Chapter 29 Did he call her "A-Ying," or...?

From a distance in the corridor a few feet away, King Xuan and his wife watched this scene from afar.

Princess Xuan said gently, "I never imagined that Prince Zhao and Princess were so loving that they couldn't bear to be apart for even a moment."

King Xuan's feelings were somewhat complicated.

The two people look so alike that, with the help of makeup, it's almost impossible to tell the difference at first glance.

One was bright and flamboyant, the other gentle and reserved; one was still snuggling in his arms yesterday, affectionately cuddling and acting coquettishly. Yet, this sister, who looked remarkably like her, was his younger brother's bedmate.

King Xuan watched as that familiar face leaned against someone else's chest, embracing another man intimately. Even though he knew they were not the same person, he still felt extremely annoyed.

He slowly withdrew his gaze, his tone slightly cold: "Let's go."

Beneath the artificial hill, Yan Xuecui listened to the fading footsteps, her smile undiminished.

Reason told him that this play should end here, but his body was still immersed in the warmth of her embrace, unwilling to let go for a long time.

Holding him in her arms, Chi Ying felt the hand on her lower back tighten even more, and couldn't help but gasp softly: "Your Highness, are you feeling better?"

Although they were in the shadows, this was, after all, the Imperial Garden, a place filled with the noise of people. If they were seen and word got out, she would truly be too ashamed to face anyone.

But then I thought about it again, even if it's embarrassing, it's Chi Yingyue who's embarrassed, and no one else knows her true identity.

Since King Zhao was unwilling to release her, her worries were of no use.

Yan Xuecui was surprised to see her no longer restrained and struggling. Satisfied, he held the back of her head and gently pressed her cheek against his neck, feeling the soft comfort.

As the voices of women grew closer, Chi Ying realized she still couldn't get over her inner turmoil and softly called out "Your Highness" to remind him.

Yan Xue frowned deeply and released the person in her arms with a deep sense of resentment.

Chi Ying left his embrace and breathed a slight sigh of relief. She then saw three women in brocade and fine clothes walking out from behind the artificial hill. The woman in the lead wore a bright red dress with butterflies and flowers, and had red lips and pearly teeth.

Chi Ying had looked at the portrait several times, and this was the face she remembered most clearly. Suppressing her nervousness, she bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, Princess Huizhen."

She is now Chi Yingyue, and also the Princess Consort of Zhao. There is no need for her to perform a grand ceremony for the princess; she can simply pretend to recognize her.

She didn't recall seeing the other two in the portrait, but they were probably just noble ladies from prominent families who were on good terms with Princess Huizhen. She wasn't sure if Chi Yingyue knew them, so she nodded slightly in greeting.

But the person opposite seemed reluctant, only bowing and paying respects because of her status as a princess.

Chi Ying was secretly worried, guessing that these two must be old acquaintances of Chi Yingyue, and perhaps they even had a grudge against each other.

Yan Xuecui stepped forward from behind her at this moment: "So it's the Imperial Sister."

Princess Huizhen was two years older than Yan Xuecui and had left the palace to descend to a lower rank a few years ago. She did not have a deep relationship with him, but she had heard of his violent reputation outside the palace. Now that she had run into him, even though she knew he could not see her, his ambiguous smile sent a chill down her spine for no reason.

"Seventh brother, sister-in-law," Princess Huizhen's voice was a little tight, "It's been a long time."

Yan Xuecui asked with a smile, "Are the Princess Consort and the Imperial Sister old acquaintances?"

Chi Ying clenched her fingers and said proactively, "Yes, I went to the princess's residence to watch the song and dance performance."

Yan Xue smiled and said, "It seems we have a deep friendship."

Chi Ying couldn't say for sure that Chi Yingyue had always been the one to actively befriend powerful and influential people; how others viewed her was another matter entirely.

Before she could speak, a noblewoman behind Princess Huizhen chuckled and said, "That's right. The princess loves socializing, and there are plenty of people who flatter and fawn over her, putting on airs in public and claiming to have a deep friendship with her... Of course, I'm not talking about the princess consort."

Princess Huizhen glared at her, signaling her to say less, and then turned to Yan Xue and said, "Let's go over there to admire the flowers, so we won't disturb Seventh Brother and Sister-in-law."

Yan Xuecui's smile remained unchanged: "Please do as you please, Your Majesty."

Chi Ying didn't take the man's words to heart. After all, he wasn't referring to her indirectly. She was secretly relieved that Princess Huizhen hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Meanwhile, Princess Huizhen and her companions headed towards the peony garden. Two noble ladies, one the daughter of the Vice Minister of Works and the other the daughter of General Zhaoyi, had previously looked down on Chi Yingyue, who came from a poor family. The two followed behind Princess Huizhen, whispering among themselves.

