Lady Kelpi Translations

Chapter Eighty-One:
“Bullying Too Much”

The uniqueness of the early royal family was that, apart from the absence of an Empress Dowager, the parent-child relationship of the royal family was relatively good, unlike later emperors who couldn’t even figure out how many children they had. At least today’s emperor clearly remembered the names, ages, spouses, and precise birthdates of each of his children.

Due to the special Libra style of the Emperor, it was easy to remember which child came from which belly. If the Fifth Prince was excluded, then there were only two options for the origin of the belly.

Like many self-made pioneers, although the Emperor had already held the supreme position, he still retained a very simple and ordinary people’s sentiment. In order to prevent the affection between relatives from fading with the rise of status, the Emperor would hold a family banquet every couple of months, sometimes a grand banquet – declaring all the relatives of the clan, and even hosting several kind-hearted fellow heroes and nobles, but most of them were small banquets – only the Emperor, Empress, a concubine and a few princes and princesses.

Tonight was a small banquet, and the people were not all there yet. The Third Princess was ordered to meditate behind closed doors, and even her husband was not able to attend. Consort Yue remained in seclusion – although she had only been studying in the palace for ten days, Shaoshang had faintly realized that Consort Yue was basically in an unregulated state, and the Emperor did not have any vacant custody, and the Empress did not want to manage. In addition to necessary public occasions, she played well with the Empress but would avoid meeting her as much as possible in other occasions. There was no need to greet or pay respects, which resulted in Shaoshang having not met this consort yet.

In order to avoid estrangement from the flesh and blood relationship, and without any nonsense rules of legitimate and concubine children, seats were arranged according to age. The first seat on the right was the Crown Prince and his wife, the first seat on the left was the Second Prince and his wife, and the next one was the First Princess and Second Princess sitting opposite from each other… Shaoshang came to the scene, and the next person sitting opposite the Third Prince was Ling Buyi and herself?!

Seeing four or five noble princes and four or five princesses actually sitting below her, Shaoshang felt she was in the clouds, with feet dangling in the air and uncomfortable all over. She was not a good student when she was a child, and it was never her turn to preside over a literary and artistic performance and give a speech at the ideological and political conference to praise outstanding students. Because her achievements were so fast, the head teacher or the principal had to praise them in public. Their expressions were like eating ten kilograms of raw stinky tofu.

Although the Fourth Princess had some grievances in her eyes, she could conceal them and forced a smile as she raised a glass to Shaoshang. The Fifth Princess’s eyes were filled with anger. If it weren’t for the Empress, she probably would have spewed fire in person. Unfortunately, despite the presence of the Fifth Prince, this heat spread to Shaoshang was only half a pot of water.

However, the Fifth Prince’s gaze drifted back and forth on Shaoshang, and he smiled lightly, “I haven’t seen Young Mistress Cheng for a few days, but her appearance has become more and more beautiful.”

Ling Buyi furrowed his brow. Before he could say anything, Shaoshang covered her mouth with her sleeve and smiled lightly. “Thanks to His Highness the Fifth Prince for his compliment,” she replied in a familiar way. “I haven’t seen you for a long time. You seem to have grown a few inches taller.” He thought she had never seen a punk before.

The Fifth Prince’s face immediately stiffened from a frivolous dandy ribbon to a frivolous radish color.

The Fifth Prince was good looking, but unfortunately, his size was a bit on the small side. He was eighteen years old this year and not only could he not compare to the level of the Third Prince or Ling Buyi, but if the Fourth Princess ate a few more bowls of rice per meal, she might catch up. Last time at the palace banquet, Shaoshang heard the Second Prince clapping and laughing at the Fifth Prince, while the Fourth Prince joked about his boots with several layers of padding.

In view of the high stature of other princes, the Emperor’s genes obviously had no problem. The reason was obviously due to the petite and thin Concubine Xu – unfortunately, this was a time of advocating bravery and fierceness. What was admired was that men were tall and grand, and women were healthy and plump. At present, there was no room for petite and beautiful men to play.

Shaoshang sighed, but there was actually no room for such a delicate little beauty like her to play, and Ling Buyi didn’t know which eye twitched and took a liking to her.

The Fifth Prince originally intended to use harsh words to scare Shaoshang, but Ling Buyi’s gaze had already hit him. He had to pretend to be proud and turn his head to shut up, criticizing the palace maids who were serving here and there.

