some clarity in his eyes.

Shaoshang turned to the Empress and bowed down respectfully again. “Your Majesty, I know that I have no talent or virtue, and I don’t know why Master Ling has treated me so kindly. However, no matter the reason, it cannot be ‘indulging in beauty and being deceived by others.’”

The Empress had started this listening with a smile, as if watching the tender, yellow fluffy chicks and ducks pecking at each other. It was only when she heard the last part that her expression slowly subsided. The Emperor remained calm and silent.

Shaoshang looked at her, her black eyes flawless and sincere. “Empress, although I am ignorant, I still feel it inappropriate. Young Mistress Wang and her friends were not discussing these things privately, but openly speaking in public. Even if the speaker was doing this unintentionally and it was just to vent anger and the loss of a crush, it’s hard to guarantee if listeners were interested.”

The Empress had always been dignified and reserved, and upon hearing her words, she thought for a while. The Crown Prince and his wife were uncertain and glanced at each other without speaking.

“Just now,” the Emperor suddenly said, “you met the Third Princess in the palace alley, and she was equally rude and even wanted to humiliate and blame you. Why don’t you accuse her? Are you bullying the weak and afraid of the strong?”

The Emperor’s voice had revealed an imposing aura as those last words were spoken. The Crown Princess collapsed in panic, and the Crown Prince quickly looked at Shaoshang, afraid that this young girl would be intimidated by the power of the Emperor.

Unexpectedly, Shaoshang straightened her back and didn’t dodge the question. “Replying to Your Majesty,” she said. “I cannot tell you anything that I am not very clear about myself.” Her heart was racing. This had only happened about twenty minutes ago and the Emperor already knew everything. As expected from the boss of a nation.

“How can this be?” The Emperor asked lightly. “Isn’t Young Mistress Wang and the Third Princess both equally offensive?”

Shaoshang’s neck had a fine trickle of sweat. She suppressed her nervousness and forcefully dug her nails into her palm to maintain composure. “There are two reasons why I did not file a complaint over the Third Princess. First, although the Third Princess’s words and actions were inappropriate, the Second Princess earnestly intervened and stopped her. Later, Master Ling quickly cut the chaos. When the Third Princess left, I saw that Her Highness was sad but she had a clear heart. In the future, if the Second Princess slowly comforted and advised her, the matter would be over.”

The Crown Prince took a deep breath and glanced at his father’s face. “What Shaoshang said is right,” he carefully said. “Third Sister is a bit reckless, but she listens to Second Sister’s words.”

He was afraid that Shaoshang would be disliked by his mother, so he turned to the Empress, “But A’Ling is different. Since Zisheng and Shaoshang became engaged, she has been angry and dissatisfied many times. She’s always saying that Shaoshang is not worthy of Zisheng, even I have heard this. Right?” The last word was asked to the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess was shot immediately and looked at the Empress in a panic. “Your daughter-in-law… I also know this,” she awkwardly said. Among the many girls in the capital who were infatuated with Ling Buyi, Wang Ling was the most famous.

“What’s the second reason?” the Emperor pressed Shaoshang to continue.

Shaoshang took another deep breath. She considered her words carefully and said, “Second, I have always heard that Second Princess has outstanding talent and is skilled in singing and dancing. Just now, when I saw Second Princess entering the palace, she hadn’t even changed her dance clothes. It seems that she was practicing dancing at home not long before, and hurriedly came upon hearing about the matter. However, the Third Princess hasn’t entered the palace much in recent months. How can Her Highness know when and where I was summoned to the palace? How can she happen to block our path in the alley? I don’t understand this. How can I inform you of this if I don’t understand?”

What she really meant was ‘the water was too deep to wade in muddy water.’ However, Shaoshang knew that in all likelihood, it was that little bitch Wang Ling who went to inform the Third Princess to find her. At the Lou family’s wedding banquet, even if the rest of the people knew about it, they had no relationship with the Third Princess. In just a day she had fanned the flames. This account would slowly be settled with Wang Ling in the future!

The Emperor smiled faintly. “So, there is a deep meaning behind the Third Princess, but no deep meaning behind Young Mistress Wang.”