“Things have changed. She used to fawn over the princess, but now that she’s a queen, she doesn’t even look at us properly.”

"Look how smug she is. We haven't seen her since the imperial decree of marriage was issued. Now that we see her again, we have to bow to her respectfully."

"If you ask me, she's a vixen! She must have used some underhanded means to be betrothed to Prince Zhao. Only Prince Zhao can't see it and doesn't know what kind of person his wife is."

"Most of the time, it's just outward glamour. Who knows the suffering behind the scenes? I've heard that King Zhao is cruel and cruel, and he has many ways of torturing people. I think she's just swallowing her pain and suffering."

"Alright, all of you, shut up..."

Although they all lowered their voices, every word of their discussion still reached Yan Xuecui's ears.

Just then, Princess Yuxi ran over and said that they were playing pitch-pot outside Fufeng Palace and asked them to come over.

The banquet had not yet begun. People gathered in small groups, the concubines admiring and arranging flowers, the young masters being led by palace maids to play games like grass fighting, and the nobles of similar age either drinking wine and composing poems or playing pitch-pot and guessing games.

Chi Ying didn't want to socialize, so she declined, saying, "Princess, please go and have fun. I'll stay with Your Highness."

Princess Yu Xi: "Brother Zhao, please come along too! Seventh Sister-in-law, you don't know, my brother used to..."

She realized her words were on the tip of her tongue and didn't say "infallible" after all. How could she possibly touch a sore spot for her brother, the King Zhao, who was blind?

Chi Ying could see obvious disappointment and regret in her eyes.

Although it was a pity that she had lost her sight, she still remembered that when they first met, King Zhao shot an arrow through the assassin's neck. At the time, she thought he was pretending to be blind. At such a distance, to be able to locate someone by sound alone was so accurate. Even a general who could shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces could not do that.

If archery can be done so well, then the simple game of pitch-pot is naturally no problem.

Chi Ying hesitated before looking at Prince Zhao, "Does Your Highness wish to go?"

Yan Xuecui pursed her lips: "You and Yu Xi go first. I have some things to take care of. I'll come find you later."

Princess Yu Xi immediately smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, please go! We'll go together!"

Since King Zhao had said so, and Princess Yu Xi was so insistent, Chi Ying couldn't refuse any longer.

Fortunately, there were many people and a lively atmosphere outside Fufeng Palace, with everyone taking turns to play the pitch-pot game. She stood quietly to the side, not attracting much attention.

The palace maids filed into the flower room carrying mahogany lacquer trays, each tray displaying freshly picked peonies. The head maid smiled and said, "Her Majesty the Empress bestows flowers upon the ladies."

Upon hearing this, Princess Yuxi immediately pulled Princess Chunyi over to pick flowers. Wearing a pink dress, she chose a pink peony, then picked a few more to compare with Princess Chunyi's hair. Finally, she chose a white snow pagoda and pinned it in her hair.

Someone jokingly remarked, "Her beauty surpasses that of the past and present, even the peony is ashamed of her fair face," which enlivened the atmosphere. The concubines and noble ladies no longer hesitated to defer and stepped forward to choose their favorite flowers. For a moment, the area outside Fufeng Palace was filled with the fragrance of clothes and the rustling of hair, a lively and extraordinary scene.

There were also those like Chi Ying who didn't want to be in crowds, so the palace maids would bring the remaining peonies to them for them to choose from.

Beside Chi Ying was the Princess Consort Rui, whom she had just greeted. The palace maid who came forward had only two peonies left in her hand. Fortunately, these were carefully selected by the flower room, each one full and beautiful, unlike the withered flowers that had been picked over. The two women politely declined each other's offer to let the other choose first.

Princess Rui was wearing a purple hibiscus-patterned ruqun today. She first picked out the crimson gauze-covered jade flower that matched her dress, and then pointed to another flower and said to Chi Ying, "Sister-in-law, you are young and beautiful. That silver-red jade flower suits you very well."

Chi Ying nodded with a smile, also feeling that Yin Hong Ying Yu suited her better.

After receiving the peony, everyone tidied their hair and continued playing the game of pitch-pot.

Chi Ying glanced around, wondering where King Zhao had gone. She felt somewhat restrained and uneasy being alone here.

Beneath the artificial hill, Yan Xuecui secretly gave a hand signal, and Cheng Huai immediately stepped forward to obey.

Yan Xuecui asked, "Who were the two people with Huizhen?"

Cheng Huai cupped his hands and said, "I will investigate immediately."

Yan Xuecui, too lazy to beat around the bush, said directly: "Thoroughly investigate their fathers to see if they have committed any crimes of embezzlement, dereliction of duty, or misconduct. If they have any improper conduct in private, report it to the Censorate immediately for investigation."