Shaoshang flattened her mouth and looked up. She saw Concubine Xu humbly serving the Empress’s food and drink, bending over without even daring to lift her head. The crowded Luo Jitong was of no use, so she smiled helplessly at Shaoshang and left work early on her own.

Ling Buyi didn’t speak up. He only looked at the girl’s pink earlobes and side cheeks for a while, and under the candlelight, her translucent skin was covered in fine fur, delicate and tender… he slowly squeezed his hands together.

Shaoshang was completely unaware and continued to look around with enthusiasm ­– as a palace concubine, Concubine Xu could only show her face on such occasions, otherwise the Emperor might not have remembered her.

Eighteen years ago, Empress Xuan and Consort Yue had not yet developed a harmonious way of getting along. One day, the two both had a fight with the Emperor and they both closed the palace door tightly to prevent the Emperor from entering. The Emperor became angry and intoxicated, leading to the ‘accident’ of Concubine Xu, which subsequently led to the ‘accident’ of the Fifth Prince. However, according to Old Lady Zhai, Concubine Xu was not very innocent either. Otherwise, how did a palace maid who served outside the court enter the palace and sleep inside to cause an ‘accident?’ There were many people who attempted to take advantage of this opportunity to climb the dragon and become a phoenix.

However, the Emperor, Empress, and Consort Yue were either kind-hearted or unwilling to pay attention to her. Afterwards, they dealt with a large number of people and even gave them a nickname to close the case.

The subsequent impact of this matter was that there were no more palace maids in the Emperor’s inner bedroom except for eunuchs, and the Empress Xuan and Consort Yue also reached a tacit agreement from then on. That is, whoever caused trouble would pay the bill, whoever quarrels would stay overnight, and the other would never interfere.

Of course, it was difficult to operate. According to Luo Jitong privately, there was a time when she was a child when the Emperor and Consort Yue argued so much that she almost heard the guards of the Southern Palace. The Emperor went to Changqiu Palace in great anger, but the Empress firmly refused to open the door. She even sent someone to drag a piece of sour writing for Consort Yue. In anger, Consort Yue chased her barefoot and forcibly dragged the Emperor back from outside Changqiu Palace.

After hearing this story, although she had just been scolded by the Emperor like a son of a bitch, Shaoshang still had a respect for him.

“Actually, His Majesty is a good person,” Shaoshang sighed heartily as she looked at the Empress, who was smiling.

Ling Buyi looked at the Second Princess and her husband to the side, they were so intimate, whispering together with smiles. He then looked at the Second Prince and his wife on the opposite side, he didn’t know what was interesting, but the Second Prince’s wife was helping with his golden crown.

He turned his head and looked at the girl beside him. “Shaoshang,” he whispered, “Look if my hair crown is crooked.”

Shaoshang turned her head and looked back with a heartless smile, saying, “It’s not crooked, it’s fine.” Then, she remembered what she had just promised the Emperor that day and extended her arm to help him straighten his pure silver and purple jade hair crown.

In the palace on a summer night, the candles were shining brightly, and there were ice basins and cool fans around. Ling Buyi still felt her breath against him, and the faint fragrance of the girl’s body filled his nose. As she approached, her clothes were thin and her chest slightly flushed.

At this moment, the Empress lightly lifted a cup of wine, and the sons and daughters returned their wishes straight from the previous batch to the next batch. Now, Shaoshang could clearly distinguish the origin of the bellies of those princes and princesses. The First and Second Princes were born from Empress Xuan, the Third and Fourth were from Consort Yue. The First and Fifth Princesses were from Empress Xuan, and the Second, Third, and Fourth Princesses were Consort Yue’s daughters. The remaining children’s ages were not yet specified.

The Emperor was like a township cadre who had just been invited to invest, with a red smile on his face, proud and eager, pointing to Shaoshang and jokingly saying, ‘The bride of the Eleventh Lang will her own.’ Shaoshang had to hold a smiling face, like a fat chihuahua with its short front paws bowing.

The Second Prince’s consort, with a full moon face, smiled and said, “My younger sister Shaoshang and I are like old friends at first sight. Forget tomorrow. You can have a good rest at home. You will take a rest later and go to our mansion to have fun. I will set up a banquet!”

The Crown Princess lowered her eyebrows and smiled. “Second Sister-in-law is joking. Sister Shaoshang is very reserved and shy. I have invited her to the Eastern Palace several times and she hasn’t come once.”

