The Aloof Prince Pampers His Wild First Rate Consort

Chapter 12: Sitting At the Same Table

Eighth Prince, Chu Xin, saw that Mu Lingzhu had interrupted, so his mood immediately soured and he even retorted, "Can it be that you feel that this prince and your Third Brother are babbling nonsense?"

Mu Lingzhu didn't think that Chu Xin would directly speak out against her and for a moment she did not know what to say. She pursed her lips, and laughed in embarra.s.sment, "Eighth Prince has spoken too seriously. Lingzhu did not mean to do so at all."

Within the Plum Blossoms Main Hall, the mood became somewhat confused, as Mu Yunjin shot a glance at Mu Lingzhu, whose face had become ashen from anger. She immediately became happy.

"Right, today, aijia [1] has also invited Li'er. How come he has not yet come?" Imperial Concubine Qin looked at the time and slightly creased her brows.

aijia is how older female royalty refer to themselves.

Afterwards, she looked at Mu Yunjin again, "Jin'er, weren't you with Li'er a moment ago? How come you two did not come back together?"

Mu Yunjin choked up in her heart, silently cursing. She and that Chu Li really couldn't be pulled apart.

Right as Mu Yunjin was trying to figure out how to respond to Imperial Concubine Qin’s question, Elder Maid Qu’s happy voice came from the side, "Imperial Concubine Qin, look! Sixth Prince has come.“

When she finished, everyone followed Elder Maid Qu’s line of sight.

They only saw a dark figure slowly walking towards Plum Blossom Main Hall. A jade crest sat on his head, as he emitted an icily arrogant, lone and distinct, yet grand and heroic threatening aura.

Mu Yunjin saw the person walking closer and closer and she coldly scoffed in her heart. His mood was great. He even had the time to go change his clothes.

At the other end of the table, Mu Lingzhu pursed her lips, as she watched the person she yearned for day and night walk closer and closer to her. Her heart was practically about to jump out of her chest.

The Sixth Prince, Chu Li was someone she had admired for many years.

Chu Li quickly entered Plum Blossom Main Hall, first demonstrating his etiquette to Imperial Concubine Qin. Afterwards, he scanned his surroundings.

After he shot a glance at Mu Yunjin, who sat next to Imperial Concubine Qin, Chu Li's pupils flashed, and he quickly moved his eyes away.

Mu Yunjin had coincidentally locked eyes with Chu Li just a moment ago. After glaring at Chu Li with annoyance, she also immediately shifted her eyes away. The interaction between these two people had been observed by nearly everyone, especially the moment when Mu Yunjin glared at Chu Li. In the eyes of the audience, it became a secret sign of flirting.

"This commoner, Lingzhu, pays her respects to Sixth Prince, your Highness." Mu Lingzhu straightened out her mood and took the initiative to pay her respects to Chu Li.

She heard that within the Prince's palace, there was a wide expanse of cotton rose hibiscus, so she specially chose a brocade skirt with hibiscus on it, to firmly capture Chu li's eyes.

But who knew, Chu Li barely acknowledged it, and his eyes didn't even look in her direction.

Mu Lingzhu felt like she had been emptied. She didn't only feel upset. She was the great daughter of a residence of an important family. As a child she had been revered as an important figure, but why did everything change after she went out of the door of her residence?

Could it be that she was only able to be revered if she had a complexion that had the power to overturn the nation?

"Since everyone is present, please follow aijia over to the Plum Blossom Garden out back. Aijia has prepared a feast there." When she finished, Imperial Concubine Qin sat up, and walked towards the "backyard" of Plum Blossom Hall with Elder Maid Qu’s support.

Everyone also followed her towards the Plum Blossom Garden.

Mu Yunjin was the last to stand up. Right when she was about to follow Mu Lingzhu, who was in front of her, she suddenly stopped, and turned to glare at Mu Yunjin, "Don't forget, later on, don't speak randomly, otherwise you'll humiliate our family. See how father will deal with you then."

Mu Yunjin nodded, a hidden flash of craftiness in her eyes, as her lips obediently replied, "Little sister, I know."

"It's good that you know. Hmph." Mu Lingzhu coldly sneered and walked towards Plum Blossom Garden.

Within Plum Blossoms Garden.

