Chapter 192
After venting her anger, Tao Tao went back to her room and fell asleep immediately, completely unaware of the deep shadow she had cast on their hearts. She slept soundly until noon, feeling refreshed and energized.
Fortunately, the banquet started at 3:45 PM, so she had time to do her makeup when she got up.
Tao Tao sat in front of her dressing table and noticed in the mirror that Rong'er seemed a little timid today, as if she was afraid of her. She frowned in confusion.
"What's wrong with you? You look strange."
Upon hearing the sound, Rong'er's hand trembled slightly, and she accidentally pulled Tao Tao's hair, causing Tao Tao to instinctively cry out in pain.
Her face changed drastically, and she was startled. She immediately knelt on the ground and begged for forgiveness: "Princess, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Please forgive me!"
Tao Tao frowned, touched her scalp which had been pulled painfully, and when she came to her senses, she saw the scene in front of her and was speechless for a moment.
"What are you doing? I'm not blaming you, get up."
It made her seem like a vicious master bullying a pitiful maid. Heaven knows, unless you step on her landmines, she has a pretty good temper.
Rong'er sensed that he wasn't angry from his tone, and she cautiously looked up.
After realizing that she really didn't care, she stood up and said, "Thank you for not blaming me, Your Highness. I will definitely be careful with my words and actions."
Seeing her timid appearance, Tao Tao thought for a moment and realized that something had happened last night. She thought her reaction might have been a bit too extreme and had frightened her.
Her eyes darted around, she thought for a moment as usual, then smiled brightly and teased, "Did I really look that scary last night? Don't worry, I'm not usually like that."
Then she randomly picked a hairpin from the table and said, "Come on, lower your head."
Upon hearing this, Rong'er obediently lowered her head in front of her, her face showing some unease.
A little while later, I heard her say, "Okay, get up and look in the mirror to see if you like it or not."
She got up and looked in the bronze mirror, and was surprised to find a beautiful hairpin tucked diagonally into her hair. The pearl on it was about the size of a thumb, round and full, and shimmered with iridescent light under the bright light.
She was instantly overjoyed, but quickly composed herself and looked at Tao Tao with a puzzled expression.
"With so many people attending Her Majesty the Empress's banquet, as my personal maid, you can't be inferior to the others, can you? Do you like it?"
Rong'er reached out and touched the slightly cool pearl, nodded, and gave a shy smile: "I like it, thank you for the gift, Princess."
Her voice was light and cheerful, tinged with laughter: "I'm glad you like it."
"Princess, which dress would you like to wear?" Granny Wu suggested from the side.
Tao Tao got up, walked to the table, and looked at the dresses on the tray. There were four sets for her to choose from, which were selected by Granny Wu based on her past experience.
Finally, her gaze fell on the outfit with a vest: a light green vest, a pink pipa-sleeved shirt, and a light gold-trimmed skirt. The colors were neither too understated nor too flashy, and the warmth was just right for the occasion.
As she was getting dressed, someone outside the door said, "Princess, the Princess Consort and Miss are waiting for you in the front hall."
Tao Tao nodded slightly, and Rong'er turned and went out to greet her.
"What is the background of this princess consort?" she asked calmly to Wu, the old nanny who was helping her get dressed.
As if she had known she would ask this question, Granny Wu calmly replied, "Her name is Lu Shuqing. Her father is just a minor county magistrate in Yingzhou. They come from a humble family and are nothing to be afraid of."
"So she came last night to establish my authority?" She raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"It's quite interesting. Yingzhou traveled a long way to get here, arriving late at night. Instead of resting, she was in a hurry to establish her authority over me, her adopted daughter. I suppose the Prince didn't explain things clearly to her."
"Forget it, judging from his stupid behavior last night, he won't be able to keep it from others if he tells anyone."
Granny Wu continued, "This time, the Princess Consort also brought a woman with her. The Prince has two sons and three daughters. Murong Yan is the legitimate son, and the rest are all born out of wedlock. This woman is the Prince's second daughter, named Murong Jia Hui."
"The Princess Consort is quite fond of this woman. Since she has no daughters, she has taught her a lot. In addition, she is getting old. Presumably, she brought her here to find a good husband for her."
She had already gone to bed at that time last night and was sleeping soundly, so she didn't get up. It wasn't until this morning that she found out everything and did some investigation.
"Coming to the capital is probably not as simple as finding a good husband. If you didn't want to marry into a high-ranking family, why would you come here? It's not simple that a concubine's daughter can make the mistress go to so much trouble for her."
After dressing neatly, Tao Tao led her people to the front hall. The people in the front hall were already getting impatient and were just about to set off to see for themselves when they saw her finally arrive.
Lu Shuqing's face stiffened, and she stared at the girl in front of her with unfriendly eyes. But when she thought of the prince's instructions last night, she suppressed her displeasure and forced a smile.
Yet he remained seated in the high position, waiting for her to bow to him.
Murong Jia Hui, standing to the side, turned to look at her mother, observed her expression, pursed her lips, stood up, greeted her with a smile, and reached out to warmly shake her hand.
“Sister, I am Father’s second daughter, Murong Jia Hui. You can call me Sister Jia Hui.”
Tao Tao glanced at her casually, then smiled sweetly and said, "Sister Jia Hui." She turned to Lu Shuqing and curtsied, "Mother, I've kept you waiting."
She never embarrassed those who showed her kindness, and since the woman in front of her was an elder, it wouldn't hurt to bow to her.
Lu Shuqing nodded reservedly and said calmly, "Let's go quickly. We've already wasted a lot of time. As a young lady, you should follow the rules of morning and evening greetings, so that you won't be criticized for being impolite when you go to your husband's family."
Tao Tao's expression changed slightly, and she chuckled, her tone laced with sarcasm.
"Speaking of etiquette, I've heard that Sister Jia Hui was raised by her mother since childhood, but she is still born out of wedlock. Even if she is older than me, shouldn't she pay her respects to me, the Princess Huai Min, who was personally appointed by the Emperor, according to the law?"
"But I haven't seen it yet. It seems that the etiquette my mother talked about is 'be lenient with yourself and strict with others.' Such behavior makes people believe that it is the behavior of a dignified princess."
"It seems that Mother has been living in a small town for too long and does not know that the noble ladies in the capital have very high standards for themselves. They do not need to be reminded of such basic common sense."
After a barrage of sarcastic remarks, Lu Shuqing's face turned pale and then red.
Her implication was clear: she was ill-mannered and unworthy of being a princess consort.
Murong Jia Hui was startled and quickly curtsied, saying, "Murong Jia Hui greets Princess Huai Min. Please forgive my rudeness just now."
Tao Tao's friendly expression vanished, and she said coldly, "My previous life wasn't from any high-ranking family, and I'm used to being unruly. So don't put on airs or pretend. We're all under the same roof, so let's mind our own business."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com