Shaoshang chuckled in her heart and refused to join the battle, just watching while eating melons.
[This is a term for enjoying gossip.]

The Second Prince’s wife touched her raised belly, not seeming to care. “If you want me, I won’t go to the Eastern Palace. I’m already in the palace every day. Turn around, isn’t the Eastern Palace still in the palace?” She said to the young girl again, “Shaoshang, I know you have a lot of things to do, and I won’t make life difficult for you. Come to my place when you are free. Zisheng, if you are not at ease, come along with her!”

The Second Prince had been frowning this whole time, as if someone owed him money and hadn’t paid him back, but he raised his eyebrows when he heard that sentence. “That’s right, Zisheng, you will come when the time comes!”

The Third Prince suddenly chuckled and the Second Prince became displeased. “Third Brother, what are you laughing at?”

The Third Prince slowly cut the grilled meat. “It’s nothing,” he said. “I just remember when Zisheng first entered the palace, I don’t know who used to bully him all the time because of his height and strength. It’s been too late to show his kindness repeatedly these years.”

The Second Prince blushed. “That… isn’t that young and ignorant…”

“Second Brother, you were still young at the time, and you had concubines who were pregnant!”

“Oh, stop arguing… why do you start arguing so easily?” The Crown Prince was beginning to get a headache.

“What does this have to do with you?” The Second Prince got up and scolded angrily. “Zisheng and I quarreled when we grew up together. It’s better than you.”

At this time, the Emperor frowned as if he was displeased.

The eldest son-in-law was very alert, and after observing his words and expression. “Your Highness, don’t talk nonsense!” he whispered. At the same time, he lightly touched the Eldest Princess with his right elbow.

Seeing her husband’s gaze, the First Princess immediately understood and forced a smile. “You are all close relatives and have grown up together in the palace. Zisheng is no different from our siblings… Second Brother, why don’t you sit down?”

The Emperor slowly released his brow and turned to say, “Zixun, how are your studies at Bi Yong going?”
[Bi Yong is one of the five Zhou dynasty royal academies.]

“The great Confucian scholars and I have participated in the regulations recorded in the Zhou rites, and they have been repaired to the round wall,” he replied with a smile.

“Oh, so fast.”

The Second Son-in-law cupped his hands, “If Your Majesty is curious, please go have a look.”

The Emperor waved his hand with a happy expression. “I can always rest assured when I entrust a matter to Zixun.”

Hearing the Emperor’s commendation, the Eldest-Son-in-law was born handsome, but now he was full of arrogance, glory and pride.

“Father, didn’t I tell you last time?” the First Princess proudly said. “Zixun loves to hear your praise the most, and he is an honest person who will take every word of yours seriously! With your praise today, he may not even be able to find the palace gate he went out of! If you keep going like this, it’s your fault if you look back at him and call him out for being unruly.”

The Emperor seemed to dote on this clever mouthed daughter very much. He stroked his beard and smiled. “I’ve taught you everything!” He smiled for a moment and then turned his gaze and pointed to his Second Son-in-law. “How about you, or do you sing poems and compose music all day long, and the woman sings and the husband follows?”

The Second Son-in-law was very gentle and elegant. He only laughed and said, “There are all kinds of people and talents. Zixun is a great talent, and how dare I compare. I’m willing to follow the path of Huang Lao, indifferent to inaction, and sing and dance with the princess on the side of green mountains and rivers, singing and reciting for a lifetime.”

The Second Princess gave her husband an affectionate smile, then turned to complain. “Father, you really are. You have so many capable sons and officials, can’t you make us secretly lazy? Later on, we will make a new song and dance and won’t show you!”

“Good, good!” the Emperor cursed but his eyes were full of love. “If you like to sing, you can sing. If you like to dance, you can dance. Fortunately, your old father is quite wealthy, even if you have nothing to do, you can’t starve to death!”

“Isn’t it?” the Second Princess looked soft and mischievous. “Who said that my son-in-law and your son-in-law will be reincarnated? Not only for a good family, but also for such a great peace and prosperity!”  

The Emperor was very happy, a little drunk, and slapped the food table heavily, “Well said! I dare not boast in this prosperous age, but the world is finally at peace in my hands!”

With tears in her eyes, the Second Princess sincerely said, “Father is so humble. What was the situation in the world when I was young, and what is the situation now? Is everyone in the world blind? It was bought in exchange for food! My husband has no talent, and I only wish to compose a song of prosperity for this peaceful world!”