It was exactly at the beginning of spring, and all the plum blossoms within the garden were currently prospering. If one even stepped closer, one could smell the sweet bursts of fragrance produced by the plum blossoms.

The feast held by Imperial Concubine Qin was currently held in a place surrounded by plum trees.

After waiting for Imperial Concubine Qin to sit down, everyone looked towards the younger generation, who were standing in front. After a period of time, Imperial Concubine Qin's main purpose in setting up the feast today became apparent to everyone.

"Li'er and Jin'er, you should sit down." Imperial Concubine Qin pointed at the seats on her right as she said to Mu Yunjin and Chu Li.

Everyone initially thought that these two were being shy or that Imperial Concubine Qin had objected to their pairing but who knew that these two would remain completely silent, walking to the right side of the table, and as if in tacit understanding, one sat down on a left chair and one sat down on a right.

This stopped everyone from second guessing their relationship with each other.

Mu Yunjin had just sat down when she felt that there was a gaze was coming from the person to her left. Glancing over to Chu Li, she knitted her eyebrows together as if she wanted to throw up, but could only hold it back.

They were just sitting at the same table- it's not like they'd never done it before.

Ding Xian stood at Chu Li's side. When he saw this happen, his mouth twitched. This felt very familiar to him.

Right after they were seated , Imperial Concubine Qin let Chu Qing and Chu Xin sit at the same table in the seats to her left. The daughter of the invaluable Minister of Rites, Yan Liangchang, and the daughter of the Minister of Work, Wen Ruhan sat in the remaining chairs.

It was only Mu Lingzhu who was a.s.signed to sit alone at another table.

Looking at this scene, Mu Yunjin glanced down and smirked.

It looks like this Imperial Concubine Qin did not like Mu Lingzhu. She called her here today just to infuriate her.

After waiting for some of them to be seated, a few Palace maids entered the Plum Garden. Each of them held onto a tray that held a wine pot .

"This is some plum wine that aijia had ordered people to prepare a few days ago. It has a sweet smell and I specially asked for you all to come to give it a taste. Don't say that aijia doesn't think about you, the younger generation." Imperial Concubine Qin smiled as she said this, ordering the palace maids to pour the plum wine for her guests.

When Mu Yunjin saw that her cup had been filled to the brim, she gave it a sniff. She really smelled a sweet fragrance, and then gently and beautifully lifted the wine cup to take a sip.

Chu Li took in the entire scene, curling his lip slightly, but after giving a wink, he returned to his initial expression.

"This taste is not bad." Mu Yunjin said this sentence softly, simply draining the wine in her cup.

"This wine is sweet but it is easy to get drunk on it, so it is better to drink less of it." Chu Li saw that Mu Yunjin's wine cup was empty and finally spoke his first sentence since he arrived.

Mu Yunjin heard what he had said, so she turned her head and looked towards Chu Li, "Many thanks for the Sixth Prince's kind reminder."

"Mm." Once again, he returned to his monosyllabic response and did not speak again, sealing his lips tightly.

At this moment, Mu Lingzhu was tightly holding onto her wine cup. The entire time, her gaze had been locked on Mu Yunjin and Chu Li. When she saw Chu Li speak to Mu Yunjin, she almost used the wine cup in her hand to beat Mu Yunjin to death.

This idiot, she didn't have a single redeeming point. On what basis did she deserve the Sixth Prince's concern.

The moment she thought of the engagement between this idiot and the Sixth Prince, Mu Lingzhu became infuriated. She was filled with even more malice and hatred towards Mu Yunjin.

Imperial Concubine Qin would occasionally look at the younger generation, who were seated below, from her seat. As if merely looking for something to gossip about, she looked at Yan Lingchang and Wen Ruhan, who she had been neglecting.

"Chang'er and Han'er, how old are you this year?" Imperial Concubine Qin asked.

Yan Lingchang and Wen Ruhan were elated at having their names called. They initially thought that they were going to be treated as if they were transparent, but Imperial Concubine Qin had actually thought of them.

"In reply to Imperial Concubine Qin, Chang'er is sixteen this year and has just reached marriageable age."

"The same goes for Han'er, I just reached marriageable age two months ago."

Imperial Concubine Qin nodded her head in reply when she heard what they said, then glanced over at Chu Qing and Chu Xin, who sat on her left, " So Chang'er and Han'er are the daughters of the Minister of Rites, Yan Qiuhuai and the Minister of Works, Wen Qi respectively."

