A daughter from a prominent family is desired by many, yet the daughter of the Yong family is sought by none. Noble families consider her nouveau riche and vulgar, while scholarly houses pride them...
After changing into men's clothing, Zhao Shu and Sun Yun took Green Ivy, Xiao Guozi, Wu Feng, Tang Gang, and Ban Shu with them and went out. Zhao Shu didn't eat breakfast, so she just grabbed two small crystal buns and stuffed them into her mouth, and that was it.
As they approached the palace gate, a glimpse of Xiao Guozi's long, white whisk caught their eye. They stopped abruptly, snatched the whisk from Xiao Guozi's hand, and casually thrust it into the hand of a Pengcheng soldier. The soldier was so startled he nearly burst into tears. "Princess, I'm the only son in my family..."
After the insertion, Zhao Shumai tried hard to appear rugged, looking down on people like a spoiled rich kid.
After walking for quite a while, feeling a bit tired, he coughed twice to ease the awkwardness and quietly asked, "Has Father gotten up yet?"
"His Highness is having breakfast with the Empress Dowager. Sister Biqiao told me not to disturb you, as His Highness will be going to the Imperial Palace in a while." Xiao Guozi lowered his voice, trying to sound rough, but his voice was still hoarse.
"That's good." She wanted to go with them.
The group moved quickly and soon left the palace and arrived on the main street. The street was already bustling with people, many of whom had come to the city to see the emperor's sons on their inspection tour of the country after receiving the news the night before.
An old woman said, "The prince is indeed as handsome as a god, incredibly good-looking, and he even smiled at me."
"Go away, how could the prince smile at you?" The people around quickly interrupted, "Speaking of our prince, he is the reincarnation of the Duke of Zhou. He is very learned. His poems are better than those of the best scholar in the county. Most importantly, the prince waved to me yesterday."
"Pah! He's not waving to you, he's waving to me! Your Highness's smile is so beautiful. Just thinking about it makes me feel intoxicated."
Zhao Shu looked disdainfully at the flamboyantly dressed aunt who said this, clearly a brothel madam. She continued walking forward, where several vendors who were doing legitimate business were chatting. "My Tiger Girl is just too honest. I don't ask for much. I'd be satisfied if she had even a little bit of what the princess has."
"That's right. I really wish I had a daughter like the princess. Not only is she sensible, but she's also intelligent. My aunt's neighbor's cousin's daughter's son was a soldier in the Prince Yong's mansion. Although he retired and came back, he earned a lot of money. Now, my aunt's neighbor's cousin's daughter's son runs a pork shop, and he's living a very prosperous life."
"Like father, like daughter. The prince is intelligent, and the princess is naturally no less so."
Zhao Shu was secretly pleased to hear this, but she still had to put on a humble appearance and continue on her way to the East City, where there were more aristocratic families.
All I heard was, “I told you Princess Jun wasn’t that kind of person, but you didn’t believe me. If she were really that domineering and brainless, why would Sister Huo associate with her? Sister Huo is the head of the Huo family. You don’t believe the Huo family of Bianzhou, but you believe those shallow-minded people.”
"Yes, yes, we are short-sighted, but since Princess Jun has been in Guanzhou, we haven't invited her at all. Will she be angry?" Several noble ladies from prominent families said as they strolled through the shops.
"You think Princess Jun is like you? Hey, look, how about this emerald green bracelet for Princess Jun? She can wear it when she goes out for spring next year." With New Year's Eve approaching, it's natural not to invite guests to the mansion anymore, so the only option is to wait until next spring.
“A noble lady like the princess has seen everything. I’d better go back to my residence and draw some more patterns to send to the princess as a token of my appreciation.”
Hearing this, Zhao Shu and Sun Yun exchanged a glance, looked at the sun, and decided to return to the palace. Once back at the palace, Zhao Shu buried her head in the quilt and laughed so hard she almost fell over.
"Look how happy you are," Sun Yun said with a smile, holding his teacup.
Zhao Shu finished laughing and lifted her head from under the covers. "You're so proud of yourself, but you won't let me be happy? I'll suffocate." She wasn't worried at all that such a good reputation would bring bad results. First of all, the fief had already been returned. Although she still had three counties as fiefs, she had no intention of taking them back.
She had a great reputation abroad and the emperor's trust at home; this was the result she wanted.
"Alright, alright, you're happy now. His Highness Prince Yong is going to the headquarters. If you don't want to go, I'll go by myself." Sun Yun put down his teacup, admired his dashing figure in the bronze mirror, and didn't forget to turn around and wink at Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu pretended to be electrocuted, and the two of them laughed.
After leaving Jinlan Palace, Zhao Shu flicked the front of her long robe, took a step with her feet turned outwards, and said, "Let's go invite Consort Hao to go see it together."
Sun Yun chuckled slyly. For some time now, Consort Hao's people had been spreading rumors throughout Guanzhou City about how Zhao Shu was so unruly and domineering, how she had mistreated her, and how she was so capricious and bullying…
Unexpectedly, before she could retaliate, Prince Yong arrived. When the court officials came forward to clarify, everyone naturally believed the government officials more, especially Huo Chengqiu, the fourth young master of Mingde. Mingde was the reign title of the current emperor, meaning the four most outstanding young masters of the Mingde era. His name was renowned and famous throughout the world.
Upon arriving at Jiahan Palace, where Hao Shumei resided, before even entering, they were stopped by a palace maid. "Princess, the Imperial Concubine is unwell today and is unable to receive guests."
“I am a guest? I am clearly the host, she is the guest.” Zhao Shu gestured to Xiao Guozi to push the person away.
Xiao Guozi stepped forward and pushed the person aside. The eunuch guarding the gate hurriedly ran in to report, but Princess Jun and the others couldn't be stopped!
In a few swift moves, all the gatekeepers were taken down by Xiao Guozi. The patrolling Pengcheng soldiers saw this but pretended not to see it and continued their patrol. The general had said that the princess was absolutely not to be offended. Although the princess was dressed as a man and looked like a young master, her handsome appearance made them recognize her as Princess Jun at a glance.
Zhao Shu smiled and swaggered into Jiahan Palace with her hands behind her back. As soon as she stepped into the palace, Hua Mei came over and bowed respectfully, saying, "This servant greets the princess."
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