Chapter 47: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Goes Back on His Word
On the first night of the New Year, there was no moon in the sky, but the dark sky was dotted with bright stars.
The lights in the East Palace were just beginning to light up. In a corner of the palace, several palace maids sat together in a room, having a New Year's dinner together.
The rules in the Eastern Palace are very strict, and only on major festivals like New Year's Eve and the first day of the new year can the palace maids relax together and have a good year.
Seeing that the Crown Prince was still having dinner with His Majesty, Ye Wanhe joined the palace maids in having a good meal and chatting.
While Ye Wanhe was eating, her thoughts occasionally turned to Yun Xiangye. How could Yun Xiangye have any entanglement with the Prince of Chu?
"Aunt Ye, the third day of the Chinese New Year is your birthday. Let's secretly set up a table here to celebrate your birthday and congratulate you on turning twenty-five."
Ye Wanhe chuckled and said, "No need, I have something to do on my birthday."
On your birthday, you can leave the palace by yourself, even if it's just for one day.
Ye Wanhe has lost count of how many years it has been. She has entered the palace for more than ten years and has never stepped out of the palace. Now she finally has the opportunity to go out and see the scenery of Chang'an City, no longer staying in this palace with towering walls.
Ye Wanhe had been a little absent-minded for two days, just hoping to leave the palace on the third day of the New Year.
On the third day of the junior high school, Ye Wanhe had no intention of being on duty.
In the study, Zhao Yun took the tea handed over by Ye Wanhe, looked up at Ye Wanhe and said, "Why is the tea so hot?"
Ye Wanhe knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I was distracted. I will go and change a cup of tea immediately..."
After Ye Wanhe went downstairs, she brought back a cup of warm tea and handed it to Zhao Yun with one hand.
Zhao Yun glanced at Ye Wanhe and asked, "What happened to you today?"
Ye Wanhe lowered her eyebrows and said, "Your Highness, you said before that you would allow me to leave the palace for one day on my birthday..."
Zhao Yun asked, "Is today the third day of the lunar year?"
Ye Wanhe nodded and said, "Yes."
Zhao Yun said, "Go and change into my clothes."
Ye Wanhe said puzzledly: "Your Highness, I don't understand."
Zhao Yun said, "You are a maid in the East Palace. If you want to leave the palace, you must disguise yourself. Go find one of my plain clothes and put it on. Then, disguise yourself as a young man and follow me out of the palace."
"I dare not."
Ye Wanhe would never dare to wear Zhao Yun's clothes outside.
Zhao Yun said, "Just wear it if I tell you to."
Ye Wanhe bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Ye Wanhe went to the warehouse to look for Zhao Yun's clothes from many years ago. After all, Zhao Yun's clothes now were too big for her. If they were the clothes he wore when he was fifteen or sixteen years old, they should be suitable for her.
Ye Wanhe changed into men's clothes and combed her long hair. She modified her eyebrows and drew a pair of sword-like eyebrows.
Quenu chuckled beside Ye Wanhe and said, "Aunt Ye, you look exactly like the Crown Prince when you're dressed like this."
Ye Wanhe said to Quenu: "Stop talking nonsense, I am just a slave, how dare I say something similar to Your Highness?"
Quenu whispered: "But I feel that you and His Highness are becoming more and more alike. This may be what they call a husband and wife look alike..."
Just as Ye Wanhe was about to rebuke Quenu for talking nonsense, she saw a figure in a phoenix robe at the door in the bronze mirror, and then she saw Queen Wei's gloomy face.
Ye Wanhe quickly stood up, turned around, knelt down and saluted, saying: "Your servant greets the Queen."
The slave beside Ye Wanhe was trembling with fear.
Queen Wei looked at Ye Wanhe's outfit and angrily said, "Who gave you the courage to wear His Highness's clothes? And use His Highness's jade crown?"
Ye Wanhe was panicking and whispered, "In reply to the Queen..."
"Mother." Zhao Yun entered the bedroom, "Mother, I asked her to wear my clothes. I had to go out of the palace for some business today, and I wanted her to serve me, so I asked her to dress up as a husband and follow me out of the palace."
Queen Wei glanced at Zhao Yun and said, "Don't you have anyone else to serve you? And this little maid is even more rebellious and has no rules. She even dared to say that the prince and the maid look like a couple. There must be no place for such an unruly maid in the East Palace. Drive her out of the palace."
Quenu looked at Ye Wanhe tremblingly, "Aunt, save me, Aunt!"
Ye Wanhe lowered her eyes and saw Quenu being dragged away by the Queen's men. She had no intention of pleading for Quenu.