Chu Xin's face reddened. Having this pointed out made him extremely shy, how would he still continue being overbearing like he was previously?

Chu Qing drank a mouthful of wine, as if he could not calm down. He didn't even look over at Yan Lingchang and Wen Ruhan.

One could feel the embarra.s.sment in the air.

Mu Lingzhu had pretty much gained a thorough understanding at this point. This Imperial Concubine Qin had not asked her to come to partic.i.p.ate in her feast. She was called to come just so she could be humiliated.

She had invited four women but only three men, what was the meaning of this?

Was it not just to cast her to the side!

What kind of special favors did this idiot, Mu Yunjin, give to this old woman that she treated her with such favor? She even tried so hard to get Mu Yunjin engaged to the Sixth Prince.

d.a.m.n it all!

Mu Lingzhu clutched the thin headscarf that she had worn today as if she was going to rip it apart. She felt extremely gloomy. The moment they returned back to their residence, she would definitely take it out on Mu Yunjin!

"Announcing the arrival of Empress Dowager…"

An announcement suddenly sounded Inside the Plum Garden. After that, one saw a figure dressed in a red floral brocade skirt enter the Plum Garden. She had a large group of people following after her, looking extremely grand.

Hearing that the Empress Dowager had arrived, Mu Yunjin looked over and saw only a person with a head full of white hair, and she looked rather aged. However, she was adorned in blood red clothing, and her headdress was full of pearl hairpins. Her appearance was extremely sudden.

Mu Yunjin suddenly thought of something that Zi Xiang had told her before. Imperial Concubine Qin was the natural mother of the current Emperor, so was one rank lower that the Empress Dowager. But inside the Imperial Harem, many regarded Imperial Concubine Qin as the Empress Dowager.

As a result, the right and proper Empress Dowager and this Imperial Concubine Qin, did not have peaceful relations. Her red clothes should have been a declaration to Imperial Concubine Qin, trying to cement her position at the same time.

"Erchen[2] greets Empress Dowager…"

"Minnu [3] greets Empress Dowager…"

erchen is how princes refer to themselvesminnu is how a girl from an ordinary family addresses herself

After their greetings to the Empress Dowager, Mu Yunjin stood at her place, pondering about the greetings the the few princes had given to the Empress Dowager just now.

When they had arrived just now, they had intimately greeted Imperial Concubine Qin as Grandmother, now that Empress Dowager had come, they had deferentially called her Empress Dowager.

In but a fleeting moment, Mu Yunjin understood the political undercurrents of this place, and that the situation between these two women was on the verge of exploding into a scene of carnage and blood.

"Let's all sit." The Empress Dowager said calmly.

After surveying the place, she said to Imperial Concubine Qin, who had sat unmoving at her seat the entire time, "Xiangxian, you must be in such a good mood today. You have invited so many of our younger generation to act as their matchmaker without inviting aijia to partic.i.p.ate in the fun. Aijia stays in the Phoenix’s Cry Palace all day and am going to be bored to death soon."

"This whole Palace falls within your sighs. Aijia didn't invite you but you still came anyway. Quickly, come and take a seat!" Imperial Concubine Qin pointed at a seat beside her that she had just ordered people to place.

When Empress Dowager Zheng heard what she said, she smiled coldly and swept a calculative glance over Imperial Concubine Qin. After that, she unhurriedly walked to the seat and sat down.

After she was seated, Empress Dowager Zheng looked below and smiled, "Xiangxian- Li'er, Qing'er and the rest, no matter what, are all princes. Whichever family's Miss that they have taken to, they just have to ask the Emperor to bestow a marriage upon them. What is the point of arranging something as troublesome as this?"

Xiangxian is Imperial Concubine Qin’s real name. Her full name is Qin Xiangxian. Only people from the same status, or people from a higher status can call other people their real name.

"I know you have good intentions. But those who do not know will a.s.sume that these princes from the country of Xiyuan are unable to secure any wife!"

—

[1] Aijia- what older women like the Empress Dowager and Imperial Concubine Qin refer to themselves as

[2] Erchen- what these royal princes refer to themselves as

[3] Minnu- commoner girl status

Translated by tranzgeek and socksrocker

Edited by Ely