The Emperor’s eyes were moistened by his daughter’s words. He lowered his head to hide, waving one hand in front of him. The atmosphere had stirred up to this point, and all the imperial children in the hall stood up, raised their glasses to wish the Emperor great talent and stability in the world.

Shaoshang put down her glass and leaned in Ling Buyi’s ear. “The Second Princess is really talented, she can speak so well!” she whispered. This type of flattery skill could be included in textbooks, and she had to study it well!

As soon as she finished speaking, before Ling Buyi could react, the Eldest Princess sat down and whispered softly, “Second Sister can really talk, no wonder Father loves you so much. You and my sister are only a few months apart, but we’re far worse than you.”

The Second Princess smiled but didn’t answer. The Eldest Son-in-law was afraid of unexpected troubles, so he quickly poured a glass of wine for her and told his wife in a low voice not to do anything.

Shaoshang leaned over and whispered, “The Eldest Son-in-law is very practical.” Since only the Second Son-in-law was not in the court, there would be no conflict of interest with the Eldest Son-in-law, so why bother with others’ flattery.

Ling Buyi stretched out his fair and slender fingers, lowered his head and grasped the corner of her skirt, “Just be yourself, you don’t need to imitate others.” After a pause, he added, “Don’t keep looking at others, you’ve got to look good.”

Shaoshang was stunned and quickly withdrew her gaze. “Oh, you’re right.”

Seeing the peace and harmony at the banquet, the Fifth Princess flashed her eyes and bit her lips. She thought for a moment before speaking up. “Crown Princess, why did you ask Sister Shaoshang to your palace before? Why did she refuse to go to the Eastern Palace?”  

Shaoshang was furious. You little bitch! There was no end to it! The topic had been diverted eight hundred miles away, the Second, Third, and Fourth Princes all stopped talking and bowed their heads in amazement. She was still reluctant to let go! Later, Shaoshang would find her a dear sister and stage a scene called Farewell My Concubine!

She was about to strike back sharply, but Ling Buyi said slowly, “Didn’t Crown Princess say that Shaoshang is reserved and shy, and doesn’t like to go around? Didn’t Fifth Princess hear that? Could it be she has an ear problem? You should ask the palace physicians to take a look.”

The Fourth Princess burst out laughing after hearing that.

The Fifth Princess was about to retaliate angrily when a eunuch outside the hall rushed in and whispered in front of the Emperor, as if someone had asked for an audience. The Emperor was stunned for a moment and then said, “…Announce her.”

“Princess Ruyang has arrived!” the eunuch loudly announced. “Princess Ruyang has arrived!”

Everyone looked up and saw a young woman slowly walking into the hall, supporting an elderly woman with gray hair. The Emperor stood up and arched his hand, while the Empress bowed her head and body. The rest of the people bowed according to the etiquette.

Princess Ruyang gave Concubine Xu a contemptuous glance. Concubine Xu was very clever and immediately gave up her seat facing the Empress. She shrank back to the side and didn’t speak. The Fifth Prince clenched his fists in his sleeves, his eyes darkened.

The old princess slowly sat down with her granddaughter. “His Majesty, you won’t blame me for coming uninvited…”

“Aunt’s words are heavy,” the Emperor put away his just now playful and angry insults, his expression calm. “I don’t know why you are here?”

Princess Ruyang put on a disdainful expression. “I know that Your Majesty is hosting a family banquet today and I want to see my grandchildren. Oh, can’t I come?”

The Emperor just smiled and didn’t answer.

“Also,” the old princess continued, “I still want to see this bride of Eleventh Lang.” As she spoke, a pair of old eyes wrapped in wrinkled cloth swept down.

Everyone among them thought to themselves: ‘Stop lying, you just came to see Cheng Shaoshang!’

Shaoshang was about to stand up and salute, but found a long and slender hand on her small waist, firmly pressing her into the seat. The summer shirt was thin, and the cool palm seemed to stick to her skin, fingers seemingly rubbing her waist lightly.

Shaoshang’s face flushed, and she lowered her head to pull his hand away.

Others didn’t see this action, but the Second Princess and her husband at the next table could clearly see. The Second Son-in-law smiled slightly, and gently pulled his wife’s hand. The Second Princess smiled and shook her hand away, while glancing at Ling Buyi. She felt inexplicably worried.

The Second Son-in-law and his wife were kind-hearted. He leaned into her ear, “What’s the matter?”