Cheng Huai then understood that His Highness intended to punish these two families, from their official conduct to their private morality. If a thorough investigation were conducted, few officials from the previous dynasty would be clean.

Cheng Huai immediately accepted the order.

There was only one thing he hesitated about, but after thinking it over, he still reported: "This morning, the secret guards came to report that there has been news from Chunliu Garden."

Yan Xue's eyebrows twitched slightly: "What did you find out?"

Cheng Huai said, "The Chunliu Garden is inhabited by a concubine surnamed Xue. She moved back to the Earl's Mansion from her estate in the suburbs of the capital last winter. I heard she was seriously ill and came back for treatment."

Yan Xuecui pondered and said, "So the Jiji Pill that the Princess ordered Baoshan to buy, and the doctor she invited from Huichuntang, were all for treating her illness?"

Cheng Huai nodded: "Yes."

Yan Xuecui recalled the bamboo slips the guard had handed her earlier, which mentioned Aunt Xue and her daughter—"Chi Ying, the third daughter of the Chi family, is sixteen years old. She was born to Aunt Xue. When she was nine, she caused Madam Yin to miscarry due to playing around. She and her mother were driven to a farm in the suburbs of the capital. Last year, she returned to the mansion to seek medicine..."

His expression turned slightly somber, and as if unraveling a mystery, he finally grasped a long-buried truth—

Pond, fireflies.

Yan Xue asked in a deep voice, "Do you know where this Aunt Xue's daughter... Chi Ying, is now?"

Cheng Huai said, "The secret guards interrogated a maid in Chunliu Garden. She said that they had not seen the Third Miss since Aunt Xue returned to the mansion."

After pondering for a long time, Yan Xuecui finally revealed a knowing smile on her lips.

How could a daughter who is so filial to her mother, who went to great lengths to return to her home to seek medicine for her, disappear for half a year while her mother was staying at home to recuperate?

Considering the princess's drastically different temperament compared to before her marriage, her repeated arguments with Madam Yin upon returning to the mansion, her special request for a doctor to treat her aunt at Chunliu Garden, and the maid's overheard phrase "switch back" at the Chi mansion... all these things, what else could Yan Xuecui not understand?

All the confusion and mystery in my heart suddenly became clear at this moment.

I see.

So it was... Chi Ying.

He softly uttered her name, recalling her warm and soft embrace and her gentle, clear voice. In an instant, his bones and muscles went numb, and an unprecedented, exhilarating pleasure surged through his very being.

Outside Fufeng Palace, some busybodies finally spotted the silent Princess Zhao in a corner and immediately handed her an arrow, urging her to come forward and show off her skills.

All eyes turned to her, and Chi Ying wished she could disappear into the ground.

Upon seeing this, the two noble ladies beside Princess Huizhen immediately joined in the commotion: "You don't know yet, do you? Princess Zhao is an excellent archer, hitting the target nine times out of ten. This distance is no challenge for her."

These words undoubtedly put her in an even more precarious position.

Chi Ying clenched her fingers into a fist, her nails digging deep into her palm. Just then, a warm, large hand suddenly reached out and gently enveloped her fingers.

When Chi Ying turned around and saw King Zhao, a slight pang of sadness welled up in her heart.

Yan Xuecui asked with a smile, "Do you want to go?"

As soon as he arrived, the surrounding noise subsided.

Chi Ying made an excuse and whispered to him, "My... hand still hurts."

Going there would be embarrassing.

Furthermore, she didn't know Chi Yingyue's skill level. If her archery skills were far inferior to Chi Yingyue's, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

Yan Xuecui said calmly, "If you don't want to go, then don't go. You are my queen consort, do you think anyone would dare to force you?"

The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it was loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly.

Those who had been jeering earlier, upon realizing the King's words of protection for the Queen, immediately tensed up and fell silent.

Chi Ying was also slightly taken aback.

I never imagined that trouble could be solved with just a simple "I won't go".

Unfortunately, she was not the real Princess Zhao, but a fake who was powerless in the face of all kinds of coercion and had no confidence to say no to anyone.

Chi Ying suppressed her gloomy emotions, and he took her hand, leading her out of the crowd.

Yan Xue urged, "It was my fault just now. I shouldn't have left for so long, making you feel uncomfortable."

Chi Ying pursed her lips: "It's alright."

Yan Xuecui chuckled lightly: "But why don't I think you look so good, Aying?"

Chi Ying had already composed herself, but this unexpected address sent a jolt through her, making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

Did he call her "A-Ying," or... "A-Ying"?

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The author's note: [Note] The phrase "its beauty surpasses that of the past and present" is adapted from Li Bai's poem "Ode to Mount Zhuluo," which reads, "its beauty surpasses that of the past and present, even the lotus flowers are ashamed of their jade-like faces."