Queen Wei looked at Ye Wanhe in a deep voice and said, "As the head maid of the Eastern Palace, you are not strict with your subordinates and you have no intention of advising your master. You should be punished."
Ye Wanhe bowed her head and kowtowed, "I beg the Queen to punish me." Queen Wei looked at Zhao Yun, "This is your maid, how do you want to punish her?"
Zhao Yun said, "Change back into your clothes and kneel outside for three hours."
Queen Wei frowned and said, "We must also remove her from her position as the head maid. Just now, that little maid dared to say that they looked like a couple in front of her. I don't know what ulterior motives she has. The Crown Princess will soon enter the palace, and she must not be the head maid of the East Palace anymore."
Zhao Yun responded, "Yes, mother."
Ye Wanhe kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Queen and Crown Prince, for your kindness."
Ye Wanhe hurriedly went inside to change her clothes, then knelt down on the bluestone slab outside the house. The ground was very cold in winter.
Ye Wanhe now finally understood what extreme joy and extreme sorrow meant, and what it meant that the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
I had been looking forward to leaving the palace for many days...but it was all just wishful thinking.
Ye Wanhe, who was used to kneeling, no longer felt the pain in her knees, and her heart gradually grew cold.
She shouldn't expect something that is simply a delusion.
The child back then went out of the palace to celebrate his birthday today.
I am just a slave who is entertaining myself. How can I let my master celebrate my birthday for me...
--
In Qingfeng Garden.
Yun Xiangye said to Gu Yan, who was playing with Nuonuo, "It's already past noon, why hasn't His Highness sent you any news yet?"
Gu Yan said, "Why are you so anxious? From the first to the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, there will be a New Year Lantern Festival in Chang'an City at night, and there will be no curfew. Maybe His Highness will bring Aunt Ye out at night?"
Yun Xiangye said, "You can go to the East Palace to ask for the exact time, or I can go with you to the East Palace to look for my sister first? Then we can leave the palace together with my sister."
Seeing Yun Xiangye's anxiety, Gu Yan agreed, "Okay, let's go to the East Palace first."
Yun Xiangye picked up Nuonuo who was playing nearby.
Gu Yan said, "Don't bring Nuonuo with you. You won't be able to talk to your sister properly later."
Yun Xiangye said, "But Jingru seems to have gone to the Taoist temple with her grandmother today, so there's no one to play with Nuonuo. If Nuonuo wakes up from her nap and doesn't see you, I'll definitely make a fuss."
Gu Yan chuckled and said, "Send Nuonuo to mother. Nuonuo won't cry when she sees mother."
Gu Yan asked Nuonuo, "Do you want to go to your grandmother's place?"
"Yes." Nuonuo nodded her head.
Yun Xiangye then felt relieved to leave Nuonuo behind, and she followed Gu Yan to the East Palace.
As soon as he entered the East Palace, Yun Xiangye felt that the East Palace was shrouded in a low pressure atmosphere before a thunderstorm.
Gu Yan held Yun Xiangye's hand and walked into the palace, "Your Highness."
Zhao Yun raised his eyes and looked at Gu Yan and Yun Xiangye and said, "It is against the rules for a palace maid to leave the palace. Wan He will not leave the palace today."
Yun Xiangye frowned when she heard this. How could a prince go back on his word? Her sister had been looking forward to leaving the palace on her birthday for a long time.
Yun Xiangye hid her complaints and said to Zhao Yun, "Your Highness, can I go see my sister?"
Zhao Yun whispered, "After she entered the palace, she is no longer your sister. It is inappropriate for you to call her sister. Change this title from now on."
Gu Yan was really afraid that Yun Xiangye would have the same temper in front of Zhao Yun as she did in front of him, so he quickly held Yun Xiangye's wrist and said, "Xiangye, your address is inappropriate. You should respectfully call me Aunt Ye in the future."
Yun Xiangye responded, "Yes, Your Highness, can I meet Aunt Ye?"
Zhao Yun's eyes narrowed.
Gu Yan said: "I guess Aunt Ye is busy. I'll see Aunt Ye another day."
Yunxiangye clenched her nails tightly.
What if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't let my sister leave the palace now?
Once I get the drug that can cause me to fake my death, I will be able to get my sister out of the palace.
As His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it is truly despicable for him to go back on his word like this.
Yun Xiangye cursed Zhao Yun in her heart, then left the palace with Gu Yan.
In the carriage, Yun Xiangye whispered in Gu Yan's ear: "Why haven't you got the fake death medicine yet?"
Gu Yan said: "We have to find a better reason to ask for it. Besides, haven't we already discussed it? The best time to take the fake death drug is during the days of His Highness' wedding. There are still four months left..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