The Second Princess sighed lightly and said, “Eleventh Lang really likes her…”

“What’s wrong with this?”

The Second Princess opened her mouth to speak, but in the end, she smiled and shook her head. Her heart was too heavy, which was not good.

Why did the ice in winter have to like summer insects? Why did Ling Buyi like Cheng Shaoshang? Wouldn’t it be nice to find a girl who was as thoughtful, gentle, and considerate as Luo Jitong?

“Madam Cheng…” Princess Ruyang stared at the girl next to Ling Buyi, knowing she had found her target. “Seeing how young you are, you don’t know how to behave and learn?”

Shaoshang leaned back slightly and was about to answer when Ling Buyi said calmly, “Regardless of our moral character, talent, and education, I have already been engaged to Shaoshang. His Majesty personally requested it and both parents agreed. What does the princess mean by saying this?”

“Both parents agreed?” Princess Ruyang snorted. “Madam Cheng, have you met Madam Ling?”

“Which Madam Ling?”

Ling Buyi took the words again, scooped up a spoonful of warm wine for himself, and slowly poured it into the cup in front of him. “Oh, I forgot, my mother and father have broken off the marriage. So, Old Princess is talking about my father’s second wife… Shaoshang has not yet met Madam Chenyu.”

Princess Ruyang frowned. “Madam Cheng, you have been engaged these few days. Why don’t you go visit your future mother-in-law?”

Bang!

Ling Buyi heavily threw the wine ladle into the wine container, and the splashed liquor made the floor a few pitch-black spots. The atmosphere inside the palace cooled down, no longer reminiscent of the warm family banquet atmosphere just now. The princes and princesses dared not speak when they saw the Emperor’s solemn expression.

“Future mother-in-law? Has my mother died?!” Ling Buyi looked over indifferently, “Are you so eager to find a new mother-in-law for my wife?”

Princess Yuchang was anxious and hurried to grab her grandmother’s sleeved robe.

The Old Princess Ruyang paused for a moment, knowing she had just made a mistake. “It was me who said the wrong thing. But even if she’s not a mother-in-law, she is an elder. Madam Cheng, why haven’t you gone to see her yet?!”

Shaoshang didn’t even open her mouth this time, her eyes immediately looking at her fiancé.

“First, Shaoshang has been studying etiquette by the Empress’s side for the past ten days, and has never had a chance,” Ling Buyi said slowly. He then sneered. “My wife has not yet visited my mother. How can she go and visit Madam Chunyu?”

The older princess became anxious and said, “When will Madam Cheng go visit to your mother?”

“My mother is not fit to see anyone at the moment.”

“Then when will your mother be healed!”

“How do I know this?” Ling Buyi raised his long eyelashes. “My mother’s disease was planted more than ten years ago. The roots of the disease are far-reaching. It is good and bad. I don’t know when it will get better and when it will get worse.”

“Ling Buyi, you-?!” Princess Ruyang flew into a rage.

If Shaoshang had any understanding, she would definitely look at the young man and say, “The first time I met His Majesty at Tu Mountain, you also answered every sentence like today, not allowing His Majesty to have the opportunity to embarrass me or say the wrong thing… Later, you followed me to speak in front of the Emperor. Because, you know Your Majesty had accepted me. You have been taking care of me carefully, haven’t you?”

Ling Buyi smiled, his dark brown eyes were bright and clear, as if stars were shining. “So what?” he whispered. “How are you going to thank me?”

The candlelight lingered in the palace, and it was unknown whether it was from the candle fire or the heat. The girl’s cheeks were as red as clouds, her big eyes flickered and she bit her lip – Ling Buyi waited patiently.

The old princess was muttering, “…The Emperor is too reckless. Not to mention that the Cheng’s family status doesn’t match, she doesn’t look like she can take on the role of the eleventh bride. In my opinion, it’s better to think twice and find another one.”

A eunuch who was on duty at the gate of the hall exclaimed loudly, “The Imperial Consort Yue has arrived!”

Shaoshang immediately turned her head and stretched out her neck to look, covered her chest with excitement, and whispered, “Is it really Consort Yue? I can finally see her… Ouch, what are you doing?” The sigh immediately turned into a snort. She dared not shout for fear of drawing attention.

Ling Buyi, with a face covered in frost, held the girl’s wrist and bit down heavily on her pink and tender little hand.

…

Next Chapter: Consort Yue’s Unique Style