“Deep meaning, what deep meaning?” Shaoshang was stunned for a moment. “It’s just that the goddess wants to marry for nothing.”

The Emperor couldn’t hold back and chuckled lightly.  

The Crown Prince knew the alarm had been lifted. He laughed as well and said, “It’s just a small matter, but if A’Ling can’t figure it out and wants to attack Shaoshang in the future, then what should she do? If we continue to entangle ourselves, the small matter will become bigger.”

Shaoshang nodded gratefully. If she didn’t fasten the chain quickly, then Wang Ling, that crazy dog, would go out barking around to publicize that Shaoshang was a temptress. What should we do when we take her to worship the heavens and drink talisman water?

“Shaoshang, come here.” The Empress, who had not spoken, suddenly called out.

Shaoshang’s heart jumped and she cautiously lowered her head, taking a few steps forward. She had just complained about her niece.

“Raise your head,” the Empress said.

Shaoshang acted according to her words and lifted her eyes, revealing the dignified and beautiful appearance of the Empress.

“I originally intended for you to stay in the palace and slowly raise you myself,” the Empress said. “But Zisheng refused, insisting that your reunion with your parents was short and there were not many days to celebrate. So, you will come to Changqiu Palace every day by chen shi and leave the palace by the end of shen shi. You will have a day off every ten days. How does that sound?”
[More time blocks! Chen shi is the 7-9am time block and shen shi is 3-5pm.]

Shaoshang paused for a moment; this definitely was not a regular nine to five work schedule. She realized she had to respond and bowed respectfully. “I will follow your orders.”

Of course, day study was better than accommodation, and the deep palace was terrifying. A science girl who hadn’t read any historical biographies one hundred times wouldn’t dare to stay in the palace for a long time, even if her bones were not enough to be torn apart. It would be great for her to be able to relax at home every day – Shaoshang couldn’t help but look gratefully at Ling Buyi.

He smiled.

After giving a few more orders, the Empress ordered the four younger generation to retire.

The Crown Prince patted Ling Buyi’s shoulder and joked a couple of times. The Crown Princess took Shaoshang’s hand. “The East Palace is on the east side of Yonghe Palace, it isn’t far away. In the future, if you are tired in Changqiu Palace, come and find me.”

Shaoshang smiled like a winter jasmine, a refusal in her heart. Warning bells whirred in her head. She remembered a teacher in her past life had said, ‘In the palace, if someone treats you well, they will use you. If someone approaches you, they will kill you.’

That was a classic. When she went back home, she would write those two sentences in English and nail them to the head of her bed as a warning… Wait a minute. Would English be mistaken for a charm? No, in this superstitious age, accusations such as witch curses were the most deadly. She wouldn’t write it and would keep it in her heart.

After parting ways with the Crown Prince and his wife, Ling Buyi’s team of ghostly bodyguards gathered behind them, still not far or near.

The two of them walked quietly side by side, about two steps apart. After a long time, Ling Buyi said, “I was worried about you before, but you have already planned.”

“Since the marriage is already a foregone conclusion, we should plan carefully,” Shaoshang said leisurely.

“You filed a complaint against Wang Ling today, not just to stop being slandered by her in the future,” Ling Buyi stopped walking and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You were testing His Majesty and the Empress, casting stones and asking for directions.”

Shaoshang didn’t shy away from that and smiled. “I will be living under the hands of the Empress in the future, after all.”

“If you want to know the Empress’s temperament, why didn’t you ask me?” Ling Buyi frowned and asked.

Shaoshang raised her face into the dazzling sunlight. She put a hand in front of her forehead and said, “I also need to let the Emperor and Empress know what kind of person I am.” What she asked was true to her own feelings.

“In life, I am the most impatient with people who say the wind blows with the wind and rain flows with the water. It’s better to die on the road of a hard struggle than to sit and wait for death.” Shaoshang bit her lip, her eyes firm.

Ling Buyi suddenly felt as though he had a lively little animal in his arms, with delicate and cute fur. However, she was disobedient and wanted to push back, causing his heart to shudder with every push.

…

Thanks again for all of your kind words and support!

Next Chapter: Work Environment Survey Report